Of 26 proposals to change the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan in the Lee District, only six were approved by the Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Dana Kauffman (D-Lee) said that if all of the proposals had been approved, it could have resulted in 715 new housing units.
The six plans approved will result in 13 townhouses.
Kauffman commended the citizen task force which studied, and rejected, the vast majority of the proposals. He said that the task force recognized that traffic is bad, and with little hope for transportation improvements, it makes little sense to increase development in the county. “The task force has more than a modicum of common sense,” Kauffman said.
As a result of the changes, the Woodlawn Manor apartments on Richmond Highway will likely be redeveloped. However, the changes call for the site to have workforce housing as a component. However, no formal definition for workforce housing currently exists. It is generally understood to mean housing for people who make more than is permitted to qualify for affordable housing, but still cannot afford a home in Fairfax County.
The change will allow for the redevelopment of a property which Kauffman described as blighted, near the intersection of Franconia Road and Grovedale Drive.
It will allow for development of a long-undeveloped property along Cinder Bed Road. “This is part of our cleaning up of that area,” he said.
The Hunter Motel will also become a thing of the past, after a plan change. The Newington landmark will be removed to make way for a new hotel, and potentially a restaurant and bank.
Finally, the board approved a package of editorial revisions to sections of the plan.