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Board approves Ballston redevelopment to convert office tower into 328-unit residential building; garage retained
Summary
The County Board voted 5-0 to approve a major site plan amendment at 4601 Fairfax Drive (Ballston) allowing demolition of an office tower, construction of a 328-unit residential building, and retention of the below-grade garage, subject to conditions including a $2 million affordable housing contribution and green-building commitments.
The Arlington County Board on July 19 approved a major site plan amendment for 4601 Fairfax Drive, a Ballston property that will replace an aging 12-story office tower with a seven-story residential building containing up to 328 units while retaining the existing below-grade parking garage.
The amendment passed 5-0 after staff and the applicant described measures intended to mitigate trade-offs created by retaining the garage: on- and off-site plantings, a continuous soil panel for trees under the sidewalk on North Wakefield Street, restoration within the Chesapeake Bay resource protection area (RPA) and a $2 million contribution to the county's Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF). Staff estimated that the AHIF payment could leverage 17'18 off-site affordable units.
Matt Pfeiffer of the county's planning division and applicant representatives said the garage's structural constraints limit tree pit depth and certain surface improvements, so the project will employ suspended soil panels and off-site plantings to approach county canopy goals. The developer, Penzance, committed to participate in the county's Green Building Incentive Program (GBIP) at the 0.25 FAR tier and to LEED Gold certification measures.
The site falls partially inside the Chesapeake Bay preservation area; the Chesapeake Bay Ordinance Review Committee granted an exception with conditions including maximizing on-site canopy and a specified phosphorus-load reduction. The Planning Commission had forwarded a recommendation of approval with a suggestion that a five-year term of validity would be reasonable; staff recommended the standard three-year term of validity for site plans. The County Board approved the site plan with staff conditions and a standard three-year term.
Why it matters: County staff said the project transforms a large, underused office asset into housing and supports the county's commercial market resiliency goals while balancing environmental and urban design requirements. The project also includes a new northbound bike lane on North Wakefield Street and a shared-use path improvement on Fairfax Drive.
Board action: Motion to approve site plan amendment and easement vacation moved by Matt de Ferrante, seconded by Susan Cunningham; vote 5-0.
