Wolf Trap Nursery's 6.58-acre property on Leesburg Pike will become a 13-home neighborhood called Castleton Hills.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the rezoning on Oct. 27, clearing the way for Vienna-based Sekas Homes to redevelop the site at 9439 Leesburg Pike, as first reported by FFXnow. No residents spoke for or against the proposal at the public hearing.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission had already recommended approval, and county staff supported the application, according to FFXnow.

What the plan includes

The development calls for lots averaging 12,400 square feet, with a density of 1.97 homes per acre. The rezoning changed the property's designation from R-1 to PDH-2, a planned development housing district allowing up to two homes per acre, according to the McLean Ledger's pre-hearing coverage. Plans include a buffer of roughly 50 feet between the homes and Leesburg Pike (Route 7), according to the application.

Mike Van Atta, acquisitions and development leader for Sekas Homes, told the Planning Commission on Sept. 30 that healthy trees were scattered across the site rather than clustered in one area. "That's always been a challenge with this application, but it's an infill residential development," Van Atta said at that hearing, according to the McLean Ledger.

Easements and tree loss

The board also approved easement rights on the adjacent, county-owned Wolftrap Fire Station property at 1315 Beulah Road. The easements will let Sekas Homes connect utilities to the new neighborhood.

A county staff memo said utility construction should take two months and would not interfere with fire station operations, FFXnow reported. Nine major trees will be removed. Sekas Homes pledged to deposit $10,000 into the county's Tree Preservation and Planting Fund to offset the loss, per a proffer tied to the rezoning.

The developer offered $60,645 to compensate the county for the easement rights. That proposal also went to a public hearing, and again no residents offered testimony.

End of a 54-year landmark

Owner Bill Kupp plans to wind down nursery operations by the end of June 2027. A closing sale is underway.

Kupp's parents, Blair and Dorothy Kupp, founded the nursery in 1972. Over five decades, it became a neighborhood destination for plants, gardening supplies and specialty bonsai trees.

In coverage published in October, Kupp told FFXnow he sold the property to Sekas Homes and pointed to his age as a factor in closing.

"I'm getting up in age, and there's a lot of things that I can't do, and having a nursery — there's a lot of physical work," he said.

Kupp said customers have expressed sadness over the closure. "We're kind of a unique garden center," he said. "It's always been a little mom and pop place …"