Residential Development Near Franconia Metro Approved

FRANCONIA, VA — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a residential addition to a future development near the Franconia-Springfield Metro station. The Liberty View mixed-use development will now include a 300-unit multifamily apartment building, according to developer Monument Realty.

Liberty View will be located on a 13.4-acre site in the northwest part of the Franconia-Springfield Parkway and Beulah Street intersection. The residential building is planned to have 12,675 square feet of ground-level retail, a swimming pool, fitness center, bike trails and covered parking.

Planning has been in the works for nearly a decade with multiple amendments submitted to the county along the way. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved rezoning of the site in April 2011, allowing up to five office buildings between 180,000 and 220,000 square feet, and one of those office buildings to be substituted for a hotel use. The latest approval allows for one of the office buildings to be substituted for the residential use.

Rodney Lusk, the new Lee District supervisor, voiced support for the substitution from office to residential use for one building. He noted that the local real estate market and county have seen increasing office vacancy rates.

The latest approval means the initial construction phase can begin for the development. The Lee District Land Use Committee and Fairfax County Planning commission endorsed the proposal before the Board of Supervisors approval.

"We are extremely pleased by the prospect of bringing a mixed-use development to this important Metro location," said Russell Hines, president of Monument Realty, in a statement. "With the new TSA headquarters opening in 2020, the recent renovation of the Springfield Town Center and the Amazon announcement earlier this year, the Franconia-Springfield area is well-positioned to welcome new residential, hotel, retail, and office development to an area that has great market fundamentals."

According to county staff, the main access point to the development would be through Jasper Lane, a private street connected to Metro Park Drive. A right-turn only entrance from Beulah Street was also proposed.

A timeline for the project construction has not been announced.