A Wendy's and a Midas Muffler want to set up shop in Centreville. But since they plan to locate on the same, tiny plot of land that already has a Burger King and will soon have a Chevy Chase Bank, residents are worried.
"We should be careful about this," said Al Francese of Little Rocky Run, not far from the site of the proposed new businesses. "It's becoming like a Route 234 Manassas commercial strip."
The area in question is a 1.85-acre parcel on the triangular piece of land where Wood's Farm Market once stood, bounded by Routes 28 and 29 and Old Centreville Road (OCR). The bank's already approved and will go in Burger King's parking lot.
North of them is Westview Drive — where Wendy's and Midas want to locate. Their land would be divided so each has .9 acre, with Wendy's near Route 28 and Midas parallel to OCR.
They need a rezoning from residential to commercial use there, and attorney Keith Martin presented details at the Sept. 17 meeting of the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee.
Planned are one-story buildings using brick matching the nearby fire station. Access would be from OCR, with Westview Drive vacated to provide parking. Midas would have eight bays and 98 parking spaces and would be open Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Wendy's plans Sunday-Thursday, 6 a.m.-1 a.m. and Friday-Saturday, until 2 a.m.
WFCCA's Jim Hart said Wendy's hours should be the same as Burger King and McDonald's, and he said Midas' building "should be made as attractive as it can be, and not a featureless, blank wall." But WFCCA member Ted Troscianecki had doubts about the whole thing.
"These are visually prominent sites from Routes 28 and 29 — this is the center of Centreville," he said. "I'm not sure I support something that has these appearances."
WFCCA's Kathleen Crossan asked for a more-detailed landscape plan, and WFCCA Chairman Jim Katcham asked Martin to meet with residents of Deerfield Ridge, the townhouse community across the street.
"What kind of use do we really want to have here in Centreville?" asked Francese. "Little Rocky Run is not comfortable with an intense commercial strip so close to residential locations. This spot would be more appropriate for office uses. I'm also concerned about traffic there."
Asking the WFCCA to look at the larger picture, he said, "These are good businesses and I patronize them, myself, but perhaps they could be put [elsewhere]." Sully Station's Gil Kesser also objected, saying, "It seems to be a high-profile location for an auto-repair business."