SULLY DISTRICT COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
November 20, 2013
DRAFT MINUTES
Members
in Attendance
Mark McConn, President Bull Run Community
Association
Jeff Parnes, 1st Vice President Chantilly Highlands
Lewis Grimm, Treasurer Franklin Farms
Al Francese
Little Rocky Run
Jay Johnston
Virginia Run HOA President
Rick Vaughn Dartmoor Woods HOA
GUESTS
Kenneth Lazor Office of
Delegate Tim Hugo
Kyle McDaniel Office of
Supervisor Herrity (Springfield District)
Leonard Wolfenstein Fairfax County
DOT
Bernard Suchicital Fairfax County DPZ
Tarek Bolden Fairfax
County DPZ
Rebecca Horner Fairfax
County
Mike Collins Office of Congressman Gerry
Connolly
Tami Troscianeki Virginia Run HOA
Paul Woodford Virginia
Run resident
Karen Campblin Fairfax
Federation of Civic Associations
Bruce Dallymple Resident,
Fairfax County
Mary Stachyra Lopez Centreville
Independent
Jeff Pztres
Chantilly Highlands
Robert Whitfield Dulles
Corridor Users Association
Charlie Hall
Providence District Council
Meaghan Kiefer
Office of
Sully Supervisor Frey (Land Use)
Dean Luckenbugh Ad Fuentes (Academy)
Eric Amato Centreville
Presbyterian Church (Applicant)
David Murrell Gates Post
resident
President
McConn called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
The minutes for the October 2013 Sully District Council Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting are available online.
Refer to the November agenda for meeting announcements.
Extending Rail
to Centreville
Jeff Parnes presented an overview of the Rail to Centreville
issue before inviting comments from those in attendance. He noted that the County Comprehensive Plan
provides for Rail to Centreville and that in the 1990’s the Board of
Supervisors amended the Comprehensive Plan’s transportation map to designate
rail stops at Fair Oaks, Stringfellow Road, and
Centreville. He noted that a Major
Investment Study was prepared in the 1990’s recommending expanded general
purpose lanes, expanded HOV, and rail to Centreville and Haymarket and that
VDOT is currently undertaking an environmental review of I-66 in two
phases. WMATA’s Momentum Plan, he said,
contemplates Rail to Centreville by 2040 and observed that WMATA would have to
expand capacity before it could handle additional trains from a Centreville
extension. Mr. Parnes observed that “We
must grab it [Rail to Centreville issue] by the horns. How do we do it?”
Supervisor Herrity’s
representative, Kyle McDaniel, stated that the Supervisor supports the concept
of Rail to Centreville and that the level of traffic congestion warrants an
immediate solution such as Bus Rapid Transportation (BRT) that would occupy dedicated
lanes and preserve the right of way for rail and/or “Managed [High Occupancy
Vehicle] lanes” as short term solutions.
He stated that rail would require long-term funding. Mr. Parnes observed that rail would require
higher density that could be investigated in the Fairfax Forward process. One residential landowner indicated that he supported
Rail to Centreville and setting up a taxing district. Virginia Run’s
representative stated that he preferred the congested status quo on I-66 to
creating a Tysons Corner environment on I-66, with higher congestion levels, if
that level of density is what is needed to fund Rail to Centreville. Mr. Francese, a long-time carpooler, observed
that I-66 currently is a congested parking lot even though it has been widened
at locations over the years and that we lack information on a rail option as to
possible funding sources, landowner interest in higher levels of density, magnitude
of VDOT right of way, and what level of density would be needed to construct
and operate Rail to Centreville.
Fairfax County representatives provided a helpful summary of
past county involvement on the Rail to Centreville issue from a Comprehensive
Plan and Board of Supervisor perspective. A representative stated that the Comprehensive
Plan envisioned I-66 as an “enhanced transportation corridor” and that the Board
of Supervisors’ vision includes Rail to Centreville. The representative noted that the
Comprehensive Plan states that a Centreville station should be as close as
possible to the center of Centreville, possibly near Trinity Center or Stone
Road Extended. He noted that while
Fairfax City opposed a rail stop near Route 123 some years ago, the issue needs
to be revisited. He stated that the
Board of Supervisors has about four acres dedicated to mass transit on the
Government Center’s property near I-66 and that the Fairfax Center Study of
1982, including Fair Oaks Mall, will be revised. He stated that the Stringfellow
commuter parking lot is being expanded by 300 spaces and more land is available
on the South of I-66 as a proffer in the Centreville Farms redevelopment. The County representative noted that proffers
for Fairfax Corner allow for higher density if rail is implemented.
Congressman Connolly’s representative, Mike Collins, pointed
out that the Congressman and Congressman Moran on February 28, 2013 introduced
H.R. 907 to extend Metrorail service in Northern Virginia, including the I-66
Corridor to Centreville and the Route 1 and Route 95 Corridors. He stated that VDOT’s environmental review of
I-66 is a critical decision point on preserving the rail option for I-66. He noted that a Route 1 Multi-Modal Study, to
be concluded in 2014, will include the rail option.
Robert Whitfield cautioned against advocating a heavy rail
Metro extension option in the I-66 Corridor because it is not a cost-effective,
financially feasible solution because only ten percent of commuters currently use
rail which is very costly. He said Rail
to Centreville would cost $300 million per mile with right of way donated by
VDOT based on a comparison to the Silver Line Dulles Corridor Rail Project,
which lacks a financial plan. He
recommended “bus transit” as a cheaper option at $20 million per mile. He added that the Federal Transit
Administration requires a population of 6,700 people per square mile but the
population density outside the Beltway is less than 5,000 per square mile,
implying that it would not qualify for federal construction assistance. Since the original Metro funding compact has
expired, he said that Maryland and the District of Columbia would not be sharing
any costs all of which would have to be paid from Virginia sources as in the
case of the Silver Line. He stated that
WMATA is on the verge of bankruptcy and repayment of the bonds to pay for
construction of the Silver Line is tied to ever increasing toll revenues from
the Dulles Toll Road and that the Silver Line is not a model to imitate. In any
commercial competition, he noted that Tyson Corner’s 1,700 acres would outweigh
the commercial activity on the I-66 corridor.
Residential
Studio Units in Your Neighborhood
Presented by:
Charlie Hall - Providence
District Council President
Fred Costello - Fairfax
Federation Land Use Chair
Charlie Hall provided a status report on Fairfax County’s Department
of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) proposal to change the Zoning Ordinance to permit
residential studios in all residential areas under special exception rules. These maximum 500 sq. ft. rental units would
provide affordable housing for households earning less than approximately
$60,000 (i.e., 60% of the area median income). It would provide a housing alternative to
individuals newly entering the workforce, service workers, teachers, and the
elderly. As initially proposed, single
family homes could have been converted to multi-family Residential Studio
units. The originally proposed ordinance can be found at: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/zoningordinance/proposed/residentialstudioinputmemo.pdf.
The Board of Supervisors had asked the
DPZ to obtain more information on studio units in other jurisdictions and to
conduct additional outreach in the magisterial districts. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/bosclerk/summary/2013/13-07-30.pdf.).
Mr.
Hall stated that the original proposal was very controversial because it
allowed residential studio units in neighborhoods zoned R-1. The Planning Commission, he advised,
subsequently revised the original proposal to require R-12 (multi-family)
zoning for residential studios, prohibit conversion of a single family home to
a boarding house through residential studio units, and permit residential
studio units in an apartment setting with a 30 unit minimum. He
stated that the number of allowable parking spaces is an issue since three
people are allowed to occupy a unit and it may be necessary to impose standard
parking requirements. He urged Sully
District participation in the Federation’s effort to monitor the residential
studio unit issue in diverse community environments. He noted that the Fairfax Federation members
approved a resolution at its September 19, 2013
meeting.
Public
hearings have been scheduled before the Planning Commission’s Residential
Studios Committee. The Residential
Studios Committee public meeting dates are December 9, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
Conference Rooms 4/5 Government Center; January 6, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. Conference
Rooms 4/5 Government Center; January 22, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. Conference Rooms 2/3
Government Center
Ad Fontes Academy
at the Centreville Presbyterian Church (CPC)
Presented by:
John Rinaldi, Land Planning Manager Associate for the
Christopher Companies
The CPC
Applicant provided an update to its informational presentation of October 23,
2013. The Applicant stated it met with
Virginia Run and the WFCCA. Following
discussions with county staff, the Applicant stated that it revised its proposed
amendment of its special permit amendment previously approved in SPA
99-Y-065-02 to provide for only one modular of 9,000 square feet located on
site for eight years (rather than two modulars). After eight years, the Applicant would have
to secure county approval to make additional changes in its enrollment. The
Applicant states that the Church approved its plan for a single modular, which
county staff supports. The modular
cannot be located on the existing sanitary sewer easement and a 40-50 foot area
will be used as open space for the church and school. A BZA hearing is scheduled for December 4,
2013.
Following
Mr. Rinaldi’s update, he responded to questions from
the community and members of the Sully District Council. Following discussion, Mr. Francese made a
motion, seconded by Mr. Parnes, to recommend that the Board of Zoning Appeals approve
the revised Special Permit Amendment subject to (1) requiring the school to use
the Church parking lot for all school activities and (2) requiring the Church
to notify its members to park only on the Church parking lot and not in a
near-by public cul-de-sac in proximity to Virginia Run. The motion was approved by a vote of 3 in
favor, 1 opposed (Virginia Run SDC representative), and 1 abstension
(Mark McConn).
V.
ADJOURNMENT
The
meeting adjourned at 10:30 p.m.
Al Francese
Acting Recording Secretary
Sully District Council
Sully
District Council Home Page
Sully
District Council Minutes
Land
Use & Transportation Committee Minutes
Data
Area Transportation Association information
2013 ©SDC; This page
was last updated on Wednesday, 20 November 2013
http://www.SullyDistrict.org webmaster2013 @ sullydistrict.org
modified by Jeffrey
M. Parnes