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Lee Village plan approved
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved plans Monday for a public-private partnership with developer Clark Ventures that would include the construction of the Kingstowne Regional Library, the new Franconia Governmental Center and apartments designated for senior citizens and people with moderate incomes.
Also approved unanimously last week by the Fairfax County Planning Commission, the 6.64-acre property would include a two-story library, the governmental center, 111 workforce housing units, 89 senior housing units and a coffee bar.
Without the partnership, the county had not planned to construct the library until 2018. The application was a “win-win” for the developer and the county, said Lynne Strobel, a lawyer representing the developer.
As part of the deal, the developer will make improvements to Beulah Park and also contribute $81,410 for the capital improvements of Hayfield Secondary School and Lane Elementary School.
Lee District planning Commissioner Rodney Lusk said the county continues to have shortage of affordable housing units, and without Clark Ventures' application, "with the way things are going with the current economy," library construction could have been postponed "even longer than 2018," Lusk said.
The workforce housing units will be advertised to teachers, nurses and other critical employees who want to live near to where they work, Strobel said, highlighting the point to the board prior to the decision.
The argument to build housing so that residents can live near work has been used in Kingstowne land use cases before, specifically with Kingstowne Towne Center and neighboring residences, which proved to house a majority of people who did not live in walking distance to their jobs.
"We cannot discriminate," Strobel said. "If someone came to us that qualifies for these units, we have to rent to them."
The Lee District Supervisor's office is currently in the Franconia District Police Station. "I'm sure the police are looking forward to the day when the supervisor leaves their building," Lusk said.
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