Deferral Of Rose Hill Plaza Project Approved By Fairfax County Board

FRANCONIA, VA — The Rose Hill Plaza shopping center redevelopment project was included as a "Tier 3" amendment in the 2023 Work Program approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at its meeting on Tuesday.

The Board of Supervisors' vote means the project will be deferred to allow Combined Properties, the owner of the shopping center, to "further engage" with the community.

Last Thursday, Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk said in a statement posted on Facebook that he agreed with the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s recommendation to defer the project. Combined Properties should reach out to the community for more feedback about the proposed redevelopment of the shopping center because the current proposal is "unacceptable," Lusk said.

While projects in the Tier 3 category are deferred, pending further study or community engagement, Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects in Fairfax County’s Comprehensive Plan Amendment Work Program are considered by the county as projects that are further along in the planning process and as ones that conform to the county’s planning priorities.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Kathy Smith, Sully District supervisor, introduced the motion to vote on the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Work Program.

ALSO READ: Supervisor Lusk Urged To 'Fully Reject' Rose Hill Plaza Redevelopment

Prior to the unanimous vote to approve the Work Program, though, Smith emphasized that the board’s vote would not constitute approval of any projects included in the list. A vote in favor of the Work Program would simply advance the list of projects for future study.

Last Friday, residents of the Rose Hill area said they appreciated Lusk's agreement with the Fairfax County Planning Commission to defer the Rose Hill Plaza redevelopment nomination. But the residents, part of the Rose Hill Coalition, asked the supervisor, to go a step further and "fully reject" the site-specific plan amendment nomination.

Based on Lusk's announcement last Thursday, the coalition was not surprised by Tuesday's vote.

"Nonetheless, we are disappointed the Board of Supervisors voted to designate the Rose Hill Plaza Comprehensive Plan nomination as Tier 3 with a deferral," Rose Hill Coalition founder Sharada Gilkey said in a statement after Tuesday's vote. "This is a pause, and what happens next is not clear."

Gilkey said she has asked Lusk to inform the community as soon as possible what the future engagement by Combined Properties will look like. "We insist that Supervisor Lusk be an active participant in that engagement as well. He represents Franconia District, but to date Lusk's involvement has been minimal," she said. "So we ask that he substantially increase his engagement with the residents who are most affected by the future of Rose Hill Plaza."

In its current form, the proposed redevelopment of the 60-year-old shopping center, at the corner of Franconia Road and Rose Hill Drive, would include up to 400 apartment units. Combined Properties has also vowed to keep a grocery store at the 11-acre site when it is redeveloped.

Combined Properties, which owns several strip malls in Fairfax and Arlington counties, contends now is the perfect time to begin working on getting approval from the county for revitalizing the shopping center.

The existing leases for the stores and businesses at the shopping center are scheduled to lapse in 2027, “which has been strategically timed with the desired start date for construction of the proposed development for the summer 2027,” according to Combined Properties’ statement of justification for the redevelopment.

"Ultimately, we believe the shopping center can be an excellent investment going forward for both the community and [Combined Properties] without razing it. Our goal remains to save Rose Hill Plaza," Gilkey said.