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Fairfax Square

proposed

Status set at City Council Meeting on Sep 9, 2025

Project wiki — a maintained overview, meeting history, and recorded positions.

  1. Proposed
    Jul 14, 2025
  2. Under review
  3. Decided

Summary

Fairfax Square Professional Center (9840–9946 Main Street) is a proposed phased mixed-use redevelopment of an approximately 10.4-acre commercial site on the north side of Main Street. The site currently contains 12 buildings; under the concept plan, most would be demolished in phases beginning from the west side, while the existing five-story office building and an existing bank would be retained. New construction would add residential units — including 44 affordable dwelling units integrated within the community core near amenities — with underground parking beneath the residential buildings and surface parking for commercial users. The property was specifically incorporated into the 2024 Comprehensive Plan as one of only two sites citywide designated with a parcel-specific consideration supporting a mixed-use place type as an alternative to the underlying commercial corridor designation, following engagement by the property owner during the plan's five-year review. Pre-application briefings were presented to the Planning Commission on July 14, 2025, and to the City Council on September 9, 2025; no formal action has been taken at either stage.

Official city record

Private Development

Under Review

The Applicant proposes a phased mixed-use development that would retain the existing five-story office building at 9900 Main Street and the existing bank at 9910 Main Street, while adding four new commercial buildings along Main Street and two residential buildings with 48 townhomes to the rear of the property for a total of 138 units. The Applicant is also proposing 11 affordable units.

Location: 9840-9946 Main Street, Fairfax, VA 22030
Applicant: Van Metre Companies 9900 Main Street, Suite 500 Fairfax, VA 22031
Planner: Albert (Fred) Frederick, Senior Planner
albert.frederick@fairfaxva.gov

Open questions & options on the table

  • A formal application has not yet been filed; the project remains at the pre-application/concept plan stage pending further development of detailed plans.
  • Unit bedroom mix (studios, 1BR, 2BR, 3BR) has not been finalized, though the applicant indicated a typical urban breakdown of roughly 50–60% one-bedrooms, 30–35% two-bedrooms, and a minimal share of three-bedrooms.
  • A transportation and parking study is underway but not yet complete.
  • The affordable dwelling unit bedroom mix must mirror the market-rate unit mix, but specifics have not been determined pending finalization of the overall unit breakdown.
  • Phasing details beyond Phase 1 (west side demolition) have not been publicly specified.

What members have said

Albert Frederick (City Planner)

At the September 9, 2025 City Council work session, Frederick presented the staff briefing, describing the site context, the concept plan's phasing and retention strategy, and the history of the Fairfax Square site's incorporation into the 2024 Comprehensive Plan as one of two parcel-specific mixed-use considerations. He noted that the property owner had proactively engaged during the comprehensive plan's five-year review process and helped shape the language adopted for the site.

Hardy Chandler

Recorded in the September 9, 2025 transcript as voting aye on a preceding motion (passed unanimously) before the work session began; no comments attributed to Chandler on the Fairfax Square briefing itself.

Peterson

Recorded in the September 9, 2025 transcript as voting aye on a preceding motion; no comments attributed to Peterson on the Fairfax Square briefing itself.

Bates

Recorded in the September 9, 2025 transcript as voting aye on a preceding motion; no comments attributed to Bates on the Fairfax Square briefing itself.

McQuillan

Recorded in the September 9, 2025 transcript as voting aye on a preceding motion; also asked the applicant about the anticipated bedroom mix breakdown, the affordable unit bedroom composition (receiving confirmation it must mirror market-rate mix), and whether parking would be structured or surface (receiving confirmation of underground parking under all four residential buildings and surface parking for commercial users).

Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren’t summarized.

Discussion time

Minutes of named discussion per transcribed meeting.

Full history

  1. Jul 14, 2025Planning Commission· item 8aproposed#

    [8a] A pre-application briefing was presented to the Planning Commission for a proposed mixed-use development at the Fairfax Square Professional Center located at 9840–9946 Main Street; no formal action was taken.

  2. Sep 9, 2025City Council· item 11aproposed#

    [11a] Pre-application briefing on the Fairfax Square Professional Center at 9840–9946 Main Street was presented to Council during the work session; no formal action taken.