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Pohick Episcopal Church and Christopher Land LLC have submitted a Fairfax County rezoning application for Cunningham Woods Reserve, a proposed 49-home subdivision on approximately 17.5 acres of the church’s historic property in Lorton.

The application, submitted to the county planning department July 16, 2026, seeks to rezone the western portion of the 43-acre church parcel at 9301 Richmond Highway, near Pohick Road and Telegraph Road. The property is currently zoned R-1 and operates under a special-use permit. The applicants are requesting a change to PDH-3 zoning, which would allow greater development intensity.

The proposed subdivision would include 49 detached single-family homes across from the existing Summit Oaks community. The project had not been approved when it was reported July 31.

The church cemetery would remain undisturbed under the proposal. The congregation approved the sale of land west of the church and rectory in June 2025. Church officials said proceeds from the sale would establish an endowment intended to support the property’s continued financial and physical health.

Planned improvements include bringing sewer service to the property to relieve overburdened septic tanks, upgrading classrooms and maintenance facilities, replacing the church roof and constructing a second rectory for the assistant rector. Church officials said many of those projects had been considered for years but lacked funding.

“Most of these ideas have been long contemplated, but the lack of funds has prevented construction,” church officials said.

The application says the homes would have a maximum height of 39.5 feet, below the height of the existing church. It also says the project would not be required to include affordable or workforce housing because it proposes fewer than 50 homes.

Christopher Companies President E. John Regan Jr. said the proposed density would remain below the comprehensive plan recommendation of four to five dwelling units per acre. He described the project as compatible with the surrounding area.

“The Applicant’s proposal may be characterized as infill development that is compatible in use, type, and intensity with the surrounding area,” Regan said.

The church’s history is central to the property. Pohick was established as a Church of England outpost north of the Occoquan River in the early 1700s. The colonial government established Truro Parish in 1732, and Pohick became its parish church. The current building was constructed in 1774 after an earlier wooden church on Old Colchester Road burned.

Augustine Washington, George Washington’s father, was an early Truro Parish vestryman. Church officials also say George Washington surveyed the current church location.

The cemetery was established in 1886 and expanded in 1920, although burials near the churchyard are known from the 1700s and 1800s. Burials continue, but church officials say only a very limited number of plots remain available to the general public.

“Pohick Church is no exception and believes that it must do its part to preserve its great history for future generations,” church officials said.

The proposal remains subject to Fairfax County’s review process.