A dead zone in central Springfield took a step forward this week. Fairfax County planners aired a new plan for mixed use multifamily residential adding 1,342 residential units with an option for some office and retail. This area was once a thriving part of Springfield but is now made up of empty or nearly empty buildings.

One part is a 4.35-acre section of land near Springfield Boulevard and the other is a 1.42 acre plot of land off Amherst Avenue. “These sites were nominated by the county,” said Katrina Newtson, a planner at Fairfax County’s office of Planning and Development. She gave part of the presentation, and the other part was given by Mark Viani, attorney for the developers. The property owner initially put forth the proposal that included both parts to the county, and that got the ball rolling on this development.

It was loosely determined through a county formula that with the additional housing, there will be 44 additional elementary school students at nearby Garfield Elementary School, 14 middle school students at Key, and 20 more high school students at Lewis High School. “They all have surplus capacity,” meaning room for the additional students, said Newtson.

Three residential sections proposed on the south side of Old Keene Mill Drive would have over 600 apartments or condominiums. 

 

Both presentations were not very detailed as far as the construction plans for the buildings, transportation, ownership, parking and retail, but some of the audience wanted to know the specifics. 

“What about transportation?” one observer asked, noting that this area already gets backed up at certain times.

A big transportation part of both plans is another bridge over Old Keene Mill Road, along with noise analysis, streetscape potential, open space and the traffic on Backlick Road. “Bike recommendations as well,” said Newtson.

“This is the first of many conversations,” Viani said. “We’re at least three years out before any shovels go in the ground,” he added.

Proposed Schedule

The first step is the staff report, which will be in the fall of 2024, followed by the Franconia Land Use Committee’s recommendation, and then the public hearing process.

This isn’t the first time this area was looked at for development. Over 20 years ago, then-Supervisor Dana Kauffman had a plan for this area, and at that time, there was a group called the Central Springfield Area Revitalization Committee, known as “CSPARC,” that hatched a few plans that didn’t really get off the ground, although some streetscape elements spruced up the area a little bit.

The rezoning process is one part of this plan that may take a substantial amount of time, they admitted.