More than six weeks after purchasing a 1.93-acre property in Herndon, the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) announced Oct. 13 its $22.88 million acquisition of 3625 and 3627 King Johns Way adjacent to the Innovation Center Metro Station.
The seller entity, Nugget A LLC, is tied to private real estate developer Rocks Engineering. In 2015, the developer broke ground with Fairfax County on Innovation Center South, combining public and private efforts. As Heather Diez, project coordinator for the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, noted at the time, the project was intended “to establish a transit-oriented development and a multi-use development that will take it from undeveloped as it is in its current state and end up with really a place where people can work and live and play.”
Currently, neighboring commercial lots remain under affiliate ownership, where commercial brokers continue marketing adjacent parcels for office and mixed-use footprints. However, following the collapse of the office market and the post-2020 rise of remote work, demand for new suburban office footprints along the Dulles Corridor weakened significantly. As the original private master plan stalled, Fairfax County saw an opportunity to step in and purchase the 1.93 acres directly from Nugget A LLC to repurpose the site for affordable housing.
Land records confirm the King Johns Way transaction closed Aug. 28, with plans to build roughly 400 affordable and workforce housing units on the site. The county paid approximately $57,000 per prospective unit in land acquisition costs alone, underscoring the substantial public investment required to secure land adjacent to Silver Line Metro platforms.
“The real estate adage—‘it’s about location’—applies to affordable housing,” said Lenore Stanton, chair of the FCRHA. “With close access to the metro and Dulles Airport, jobs, and amenities, this prime location will give more Fairfax County families an opportunity to flourish.”
The parcels are located within the county's Planned Residential Mixed-Use (PRM) district, which permits high-density mixed-use development near transit. The purchase closed under a single deed (Book 28786, Page 2188) covering both addresses.
Building 400 homes on 1.93 acres yields a density exceeding 200 units per acre, requiring mid- to high-rise residential construction above structured parking. Combined with the housing authority’s nearby site at 13500 Dulles Greene Drive, the FCRHA now controls land that can support approximately 835 affordable homes within walking distance of the Silver Line stop.
The FCRHA completed the acquisition without public debate or a Board of Supervisors vote. Because the FCRHA holds a designation under HUD's Moving to Work program, the agency possesses flexible administrative authority to allocate federal funds. This status allowed it to complete the off-market land acquisition without navigating the traditional multi-cycle board approvals or county-level appropriation requests typically required for land purchases.
“The Dulles Corridor is an economic engine in Fairfax County,” said Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman, noting that affordable homes near transit enable essential workers to live in the communities they serve.
Housing accessibility also impacts broader commercial economic health, according to Jennifer Miller, Fairfax County deputy executive for community development, who emphasized that local executive leaders view housing affordability as a critical factor in employer recruitment and workforce retention.
However, acquiring the land is only the first step. The FCRHA has not yet issued a Request for Proposals, selected a private or non-profit development partner, or secured construction financing (such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits). As a result, construction remains several years away.
The site sits adjacent to Brightview Dulles Corner—the 196-unit senior living facility at 13700 Magna Way that opened in 2023.