Focus on Virginia’s Interstate 66 corridor: Highway, Metro spur development

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.

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