Centreville — Arden Courts, a new memory-care facility, is being proposed for Centreville’s Compton Village community. It would be built on now-vacant land at the intersection of Route 28 and Bradenton Drive.

Representing the applicant, ManorCare, attorney Zach Williams presented details of the plan last Thursday, July 26, at a joint meeting of the Western Fairfax County Citizens Assn. (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee and the Sully District Council of Citizens Associations.

The site is currently approved for an 800-seat church with 222 parking spaces. But, said Williams, “The church doesn’t plan to develop it.” So ManorCare is seeking the county’s approval for a change in use on that spot. Williams further stressed that, since the patients will not have vehicles, this new use should be “very low-traffic-generating.”

Proposed is a 64-bed, one-story building designed for memory-care (Alzheimer’s and dementia) patients. The 30,050-square-foot facility would be located along Compton Village Drive. There’s also room on the site for a 16,070-square-foot building for a potential, future, medical-care use bordering Bradenton Drive.

“We think a memory-care facility is a great use of the site, and the community has received it well,” said Williams. “It’s designed to fit in with the residential character of the community and is compatible with the Compton Village neighborhood.”

Noting that “There’s still a huge shortage of memory-care facilities in Fairfax County,” WFCCA Land-Use Chairman John Litzenberger asked if any plans are in the works to expand the building, if needed, but Williams said there aren’t. He also said, if all goes well, the anticipated start of construction will be in spring 2019 and should take a year to complete.

Both land-use groups then voted to recommend approval to the county Planning Commission, which is slated to hear this proposal some time in mid-September.