A developer that has been angling to build on a sliver of mostly vacant land north of the Innovation Center Metro station for two decades took a step closer to realizing its goal last month.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a comprehensive plan amendment at its Nov. 18 meeting that will allow residential development on three parcels at 2140 Rock Hill Road in Herndon, paving the way for a project proposed by commercial real estate firm Stout & Teague.
“This has been a long time coming,” Mark Viani, a land use attorney representing the developer, said before the board’s vote. “This has been about 20 years in terms of slow assemblage, a lot of listening to the community, the goal here basically being to come in with a residential project that reflects the current situation we need there and also reflects what the community wants.”
Located east of the Loudoun County border, the parcels were purchased separately by affiliates of Stout & Teague in 2006, 2008 and 2022, according to Fairfax County property records. Together, they encompass 375,879 square feet, or approximately 8.6 acres of land.
While the county’s comprehensive plan already included an option for mixed-use development on the site, which is within a half-mile of the Metro station, the developer requested during the 2022-2023 Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) process that the guidance be revised to allow “predominately” residential development with street-level non-residential uses, such as retail, amenities or even live-work units.
Stout & Teague also sought to change the baseline recommendation — which envisioned the area as commercial with office and research uses — to medium-density housing, allowing 16 to 20 units per acre.
A submitted concept plan showed a five-level multifamily apartment building with an internal parking garage, a mix of traditional and stacked townhomes, and a central park.
According to Viani, the layout could be reconfigured if the developer finalizes a contract to acquire the property to the south at 2148 Rock Hill Road. While there is a single-family house on the site, it’s currently “used as kind of a junk yard,” he told the Board of Supervisors.
Because the site is located in a resource protection area, the developer’s goal is to “clean that up” and provide a bigger park area, Viani said, adding that details will be provided in a rezoning application expected to be filed in the first half of 2026.
“We’re excited to move forward,” he said. “We’re pleased to have [county] staff’s support, we’re pleased to have community support, and more importantly, we’re pleased to have the unanimous recommendation of the planning commission.”
Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman, who represents the area, observed that the proposed development would “fit in” with the Dulles Greene Apartments on the east side of Rock Hill Road.
“Getting something into this location would be a really great thing to do,” Bierman said. “… It would include up to 432 residential units and more housing within walking distance of the Metro. I love that you’re also talking about potentially more parkland in this area as well using the land that you have.”
The Rock Hill Road amendment is part of a larger land use study for the northern Innovation Center Transit Station Area. Changes to allow mixed-use apartments on 11.1 acres along Dulles Greene Drive, including a parcel owned by the county, are currently under review.
The county also received an SSPA nomination in 2022 from developers seeking to build housing on 24 acres along Innovation Avenue, including the Center for Innovative Technology office site. Whether county staff will review that proposal remains “to be determined,” the study page says.
The spelling of Mark Viani’s name has been corrected.
