Rose Hill Plaza Redevelopment Plan On Hold As Residents Await Engagement With Developers

FRANCONIA, VA — The owners of Rose Hill Plaza are expected to submit a new version of their plans to redevelop the shopping center into a mixed-use site to Fairfax County officials by this fall or early winter, according to Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk.

Consideration of the proposal to redevelop the Rose Hill shopping center into a mixed-use site, with a dramatic reduction in the amount of retail space, was deferred by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in April to give the developers more time to complete studies, engage with the local community and come up with a revised plan for the project.

Rodney Lusk said in a statement earlier this month that he has met with Combined Properties, the owners of Rose Hill Plaza, to discuss their plans for the shopping center.

“My expectation, based on community feedback, is that the next version of their proposal should significantly lower the amount of proposed residential units and significantly increase the proposed amount of retail space,” Lusk said in his statement. “They have confirmed that they understand these expectations for the next iteration of their proposal.”

Lusk is up for re-election as Franconia District supervisor in November, facing Republican Paul Beran and independent Mark Welch.

READ ALSO: Deferral Of Rose Hill Plaza Project Approved By Fairfax County Board

Sharada Gilkey, founder of the Rose Hill Coalition, a group formed last November in opposition to the shopping center's redevelopment, said in a statement Thursday that Combined Properties "has not met with or discussed any plans with the community" since the proposal was put into temporary deferral by the county in April.

"The proposal will be a major focus of the general election campaigns for Franconia District Supervisor," Gilkey said. "It has only been in recent weeks that the issue has garnered attention from the major candidates, who have subsequently contacted the local community 'influencers' to ensure us that they are 'on our side.'"

Gilkey also said the only reason the proposed redevelopment of Rose Hill Plaza has become a focus of concern for Lusk and Fairfax County is because the local community has strongly objected to the proposal to redevelop the shopping center.

"Fairfax County is strongly in favor of additional housing development, regardless of whether it addresses the true problem of 'affordable' housing," she stated. "The developer has strong ties to the County and their representing firm has considerable experience and influence."

The proposed redevelopment plan for the 60-year-old shopping center that was deferred by Fairfax County would include up to 400 apartment units. Combined Properties has 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, has said that now is the right time to begin working on getting approval from the county for redeveloping the shopping center.

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

The existing leases for the stores and businesses at the shopping center, at the corner of Franconia Road and Rose Hill Drive, 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.

In his statement, Lusk said that if the next version of Combined Properties’ proposal doesn’t meet the calls for fewer residential units and increased retail space, “it will remain deferred until we have a proposal that I believe is ready for public consideration.”

For almost a year, many residents around the shopping center, including members of the Rose Hill Coalition, have been urging the county to reject the plan to redevelop the shopping center.

The proposed mixed-use redevelopment of Rose Hill Plaza contradicts Fairfax County's Comprehensive Plan that was updated in 2017 as well as all current retail and housing trends, according to the Rose Hill Coalition.

"Contrary to initial forecasts, the need for physical shopping centers will continue to thrive, even in today's digital world," the Rose Hill Coalition stated in white paper released earlier this year. "The digital world certainly has improved consumers’ options and grown economies worldwide. However, it is important to understand that it has augmented shopping, not replaced the need and desire for local, physical shopping options."

Among the supporters of Combined Properties' plans to redevelop Rose Hill Plaza are YIMBYs of Northern Virginia, or "Yes, In My Backyard," a group that advocates for denser housing and infill development across the region.

"We support replacing a strip mall with hundreds of new homes + mixed-use development," the group says on its website. YIMBYs of Northern Virginia lists Rose Hill Plaza and the Fairfax County portion of the West Falls Church redevelopment project as its two primary areas of focus in Fairfax County.

Alexis Glenn, a resident of the Franconia District and an adviser to the YIMBYs of Northern Virginia, said in a YouTube video shown at a March 9 Fairfax County Planning Commission meeting that "repurposing this center, which is primarily empty asphalt for car parking, will be a benefit and an amenity in the village of Rose Hill."

Lusk stated that when he receives the updated proposal from Combined Properties later this year, he will review it in coordination with county staff to determine if it significantly increases the proposed retail space and significantly lowers the amount of proposed residential units as requested by the community.

If the redevelopment proposal for the shopping center is deemed “ready for public review” under the county’s Site-Specific Plan Amendment process, Lusk said he would need to propose a board matter asking the Board of Supervisors to approve an evaluation of the revised proposal by county staff.

“This evaluation will allow us to identify the differences of various potential impacts to the neighborhood, like stormwater or transportation, in this revised proposal versus the previous version of the proposal,” Lusk said.

Once county staff indicates when the results of their review of the proposal will be ready, Lusk said his office will coordinate with local community organizations to develop a public meeting process in order for the public to see what changes have been made to the proposal, what the difference in neighborhood impacts are, and to provide feedback on the revised proposal.