Sale Of Metro Church Property To Townhome Developer Completed

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — PR Homes Associates LLC. recently completed the purchase of a 3.7-acre parcel at 3500 Pickett Road in the City of Fairfax, according to a release. An affiliate of EYA, LLC, the company plans to build a 50-unit townhouse development on the property, which had previously been the home of Metro Church.

To make way for the development, EYA worked with local companies and the city government to amend the Comprehensive Plan, changing the use of the property from institutional to moderate density residential.

The 50-unit development will include five attainably priced homes, which will represent the city's first affordable dwelling units. The ADUs will be available to qualified city residents who earn no more than 70 percent of the area's median income. The current household median income is $111,574 , according to the city's website, and 70 percent of that is $78,101.

“We’re proud to partner with Metro Church and the City of Fairfax to offer this unique opportunity for new home ownership in highly sought-after Fairfax, VA,” said Aakash Thakkar, EYA's executive vice president, in a release. “This project embodies two of EYA’s greatest strengths — working with religious institutions to help them monetize their surplus land and creatively working through a complex entitlement and change in land use to deliver a well-planned, high-quality community.”

Metro Church began offering services in the 17,000-square-foot, single-story building on the property in 2012. In 2019, the church decided to sell the land to fund its ongoing mission and serve its members.

“Even during the pandemic, EYA was a trusted partner. We have weathered the pandemic and chosen to concentrate on a more flexible means of worship. EYA was able to help us capitalize on the value of the Metro Church site and the sale of our land will support our greater congregation while positively impacting lives in the City of Fairfax,” said Wayland Wiseman, executive pastor, of Celebration Church, which had owned the former Metro Church site. “EYA was true to its word throughout the process and has a deep understanding of the values and goals of Metro Church and our congregation. We are delighted that this land will become home to a community designed to foster friendly relationships.”

The property is adjacent to the Army Navy Country Club to the west, Barristers Keep to the north, and Pickett Reserve across Pickett Road to the east. A 100-foot-wide strip of city property to the south separates the neighborhood from the Citco Petroleum storage facility on Pickett Road.

The new development will be called The Townhomes at Sutton Heights and home sales are expected to begin this fall.