Expectation Church Plans Multi-Phase Expansion, New Outreach Building In Fairfax

FAIRFAX, VA — Expectation Church has submitted a special permit amendment application to Fairfax County officials, proposing a four-phase expansion of its campus at 11924 Braddock Road. The request, filed March 13, seeks to add land area and construct several new buildings to accommodate a growing congregation.

The project involves consolidating the church's current 31.48-acre parcel with two adjacent vacant parcels, totaling approximately 41.3 acres. The property is located within the Residential-Conservation (R-C) District and the Water Supply Protection Overlay District.

According to the statement of justification submitted by Kathryn Taylor of Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh PC, the "master plan" includes increasing the sanctuary seating capacity from 950 to 1,400 seats.

The development is planned in four stages:

• Phase I: Construction of a 24,000-square-foot Event Building featuring administrative offices, meeting rooms, and youth gathering spaces.
• Phase II: Addition of a 20,000-square-foot Recreational Building with a gymnasium and a 10,000-square-foot outdoor patio. A 21,500-square-foot rooftop terrace would connect the Phase I and Phase II buildings.
• Phase III: A 10,000-square-foot expansion of the main church building to house 450 additional sanctuary seats and back-of-house support spaces.
• Phase IV: Construction of a three-story, 70,000-square-foot Multi-Purpose Outreach Building for counseling, human services, and temporary emergency shelter. A three-level parking garage is also proposed for this phase.

Environmental and Community Impact

The applicant stated that the design "minimizes any impacts to the ecological features of this site" by keeping construction outside of Resource Protection Areas and floodplains. The plan proposes to preserve approximately 77 percent of the site as open space.

Traffic studies included in the application estimate that the Phase III expansion will generate 238 additional trips during Sunday peak hours. To manage this, the church proposes increasing its total parking to 896 spaces by the final phase.

The applicant is also requesting a reaffirmation of previously approved waivers for transitional screening and barriers along the northern and western property lines, citing the presence of "mature, existing vegetation" that provides a buffer for neighboring homes.

"The proposed building heights will remain consistent with the existing facilities onsite and will remain lower than what is permitted for non-residential uses in the R-C District," Taylor wrote in the application.

The application is currently awaiting a public hearing before the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals.

Also See ...

• VDOT Bills Fairfax City $3.5M After Trail Cancellation
• Fairfax City Council Faces Critical Vote On $130M Willard Sherwood Center
• Fairfax NAACP Urges County To Boost FY2027 Spending On Housing, Schools, Justice