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A big change for MetroWest… fewer homes.
July 28, 2009 by Doug Francis · 4 Comments
UPDATE 7/2010: I noticed a month or two ago that they started to clear the land at the site of the future MetroWest Development in Fairfax, VA.
Land Development next to Vienna Metro Station
That means taking down trees, and then grade the land… so there wasn’t any visible sewer or road work from my vantage point at the Vienna Metro. I will try and keep this post updated when I know more. Thanks!
(Original Post)
Town of Vienna officials, Vienna and Fairfax youth sports organizations, and residents have expressed their concerns for years over the impact that MetroWest, a mixed-use development project, will have on the lifestyle of the surrounding communities due to the high number of new residents seeking services such as playing-time on athletic fields.
MetroWest will be located on 55 acres located just south of the Vienna – Fairfax – GMU Metro Rail Station. This project is part of a Smart Growth or Green initiative with a more urban design concept to promote use of public transit with a stated goal of reducing the number of car “trips” per day.
But just recently, on July 13th, 2009, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to allow the developers to substitute 700,000 square feet of residential space with an equal amount of office space.
And the big adjustment…
What caught my eye was the sharp reduction in housing units. According to the developer’s web site (circa 2004), there were 2,248 residential units planned and approved, but this change has reduced that number to 1,174 residential housing units. Since the plan was created in the midpoint of the decade there has been a major correction in the housing market.
Today's Real Estate sites all show you the listings, but home buyers and sellers need real, strategic advice more than ever. You can start right here! Northern Virginia areas like Vienna, Oakton and McLean have some excellent home buys right now. My blog has plenty of insight into today's market, some practical advice, ideas to get you moving, and also a way to search for homes. I live here, know the market, and look forward to talking with you about real estate. Also search for homes totally free, see "REsources" below. Cheers! 
Hi – Do you know anything more about MetroWest? I called Pulte today & the customer service rep says that plan to start selling homes in summer 2010 “unless it gets bumped back again.” They’ve also added a sentence to that effect on their website: http://www.pulte.com/communities/va/fairfax/metrowest/index.aspx
Austin – I drove past that project last week and it still looks like a ghost town. MetroWest was really planned when the market saw no limit, but we all know too well that the market did an about-face icing any new projects. The condos down the road at the Dunn Loring Metro Station are still trying to sell out… which impacts the current market environment for new projects. (Plus they are funding existing projects with the limited cash-on-hand).
On the positive, when they officially start MetroWest in Fairfax at the Vienna Metro Station then it will be a great opportunity to pick up a walk-able property with long term value potential. So I plan on keeping an eye out and will generate a new post when it really begins to be developed.
Thanks for stopping by!
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I just talked to Pulte and the rep said orders will be taken in Jan 2011. They still don’t know the floor plans or # of apts v. townhomes. It doesn’t look like this project will get off the ground…times have changed.
I stopped by to see where they are in the land development phase of MetroWest and took a new photo. In my opinion, I bet (not really) that they put a sales trailer there in January or February 2011.
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