Developer plans 450 apartments, retail in Fairfax

Falls Church-based Eakin Properties, a family-run real estate development and investment firm, is moving forward with plans to develop 450 apartments and 30,000 square feet of retail space in Fairfax County‘s Seven Corners area.

The development is proposed for 3.15 acres where Pistone’s Italian Inn and New Grand Mart, an international supermarket, now stand.

The property, which is located between Arlington Boulevard and Hillwood Avenue, is currently zoned commercial, but Eakin seeks rezoning for residential mixed-use, according to an application filed in Fairfax County on Dec. 30, 2025.

The proposal calls for two 85-foot buildings connected by a covered walkway, as well as an outdoor plaza and mostly underground parking.

“The proposed development will ensure that Seven Corners remains a relevant community hub into the future while providing much-needed housing, retail and community space,” Sara V. Mariska, a land use and zoning attorney who represents Eakin, wrote in a statement of justification filed with the application.

A small portion of the property — less than a half-acre — is located in the City of Falls Church, with the remainder in Fairfax County. The application does not address whether the Falls Church City Council must vote on matters related to the project.

Requests for comment to Mariska, Eakin Properties, Pistone’s Italian Inn and New Grand Mart were not immediately returned Friday.

Washington, D.C.-based KGD Architecture is listed as the project’s architect.

Eakin first worked with Fairfax County officials on the project in 2022. However, the development was put on hold while the county completed the Seven Corners Phasing Study, which was conducted to determine the order for transportation improvement projects to be implemented in the busy area.

Last summer, Fairfax County supervisors voted to allow staff to begin working on a comprehensive plan amendment related to the Eakin project, but the board will need to vote on that amendment before considering the rezoning, wrote Mariska, who works at Reston-based Odin, Feldman and Pittleman.

New Grand Mart, a subsidiary of Green Paradise Enterprises, acquired the former Grand Mart Seven Corners in 2013. It features produce, fish, meats and ethnic specialty items.

Pistone’s Italian Inn has occupied the building since 1974, according to its website. The building was originally a Howard Johnson’s, according to the Falls Church News-Press.