housing | FFXnow

Fairfax City planning commission advises rejecting plan to redevelop century-old house

Published July 8, 2025 at 1:45PM

Design rendering for one mixed-use apartment building proposed at 4131 Chain Bridge Road (via City of Fairfax)

City of Fairfax planning commissioners say the latest incarnation of a plan to redevelop a key parcel along Chain Bridge Road has improved on past submissions, but most of them still didn’t like the proposal enough to support its approval.

The commission voted 4-2 on June 23 to recommend that the Fairfax City Council reject developer Paradigm Companies’ latest plan to replace a 109-year-old house at 4131 Chain Bridge Road with a 276-unit apartment building. The proposed project would occupy a 2.7-acre site and include about 11,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial/retail space.

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Median apartment rents in Tysons, Merrifield approaching Arlington rates

By Scott McCaffrey

Published July 8, 2025 at 9:15AM

Signs advertise apartments available for tours in The Jones at Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The median rent of an apartment in two urban areas of Fairfax County is drawing close to $3,000 per month, according to new data.

Should Tysons and Merrifield, including the Mosaic District, reach that figure in the second half of this year, they will join Arlington in the $3,000-per-month club.

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Another developer offers to finally bring housing to Kingstowne Towne Center

By Vernon Miles

Published July 1, 2025 at 3:45PM

Northwest view of a multifamily residential building proposed to replace office building at Kingstowne Towne Center (via Design Collective/Fairfax County)

While office and retail markets are struggling, a new application could bring more residents and — hopefully — more customers to Kingstowne Towne Center.

On paper, the 35-acre Kingstowne Towne Center is a mixed-use parcel, blending commercial and residential development. In reality, though, housing has yet to materialize at the shopping center, with various projects languishing even after getting Fairfax County’s approval.

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Fairfax leaders start hunting new locations for student-built housing initiative

By Scott McCaffrey

Published July 1, 2025 at 9:15AM | Updated July 1, 2025 at 9:47AM

A Spring Village Estates home constructed by Edison Academy students in Fairfax County Public Schools' FATE program (via Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk)

The future of an acclaimed program that gives local students real-world construction management skills may hinge on finding enough open space to build more houses.

At a June 24 meeting, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay urged his colleagues to scout for potential tracts of land to continue the collaboration between Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the Foundation for Applied Technical Education (FATE) and industry partners.

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Proposal for Spring Hill housing subdivision in McLean reemerges

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 27, 2025 at 8:30AM

Wormald Companies' proposed plan for the Spring Hill Reserve development in McLean (via Bowman Consulting Group/Fairfax County)

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.

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Military financial services group rethinks plan for redeveloping Reston campus

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 25, 2025 at 8:30AM

Rendering of EYA's proposed townhouse development at 1850 Old Reston Avenue (via VIKA Virginia/Fairfax County)

The American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA) is no longer planning to transform its administrative offices in Reston into a new headquarters.

With its office needs declining, the member-owned nonprofit, which provides life insurance, mortgages and other financial services to members of the U.S. military community, has shifted its focus instead to housing, according to a rezoning application submitted to Fairfax County on June 24.

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McLean Office Center targeted for mixed-use housing development

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 23, 2025 at 2:45PM

A rendering of the residential building proposed to replace the McLean Office Center (via KTGY/Fairfax County)

The latest proposal to bring housing to downtown McLean targets a pair of modest office buildings, one of which was built nearly a century ago.

Reston’s Cypress Real Estate Company, under the name Beverly & Elm Development, submitted plans to Fairfax County last Tuesday (June 17) for a seven-story residential building that would replace the McLean Office Center at 1368 Beverly Road.

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Data: Renters increasingly dominate housing in certain areas of Fairfax County

By Scott McCaffrey

Published June 23, 2025 at 8:30AM

Heming apartments in Tysons' Scotts Run neighborhood (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Growth in the proportion of renters to homeowners across Fairfax County is changing the local landscape in a number of ways.

An analysis by Point2Homes released in mid-June places three Fairfax communities among the top 10 in the D.C. region for the percentage of renters compared to overall housing:

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New apartment building at Halley Rise in Reston announces grand opening

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 20, 2025 at 2:45PM

The Arbor at Halley Rise is now welcoming residents in Reston (courtesy The Arbor at Halley Rise)

A new housing option has opened up at the Halley Rise development in Reston.

After wrapping up construction last year, The Arbor at Halley Rise will celebrate its grand opening from noon to 3 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday), inviting current and possibly future residents to partake in food, drinks, lawn games and live entertainment as they get a look at the finished building.

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Developer proposes townhouses in place of Reston offices near W&OD Trail

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 18, 2025 at 10:00AM

The office building at 1851 Alexander Bell Drive in Reston (via Google Maps)

Another office complex in the Dulles Toll Road corridor is being targeted as a candidate for redevelopment as housing.

The owner of the office buildings at 1835 and 1851 Alexander Bell Drive in Reston filed a rezoning application with Fairfax County late last month that proposes turning the 7.45-acre site into a townhome community.