Board approves amendment that paves way for Huntington Club redevelopment
An artist’s rendering of a development slated for land currently occupied by the Huntington Club.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve an amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan that would allow for a massive new development where the Huntington Club currently stands.
The amendment, which allows for higher density, parcel consolidations and taller building heights, was passed unanimously by the board. Earlier this month the county planning commission also unanimously approved the amendment.
The Huntington Club, located west of the Huntington Metro station between Huntington Avenue and North Kings Highway, currently consists of 364 garden and townhouse residential units built in the late 1960s. The mixed-use development envisioned to replace the Huntington Club would consist approximately 2,100 multifamily and 70 single-family attached dwelling units, 496,000 square feet of office use, 18,500 square feet of retail use and 123,000 square feet of hotel use. Building heights near the Metro station would be up to 200 feet, and would taper down to 55 feet closer western edge of the property near the homes on Kathryn Street.
IDI, who was contracted by the Huntington Club Condominium Association, is the developer for the project.
Click to enlarge (Fairfax County planning commission)
“This is the type of redevelopment that makes infrastructure sense, it makes economic sense and is desperately needed in our end of the county,” Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay said.
The approval marks a major victory for the Huntington Club Condominium Association. In a rare move, the association sought out a developer years ago to look into redeveloping their own property. They reached an agreement with IDI, and eventually came up with a plan for phasing out the Huntington Club. In November, 87 percent of the unit owners voted to dissolve association in favor of the new development.
Mount Vernon Supervisor Dan Storck commended the association for its effort throughout the planning process, saying he was “in awe” of their work.
“This is essentially the community deciding for itself how it wants to change for the future,” Storck said.
Shane Murphy, an attorney representing IDI at the meeting, echoed Storck’s sentiments, noting the association had sought the developer out rather than vice versa, and was in essence “controlling its own destiny.”
“The notion of redeveloping a residential condominium association involves buy-in from hundreds of unit owners, each with different motivations and desires,” Murphy said. “But not only did the Huntington Club work with IDI to come up with a plan that financially supportable, the unit owners provided overwhelming support for this plan.”
The proposed development now needs to go through the rezoning process. A rezoning application has already been submitted to the county, Murphy said.
This rezoning/development is the epitome of traffic gridlock. North Kings Highway, Telegraph Road and Huntington Avenue will not be able to handle this tsunami of a mixed use development. And even more commercial development is planned at Huntington and Telegraph Road. Then you add in the development at Penn Daw and you see a traffic nightmare. This Is FUpppddd!
You know, you are on the other side of the fence and please stay there. This is happening closer to the Beltway access and Telegraph Road. You, stuck on the route one side are, yes, limited in your access, unlike the residents west of the metro, key word metro. Please keep in mind that much of went into this process is the consideration of fewer cars and the action to f commuting via metro.
As a 30 year resident of the Huntington area, I am fully in support of this project. The traffic patterns will be crazy for some time, but the expansion of this area, especially next to the metro, is inevitable and should be embraced sooner rather than later. As with all other major expansions (look at ANY CONSTRUCTION IN ALL OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA) the roads will be adjusted, or drivers will find a new route to work.
A lot of people want to move into this area. Much better that we add homes adjacent to the Metro than have more people live way out in Bealton or Fredericksburg. People making long commutes are even worse for gridlock.
This is great news for the owners but, what about the residents who msy not be able to afford the high rent prices.