Redevelopment Plan On Church Street Endorsed By Vienna Council

VIENNA, VA — The latest Church Street Vision project to revitalize the commercial corridor was approved by Vienna Town Council Monday.

The proposal for 139 to 145 Church Street NW at the corner of Lawyers Road calls for a three-story mixed-use building to replace several land parcels. The current buildings on the 0.62-acre site are several retail and office buildings, including Just Like New and House of Vape.

Property owner JB Church 145 plans to redevelop the site into a three-story building with retail and restaurant with outdoor seating uses on the first floor, multifamily residential and office on the second floor and multifamily residential on the third floor. The building would be 25,101 square feet, with 13,055 square feet dedicated to 11 residential units. Another 14,152 square feet would be dedicated to the non-residential space, including a two-level garage. There would be 42 total parking spaces as well as 14 public parking spaces.

"I think it’s going to add a lot to Church Street, a lot to our town and a lot to that corner," said Mayor Linda Colbert at Monday's meeting.

The density would increase from a 0.7 floor area ratio to 0.93. The previously proposed density of 1.05. While the Church Street Vision limit is a 0.7 floor area ratio, a higher density was requested in return for providing 14 parking spaces over the minimum requirement. Similarly, a higher density was approved for another Church Street Vision project at 111 to 113 Church Street for providing additional parking.

Vienna Town Council adopted the Church Street Vision zoning ordinance in 1999 to boost the appearance and vitality of businesses along historic Church Street. The ordinance encourages property owners to renovate and develop properties "with adopted guidelines that reflect a main street urban architecture reminiscent of the small town American streetscape of the late 19th century," read a presentation to Town Council. In return, the property owners can receive additional building square footage, parking requirement reductions and a faster review process. Plans are reviewed by town staff with approval by Town Council and no review by the Vienna Planning Commission and Board of Architectural Review.

The four Church Street Vision projects previously approved by Vienna Town Council were 120 Church Street NW (Bard’s Alley and Rita’s with second floor residential), 101 Church Street NW (Sushi Yoshi and Vienna Pet Spaw), 111 to 113 Church Street NW (Bazin’s and Blend 111), and 144 Church Street NW (Red Galanga, now Roberto's Ristorante Italiano).