Council approves Davies property rezoning and special exceptions after extended public hearing

Fairfax City Council on Tuesday approved a rezoning, multiple special exceptions and a certificate of appropriateness for the Davies property redevelopment at 4131 Chambers/Cambridge Road, voting 4-3 on each action after a lengthy public hearing and debate.

The approved plan from The Hill, a Davies Family LLC, and developer Paradigm Companies will allow two buildings totaling up to 276 apartments, roughly 10,796 square feet of ground-floor retail and about 4,200 square feet of office space, as shown in the application materials. City planner Albert Frederick opened the public hearing with a staff presentation describing the site, the Old Town Small Area Plan recommendations, and the specific requests on zoning, setbacks, height and transitional-yard modifications. "For the record, my name is Albert Frederick," he said during the staff overview.

Neighbors, condo associations and downtown business advocates spoke both in favor and against the project. Supporters said the project would add housing and customers for local businesses, while opponents cited concerns about height, density, traffic, parking overflow and impacts on the character of Old Town. Resident Mariana…