Proposals to build more housing in Green Valley and a new restaurant and gas station in Claremont are slated for County Board consideration this weekend.
Potential sidewalk improvements to S. Carlin Springs Road and a reduction in the number of early voting sites are also on the agenda for the Saturday meeting.
Next week, Board members are also slated to take action on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget and set tax rates. Because of restoration work at the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center owing to flooding issues, the meetings are expected to be held at Central Library.
Action on Green Valley redevelopment: Board members are expected to take action on a proposal to raze two hotels on S. Glebe Road in the Green Valley neighborhood, replacing them with residential development.
The project would add 531 residential units, split between 494 units in a multifamily building and 37 in townhouses at 2480 S. Glebe Road.
Based on concerns raised by the neighborhood at a Planning Commission meeting last week, the public hearing preceding a vote could be contentious.
Concerns about the project include the amount of affordable housing and a community-benefits package that some see as too little for what the developer will receive in return.
Gas station, restaurant, convenience store planned:
A Claremont parcel currently occupied by a car dealer would be redeveloped into a Royal Farms restaurant, gas station and convenience store under a proposal slated for Board consideration.
Board members are being asked to approve a use permit that would allow for a 42-seat restaurant and attached convenience store, housed in a two-story building, along with six fuel pumps and 17 surface-parking spaces on the 0.73-acre site.
The site’s zoning will not need to be changed to permit the redevelopment, but a use permit will be required. A public hearing will be held before the vote, which is the last item on the Board’s Saturday agenda.
Prime Motors site has occupied the parcel, located on the 4700 block of King Street and 5049 Chesterfield Road, since 1991, according to a county staff report. Officials held a meeting with Claremont residents on March 21 to discuss the redevelopment plan.
Royal Farms has operated convenience stores and restaurants since 1959 but has a relatively small presence in this part of Virginia.
Easements along Carlin Springs: Board members on Saturday are expected to authorize payment for several property easements that will assist efforts in improving pedestrian safety along S. Carlin Springs Road.
County officials and two homeowners have agreed these terms:
- The property owner at 401 S. Carlin Springs will receive $25,110 for deeding county officials a 530-square-foot permanent easement plus a 279-square-foot construction easement.
- The property owner at 501 S. Carlin Springs will receive $12,666 for agreeing to three permanent easements totaling 208 square feet plus a 30-foot construction easement.
The land is sought as part of a sidewalk-widening effort on Carlin Springs between 2nd Street S. and 6th Road S. That stretch of roadway sees an average 27,000 vehicles per day and is home multiple schools.
In January, Board members authorized payment of just under $30,000 for another easement in the vicinity.
Early-voting site to be dropped: Board members on Saturday are expected to remove Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center as one of the county’s early-voting sites.
The site was used during 2024 to augment the three traditional sites: Madison and Walter Reed community centers and the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center.
With lower turnout in non-presidential years, the Electoral Board asked that the Long Bridge site in Crystal City be eliminated.
The move will save about $27,000 over the coming year. The Long Bridge site can be returned to use in 2028 if needed.
Budget, tax rates finalized on Tuesday: Board members on Tuesday, April 7 are expected to adopt the FY 2026 budget and set tax rates during the public portion of their meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.
The votes taken then likely will be pro-forma, with the decisions having been finalized during a mark-up session slated for this Thursday (April 3) at 2:30 p.m.
Key issues remaining to be determined before the $1.69 billion budget package is approved include whether to increase the real-estate tax rate or leave it unchanged at $1.033 per $100 assessed valuation, and whether to increase the meals tax from 3% to 4%.
Public hearings on the budget and tax rates were held last week. No public testimony on the budget will be taken at either the April 5 or April 7 meetings.
