West Falls Church Plan Amendment Approved By Fairfax County

FALLS CHURCH, VA — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a comprehensive plan amendment on Tuesday to allow a mixed-use development project near the West Falls Church Metro station.

The approved comprehensive plan amendment is the first step in the West Falls Church redevelopment in Fairfax County, near the border with the City of Falls Church. The site now needs to go through a rezoning process, followed by a site plan for the redevelopment.

Since Metro's Silver Line opened in 2014, the West Falls Church Metro station has become one of the most underused stations in the system. Fewer riders continue on the Orange Line past the East Falls Church Metro station, where riders can catch the Silver Line in the direction of Reston.

In response to the decrease in usage, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority chose developer EYA to turn the site into a mixed-use development. Much of the development would occur in the daily parking lot at the Metro station and the kiss-and-ride areas.

The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority had been looking for an opportunity to redevelop the station area. The opportunity arose in conjunction with the City of Falls Church’s decision to move forward with a major mixed-use development of the 10-plus-acre site of the city’s high school and Virginia Tech’s decision to redevelop the four-plus-acre site between the city’s new development and with the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority property.

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.

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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.

In response to concerns about pedestrian safety, the plan amendment would require a comprehensive pedestrian circulation system that "provides an interconnected system of walkways linking pedestrians to their destinations."

For streets inside the development and the sections of Route 7, Haycock Road and Great Falls Street that lie within the vicinity of the "transit station area," developers would need to "provide a benefit to commuters and to make the walk to the Metro station more pleasant," according to the plan amendment.

"Special treatment along both sides of these streets should include street trees, pedestrian-level lighting, coordinated graphics and street furniture," the plan amendment says. "Streetscape design should transition into existing and programmed sidewalks and should be provided as part of any new development."