Later this month, Fairfax County officials will consider a proposal to bring more housing to the Kingstowne Towne Center near Alexandria.
At its meeting on Aug. 25, the Board of Supervisors deferred a public hearing on developer BXP’s application to convert an existing office building into a 280-unit housing complex until Sept. 15.
The rezoning proposal was scheduled for consideration at the Aug. 25 meeting, but the board postponed it without comment following a motion by Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk. It unanimously cleared the Fairfax County Planning Commission on July 15.
BXP needs board approval to revise previous conditions on the zoning and development plan for the 2.26-acre parcel at the western corner of the town center at 5971 Kingstowne Village Parkway. The changes would allow the company behind Reston Town Center to build more residential units on the property than currently allowed.
The developer plans to convert the existing nine-story office building into 120 residential units as the first phase of development. Phase two would be a five-story addition on top of the existing three-story parking garage next to that building for an additional 160 units.
The development includes several amenities such as a fitness center, pet spa and a private outdoor courtyard.
As part of the second phase, BXP has proposed replacing the right-turn lane on Kingstowne Village Parkway with a 4-foot-wide grass buffer, a 5-foot-wide sidewalk and a pollinator garden, but an alternative plan retaining the right-turn lane was included in its application in case the Virginia Department of Transportation doesn’t allow its removal.
In documents submitted to the county, the company says that “the majority” of existing tenants in the office building will move to the office building at 5911 Kingstowne Village Parkway.
Kingstowne Towne Center was approved in 1985 with a vision of a mixed-use development, but it’s primarily retail and office space. That could be changing soon, however. If approved, the proposal would be the latest housing plan to get a greenlight from the board in Kingstowne.
In May, the board approved Halle Companies’ plans for 646 units on a vacant lot in the development just east of BXP’s block.
“The Proposed Development implements the vision outlined in the Comprehensive Plan for the Towne Centre and overall community by infusing the Kingstowne core with multi-family residential while concentrating the office uses into one viable building,” Brian Clifford, a senior land-use planner with DLA Piper, wrote to the county. “New residents will help enliven Kingstowne’s downtown area and provide an economic boost to the greater community.”
