Fairfax County has cleared the way for another office park near Dulles International Airport to be turned into housing.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors authorized changes to the comprehensive plan on July 14 that could allow up to 483 residential units across 27 acres at the southwest corner of Centreville Road and McLearen Road in the Dulles Suburban Center corridor.
Supervisors unanimously approved a Site Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) giving the property owner the ability to convert the property, currently zoned for industrial and commercial use, to residential.
An application from K. Hovnanian Homes seeking to rezone about 15 acres of the Lincoln Park offices at 3078 Centreville Road for 281 townhomes is still under review by county staff. Those portions of the parcel currently are developed with two office buildings and parking.
The remaining portion of the plot contains two occupied office buildings, said David Gill, a land-use attorney representing the property owner.
Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith said approval of the SSPA offers multiple potential benefits.
“It provides an opportunity to expand housing choices near existing services, amenities and employment centers while advancing the vision of the Dulles Suburban Center,” Smith said. “It encourages coordinated development, cohesive site design and improved bicycle and pedestrian connectivity and compatibility with surrounding uses.”
If K. Hovnanian’s townhouse proposal is approved, Smith said it’s unlikely that the two other parcels would follow suit and change to residential use in the near term, since those office buildings still have active commercial tenants — Westway Business Center and Dominion Energy.
“But I think it is important we look out into the future and what could happen,” Smith said.
If fully built out, the change to residential use could add nearly 200 students to surrounding public schools. The site sits in the Floris Elementary/Carson Middle/Westfield High School attendance zones.
The vote by supervisors to support the request was 8-0. There were no speakers on the matter at the public hearing preceding a vote.
Staff had supported the SSPA, and the planning commission last month had recommended approval on a 11-1 vote.
In 2018, the Board of Supervisors ratified the Dulles Suburban Center Study, which lays out long-term planning for approximately 5,000 acres of land along the Route 50 and Route 28 corridors near Dulles International Airport.
