Two men who own adjoining properties on Wharton Lane, just outside Centreville's expanded Historic District, hope to subdivide their land and build five houses on it.
They presented their idea at the March 21 meeting of the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee. They're also requesting a rezoning from their lots' current designation of residential, one home per acre, to three homes per acre.
"WE WANT to erect five, single-family homes, representative of the types of homes in the area," explained Joon Lee, who attended the meeting with fellow property-owner Jin Yon. "We're here to answer any questions you may have and address your concerns. I'm a consultant, and this would be a career-changing endeavor for me."
Lee said a townhouse development is northwest of the site and single-family homes are to the southeast. And, he noted, "There are some very mature trees on that property, and I'll do whatever it takes to save them."
The land in question is 1.75 acre total, and the WFCCA's Carol Hawn stressed that both parcels are surrounded by properties proposed for inclusion in the Historic District, "including the Apex Fort site, which is right across the street." So, said Hawn, "We'd ask you to abide by what's asked of property owners in the Historic District."
A third lot is right next to Lee's and Yon's land, but isn't currently part of their plan. They told the WFCCA members that attempts to buy it from the owner have, so far, been unsuccessful. Said At-Large Planning Commissioner Jim Hart: "It's always hard to do something like this, absent consolidation [of other remaining properties]."
Looking at some unconventional sketches of the proposed division of the two lots into five, he also told the two men that it's best to "stick to lot configurations that already exist in that development." Agreeing, WFCCA Chairman Jim Katcham told the men to "continue pursuing purchasing another adjoining lot" so they could make it part of their residential plan.
Hart told them the geometry of how the homes are arranged on the site is "going to be hard, on a small piece [of land], no matter what you do." And Centreville resident Terry Spence, a former WFCCA panelist, encouraged Lee and Yon to "talk to the [county's] urban forester for some ways to save the large trees."