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Nearly 50 properties across Fairfax County could be headed for major changes, from new housing on struggling office campuses to taller mixed-use buildings, expanded shopping centers and redevelopment of Reston National Golf Course.
Developers, property owners and community members submitted the proposals during the county’s latest Site-Specific Plan Amendment process. The program allows the public to request changes to Fairfax County’s comprehensive plan, which guides future land use and development.
The submission window ran from Jan. 13 through Feb. 13. The proposals are scheduled to reach the Board of Supervisors on March 4, when supervisors will decide which should advance to a screening phase.
The previous 2022-2023 cycle emphasized conversions from commercial space to housing. About half of its 75 nominations were approved for staff consideration in April 2023. This round is broader, ranging from narrow changes permitting vehicle sales to major residential and mixed-use projects.
Some nominations revive earlier redevelopment efforts at the Food Star property in Bailey’s Crossroads, Hilltop Village Center in Kingstowne and Reston National Golf Course. Others represent a first look at possible changes to properties such as Tysons Plaza and the Office Depot site in Penn Daw.
Braddock District
At StorageMart, 11325 Route 29 in Fairfax, the plan currently calls for self-storage with an office redevelopment option. An adjacent vacant parcel is planned for as many as three homes per acre. The nomination would allow StorageMart to expand onto that parcel.
Franconia District
The 67,954-square-foot property at 6404 Telegraph Road in Rose Hill is planned for commercial use and contains a warehouse-style building occupied by Budget Truck Rental, a plumber and a hair salon. The proposal calls for completely redeveloping it with medium-density, townhouse-style housing.
Land at Beulah and Steinway streets in Kingstowne is planned for one to two homes per acre. Its nomination seeks five to eight units per acre through a mix of detached houses and townhomes designed to fit neighboring development.
Hilltop Village Center, 7920 Heneska Loop, is planned for recreation and housing at three to four units per acre, with an option for retail and offices at up to 0.30 floor area ratio. The new proposal seeks mixed-use development containing retail, offices and housing at up to 0.41 FAR. That would be slightly less intense than an earlier redevelopment proposal for the Wegmans-anchored center that fell amid community opposition.
Hunter Mill District
At 10700 Sunset Hills Road in Reston, 67 acres around Sunset Hills and Hunter Mill roads—including the former Fairfax Christian School building—are largely vacant and planned for 0.2 to 0.5 homes per acre. The nomination seeks rezoning for as many as 100 homes.
The industrially zoned property at 11600 Sunrise Valley Drive contains a four-story office building dating to 1972. Its proposed designation is listed only as “other,” without supporting details.
At 2000 Association Drive, a six-story office building sits in a light-industrial zone planned for high-rise offices. The nomination continues to list office use and offers no additional detail. Other Association Drive properties have also drawn redevelopment interest.
Alexander Bell Plaza, 1851 Alexander Bell Drive, is a two-building office park where the plan encourages offices with an emphasis on higher education. An affiliate of Northpoint Realty bought it for $13.6 million on Nov. 19, 2024. The nomination would add an option for residential development at up to 20 units per acre, including attached and stacked townhouses.
Haven Reston, 11023 Becontree Lake Drive, is planned for multifamily housing at four to five units per acre and is already developed with apartments. Its nomination seeks up to 85 additional homes on two parcels, potentially through townhouses or low- to mid-rise multifamily buildings.
At Midline Reston Station, 1820 Reston Row Plaza, the current plan allows mixed-use development at up to 3.0 FAR. The proposal would combine Reston Station’s planned Midline district with two office properties east of Plaza America and raise the maximum to 5.0 FAR, supporting substantial redevelopment with mid- and high-rise buildings.
Parkridge I, 10800 Parkridge Blvd., contains a two-story office building constructed in 1984 and currently anchored by the Social Security Administration. The nomination would add a residential option.
Parkridge III, 10701 Parkridge Blvd., is planned for low-rise offices and contains a four-story building with tenants including Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and Acuity International. The requested designation remains office, with no further details available.
Parkridge IV, 10690 Parkridge Blvd., includes a nearly vacant six-story office building from 1988, surface parking and part of a stormwater pond serving Parkridge Center. An affiliate of Bethesda-based Stewart Investment Partners wants to create a residential neighborhood. Concepts range from converting the office building to adding townhouses and constructing a new multifamily building. The applicant says it plans to engage with Reston Association as the proposal develops.
Reston National Golf Course, 11875 Sunrise Valley Drive, remains planned for private recreation as a golf course. Owners Weller Development and War Horse Cities have repeatedly pursued redevelopment, including through a nomination rejected during the 2022-2023 cycle. Their latest proposal calls for attainable housing, more than 80 acres of parks or open space, community amenities and trail connections.
The Winwood Children’s Center property at 1841 Explorer Street contains a two-story child care facility, although the existing plan permits up to 125 homes. The nomination would raise that allowance to 350 units, effectively shifting the housing concept from ownership to rentals.
Mason District
A vacant one-acre lot at 4104 Woodland Road in Annandale is planned for two to three homes per acre. The proposal seeks eight to 12 units per acre.
At 4125 Horseshoe Drive, a single-family house occupies a half-acre site also planned for two to three units per acre. The nomination requests 12 to 16 units per acre.
The property at 5300 Shawnee Road in Lincolnia, home to Washington Senior Healthcare Center and Iglesia Mision Latina, is planned for industrial and office uses. Its proposal calls for housing at 16 to 20 units per acre, combining market-rate homes with committed long-term affordable units.
At 5505 Cherokee Avenue, Sheetz wants to replace an industrially planned commercial property occupied by the Urban Evolution training gym with a gas station, convenience store and carryout restaurant. It would be the Pennsylvania chain’s second Fairfax County location after its 2023 opening in Oak Hill, south of Herndon.
Four parcels at 6675 Little River Turnpike—including the former Miracle Garden Center, the Pro Computers building and a house—are planned for retail with an office option. The nomination would allow residential mixed-use development at up to 2.75 FAR.
The suburban property at 7304 Braddock Road, near Wilburdale Park, is planned for 0.5 to one home per acre. Its proposal would permit as many as three detached houses per acre.
At 7616 Little River Turnpike, three office buildings, including the Wells Fargo building, could be replaced by housing, offices and retail. The proposal appears to broaden a residential redevelopment introduced last year for land now planned for low- and mid-rise offices and retail.
A wooded 3.5-acre parcel at Bren Mar Park, 6326 Edsall Road, is planned for three to four homes per acre. The nomination seeks a townhouse development at up to 12 units per acre.
The Brighton Mall proposal at 6261 Little River Turnpike covers the Exxon station, a standalone KFC and part of the Grand Mart-anchored shopping center. A 2015 amendment envisioned four- to six-story multifamily buildings in a future mixed-use development. The nomination would increase the possible height to between five and 10 stories.
At Food Star, 5521 Leesburg Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads, supervisors approved a 2023 amendment allowing mixed-use redevelopment with as many as 1,390 homes and retail. The new nomination seeks an additional option for residential or independent-living buildings reaching 20 stories, along with community-serving businesses.
The former Sears property at 6211 Leesburg Pike in Seven Corners has been unused since the store closed in 2020. A 2015 plan update allowed an option for 539,000 square feet of mixed development containing townhouses, apartments, offices, retail and entertainment. The new proposal seeks a residential option with up to 600 units.
At 6543 Little River Turnpike, a Shell station and two vacant parcels would be combined for mixed-use redevelopment. The current plan calls for retail or townhouse-style offices; the nomination seeks eight-story buildings at up to 3.65 or 3.8 FAR.
Strawbridge Square Apartments, 5100 Lincoln Avenue, is planned for four to five homes per acre. Its proposal would add as many as 131 affordable units.
The Jefferson, 6166 Leesburg Pike, is a six-story, 310-unit apartment building constructed in 1962 on land planned for up to 20 homes per acre. The nomination would add more residences through new townhouses.
At Versar Center, 6800 and 6850 Versar Center in Springfield, the plan permits offices at up to 0.35 FAR and industrial activities that include specialized equipment and heavy-vehicle sales, rentals and service. A narrow amendment would also permit passenger-vehicle sales, including electric vehicles.
Mount Vernon District
The IMP Building at 8850 Richmond Highway in Woodlawn is a three-story office property built in 1987. Although planned for offices, retail or a hotel and conference center, its nomination proposes multifamily housing along with a hotel.
The Office Depot property at 6211 North Kings Highway in Penn Daw is planned for roughly 30,000 square feet of retail. The proposal seeks mixed-use redevelopment in buildings reaching nine stories.
The Pohick Road Assemblage covers 49.55 acres in Lorton, stretching along the east side of Pohick Road from Interstate 95 beyond Cullum Street to the Pohick Estates neighborhood. The long-vacant land is zoned for residential and industrial uses. A concept places a multifamily building between I-95 and Lagrange Street, with detached houses on both sides of Cullum Street. The remaining 30 acres would become public open space. The nominator argues the project would expand the area’s housing choices while placing denser development near the VRE Lorton Station.
Providence District
The site at 118 Gordon Road in Idylwood includes Falls Church Animal Hospital, the Washington Diamond building and VAL Collision Center. It is currently planned for neighborhood commercial space at up to 0.25 FAR, with development expected to remain compatible with nearby residential areas. The nomination seeks one or more mixed-use apartment buildings with ground-floor retail at up to 3.0 FAR.
A one-story warehouse built in 1972 at 2719 Dorr Avenue in Merrifield may currently be redeveloped with offices and related retail or services, or mixed-use housing at up to 1.35 FAR. The proposal would raise residential intensity to 2.5 FAR for a seven-story building containing as many as 375 homes and first-floor retail.
The warehouse at 2800 Dorr Avenue has redevelopment options for offices at up to 0.85 FAR or mixed and residential uses at up to 1.35 FAR. The nomination seeks another mixed-use or residential option at up to 3.0 FAR.
At 2832 Dorr Avenue, two commercial buildings house USA Marble & Granite and Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes. The site is planned for warehouse and industrial uses, while the nomination seeks mixed-use or residential redevelopment at up to 3.0 FAR.
Low-rise commercial parcels at 8302 Merrifield Avenue have existing office, mixed-use and residential redevelopment options. The proposal would raise the mixed-use maximum from a range of 1.35 to 1.8 FAR to between 3.0 and 3.2 FAR.
Corporate Ridge, at 2000 and 2010 Corporate Ridge in Tysons, contains two office buildings. A conversion of the 10-story building at 2000 Corporate Ridge into live-work space was approved in 2023, but owner Rubinstein Partners says difficult market conditions have weakened that plan. The company now wants to coordinate with the neighboring property on a residential project of up to 203 homes, depicted in concepts as townhouses. The nominator contends that for-sale housing would help Tysons become a more complete around-the-clock community while bringing activity and amenities to underused land.
Eaves Fairfax Towers, 2251 Pimmit Drive in Idylwood, occupies nearly 17 acres and includes a 13-story, 415-unit apartment building and a 549-space parking lot. AvalonBay Communities proposes replacing the lot with a seven-story, 437-unit apartment building and about 139 townhouses. The existing tower would stay, supported by a new garage. The developer has separately discussed preserving a substantial amount of affordable housing with county staff, but that alternative would be withdrawn if the nomination advances.
Along Mary Street in West Falls Church, the plan calls for two to three homes per acre, with an option for five to eight units if 10 neighboring parcels are assembled. Owner Andrew T. Ross has consolidated three properties west of Mary Street and hopes to add land on the east side in phases. His concept calls for up to eight units per acre and 43 homes, including affordable units.
Tysons Plaza, 1430 Spring Hill Drive, is planned for offices at up to 0.85 FAR with a mixed-use option. The nomination would allow the office park to become housing with supporting retail or services in buildings ranging from 75 to 130 feet tall.
Valo Park, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, is a 30-acre office campus constructed in 2001 as Gannett’s headquarters. The USA Today publisher left in 2024. Property owner Tamares secured rezoning approval in 2020 to add restaurants, retail and other amenities. Two new concepts each propose up to 240,000 square feet of additional offices, 185,000 square feet of multifamily housing totaling 213 units, and more retail space that could include restaurants. The stated goal is a more outward-facing community connected to approved mixed-use development across Jones Branch Drive.
The Vine Church property at 2501 Gallows Road in Dunn Loring is planned for three to four homes per acre. Its nomination seeks a mixed-use option with up to 150 residences, a place of worship and a ground-floor child care facility.
Vinson Hall, 1733 Kirby Road in McLean, is planned for one to two homes per acre. Its proposal would modernize and enlarge the existing continuing-care retirement community, emphasizing new independent-living units and shared spaces.
Springfield District
The Fairfax Automotive Supply property at 12716 Route 29 in Legato is planned for one to two homes per acre. Its nomination seeks four to six units per acre to accommodate an independent-living facility with about 117 residences.
At 12729 Route 50 in Greenbriar, a 39,187-square-foot parcel contains a house built in 1952 and remodeled in 1990. The plan allows two homes per acre, while the nomination calls for attached and stacked townhouses.
Federal Systems Park Drive in Fair Lakes is an office campus occupied by Northrop Grumman. The existing plan permits housing, with an office mixed-use option that could add 230,000 square feet of office or hotel space, 140,000 square feet of retail and up to 700,000 square feet of housing. The nomination seeks another residential option allowing multifamily buildings, townhouses, stacked townhouses or a combination of those forms.
Sully District
Community of Faith United Methodist Church, 13224 Franklin Farm Road in Herndon, is on land planned for one to two homes per acre. The nomination seeks an entirely affordable multifamily development at 27 units per acre.
The former Bob Evans site at 14050 Thunderbolt Place in Chantilly is planned for campus-style offices and industrial or flex space. Its proposal would allow standalone retail or a shopping-center use to accommodate a drive-through restaurant.