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| An illustration of the proposed complex next to the existing office buildings |
The project would be located on the sliver of land between Route 50 and South Street, next to the two 13-story office towers. On the other side of the new development, an eight-story hotel, a Hampton Inn and Suites, has already been approved.
The five-story project will have 180 apartments above 18,000 square feet of retail facing Route 50. There would be 15 three-story townhouses along South Street facing the single-family homes across the street, says Elizabeth Baker, a senior land use planner with
Walsh, Coluci, Lubeley Emrich,and Walsh.
this fall, then to the Board of Supervisors. If the approval process goes smoothly, construction could start in late 2013, Baker says.
The property is zoned PDC (planned development commercial). The original plans approved by Fairfax County in the 1970s called for three office buildings on that site but only two were built.
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| The project would include townhouses facing South Street |
That property, owned by
JBG Cos., is in the Providence District but is also in the Seven Corners Revitalization District, which is mostly in Mason.
Baker says the retail will probably include restaurants and services like dry cleaners targeted to both the residents of the complex and employees of the adjacent offices.
JGB prefers fast food restaurants because the county requires fewer parking space for them than for sit-down restaurants. JGB has requested a special exception to have a fast food restaurant in a residential setting. Baker says the county defines fast food as any restaurant with disposable utensils, and the company's plans call for places like Panera, Corner Bakery, or Starbucks, rather than McDonalds.
The company also requested approval to have just 1.45 parking spaces per seat, rather than the required 1.6, because the existing parking lot serving the office buildings are usually only two-thirds full.
There would be minimal surface parking on the service road along Route 50. Residents would park in a two-level underground lot. There would be a public courtyard with a water feature inside the complex that could be used for outdoor dining and a private courtyard restricted to residents.
Sixty-five percent of the apartments would be one-bedroom units, says Tom Sebastian of
JGB Rosenfeld, part of the JGB Group. "We think there is an untapped market of young professionals [also known as
'yuppies
'] looking for rental housing," he says. The project would be marketed to 25 to 35-year-olds.
Five percent of the units would be affordable and 7 percent would be workforce housing, he says, which would be in keeping with Fairfax County's requirement that 12 percent of the units fall into those categories. The townhouses could either be for sale or rent, depending on market conditions when the project is completed.
The developers plan to run a shuttle bus to the East Falls Church Metro station. "Conceivably someone could live here and work downtown without a car," Sebastian says.
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