Fairfax County Planning Commission

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Planning commission backs major housing increase on Merrifield apartment site

By Scott McCaffrey
Merrifield at Dunn Loring Station apartments sign (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval at its July 22 meeting of a proposal that could more than quadruple the number of residential units at the Merrifield at Dunn Loring Station Apartments.

County staff’s comprehensive plan amendment would pave the way for Malkin Properties — which has owned the 35-acre garden-apartment complex at 8130 Prescott Drive since its construction in the late 1960s — to replace the existing 706 units in phases with up to 2,975 apartments in high-rise and mid-rise buildings near the Dunn Loring Metro station.

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Planning commission embraces long-awaited Reston Town Center North plan

By Scott McCaffrey
Reston Regional Library will be replaced by a new facility as part of the Reston Town Center North redevelopment (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Fairfax County Planning Commission gave its support last Wednesday (July 22) to the long-term redevelopment of the 48-acre Reston Town Center North tract.

Commission members voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors make the necessary zoning and land-use changes to accommodate an estimated 1.6 million square feet of redevelopment, a joint venture between the county government and Inova that has been percolating for more than a decade.

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Hunter Mill District planning commissioner retires after nine years of service

By Angela Woolsey
John Carter, Hunter Mill District official, sits at a wooden desk holding papers during a formal meeting, with a district seal visible on the left.
Hunter Mill District Planning Commissioner John Carter announces his retirement at the commission's July 22, 2026 meeting (via Fairfax County)

Residents of Reston and the Vienna area will soon have their interests represented by a new face on the Fairfax County Planning Commission.

Hunter Mill District Commissioner John Carter announced Wednesday (July 22) that he is retiring, making that his last meeting after almost nine years on the body charged with making land use and development-related recommendations to the county’s Board of Supervisors.

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Lingering concerns hold back vote on planned Aurora Station at Dulles development

By Nolan Stout and Angela Woolsey
Modern residential courtyard with green lawns, paved walks, trees, and a playground between apartment buildings on a sunny day.
The proposed Aurora Station at Dulles development near the Innovation Center Metro station (via VIKA Virginia/Fairfax County)

A major mixed-use development proposed near the Innovation Center Metro station still needs some work more than three years after the developer first asked Fairfax County for permission to revise its plans.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission deferred a vote last week (July 16) on whether to recommend approval of the proposed Aurora Station at Dulles development until its Sept. 16 meeting.

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UPDATED: Herndon office redevelopment advances after delay due to sidewalk concerns

By Nolan Stout
Location of the Coppermine Commons III office building in Herndon (via Fairfax County staff report)

Update — The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval at its July 8 meeting of the proposed Coppermine Commons III redevelopment after staff confirmed that the lingering transportation concerns have been resolved.

“Thank you to the applicant and to staff for getting this worked out. We really appreciate it,” Dranesville District Planning Commissioner Alyssa Batchelor-Causey said following the vote.

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Replacement of 54-year-old wastewater pump station in Huntington approved

By Nolan Stout
The existing Jones Point Pump Station in Huntington (via Fairfax County)

Fairfax County’s public works department can now move forward with a new wastewater pump station to replace a more than 50-year-old one near Alexandria.

At its meeting last Wednesday (June 24), the Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously approved plans for the Jones Point Pump Station upgrade project.

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Planning commission praises ‘creative solution’ to expanding Seven Corners apartment complex

By Scott McCaffrey
Conceptual rendering of the proposed new Cavalier Club apartment building (via Hord Coplan Macht/Fairfax County)

Plans for an apartment building with approximately 240 homes and ground-floor retail in the Seven Corners area have received support from the Fairfax County Planning Commission.

Commission members unanimously recommended on June 24 that the Board of Supervisors approve the proposal submitted by EYA and Southern Management.

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Planning commission backs townhouses for Reston’s Isaac Newton Square

By Scott McCaffrey
Concept design for upper portion of the Isaac Newton Square redevelopment in Reston (via Land Design/Fairfax County)

The Fairfax County Planning Commission voiced support last Wednesday (June 24) for the construction of 143 townhomes on the northern portion of Isaac Newton Square in Reston.

If approved by the Board of Supervisors, the project will represent the second phase of a larger plan greenlit in 2019 that calls for the 36-acre office park to be redeveloped with 2,100 residential units, plus new office, retail and potentially hotel space.

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Lofts at Reston Station expansion heads to county board with mixed reviews

By Angela Woolsey
Rendering of proposed Lofts II at Reston Station development (via Land Design Consultants/Fairfax County)

Developer Pulte Group’s plan to expand the Lofts at Reston Station with more housing is poised to secure a final approval with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors holding a public hearing next Tuesday (June 23).

The project seeks to replace three low-rise office buildings at 1810, 1825 and 1850 Samuel Morse Drive with 158 homes, including 112 condominiums across three five- to six-story buildings and 46 stacked townhouses in one four-story building. Even after seven years of review and revisions, though, it has struggled to win over its future neighbors.

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Centreville ‘town center’ concept wins planning commission’s support

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
New Braddock Road near Centre Ridge Elementary School in Centreville (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

A proposed amendment to Fairfax County’s comprehensive plan that could transform Centreville over the next few decades gained a key endorsement from the county’s planning commission this week.

The commission voted Wednesday (June 10) to recommend adoption of the amendment, which envisions a more walkable 2,700-acre area with a defined “town center,” more affordable and mixed-use housing, and enhanced public transportation.

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