Here is a survey of changes along the Route 1 corridor:
Towne Place Suites by Marriott
Corner of Richmond Highway and Woodlawn Court, adjacent to Woodlawn Shopping Center
Baywood Hotels plans to build a 92-room, extended stay hotel in the Woodlawn area.
Penn Daw area of U.S. Route 1: South Alex
The former Penn Daw Plaza shopping center was rezoned as part of a 2012 Comprehensive Plan amendment for the Penn Daw area and is set to be replaced by a mixed-use development. The development, now named “South Alex,” will feature 400 apartments, 41 townhomes and 44,000 square-feet of ground-level retail space. The project team is hoping to break ground by the second quarter of 2016.
North Hill area
33-acres along U.S. Rt. 1 by Lockheed Blvd.
In March 2015, members of the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing authority voted in favor of moving forward with interim agreement to develop the remaining 33 acres of North Hill. (Fifteen acres out of a 1981 land purchase have been developed as Woodley Hills Estates.) The Community Housing Partners of Virginia and Philadelphia-based developer Pennrose partnership have proposed building 329 multi-family apartments in two separate buildings, 144 townhomes and leaving some space for a park. A number of the units would be designated households with lower incomes.
New Fairfield Inn & Suites
6421 U.S. Rt. 1
The Hersha Group has finished with demolition of the Fairview Motel and obtained construction permits to move forward with a new 108-room development renamed Fairfield Inn & Suites. Construction is ongoing.
Widening of Richmond Highway Still Underway
3.5 miles of U.S. Rt. 1 between Mount Vernon Memorial Highway and Telegraph Road
The $180 million project to widen Route 1 from four to six lanes, while also accommodating mass transit, bicycles and walking, is expected to be completed in five segments between late summer and early winter 2016.
“Embark Richmond Highway” transportation and land use planning team for Route 1, Bus Rapid Transit and Metro Expansion
The team is a collaboration of Fairfax County staff from various departments and agencies working with a 13-member citizen advisory group to help coordinate community input. “This has great potential for revitalization and economic development along the highway,” said Edythe Kelleher, Executive Director of the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation, “with a lot more and better access for people getting back and forth from home to work to shopping to whatever. For bringing tourists down, and other visitors, there’s great potential.”
The next meeting is open to the public and scheduled to take place some time in February. Meetings take place at the South County Government Center. For more information, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/embarkrichmondhwy/meetings.htm.
The Parker at Huntington Metro
2550 Huntington Avenue
The decades-old VSE office building situated by the Huntington Metro was torn down to be replaced a 390-unit, residential development, as well as a 15-story, 260,000 square foot office-retail building and a 150-room hotel. Rezoning and a site plan were approved in 2012. The Parker at Huntington Metro luxury apartment building is open and taking on tenants.
Lennar multi-family housing development “Huntington Crossing”
The project team has just applied for re-zoning for the 6.3 acres site adjacent to the Huntington Metro and right up against the water. The draft plan calls for five stories and approximately 360 multi-family units, however hearings are not yet scheduled. Access will be from Metro View Parkway.
Accotink Village
Richmond Highway between Fairfax County Parkway and Fort Belvoir’s Tulley Gate
Work is expected to begin shortly on a mixed-use development sitting on 6.6 acres of historic Accotink Village by the Bainbridge Companies and Eastwood Properties. The project includes
283 units of 1 and 2-bedroom apartments, as well as 24,000 square-feet of retail space.
National Museum of the U.S. Army
Fort Belvoir
The Army Historical Foundation is continuing to raise money for construction of a brand-new National Museum of the U.S. Army to be located on a 41-acre campus at Fort Belvoir. The 185,000 square-foot main building will showcase 15,000 works from the Army Art Collection as well as 30,000 rare and never-before-seen artifacts, document and images from the service branch’s 200-year history. A memorial garden, amphitheater and parade ground are planned for the exterior grounds.
New Inova Emergency Department to open in late 2016
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, 2501 Parkers Lane
An entirely new Emergency Department at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital is expected to be operational for employee training by December 2016. The new department is being funded largely by Jeffrey Veatch, an entrepreneur from the Mount Vernon area, who’s committed a $2 million lead matching gift toward the new construction.
Sources: District Supervisor Gerry Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) and land use aide, District Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee) and land use aide, Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation, the Army Historical Foundation and Lee Barton, Senior Project Manager for Design and Construction with the Inova Facilities Management Department.