Marmota Farm, one of the last remnants of Great Falls’ rural legacy, is once again the focus of possible development. Located at 9800 Georgetown Pike and across Innsbruck Avenue from the Old Forestville Schoolhouse, the parcel is currently rumored to be under contract. It is presently owned the El-Farouki family trust.
Plans approved by Fairfax County in 2006 and resubmitted to Land Development Services in May, 2020 show 11 single family homes on the 22.78 acre property. The entrance to the by-right development, on busy Georgetown Pike just west of Boehms Court, would be bordered by a dry pond on the east of the road.
The property, originally part of the Great Falls Manor created in 1737 by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, was deeded along with other land to William Gunnell, III in the late 1700s. Gunnell then passed it along to his heirs, who eventually rented or sold the land. While the Digges farmhouse that was on the property was torn down in late 2000 or early 2001 when it became an attractive nuisance, there remains a 2,142 square foot gambrel roof dairy barn, silo, and a few small decaying structures, along with a bath tub in the open.
In 2016, a group calling itself Save Marmota Farm was formed to see whether the farm could be purchased with funds from the 2016 park bond referendum or other sources, with the support of the Great Falls community, elected officials, conservation experts, and those interested in the cause. SMF’s idea was to preserve the open space as a park for public benefit, e.g., for walking, jogging, gardening, etc. Their reasoning was that since the property would be kept in a natural state, maintenance costs would be minimal and there would be little or no adverse environmental impacts. However, ultimately the Fairfax County Park Authority did not support the idea and the group ceased its activities.
More recently, John Colby, AIAE, a local architect, land planner and developer who developed the Deerfield Pond, Arnon Lake, Walker Woods Lake, and other neighborhoods, entered into a contingent contract for Marmota Farm and presented an alternate development concept to the community. This design reduced the number of parcels to 8 (from the 11 originally planned) and preserved most of the natural terrain and tree cover. The design also offered any potential new owner the alternative to develop the property in phases or place the property into the County Agricultural and Forrestal District Program to reduce tax liability while holding the land as a long-term investment. Despite some early interest, the initiative was not successful and Colby withdrew from the contract.
If the property is sold and developed for new houses, the community will lose another rural vista of pastoral scenery, in return for a significant segment of safer pedestrian access along Georgetown Pike between Lift Me Up and the village center. The residents of Great Falls will be the ultimate determinants of which of these will be found to be of greater value.