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SOURCE: Mount Vernon on the Move by Erika Christ
Construction is about to begin on a multifamily residential building between Richmond Highway and Buckman Road in the Franconia District.
(Credit: Elm Street Communities)
Known as Elms Mount Vernon, the project by Elm Street Communities will involve the redevelopment of a nearly 5.5-acre site into a residential community featuring a five-floor, 280-unit luxury apartment building, parking garage and indoor and outdoor amenities. The multifamily construction project represents the first phase of the broader Mount Vernon Gateway project.
According to Elm Street partner and vice president Nick Flanagan, the developer held a pre-construction meeting with Fairfax County Sept. 18 and will begin site work in the next week or two. Chesapeake Contracting Group’s CCG Residential Construction was recently awarded the construction contract.
Over the next two years, local residents can expect some construction traffic in the vicinity.
“The construction entrances will be off Buckman so there will be some traffic, but based on the site it shouldn’t be excessive,” said Flanagan. “There will also be lane closures on Buckman and Route 1 for limited portions of the job as we connect utilities and do minor roadway improvements.”
Back when the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the project in April 2022, Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk credited Elm Street for committing to underground utilities along Buckman Road and for escrowing $200,000 for the Virginia Department of Transportation to underground utilities parallel to the property along Richmond Highway. Lusk also thanked the developer for inviting residents of neighboring mobile home parks to participate in community meetings and for committing to public access to some of the development’s future outdoor amenities, including a dog park.
“These amenities are sorely, sorely needed in this community,” said Lusk at the board’s Apr. 12, 2022 meeting. “This community is at a disadvantage, and I just appreciate that there are going to be a number of amenities, including park facilities, that will be available to those residents.”
