Board approves two‑building warehouse project on Pickett Road with revised facade and landscape

The Fairfax City Board of Architectural Review on July 16 approved a two‑warehouse development at 3790 Pickett Road, finding the applicant’s design changes satisfied staff concerns and BAR comments from a May work session.

Applicant BV 1 Logistic Acquisition LLC proposed two single‑tenant warehouse buildings totaling about 311,000 square feet, organized around an internal truck court with access from Pickett Road and Colonial Avenue. Because the site is zoned Industrial Heavy (IH) and the use is allowed by right, the BAR reviewed elevations and site‑level design under the Architecture Control Overlay District; the project will not require City Council approval for use.

City staff described the site as a former mid‑20th‑century tank farm and said most existing canopy street trees along Pickett would be preserved. The proposed buildings would sit lower than Pickett Road because of grade changes and excavation tied to site work. Staff pointed to material choices, retaining‑wall heights as high as 11 feet in places where needed to preserve tree canopy, and the overall landscape scheme; staff concluded the design was in substantial conformance with the Architecture Control Overlay District and recommended approval with standard conditions (plans in general conformance with the July 2025 submission; applicant to secure required permits; landscape subject to urban forester review).

The applicant’s representative, Robert Brant (Walsh Colucci), and the design team said they added roofline bump‑ups, introduced longboard paneling (a metal product with wood appearance used as an accent), increased fenestration and added a corner element to break up the long façades. The team also described lighting and downlight fixtures and a seating area for employees along Pickett. The proposal calls for painted textured concrete paneling, metal coping and longboard accents; building heights were described at roughly 42 feet, but the grade changes reduce the perceived height from Pickett.

Board members praised the changes. During discussion members noted the site’s industrial context, the preserved street canopy, and the effort to break up the buildings’ long elevations with material variation and vertical elements. One board member recommended additional attention to the small upper windows’ proportions as a minor refinement but otherwise described the application as a marked improvement from the May work session.

The Board voted 5‑0 to approve the application, attaching the usual conditions that the final work conform in general to the July 2025 plans, that the applicant secure required permits prior to construction, and that landscape details be finalized with the urban forester during the site‑plan stage.

The applicant said the buildings will pursue LEED and WELL certifications, include electric‑vehicle‑ready conduits to future truck charging locations, and preserve substantial existing tree cover around Pickett Road. The project now proceeds to site‑plan and construction‑permit review.