Fairfax County's housing authority spent nearly $23 million on two vacant parcels next to the Innovation Center Metro station, aiming to build 400 affordable apartments in the Dulles Corridor.
The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) completed the off-market purchase of 3625 and 3627 King Johns Way in the McNair area south of Herndon on Aug. 28, as first reported by FFXnow. According to county property records, the price was $22.8 million. The FCRHA's announcement on Oct. 13 rounded the figure to $23 million.
The roughly two-acre site sits in a mixed-use area that includes market-rate housing and Brightview Senior Living. Brightview is the only piece of a larger development plan that has been built. The Board of Supervisors approved that plan in December 2013.
The previous owner, a limited-liability corporation established by Tysons-based developer Allen & Rocks, had partnered with an affiliate of Crimson Development on plans for 1.6 million square feet of offices, apartments, retail and a hotel. Most of that never materialized.
No private development partner has been identified for the affordable housing project. The FCRHA said in its press release that the development will take "several years."
The authority used federal funding tied to its designation since 2013 as a "Moving to Work" agency by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). That status gives the FCRHA more flexibility to run affordable housing programs outside standard public housing and Housing Choice Voucher rules.
Thirty-nine percent of people who work in Fairfax County live elsewhere, according to Jennifer Miller, deputy county executive for community development. Miller said in a statement that expanding affordability in the Dulles Corridor "will deliver positive impact for our local economy overall, especially given the anticipated major expansion of Dulles Airport itself."
Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman said the project "will deliver housing affordable to a broad spectrum of people, from those who work at Dulles Airport to those who support the various tech companies in the area."
The King Johns Way purchase is one of several FCRHA affordable housing moves across the county. North of the Innovation Center station, the authority has partnered with nonprofit True Ground on plans for 435 units at 13500 Dulles Greene Drive. Those units would be reserved for households earning 30% to 60% of the area median income, which stands at $166,100 for a family of four. A rezoning hearing for that project is scheduled before the Fairfax County Planning Commission on Jan. 27, 2027.
The Board of Supervisors set a goal in 2022 of adding 10,000 net new affordable units by 2034. The county's housing chief said in May that the target remains within reach but is not guaranteed.
