INSIDE
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VOLUME 36 NO. 16
DECEMBER 11, 2014
G R E AT FA L L S • M c L E A N • O A K T O N • T Y S O N S • V I E N N A
Great Falls Residents Decry Cluster Development
23-Home Basheer & Edgemoore Proposal Would Occupy 51 Acres at End of Forest Lake Drive BRIAN TROMPETER Staff Writer
Great Falls residents often have fought developments, and that pattern continued Dec. 3 when about 100 people descended upon the cafeteria of Forestville Elementary School to protest a proposed 23-house project. Basheer & Edgemoore applied to Fairfax County officials Oct. 10 for a rezoning application to build “Brooks Property,” a cluster of
single-family homes on 51 acres at the end of Forest Lake Drive in Great Falls. “We hope to make it fit well into the fabric of Great Falls,” said Greg Riegle, an attorney for the developer. The development’s houses would range from 5,000 to 8,000 square feet, have masonry and other architectural details, and be spaced sufficiently far apart so as not to appear “like soldiers in a row,” he said. The development’s density would mirror
that of surrounding neighborhoods and most of the periphery lots would line up with existing parcels nearby, Riegle said. About 30 percent of the property would be open space. Some residents argued that because this part of the site contains resourceprotection areas, it would be undevelopable, prompting the developer to ask for more houses on the remainder of the property using a cluster arrangement. None of the residents who spoke favored
the project. “This is not a philanthropic or public-service endeavor,” said Phil Whitworth of the newly formed group Citizens for the Heart of Great Falls. “It is not a nature-preservation or beautification effort. It is not a response to a need for more housing in this sector. It is an attempt to subvert the rules to make money for a single entity.” Continued on Page 24
CELEBRATING THE ARRIVAL OF WINTERTIME WITH FUN IN McLEAN Marching bands (like the McLean High School Highlanders, at left) joined with community groups, Scout troops and other civic-minded celebrants at the annual WinterFest parade and celebration, held Dec. 7 in McLean. The event dodged rain that had caused postponement of the McLean Reindog Parade until this coming weekend, and went off without a hitch. Participants gathered to ring in the holiday season and, maybe just a little, to look forward to the arrival of spring in a few months. See a full page of photos from the celebration inside on Page 20.
PHOTOS BY DEB KOLT
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