Spring Hill Road townhouses among Tysons redevelopment pitches up for community input

A proposal to increase the density of housing along Spring Hill Road just outside McLean is among several applications for potential redevelopment in the immediate Tysons area that Fairfax County will present for public comment at a virtual meeting next month.

In its Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) nomination, Spring Hill Road Investments LLC asks that the county allow three to four dwelling units per acre at 1336, 1340, 1344 and 1348 Spring Hill Road, a stretch of single-family houses between Lewinsville Road and the Dulles Toll Road.

Right now, the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan recommends (page 138) two to three units per acre for the land, which totals 4.97 acres in size and is currently zoned for just one unit per acre.

“The additional density would make redevelopment more consistent with the type of housing one might expect near the Dulles Toll Road as a gateway to the Neighborhoods that adjoin and the assisted living facility across the street of the Property,” Matthew Roberts, an attorney for the applicant, wrote.

If the proposed amendment is accepted, the company says it will seek approval of a “Spring Hill Road Assemblage” townhouse development with up to 19 units and approximately 114,741 square feet of open space.

The development would consolidate the property’s five acres into one parcel and replace the existing driveways with just one vehicular access point on Spring Hill Road.

“Homes and open space could be oriented to create a welcoming ‘entrance’ to the neighborhood along Spring Hill Road,” the application says. “In addition, visitor parking and modern stormwater management systems could be installed to service the site.”

The application argues that townhouses would be preferable to redeveloping the site with detached homes, which would present “minimal opportunities to address transitions to adjacent properties, architectural compatibility, or environmental development techniques for sensitive areas, home construction, or stormwater management.”

The Spring Hill proposal is one of five Tysons-related nominations that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors advanced to the screening phase of its SSPA process, which identifies possible land use changes to the comprehensive plan.

The other requested alterations would:

• Replace the office buildings at 7600 Leesburg Pike in Pimmit Hills with townhouses
• Add an option for housing in The Boro East office complex
• Bring mixed-use development to the Koons auto dealership properties by the Route 123/Route 7 interchange
• Ensure that additional development at Scotts Run, including a potential hotel and senior living facility, will be allowed

The county will host a virtual meeting on the five applications at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

The Board of Supervisors accepted a total of 70 SSPA nominations for further review, led by 13 Hunter Mill District proposals. A community meeting focused on the Vienna and Oakton area, including three proposals in Merrifield, is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Jan. 25.

After the community meetings wrap up, the Fairfax County Planning Commission will hold a workshop in February where the public will be able to comment. The commission will then decide which applications should be included in the county’s official plan amendment work program, which is expected to go to the board for a vote this spring.