Controversy still surrounds Wendy's and Midas Muffler's plans to locate businesses on the tiny parcel where Wood's Farm Market once stood in Centreville.
A Burger King is already on this site bounded by Routes 28 and 29 and Old Centreville Road, and a Chevy Chase Bank will soon join it. Residents fear that cramming in two more businesses will result in an unsightly, commercial blight.
Another problem was also raised at the Oct. 15 meeting of the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee. Members wondered if a muffler shop would be compatible with the neighborhood.
The county's Comprehensive Plan calls for neighborhood-serving retail there, with an option for small offices. There's doubt about whether Midas fits that description, and county staff is looking into it.
"With businesses like Wendy's or a bank, people go once a week or so," explained WFCCA Chairman Jim Katcham. "But people only go to a muffler place every three or four years."
WFCCA was also concerned that Midas proposes its building to have a split-face, block exterior. Katcham told a company representative that "If [Midas] had real brick — to offset the obviousness of its being a repair facility — it might ease some folks' concerns over its appearance."
<tgl> — Bonnie Hobbs