Crescent Developer Ups Parks Contribution to $500K

Fairfax County Planning Commission on Thursday recommended the plan for major redevelopment at Crescent Apartments and the area surrounding Lake Anne Plaza move forward to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

The Supervisors will give a final vote on the project on Tuesday.

“The actions we take tonight are a step forward in a long (process) of redevelopment of Reston’s first village at Lake Anne Center,” said Frank de la Fe, the Hunter Mill representative.

The planning commission held a public hearing on the project on Dec. 8. The main issue that caused the two-week deferral in the planning commission decision was a discrepancy in how much money Lake Lake Anne Development Partners should proffer to the Fairfax County Park Authority.

LADP wanted to give $100,000 to the parks department. The standard county rubric for fair share contributions to the Park Authority is $893 per resident. That means LADP should make a contribution of about $1.4 million, the county’s staff report said.

LADP reps agreed on Thursday to give $500,000 to the park authority.

The planning commission also agreed to waive some conditions set forth by the planning staff concerning residential street length, transitional barriers and underground storage facilities.

Some larger issues raised in the staff report, including the realignment of Village Road, will be worked out before construction begins, said de la Fe.

LADP was chosen by the county in 2013 to redevelop the aging Crescent Apartments, which was purchased by the county in 2006 for affordable housing.

LADP’s plans for the area include 1,037 residential units, including replacement of the 181 affordable units at Crescent; 60,000 square feet of retail; a 15,800-square-foot grocery store; and 78,000 square feet of office space. The project will also have a 1.1-acre central park, an outdoor amphitheater, a bike share station and 12 public art works, according to the staff report.

See the entire staff report on the project on Fairfax County’s website.

Photo: Rendering of plans for Crescent Apartments site/Credit: LADP