The final piece of a coordinated plan to redevelop the Flint Hill Office Park in Oakton has been solidified.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Nov. 18 to approve property owner Flint Hill Propco LLC’s proposal for a 111-unit townhome complex to replace the Three Flint Hill office building at 3201 Jermantown Road.
The vote came after the board gave its support in February to two separate applications seeking to replace two other buildings in the Flint Hill Office Park (10530 Rosehaven Street) and the Redwood Plaza offices (10600 Arrowhead Drive) to the south with housing.
While the properties all have different owners — Three Flint Hill and Redwood Plaza belong to different affiliates of the Arlington-based developer Network Realty Partners, and the other Flint Hill buildings are owned by A&A Properties — the proposals were closely coordinated, according to David Gill, a land use attorney who represented all three applicants.
“We have worked hard to bring forward a variety of different unit types here, and we’re excited to finally begin this transformation of what has largely been an underutilized office park consistent with the current comprehensive plan,” Gill told the Board of Supervisors at the Nov. 18 public hearing.
Rezoning a 7.03-acre parcel to a district that allows residential development, the Three Flint Hill plan calls for a mix of 34 stacked townhomes and up to 77 side-by-side townhouses to replace the existing 8-story office building, which dates back to 1984.
Though none are required by the county’s ordinance, the developer has committed to providing a total of four for-sale affordable dwelling units (ADUs) — two stacked townhomes and two side-by-side townhomes.
As part of the project, Flint Hill Propco will also construct an 8-foot-wide sidewalk along Jermantown Road and create a new mid-block crossing with a high-visibility crosswalk supported by a pedestrian-activated beacon, ADA-compliant curb ramps, and an expansion of the existing concrete median “to create a grassy pedestrian refuge,” according to the proffers or development conditions.
The development will feature 1.17 acres of publicly accessible urban park space across five separate locations, including a central park, outdoor fitness and recreation areas, and a 23,278-square-foot “family park” that must be completed before the new neighborhood’s first residents move in.
“While not a piazza, they will feature facilities such as a play structure, seating areas, a grill station and a picnic pavilion,” Cathy Lewis, zoning evaluation branch chief for the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development, said when describing the park spaces to the board.
Gill noted that the Three Flint Hill redevelopment “represents the first chance to link the I-66 Trail to the Cross-County Trail with publicly accessible trails through the site.”
No community members appeared to testify at the public hearing, but Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik welcomed the inclusion of pedestrian improvements on Jermantown Road, as the county studies options for addressing congestion and safety concerns in the greater Oakton area that she represents.
“I believe this development is bringing us safer streets, better connections and a more walkable neighborhood,” she said.
In total, the Flint Hill and Redwood Plaza redevelopments will deliver approximately 581 new homes, 15 public parks totaling 4.5 acres, a 10-foot-wide shared-use path along Arrowhead Drive, three new bus shelters and multiple high-visibility crosswalks.
Flint Hill Propco is also contributing $23,000 to Fairfax County so it can install a Capital Bikeshare station in the area.
“These applications show how we can grow smarter and turns outdated office buildings into housing, parks and safer streets,” Palchik said.
