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The long-empty former Wolf Trap Hotel and Tequila Grande property in Vienna could enter construction this year, as its developer pursues a Fairfax County building permit and works to address the deteriorating appearance of the prominent site.
Hekemian & Company and civil engineering firm Walter L. Phillips received approval from the Vienna Board of Architectural Review on Jan. 16 to keep a chain-link fence around the 2.8-acre property at 444 Maple Avenue West through the end of the year.
The approval requires Hekemian to shorten a corner of the 6-foot fence to improve visibility for drivers and pedestrians visiting Purple Onion Catering Company, located immediately north at 416 Maple Avenue West.
Hekemian Senior Vice President Chris Bell also agreed to remove debris and shrubs outside the fence along Maple Avenue and Nutley Street. Board members said some plants were wilting and collecting litter discarded near the intersection.
The property has remained undeveloped since the hotel and restaurant were demolished in 2022. Vienna Zoning Administrator Andrea West issued a code violation in May 2024 after finding that its condition did not comply with a site plan approved in June 2021.
West said the plan contained no development phase allowing the land to remain unimproved after demolition. Hekemian appealed to Vienna’s Board of Zoning Appeals, which granted several deferrals before setting its March 19, 2025, meeting as the deadline for the company to submit an interim site plan and improve the property.
The Vienna Town Council approved the redevelopment in October 2018. Plans call for a four-story building containing 151 apartments above 20,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.
A 2022 site plan identified Mellow Mushroom and Tom Yum Thai among the prospective retail tenants. Current marketing materials, however, show all commercial suites as available for lease.
Hekemian initially expected construction to begin within months of the demolition. Bell told the architectural review board that economic conditions influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors disrupted those plans.
The developer now has an updated site plan and is revising architectural drawings for submission to Fairfax County. Bell said Hekemian expects to apply for a building permit in early summer and hopes to receive it in late summer following a six-to-eight-week review.
The board authorized the existing fence through the end of 2025 or until Fairfax County issues the building permit. Once construction starts, it can be converted into a construction fence, which town staff said is generally permitted at active building sites.
Because the barrier may remain for several more months, it required approval as a permanent fence subject to town setback rules.
Board members acknowledged Vienna’s frustration with the neglected property at a major entrance to town but expressed cautious hope that the project is moving forward. They ultimately allowed more time than Hekemian’s requested September deadline, concluding that another few months would make little difference if construction is genuinely approaching.