Merrifield: Area Information
Download the Merrifield CRA Brochure of the below information.
With the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station and proximity to Interstates 495 and 66, Merrifield is one of the most centrally located and easily accessible areas in Fairfax County. Taking advantage of its location, Merrifield is planned to accommodate a new town center envisioned to be a thriving mixed-use area attracting new residents to Merrifield while also supporting the surrounding existing neighborhoods. This evolution is underway as recent mixed-use developments have brought additional residential, retail and office uses and have provided amenities such as improved pedestrian connections and open spaces, including Merrifield Park.
Commercial Revitalization Area
In 1998, the Board of Supervisors designated a portion of the Merrifield Suburban Center as a Commercial Revitalization Area (CRA). This designation allows for facilitated administrative procedures for development review and concurrent Comprehensive Plan Amendments, as well as zoning ordinance provisions relating to area identification signage.
Vision for Merrifield Becoming Reality
The Greater Merrifield Business Association, property owners and other citizen groups worked with Fairfax County to define a vision for Merrifield that takes advantage of its location and emphasizes mixed-use development. The adopted Comprehensive Plan for Merrifield encourages a pedestrian-friendly, urban character for the area. The most intense development is concentrated in two core areas—the “Transit Station Area” adjacent to the Metro station and the “Town Center Area” to the southwest of the Gallows Road/Lee Highway intersection. This urban development is balanced by retaining the existing warehouse and light industrial uses within the revitalization area.
This vision is becoming reality. New developments have been completed in the vicinity of the Metro station, and a mixed-use project and new park are open along Gallows Road. Additional redevelopment projects are in the pipeline with approved rezoning applications for the Mosaic at Merrifield in the Town Center Area, the second phase of the Halstead mixed-use development in the Transit Station Area, and the Trammell Crow mixed-use developed on the site currently developed with surface parking for the Metro. In addition, the Merrifield Streetscape Design Manual has been developed to guide the implementation of the pedestrian environment envisioned for the area.
CRA Highlights
County is negotiating its first Community Development Authority (CDA) and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) plan for the town center.- Greater Merrifield area is the fourth largest submarket in Fairfax County with 9.8 million square feet of space.
- INOVA Fairfax Hospital, the largest in Northern Virginia, is located along the southern boundary of the CRA. As a result, health care and social assistance are the largest sector of the area’s economic base.
- ExxonMobil’s headquarters for “downstream” operations including marketing, refining, government relations, research and engineering are also located on the southern boundary of the CRA.
- Other major employers in the greater Merrifield area include Lockheed Martin, ICF International, General Dynamics, and the U.S. Postal Service.
