The trustees of a Dunn Loring church have pulled back a proposal that some day might see their 4.2-acre site redeveloped for multi-family housing with a child-care center and new worship space.
Trustees of the Vine Church, a United Methodist-affiliated congregation located at 2501 Gallows Road, had nominated the site to be considered for Fairfax County’s site-specific plan amendment (SSPA) process, which allows members of the public to propose land use changes.
Had an amendment been granted, church leaders could have sought a rezoning from the current R-3 district (which allows residential uses up to four dwelling units per acre) to one that permits mixed-use redevelopment.
The proposal could have resulted in a two-story house of worship with a child-care center, plus up to 150 residential units in buildings with three to four stories.
Concerns among residents living around the site led church trustees to step back for now, according to Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik.
“I appreciate that the church has worked with the community,” Palchik said at the Tuesday (March 4) meeting of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
Those church leaders will “have some additional meetings with the community, and additional help from some of our [county] agencies,” she said.
The decision removed the parcel from a list of approximately 50 sites countywide that the Board of Supervisors approved for staff consideration.
Out of the 53 total nominations that the county received between Jan. and Feb. 13, four were deemed ineligible, because they’re either in areas already subject to planning studies or were approved for changes within the past two years.
- Commerce Metro Center (Hunter Mill): proposed a freestanding child-care facility at 2000 Association Drive in Reston
- Federal Systems Park Drive (Springfield): proposed redeveloping the office park with multi-family and townhome residences
- Food Star (Mason): sought additional residential, independent living and commercial space. A plan amendment to allow mixed-use development on the grocery store site was approved in 2023.
- IMP Building (Mount Vernon): proposed multi-family residential development to replace the existing office building. A similar proposal authorized in 2023 was consolidated with a study of 8800 Richmond Highway that has been indefinitely deferred since 2018.
In all, the county board accepted 43 nominations this week that will now go through a screening process that includes public meetings and hearings to see if comprehensive plan changes are warranted. That process will continue through June, when a final list will be approved.
Many of the proposals seek major changes to existing zoning, which could raise concerns in surrounding communities. But “there is much time for community input” in coming months, Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith said.
The new crop of applications “kind of run the gamut,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn observed. Some appear to have feasible development possibilities, while others have been considered and rejected before, he said.
A push to redevelop Reston National Golf Course, for instance, has returned, despite stalling during the last SSPA review in 2022. Though Alcorn has pledged not to allow development on the site as long as it’s opposed by residents, this time, the nomination has advanced to the screening phase.
“I look forward to community engagement,” Alcorn said.
The Mason, Hunter Mill and Providence districts each had a dozen or more sites proposed for consideration. Other districts had between one and four. A full list of the submitted SSPA nominations can be found on the county’s website.
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