Thanks to approvals from both the Fairfax County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors, a new residential neighborhood is coming to the corner of Ridge Top Road and Random Hills Road in Fair Oaks.
The Planning Commission gave it a thumbs-up on Thursday, Sept. 23, and the supervisors did the same during their Monday, Sept. 27, Board meeting. Now the project can move full steam ahead toward becoming a reality.
Some 62, brick-front, attached townhouses will be constructed. Random Hills Investment LLC is the applicant, and Basheer & Edgemoore — which does custom and semi-custom homes — is the builder.
The townhouses will go on 4.7 acres that the county just approved for rezoning from office use to high-density residential, 12 homes per acre, to accommodate this project. The surrounding area already has both commercial and residential uses.
The main entrance to the community will be at Ridge Top, where the developer will install a traffic light at its intersection with Random Hills Road. The neighborhood will have the same streetscape as that already existing on Random Hills, and its entrance will have open space, attractive landscaping and possibly a decorative sculpture.
THE TOWNHOUSES are in a stylized design modeled after a development that Basheer built in McLean. "We spent a lot of time and effort on the design, and it's something we're proud of," said attorney Greg Riegle, representing the developer. "It has interesting roof lines, balconies, window treatments, etc. — even in the back."
In addition, the end units will have distinctive, side-veranda entrances. The townhouses will have two-car garages and are anticipated to sell in the $500,000s.
The Candlewood Hotel is adjacent to where the homes will be built. The developer tried to mirror the configuration of the townhomes already existing on the other side of the Candlewood to make things as compatible as possible.
Riegle also noted that the developer will honor all the previous transportation commitments that others have proffered for that area. For example, double left-turn lanes at Random Hills and Waples Mill roads will be installed, and an extra lane in each direction of Waples Mill between Route 50 and Random Hills will be added.
In addition, a tree-save area will be kept around the periphery, and a 6- to 9-foot-high sound barrier will be erected between the back of the community and Route 50. The barrier is planned to be in place before any of the units are occupied, and a fence along Route 50 will separate the homes from the highway.
The developer will also make the required contributions to the county school system and Park Authority and will build five affordable dwelling units (ADUs) as part of the neighborhood.
Riegle said the townhouses will be developed and marketed as "condo-ownership units," with decks and patios, but without traditional back yards to maintain. Instead, the back yards will be landscaped and maintained by the homeowners association.