Magarity Closes Again at 9 pm Tonight, Reopens 6 am. Friday

MCLEAN, VA – Just a reminder: Magarity Road  closes tonight  between Olney Road and Great Falls Streets at 9 pm. and reopens 6 am. Friday morning. Then the same thing happens Thursday and Friday nights.

The closing is necessary while steel is erected on a new bridge that will carry the Silver Line Metro tracks for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project in the median of the Dulles Connector Road across Magarity Road.

Magarity Road runs north/south parallel to Route 123 from Great Falls Street to Route 7. All side streets south of the Connector Road along Magarity will be open. Magarity Road from Olney Road south toward Route 7 will not be affected.

Residents of Pimmit Hills, the Commons and other residential areas along Magarity seeking to travel northbound on Magarity Road toward Great Falls Street in McLean will be detoured to make a left turn on to Anderson Road, to a right on Chain Bridge Road to return to Great Falls Street at the first traffic signal.

Drivers from the McLean area who use Magarity Road to access Route 7, Pimmit Hills and commercial developments off Anderson Road can use Route 123 south to a left turn at Anderson Road to return to Magarity beyond the work zone or use Chain Bridge Road to a left turn on Anderson Road to a right on Magarity.  Drivers northbound along Magarity toward McLean will be rerouted to Anderson Road to Chain Bridge Road or Route 123.

Motorists should exercise caution and be alert to signs and detours in these areas.  Police will be on site to help ensure safety.

For all work performed during overnight hours, construction crews operate under a Noise Variance from Fairfax County.  There may be intermittent periods of construction noise associated with equipment movement and placing and securing the steel girders.  For construction-related emergencies including noise, please use the project HOTLINE at 877-585-6789.

For further information about the project, please visit the project website at http://www.dullesmetro.com or call 703-572-0506

49 Townhouses Proposed for Elm Street in Downtown McLean

By Bobbi Bowman, The McLean Ear

MCLEAN, VA – A developer wants to  build 49 townhouses on what is now a parking lot behind an existing office building near the intersection of

Proposed location for 49 townhouses in downtown McLean

Elm Street and Fleetwood Road in downtown McLean.

Presenting the preliminary plans to the McLean Planning Committee last night, John Lester of EYA, a Bethesda townhouse development company, said the project  would include the townhouses with two-car garages and a new three-story parking garage facing Elm Street  for the office workers. EYA was hired by JBG, a real estate company which owns the property.

“We think there is a strong market for this in this location” for townhouses close to shopping and restaurants, selling for $700,000 – $900,000 with 2000 – 2900 square feet, he said.

EYA has built over 3,000 houses in 30 communities, Lester said. The company specializes in  in-fill townhouse developments in Washington, D.C. and in the suburbs inside the Beltway. Their motto:
“Life within walking distance”.

The project is partially bounded by McLean Crest, also a townhouse development. The address: 6862 Elm St.

“This development is trying to get more people in downtown,” said Stuart Mendelsohn, an attorney representing EYA. Mendelsohn  is the former Dranesville supervisor.

The five acre tract is zoned for commercial and townhouse development. Planning committee member Maya Huber reminded her colleagues that some had hoped for apartments on the site. She also said the community had hoped for housing for the elderly, but an earlier plan for such a development fell through.

Next step: The developer needs to submit a specific plan which will be reviewed by a subcommittee of the Planning Committee.