A new vision is taking shape for one of Inova Health System’s former administrative headquarters buildings in Merrifield.
After a previous developer backed off plans to convert the office building at 8110 Gatehouse Road into live/work units, the new property owner — an affiliate of Bethesda-based Buchanan Partners — intends to demolish the existing six-story structure and replace it with up to 300 homes.
The new development would consist of a seven-story, 265-unit multifamily residential building and a maximum of 35 three- or four-story attached townhouses, according to a rezoning application submitted to Fairfax County in September.
A five-level garage currently on the north end of the approximately 5.1-acre property would remain, providing 688 parking spaces for residents and visitors of the multifamily building. An additional 60 spaces are proposed for the townhomes, mostly in private garages.
“The Proposed Development will transform an underutilized office property into a coordinated residential community with a mix of housing types, high-quality open space, and an interconnected pedestrian network,” DLA Piper land use attorney Brian Winterhalter wrote in a statement for the application.
Vacant since Inova moved out in fall 2022, the Gatehouse building was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in June 2023 for conversion into a live/work complex with up to 240 units that could be used as a home or work space. At the same time, the board backed a project to repurpose the neighboring office building at 2990 Telestar Court — also formerly part of Inova’s administrative headquarters — as affordable housing.
While construction is underway on the 80-unit, income-restricted apartment building by the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) and Conifer Realty, Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik confirmed at a Board of Supervisors meeting in June that the live/work project wasn’t moving forward.
Inova had sold the Gatehouse property for $13 million in February to the affiliate of Buchanan Partners, identified in county records as Gatehouse Investment LLC.
According to the new application, the live/work development sought by Madison Highland — a partnership of the developers Madison Marquette and Highland Square Holdings — “was ultimately determined to be financially infeasible,” leading Buchanan to pursue a more traditional residential project as an alternative.
Despite the shift, Buchanan is seeking to retain a condition of the previous approval that allowed the Telestar apartments to count toward the Gatehouse property’s workforce dwelling unit (WDU) requirements.
“In addition, the Applicant will provide the required WDUs associated with any residential units proposed on the Property above and beyond the number of units previously approved,” the application says, noting that the new proposal calls for an increased number of homes.
Under the submitted development plan, the housing would come with an approximately 1-acre central urban park with open lawns, a plaza, a perimeter promenade, seating, lighting, a loop walk, and a shade structure or trellis. Located near the south end of the parcel between the multifamily building and townhouses, the park would be publicly accessible, including to residents of the Telestar development.
An internal road connection with the Telestar property would also give residents “convenient access” to the Gatehouse parking garage, Winterhalter wrote.
Other proposed improvements include a private courtyard for the multifamily residential building, an 8-foot-wide sidewalk with landscaping along Gatehouse Road, and a new crosswalk on Gatehouse Road leading to the Fairfax County Public Schools administrative center across the street.
“Collectively, these elements will contribute to the continued evolution of Merrifield as a vibrant, connected, and pedestrian-oriented community,” Winterhalter wrote.
The application hasn’t been accepted for review yet by county staff, but once it is, it will likely be evaluated in conjunction with a comprehensive plan amendment.
At Palchik’s request, the Board of Supervisors authorized staff in June to consider an amendment. Currently in the second tier of the county’s work program, meaning it would be reviewed in coordination with a rezoning application based on staff availability, the revision would allow residential development on the Gatehouse site in addition to the office and warehouse uses recommended by the comprehensive plan.
A virtual community meeting on the proposed amendment was held last night (Tuesday), but a draft hasn’t been released, and no public hearings have been scheduled yet.
