On Oct. 7, 2026, FFXnow reported that an affiliate of Bethesda-based Buchanan Partners intends to demolish the vacant six-story office building at 8110 Gatehouse Road in Merrifield and replace it with up to 300 homes: a seven-story, 265-unit multifamily building and a maximum of 35 three- or four-story townhouses. The rezoning application was submitted to Fairfax County in September and, as of that Oct. 7 report, had not been accepted for review.
The site is about 5.1 acres. A five-level garage on the north end would stay, with 688 spaces for the apartments and another 60 spaces proposed for the townhouses, mostly in private garages. DLA Piper land use attorney Brian Winterhalter wrote in the application statement that the plan would turn an underused office property into a residential community with open space and a pedestrian network. The plan shows about one acre of central urban park, publicly accessible, including to residents of the neighboring Telestar Court project, plus a sidewalk on Gatehouse Road and a new crosswalk toward the Fairfax County Public Schools administration center across the street.
The building has been empty since Inova moved out in fall 2022. In June 2023 the Board of Supervisors approved a live/work conversion of up to 240 units for a different developer team, Madison Highland. Palchik confirmed in June 2026 that project was not moving forward. FFXnow reported Inova sold the Gatehouse property in February for $13 million to Gatehouse Investment LLC, the Buchanan affiliate. The new application says the live/work plan was financially infeasible. Buchanan wants to keep a prior condition that let the Telestar apartments count toward Gatehouse workforce-dwelling-unit requirements, and says it will add the workforce units tied to any homes above the previously approved count.
Next door, construction is already underway on an 80-unit income-restricted building at 2990 Telestar Court, a Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority and Conifer Realty conversion of another former Inova office.
Why a buyer or seller cares
Merrifield is one of the few Fairfax spots still converting leftover office into housing rather than data center. If this file is accepted, it is more apartments and a small townhouse row, not a new single-family subdivision. Buyers comparing Dunn Loring, Merrifield, and the Providence District should treat 300 units as a pipeline number, not an approved delivery. Sellers nearby may see a vacant office become occupied housing and a public park, or they may see a long entitlement if the comprehensive plan amendment stays in the second tier of the county work program.
A virtual community meeting on that plan amendment was held Tuesday, Oct. 6. FFXnow said no draft has been released and no public hearings are scheduled. The application will likely be reviewed with the amendment, which would add residential use on a site the comprehensive plan still recommends for office and warehouse.
What is still open
County staff have not accepted the application. No Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors hearing date is set. Workforce-unit counts above the old 240-unit approval are described in the filing but not finalized in a proffer the board has voted on. Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik requested the plan amendment; the board authorized staff to study it in June.
Sources
- Angela Woolsey, FFXnow, “Up to 300 homes could replace Merrifield office after live/work plan stalls,” published Oct. 7, 2026, 10:00 a.m.
- Fairfax County rezoning application referenced by FFXnow, submitted September 2026, not yet accepted as of the Oct. 7 story.
- Earlier FFXnow reporting cited in that story on the June 2023 live/work approval, the February sale, and the June 2026 confirmation that live/work was not moving forward.
If you are weighing a Merrifield or Providence District address against this file, send us the street and we will walk through what is filed and what is still only a proposal.
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