Another office building in the sprawling Westfields section of Chantilly is being targeted for redevelopment as housing.

Developer Network Realty Partners wants to replace a vacant office building at 14101 Newbrook Drive and some of the adjacent office building’s parking lot with 109 single-family townhouses and two multi-family condominium buildings, according to a rezoning application submitted to Fairfax County on Friday (March 8).

The adjacent office building at 14200 Park Meadow Drive, whose tenants include homebuilder Stanley Martin’s Northern Virginia office, and enough parking to exceed the required minimum amount of spaces will be retained.

According to a statement of justification for the application, the proposed “Newbrook Park” development will further the “goals of creating an overall mixed-use 24/7 environment in the Westfields International Business Park,” as laid out in the county’s comprehensive plan for the Dulles Suburban Center.

“The Applicant’s proposal will replace an obsolete office building that has been vacant for multiple years, along with acres of excess impervious surface parking, with an integrated community of single family attached and multifamily dwellings,” the application said. “This proposal will implement the vision of increased residential use in Westfields…and with the varied unit sizes, will target the missing middle population of the County.”

Built in 1999, the 69,679-square-foot office building on Newbrook Drive “has been vacant for multiple years,” according to Network Realty Partners, which submitted the application under the names NRP Corporate Point Acquisition LLC and NRP Park Meadow Acquisition LCC.

County records indicate that the 166,380-square-foot Park Meadow Drive building is even older, having been constructed in 1989.

Both sites were part of the Westfields development plan originally approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 1985, which zoned about 1,027 acres to mostly industrial districts. Known in the comprehensive plan as “Land Unit J,” the area is primarily developed with offices, but portions have been carved out over the years and rezoned for housing or other uses.

Stanley Martin built the Stonebrook at Westfields condos to the north, for instance, and construction is underway on the once-controversial Boulevards townhouses and condos to the southwest. A proposal to replace the nearby Park East Corporate Center with housing is under county review.

A total of 2,474 residential units have been approved in Land Unit J, which has a recommended ceiling of 5,500 units, per the comprehensive plan. Read More

A Chantilly office has landed AT&T for a rare full-building lease.

In late February, the telecommunications company signed a lease for 111,000 square foot at 4807 Stonecroft Blvd, part of the Westfields International Center at Dulles office park. It will take over the building in 2025 under a long-term lease, building manager Stream Realty Partners announced on Feb. 29.

“We are excited to welcome AT&T to Stonecroft IV and into our regional portfolio,” said Max Sanford, a partner at Menlo Equities, which owns the building. “Their decision to lease the entire building reaffirms the strength of the property’s offerings and its strategic location, and we look forward to their long-term occupancy in the building.”

The building includes new amenities like a fitness center, lounge, upgraded lobby and conference center.

The move comes as AT&T consolidates its Virginia offices, according to Bisnow. Plans for mixed-use development on the company’s longtime corporate campus at 3033 Chain Bridge Road in Oakton are already in the works.

Here’s more from Bisnow on how Stream Realty Partners landed the lease:

The telecommunications giant is consolidating from multiple Virginia offices, including 3033 Chain Bridge Road in Oakton, Stream Realty co-Managing Director Jeff Roman told Bisnow. Its Oakton building is slated for a 1.5M SF redevelopment from EYA and Carlyle Group.

The 4807 Stonecroft building had been occupied by Northrop Grumman starting in 2008, but the defense contractor vacated a few years ago, said Roman, who leases the building along with Stream Executive Vice President Malcolm Schweiker.

After Northrop Grumman left, then-owner Franklin Street Properties Corp. worked with the Stream brokers to secure an agreement with another defense contractor, Roman said, declining to name that firm. Franklin Street renovated the building as part of the effort to bring in that tenant, but the company decided not to proceed with the deal due to pandemic-related shifts, Roman said.

Franklin Street sold Stonecroft IV and another Chantilly building to Menlo Equities in November 2021 for $40 million. The Stonecroft building was vacant at the time, according to the Washington Business Journal.

Stream Realty Partners also touted the building’s location for providing “unparalleled connectivity” to government operations, including the CIA and FBI.

“This whole building lease represents another great office success in Westfields and continues to show commercial resilience in the Westfields community,” Westfields Center said in a statement welcoming AT&T.

Photo via Google Maps

Mustang Sally Brewing Company is hoping to serve up something new out of its brewery in Chantilly.

The business, which currently operates as a production brewery with a tasting room, hopes to expand its food service at 14140 Parke Long Court in an effort to become more competitive in the brewing industry.

Doing so would require Fairfax County’s approval of a special exception that would remove limits on the operating hours and equipment allowed for food service at the brewery.

Submitted to the county on March 1, the application contends that the county’s existing zoning ordinance “lags behind the competitive landscape of brewery tasting rooms” in terms of the food services that a brewery can conduct by right.

“Regardless of the business model or setting, customers have expectations about what tasting rooms offer and high among those expectations is food service. For a brewery to have a competitive tasting room now, it must have appealing food service,” the application says.

The business argues that the county’s zoning ordinance puts larger breweries at a “substantial disadvantage,” because they’re required to be located in industrial areas where there are limits on the food services they can provide in their tasting rooms.

According to the application, Mustang Sally is currently confined to offering pre-packaged food items that require limited preparation or reheating. In August 2021, the brewery began working with Eugene’s Sausages and Fries, which serves hotdogs and sausages made with traditional sandwich ingredients.

“Since introducing food service within the tasting room in August 2021, Mustang Sally’s tasting
room performance has improved considerably,” the application says.

But the county’s zoning administration determined that food could only be served Thursday through Sunday. The inability to offer food service outside of those days creates “significant challenges” for the brewery, according to the application.

Mustang Sally also wants to expand its current hours by opening earlier and offering food service during those hours as well — something that Eugene’s is reluctant to do, since it would increase their operating expenses and be challenging to staff, the application says.

“It is a daily occurence that people walk into Mustang Sally’s tasting room, realize they cannot get food and immediately walk back out,” the application states.

Started by a former corporate lawyer, Mustang Sally opened in May 2016 with a 4,000-square-foot tasting room. Its beers are also sold in draft and can form throughout Northern Virginia, and it regularly hosts events, such as trivia nights and dog adoption days.

Image via Google Maps

South Block may be on the verge of an East Coast expansion, but for its next location, the regional juice and smoothie bowl chain is sticking relatively close to home.

Announced in a Halloween Instagram post, South Block’s 16th shop is set to open in The Field at Commonwealth (14383 Newbrook Drive) in Chantilly this summer. Construction will begin within the next couple weeks, South Block founder and CEO Amir Mostafavi told FFXnow in an email.

The shop, which serves smoothies, açai bowls, juices and toasts, will be situated alongside a Peet’s Coffee, UPS Store and Chipotle.

“We love Fairfax County,” wrote Mostafavi, who grew up in McLean. Following a 2020 opening in the Town of Vienna, South Block opened its first Fairfax County location last March in McLean’s Chesterbrook Shopping Center (6246 Old Dominion Drive).

The company also plans to start construction on a location in Fairfax’s Fair City Mall (9650 Main Street) this summer and is negotiating a lease in Springfield, Mostafavi wrote.

“Our longer term plan is to start expanding into new markets outside of the DMV, but we feel there [are] still a ton of amazing communities in the DMV that we would love to be a part of,” he wrote.

Private equity firm Savory Fund acquired a stake in South Block in a deal announced at the end of January. That deal keeps Mostafavi as the company’s CEO.

The new partnership aims to bring South Block up to 50 East Coast locations. South Block’s first storefront opened in Clarendon in 2011, and the chain’s most recent location opened last July in Amazon’s HQ2.

“More important than scale, where we add dozens more units, we want to grow the business from within and make sure that we grow the base of our cult following and the locations we currently have,” Savory Fund Managing Partner and co-founder Andrew Smith told FFXnow’s sister site ARLnow.

Following the announcement, Mostafavi told ARLnow that the entire South Block team will stay intact.

(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) An 8-inch natural gas line was ruptured near Westfield High School this morning (Wednesday), forcing a closure of Willard Road in Chantilly.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responders, including a hazmat team, were dispatched to the 14800 block of Willard Road around 10:26 a.m. for a “hazardous material emergency,” according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.

There was “a significant leak” that would require a shutdown of both sides of Willard between Lee Road and Stonecroft Blvd, according to responders on the scene.

A hazmat worker said at 10:54 a.m. that the nearby CARSTAR Centreville Collision Center was evacuated after workers reported an odor, per the scanner. The worker later told the dispatcher that “no abnormal readings” were detected in the auto shop.

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department initially said a 2-inch line had been struck, but after arriving at the scene, Washington Gas workers determined that the affected line was 8 inches wide.

An FCFRD spokesperson told FFXnow no other details about the cause of the struck gas line were available, as of 12:42 p.m.

The damage was caused by a third party, but there’s “no confirmation that it was from construction,” a Washington Gas spokesperson says.

“Crews on site shut gas off just after noon,” Washington Gas said. “No estimate has been given on repairs.”

The fire department said its units “will be on scene for an undetermined amount of time.” Community members are advised to find alternate travel routes.

UPDATE: @washingtongas is on scene. After further investigation they discovered an 8-inch gas line struck. #FCFRD will be on scene for an undetermined amount of time.

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) February 7, 2024

Centreville-based nonprofit Tender Hearts has donated over 100 Nepali-language children’s books to Fairfax County Public Libraries with the aim of connecting local Nepalese families and children to their cultural roots.

Prabha Bhattarai Deuja, founder and president of Tender Hearts, recently delivered the books to the Chantilly branch of Fairfax County Public Libraries, according to a news release.

“The Fairfax County Public Libraries hold a special place in my heart for its dedication to accessibility and equity,” Deuja said in the release. “To be able to contribute to that same mission with our newly added Nepalese culture books brings a sense of pride and gratitude for our community I didn’t know was possible. I am a firm believer that books are just one door to promoting our country and culture.”

The books have been cataloged and are currently available to all Fairfax County residents. More information can be found at fairfaxcounty.gov/library/nepali-world-languages-bags.

Tender Hearts representatives said they hope to see the collection expanded over time. The nonprofit — formally known as PKP Tender Hearts Foundation — aims to preserve and spread awareness about Nepali culture within children in the U.S.

This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.

Fairfax County is getting a new warehouse or data center next to the Chantilly Auto Park — though unhappy residents and local stakeholder groups say they may take the issue to court.

After a lengthy public hearing on Tuesday (Jan. 23), the Board of Supervisors voted 8-1 to approve a rezoning of a 12-acre plot off Route 50 for industrial use. Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity was the sole dissenting vote, and Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn was absent.

PDCREF 2 Chantilly LLC, a developer affiliated with the D.C.-based firm Penzance, hasn’t yet settled on a definite plan for the site. Its application to the county included options for a 150,000-square-foot warehouse or a 402,000-square-foot data center, with heights between 75 and 110 feet.

Twenty-three individuals, many of them residents of the Pleasant Valley neighborhood roughly a mile from the site, showed up at the hearing to oppose to the application. But their concerns failed to turn most supervisors against the proposal.

“We’ve heard concerns about noise, visual effects, energy demand, water quality, and the like,” Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith said following the hearing. “But we’ve also heard how thoroughly this applicant has addressed these concerns by submitting a more robust proffer package than any data center applicant has previously provided in this county.”

Concerns about noise and pollution

Before the hearing, Pleasant Valley residents and community groups held a press conference to explain their opposition to the application. The data center’s proposed height and anticipated noise, air and water pollution from its equipment were cited as major concerns.

The coalition, which included the West Fairfax Citizens Association and Sully District Council of Citizens Association, also worried that the warehouse alternative could increase traffic congestion.

“My main concern is the noise,” Pleasant Valley resident Trevor Brierly said. “I don’t want to live in a neighborhood where there’s a constant, low-pitched hum that doesn’t go away. You can’t do anything about it.”

As part of the application, the developer must comply with several conditions, including lowering the facility’s noise levels to meet county standards.

The developer plans to install noise buffers and silencers on equipment and enclose the facility’s 27 diesel-powered generators, aiming to reduce external noise from the HVAC system and generators from the county’s limit of 60 decibels — equivalent to a normal conversation — to 50 decibels, akin to rainfall, per noiseawareness.org.

The developer must also carry out a noise study after the data center’s construction to ensure it complies with the county’s noise regulations.

Still, Brierly says he’s worried the generator and HVAC noise could lead to a loss of sleep and anxiety. Read More

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is considering a proposal to rezone several acres near Chantilly Auto Park for a data center.

The project, however, faces strong opposition from several local stakeholder groups who are urging the board to delay approval until the effects of data center development can be further researched.

“We don’t yet understand the cumulative impacts of energy consumption, water usage, wastewater contamination, diesel fuel storage and exhaust filtration, and noise impacts on the environment, wildlife, and humans,” Jay Johnston, president of the Virginia Run Homeowner’s Association and member of the Sully District Council of Citizens Association, said in a press release. “It’s time for common sense to prevail and allow time to review and implement before we create further harm to ourselves and the environment.”

In September of last year, the Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended approval of an application to rezone a 12-acre plot of land off Route 50.

PDCREF 2 Chantilly LLC, an affiliate of the D.C.-based real estate investment firm Penzance, purchased the 3.4 million square-foot site in August 2022 for $10 million, per county land records. If approved, the developer would be allowed to build either a 150,000-square-foot warehouse or a 402,000-square-foot data center, ranging from 75 to 110 feet in height.

The proposal comes as data center development in the region has reached a breakneck pace. Northern Virginia currently hosts over 200 data centers spread out across Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun counties, according to Datacenters.com.

Loudoun County currently has the largest concentration with about 175 data centers, followed by Prince William County with over 30. The Prince William County Board of Supervisors approved a 3-million-square foot development last month that would add 37 more data centers.

In contrast, Fairfax County houses under 30 data centers, per Datacenters.com.

The rapid expansion of data centers in Northern Virginia has raised concerns among many local residents and environmental groups, who warn of potential negative effects, such as increased carbon and noise pollution and high water and electricity usage.

Fairfax County began developing standards for the facilities last year, and at the state level, the General Assembly is considering several bills to create stricter regulations around data center development, such as requiring 90% of energy from non-carbon-emitting sources, maintaining certain energy efficiency levels, and mandating larger buffers between these facilities and nearby parks and residences.

While data centers have generated substantial tax revenue for local and state governments since 2017, local stakeholders argue the pace of development has been too fast, and regulatory oversight is lacking.

“The tri-county areas of Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William are, by all measures the largest concentration of data centers — in the world,” Johnston said in the release.

“No place in the world has a larger concentration been created, which places it close to the nation’s capital and the center of the free world and a prime target for those who wish to do US harm,” he continued. “Yet, we lag behind in regulations to control the growth or to manage what we currently have under construction because of some arcane rules that we can’t impose new regulation after submission of proposal to the county.”

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the Penzance proposal around 4 p.m. tomorrow in the Fairfax County Government Center (12000 Government Center Parkway). Johnston and other opponents, including the West Fairfax County Citizens Association and the Sully District Council of Citizens Association of Chantilly, plan to hold a press conference before the hearing at 3 p.m. to demand modifications to the proposal.

“The property is located in a drinking water supply protection area, near residential communities and an aircraft flight corridor — all threatened by the sheer size of the data center,” the release says.

Pupatella is now popping out pizzas at its newest location in Fairfax County.

The regional chain officially opened at 13619 Route 50 in Chantilly yesterday (Tuesday). Located in Chantilly Plaza, the roughly 3,000-square-foot restaurant is Pupatella’s ninth overall and fourth in Fairfax County.

“The team is thrilled about expanding into this new market in Virginia, and looks forward to continuing investing in the communities that have supported them for years,” a public relations representative said.

Started as a food truck in 2007, Pupatella opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Ballston in 2010. Since raising $7.5 million to fund an expansion in 2021, the business has launched locations in Reston, the Mosaic District in Merrifield and Springfield, among other sites.

Last May, Pupatella managing partner Michael Berger told FFXnow that the company’s research indicated that it had many fans living in Chantilly, suggesting it would be a good area to add to its roster.

“Chantilly is a wonderful and growing community with many residents who were already loyal guests at our other pizzerias, so it made a ton of sense to bring Pupatella to the neighborhood, Berger said in a new statement. “It’s also a very nice partner location to our nearby Leesburg and Reston pizzerias, so operationally we feel very equipped to ensure that our Chantilly location will serve the top quality pizza that our guests have come to know and love at Pupatella.”

Occupying a standalone building in Chantilly Plaza’s parking lot, Pupatella can seat 86 people inside and 24 people on an outdoor patio. The menu features the chain’s usual Neapolitan pizzas, along with paninis, salads and small plates, Napoli street snacks and Italian desserts.

The restaurant operates from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, though it closes on all major holidays.

Anchored by Gold’s Gym, Chantilly Plaza is also home to a Dollar Tree, the restaurant Sagar Asian Fusion and a Sunoco gas station. A leasing site plan shows two vacant suites in the corner of the strip mall once filled by the pizza shop King’s Bite.

A teen was arrested this weekend for forcing his way into a Chantilly woman’s home and allegedly attempting to sexually assault her.

Officers were initially called to the 14600 block of Northwest Place in the Meadows of Chantilly neighborhood at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 23) after getting a 911 hang-up call, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

“An officer from the Sully Police District found the distraught homeowner being followed by a male suspect inside the victim’s home, who was claiming to be her grandson,” the FCPD said in a news release today (Wednesday). “The victim disputed the claim and the officer attempted to detain the suspect.”

The teen attempted to run away but was “quickly” taken into custody by the officer, police said.

Based on a preliminary investigation, detectives with the department’s Major Crimes Bureau believe the teen knocked and tried to force his way inside the house after the woman answered the door.

“The victim attempted to call 911 but was assaulted by the suspect, preventing her from relaying information,” the FCPD said. “The suspect forced the victim to a bedroom and his further assault was stopped when officers arrived.”

The teen has charges of burglary with the intent to rape, abduction with the intent to defile, prevention of a 911 call, and assault and battery, according to the police department.