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Fairfax County is restarting efforts to redevelop Reston’s nearly 60-year-old Crescent Apartments, reviving a long-delayed plan that could replace 181 affordable homes while adding more affordable and market-rate housing.
On Jan. 14, 2025, the Board of Supervisors authorized steps toward transferring the county-owned property to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The action marks the second major attempt in more than a decade to establish a viable future for the aging complex.
Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter Alcorn told the board that it was time to move forward. He said the county’s Comprehensive Plan supports greater density on the property, creating an opportunity to finance replacement homes through the construction of additional residences.
The potential redevelopment could also contribute to the county’s goal of creating at least 10,000 new affordable housing units by 2034. Supervisors doubled that target in March 2023.
Aging Homes on a Key Reston Site
Built between 1964 and 1966, the Crescent consists of five three-story, garden-style apartment buildings. It provides 181 workforce housing units for households earning up to 60% of the area median income, though one unit is used as the management office.
Fairfax County bought the property for $49.5 million in 2006 to preserve it for affordable housing. The redevelopment and housing authority currently manages the complex.
A previous redevelopment effort appeared promising in 2012 but fell apart in 2015. Any renewed plan must contend with many of the same pressures facing affordable housing projects elsewhere, including higher construction costs, elevated borrowing rates and the need for zoning changes that permit enough density to make development financially workable.
The county owns approximately 16.49 acres at the northeastern end of the roughly 41-acre Lake Anne Village Center. The Crescent site is bordered by Baron Cameron Avenue to the north, Lake Anne to the south, North Shore Drive to the west and Moorings Drive to the east.
Alcorn emphasized that the property is within walking distance of bus stops, stores, offices and health care, with access to schools, parks, recreation and transit. He said those advantages align with the county’s One Fairfax equity policy.
Redevelopment could also support efforts to revitalize Lake Anne Village Center, described by Alcorn as Reston’s historic heart. The county recently completed an economic visioning study for the area, which includes the Lake Anne Village Center Historic Overlay District and Lake Anne Plaza.
Residents and Community to Be Consulted
Under the board’s direction, county staff will begin the process of scheduling a public hearing on conveying the property to the housing authority. The land would be used for affordable housing, complementary market-rate homes and related uses consistent with the Lake Anne study.
The proposed transfer includes two safeguards. If the housing authority stops pursuing the project, ownership would return to the Board of Supervisors. The county would also retain access to and use of the site until development begins.
Housing and Community Development staff must consult current Crescent residents about the redevelopment and gather feedback on replacing their homes. Staff will also seek broader community input about additional opportunities and challenges connected to the project.
The authorization does not resolve the financial and zoning obstacles that derailed earlier ambitions for the property. It does, however, place the Crescent back on an official path toward replacing its aging apartments and expanding housing on one of Reston’s most prominent county-owned sites.