Update: Supervisors Approve Assisted Living Center for Route 7

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors have unanimously approved a 155-bed assisted living and memory care facility for Leesburg Pike (Route 7) near Baron Cameron Avenue.

Singh Senior Living of Cary, NC, plans to build Waltonwood Reston on a 23-acre parcel at 10819 Leesburg Pike. Singh currently manages more than two dozen Waltonwood facilities nationwide, including one in Ashburn.

The special exception is required to build a medical care facility on land that is currently zoned residential. The land currently contains a 1,500-square-foot unoccupied house, which will be torn down, according to an October report by the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning.

The staff report recommended approval of the project, as did the Fairfax County Planning Commission at a December meeting.

Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins said she appreciated Singh’s flexibility in making the design something that fits in with the residential neighborhood nearby.

“I also appreciate county staff working to develop conditions so it could be an asset to the Hunter Mill District and the county’s 50+ plan, which reflects the aging we will see as a community,” Hudgins said.

The 155,150-square-foot facility will feature about 20 acres of open space on the the 23-acre property. There will be 113 parking spots, but Hudgins added the additional development condition that Singh provide free shuttle bus service for employees from nearby Metro or bus stations.

Other development conditions agreed to by the developer: to add a right turn lane on Leesburg Pike and build a retaining wall and vegetation to screen the front of the building from Leesburg Pike.

Singh will also contribute $10,000 for additional traffic signals.

The brick-and-stone building will be designed in a courtyard configuration. It will include additional common areas, including: a common dining room, hair salon, convenience store and cafe, library, hobbies & crafts room, movie theatre and assorted lounge areas. A complete physical therapy and exercise area is also planned.

No residents spoke out at the public hearing portion on the issue at Tuesday’s board of supervisors’s meeting.

All units will include bathrooms, and the non-memory care units will have kitchenettes. The units will be designed with accessibility features and an emergency call system. The memory care units will be fully secured.

The developer says the assisted living and memory care base rates will range between approximately $6,500 and $8,500 monthly. Singh has agreed to maintain at least 4 percent of the beds for residents who are eligible for the Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services’ Auxiliary Grant Program.

Rendering of proposed Waltonwood Reston/Credit: Fairfax County