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KEY ISSUES 

There are a number of key issues inherent in the Paradigm proposal that will impact the City of Fairfax.  These should be considered by decision-makers before the proposal receives final approval.

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  • The Transportation Impact Study.   The Transportation Impact Study states:  "The intersection capacity analysis results for the Future Conditions with Development are similar to Existing and Future Conditions without Development. Therefore, the development will have a minimal impact on the traffic operations and safety of the street network." 

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  • Transportation Impact Studies should always be looked at carefully because they are paid for by Developers and lack an independent perspective.  This one is immediately suspect in its conclusions ​because of a fundamental error shown in Table 1:  the incorrect statement that University Drive is currently four lanes between Armstrong Street and South Street.  This section of University Drive is two lanes (with a contested center turn lane) and undoubtedly will have significant traffic congestion in the future, as it will have multiple access roads to and from future developments in the "Mega Block," plus the new Fire Station.  Future development of the properties to the north of the Davies Property will add tremendously to the traffic effects along Chain Bridge Road and University Drive.  

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  • The Transportation Impact Study states "the proposed development is anticipated to generate approximately 117 new trips during the AM peak hour, 144 new trips during the PM peak hour, and 1,516 new daily trips on a typical weekday."  That's 2.24 trips per minute in and out of the Private Road anticipated during the evening peak hour!  These are not vehicles passing through an intersection, but entering and exiting the apartment complex from its narrow private lane (26 feet wide, four feet narrower than the minimum recommended for a city street) at right angles to heavy traffic on the two main north-south roads. 

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  • Traffic Entrances/Exits on the Private Road.  ​The Applicant has requested exceptions to Detail 401.01 and Detail 404.06 of City of Fairfax Public Facilities Manual (PFM) to allow the corner clearance and the separation from the access drive to the north (the vacant BB&T Property) to fall below minimums.  This is requested to allow the Private Driveway to be placed along the property line north of Buildings A and B.  Having two driveways emerge onto Chain Bridge Road with one foot separation instead of 12 feet, and having a minimum corner clearance from the driveway on the parcel to the north of 23 feet instead of 50 feet, will have a negative effect on the future users of the BB&T building (or whoever decides to develop that property in the future), diminishing the value of the property as well as causing a major public safety hazard on Chain Bridge Road. ​

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  • Short Term Parking.  The delivery and pickup vehicles that are ubiquitous at large apartment buildings need dedicated short-term parking.  Use of Luxer One® package lockers in the Loading Dock area may alleviate problems from package deliveries to the lobbies by FEDEX, Amazon, UPS, etc., but there will still be the need for short-term access to the lobbies for the movement of people (Uber, Lyft) and food deliveries (Door Dash, Grub Hub, Pizza, etc.).  Paradigm initially addressed this issue by creating five short-term parking spaces at the B-2 level inside the garage, but at the City Council work session on 28 Jan 25 announced they had altered their plan to instead create six short term parking spots near the western end of the Private Road and two short term parking spots near the eastern end of the Private Road.  (Sheets 7 and 8 of the GDP actually show three short term parking places at the eastern end of the Private Road).  The Developer is to be commended for incorporating the nine above-ground short-term parking spaces to accommodate delivery and pickup vehicles within walking distance of the lobbies, which will help prevent delivery and Uber/Lyft vehicles from stopping on Chain Bridge Road or University Drive. 

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  • Trash. The proposal envisions two spaces (one in Building A and one in Building B adjacent to the Greenway and accessed by the Private Road) to collect building trash prior to removal.  The high occupancy level of the buildings means these areas will fill with trash rapidly.  According to Paradigm, building trash will be stored in dumpsters in separate rooms south of the loading areas.  Paradigm informed the City Council work session on 28 Jan 25 that dumpsters would not be moved via the Greenway but rather inside the buildings directly from the storage rooms to the loading area.  They also informed the City Council work session that trash would be removed by contract trash trucks on a daily basis, at an optimal time for noise control. This mitigates effects on building residents and neighbors.  

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  • Water.  There is concern by residents if the stormwater management plan for the proposal is sufficient for a property that will be 86% covered by buildings or non-permeable surface and whose rainwater run-off goes directly into Daniels Run, along with the runoff from the large parking lot to its north (which has a underground water storage facility) and new developments in the "Mega Block."  The Applicant plans to use detention vaults to control the one, two, and ten-year, 24-hour rainfall and stated at the City Council work session on 28 Jan 25 that if the capacity of the vaults is exceeded, no parts of the buildings will flood.  The Paradigm representative stated the critical issue with stormwater from the site will be determining if the outflow area is capable of removing the flow.  That outflow point has been identified in the April 2025 submission as the outlet from the storm sewer into the uncovered portion of Daniels Run behind the post boxes at the eastern end of Breckinridge Lane.  The issue of the impact on the Breckinridge and Courthouse Square I communities, and other property owners along Daniels Run, remains a concern.  

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  • Adjustments to the Architecture.  Nearby residents and members of the Board of Architectural Review and the Planning Commission noted the dominating “retail” appearance of the ground floor of the western side (Chain Bridge Road) of Building A and the harsh "dark gray, industrial” appearance of the SW corner of that building.  Paradigm representatives previously mentioned looking for a means to “soften” the look of the areas of Building A to establish and maintain a more “residential” appearance that is more in keeping with design features of surrounding neighborhoods and Old Town.  The photo (below) from the April 2025 submission shows the SW corner of the building has been modified by Paradigm to lighten and "soften" its appearance.  Also in previous work sessions, the Planning Commission and the Board of Architectural Review requested Paradigm look into better materials than asphalt shingles for the mansard roof of Building B and a roof design that fits the location better than the out-of-place mansard style; in the April 2025 submission, the asphalt shingles have been replaced by a standing-seam metal roof in the latest Architectural Drawings.    

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  • The Thornton House.   Determining the historical and architectural significance to the City of Fairfax of the Thornton (Davies) House, built in 1916, is important to City leaders and residents alike. 

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  • The City previously agreed to conduct an independent historical analysis of the house and promised to provide a copy to the public. 

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  • ​In their April 2025 Statement of Support, the Applicant offered to retain a historian to conduct an architectural history report of the Property and provide it to the City if the proposal is approved. The remaining issue is, should this be done before demolition of the house, or after? 

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  • ​In that Statement of Support, Paradigm states, "The report shall include, to the extent feasible, a history of the home, a title bringdown on the property and title documents from 1850 to the present day, a description of the home’s architectural evolution (e.g., approximate dates and types of additions to the home), a measured plan of the home’s first floor, and a discussion of the Davies family and their significance in local history. Further, the Applicant will agree to be responsible for documenting any historical artifact or historical natural feature uncovered during construction on the site in consultation with City of Fairfax Office of Historic Resources staff and a Professional Archaeologist. In the event that Historic Preservation Program staff in conjunction with the Applicant determine that an historical artifact or natural feature is found on the site and is to be disturbed or removed from the site during construction; the Applicant agrees to contact City of Fairfax Office of Historic Resources staff to determine whether removal or disturbance of the artifact or natural feature is warranted, and if so, what mitigation measures should be undertaken."

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  • ​​​More Retail?  Paradigm has requested an exception so it can have a smaller amount of retail space on the ground floor of Building A than required by the zoning ordinance (the Small Area Plan does not set a target amount of retail in the TOD).  The Applicant presumably has determined the locale will not support larger-scale retail activities.  The Board of Architectural Review, the Planning Commission, and the City Council, in their respective work sessions, have expressed varying opinions on this issue.  This is an important decision for surrounding neighborhoods because while active retail could be beneficial to the City, nothing looks more like planning failure than empty storefronts in a new building.  The decision on retail content should be based upon hard economic and market data rather than opinions. 

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  • Costs to the City.  The City has not released a definitive estimate of the net cost to the taxpayer for infrastructure improvements and City-funded services and programs required by this proposed development.  These costs must be balanced against expected tax revenues from the project.  Foremost among the additional expenses is the $23,000 per student cost of the Fairfax County Public School System.  With the City's estimate of 29 students in the project, the bill to taxpayers for tuition will be $667,000 a year.

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  • The Construction Management Plan.  Looking ahead, if the Paradigm proposal is approved, the Applicant will have to give City Staff a Construction Management Plan.  The location of the Davies Property will present considerable challenges in staging materials and construction vehicles for the crowded work site, and these could affect the surrounding neighborhoods and traffic on the two north-south arterial roads during the long construction period.   Local City residents are willing to participate with Paradigm in the development and monitoring of the Construction Management Plan to help mitigate impacts of the project if it is approved.  

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  • City Staff will have the opportunity to develop further issues before the proposal goes back to the City's advisory and decision-making bodies, and will publish a "Staff Report" in support of the next official meeting on the Paradigm Proposal.

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