Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Major Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council defers decision on Courthouse Plaza redevelopment to Oct. 28 after public hearing
Summary
Combined Courthouse LLC sought special exceptions for a six‑story, 315‑unit mixed‑use redevelopment at Courthouse Plaza. Council heard hours of testimony and voted to defer final action to Oct. 28 to allow more staff and community engagement.
Fairfax City Council on Tuesday deferred final action on a proposed redevelopment of the Courthouse Plaza shopping center at 10300 Willard Way until Oct. 28 after a lengthy public hearing and robust council scrutiny.
The applicant, Combined Courthouse LLC, proposed demolishing part of the existing grocery‑anchored center and constructing a six‑story, mixed‑use building with up to 315 residential units and between roughly 5,000 and 12,000 square feet of ground‑floor retail, plus structured parking. City planner Claire Schweiger summarized the application and highlighted nine requested special exceptions, including for height (up to 71 feet / six stories), density (36 dwelling units per acre), lot coverage and sidewalk width.
The applicant’s attorney, Colleen Gillis of Curata Partners, told the council the proposal would refresh an aging shopping center, add housing and help activate the retail core. “We are trying to be the catalyst to revitalize this portion of Old Town North,” she said during the applicant presentation. Planning staff recommended denial, saying the proposal did not meet multiple specifics of the Old Town Small Area Plan, while the Board of Architectural Review recommended approval.
Community feedback was mixed. Some residents and nearby property owners opposed the scale, height and traffic impacts, and said the project would change the character of the area. Others emphasized the region’s housing shortfall and said new residents would support downtown businesses and the grocery anchor.
Why council deferred: Council members said they wanted more time to reconcile the small area plan’s recommendations with the applicant’s design, and to allow additional coordination among the applicant, staff and nearby property owners. Several members emphasized the proposal touches a large neighborhood and encouraged continued outreach. The motion to defer final action to Oct. 28 passed 5-1.
Key application features noted at the hearing: The applicant’s plan showed a 6,700‑square‑foot pocket green space adjacent to Safeway, roughly 710 parking spaces across structured and surface lots, two new streets internal to the site and a proposed contribution of $367 per residential unit toward city recreational amenities. Staff flagged that the proposed green space and pedestrian network would not, as submitted, connect into the broader open‑space network the small area plan envisions, and that the new streets end in the existing parking area rather than integrating with a new grid.
Next steps: With the Oct. 28 deferral, council and staff will continue discussions with Combined Properties; the applicant may refine the plan, and council members indicated they expect additional outreach to nearby property owners and coordinated planning on circulation and pedestrian connectivity.
