July 21, 2026
Covering Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia

Tag: housing

Fairfax County measure would bar RSUs from low-density neighborhoods

#Board of Supervisors, #Gross, #housing, #land use, #neighborhood groups, #zoning
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The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted a motion by Mason Supervisor Penny Gross, co-sponsored by Chair Sharon Bulova to eliminate lower-density residential areas from consideration for residential studio units (RSUs). The board matter calls for the Planning Commission to adopt a recommendation by its RSU committee to bar RSUs from areas zoned for lower … Continued

Winter facilities needed to prevent hypothermia among the homeless

#churches, #housing, #social services, #volunteers, #weather
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The approaching cold-weather season might be dismal and unpleasant for a lot of us, but it’s life-threatening for the area’s growing homeless population. During the winter, the Bailey’s Crossroads Community Shelter, as part of the Fairfax County Hypothermia Prevention Program, works with a network of religious facilities to provide the homeless with a warm place … Continued

Planning Commission work session addresses residents’ concerns on RSUs

#housing, #land use, #Mason District, #Planning Commission, #zoning
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New Hope Housing’s newly renovated Mondloch Place in Alexandria is considered a model for RSUs. It provides 24 efficiency apartments to people transitioning out of long-term homelessness. Several members of the Fairfax County Planning Commission indicated the rules for residential studio units (RSUs) should be tightened to protect low-density neighborhoods—a major concern of the Mason … Continued

Board of Supervisors postpones Planning Commission hearing on RSUs

#Board of Supervisors, #Bulova, #housing, #land use, #zoning
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The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agreed to defer the Planning Commission‘s Nov. 20 public hearing on a proposal to amend the zoning ordinance to allow residential studio units (RSUs). That would provide more time for additional outreach to the community, said Chair Sharon Bulova. That motion, proposed by Bulova and Supervisor Michael Frey (Sully) … Continued

Fairfax Federation opposes studio units in neighborhoods zoned R-20 or less

#housing, #land use, #neighborhood groups, #zoning
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The Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations has taken a formal position opposing residential studio units (RSUs) in residential areas that are zoned for a density less than R-20. That action follows passage of a similar resolution by the Mason District Council of Community Associations (MDC) earlier this month. The MDC is urging local residents … Continued

Jeanne Simmons, age 96, refuses to vacate Hillwood Square home

#government services, #housing, #land use, #people, #property maintenance, #redevelopment
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Simmons “I don’t want to move,” says Jeanne Simmons, age 96, who is refusing to vacate her home of 57 years in Hillwood Square. A majority of owners of the cooperative complex in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County voted to sell the property to AvalonBay Communities Inc., which plans to develop 461 garden-style … Continued

Mason District Council calls for RSUs to be limited to high-density areas

#housing, #land use, #neighborhood groups, #zoning
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A tiny apartment in Seattle. [Photo from the Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif.] The Mason District Council (MDC) of Community Associations unanimously approved a resolution Sept. 9 calling for Fairfax County to prohibit residential studio units (RSUs) in low-density residential neighborhoods.  RSUs are zero-bedroom efficiency apartments no larger than 500 square feet. The county is proposing that … Continued

Affordable housing advocates promoting residential studio units

#housing, #land use, #neighborhood groups, #property maintenance, #zoning
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Community leaders oppose studio units in single-family neighborhoods already plagued by overcrowded houses. Discussions here about Fairfax County’s proposal for a new zoning category to allow “residential studio units” (RSUs) have mainly focused on the potentially deleterious effect on stable residential neighborhoods. Yet there’s another side to the issue. Advocates for affordable housing have been … Continued

Efficiency units could destabilze neighborhoods, community leaders warn

#housing, #land use, #neighborhood groups, #zoning
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A tiny studio apartment in San Francisco. [Photo from USA Today.] Civic association leaders are concerned that a Fairfax County proposal to create a new zoning category allowing tiny efficiency apartments could destroy the character of older, residential neighborhoods, especially in places like the Annandale/Mason area where overcrowding is already a problem. The Fairfax County … Continued

Developer cuts off water to 96-year-old homeowner who refused buyout

#housing, #people, #real estate, #redevelopment, #utilities, #water
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Jeanne Simmons After AvalonBay purchased the Hillwood Square community in Falls Church earlier this year, all the residents met the Aug. 23 move-out deadline—except for one. The remaining holdout is Jeanne Simmons, a 96-year-old former teacher who has lived in the development for 57 years. On Aug. 28, the developer gave Simmons a five-day notice … Continued