Which comes first, the development or the highway? Just like the chicken-and-egg riddle, it depends on how you look at it.
When the section of Interstate 66 from the Beltway to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge opened in 1982, some residential development was in place from Rosslyn through to Fauquier County, with the most densely developed areas closest to the city. In the decades since the inner Virginia portion was completed, connecting the dots between the city and 1-66 beyond the Beltway, both residential and commercial development along this route has expanded beyond expectations.
I-66 begins when the highway crosses the Potomac River from Washington into Arlington and Rosslyn, passing into Ballston. The combination of I-66 and, perhaps more significant, Metro stations along this corridor has encouraged a quasi-urban environment to develop from Rosslyn through Ballston to the edge of Falls Church.
Abdo Development’s Wooster and Mercer lofts, a group of 87 condominiums in two buildings, offer distinctively luxurious and sophisticated style.
Flats are available with open floor plans and 10-foot ceilings, along with lofts and penthouses with 17- and 21-foot-high ceilings, some with roof terraces. The development includes a courtyard with open space and a swimming pool, concierge services, a fitness room, a clubroom and parking. The buildings are 80 percent sold, with the remaining homes priced from $765,000 to $2,200,000.
Call 202/296-2236 or visit www.abdo.com.
I-66 passes adjacent to the city of Falls Church and its two Metro stops, East Falls Church and West Falls Church.
Development in Falls Church has often grown with changing transportation modes. In 1895, an electric railway linking Falls Church, Georgetown and downtown Washington spurred more growth.
Waterford Falls Church II LLC is building condominium homes at Spectrum at Falls Church, a mixed-use development including offices, restaurants and retail space, and Market Square, a central plaza for community activities.
The residential component has a rooftop deck, a fitness center, a community room, a garden and parking. The one- and two-bedroom homes have cork or bamboo flooring, stainless steel appliances and granite counters. Prices range from $374,900 to $765,900.
Call 703/533-8525 or visit www.spectrumcondo.com.
Winchester Homes Inc. is building upscale town homes and single-family homes at Stockwell Manor, less than one mile from the West Falls Church Metro station.
Priced from $939,000 to $1,154,000 for the town homes and $1,500,000 to $1,600,000 for the single-family homes, this cluster of homes rests where McLean and Falls Church meet. Call 703/237-1695 or visit www.winchester homes.com.
Past Falls Church, I-66 winds south of the town of Vienna near the Dunn Loring and Vienna Metro stations.
Vienna, first settled in the 1750s, originally was home to many large estates. The community began to thrive in 1858, when the railroad arrived. During the 1950s, Vienna gained 10,000 more residents as a result of the post-World War II suburban expansion.
Marquis Custom Homes is building 31 manor homes at Tysons Trace at Suncrest. The upscale homes are priced from $1,400,000 to more than $2,000,000. Call 703/573-8976 or visit www.marquis customhomes.com.
Nearby, Brookfield Homes Corp. is building single-family homes at Dunn Loring Chase, priced from $1,049,990 to $1,179,990 for homes with four to seven bedrooms and three to six baths.
Call 703/204-9407 or visit www.brookfieldwashington.com.
At Cedar Grove, Basheer & Edgemoore Homes LLC is building 23 “City Homes,” single-family homes on low-maintenance lots. Buyers of these three-bedroom homes, priced from the $800,000s, have the option of adding a fourth-level loft and a rooftop terrace.
Call 703/698-1664 or visit www.basheerandedge moore.com.
Closer to the Vienna Metro station, Beazer Homes Corp. is building condominiums priced from the $300,000s at Avera Station. The development includes an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness center, a library, a clubroom and concierge services.
Call 703/352-1870 or visit www.averastation.com.
Stanley Martin Homebuilding LLC is building luxury town homes priced from the low to upper $500,000s at Kendall Square near the Vienna Metro.
The homes include a full-level master suite.
Call 703/591-1180 or visit www.stanleymartin.com.
The Fairfax County Government Center and commercial developments, including Fair Lakes business and shopping center, Fairfax Towne Center, Fair Oaks regional shopping mall and Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, are all located near I-66 in the Fair Oaks/Fair Lakes section of the county.
Residential development in this area includes Charleston Square, where Basheer & Edgemoore is building town-home-style condominiums, each with an upscale kitchen and a luxurious master suite and master bath.
The homes are base-priced from the $500,000s.
Call 703/273-0440 or visit www.basheerandedgemoore.com.
At Centerpointe, EYA is building urban-style row houses with features including rooftop terraces, lofts, interior brick walls and bamboo flooring.
Residents can walk to shops and restaurants at two malls.
The homes are priced from the low $400,000s to the low $500,000s.
Call 571/432-0110 or visit www.eya.com.
Just beyond the Fair Lakes area, I-66 heads into Centreville, which was founded in 1730 as Newgate and became known as Centreville in 1792. The town was an important stopping point in the 18th century along the turnpike between Alexandria and Warrenton.
Twenty years ago, Centreville had just four small subdivisions of housing developments, but the area has grown to become home to condominiums, town homes and single-family homes.
Ryland Homes is building town-home-style condominiums at Centreville Crossing within walking distance of shops and restaurants. The homes, priced from the low to upper $300,000s, have two or three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a one-car garage. Call 888/526-8350 or visit www.ryland.com.
At Crooked Creek, Craftmark Homes Inc. is building single-family homes on 5-acre wooded estate homesites.
The homes have four to six bedrooms and three to seven baths, with prices starting at $1,100,000.
Call 703/830-5503 or visit www.craftmarkhomes.com.
At Jackson Fields, K. Hovnanian Homes is building 22 single-family homes on cul-de-sac locations. Each home has a brick or stone front, four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a two-car garage.
Call 866/407-3815 or visit www.khov.com.
Passing into Prince William County, I-66 winds north of Bull Run Regional Park and south of the Manassas National Battlefield Park. In the 1850s, Manassas became the crossroads for several railroads, which led to its central role in the Civil War. The westward expansion of suburbia changed the community during the 1960s and 1970s to a bedroom community for commuters to the District and Tysons Corner.
Today, Manassas has become a commercial and retail mecca of its own, with the regional Manassas Mall and myriad smaller retail centers throughout the town.
New residential development clusters near I-66 in the Haymarket and Gainesville areas.
At Westmarket, K. Hovnanian is building single-family homes and town-home-style condominiums.
The condominiums have three finished levels with a brick front, three bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, a gas fireplace and a two-car garage.
These homes are priced from the low $300,000s.
Call 866/407-3676.
The single-family homes have three or four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a two-car garage, with base prices from the mid- to upper $300,000s.
Call 866/407-3690. Residents at Westmarket enjoy a swimming pool, tennis courts, a tot lot and a clubhouse. Visit www.khov.com.
At Market Center, Beazer and Ryland are building two-level town-home-style condominiums within walking distance of shops and restaurants.
The development includes a swimming pool and bathhouse.
Beazer’s homes have two or three bedrooms, decks and a one-car garage and are priced from the upper $200,000s to the low $300,000s.
Call 571/261-2027 or visit www.beazer.com.
Ryland’s homes, priced from the low $200,000s to the low $300,000s, have two or three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a one-car garage.
Call 867/874-9045 or visit www.ryland.com
Home buyers looking for more land may want to visit Thunder Oak, where Creighton Enterprises Inc. is building estate homes on 10-acre homesites priced from $1,599,990.
This custom-home builder offers homes of all brick or brick and stone, and the development has mountain views and wooded lots.
Call 703/443-9305 or visit www.creightonenterprises.com.
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