In Spring 2020 despite the challenges of conducting all public meetings virtually, the Mayor and Council of the City of Fairfax, VA unanimously approved a Comprehensive Plan Amendment and Rezoning for a planned development of 50 townhomes to be built at 3500 Pickett Road on a 3.7-acre site currently occupied by Metro Church.
Working with the surrounding community and city agencies, EYA developed a thoughtful design aimed at filling a regional need for low maintenance, well-priced homeownership opportunities.
In addition to the approval, the City also approved its first Affordable Dwelling Units (ADU’s) as part of this project. The City has been deliberating on enacting an ADU program this year and EYA and the City worked together to make the Pickett Road the City’s initial project with ADU’s, as well as a potential model for future projects that include ADU’s in the City.
Metro Church had hosted its congregations in at the Pickett Road property since 2012. In 2019, the church decided to consolidate its parishioners in the DC region at a single location in Alexandria and use the sale of the Pickett Road property to fund its broader mission and better serve its congregants. The church didn’t want to sell to just anyone, but rather hoped for a developer that embraced the values of community building.
“When we sat down with EYA and listened to their ideas for this development, we became more aware of how a townhome neighborhood that included a portion of affordable housing could positively impact lives in this community,” said Morgan Dalisay, Executive Director of Operations and Church Life at Metro Church. “Being a good neighbor encompasses so many of the values that motivate our church and it’s nice that this land will become home to a community designed to foster friendly relationships.”
Overall the strong neighborhood support and EYA’s deliberate choice to work within the City’s new ADU ordinance resulted in the unanimously approval of the project.
