Kingstowne real estate includes 2788 townhouses (many with a one or two-car garage), 712 condominiums, 421 luxurious single-family houses and 1213 rental apartments. In total there are 5100 pieces of real estate, providing 5100 homes in a planned community that provides a suburban lifestyle in the Franconia/Springfield area of Northern Virginia's Fairfax County. These numbers go up even higher if you include nearby Franconia and Springfield. Kingstowne is located just outside the Capital Beltway I-495 and close to I-395. (Interstate 395 feeds directly into downtown Washington DC from Kingstowne.)

Click Kingstowne to see a map of homes for sale in Kingstowne. (Check here for latest sales updates.) You might find the following links useful if you're search for a home in Kingstowne or near Kingstowne.

• Carrdinal Place -- New condos with a suburban feel.
• Eton Square -- In close proximity to the Kingstowne Towne Center.
• Founder's Walk -- Within walking distance of the Van Dorn Metro
• Island Creek -- Homes, townhomes and condos near Springfield Metro and Kingstowne
• Kingstowne -- Kingstowne provides a choice of lifestyles and homes.
• Manchester Lakes -- A mix of condos near the Kingstowne Towne Center.
• Rose Hill -- Solid construction in older (mostly brick) homes near Franconia
• Springfield -- North of Kingstowne with easy access to the Springfield Metro
• Sycamores at Van Dorn -- Walk to the Van Dorn Metro from these condos just outside the Beltway.
• Tiers of Manchester Lakes -- One of my favorite Manchester Lakes communities, offering swiss-style living.
• Victoria Crossings -- Nice sized garden-style condos near the Towne Center.

Surrey is one of the condominium communities that make up Manchester Lakes and it happens to be one of my favorite spots in Northern Virginia.  Because Surrey is in Manchester Lakes these condos have access to community features like the club room and the pool, but the condo fees at Surrey are remarkably low.  Surrey is very well-tended but they are designed to keep fees low. Surrey provides garden-style condos without need for elevators or carpeting in common areas or even electricity or temperature control in the common areas.  Every condo at Surrey has a porch or a patio and every condo at Surrey has a real fireplace. 

The floorplans have the feel of the "all-American rambler". That is to say, the unit is all on one level with large open kitchen-dining-living area at one side of the unit and at the end of the hall a pair of bedrooms with each with a bathroom.  Surrey does not have a "double-master" lay-out. There is one master-bedroom here. 

The neighborhood is very pleasant with easy access to Kingstowne and Springfield. Of course, the Franconia-Springfield Metro is right around the corner and some residents walk to the metro as part of their commute.

Click on any of the images below for a detailed floorplan of at Cardinal Forest. The Cardinal Forest community is comprised of 68 buildings on over 100 acres. Condo fees at Cardinal Forest include all utilities and services like trash pick-up and exterior maintenance. Washers and dryers are in the building but not in the unit at Cardinal Forest. Cardinal Forest is relatively close to shopping with a supermarket within walking distance. Commuters heading to DC or the Pentagon can catch the 18G express bus almost at the front door. Cardinal Forest is about 25 minutes from Fort Belvoir and about 15 minutes from the Franconia Springfield Metro Station.

Click Cardinal Forest for a map of the area and to see listings of what's currently for sale.

 

Cardinal Forest is a condominium development set on rolling forested terrain in West Springfield. Cardinal Forest was constructed in 1968 and was converted to condos in 1978. Cardinal Forest features 130 acres of mature landscaping that is very well tended. Cardinal Forest offers pools, trails and quiet living near Lake Accotink. In Cardinal Forest, there are a total of 1,050 units---501 of which are town houses and 549 of which are condominium homes. Most of the units are brick exterior, some are stucco and this translates to lower maintenance fees for condo owners here.

Cardinal Forest has exactly 26 different floorplans including large one, two or three bedroom townhouse style condos and and one, two or three bedroom apartment style condos.

Franconia-Springfield Metro station is located in Springfield, Virginia at the end of the Blue Line. The address of this station is 6880 Frontier Drive, Springfield VA 22150, which places it just off the Fairfax County Parkway in close proximity to the Springfield Mall.

While the metro stations in Alexandria and Arlington are designed for urban living for the use of those within walking distance, the Franconia Springfield station is designed for commuters with cars. This station has Metro's largest parking garage, with over five thousand parking spaces. Commuters from Franconia, Springfield and Kingstowne all make use of this metro.

This station is also well-served by Virginia Railway Express, Metrobus, local and regional bus lines.

---

About the Author --- Will Nesbitt is the principal broker of Condo 1 Alexandria and Will Nesbitt Realty. Will specializes in condos, townhouses and single family residences in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Crystal City, and Kingstowne. Will resides in Belle Haven Estates just outside Alexandria VA in Fairfax County.

 

Kingstowne is a planned community near Springfield and Alexandria Virginia. It has easy access to Fort Belvoir, I-495, I-395 and Franconia-Springfield Metro Stops. Here are a few selected communities to consider near Franconia and Van Dorn.

• Kingstowne --- condos, houses and townhouses for sale in and near Kingstowne
• Amberleigh --- walk to the metro from this townhouse community
• Carrdinal Place --- modern garden-style condos
• Eton Square --- condos at the center of Kingstowne near Kingstowne Towne Centre
• Founder's Walk --- elegant garden-style condos between Kingstowne and the Beltway
• Island Creek --- a quiet community with nicely appointed suburban-style condominiums and single-family homes
• Manchester Lakes --- condos and townhouses in a suburban setting
• Surrey --- the feel of a suburban rambler in a condo

Fairfax County is one of the largest, most prosperous and most populous counties in Virginia. To be more specific, according to the US Census Fairfax County has about a million residents. Furthermore, average annual household income in Fairfax County ($100,552) is twice the national average ($51,106).

The county government is managed by a Board of Supervisors that are elected from nine different magisterial districts . The board overseen by chairman who holds an at-large seat, and by Vice Chairman.

Click on the image for a larger view of the map. To enter an address and find out what district that address is in click here. Fairfax County Government has earned top marks from the Pew Charitable Trust's Government Performance Project. The magisterial districts of Fairfax County are:

1. Braddock
2. Sully
3. Lee
4. Dranesville
5. Mason
6. Springfield
7. Huntermill
8. Mount Vernon
9. Providence

Braddock District is 26 square miles of mainly residential communities but includes recreational locations, Wakefield Recreation Center, Lake Accotink Park.

Sully District is supervised by Michael R. Frey. Sully offers its residents numerous public facilities, golf courses, and nearby Washington Dulles International Airport.

Lee District supervisor is Jeff McKay. Lee District is the home of the Lee District RECenter where residents can swim, jog, play racquetball, basketball and volleyball in the 20,000 square foot gym. Also, Huntley Meadows park is located in the Lee District and is home to forests, wetlands, and flower filled meadows. In addition, there is the Franconia Museum which preserves the Franconia area.

The supervisor from Dranesville District is John H. Foust. Dranesville District has the Farmers Market which runs through May until November.

Mason District's supervisor is Penelope A. Gross. The business centers of Bailey's Crossroads, Seven Corners, and Annandale are all located in Mason District. Recreational facilities here include Hidden Oaks Nature Center, Lincolnia Senior Center, Pinecrest Gold Coarse, Green Spring Gardens Park, Clark House, Bailey's Community Center, Willston Multicultural Center, and Mason District Park.

The Springfield District supervisor is Pat Herrity. Springfield District is the home for Fair Oaks, Clifton, Burke and Fairfax Station. This year the inaugural Springfield District Children's Fair which included a BMX demo, exhibits from the fire and police stations, a 5 mile run/walk around Burke Lake and a golf tournament. Parks include Accotink Stream Valley, Franconia, Lee High, Island Creek, and Hooes Road.

Catherine M. Hudgins is the supervisor for Hunter Mill District. The Hunter Mill District includes parts of Tysons Corner, Vienna, North Vienna, Reston, Oak Hill, and areas in Herndon.

Mount Vernon District (supervisor: Gerry W. Hyland) has much to offer its residents. There are many historical sites including George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens and Woodlawn Plantation and the Pope-Leighey House. Recreation facilities include Mount Vernon Rec Center and George Washington Rec Centers, Fort Hunt Park, Mason Neck State Park, Pohick Regional Park, Fairfax Fair which is held in June of every year, and Lord and Ladies Fairfax who are announced at the Fairfax fair.

The Providence District supervisor is Linda Q. Smyth. Providence District is approximately 22. 31 square miles. "Nottoway Nights" is one of the main features of the Providence District which is a summer concert series. Shopping centers include Tyson's Corner Center, Fairfax Square, Tyson's Galleria and Fair Oaks mall.

Throughout the county there are numerous departments and agencies that provide essential community services such as senior centers, health clinics, and school/day care programs. Here are some great tools for researching homes, neighborhoods and properties in Fairfax County.

• Zillow by Will Nesbitt
• Northern Virginia statistics
• Fairfax County Records
• Neighborhood Comparison -- Compare neighborhood stats side by side.
  
• Property Search
• Condo Property Search

How will BRAC affect area real estate? Well, one of the big pieces to that puzzle was solved at the end of last month when the announcement was made that Fort Belvoir was going to add the Mark Center to its list of holdings rather than heading for Springfield. Donald Carr Director of Public Relations for the US Army at Fort Belvoir contacted me in response to my recent post. He said, "of the total 19,300 jobs, 4,400 are coming to main post Fort Belvoir; 8,500 to the EPG (Engineer Proving Grounds); and, 6,400 to the Mark Center. Additionally, only about 500 of the 19,300 are actually new population incoming to the region."

This makes clear that there will probably be no great regional surge in home values as a result of these changes. In fact, many service members may opt to stay where they are and drive across town to new offices and locations.  The official press release regarding the Mark Center:

The U.S. Army announced today, Sept. 29, that the Mark Center in Alexandria, Va., will be the future home of the 6,400 personnel associated with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure, Recommendation # 133. The decision puts in place the last piece of the Fort Belvoir, Va., BRAC initiative that sites more than 19,000 workers to the installation.

The BRAC 133 jobs - a collection of Defense Department-level agencies whose move is being managed by the Washington Headquarters Service - are the last remaining of those being realigned to Fort Belvoir.

"The decision concludes more than a year of work by hundreds of people in the Army, surrounding communities, and all levels of government to develop proposals and options for review by the selection board," said Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment Keith Eastin.

Following completion of Fort Belvoir's BRAC Environmental Impact Study in Summer 2007, the Army's Record of Decision, or ROD, directed placement of all but the BRAC 133 jobs. The jobs originally would have been placed at Fort Belvoir's Engineer Proving Ground in Springfield, Va.

However, because another 8,500 jobs of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency were also placed there, significant concerns for traffic impacts in the area prompted the Army to agree to limit EPG to the NGA jobs, and to look elsewhere for the BRAC 133 jobs. In September 2007 evaluators began work to study alternative sites, including the General Services Administration warehouse site in Springfield and commercial sites in the region.

BRAC legislation and follow-on language in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act allow the Army to purchase land in the National Capital Region to facilitate Fort Belvoir's realignment. "Any non-DOD site selected would have to become part of Fort Belvoir in order to comply with the law," Eastin said. The Army must now buy the Mark Center property to make it part of Fort Belvoir.

In arriving at the Mark Center decision, Eastin said the Army considered multiple factors, including project timelines, transportation management and site adaptability. "The Mark Center site resolves security issues, improves space requirements and mission relationships, and minimizes changes to existing living, working, and quality of life issues," he said.

"The Mark Center site minimizes to the greatest extent practicable disruption of current commuting needs and mission coordination requirements of the workers," said James Turkel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who led the evaluation team. "It will also require little to no change in contractor support relationships, as well as changes to residency or schools requirements for the workers."

Eastin echoed the point. "The new commute for the realigned personnel supports their mission by keeping them in close proximity to the Pentagon agencies and senior leaders they support," he said.

Post officials said putting the jobs at the Alexandria City site reduces the number of jobs coming to Fairfax County's part of the post to 12,900 - 4,400 to Fort Belvoir's main post, and 8,500 to Engineer Proving Ground.

The Army must now purchase the Mark Center property to meet BRAC law and plans to make the purchase before the end of the year. Construction is scheduled to begin on the site in January 2009, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.