West Falls Church Plan Amendment Up For County Consideration

FALLS CHURCH, VA — A comprehensive plan amendment to allow mixed-use development near the West Falls Church Metro is up for consideration in Fairfax County.

Planning recommendations for the West Falls Church Transit Station area would guide and direct future growth in the area. The plan amendment involves the Virginia Tech site as well Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority land south of the pedestrian bridge to the West Falls Church Metro station. Potential residential, office and academic uses are envisioned for the sites. The redevelopment would occur near two condominium developments west of Haycock Road — The Village and The Pavilion.

The development would connect to the separate City of Falls Church mixed-use development planned on the old George Mason High School site. That city development will have multi-family and senior living residential uses as well as office, retail, grocery store, hotel, civic and other commercial uses.

PN Hoffman and EYA, LLC were chosen as the team for the City of Falls Church development on the old high school site. Those development partners teamed up with Rushmark Properties for the county plan.

"Combined, the whole property is 40 acres," said Evan Goldman, executive vice president of development and acquisitions for EYA. "The city process was already going on, and that project will be approved in the next month."

Developers' vision for the WMATA site calls for multifamily residential, townhouses and office space. The current Metro surface lot parking would be converted to a multifamily building and multifamily-style rowhouses, while the existing 1,200-space Metro parking garage would remain. A multifamily building would be located at the current location of the kiss-and-ride lot, and a new kiss-and-ride lot, bus loops and transit plaza are planned to boost ridership at the Metro station.

The West Falls Church station currently has 2,009 all-day parking spaces. Goldman noted parking usage dropped at West Falls Church once the first Silver Line phase opened. Ridership further dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic across the Metro system.

The Virginia Tech parcel of land is located between the WMATA parcel and City of Falls Church development site. That Virginia Tech site is envisioned to have a potential Virginia Tech Academic Center, potential commercial, residential and office space and open space along Haycock Road.

A network of new roads is already planned at the City of Falls Church development. One of the roads running through the city development would continue through the Virginia Tech site.

Goldman said the planned network of roads provides a way to avoid the congested Haycock Road and Leesburg Pike intersection. In addition, VDOT will open a new ramp from eastbound Interstate 66, providing direct access to the Metro station allowing that traffic to avoid the Leesburg Pike and Haycock Road intersection.

A linear park is proposed to connect the City of Falls Church development with the Fairfax County development. A dog park is also proposed at the northwest part of the Fairfax County land.

Retail would largely be concentrated in the City of Falls Church development, according to Goldman. The city development would have 120,000 square feet at full build out, while the Virginia Tech site would have 30,000 and the WMATA site 12,000.

The developers hope the comprehensive plan amendment will secure county approval. A comprehensive plan amendment would be the first step in a West Falls Church redevelopment in Fairfax County. Comprehensive plan approval would be followed by rezoning, then a site plan for the redevelopment.

Development construction at the City of Falls Church old high school site is expected to begin in early 2022. If the Fairfax County planning amendment is approved, the developers hope to secure additional approvals by 2022 or 2023 and start construction in 2024 on the county sites.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission is set to consider the plan amendment on Wednesday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m., and the Board of Supervisors will consider it on July 13 at 4 p.m.

More information about the potential West Falls Church Station redevelopment is available at www.westfallsva.com.