A 113-unit independent living facility for seniors in Seven Corners is moving forward in the Fairfax County’s planning and approval process.
The Board of Supervisors will consider a plan next month by First Christian Church and developer Wesley Housing to build a 113-unit living facility, along with up to 5,000 square feet of medical and general office space at 6165 Leesburg Pike. A public hearing is slated for April 12.
The 7-acre parcel is developed with the roughly 27,500-square-foot church, which was built in 1965.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously approved the proposal — which implements changes to the Comprehensive Plan — at a meeting on Wednesday night (March 23).
At previous meetings, residents and community members expressed concerns about tree canopy preservation and stormwater management.
Mason District Commissioner Julie Strandlie said many concerns can be addressed once the proposal moves forward to the zoning process.
“The comprehensive plan outlines priorities and aspirations for the community,” she said. “A zoning application will drill down to specifics about the building parking stormwater management tree canopy and more.”
To move the project forward, the county has to amend its Comprehensive Plan. The review process began in January 2021 and has involved analyses of impacts on stormwater management, tree preservation, landscaping, and parking.
As part of the review, the county is conducting a transportation analysis of Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, a mosque in Barcroft, just outside the Seven Corners Community Business Center, that is eyeing expansion in the near future.
Currently, the area is mostly developed with residential neighborhoods.
In a report, staff said the plan has minimal impacts on existing county services like parks, schools, and the overall transportation network.
A Mason District Task Force created by the board voted unanimously in January to support the project. But it encouraged the county to consider if other transit options could lessen the need for new parking spaces in order to minimize their use.
Tree preservation and minimizing environmental impacts will maintain a critical part of decision-making, county staff said in their report.
Staff expects that the amount of parking will be evaluated during the entitlement review process.
The application to amend the comprehensive plan was part of a two-year-long process that courted site-specific revisions from the public for the South County area.
In public hearings, residents of the neighboring Ravenwood Park neighborhood shared concerns about major flooding in their neighborhood. One resident reported “sleepless nights during storms” and more than $50,000 in repair costs.
Strandlie said the county is working with the Virginia Department of Transportation to address flooding issues and stormwater management.
The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority is looking at upgrading properties to get residents more connected.
County staff are evaluating whether it could add Wi-Fi to common areas in public housing and create computer rooms at senior housing properties.
“Currently, residents must purchase internet service through a service provider for their unit,” FCRHA spokesperson Ben Boxer said in an email. “That utility is not provided by the FCRHA in each unit.”
FCRHA Mount Vernon District Commissioner Elisabeth Lardner introduced the proposal at the commissioners’ Jan. 20 board meeting. She suggested developing a pilot program with the county’s Neighborhood and Community Services Department or a nonprofit.
County staff are still assessing the ideas and in the early stages of research and analysis, Boxer said last Thursday (March 3).
As of last June, the authority owned and operated 3,005 units of multifamily housing, 505 units of independent senior housing, 112 beds of assisted living, and 205 units/beds of specialized housing — including group homes, shelter facilities and a mobile home park, according to an audit.
“Unfortunately, due to the diversity that exists between the different properties owned by the FCRHA, there is no hard and fast unit criteria that can be used to indicate which properties have ‘common areas’ and which do not,” Boxer told FFXnow.
It’s unclear how much the upgrades would cost.
Fairfax County is updating its aging plan, gathering public input to address key issues for older adults.
The county started sending out postcards last month to notify a random sample of households chosen to participate in its Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults, which was last conducted in 2019.
Department of Family Services spokesperson Kathleen Thomas says the survey asks questions about older residents’ personal habits and opinions on a variety of topics:
The survey will ask information about the lifestyles of older adults, including opportunities to work, socialize and volunteer, as well as issues they face, such as retirement, housing, and caregiving, and their use of community services like public transportation and senior centers. Questions also ask about the quality of services such as parks and infrastructure, and opportunities for health and wellness, education, and the arts in the community.
Research firm Polco is conducting the survey. For those who don’t receive it, there will be a chance to provide feedback through community forums in coming months.
The results will help the county develop a SHAPE the Future of Aging Plan, which stands for:
- Services for Older Adults & Family Caregivers
- Housing & Neighborhood Supports
- Access to Mobility Options
- Personal Well-Being
- Economic Stability and Planning
Fairfax County is currently home to 398,982 residents aged 50 and older. The long-term strategic plan will guide how the county allocates resources for services and programs that benefit that population and make the community a friendlier and more livable place for them.
The SHAPE plan has been in the works since at least September 2019 to succeed a 50+ Community Action Plan that the county adopted in 2014 for a five-year term.
According to the county website, staff will start analyzing the results of the survey this spring or summer, with a presentation to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ Older Adults Committee coming in the fall.
The Board of Supervisors is currently expected to approve the SHAPE plan in 2023.
Nearly 400,000 Fairfax area residents are 50+ and we need their input! If you’re in this age group, you might get a survey in your mailbox – follow the directions to complete it and be heard on issues important to aging. Learn more: https://t.co/w87ZASZ2Bl pic.twitter.com/ES40vfj1Bc
— Fairfax County Neighborhood & Community Services (@FairfaxNCS) March 1, 2022
Photo via Fairfax County
Fairfax County has officially expanded its tax relief program for seniors and people with disabilities for the first time in more than 15 years.
At a Tuesday (Dec. 7) meeting, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved expanding the county’s real estate tax relief program by allowing people with higher incomes and net worth to qualify. A 75% tax relief bracket was also added, and the program gives some residents the option to defer payments.
The changes are expected to serve an additional 2,500 Fairfax County residents, according to Jay Doshi, director of the county’s Department of Tax Administration.
Doshi said the county’s tax relief program is now three times the size of Virginia Beach’s program, which is the next largest jurisdiction in the state.
“These proposals represent the largest change and an increase for our residents,” Doshi said.
The maximum gross income to qualify for tax relief was raised from $72,000 to $90,000, while the limit on net worth increased from up to $340,000 to $400,000.
The program also allows homeowners to exclude up to five acres of land that can’t be subdivided when calculating their net worth.
The 75% relief bracket would be available to households with a combined income of between $60,0001 to $70,000. But the amount of tax relief for all brackets would be capped at 125% of the mean assessed value of county homes.
Residents can also defer payment of real estate taxes if the household has a combined total income not more than $100,000 and a net worth of $500,000. Deferred taxes would be subject to interest.
Changes will go into effect on Jan. 1 and will be phased out over the next two years.
Older adults pushed for the changes at Tuesday’s board meeting.
“Having a tax relief program designed for the economic reality of 2006 does not make sense in the economic reality of 2021,” said Catherine Cole, chairwoman of the Fairfax Area Commission on Aging.
Cole noted that rapid inflation, rising economic insecurity among the county’s older populations, declining assets, and rising housing costs have strained many seniors, pushing some to leave Fairfax County.
“It would make sense to encourage those who are growing older to remain in their homes,” Cole said.
But others said the changes did not go far enough.
Daniel Campbell, a Fairfax County resident with two adult sons who are handicapped, said the county should consider freezing property tax assessments once residents retire and remove net worth as a requirement for seniors to qualify for property tax relief.
He said the net worth requirement penalizes people who have significant savings. Campbell and his wife hope to leave savings for their sons in the form of a special needs trust.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said the changes — though imperfect — were long “overdue.”
“This has become an acute need at this point,” McKay said, calling the changes a significant advancement. He said the changes increased the yearly fiscal impact on the county from $28 million to $48 million.
McKay said he would like to evaluate tweaks to the program in the future.
Others said the county needs to find other ways to diversify its income beyond real estate taxes as the primary revenue source.
“Tax reform is really where we have to go,” said Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn. State law limits sources of revenue for jurisdictions.
But Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity — who supported the changes — said that controlling spending, not diversifying revenue should be the priority.
“It’s unfortunate that it took the pandemic for us to do this,” he said.
Graphic via Fairfax County Government
