Land currently zoned for industrial use across Fairfax County could be converted to residential zoning in an effort to bring more housing stock to the county.
As part of a larger “Plan Forward” initiative started in 2022, Department of Planning and Development (DPD) staff have proposed amending the county’s comprehensive plan to allow more flexibility for industrial land to turn into residential development, while also retaining some designated industrial areas.
However, the Board of Supervisors cautioned at a land use committee meeting on Tuesday (March 11) that a conversion effort shouldn’t be taken too far.
“It’s essential that we protect these industrial areas,” Board Chairman Jeff McKay said.
“Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back,” added Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk.
Fairfax County has about 8,300 acres zoned for industrial use, representing about 3.4% of total county land area. The zoning category includes uses ranging from auto-repair shops to warehouses and data centers.
The county commissioned a study from its consultant Clarion last year to look at industrial uses and potential repurposing. Declining commercial property values and increased vacancies have become a persistent economic concern for local leaders, though so far, office buildings are the main culprit.
Kelly Atkinson, director of the DPD’s planning division, said the need for industrial space will remain, but “may not be as robust” going forward. For now, with a vacancy rate of just 4.9%, land zoned for industrial uses is in demand.
“It is still a really tight” market, Atkinson said.
Clarion’s September 2024 report suggests there are areas of the county where conversion from industrial to residential zoning would make sense. It says the county government should require high-density development and a robust package of community benefits from developers of those parcels.
Noting that industrial space is already in relatively limited supply in Fairfax County, the report recommends preserving the I-95 corridor, the southern half of the Capital Beltway and the Ravensworth area near Annandale as important areas for industrial development.
However, existing industrial sites in Metro’s Silver and Orange line corridors, including Tysons, Reston, Merrifield and Herndon, might be more suited for repurposing, since they have become more isolated and “increasingly out of character” with the surrounding development, the report says.
The report also recommends reconciling the comprehensive plan’s vision of more mixed-use development in the Dulles Suburban Center along Route 28 with the area’s current status as a major employment center, though more housing has emerged in recent years.
“Given the concentration of existing non-residential uses, and in recognition of the on-going need for non-residential support services for nearby Dulles airport, this is one of the areas where the County should strive in particular to maintain a supply of industrial land,” Clarion said in its report.
Pressing the hardest for residential conversion at Tuesday’s meeting was Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck, who argued that finding ways to add more housing and keep costs down is key to a bright economic future.
“The heaviest industrial [areas] served a long-term purpose,” Storck said, but that era may be coming to an end.
“I don’t think it’s for the most part essential,” he said.
Others took a middle-ground approach.
“There probably is a mix-and-match that makes sense,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said.
McKay noted that in many areas of the county, land zoned for industrial use is often used for office and retail facilities. Moving out those operations to properties zoned for commercial use might help preserve true industrial properties while also providing space for housing.
One of the major uses of industrial land across Northern Virginia has been to accommodate an increasing number of sprawling data centers. But with just 250 acres of vacant industrial land across 67 parcels, Fairfax County typically isn’t a good fit for those operators, Atkinson said.
“There isn’t much land available in the county, and the land available tends to be small,” she said.
