Board recommends approval of 14 townhomes at 9495 Silver King Road (Highlands on Mantua)

The Fairfax City Board of Architectural Review on July 16 recommended City Council approve a 14‑unit townhome development at 9495 Silver King Road (case BAR24‑00023), commonly referred to as Highlands on Mantua. The board voted 5‑0 to forward a recommendation of approval with standard conditions.

The applicant sought an amendment to the General Development Plan, a comprehensive plan amendment from a commercial corridor future land use to townhouse single‑family attached, and a rezoning from planned development commercial to planned development residential. The proposal replaces roughly 21,000 square feet of existing office space with 14 front‑loaded townhomes on about 2 acres. Each townhome would include an attached two‑car garage; most units also include two driveway spaces, with units 1–3 configured to preserve additional trees by moving those lots closer to Silver King Court. The application also includes two on‑site amenity areas with pergolas, seating and a grill island.

Architectural materials would include brick and fiber‑cement (Hardie) siding with a cast stone water table and garage doors with a woodgrain finish. The applicant revised the design since a prior work session: the project was reduced from four stories to three, the rooftop amenity orientation was changed to face the internal private roadway rather than the rear, and retaining walls and safety railings were added where site grading required them. Mechanical equipment would be contained within attic spaces or otherwise concealed from the public right of way.

City staff reported that the applicant’s tree preservation plan exceeds the baseline tree canopy requirement (the plan calls for roughly 33.8% canopy vs. the 20% requirement) and that the proposal complies with the Architecture Control Overlay District design guidelines. Staff recommended a conditional recommendation of approval to City Council with the normal conditions that final work conform generally to July 2025 plans, that the applicant secure required permits and that landscape plans be finalized with the urban forester at site plan review.

Members of the applicant team noted the retention of more than 150 existing trees under the revised layout and described the project’s retaining‑wall locations, fencing, lighting and pathway materials. Piyush Gandhi, civil engineer on the project, told the Board the project had been modified to preserve additional trees and outlined parking and pedestrian access. Board members generally praised the design changes, called out improved proportionality and street presence compared with the earlier submission, and recommended the applicant finalize minor details such as material transitions and window surrounds during permitting.

The Board’s recommendation to City Council was conditional on the usual items: general conformance with the July 2025 plans; applicant to secure zoning approvals and permits prior to construction; and landscape refinements to follow the urban forester’s comments at the site plan stage. The project will move to City Council for the land‑use approvals described above.