Pine Ridge Land Use

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You should have received a letter with the details of the zMod in it.   Here is the letter:  

                                                                                                         December 19, 2020

Dear Pine Ridge Community Member:

SUBJECT: zMod Changes to the Fairfax County Zoning  Ordinances,

Summary of PRCA’s concerns.

We are sending this information to you because the proposed     changes to the Fairfax County's Zoning Ordinance Modernization project (zMod)     will impact each and every one of us and our community. Some of these     changes are very significant and could have a negative impact on our     community. Below is a summary of the PRCA Board’s concerns. Please read the     summary and use the links to access the zMod documents that are posted on     the Fairfax County website. 

If you, too, have concerns with the proposed zMod zoning     changes, please take action and let your Planning Commissioner and     Supervisor know in advance of the planning commission public hearing on Jan     28th. You can use any and all parts of this summary when     writing to them. The Board of Supervisor's public hearing is currently scheduled for Tuesday, March 9, 2021.

Also, join via ZOOM, the PRCA Board meeting on Jan 6th to get up-to-the-minute information concerning the zMod changes. The needed meeting information is on the PRCA website http://pineridgecivicassociation.org

At the end of this summary are the mail and email addresses for Supervisors Palchik and Gross and the Fairfax County Planning Commission.

The Board of Directors for the Pine Ridge Civic Association     (PRCA) have been closely following the progress of Fairfax County’s Zoning Ordinance Modernization project (zMod). Our review of the most recent draft     of the new ordinance has indicated some key areas of concern that directly affect the Pine Ridge community.

While the PRCA Board applauds the effort to update and clarify the zoning ordinances, we are dismayed by some of the significant     changes and the lack of transparency and clarity of the effort. This letter     presents a high-level summary of those changes that are the most concerning     to the PRCA Board of Directors. The zMod executive summary, appendixes and     ordinance can be obtained at this address: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning-development/sites/planning-development/files/assets/documents/zmod/proposed-ordinance-annotated.pdf.

1.     The County did not provide     adequate notice to the public to ensure that every property owner was aware     of the proposed zMod changes. Because of the complexity, most will not have     time to read the 700+ pages of the proposed zoning ordinance issued November  24, 2020. 

Zoning regulations are difficult to understand and it takes     time to fully understand what is being proposed. However, before these     significant and lasting changes are made, all property owners must be     notified, and the changes should be understood and agreed to by the community.

The upcoming Planning Commission hearings on Thursday,  January 28, 2021 have not been adequately advertised and     the changes have not been made available to the public in a timely manner     to allow for adequate review and comment.

2.     The changes proposed in the     zMod will increase the uses allowed on Residential properties with only administrative approval and     without neighbor notification.. The changes would increase     the types of home-based businesses allowed and increase the number of     clients/customers allowed to visit the business. More information can     be found in the zMod Executive summary on pages 47- 49. This causes  concerns for several reasons: 

• The proposed zMod would streamline the approval  process for many types of home-based business by removing certain  requirements and creating an administrative approval  process. Since the adjacent neighbors would not be notified of  the pending approval there would be no chance for them to raise          concerns about parking, access, grading/stormwater flow changes, or          traffic.
• Our community roads do not have curbs and gutters  and are barely 2 cars wide. Current DMV rules state that cars cannot  legally park on the hard surface of a road if curb and gutter are not  present. During the administrative approval process, the owner  will have to show one additional off-street parking space, but if up  to 8 clients are allowed a day, where are the others going to park? This          could cause serious problems if clients choose to park on our already          narrow streets. How will delivery vehicles and emergency response          vehicles, which tend to be larger than a car, be able to get through?

Additionally, much of the Pine Ridge community does not have fire  hydrants. In an emergency, multiple     vehicles need to respond to  provide the water needed. If cars are     parked along the streets will they be able to get through? What is the additional risk, do we know?

• Many residents rely on wells and septic systems,    thus there is the real potential for negative environmental impact  from the groundwater pollution caused by the potential use of caustic  chemicals by the allowed businesses types and the increased storm water  runoff from enlarged parking areas.

• zMOD will allow 12  square feet of signage with no single sign exceeding four square  feet in area or a height of four feet. The ordinance will  regulate the location of the signs. A recent Supreme Court   decision will not allow regulating the content of the message. Do  residential communities need 12 square feet of signage? It seems   that 1 or 2 square feet of signage would be more in keeping with                a residential community.

3.     Currently there is a     55+/disability requirement required to obtain a permit for an Accessory     Living Units (ALUs) in your home. The proposed zMod changes would remove     this requirement. The proposal will also allow ALUs with only an administrative approval,     thus without any public hearing or notification to the neighbors. More     information can be found in the zMod executive summary on pages 40 - 46.

• Single family homes  will be allowed to have a 2-bedroom apartment (for a maximum of  2 people). During the approval process, the owner will have to                show only one (not 2) designated off street parking  spaces. How will the County enforce the 2-person limit?

• Since the adjacent neighbors would not be notified  of the pending approval there would be no chance for them to raise  concerns about parking, access, regrading and storm water runoff or  traffic. This could increase the likelihood of conflicts between  neighbors regarding parking and property access.
• With the additional residents and resulting  increased density will come additional traffic and parking congestion  on our narrow streets.

The PRCA Board of Directors does not support the proposed zMOD  changes as they stand today.  The proposed changes are     significant and will have many long-term impacts to our community. The     Board feels that some of the proposed changes should be delayed until all     home owners have had a chance to understand and comment on these changes.

The January 6th meeting of the PRCA Board will be  via ZOOM at 7:30. The meeting will be reserved for a discussion of the zMod     proposed zoning changes. Please join us. The ZOOM session     information is available on the PRCA website http://pineridgecivicassociation.org. 

If you have questions before the meeting, please send them     to the PRCA Board at:  board@pineridgecivicassociation.org .

To show your opinion of the proposed changes, the PRCA Board     is asking you to take action and write or e-mail your elected Fairfax     County Supervisor and the Fairfax County Planning Commission.

• Fairfax County Planning Commission - Plancom@fairfaxcounty.gov 
• Providence Planning Commissioner -         Phillip.Niedzielski-Eichner@fairfaxcounty.gov 
• Mason District Planning Commissioner - Julie.Strandlie@fairfaxcounty.gov 
• Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik - ProvDist@fairfaxcounty.gov 
• Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross – Mason@fairfaxcounty.gov 
• Board  of Supervisors – ClerktotheBOS@fairfaxcounty.gov 
• The  Honorable Dahlia Palchik, Providence District Supervisor, 3001 Vaden          Dr, Fairfax, VA 22031
• The  Honorable Penny Gross, Mason District Supervisor, 6507 Columbia Pike,          Annandale, VA 22003
• Fairfax County Planning Commission, 12000  Government Center Pkwy, Suite 552, Fairfax, VA 22035

In your letter, please reference zMod public hearing  AND ask that your comments be shared with the planning commission and be  made part of the public record.

Sincerely,

PRCA Board of Directors