Tag: zoning
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
Zoning board rejects backyard chickens in Mason District
The Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals on Nov. 18 denied a special permit that would have allowed a Mason District homeowner to keep five chickens in his backyard. Afm Sohel Mahmud of 6807 Gouthier Road in the Bel Air neighborhood in the Falls Church got the chickens as pets for his 6-year-old daughter and … Continued
Annandale residents say a large mixed-use development would destroy their neighborhood
Woodland Road, Annandale, the site of a proposed mixed-use development. Residents of Hummer Woods and surrounding neighborhoods in Annandale are organizing to fight a proposed redevelopment project. They say it would destroy the character of the residential community and charge a Mason District task force’s approval of the project was based on misleading information … Continued
Annandale family fights to keep treehouse
Neighborhood kids enjoy the Dapoigny treehouse. A family on Holborn Avenue in Annandale with a treehouse in their front yard is fighting efforts by Fairfax County officials who say the structure needs to be removed because it violates zoning rules, the Wakefield Weekly reports. According to the Dapoigny family, the county sent them a letter … 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
Acura dealership in Bailey’s Crossroads proposes an expansion
Radley Acura Radley Acura is proposing an expansion. The dealership, at 5823 Columbia Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads, is seeking a rezoning and zoning special exception to allow it to build an addition to its showroom building and a three-level parking garage for storing new vehicles. The 4,192-square-foot addition, to be located at the rear of … Continued
Mason District committee endorses townhouse project at Graham Park Plaza
A conceptional view of the proposed townhouses at Graham Park Plaza. The Mason District Land Use Committee on Sept. 22 recommended the Fairfax County Planning Commission approve a townhouse development on part of the Graham Park Plaza property on Arlington Boulevard. EYA Development LLC is planning to build 177 townhomes on the part of the shopping … 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
Zoning board approves temple on Gallows Road
The house has been transformed into a Buddhist temple. The Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals on July 8 approved a special permit from Van Duc Tu allowing a place of worship in a residential property at 5728 Gallows Road, Annandale. The property is used as a nonprofit meditation facility focusing on the teachings of … Continued
Mason District committee approves Skyline and McWhorter projects, rejects infill proposal
These buildings at the Skyline Center could be repurposed. The Mason District Land Use Committee (MDLUC) on July 7 endorsed proposals for a live/work project at the Skyline Center and townhouses in Annandale and opposed an infill development in the Alexandria area. Both the Skyline and McWhorter Place projects will be heard by the Fairfax … Continued
More details emerge on Annandale townhouse proposal
The layout of townhouses proposed for Annandale. The curved road on the top right is a realigned McWhorter Place. The Christopher Cos. are proposed to develop 43 townhouses for the area at the intersection of McWhorter Place and Markham Street in central Annandale. David McElhaney of Urban Ltd., a land planning and design company based … 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
