Alexandria, VA – October 19, 2018 – Wesley Housing, Fairfax County officials, and project partners celebrated the grand opening of The Fallstead at Lewinsville Center with a ribbon cutting on October 18, 2018. The Fallstead offers 72 one-bedroom and 10 two-bedroom modern, independent-living rental units for persons 62 years of age and older whose household income is at or below 50% of the area median income (AMI).
The new apartment community, located at 1609 Great Falls Street in McLean, includes community amenities such as an on-site fitness center, business center, library, a landscaped courtyard, community garden, and more. Residences feature open floorplans, with 10% of the units fully accessible for individuals with mobility impairments and 2% fully accessible for individuals with vision and hearing impairments. The community is built to Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) Universal Design and EarthCraft Multifamily Platinum Design standards.
“In Fairfax County, and especially in the McLean area of the county, it is a real challenge to provide quality housing where low income seniors can afford to live. That is why I am so excited about The Fallstead at Lewinsville Center,” said Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust. “Through a creative private-public partnership, we are delivering 82 units of housing that low income seniors can afford. I am also pleased that those units will be part of a community with many amenities that will make it a great place for the seniors to live,” Foust said.
The Fallstead is located on an 8.66 acre site, which at one time housed an elementary school, originally constructed in 1961. In 1994, the County approved a Special Exception application that permitted a 22-bed independent living facility, a senior center, an adult day care center, child care facilities, and an athletic field. In 2004, the County approved a Special Exception Amendment (SEA), which would have maintained the existing uses and added an 82-unit assisted living facility. Following more than 10 years of discussion and debate about the site, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved an interim agreement with Wesley Hamel Lewinsville LLC (Wesley Housing Development Corporation and Hamel Builders) to redevelop the residential facility, pursuant to the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 (PPEA).
Since executing the PPEA agreements, Wesley Housing, Fairfax County, Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and other key partners, including Hamel Builders, have transformed the site, almost quadrupling the amount of units for seniors. The apartment community will be managed by Wesley Property Management Company, and Wesley Housing’s on-site resident services team will provide year-round programs and services for residents, who will begin moving in this month.
“Opening The Fallstead could not have been possible without the shared commitment of Fairfax County to champion affordable housing for seniors,” said Shelley S. Murphy, president/CEO, Wesley Housing Development Corporation. “We are always excited to deliver another affordable housing option to low- and moderate-income households in the community, but it is especially fulfilling to provide an amenity rich and barrier-free choice for older adults in the region,” added Murphy.