Proposed Zoning Changes Could Impact Your Neighborhood
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County staff is proposing some zoning changes on Accessory Dwelling Units (now called Accessory Living Units) that could significantly impact the character and density of our residential neighborhoods. More details below on this change and the zMOD process. The Board will hold a public hearing on March 9th at 4 p.m. as a part of the zMOD process.
Proposed Regulations on the Flying of the American and Other Flags
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County staff is proposing a regulation that would restrict the flying of the American and other flags. It would limit the height of flagpoles to 25 feet on single family lots and 60 feet on all other lots. In addition, the proposed amendment would also limit single-family lots to two flags, each limited to a maximum size of 24 square feet. The County is trying to solve a problem that currently does not exist. I find this to be a poorly thought-out amendment and one that I will strongly oppose if it comes before the Board of Supervisors. The Board will hold a public hearing on the regulations on March 9th at 4 p.m. as a part of the zMOD process.
Initial thoughts on the FY2022 Advertised Budget
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At the February 23rd Board meeting, the County Executive presented the Advertised Budget for FY2022. While this budget includes a decrease of one penny in the tax rate, it results in an overall increase of 3.4 percent for the average homeowner because of the rise in assessment values. As a taxpayer, I would have hoped for at least a flat tax bill from my government during a pandemic. Taxes for the average homeowner have increased 45 percent over the last ten years. A budget that raises taxes an additional 3.4 percent this year is not only unsustainable, but unacceptable in light of the pandemic and the challenges our community is facing. See more of my initial thoughts on the budget below.
Vaccine Update
- I want to report some progress we have made in the vaccine rollout, share what is being worked on, and highlight the latest blog posts from our health department on some very important information. I am pleased to see the increased transparency on the vaccine doses and queue as I continue to work with staff to address issues as they arise. To date the health department has received 192,573 doses from the Virginia Department of Health and has administered 183,076 (includes first and second doses). Vaccine supply from the state is still limited at about 16,380 doses per week, but our health department and vaccine partners are working tirelessly to administer these as quickly as possible, working down our queue to under 100,000 on the wait list. See below for details on the queue system and links to the latest blogs from the health department.
Annual Summer Concert Series at Burke Lake Park
- I am excited to announce that we are well along in the planning process for the annual summer concert series at Burke Lake Park. While we cannot predict the pandemic conditions of this summer, I am extremely excited and hopeful that our community will continue to move in a good direction, and we will be able to host the concerts in a way that is safe and fun. See below for more details and the full line-up of performing bands.
Board Votes to Ban Plastic Bags for Yard Waste
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On February 23rd, the Board voted to ban the use of plastic bags for yard waste. I was the only Supervisor to speak against and to vote against the ban for the reasons I have reported on previously in the Herrity Report. My amendment to revise the ban to exclude biodegradable bags failed to receive a second. The ban went into effect on March 1st but there will be a grace period until April 19th. Additional details below.
Other News & Information...
- DTA Tax Assessments
- Agritourism Town Hall (March 29)
- Budget Town Hall (March 31)
- Teen Job Fairs (March 13 and 20)
- Sully Police District Community Engagement Meeting
- 19
- Fairfax Water Payment Assistance
- Four-Legged Friend of the Month: Ruth
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Proposed Zoning Changes Could Impact Your Neighborhood
County staff is proposing some zoning changes that could significantly impact the character of our residential neighborhoods as a part of the Zoning Modernization Project (zMOD). The goal of the zMOD project was to modernize the County’s current zoning ordinance to make regulations easier to understand and updated since the ordinance was originally adopted in 1978 without making significant modifications. However, staff is also proposing revisions to standards for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU)s (renamed Accessory Living Units (ALUs) in an attempt to be more appealing).
Currently, all ADUs require special permit review before the Board of Zoning Appeals and are limited to seniors and those with disabilities. Staff is proposing a more streamlined process that would allow administrative approval of an ADU when located within the principal dwelling. Staff is also proposing to limit the size to 1200 square feet. Currently, an ADU is only allowed if someone on the property meets certain age or disability restrictions, but the Board and staff are looking to delete those constraints which may result in an increase of these units in our residential neighborhoods.
While I support easing the requirements for ADUs with the current age and disability restrictions, I oppose eliminating these restrictions. Removal of these restrictions would give most residential housing the ability to add an additional dwelling unit and has the potential to significantly increase the density in our residential neighborhoods and have impact on schools and roads.
The Board will hold a public hearing on March 9th at 4 p.m. as a part of the ZMOD process.
The zMOD process itself was launched in 2017. zMOD is the name given to the strategic plan to modernize our Zoning Ordinance to carry out the County’s strategic plan and initiatives. It was described as a rewrite of our current processes without significant changes. However, several significant changes impacting our neighborhoods have been slipped in. These include the ADU/ALU changes, the flag regulations and regulations on home-based businesses.
Since 2017, our office has received correspondence from residents, HOAs, and businesses concerned that zMOD still has unaddressed issues that need to be further examined before it is adopted by the Board.
Of concern to many residents are the proposed changes to Accessory Living Units that I discussed above and will be included in zMOD; these proposed changes may be found here.
Echoing our HOA partners and members of the community who have written to our office, I believe that more time is needed to closely examine issues raised during zMOD outreach, including the changes on ADU/ALUs, the flag regulations (discussed below) and home-based businesses.
To sign up to testify or provide testimony regarding zMOD before our upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting, please see this page.
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Proposed Regulations on the Flying of the American and Other Flags
County staff proposed a regulation that would restrict the flying of the American and other flags. It would limit the height of flagpoles to 25 feet on single family lots and 60 feet on all other lots. In addition, the proposed amendment would also limit single-family lots to two flags, each limited to a maximum size of 24 square feet. This item received a unanimous vote against it by the Planning Commission at its March 3rd meeting but will still be coming to the Board of Supervisors on March 9th.
The County is trying to solve a problem that does not exist. I find this to be a poorly thought-out amendment and one that I will strongly oppose if it comes before the Board of Supervisors. I will not support regulating the size of the American flag – it needs to be exempted from regulation. The Board will hold a public hearing on the regulations on March 9th at 4 p.m. as a part of the zMOD process.
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First Look at the FY2022 Budget
At the February 23rd Board meeting, the County Executive presented the Advertised Budget for FY2022. While this budget includes a decrease of one penny in the tax rate, it results in an overall increase of 3.4 percent for the average homeowner because of the rise in assessment values. As a taxpayer, I would have hoped for at least a flat tax bill from my government during a pandemic. Taxes for the average homeowner have increased 45 percent over the last ten years. A budget that raises taxes an additional 3.4 percent this year is not only unsustainable, but unacceptable in light of the pandemic and the challenges our community is facing.
Instead of focusing on the pandemic response and providing tax relief to our residents, this budget includes staffing new programs and facilities . The Board needs to be doing what our residents are having to do and figure out ways to work within our means.
There are some simple steps we could start with, including a request that I made but could not get a second for last year, to review new programs started in the last 10 years (when taxes increased 45 percent) for their effectiveness and to see if they are still a priority. There are significant new positions for new county facilities that we should consider deferring the opening of. Additionally, we should not be expanding the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office with 15 new positions at a cost of over $2.5M given he has stopped prosecuting misdemeanors and many felony cases resulting in a caseload decrease from the previous Commonwealth’s Attorney.
My annual budget town hall will be Wednesday, March 31st at 7 p.m. on Channel 16 with the County Executive. I encourage you to mark your calendars and plan to participate by calling in or submitting questions to springfieldbos@fairfaxcounty.gov . I will be providing more information about the town hall as we get closer.
For more information on the budget and to see the budget timeline, I encourage you to visit the county’s budget webpage.
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Vaccine Update
I want to report some progress we have made in the vaccine rollout, share what’s being worked on, and highlight the latest blog posts from our health department on some very important information. I am pleased to see the increased transparency on the vaccine doses and queue that I requested, and I will continue to work with staff to address issues as they arise.
To date the health department has received 192,573 doses from the Virginia Department of Health and has administered 183,076 (includes first and second doses). Vaccine supply from the state is still limited at about 16,380 doses per week, but our health department and vaccine partners are working tirelessly to administer these as quickly as possible, working down our queue to under 100,000 on the wait list.
For those of you interested in the details of the queue system, at Tuesday’s Board meeting the health department shared a very helpful presentation on how they are handling registration data. You can watch that presentation from the Health and Human Services Committee meeting here starting at the 1:05:00 mark. From the beginning of this process, I have been advocating that we need to offer as much transparency as possible. I am glad to see the health department is continuing to update its dashboard and residents can check on their registration status with the registration status checker.
In addition to transparency, County staff are constantly working on streamlining the vaccine process. At Tuesday’s meeting, I asked that staff set up ways to answer vaccine questions without residents having to use the hotline number. Right now, many of the vaccine FAQs will direct you to the call center, which while very helpful, can have long wait times. By diverting some questions away from the call center, we can open up availability for those who cannot access information online. For example, thankfully there is now a way you can cancel your vaccine registration online if you received the vaccine somewhere else.
One issue I have been working with staff to address is residents scheduled to be vaccinated through Inova are running into various issues with Inova’s MyChart system. I brought this issue up at Tuesday’s Board meeting and am glad to see that the vaccine call center (703-324-7404) now has a warm handoff established with Inova to support those who may call the health department call center for assistance. Since the County has no control over Inova’s systems, this coordination is critical to helping residents get the help they need from Inova to schedule their vaccine appointment.
For direct assistance, Inova has offered the following: “For assistance with MyChart registration, call 855 694 6682. Select “4” to speak to representative: The MyChart team will reach out between the hours of 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. to get your Inova MyChart account established. If you are still unable to sign-up, please send an email to MyChart Identity (MyChartIdentity@inova.org) with your phone number. Requests will be handled in the order in which they are received.”
For more vaccine updates, I encourage you to see some of the most recent blog posts released by our health department linked below:
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Annual Summer Concert Series at Burke Lake Park
I am excited to announce that we are well along in the planning process for the annual summer concert series at Burke Lake Park. While we cannot predict the pandemic conditions of this summer, I am extremely excited and hopeful that our community will continue to move in a good direction and we will be able to host the concerts in a way that is safe and fun.
The concerts will run every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. from July 14th through August 18th at Burke Lake Park. For a list of the great bands that will be performing, see below. As in previous years, the opening acts of each show will be some of our own talented high school musicians. This year’s series should be a great one and I look forward to hosting it with our Park Authority, Park Foundation, and sponsors.
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Board Votes to Ban Plastic Bags for Yard Waste
On February 23rd, the Board voted to ban the use of plastic bags for yard waste. I was the only Supervisor to speak against and to vote against the ban for the reasons I have shared previously in the Herrity Report. I attempted to amend the ban to exclude biodegradable bags but the motion to amend failed to receive a second and was not considered.
The ban went into effect on March 1st but there will be a grace period until April 19th.
I voted against the ban based on the input I have received from residents, the fiscal impact on residents, the inequitable impact of the ban on our older adults as well as residents living in heavily wooded areas, and unanswered questions including the impact on illegal dumping. In my newsletters from February and December last year, I shared what was concerning about the way this ban has been pushed forward.
The County’s new information page on yard waste disposal can be found here.
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Other News & Information...
DTA Tax Assessments
Recently received your new tax assessment for your home? If you are looking for further assistance or disagree with the assessment given, connect with County staff appraisers virtually to discuss your assessment questions. Make an appointment or call our staff appraisers at 703-222-8234 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You may also review real estate information from DTA online at this link.
Agritourism Town Hall
County staff are proposing revisions to the zoning regulations on Agritourism. Last year, just prior to the pandemic, I held a Town Hall in Clifton to discuss the proposed changes. This month, I will be hosting a Town Hall on the revised proposal. The event will be broadcast on Channel 16 and Facebook on March 29 at 7:30PM. We will have more details including call in information closer to the event.
Budget Town Hall
I will be holding my annual budget town hall on March 31 at 7 p.m. on Channel 16 and Facebook Live. I will sit down with County Executive Bryan Hill to take questions from our constituents on their concerns with our budget.
Teen Job Fairs
The first of the Teen Job Fair Series is less than ten days away, but this is still a great time for businesses and students to sign up to participate. The fairs will be hosted virtually through Brazen, a professional job fair platform, and are free for students and businesses. Mark your calendars for the fairs on Saturday, March 13th from 2-5 p.m. and Saturday, March 20th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information and for links to sign up, you can visit here.
Sully Police District Community Engagement Meeting
The Sully District Police Station will be holding a Community Engagement Meeting on March 10:
March 10, 2021 06:00 PM Eastern Time
Agenda:
- Welcome - Tom Pickett
- Opioid Update
- Inspector Steve Donaghey with the Postal Inspection Service
- Postal Inspectors job and the help we can provide
- Tips and advice to avoid being a victim of mail fraud
- Station House Update - Lieutenant Josh Laitinen
- Upcoming Events - MPO Sabrina Ruck
- Next Community Engagement Meeting - April 14, 2021
- Close - Tom Pickett
Fairfax Water Payment Assistance
If you need assistance paying your Fairfax Water bill, an application is available on Fairfax Water’s website at this link. To qualify, you must meet certain eligibility requirements, attest that you are experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus public health emergency, and submit an application to Fairfax Water. Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so please apply soon.
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Email
Office
(703) 451-8873
Website
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Teen Job Fairs
Saturday, March 13
2-5 p.m.
Saturday, March 20
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Randy Thompson Band
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
The Skip Castro Band
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
The Road Ducks
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
The Johnny Artis Band
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
Practically Einstein
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
The Colin Thompson Band
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
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Four-Legged-Friend of the Month |
Ruth is a 1.5 year old Hound Mix who was found by the Shelter at a bus station. This high energy dog enjoys exercise and going on walks and runs. This well-behaved dog does enjoy barking, and would benefit from an experienced owner who currently does not own other dogs or has kids at home. If you are interested in adopting Ruth, please click here.
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