Work has begun at the construction project on property known as Marmota Farm. The 22.78-acre site along Georgetown Pike will soon be known by its new name, Hayden at Great Falls, a Toll Brothers development of 11 single-family homes. The houses to be built will look similar to those being sold at another Toll Brothers project at the corner of Route 7 and Towlston Road, Arden.
Because of the advanced age of the site plan approval, the Land Use & Zoning Committee of Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA) asked that the site plan be updated and revised to be more consistent with current standards. Working with Supervisor Foust’s office and County staff, the changes mostly relate to protecting the integrity of Georgetown Pike as a Virginia Byway, stormwater management, the trail, and preservation of trees. GFCA’s focus regarding Marmota Farm development is that it will monitor the project for adherence to the agreements that have been made between the community (working through Supervisor Foust’s office) and the developer.
Despite efforts by some residents to save Marmota Farm from development, particularly those living closest to the property, the sale and development of Marmota Farm is a transaction between a private landowner and a willing buyer/developer that conforms with the property’s current zoning and the County’s subdivision and zoning ordinances. The development is being done “by-right,” and thus does not require any additional approvals beyond routine administrative consents. Although the original site plan was submitted and approved some years ago, that plan remains operable today, and is the one that Toll Brothers is working from.
Land development is based on state law in Virginia. The General Assembly determines what localities can and cannot do with zoning and development. When development is by-right, consistent with the property’s zoning classification, the County lacks authority or leverage so long as what is proposed is consistent with the underlying zoning and the requirements of the subdivision and zoning ordinances, e.g., lot layout, setbacks, height, streets, water, sewer, lighting, and the like. Thus, local elected officials have little they can do to “stop” new developments like Hayden at Great Falls.
Marmota Farm had been on the market for several years as its owner, a family trust entity, had not seemed to be in a hurry to dispose of the vacant land before Toll Brothers acquired an option to purchase the property. Fairfax County real estate tax assessment records report that unpaid property taxes for the first half of 2021 have had fees assessed with a lien on the parcel, and the matter has been referred to a collection attorney, but it is unclear how often this information is revised.
Future updates on this construction project will provide more detail as to the elements that go into the protection of Georgetown Pike, and how, if those elements are erased or damaged by careless development activity, its historic designation can be imperiled.