* FAIR CREST: Two developers, Pulte Home Corp. and Winchester Homes, are doing a massive renovation of the old Centreville Farms community. Now called Fair Crest, this 50-year-old residential area lies between I-66 and Route 29 and is bordered by Walney Glen, the realigned Stringfellow Road and The Woodlands.
When completed, some 1,338 new housing units will dot the landscape there. Pulte is building approximately 408 townhouses and 146 single-family detached homes; Winchester is building some 379 townhouses and 146 single-family detached homes. Apartments and condominiums are also planned.
The multi-family homes will be constructed by a 4 1/2-acre Metro kiss-and-ride lot at the corner of Stringfellow and I-66, and sound walls will be erected along I-66 to shield them from the noise. The property's main entrance will be via a new, four-lane, divided road extending northward at the intersection of Union Mill Road and Route 29 and connecting to Stringfellow Road.
The new Colin Powell Elementary School will open in this community in September at Leland Road and Arrowhead Park Drive, and Arrowhead Park will be expanded on 23 acres north and south of the existing park. Arrowhead is currently 13 acres with two rectangular fields and an open play area; now four new, lighted rectangular fields will be added.
The school will have two diamond-shaped fields and a rectangular field, none with lights. Two, lighted tennis courts will be built at the northern end of the site. Trails will connect the school and park, and there will also be trails between the parking area and tennis courts.
* TOWNHOUSE COMMUNITY: A community of 47 single-family, attached townhouses is arising on the former site of the Mulford School in Centreville (Mulford will reopen in September along Route 29). Expected to sell in the mid-$300,000 range, the homes are being built on the east side of Old Centreville Road, 200 feet north of Singleton's Way and just south of Sunset Ridge Road.
The new townhouses will have brick fronts and two-car garages, with parking also available in the driveways, for 155 parking spaces total. Developer Pulte Home Corp. is building on this 6.1-acre site at a density of 7.7 homes per acre, and the neighborhood will have access onto Old Centreville Road.
Planned are sidewalks on both sides of the streets, trees, a tot lot and a gazebo. Also envisioned is a community-gathering area with benches plus an open space for meetings. In exchange for the county's permission to rezone the land to accommodate all the townhouses, Pulte made substantial proffers.
It will either construct or contribute $85,000 toward road improvements at Old Centreville Road Park, across from the Burger King and directly north of the site. Pulte also agreed to make a donation to the Housing Trust Fund and to make a recreation contribution of $20,000 toward improvements within Old Centreville Road Park.
* SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES: A new residential community of 22 single-family homes will be constructed on the north side of Mount Olive and Old Mill roads in Centreville. Residents will enter their neighborhood via Mount Olive Road, and homes will be built on both sides of a main street leading to a cul-de-sac.
Access is planned through Crim Station Road, and the houses will be comparable in size to the ones in nearby Confederate Ridge. Prices are anticipated to begin in the $300,000s. A wildflower meadow, trail and a play area for children will also be created.
Since developer OMR, LLC/Jackson Fields needed the county's blessing to rezone this 11.6-acre site for construction, it agreed to several proffers, including $44,000 toward Old Mill Road and Old Centreville Road improvements. It's contributing $1,200/unit toward parks and recreation, will give $10,000 to local schools and will donate money to the county's affordable housing trust fund.
* CAMDEN MONUMENT PLACE: A four-story apartment complex with a plaza and some small retail businesses is being proposed for Fair Oaks. Called Camden Monument Place, it would be at the corner of Monument Drive and Fair Lakes Parkway, near Fair Oaks Mall. But since that area is currently zoned for office use, the developer first needs the county's approval to have it rezoned for multifamily, residential use.
Texas-based developer Camden hopes to construct 372 units on the 7 1/2-acre site; 60 percent of the apartments would be one-bedroom, and 40 percent, 2-bedroom. The buildings would have elevators and would front on Monument and Fair Lakes, with a trail along Monument. Virtually all the parking would be contained inside one of the buildings, on the back side. And a swimming pool, gym and rec center would be on site for the residents' enjoyment.