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 Fournier told council that in its present form the proposal "seems to cram as much as it can into a very small space." Developer representatives responded that the design follows the small area plan guidance and that they had increased retail, added a greenway and proffered public benefits including 17 affordable units, EV charging and a school contribution.

Why it matters: The council’s votes allow a large mixed-use redevelopment in the Old Town transition overlay district that has been discussed for years. Supporters say it advances housing, walkability and the small area plan; opponents say the project’s scale and design are out of character for the immediate neighborhood.

What the council approved: The council approved rezoning the site from RM (Residential Medium) to CU (Commercial Urban) while retaining the Old Town transition overlay district and approved the project's general development plan with proffers. Council also approved a set of special exceptions (ground-floor nonresidential reduction, density above 24 units/acre, height greater than the 48-foot transition limit, sidewalk and streetscape modifications, and transitional-yard reductions) and granted the certificate of appropriateness with conditions. Councilmember Bates moved the rezoning; Councilmember Hardy Chandler seconded. The rezoning, special exceptions and certificate of appropriateness each passed 4-3.

Project details and proffers: The approved plan shows two buildings (Building A fronting on Chambers/Cambridge and Building B fronting on University Drive) with 62-foot and 58–62-foot maximum heights in places (the applicant described them as 4–5 stories with stepbacks), 423 parking spaces (garage plus surface), 20–28 bicycle parking spaces per building, a 43-foot-wide greenway between buildings with a 15-foot pedestrian path, stormwater vaults, undergrounded utilities on Cambridge/Chain Bridge frontage, a transportation demand-management proffer (transportation coordinator, bike parking, transit information), 20 EV parking spaces in the garage, an art walk and a proffered public school contribution. The applicant also proffered right-of-way dedication and a contribution or construction of a bus shelter.

Council debate and votes: Council members split along differing views about the small area plan, design compatibility and neighborhood impacts. On the rezoning vote the roll call showed a 4-3 result in favor. The special exceptions and the certificate of appropriateness each passed 4-3 after discussion and an amendment asking the applicant to increase tree canopy coverage to approximately 11.87% (or contribute up to $10,000 to off-site plantings if onsite planting proved infeasible).

Next steps: Council’s approvals allow the applicant to proceed to final plan and permitting steps. Conditions in the certificate of appropriateness require final landscaping to reflect urban forester comments and that the proposed development secure all required zoning approvals and permits before construction.

Community reaction and context: The project drew large public interest during the hearing. Some residents asked that the council require additional streetscape or east–west connections through adjacent parcels; staff noted several such connections would require other property owners’ participation. The Board of Architectural Review had recommended approval and the Planning Commission recommended denial. The Old Town Small Area Plan (adopted June 2020) guided much of the staff analysis and was repeatedly referenced by both supporters and opponents.