Although plenty of construction is still underway at The Preserve at Westfields, homes in this section are finished and people have already moved in. Photo by Bonnie Hobbs.
With developers having various projects in the pipeline, Centreville and Chantilly are ever-changing places. On the horizon are homes, restaurants and stores that will bring more residents, as well as add to Fairfax County’s tax base. Here’s a glimpse at just some of the things on the local horizon:
Preserve at Westfields
Some 50 acres of formerly-vacant land along Route 28 and Stonecroft and Westfields boulevards in Chantilly are undergoing a transformation. Called The Preserve at Westfields, this spot will eventually contain 155 townhouses, 650 apartments, plus retail and other amenities.
Fairfax County approved a rezoning for that site and also amended its Comprehensive Plan for that area so that high-density, residential uses may be built there. Akridge owns the land and is building the apartment and retail components; Craftmark Homes and Van Metre are constructing the townhouses.
Included will be an amenity area with walking paths, a pavilion/performing and gathering area, plus a lake that’s currently not accessible. Proffer highlights include almost $6 million in recreation improvements and more than $5.5 million in road improvements. Construction is already well-underway, with one section of homes already completed.
The Field at Commonwealth
The Field at Commonwealth is along Westfields Boulevard in Chantilly, across Route 28 and just northeast of the Akridge site. It’s inside the Newbrook Drive loop road and is part of a commercial complex including shops and restaurants.
A Comprehensive Plan amendment for that 21-acre site enabled the developer, Regency Centers, to replace the previously approved 338,400 square feet of hotel, office and retail uses with 183,000 square feet of retail.
The centerpiece is a 140,000-square-foot Wegmans grocery store that opened June 3.
When completed, this shopping center will also boast 32,500 square feet of retail shops, plus a 10,500-square-foot sit-down, full-service restaurant. Already open are Mellow Mushroom, Chipotle, Cava Grill, My Eye Dr. and Chantilly Modern Dentistry. And joining them will be Habit Burger, a fast-food restaurant; Gusto Farm to Street, offering fresh salads, pizza and flatbreads; Bella Nail Salon and Fearsome Yoga. Also planned are walking trails, an exercise park near the Flatlick stream valley and several pedestrian and road improvements for safety plus better traffic flow.
Rockland Village Green
Two dozen new townhouses are coming to Chantilly. The community will be at Elmwood and Vernon streets and will be called Rockland Village Green. Developed by Carr Homes, it will go on five land parcels off Route 50, behind the Pohanka Lexus dealership.
The buildings’ facades will be brick or other masonry material, and the architecture will be compatible with homes in the surrounding community. Most of the residents will also be offered 5x22-foot, cantilevered decks on their townhouses.
More than 25 percent of the property will be kept as open space. There’ll be a 90x70-foot village green, with landscaping and benches, where the community residents may relax and socialize. Some 17 of the townhomes’ fronts will face Vernon and Elmwood streets to create a welcoming streetscape. The other seven townhomes will be in the interior, with access from Vernon Street.
The plan includes curbs, sidewalks and street ramps at intersections to make it pedestrian-friendly. And the community’s entrance off Vernon Street will lead to an interior street. Plenty of parking is also slated, with 113 spaces on site, including two-car garages underneath each townhome, plus driveway spaces for every unit, and 17 more spaces for visitors. Construction on this project will begin soon.
Trinity Centre
Once envisioned as the heart of Centreville — a place where people could gather for various events and special occasions — Trinity Centre was originally planned for 1.8 million square feet of office space. It was also to have 250,000 square feet of retail uses, plus 336 homes.
But what’s actually been built there are three restaurants, a hotel, Life Time Fitness, the 336 homes and three office buildings totaling just 587,000 square feet — or one-third of the approved office space.
Now, though, JLB Partners are instead constructing a residential project of 355 apartments there. Also included will be a six-story parking structure in the middle. The units will be within a building that’s four stories in front and five stories in back, because of the site’s topography. Construction is currently underway.
The building will be constructed adjacent to the existing lake and will have two internal courtyards. There’ll be an outdoor pool, and the lower-level units will be walk-outs. In addition, the builder will seek LEED certification, and the lake will be an integral part of the project.
Amenities by the lake will include a fenced-in, off-leash, dog area; benches, chairs and an area where young children could climb. Planned, as well, is an outdoor area for senior citizens to use for games such as chess and bocce ball. Trails will connect it to the office development, and the developer will also improve pedestrian connections to this area.
Pender Oaks
K. Hovnanian Homes is currently seeking a rezoning for a site at 3901 Fair Ridge Drive, behind the Pender Shopping Center in Fair Oaks. It’s doing so because it wants to build a residential project with a density of 12.12 homes per acre.
The Applicant proposes constructing 219 dwelling units, including up to 91 townhouses, 56 two-over-two stacked townhomes and 72 multifamily condominium flats. Planned, as well, are 19 affordable dwelling units and nine workforce units, plus a courtyard and a central green with a tot lot and swimming pool.
Lidl Grocery Store
A little bit of Europe is coming to Chantilly in the form of a Lidl grocery store in the Chantilly Crossing Shopping Center. The 5-acre site, near the intersection of Chantilly Crossing Lane and Lee Road, is zoned commercial and is currently undeveloped. Lee Road runs north and south of it, and Route 50 runs east and west of it.
What’s planned are two, new buildings, next to each other. One, housing the grocery store, will be 30,000 square feet. The other, envisioned as a rectangular, 19,000-square-foot structure, is anticipated to contain two or three retail tenants.
The entrances are off Chantilly Crossing Lane, adjacent to the main entrance of the grocery store; further east on the site; and via a left turn in from Lee Road, off Route 50. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved this application in January, and Lidl is currently going through the site-plan process.
Commonwealth Centre
This is a project of Commonwealth Centre at Westfields developer Regency Centers and involves a parcel of land adjacent to the Wegmans property. Its amended rezoning allows for both residential and retail.
To be built are 550,000 square feet of residential uses, including 120 single-family, attached homes and 112 multifamily units – stacked townhouses – for 232 homes total. The developer also proposes constructing 100,000 square feet of retail/movie theater/shopping center uses there.