The Fairfax County Planning Commission heard a rezoning application for a proposed 158-home development near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.
Across three meetings in May, the commission also overhauled countywide streetlight standards, approved two school projects, and took public testimony on a major Centreville plan amendment.
All three sessions have concluded, and archived video is available at video.fairfaxcounty.gov.
The project, known as Lofts II, would replace office buildings at 1810, 1825, and 1850 Samuel Morse Drive with 112 multi-family units and 46 stacked townhomes on five acres. Pulte Home Company LLC is seeking to rezone the site from I-4 (Medium Intensity Industrial) to PRM (Planned Residential Mixed Use).
The application includes a proffer to designate at least 12 percent of homes, about 19 units, as Workforce Dwelling Units for households earning up to 70, 80, and 100 percent of the regional Area Median Income.
The site-specific plan amendment for the Samuel Morse Drive project was recommended to the Board of Supervisors for adoption on April 29, according to the Reston Association.
The Planning Commission deferred the rezoning decision to June 3, and the item appeared on the commission's June 10 published actions list. The Board of Supervisors hearing was scheduled for June 23. The result of that hearing had not been confirmed at press time.
The commission recommended adoption of a countywide overhaul to streetlight design standards on May 13. The amendment to Chapter 7 of the Public Facilities Manual consolidates and modernizes existing streetlight requirements, improves the submission and review process, and adds a new provision delaying bond release by 120 days from initial payment.
The Board of Supervisors adopted the amendment on June 9. It took effect July 1, transferring streetlight review responsibilities from the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services to Land Development Services.
In practice, streetlight plan reviews in Reston now go through LDS rather than DPWES, and the 120-day bond-release delay gives the county additional time to verify installations meet the updated standards.
School projects approved
Two school-related public facility reviews cleared the commission in May under Virginia Code Section 15.2-2232:
- Western High School (2954 Education Drive, Herndon): The commission approved converting an existing private school site to public use for a future public high school on Wednesday, May 13.
- Willow Springs Elementary School (5400 Willow Springs School Road, Fairfax): The commission approved a renovation and expansion, including site and parking lot modifications, on Wednesday, May 20.
The commission held a public hearing on Wednesday, May 20 for the Centreville Study (PA 2022-III-BR1), a comprehensive plan amendment covering approximately 2,700 acres in the Sully District. The plan envisions a walkable town center, expanded affordable and mixed-use housing, and enhanced transit connections, including a potential location for a future Orange Line extension.
Hunter Mill District Commissioner John Carter noted that while school capacity appears adequate for middle and high school students, planning for a new elementary school seems warranted.
"New Braddock Road extended would cut right through Centre Ridge, right down the middle, have major impacts to our community," said Jeff Clubb, a 30-year Centre Ridge resident, at the May 20 hearing.
County transportation planner Kyle Kelly responded that the proposed road extension would be a two-lane local street friendly to bikes and pedestrians, not the four-lane arterial in the existing comprehensive plan.
The commission deferred its recommendation to June 10. The Board of Supervisors adopted the amendment on June 23.
How to watch and weigh in
Meeting minutes and actions are posted at fairfaxcounty.gov/planningcommission. The next Planning Commission meeting is Wednesday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Board Auditorium at 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. Contact: Nicole Blackwell, 703-324-2865, TTY 711.
