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In this edition:

 one

Protecting Our Suburban Neighborhoods from Residential Studio Units

Our suburban neighborhoods are one of the things that make Fairfax County the great place it is to live and do business. When I first ran for office in 2007, one of my three key platforms was "Protecting Our Suburban Neighborhoods." Since then I have been working hard to protect our suburban neighborhoods from challenges including fighting illegal boarding houses, gangs and sexual predators, promoting public safety and keeping our schools the best in the nation.

Like many of my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, I believe we need to urbanize certain corridors of the county. I support the establishment of housing choices such as RSUs as long as they are located in areas zoned for similar densities and not in our suburban neighborhoods. However, I see the proposed Residential Studio Unit (RSU) ordinance as currently written as an attack on the character of our suburban neighborhoods. These high density units do not belong in our low density residential communities and the rent controls on these units prevent our policemen, firemen, teachers and young professionals from accessing them. I vehemently oppose the provision allowing the conversion of single family homes and I support the many changes recommended by the Fairfax County Federation of Civic Associations.

The proposed ordinance needs significant revision or it needs to be defeated.

What Does the RSU Ordinance Allow? As advertised, the ordinance would allow the development of a new type of multifamily housing with increased density (number of units) allowed in the County's low density residential, industrial and commercial zoning districts. Residential studio units are efficiency or studio apartments (zero bedrooms) that cannot be more than 500 square feet of gross floor area, inclusive of an in-unit bathroom and kitchen. A development may include from 3 to up to 75 units and must have direct access to a "collector street." Eighty percent of the units must be subject to rent control and the occupants must have incomes below 60% of Area Medium Income (AMI), currently $45,000. The current proposed ordinance includes an option for conversion of single family homes to multifamily RSUs.

RSUs do not belong in our low density suburban neighborhoods

Allowing the additional density provided by the RSU ordinance in the midst of our communities would change their very character. This proposal would allow a developer to convert an existing parcel or single family home in our low density neighborhoods to a RSU complex. This would bring with it all the inherent problems we have seen with overcrowding including absentee landlords, parking, traffic congestion, storm water runoff and school crowding.

Let me give you an example of what this could look like. In the Springfield District, there is a small church on a 4-acre site currently surrounded by single family detached homes, similar to the many homes you see throughout West Springfield, Burke and other suburban neighborhoods throughout the county. If this proposed zoning ordinance were approved, a developer could construct a multifamily residential building with up to 48 RSUs on the church's property. Given the increase in traffic congestion and storm water runoff and the many other problems we are already experiencing with infill development in our communities, I cannot accept a zoning amendment that would only intensify these issues.

Staff states that any development proposal is subject to special exception approval by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors and that exceptions probably will not be approved in our residential neighborhoods. That is simply not enough of a guarantee that this type of housing will not be allowed in our lower density residential communities. We must have a bright line rule that will allow little or no room for interpretation and produces consistent and predictable results in its application when it comes to our neighborhoods.

If the RSU ordinance is not revised to exclude them from our suburban neighborhoods I will not be supporting it.

Rent controls required by RSU ordinance would shut out many of the target populations including teachers, firemen and policemen

The proposed RSU ordinance requires at least 80% of the units to have rent controls that would prohibit rents of more than $11,250 per year (adjusted annually for AMI). Moreover, it would require residents in these units to earn no more than 60 % of Area Median Income - currently $45,000 for a single individual.

These rent controls would put RSUs out of reach for the vast majority of teachers, policemen, firemen and other young professionals, as their incomes typically exceed $45,000. If two or three people were living in an RSU, all their wages would count against the rent control salary caps. In addition, as occupants' wages increased above these income caps, they generally would be forced to move.

Nationally, rent controls have proven not to work and create problems.

I do not support rent control housing in Fairfax County. Removal of the rent controls would put the units in reach of the teachers, firemen, policemen and our other young professionals that need housing options. The ordinance does not need to include rent controls in order to provide housing options.

RSU Ordinance Permits the Conversion of Single Family Home to a RSU Development

The current ordinance includes an option for a provision to convert an existing single family home to several RSUs. I will not support an option that allows the conversion of a single family home to multiple RSUs - essentially legalizing the boarding house and overcrowding issues we have been struggling to deal with in the county. It will destroy the character of our suburban neighborhoods.

Other thoughts - I support the resolutions passed by many of our civic organizations, including the Fairfax County Federation of Civic Associations http://www.fairfaxfederation.org/resolutions/ResolutionResidentialStudiosBoardApproved20130919.pdf
Consistent with those resolutions, I will work to revise the RSU Ordinance to:

  • Prohibit RSUs under this ordinance in areas with below R-20 zoning, as RSU ordinances have been implemented in other Virginia jurisdictions
  • Ensure current open space requirements cannot be waived
  • Limited the number of RSUs permitted to a maximum of 60 units at one site, as in other Virginia jurisdictions
  • Ensure the units are primarily single occupancy to reduce the impact to schools and traffic congestion.
  • Ensure current parking requirements cannot be waived

Communicate your Thoughts - The Board of Supervisors has not scheduled any additional discussions on the RSU ordinance until it comes before us from the Planning Commission, despite significant bipartisan objections to the ordinance as it currently is written. Therefore I encourage you to contact your Planning Commissioner as well as your Supervisor with your thoughts on the RSU ordinance. The schedule of public hearings and meetings on the proposed RSU ordinance can be found on the Planning Commission's website here: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning/rsu/rsu.htm.

 

In addition, I will be co-hosting a Town Hall on the RSU ordinance with the Springfield District Council on December 4th at 7:30pm, at the West Springfield Governmental Center, 6140 Rolling Road, Springfield, 22152 so I can hear from you on this important proposal.

 two

Teen Sex Trafficking - A Real and Present Danger

Fairfax County is the best place to live and work in the country for many reasons, including our low crime rate. But even though we live in an extremely safe area, it doesn't mean that crime does not exist. One such crime that the county is working hard to clamp down on is teen sex trafficking which has seen a rise in our area.

Teen sex trafficking is a reality here in Northern Virginia, and is largely run by gangs who are finding that it is more lucrative than their traditional trades of drugs and weapons. Last Tuesday the Board passed a measure to accept a grant from the Department of Justice for $500,000 to the Fairfax County Police Department over two years to fund, among other things, a new Human Trafficking Unit. A full-time detective and a full-time crime analyst are now dedicated to conducting human trafficking investigations in Fairfax County. They will also coordinate the overall investigative efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement members of the Human Trafficking Task Force in Northern Virginia.  An additional $500,000 over two years was awarded to the Polaris Project to provide services to victims of human trafficking issues in collaboration with the task force.

This grant will go a long way in building on the groundwork that county police and our regional partners have already accomplished, and will give them more resources to go out and bring down these gangs. Leaders like Congressman Frank Wolf and Delegate Barbara Comstock have been huge advocates in this cause, and I would like to thank them for their efforts.

It is important for parents, to stay vigilant and talk to their kids about the dangers of gangs and strangers. These gangs exploit the internet, social media, and our schools to recruit kids of all demographics. Often times they target girls with self-confidence issues, and lure them into gang culture with compliments, then alcohol and drugs to make sure they stay there. The task force will be doing all they can to eradicate this terrible crime. In the meantime I urge you to read up on the subject at the following links, and watch the video from Human Trafficking Task Force's media briefing last Friday that I was honored to attend here - http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/news-releases/2013/101113humantraffickinggrant.htm

Resources:

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children - A Fact Sheet: http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/documents/CCSE_Fact_Sheet.pdf

FBI: Violent Crimes Against Children: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/cac/innocencelost

Washingtonian: You're Pretty, You Could Make Some Money: http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/youre-pretty-you-could-make-some-money/

Washington Post: Gangs in Northern Virginia Increasingly Selling Children for Sex: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/gangs-in-northern-virginia-increasingly-selling-children-for-sex/2013/09/29/3386e1a8-1c9c-11e3-82ef-a059e54c49d0_story.html?hpid=z2

The Polaris Project: Recognizing the Signs: http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/recognizing-the-signs

 three

Evaluating the Conversion of Additional Fairfax County Secondary Roads to Primary Roads

You may recall that last year, the classification (and subsequently, the route numbers) of the Fairfax County and Franconia-Springfield Parkways was changed from secondary to primary roads. I requested this change back in 2010 when a constituent noticed that Route 123, a primary road, was being repaved but the Fairfax County Parkway, which was in much worse condition, was not. By changing the roads' classification to primary, the Parkway became eligible for the increased construction and maintenance resources given by the state to primary roads. When the Board of Supervisors was discussing this potential change in classification, county staff evaluated making this change for Braddock Road as well. At that time, we did not pursue it as it did not meet all of VDOT's requirements for the conversion and the 50-mile-per-year transfer limit had already been reached.

Earlier this year, the Commonwealth Transportation Board revised its road transfer criteria. At the October 8 Board of Supervisors meeting, I requested that the Board ask staff to evaluate the pros and cons of making this change for Braddock Road. Supervisor McKay suggested that we amend the request to ask staff to look at all streets countywide that could be eligible for this change and to provide the pros and cons for each. The Board passed the amended motion unanimously and I look forward to seeing if this strategy to increase the money we receive from the state for road construction and maintenance makes as much sense as it appears to.

 four

Upcoming Document Shredding and Electronics Recycling Events

A free document shredding event for Fairfax County residents will be held Saturday, October 19th, at the West Springfield Government Center at 6140 Rolling Road. For more information as to what is/is not accepted, as well as additional dates at different locations, visit the Department of Public Works website. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/recycling/shredding.htm

On Sunday, October 20th, Fairfax County residents can recycle televisions, computers and peripheral devices - including keyboards, speakers, printers, external drives and other such materials - and unbroken fluorescent light bulbs and tubes at the I-66 Transfer Station on West Ox Road in Fairfax. This event is free for Fairfax County residents (you may be required to show proof of residency). For more information on this event, visit the Department of Public Works website. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/recycling/electric-sunday.htm

 

 

 

 

Web: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/springfield

Email: springfield@fairfaxcounty.gov

Phone: 703-451-8873