Wendy’s eyeing Beacon Center for new location
Wendy’s would like to put a new location next to Famous Dave’s at the Beacon Center.
Good news Frosty fans: Wendy’s is looking to open a new restaurant on Beacon Hill as a replacement for the location that closed down last year.
The fast-food chain has filed paperwork with Fairfax County requesting approval for a new location at the Beacon Center, as first reported Friday in the Washington Business Journal. The new restaurant, which will need to be approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors before any construction begins, would be built between Famous Dave’s and TGI Fridays in an area now used for parking.
The new Wendy’s would be a one-story building with a drive-thru, and it would have 55 indoor seats and 12 outdoor patio seats, according to the company’s application. The location would have 15 dedicated parking spaces, although the shopping center would lose 52 parking spaces overall, according to the application.
Wendy’s is already on marketing material for the Beacon Center. Click to enlarge.
The new restaurant would fill a void for local Wendy’s fans still mourning last fall’s closure of the longtime location at the corner of Richmond Highway and Fairview Drive. That Wendy’s, which had sat at the spot since the 1970s, was shuttered to make way for a new mixed-use development. The old building remains standing, as construction on the new complex has yet to begin.
Any work on the new Wendy’s wouldn’t start until at least next spring. The Fairfax County Planning Commission is scheduled to hold its hearing on the proposal on March 3, 2019. Unless that meeting is moved back or a decision is deferred by the planning commission, the Board of Supervisors will then hold its own hearing on March 9, 2019.
Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay, whose grew up in the Route 1 area, said “Wendy’s has been a staple on the highway” for as long as he could remember, and indicated he supports the effort to build a new location in the Beacon Center.
This story was updated with comment from Supervisor Jeff McKay.
How will the apartment residents behind Beacon Center deal with all the noise from the construction of the Embark project?
When will we get a Chick-Fil-A? Once that happens, I will be satisfied.
I agree!!!!!!!!! Chick Fila!!!!!!!!!!
What’s going on with the plan for the old Penn Daw development? Is Craftmark Homes still in the game? This vast abandoned site with its mile-high weeds and abandoned new construction has been a blight on the community for long enough (2-3 years now?). I posted this question to the FCDC’s website 2 weeks ago and have yet to hear back. What does Supervisor McKay have to say about it? We need a lot more than just a new Wendy’s in the neighborhood.
Dear “L”,
Others have asked your question in the past and no relies nor answers are forthcoming from Fairfax County. It is assumed that no answers imply that the County has no process or procedures to handle a failed high-density project such as this high-rise development. The residents should not have to put up with the mess that this site has been for several years!
We are also told that the road improvements at the intersection are pending completion of this project! HOW long ???!
Thanks for your reply, “Anonymous”. Who can we pressure about this? It is part of McKay’s district. I have experienced mixed success reaching out to him. It’s taken community tied to a homeowner’s association, and even then you may not get far. The South Alex (or whatever it’s being called now) property is really a disgrace and is devaluing the area. The developer needs to be held accountable. Does Fairfax County have no leverage at all over the developer??