The Vienna Town Council is in agreement that it must finish rewriting the town’s zoning code by the end of 2023, but that’s where any unanimity on priorities for the coming year ends.
At its first regular meeting of the year on Monday (Jan. 9), the council voted 4-3 to set four top priorities for 2023: complete Code Create Vienna, develop a parks master plan, review the town’s noise ordinance, and explore ways to improve the local tree canopy.
Boasting the most proposals for redevelopment and zoning changes, Reston and the Hunter Mill District will get two open houses to discuss several major applications to change Fairfax County’s zoning guidelines.
The process — known as the Site Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) — opens up the county’s comprehensive plan to land use changes. After receiving dozens of proposals, the county’s Board of Supervisors selected 75 nominations, 13 of which are in the Hunter Mill District.
Parking requirements in Fairfax County — which are getting their first major overhaul since 1988 — are set for public hearings later this year.
The multi-year effort — coined Parking Reimagined — is the focus of an open house coming this week.
Upgraded lighting is no longer a component of upgrades to the Barton Hill tennis courts in Reston.
Reston Association will not challenge the Oct. 26 vote by the Fairfax County Board of Appeals upholding an earlier decision to require additional approvals before lights can be installed at the facility.
With a high office and commercial vacancy rate and over 1,000 locals experiencing homelessness, Fairfax County is considering a zoning change that could use one problem to help solve the other.
The proposal would allow unused commercial spaces, including office and hotel space, to be used as emergency shelters for those experiencing homelessness.
There will be no ice skating at the Mosaic District this winter.
The Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals agreed on Wednesday (Oct. 19) to postpone a decision on Rink Management Services Corporation’s special permit request for a rink in the Merrifield neighborhood that would have roller skating in the spring and ice skating in the winter.
The end of Fairfax County’s state of emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic won’t mean the end of expanded outdoor dining.
At a land use policy committee meeting last week, the Board of Supervisors indicated strong support for permanently relaxing the county’s permitting rules to let restaurants and other food and drink service establishments set up temporary outdoor dining areas.
An effort is underway to preserve the dark skies around the Turner Farm Park Observatory in Great Falls.
To reduce light pollution in the area, Fairfax County is considering amending zoning standards for outdoor lighting within one-half mile of the observatory, which is located at the intersection of Georgetown Pike and Springvale Road.
After more than 50 meetings, Fairfax County will present draft amendments to Reston’s comprehensive plan at public meetings this fall, advancing the first major update to the planning document since 2015.
The process kicked off in 2020 to determine how new development will impact the community, public infrastructure and growth-related issues. Reston has seen more than 50 rezoning applications since the last update in 2015, prompting concerns about growth management.
A Hindu temple in Chantilly is seeking the county’s permission to build a community center across the street from its main religious temple.
The team behind the Rajdhani Mandir has filed an application with the county to construct a community building on a 10-acre site across the road from the existing temple building at 4525 Pleasant Valley Road.
