The nomination to build 300 residential units at the corner of Telegraph Road and Beulah Street as part of a Hilltop Village development was shot down by the Lee District Task Force at a Fairfax County Site-Specific Plan Amendment process Monday night.
During the meeting, more than a dozen members of the public, who reside close to Hilltop Village, spoke in opposition of the proposal. Thirteen pages of comments and a petition with more than 14,000 signatures were also submitted to the task force prior to the meeting.
Most of the concerns mentioned were about parking, pedestrian safety, traffic, school overcrowding and the lack of green space. Members of the public argued that the large building proposed is not in keeping with the area and that increased congestion may actually harm local businesses.
Lynne Strobel, who represented project nominators JLB Realty, pointed out that the proposed development site will not remain empty and will be developed at some point because of the high value of the land. Her clients believe that a residential building is a better option that the office building that is currently approved for the site.
She said that public concerns can be addressed later on in the development process and merely asked for the chance for the nomination to be further studied as part of the South County Site Specific Plan Amendment process.
Strobel added that nominators believe that building housing at the shopping center could improve business and create housing for people employed at nearby Fort Belvoir.
Members of the task force were divided on the nomination. Many agreed with the concerns of community members. Others wanted the nomination to move on for further study with an emphasis on studying traffic, schools, parking, security issues for Fort Belvoir and ensuring greens paces. County staff had previously recommended that the nomination move forward.
Ultimately, a motion to exclude the nomination from the work program passed. This recommendation will face the review of the Planning Commission before a final decision is made. Information on the Planning Commission and upcoming meetings can be found here.
