A long-planned piece of the MetroWest neighborhood near the Vienna Metro station just got a little taller and a little bigger.
At its meeting Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved changes to the development plan and conditions for a planned apartment building at the corner of Sprague Avenue and Royal Victoria Drive in Oakton, FFXnow reported.
The site is known as Building 18. Peterson Companies bought the 1.83-acre property from Pulte Homes for $6 million in January.
What changed
Building 18 was first approved in 2022 for 244 apartments, 21,500 square feet of retail and a day care center, with a maximum height of 105 feet. The board's action raises the limit to 269 apartments and 114 feet. That works out to 25 more apartments and 9 more feet of height on the same 1.83-acre block. The retail and daycare space stays the same as in the earlier approval.
Here is what the approved plan calls for, according to FFXnow:
- Up to 269 apartments
- A maximum height of 114 feet
- 21,500 square feet of retail
- A 10,000-square-foot day care center, part of that retail space, with room for 150 children
- 27 income-based affordable dwelling units
The extra apartments don't push MetroWest over its overall unit count. Another building in the neighborhood that was planned for 170 age-restricted apartments was changed to an assisted living facility, and those beds aren't counted as residential units.
"This is an important step in realizing the long-planned vision for MetroWest," said Andrew Painter, a land use attorney with Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh who represented the developer.
Twenty years in the making
MetroWest was rezoned in 2006 with a goal of 2,248 homes along with shops and other uses. Pulte has done most of the building since then, including the Providence Community Center, hundreds of townhouses and condominiums, and the 206-unit Atrium at MetroWest senior living building.
Pulte has also been building the MetroWest Square condominium buildings since 2024. Those will hold 236 homes, 7,660 square feet of retail, a 2,008-square-foot community room and a public courtyard with a swimming pool.
Palchik represents the Providence District, which includes MetroWest. For her and for the neighbors, the retail is the big deal. "The community has been waiting over 20 years for retail in the space," said Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik.
"It will provide the retail, the child care, open spaces and some parking and, I think, really bring a little more vibrancy," she said. "I hope the success of this retail brings future grocery and retail to this community."
Why it matters for Contractors
A 114-foot building that mixes about 269 apartments with ground-floor retail and a daycare is a big job with a lot of moving parts. The daycare alone is 10,000 square feet for up to 150 children, and childcare space comes with its own licensing and life-safety rules. The retail shells will need to be built for tenants that haven't been named yet, which often means coordinating tenant fit-outs later in the schedule.
The site is just 1.83 acres, so whoever builds it will be working on a tight footprint in a neighborhood where people already live, with Pulte's MetroWest Square condos under construction nearby. Staging, deliveries and crane placement will take careful planning.
The 27 affordable dwelling units are part of the building, not a separate project, so they will be built to the same plans as the market-rate apartments.
With the county's approval in hand, the next steps for Peterson Companies are site plans and building permits. FFXnow did not report a construction start date, and no general contractor or construction schedule has been announced. Contractors and suppliers interested in the work should keep an eye out for Peterson to name a general contractor and put the job out to bid.
The approval also shows how long some suburban projects take. MetroWest was rezoned 20 years ago, Building 18 was first approved in 2022, and the plan has been revised again now. Contractors who track Fairfax County land-use cases can spot jobs like this years before ground is broken, which gives them time to build relationships with developers like Peterson long before the bid documents come out.