Last week I joined the Gum Springs community demanding a safer Richmond Highway. The coffin included in the protest is dramatic, but captures just how dangerous our roads are. Fairfax County continues to experience high rates of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities and serious injuries with 10 people killed already this year.
Category: Fairfax County
We won a transit-oriented West Falls Church!
With your help, we did it! The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the West Falls Church plan to transform acres of parking lots into an inclusive, walkable, bike-friendly, transit-oriented community. Thanks to all of you who took action and helped make this a success!
The CSG team worked with local advocates to help shape the plan and win the day! Your donations help keep our team in the field winning more sustainable communities like this.
Thanks to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission for supporting the vision of a walkable, transit-oriented West Falls Church. We are also grateful that they recognized concerns expressed about the safety of people walking and biking along the major roads outside the development and in the neighborhoods and are initiating a West Falls Church Active Transportation plan to identify and prioritize needed safety improvements to support the redevelopment.
Stay tuned for further updates as the West Falls Church redevelopment and Active Transportation plan move forward for opportunities to continue working with us to ensure the success of this project. Together we will build a more sustainable, equitable, and vibrant future for Fairfax County and our region.
Comments in Support of West Falls Church Plan Amendment 2018-II-1M
Chairman McKay and Members of the Board,
Please accept the attached joint comments on the West Falls Church Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA) 2018-II-1M before you tomorrow. We write to express our support for the redevelopment of the West Falls Church Transit Station Area and urge you to consider our recommendations below and vote in favor of the CPA.
These comments are being submitted jointly on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the Audubon Naturalist Society, the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance, the Sierra Club Great Falls Group, Friends of Holmes Run, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, and the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling.
Thank you,
Sonya Breehey
Take Action: Last chance to support a transit-oriented West Falls Church!
While we are pleased the Planning Commission recommended approval of the West Falls Church plan, it’s not a done deal yet. Tomorrow the Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing and then make their decision. Will you speak up and urge them to support the plan that will allow redevelopment of the West Falls Church Metro station area into a walkable, bike-friendly, transit-oriented community?
Here are two actions you can take:
1) Send an email to the Board of Supervisors, and
2) Sign up to speak at the public hearing (PA 2018-II-1M) on July 13 at 4 pm.
Fairfax County is considering a comprehensive plan amendment that would allow acres of underutilized parking lots at the WMATA and Virginia Tech sites to be transformed into a well designed mixed-use community. The new transit-oriented development will provide significant transportation improvements helping reduce traffic congestion while providing greater access for people walking, biking, and using transit.
Redevelopment of the West Falls Church station area would complement and connect to the City of Falls Church’s mixed-use redevelopment already underway. Together these projects will create a new inclusive, vibrant, and livable neighborhood with great access to transit in West Falls Church. Let’s make sure it’s approved.
Take Action: Check out the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit
Fairfax County is holding a virtual public meeting on June 30th at 6:30 pm on its Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and wants to hear from you. County staff will share the latest roadway design and next steps for the BRT station design. You can ask questions and offer input during the meeting, or provide feedback via an online survey through July 9th.
The proposed BRT line and bicycle and pedestrian improvements will offer cleaner transportation options; improve access to jobs, especially for lower-income workers; and support walkable, transit-oriented communities. But we need to get it right!
Here are CSG recommendations to make the BRT plans safer, more equitable and better for the environment:
- Design the Overall Corridor for a 35 MPH Speed Limit – Physically designing the roadway for 35 mph by narrowing travel lanes would help reduce speeding, allow for smaller buffers within the right of way, and minimize the crossing distances for pedestrians.
- Provide Adequate Number of Safe Crossings – Fairfax County must ensure safe at-grade crossing options at intervals that are reasonable for pedestrians.
- Ensure Affordability BRT – The BRT system will help improve access along the corridor but it must be affordable for those who need it most.
- Use Clean Fuel Buses – The county should invest in a BRT that runs on electricity or even hydrogen fuel cells instead of fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.
- Underground the Wires – Placing utilities underground would improve electrical reliability, allow for larger shade trees and improve the aesthetics of the corridor.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more and speak up for a safer, more accessible Richmond Highway. Check out the project website here for more information about the project, review proposed designs, and provide your feedback by July 9th.
Take Action: Help Fairfax develop a strong climate plan!
Fairfax County is holding two virtual public meetings next week to get input on the goals and strategies recommended in its Community-Wide Energy and Climate Plan (CECAP). This is the last opportunity to provide feedback before the plan is finalized and presented to the Board of Supervisors. The meetings will be held Tuesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 20, from 7:00pm – 8:30pm. Both will provide the same information so you only need to attend one.
Your input is critical to ensure Fairfax adopts a bold plan that not only addresses green buildings, renewable energy, and electric vehicles but also includes walkable, bikeable, transit-oriented communities as a core climate solution.
Transportation is the leading source of climate emissions in the county, but cleaner fuels and even electric vehicles won’t be enough. We must reduce how much we need to drive and to make that easier we need our communities to be easier to walk, bike, and use transit to meet daily needs.
Please make your voice heard! Attend one of the public meetings ensuring the plan includes reducing the amount we have to drive by investing in transit, walking, biking, and more homes in walkable, transit-accessible communities. You can learn more about the meetings and register on the CECAP public engagement page.
For more information on the climate and smart growth connection, you can check out this CSG report and presentation.
West Falls Church Forum Materials
Sonya, our Northern Virginia Advocacy Manager, showed the following presentation at CSG’s West Falls Church Forum on May 5th, 2021:
Evan Goldman of EYA showed the following presentation at our West Falls Church Forum on May 5th, 2021:
Video testimony on Fairfax County’s FY22 budget
See below for our Northern Virginia Advocacy Manager, Sonya Breehey, testifying before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on behalf of CSG and Fairfax Healthy Communities regarding the FY22 budget.
CSG Comments on ALU proposal in zMOD
March 9, 2021
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
12000 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035
RE: Testimony in Support of Accessory Living Unit Provision of zMOD
Chairman McKay and Members of the Board:
Please accept these comments on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG), the leading organization in the DC region advocating for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all. CSG appreciates Fairfax County’s efforts to update its zoning ordinance. Our comments focus primarily on the proposed accessory living unit (ALU) provisions, which we fully support. CSG has become a leading expert on Accessory Dwelling Units through our work in DC and our just-released DC ADU homeowners manual.
We also support the liberalization of home-based businesses — particularly in view of the advantages we have seen for home-based work during the pandemic. Home-based businesses would be a great benefit to stay-at-home parents, people with disabilities who have trouble traveling, and the Fairfax economy.
The need: Housing in the county is expensive, shutting out young adults, downsizing empty-nesters, essential workers, teachers, firefighters, and many more. Prices are high and smaller homes can be hard to find. If this pandemic has shown us anything – a home is vital to our health and well-being. Now is the time for Fairfax County to prepare for the future and ensure people have affordable places to live in our county.
Accessory living units can offer less expensive housing options than renting or buying a single-family home because of their smaller size and provide housing opportunities in communities that might otherwise be too expensive. ALUs can also offer a stream of income for homeowners, including lower-income homeowners and retirees on fixed incomes.
Changes proposed are modest and should not be weakened as the Planning Commission proposes: While Fairfax County staff has proposed some positive changes to the ALU policy, which is a step in the right direction, they are very modest and do not go far enough to truly make ALUs a viable housing option in the county. The Planning Commission is proposing to weaken these further by keeping the special permit process in place for interior units for several more years. This will further delay the wide ranging response the county needs to apply to the affordability crisis we’re facing.
Supporting ALUs is in line with Fairfax County’s goals. The Communitywide Housing Strategic Plan developed in 2018 at the request of the Board of Supervisors recommends that the zoning update modify the county’s accessory dwelling policy, now known as accessory living units, and to explore zoning districts for missing middle housing types. However, this zoning update does not tackle ALUs robustly enough and does not consider missing middle housing options at all.
Looking at the comparison chart in the ALU fact sheet provided on the zMOD website, you can see that Fairfax County is lagging behind other local jurisdictions that are doing more to embrace accessory dwellings as a tool to provide more housing options. Meanwhile, Arlington, Montgomery, and DC are all taking steps to study and expand missing middle housing.
Recommendations: CSG supports the county’s proposal to remove the current age and disability requirement for all ALUs. No other local jurisdiction has this requirement. Removing the age and disability requirement is more equitable so people of varying ages can take advantage of these types of apartments. It provides greater flexibility to a homeowner to provide a home for an adult child and other family members or friends needing a moderately priced apartment.
Streamlining the process for interior ALUs located within the main home by allowing for administrative approval will make the process less burdensome and costly for homeowners. ALUs, like the principal home, must meet all required building and zoning codes and are subject to inspection. According to the ALU fact sheet on the zMOD website, Loudoun, Arlington, Montgomery, and DC have moved to allow ALUs by administrative approval.
The 2-acre requirement for detached units is unfortunate and retains an inequitable requirement by only allowing detached ALUs for those who can afford 2 plus acres. It also puts these detached units in car-dependent locations. Homeowners throughout most of the county should have the right to build a detached unit on their property.
In fact, Fairfax County should particularly encourage detached ALUs near transit stations and transit-rich corridors. This can be done by removing the 2-acre requirement for detached accessory dwellings and allowing them on smaller lots closer to activity centers and transit. In addition, removing the parking requirement when ALUs are within a mile of frequent transit helps to remove another regulatory and cost barrier and incentivizes housing in the right places.
The Board should accept the staff recommendations for ALUs and home-based businesses, and reject the Planning Commission’s proposed rollbacks. The county can then monitor the implementation of these changes as part of a more robust study to expand the creation of ALUs and evaluate missing middle housing needs and solutions.
Conclusion: We encourage the County to take the necessary steps to further expand opportunities for accessory living units and missing middle housing in the county as a way to make more affordable homes available in our communities. Creating more housing opportunities near transit and jobs is essential to ensuring an inclusive and economically prosperous Fairfax County where people are able to live near their work, helping to reduce long commutes through the county, and contributing to a diverse and vibrant community.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sonya Breehey
Northern Virginia Advocacy Manager