The West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee last week got its first presentation about a proposed new residential development in Centreville.
TO BE called The Courts at Riverwind, it would be 12 townhouses constructed on 1.7 acres on ODay Drive, off Stone Road. The site is about 1,000 feet from the intersection of ODay and Route 29.
Representing the property owners, Mark Jenkins said the county's Comprehensive Plan calls for five to eight homes per acre there. "We initially proposed 13 units at a seven units per acre density," he said. "Now we propose 12 units for a density of 6.87 units per acre. And we pushed them closer to ODay Drive for more green space in back of the properties."
Jenkins said the county requires 28 parking spaces for a dozen townhouses, and the applicants are proposing 31 — in the form of two-car garages, plus seven parking spaces along the sides of the neighborhood's private drive.
"[County] staff has a problem with the density being proposed," he told the land-use committee. "But I think we can overcome that, and [the project is] consistent with the overall density in the area and with what's already been proposed."
In addition, said Jenkins, if the county gives a green light to the new community, the developers will extend the trail along the Big Rocky Run Stream Valley Park and connect it to other trails. He also noted that the nearby Woodgate neighborhood is concerned about noise and the townhouses' visual impact, and he said that the applicants are going to do their best to address those issues.
The WFCCA's Russ Wanek also asked the developers to "put in some trees — good trees," and Jenkins said they'll work on it. The parcel requires the county's blessing for a rezoning from one home per acre to eight homes per acre, and the applicants will return to the WFCCA in the future when they have further information about the project to share.