An office site often called the “Darth Vader” building near Fairfax County’s Mosaic District is being transformed into affordable apartment units scheduled to begin welcoming residents next year.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger and several elected officials from the Northern Virginia suburb toured the complex Wednesday afternoon, touting the commonwealth’s efforts to address a growing housing shortage.
While Fairfax County has helped turn old offices into apartments before, officials said the site, called Telestar Court, marks the first time an old office has been turned into an entirely affordable housing project.
The site will welcome residents who make 60% of the annual median income or less, said Jeff McKay, chairman of Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors.
“In a place like Fairfax, where we do have a lot of commercial buildings that are no longer in use, this is a fantastic example of the type of transformation that can occur,” Spanberger said.
The site will feature 80 apartments and 40% green space, McKay said. It previously included a large parking lot and no green spaces.
The county bought the building using American Rescue Plan Act funding, working with a developer to convert it into affordable housing units, McKay said.
Previously, the site was an outdated office building called the “Darth Vader” building because it had all black glass on the exterior, McKay said. While the nearby pockets were redeveloped, the Falls Church building was “kind of left behind and was largely vacant.”
Construction on the building is still ongoing, but it’s scheduled to be finished in December, with residents moving in early in 2027, Spanberger said.
“There’s going to be real people living in here, real people that contribute to our economy, real people that teach in our classrooms, real people that work in our grocery stores,” McKay said. “If we can’t find housing for those employment sectors, the cost of everything in Fairfax County is going to go up.”
Because of the housing shortage and rising costs, McKay said many people live several counties away, “spending half their day in their car, with the mental anguish associated with that, not spending time with their kids.”
“If we can get people who want to work closer to where they work, we can improve their entire lives,” he said.
The Telestar Court received funding from the Housing Trust Fund, which is administered through the commonwealth’s Department of Housing and Community Development.
Virginia’s recently approved budget plan featured about $100 million to support the Housing Trust Fund and expand housing projects, according to a news release.
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