A church in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., is working with a developer to build 70 townhouses adjacent to its property.
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, located near the city of Falls Church in Fairfax County, said in a statement last week that the new housing is expected to benefit its congregation and the surrounding area. Washington-based development partner EYA plans to build a staircase up a slope from the townhouses to the adjacent church and to incorporate green spaces, including a pollinator garden and nature trails.
“This partnership is a shared journey toward a stronger future for our congregation and our neighborhood,” Pastor Mark Shaltanis said in the statement.
The church currently owns roughly 10 acres in the area where the townhouses are planned near the corner of Idylwood Road and Leesburg Pike, a significant artery that runs northwest through the Tysons commercial hub and southeast to Alexandria. The location is just over a mile from the West Falls Church/Virginia Tech Metro station, with service into downtown Washington, and a short drive from interstates 66 and 495. The church plans to sell about six acres to EYA for the townhouses.
The church had worked with other developers in the past six years but ran into challenges securing permits from the local government, according to a spokesperson for EYA. The previous zoning for the property didn't allow for townhouses, and the developer ran into issues with making the hillside level enough to build on.
“This important project is a reflection of what can be achieved when vision and expertise align,” Aakash Thakkar, EYA’s executive vice president, said in the statement.
The townhouses are expected to include rooftop decks and an option for elevators, EYA said in the statement. Beyond the on-site features, the developer said it will make traffic improvements along Idylwood Road and enhance area stormwater management. Each townhouse will have between three and five bedrooms and two-car garages, with pricing between $900,000 and $1.5 million, the spokesperson said.
EYA has built more than 50 neighborhoods across the D.C. area, housing over 10,000 people, according to the statement.
The company expects construction to start in late summer 2026 and sales to begin a few months afterward.
