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Pre-application for Ox Hill Block B proposes 240-unit mixed-use building in Old Town Fairfax
Summary
A pre-application for Ox Hill Block B at 4021/4031 University Drive would replace two office buildings with a six-story mixed-use project of roughly 240 apartments, about 10,000 sq ft of retail, 4,000 sq ft of office and 300 structured parking spaces; staff said the project would require special use permits and design approvals and that the formal application has not yet been submitted.
City planner Claire Schwager presented a pre-application for Ox Hill Block B (4021 and 4031 University Drive), describing the site nd the applicant—oncept: a six-story mixed-use building with roughly 240 residential units on upper floors, about 10,000 square feet of retail and about 4,000 square feet of office on the first floor, and approximately 300 structured parking spaces.
Schwager said the property sits in the CR (Commercial Retail) zoning district and the Old Town Fairfax Historic Overlay District; the proposed application would need a general development plan with modifications, a special use permit for upper-story residential mixed use and a major certificate of appropriateness for architecture and landscaping. Because the proposal likely requires special exceptions and special use permits, Schwager said the city council (not the planning commission) will be the deciding body if the application is filed.
Council members asked whether units will be apartments or condominiums (staff: apartments) and whether the city's affordable-housing ordinance applies. Planning staff said the ordinance requires 6% affordable units for projects over 30 units; for a 240-unit building that equates to roughly 14–15 affordable units. Staff also noted that density rules (24 dwelling units per acre in the CR district) and the Old Town Historic Overlay can affect parking requirements (the overlay can reduce required parking by 50%).
Council members pressed the applicant and staff for additional details at the full submission stage, including a breakdown of parking allocation between residential and commercial uses, the parking ratio to be used, and how the project would meet the city's affordable-housing and AMI standards. Schwager said those specifics are not yet finalized at the pre-application stage and will be provided with a complete submission and subsequent review.
Next steps: applicant to submit a formal application; staff will review and schedule a council work session and public hearing as appropriate.
