Demolition Of Former Fairfax Surf Shop Set To Proceed

Press release from the City of Fairfax:

08/24/2020 7:49 AM

Construction of Draper’s, a new restaurant to be built on the Park View property at 3936 Old Lee Highway in the City of Fairfax, Va., is slated to begin in the next few weeks. Construction fencing will be installed this week. Once completed in spring 2021, the restaurant will include outdoor seating that overlooks Old Town Square Park in the city’s historic downtown.

Draper’s is Parry Restaurant Group’s first restaurant in the City of Fairfax. The company, named after managing partner and James Madison University alumnus Stephan Parry, owns and operates 20 unique restaurants in Virginia, including Oh George! Tables and Taphouse on Braddock Road and Arosto Pizza in the Town of Vienna. The Fairfax City Economic Development Authority will retain ownership of the property, and Parry Restaurant Group will operate the restaurant on a long-term lease.

“This is a tremendous project for this site and the city,” says Fairfax City Economic Development Director Christopher Bruno. “The Economic Development Authority is charged with leveraging the city’s assets, and this project maximizes the best use of this property, which is in a prime location adjacent to Old Town Square. The new use will include a significant outdoor dining component which will contribute to an active streetscape and bolster a more vibrant sense of place for the greater Old Town activity center. Parry Restaurant Group also brings an exceptional restaurant-development portfolio, with successful ventures in places like Charlottesville, Richmond, and Lynchburg. Drapers only adds to Fairfax’s growing reputation as a dining destination within the metropolitan region.”

The new restaurant will be a modern building constructed on the site of the former Fairfax Surf Shop, a vacant two-story building originally constructed in 1920. Following a work session in May 2019, the city’s Board of Architectural Review approved the removal of the existing building and the architecture and landscaping of the new restaurant, which meets the Historic Overlay District’s design guidelines. The property is zoned for commercial retail and did not require rezoning to allow for restaurant use.

The existing structure will be removed and the site prepared for construction. In addition to the new building, the project includes the planting of several deciduous trees, an ornamental tree, shrubs, grasses, and other landscaping. The sidewalk along the west side of Old Lee Highway will be widened to 10 feet, which meets the Old Town Streetscape Standards and conforms with the 2035 Comprehensive Plan recommendations.

In addition to other utilities work that will support the new restaurant, electric and telephone lines will be moved underground and an innovative stormwater treatment system will be installed that is designed to improve water quality by removing pollutants washed into storm drains during rainstorms.

What to Expect
Construction activity is restricted the hours between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays, and between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays and federal holidays. Work on Sundays may be performed with special permission.

Any sidewalk closures that occur during the project will be marked and an alternate route will be provided. There will be temporary lane closures to allow site and utility work; however, this work should be handled during non-rush hour periods (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Questions about construction activity may be directed to the EDA's project manager Andrew Wilson at 703-887-9189.

This press release was produced by the City of Fairfax. The views expressed here are the author’s own.