This article was written by WTOP’s news partner TysonsReporter.com and republished with permission.
Work is underway on the new George Mason High School ahead of construction on a mixed-use project in Falls Church.
The City of Falls Church’s Planning Commissioned greenlighted the first of two phases for constructing the new high school on Monday, Aug. 5.
While preconstruction has already started, the approval of the first phase will now let the developers obtain building permits.
The second phase, which involves a trapezoid area in front of the school, parking and stormwater management, is expected to go before the Planning Commission later this summer or fall.
The new high school spot will be right next to the current school, which will get converted into an approved mixed-use development known as Little City Commons.
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The 1.3 million-square-foot development will occupy nearly 10 acres at the current George Mason High School location at 7124 Leesburg Pike. The development of Little City Commons will defray costs for the new school.
The school will serve grades 6-12 and have consolidated athletic fields and a “good neighbor zone,” according to city staff.
“As far as the Planning Commission is concerned, this is a momentous day,” Russell Wodiska, the chair of the Planning Commission, said at the meeting. “It’s a really exciting thing.”
Work on Little City Commons is slated to start in 2021 after work on the George Mason High School is finished.
Images via City of Falls Church
