Townhome project by Graham Park Shopping Center breaks ground

Developers broke ground last week on a project to construct new townhomes on part of Graham Park Plaza.

The project will bring 177 townhomes to the West Falls Church shopping plaza at 7271 Arlington Boulevard. The developer committed to having 22 of those in Fairfax County’s affordable dwelling unit program.

It’ll also redevelop the area with public greenspace, improved sidewalks, and bicycle facilities.

Bethesda-based developer EYA, which is also involved in several other projects in the Falls Church area, has sold 40 townhomes so far, and the next phase of sales will occur early next year, a spokesperson said.

“This project supports one of our key strategic objectives, to provide attainably priced homeownership options in a well-designed, walkable neighborhood,” Evan Goldman, an executive with EYA, said in a news release.

The three-story townhomes with an option for a fourth-story loft start in the mid-$600,000s.

Goldman participated in a groundbreaking ceremony last Wednesday (Dec. 1) with Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross, and others, including representatives of property management firm Federal Realty, which has retained part of the plaza.

Federal Realty previously owned the entire plaza but sold 8 acres on the western side for $20.25 million in March to make way for the townhouse project. Several buildings on the eastern half of the plaza, including a Giant grocery store, were slated to remain for retail.

McKay said revitalization projects take a lot of creativity.

“It’s not just another development,” he said. “It’s revitalization and transformation of a part of the county where we need to continue that momentum.”