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SOURCE: FFXnow by Jared Serre
An office parking lot in Fairfax City will soon be replaced by more than 200 residential units.
Land and financing have been secured to develop The Botanist, a seven-story apartment building, at 10350 Eaton Place near the intersection of Fairfax Blvd and Chain Bridge Road.
The project, which is poised to break ground immediately, is expected to begin delivering units in the third quarter of 2027, developers Middleburg and Capital City Real Estate (CCRE) announced last week.
“The project represents a rare new supply opportunity in an infill market with limited Class A mid-rise development currently under construction,” the companies said in a press release. “It reflects both the strength of the Fairfax rental market and the quality of the planned community.”
According to the release, the building is expected to have 260 units with a variety of “thoughtfully designed floorplans,” ranging from one-bedroom units to three-bedroom units. Sixteen one and two-bedroom apartments will be designated as affordable dwelling units in accordance with Fairfax City’s ADU program, which was adopted in 2020.
Described as a “luxury, amenity-rich residential community” by the developers, the Botanist will also offer ground-floor retail, a swimming pool and fitness center for residents, co-working spaces, and a 10-level parking garage.
Approved by the Fairfax City Council in July 2024, the project represents the first phase of a plan to redevelop WillowWood Plaza, an office complex with four buildings constructed in the 1980s.
When it first brought forward a formal development plan in the spring of 2022, CCRE proposed a second phase that would add approximately 64 two-over-two townhomes with a 375-space parking garage on the parking lot that currently serves the office building at 10300 Eaton Place.
At city staff’s direction, the developer submitted two separate applications for the different phases.
The most recent version of the plan for phase 2, dated Dec. 8, 2022, reduced the number of potential townhomes to 50 and suggested they could be either two-over-twos or traditional units. It also proposed constructing a new parking garage separately on the office building’s parcel, rather than as part of the residential development.
When the first phase of the WillowWood redevelopment was approved by the city council, a legal representative for CCRE indicated that the developer would return “soon” to discuss the second phase in more detail, but no new materials appear to have been submitted since then.
In the press release, officials with CCRE and Middleburg touted their partnership on the Botanist. Middleburg Chief Investment Officer Kory Geans said working together will allow the firms to “combine decades of multifamily expertise with local market knowledge to deliver best-in-class investment opportunities.”
Based in Vienna, Middleburg concentrates on developing multifamily rental housing across the southeastern U.S., though the Botanist appears to be its first project in Northern Virginia.
Capital City Real Estate, which has offices in Atlanta and D.C., has delivered over 40 housing projects in the southeastern U.S. and Mid-Atlantic regions, according to the press release. It has five projects in the works, including the Botanist.
“Both organizations are deeply experienced in markets with strong fundamentals, and we look forward to delivering an exceptional product that will serve the Fairfax community for years to come,” CCRE managing partner Chris Love said.
