Former Topgolf Site Plan Amendment Headed To Planning Commission

KINGSTOWNE, VA — Now that the Kingstowne Topgolf and adjacent Ruby Tuesday are closed, planning for the site's future is underway. The Fairfax County Planning Commission will consider a comprehensive plan amendment after a revised residential plan has been proposed.

There have been several development concepts presented since 2016 for the site, located on South Van Dorn Street across from Kingstowne Towne Center. The site previously hosted the first U.S. location of Topgolf as well as a Ruby Tuesday, both of which closed. In 2015, the Board of Supervisors permitted a plan amendment to be considered with residential uses up to approximately 275 residential units and 20,000 square feet of retail.

The latest concept proposed in April 2021 seeks a residential use but no longer proposes retail uses. The plan includes 164 townhomes and 44 stacked townhomes with a density around 12 dwelling units per acre with affordable housing bonuses. This is triple the current planned density in the comprehensive plan, 3 to 4 dwelling units per acre. The plan would fully consolidate the two land parcels that hosted Topgolf and Ruby Tuesday.

The latest proposal changes course from previous proposals, which had residential and retail uses. The first development proposal in 2016 called for 49 townhomes, a 137 multifamily building and 70,000 square feet of retail use. However, there were community and county staff concerns about the viability of retail so close to Kingstowne Towne Center as well as compatibility with the surrounding community, traffic concerns, and stormwater management concerns. Another hurdle was the separate ownership of Topgolf and Ruby Tuesday, and a consolidation agreement could not be reached at that time.

The previous proposal in 2019 called for 70 townhomes, 142 back-to-back townhomes and 20,000 square feet of retail use designed as a food hall. The proposed density was density of 12.47 dwelling units per acre including affordable housing bonuses. However, the concerns of traffic impacts, compatibility and stormwater management remained.

The Planning Commission action focuses on the comprehensive plan recommendation for these land parcels. A rezoning application and final development plan are under review by the county based on the new proposal from April 2021.

If the comprehensive plan recommendation changes from the current density of 3 to 4 dwelling units per acre, the townhouse development concept presented in April 2021 can be considered. The revised plan amendment would allow 10 dwelling units per acre plus affordable housing density bonuses under several conditions. The recommended plan amendment states the density "may be appropriate if the development creates a high-quality, pedestrian-friendly living environment with a distinct sense of place."

Other conditions in the revised plan amendment would be:

• Residential units should be age-restricted or designed to accommodate different ages and abilities
• Shared-use bath for pedestrians and bicyclists at least 10 feet in width along the east side of South Van Dorn Street
• Mitigated transportation impacts to South Van Dorn Street and nearby intersections. Explore a second right-in, right-out option. If mitigations are not possible, reduced intensity should be considered.
• Existing healthy mature trees within buffer areas should be preserved. Buffer areas and adjacent open areas should get additional evergreen, deciduous, and understory vegetation as appropriate.

The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Wednesday, July 14 at 7:30 p.m. The Board of Supervisors public hearing is slated to happen Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 4 p.m.

More information is available on the county's plan amendment web page for the Topgolf site.