A developer is completing plans to add 31 acres of mixed-use development in the heart of Merrifield, part of what may become a new network of urban cores in Fairfax, Northern Virginia’s largest suburban county.
South Carolina-based Edens and Avant is planning about 600,000 square feet of retail, 800,000 square feet of residential area, 150,000 square feet of office space, as well as a cinema and hotel on about 31 acres close to the intersection of Lee Highway and Gallows Road.
The developer filed plans earlier this year for the project, but is still determining the final number of dwellings and shops that will show up in the final version, according to Adam Frazier, a development associate with the firm.
If successful in seeking a rezoning for the property, Edens and Avant would add to a growing number of dense developments across the county, especially near Metro stations.
But the site is not close to a rail line, which could slow its approval. The revamp of the Tysons Corner Center and a mixed-use development next to the Dunn Loring Metro station were helped by the proximity of public transportation.
The developer has offered to fund a shuttle bus and upgrade Eskridge Road, among other contributions.
For the project to work, it will need “strong shuttle service,” better landscaping and measures to reduce traffic on its interior roads, said Becky Cate, chair of the Providence District Council’s land-use committee.
“There has got to be a frequent shuttle service that services the neighborhoods and takes them where they want to go,” said Cate. “You’ve got to have a pretty robust system.”
A public hearing with Fairfax County’s Planning Commission is set for May 23.
