A new residential community called Sully Manor is coming to Centreville. It received final approval, Monday, from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
Developed by Ratcliffe Associates, it will arise on some 26 acres between Route 29 and Centreville Farms. It will have 178 single-family homes — 84 detached houses and 94 attached — along Shreve Street.
The houses will be on 4,500-square-foot lots and will be upscale-looking with brick fronts. Engle Homes of Sterling is the builder. The neighborhood will also have street lights, a tot lot, benches and sidewalks on both sides of the street.
"One of the nice features of this site is a two-acre open area in the center as a park," said attorney Lynne Strobel, representing the developer. "It'll have a [bike] trail and landscaping around the perimeter of the property."
Ratcliffe also plans lots of parking, besides in the homes' two-car garages and 18-foot driveways. Access to Sully Manor will be from Pickwick Road to Johnson Avenue and also from Shreve. There's no access from Route 29.
The developer promises several transportation improvements. Ratcliffe will add a paved lane to probably serve as a right-turn, deceleration lane from Route 29 to Pickwick. It will also build a left turn from Pickwick to Route 29 east and a right turn from Pickwick to Route 29 west. And, said Strobel, "We'll work with VDOT on better timing of the traffic light at Pickwick Road and Route 29."
A through lane from Pickwick across Route 29 is also slated. The changes will add three new lanes total to Pickwick, increasing it from its existing two lanes to five — benefiting both new and existing residents. In addition, Shreve Street will be improved and will receive curbs and gutters.
Sully District Transportation Commissioner Dick Frank was glad to hear of the Pickwick/Route 29 road improvements. Said Frank: "As things stand now, it only takes one person to tie up that whole intersection, so the addition of more lanes there should make a major impact on that intersection."
Ratcliffe also plans to erect a 4-foot berm, a privacy fence between the highway and the homes, landscaping along Route 29, plus possibly brick pillars and shrubbery along Shreve Street.
"It's really a high-quality project," said Strobel. "We've worked hard, and we think we have a community that will really enhance the area." The developer will even place a "Welcome to Centreville" sign on the property.
The Board's green light on Monday followed earlier approvals by county staff, the county Planning Commission, last Thursday, April 25, and the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee.
"It's going to be a beautiful community, and it's only a density of 6.5 homes per acre," said Sully District Planning Commissioner Ron Koch. Since Ratcliffe isn't building enough houses to require it to build ADUs (affordable dwelling units for low-income families), the WFCCA had encouraged the developer to, instead, make a donation to the Housing Trust Fund. And, said Koch, that's exactly what Ratcliffe will do — in the amount of $10,000.
The Planning Commission also made Ratcliffe add a blasting proffer to protect the property of nearby residents. Said Koch: "We received 14 letters from surrounding neighbors worried about their wells."
To create the place for Sully Manor, some 19 individual property owners in the Ratcliffe subdivision sold their land together to the developer. During the WFCCA meeting, Shreve Street resident Diane King spoke in favor of the project, saying: "This area has been needing revitalization for 25 years, and this is our best shot." Koch agreed: "People like Herb Hunter and the Kings, who have been here forever — they've seen all of Centreville developed, and now it's their turn."
Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully) said he's been involved with some of these owners for 20 years and, finally, they were able to consolidate their land. "It's sort of the gateway to Centreville, and I think the developer put together a nice project," he said. "They took a lot of care with the perimeter of the property — in particular, as you come down Lee Highway."
Longtime residents Herb and Julie Hunter — of Hunter Hardware fame in Centreville — have lived in that community since 1971 and are among those selling their land. And while their old house contains a wealth of memories for them, they, too, are pleased with the redevelopment plans.
"We're satisfied with the quality of the housing going in here," said Herb Hunter. "They seem like a reputable developer and builder — a nice group of people." So where will he and his wife of 56 years go now?
"Darned if I know," he replied. But one thing for sure, said Hunter, 76, is that they don't want an apartment or condo. "Oh, no, I'm too young," he said. "I want to have another house but, this time, one with a separate shop for my woodworking."