Tag: Planning Commission
Planning Commission to vote on zMOD next week
zMOD would ease the rules for home-based businesses. The Fairfax County Planning Commission had been scheduled to make a decision on zMOD Feb. 10, but instead agreed to defer a decision to Feb. 24. zMOD is a massive modernization and streamlining of the county’s Zoning Ordinance. The two most controversial provisions address Accessory Living Units … Continued
Zoning change proposed for flagpoles
Fairfax County zoning staff are proposing new rules regulating flags and flagpoles. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the rules Feb. 10. After that, the flag regulations will be added to zMOD, the modernization and streamlining of the zoning ordinance. The Planning Commission will vote on zMOD Feb. 10, and the Board … Continued
Residents speak out against zoning changes that would destabilize neighborhoods
More than 40 people spoke at a Fairfax County Planning Commission meeting on zMOD Jan. 28, most of them opposing new rules that would make it easier to create an Accessory Living Unit (ALU) and home-based business. By the time the public hearing portion of the meeting was over it was 1 a.m., so the … Continued
Planning Commission to take up accessory living units
The building to the left of this house in Mason District appears to be an ALU. After years of work and nearly 100 community meetings, the Fairfax County Planning Commission is holding a public hearing Jan. 28 on zMOD, the massive rewrite, consolidation, and modernization of the county’s zoning code. The Board of Supervisors’ hearing … Continued
Proposed rule change would allow Fairfax County developers to provide fewer affordable housing units
The Avalon Mosaic apartments in Merrifield have a few WDUs available. [Mosaic District] Fairfax County planners are proposing a new way to determine how rental workforce dwelling units (WDUs) should be calculated. The county’s WDU policy allows housing developers to receive a density bonus in the form of additional market-rate units to offset the cost … Continued
Planning Commission endorses a revised redevelopment plan for western Annandale
The site of a proposed redevelopment project on Little River Turnpike in Annandale. The Fairfax County Planning Commission agreed that a major redevelopment project in Annandale’s west end should be included in the county’s Comprehensive Plan work program for 2021 – with two major changes. That project calls for 575 multifamily residential units, 156,000 square … Continued
Community members speak out against redevelopment proposals in Annandale and Seven Corners
The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center on Row Street in Seven Corners wants to develop a community center. Local residents spoke out against most of the six nominations for redevelopment projects in Mason District at a Planning Commission hearing last week. The projects have been nominated for inclusion in Fairfax County’s Comprehensive Plan Amendment Work Program for … Continued
Neighbors speak out against senior housing project at First Christian Church in Seven Corners
An illustration of the proposed senior housing project on Leesburg Pike in Seven Corners. Local residents raised some key concerns about a proposal for a senior housing project in Seven Corners at a lengthy Fairfax County Planning Commission hearing Nov. 18. That proposal – submitted by First Christian Church at 6165 Leesburg Pike – is … Continued
Fairfax County staff oppose plan amendments for two projects in Annandale, one in Seven Corners
Planning staff opposes a large mixed-use project on this site in Annandale, viewed from Woodland Road. Fairfax County Planning and Development Department staff are recommending that three of the six “site-specific plan amendments” proposed for Mason District be included in the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Work Program for 2021 – and three should not. The Planning … Continued
Fairfax County Planning Commission approves infill project
The Fairfax County Planning Commission approved an infill development in the Alexandria area of Mason District Oct. 8. The Board of Supervisors’ hearing will be Nov. 17. The property owner, Lora Seeds, wants to sell her property at 5824 Dawes Ave. to a developer who would build three homes on the 1.2-acre lot. She applied for … Continued
Annandale townhouse project clears Planning Commission
The townhouse project is west of the Annandale Commercial Business Center. The Fairfax County Planning Commission agreed July 22 to send on to the Board of Supervisors a proposal for a townhouse project on McWhorter Place in Annandale. The supervisors will hold a public hearing on the project July 28. Christopher Land is … Continued
Planning Commission recommends approval of Skyline project
The proposed landscape plan for the Skyline live/work buildings. The Fairfax County Planning Commission on July 22 endorsed a proposal to repurpose three office buildings in the Skyline Center in Bailey’s Crossroads to live/work units. The Board of Supervisors is holding a public hearing on the Skyline project July 28. The current landscape design. Each … Continued
Fairfax County invites comments on zoning ordinance overhaul
An accessory living unit in Mason District. Fairfax County has released a consolidated draft of the proposed new, modernization of the zoning ordinance, a project known as zMOD. The public is encouraged to submit comments on zMOD via email to: [email protected]. The document will be submitted to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors next … Continued
ZMod and ADUs: A solution in search of a problem
A backyard cottage in Portland, Ore. (Image by linamenard licensed under Creative Commons) By Craig J. Blakeley Usually a change in a law is proposed in order to address some new issue or problem that was not envisioned when the law was first adopted. But that is not the case with respect to the new … Continued
Concerns raised about dropping public hearing requirement for accessory dwelling units
An accessory dwelling unit over a garage in Kentlands, Md. [Montgomery County Planning Department] Members of the Fairfax County Planning Commission raised some serious objections to a zoning proposal that would make it easier for homeowners to have “accessory dwelling units” (ADUs) in residential neighborhoods. The issue was presented by zoning staff at a meeting … Continued