The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last week paved the way for a new residential community in Fair Oaks. On Monday, Sept. 12, they approved EYA Development's proposal to build 210 homes along West Ox and Legato roads.
THEY WILL arise on a 7.85-acre site within a multi-family building containing 120 condominiums, plus 90 townhouses. Home sizes will range from 800 square feet for the smallest condo to 2,900 square feet for the largest townhouse, with prices ranging from $300,000 to close to a million dollars.
The property is adjacent to Centerpoint Church and near the Ragan Oaks and Monument Place by Camden residential communities. It's also right across the street from commercial office buildings and the Fairfax Towne Center.
"We're thrilled and very excited [about the go-ahead from the supervisors], and we're looking forward to this project," said EYA Senior Vice President Matt Birenbaum. "We'll be filing final site plans and engineering plans in the next couple months."
Intended as a classy, upscale product, the homes will have a contemporary architectural style. The four-story townhouses will even feature roof decks. And the four-story condo building, at the corner of West Ox and Legato, will have two levels of parking underneath. Guests will park along the internal streets, and the townhouses will have two-car garages.
"I thought it was a unique design, and it fills the hole we had in that spot," said Springfield District Supervisor Elaine McConnell. "I liked it, and I found that my constituents did, too."
An attractive streetscape is planned, with front doors addressing the street and a clear path for pedestrians to take. A pocket park will be created at the southern end of the site, and there'll be a substantial tree-save area plus two more pocket parks next to the church property. The developer has also agreed to save two, 24-inch-wide oak trees near the church.
IN ADDITION, EYA envisions a street wall with trees along Legato Road. The two entrances to the community will line up with the entrance to the nearby office buildings, and a plaza/park area will be directly opposite the offices' plaza/park. The condo building will include a fitness area and place for gatherings, as well as 16 affordable dwelling units (ADUs).
EYA will make about a $330,000 contribution to the county school system because 44 school-age children are projected to live in the new community. And it's proffering a bus shelter along West Ox Road in this vicinity and pedestrian connections across the street to the Fairfax Towne Center.
EYA needed the county's permission to build a residential project there, because offices were originally earmarked for that spot. But its traffic studies showed that the new homes will generate only 1/5 the amount of morning rush-hour traffic as the offices would have, and 1/4 the amount of evening rush-hour vehicles.
"We hope to break ground next summer, and it'll take two to three years to build," said Birenbaum. "It'll probably open for sales next September."
He said EYA chose to build in this spot because of its "proximity to employment, shopping, movies — everything you need for the lifestyle people are looking for. We're very excited to be able to bring a more urban, sophisticated and modern residential project to that marketplace."
This will be EYA's second project in Fairfax County, said Birenbaum. The first was a residential community called Westwood Village, in Tysons Corner, a couple years ago, but it had a "more traditional architectural style."
As for the new project in Fair Oaks, said McConnell, "It's a good concept. I'm glad we're seeing some changes in design and arrangement."