Several proposals for building expansions in McLean are proposed to go before the Fairfax County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors before the summer recess in August.
Oakcrest School
On Thursday, July 10, the Planning Commission will have a public hearing on a proposal by Oakcrest School to add a sixth grade.
It is located on Balls Hill Road in a facility that formerly housed the McLean Bible Church. The proposal is scheduled to go before the Board of Supervisors on July 21. No increase in enrollment is sought.
The school also wants to lease its auditorium to outside groups, promising to limit such use to two concerts, lectures, or cultural events a month. They would end by 11 p.m. and parking would be limited to the site.
West Falls Church Metro
On July 10, the Fairfax County Planning Commission has scheduled a hearing on a proposal for a five to six story parking facility at the West Falls Church Metro station on Haycock Road near Route 7.
It will increase available parking from 1,065 to 1,799 total spaces.
It is scheduled to go to the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 4.
Neighboring residents have expressed concern about overflow parking because the garage will be built above existing parking
368 places will be displaced during construction.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is working with county staff and nearby property owners to provide replacement parking with access from those sites to the Metro station.
A number of sites have fallen through, and the hearing has been deferred several times.
Fairfax County planning staff recommends that the Planning Commission approve the expansion.
The Potomac School
The Potomac School will go before the Board of Supervisors on July 21 to seek approval for an increase in enrollment from 875 to 1075, to be phased in increments of 50 students.
The Planning Commission recommended approval on June 12.
The Evermay Community Association supported the application because it had agreed with the school on proposals for mandatory busing percentages and caps on the total amount of traffic, according to Jan Perriello, a member of the Evermay board who also serves as president of the McLean Citizens Association. The MCA also supported the proposal with a resolution.
“This was a real coup,” said Perriello. “Nobody though it would ever happen.”
Respite care facility
A public hearing on McLean Bible Church’s proposal for a respite care facility will be held at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday, July 24, by the Fairfax County Planning Commission. It will go to the Board of Supervisors for a public hearing on Aug. 4.
The church seeks approval to build a 70-bed overnight respite care facility for 70 children. In the face of opposition from surrounding residents, the proposal for another 100 slots for before and after-school care has been withdrawn.
An early intervention program for children and their mothers is still in the application, said Brian Winterhalter, a planning specialist for Dranesville District Supervisor Stuart Mendelsohn.
A resolution opposing the application is posted at the MCA web site at www.mcleancitizens.org, but the MCA also adopted a list of recommended development conditions, in the event it is approved.