Above: Renderings of Franconia Governmental Center redevelopment (image via Fairfax County government/Soto Architecture & Urban Design)
By Vernon Miles
Franconia Development Partners is moving forward with its proposal to replace the Franconia Governmental Center with affordable housing.
After securing an interim agreement with the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) last fall, SCG Development, NFP Affordable Housing Corp. and Good Shepherd Housing submitted a rezoning application to the county on March 21 calling for 120 affordable multi-family units at 6121 Franconia Road.
The units will be made available to households that earn 30-80% of area median income, and 25 of them will be set aside for police, firefighters, teachers and medical personnel, according to the proposed development plan.
Proposed amenities include a fitness center, community room and outdoor open spaces, including a “large” private courtyard for residents and a publicly accessible urban park.
“The final design would be coordinated with adjacent development but the publicly accessible urban park would include walking paths for exercise and seating areas designed for individuals to come close and reflect with nature,” a statement of justification said.
The current Franconia Governmental Center will be vacated and demolished after operations relocate to a new facility on Beulah Road this summer.
The statement of justification noted that the developers are seeking to a review and approval “without imposing zoning and land use conditions” related to affordable housing. This would keep the project from needing to return through the proffer process in case amendments or refinancing are required.
The FCRHA voted on Oct. 17, 2024 to authorize an interim agreement with Franconia Development Partners that gives them exclusive rights to develop the 3.26-acre government center site and allowed the authority and developers to begin more detailed negotiations on the project.
Typically, when the housing authority sponsors a project, it will acquire the property and give the developer a ground lease guaranteeing the residential units will remain “affordable” for around 99 years. The authority will also sometimes pay a portion of the rent for eligible units through the county’s Project Based Vouchers program.
The prospect of public financing for the project has been a point of contention for critics. At the FCRHA’s Oct. 17 meeting, Paul Zurawski, the Springfield District representative, expressed concern that there weren’t enough measures in place to ensure the building lives up to its affordable housing aims.
The project has also attracted pushback from neighbors who say it isn’t appropriate for the site, with concerns including the additional traffic on Franconia Road and its proximity to multiple gas stations.
A report showed the site is well served by the Fairfax Connector, but other transportation changes — like changing the western curb cut to a right turn exit from the site — would help to limit the impact of the development on local roads.
The statement of justification “acknowledged” staff feedback that roadway improvements would be necessary to minimize traffic impact on the adjacent residential area.
The residential building will be a maximum of four stories, up to 52 feet. It will also have a parking garage with 126 spaces, a ratio of 1.05 per resident.
In the application’s statement of justification, land use attorneys representing the developers said the project “will transform the former Franconia Governmental Center site and provide much-needed housing.”
“It will be a vibrant addition to the Franconia Triangle,” the statement said. “… The Applicant devoted considerable energy and thought into how the Project would fit within the surrounding community and
meet the Comprehensive Plan’s objectives for a diverse and equitable community.”
As authorized by the Board of Supervisors in April 2023, Fairfax County staff have been crafting an amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan to allow residential development in the Franconia Triangle — 2.75 acres of land bounded by Franconia Road, Beulah Street and Grovedale Drive.
In addition to the governmental center project, the amendment would open the door for a proposed townhouse development to replace office buildings on Beulah Street and an option for housing on the site at 6323 Grovedale Drive currently occupied by the child care center Franconia Kindercare.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission was scheduled to hold a public hearing on the plan amendment at its March 12 meeting, but opted to postpone the discussion until April 9. A planned Board of Supervisors hearing on March 18 was, as a result, deferred to May 13.
Reprinted from FFXNow. For more information, see the original article.