A developer has returned to Fairfax County with a new proposal to add housing on Spring Hill Road in McLean.
The new Spring Hill Reserve subdivision would deliver 14 single-family, detached houses on a nearly 5-acre lot across the street from the Sunrise of McLean assisted living community, according to a rezoning application submitted to the county in late May.
The development plan from the Wormald Companies, a home builder based in Frederick, Maryland, is slightly more modest than the “Spring Hill Road Assemblage” concept brought forward by property owners Shanker and Nayan Patel in 2022.
Submitted as part of the county’s Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) process, the earlier proposal called for up to 19 townhouses on the four parcels at 1336, 1340, 1344 and 1348 Spring Hill Road, requiring an increase in the density recommended by the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan to three or four dwelling units per acre.
After nearby residents objected to the townhome development as incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood, the property owners presented an alternative plan for 19 single-family, detached homes, though that still would’ve required an increase in the site’s allowed density.
Rather than undergoing a potentially contentious process to amend the comprehensive plan, the property owners appear to have contented themselves with fewer units, enlisting Wormwald to craft a proposal that “conforms with” the recommended density of 2-3 units per acre.
“The Applicant has designed the proposed community to fit in with the existing development pattern of the surrounding area,” land-use attorney Lynne Strobel wrote in a May 28 statement of justification.
According to the application, the subdivision will be served by a single private road off Spring Hill Road across from Turning Leaf Lane, reducing the number of curb cuts and vehicle conflicts on the road. The developer is proposing sharing access with the Charity Baptist Church to the north and adding a left-turn lane into the neighborhood from Spring Hill.
The private road would end in a traffic circle to allow “easy access to the community by delivery and emergency vehicles,” and sidewalks would be provided on both sides. Each of the townhomes will have a two-car garage and a driveway that can fit at least two parked vehicles, Strobel wrote.
Proposed amenities could include an open lawn with a 4-foot-wide walking path, a 3-foot-wide trail through a wooded area on the south side of the property, and a “community courtyard” with seating and a walking path at the center of the traffic circle, which is envisioned as “a gathering area” where residents can connect with neighbors.
While the application doesn’t provide details of the number of bedrooms or floor plans, it says the houses are intended to attract both “empty nesters and families from the McLean area.”
“The community allows individuals to downsize to a smaller property while maintaining independence and a sense of community,” Strobel wrote.
The application requests that the property be rezoned from the R-1 District, which allows only one residential unit per acre, to a Planned Development Housing (PDH) District where up to three units per acre would be permitted. It hasn’t been officially accepted for review yet by county staff.
