Marlo Furniture has a two-week reprieve. But it will have an uphill battle trying to get Fairfax County to change its mind about a proposal to build a Marlo's in Chantilly.
The county Planning Commission was supposed to render its decision, last Wednesday, Nov. 20. But after striking out, the night before (Nov. 19), with the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee, Marlo owner-and-founder Lou Glickfield asked and was granted a deferment.
"They asked me for two weeks so they could work with the WFCCA and [county] staff," said Sully District Planning Commissioner Ron Koch. "But staff is against it, and there's no indication that it's going to change its mind — in fact, just the opposite."
Glickfield wants to build his store in a mixed-use development called Chantilly Crossing, at Routes 28 and 50, near the future National Air and Space Museum Annex. Trouble is, this particular parcel has undergone so many changes in recent years that the county is loath to go along with another one.
"This isn't about the Glickfields or the furniture store — Marlo is an asset to the community," explained Koch. "It's a nice establishment, and the Glickfields have done a lot for the community and for charitable organizations. It's a question of land use and what's best to go into that particular sector."
In 1994, the county's Comprehensive Plan designated that area for industrial and office uses. Then along came Glickfield. "He convinced us it would be better to have retail, restaurants and hotels there in support of the future Air and Space Museum Annex," said Koch. "Staff wasn't in favor of it, but we changed the Comprehensive Plan."
But Glickfield sold the property a few years later, the furniture store never materialized and shopping-center developer Starwood-Ceruzzi is now building a Target and a Costco there, along with some other retail stores. And there are definite guidelines as to how this land is to be developed.
"An EQC [Environmental Quality Corridor] divides that site," said Koch. "There was not supposed to be any retail in the northern sector — only in the southern [portion]." But Glickfield wants to put the Marlo in the northern part. And despite public opinion in favor of the store there, the county doesn't want to break its own rules.
"Everybody's saying how wonderful a furniture store would be, but there's no guarantee that [Glickfield] won't change his mind again and not build it," said Koch. "That's a very strategic and important parcel of land — in the northwest quadrant of the Route 50/28 intersection and adjacent to one of the future, most major attractions in the area."
The bottom line, he said, is that the county simply "can't let economics drive land use." Once a retail business goes in there, said Koch, that parcel would be lost to the county as a possible site for a hotel — and, with the museum annex slated to open in December 2003 and initially attract 3.5 million visitors to Chantilly — it would be a good idea to keep the option open for a hotel at that spot.
"I know it's not easy for [Mr. Glickfield] to hold onto his land [and not build on it for awhile], but I think we should wait and see what the area's needs — for hotels, retail or any uses — will be, once the Air and Space Museum opens," said Koch. "It's nothing to do with Marlo or its reputation or good deeds. We just don't want to change the Plan, helter-skelter. I'm not sure [a furniture store there] is the best thing, at this time."