Hundreds of new homes are coming to the Vienna Metro area after Fairfax County approved a plan to tear down two aging office buildings and replace them with apartments, townhouses and pedestrian connections.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the Hunters Branch redevelopment in June, greenlighting a 472-unit apartment building, 76 stacked townhouses, workforce housing, community space and new sidewalk improvements near the Metro station. The developer, Insight Property Group, must also contribute to local parks and schools under the county's approval terms, though specific dollar amounts have not been detailed in public filings.

But neighboring homeowners say the approval came too fast, leaving unresolved questions about who will maintain shared roads, sidewalks, stormwater systems and lighting connecting the new development to existing homes.

"We are not trying to stand in front of the bulldozers," said Jonathan Hoyes, vice president of the Hunters Branch Townhomes Owners Association. "We are trying to make sure that we, as the homeowners association, are responsible to our homeowners."

Hoyes said both his association and the neighboring condominium association support the project, though they are concerned about timing. He told the Fairfax Times that a window for negotiating shared infrastructure agreements closed two years ago when public meetings were condensed, and that once county approvals went through, the developer's motivation to engage was "dramatically reduced."

The associations are particularly worried about pedestrian safety as hundreds of new residents begin walking through the existing neighborhood to reach the Vienna Metro station.

Supervisor calls site 'an eyesore'

At a public hearing in June, Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik called the Hunters Branch site "an eyesore that is no longer serving this community" and said the redevelopment would benefit both new and existing residents. No one spoke in opposition at that hearing. The board voted to approve the project later in June.

Scott Adams, an attorney working with the property owner, told the board the project would "reposition a failing office" and improve what he called a "fairly substandard" pedestrian environment around the site.

Tim White, Insight Property Group's chief investment officer, told the Fairfax Times the company's vision includes a mix of for-sale townhomes and multi-family rentals, transforming the well-located office buildings into residential communities.

What happens next

The Hunters Branch case reflects a broader pattern across Fairfax County, where aging office properties are being converted to housing. Hoyes said he believes similar infrastructure disputes could surface in other communities facing the same transition.

Supervisor Palchik met with the HOAs after the approval and pushed for further discussions between the developer and the associations. Hoyes confirmed a follow-up meeting involving the developer, homeowners associations and other stakeholders has been scheduled, though no date has been announced.