Board to consider changes in comp plan amendment process

Fairfax County is proposing some big changes to the site-specific plan amendment (SSPA) process. The changes include shortening the timeline and expanding community engagement.

The SSPA process is used to consider development proposals that involve amending the county’s Comprehensive Plan. The proposed changes were recommended by a working group consisting of members of the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors,

The BoS authorized a public hearing on the proposal for July 19, 3:30 p.m. Information on how to participate in the hearing is available here.

In developing the new process, county planning officials held several meetings community meetings, surveyed the public, and interviewed stakeholders.

Currently, the process alternates reviews of plan amendment nominations in the north and south county areas. Mason District is in the south county area for this purpose. Nominations can be submitted by developers, other entities, and individuals.

Related story: Mason District task force agrees two plan amendments in Seven Corners should move forward

Here are some of the key recommendations to be considered at the hearing:

• The four-year alternating north/south county cycle should be replaced with a countywide nomination period held every two years.

That would provide more frequent opportunities for nominations to be submitted. the working group states. It would also potentially reduce the number of authorizations of site-specific amendments outside of the regular review cycle.

• The current process of using a task force to screen proposed nominations should be reconsidered. Instead, targeted community meetings should be held to ensure those living and working near the subject sites are engaged early in the process.

• A Planning Commission workshop should take place in lieu of a public hearing to screen the nominations. The workshop would be open to the public.

• The three-step structure (nomination phase, screening phase, and evaluation phase) should be retained but the total timeframe should be shortened.

• The nomination window should be reduced from three months to one month. Targeted community engagement under the screening phase – which currently takes six to seven months – should be reduced to four months.

• The eligibility criteria for nominations should be broadened to allow land areas subject to a previous land use plan amendment after two years from the date of adoption. The current limit is four years.

• Nominators would be required to submit additional information to enhance the community’s and staff’s understanding of the nominations. This includes an illustrated concept plan, the nominator’s potential timeline, and the consent of property owners.

• The justification criteria submitted by the nominator would have to include information to determine whether the proposed amendment is in line with goals and policies adopted by the Board of Supervisors.

If the BoS approves the recommended changes, the new process would take effect by October 2022.