|
|
|
|
|
|
The Rose Hill Coalition LLC provides current information on Land-Use issues directly affecting the Rose Hill Planning District within Franconia and adjacent communities in Fairfax County, Virginia. The Coalition supports full transparency in land use issues directly affecting local residents.
|
|
|
|
Coalition Update
July 14, 2024
|
|
|
RECAP OF DATA CENTER MEETING WITH CHAIRMAN MCKAY
|
The following information is provided by Save Bren Mar and the data center coalition regarding last week's meeting with Chairman Jeff McKay.
|
|
|
Thank you all for your support in requesting the meeting with Chairman McKay.
|
I wish I was writing with better news, but the meeting was not great and we need to all make our voices heard and have our communities engaged between now and Tuesday.
|
Tuesday night will be critical to share your views with the Chairman, each of our Supervisors, and the Board as a whole to act in the interest of our residents, communities, and the environment.
|
Key Meeting Takeaways
|
Chairman McKay indicated that he does not support Special Exceptions for all data centers and that he has never heard a convincing argument for why there shouldn't be by right. The county continues to use the line that they need to guide data centers to the heaviest industrial areas in the county, including I-5 districts. This completely ignores the fact that those specific districts are directly adjacent to Residential Districts. This proximity should be the convincing argument as to why a Special Exception is needed.
|
Secondly, the Chairman did not feel that unapproved data centers should adhere to the new zoning ordinance protections. He stated that this wasn't the typical practice of the county and that he wasn't sure the county could do that with fear of a legal challenge. This is also untrue. In at least 16 instances the county has acted in this same exact way when providing applicability language. Additionally, most times the county doesn't even include applicability language in Zoning Ordinance Amendments (only 9% of the time). We're finalizing a letter on this specific point which will go out tomorrow morning.
|
|
Third, the Chairman also wasn't set on the 1-mile distance from the metro that the Planning Commission unanimously approved.
|
Please consider sharing your public comments and emails with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Sample language is available on the Save Bren Mar website. Feel free to share with your neighbors and communities and adapt to fit your needs.
|
Residents can show up on Tuesday, July 16, for the 4 pm Public Hearing and BOS vote to speak (you can arrive late and still speak), send emails beforehand, and if you can't make it in person, you can also record a video and submit by 9 am tomorrow.
|
|
|
|
Data Centers Zoning Ordinance Amendment
The second of two Public Hearings on a proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment to strengthen the standards for data centers is scheduled for Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at 4:00 pm. After considering the recommendations of the Planning Commission (approve with additional changes) and listening to additional public testimony this Tuesday, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will make the deciding vote on the amendment.
|
|
How to Provide Public Hearing Testimony
|
|
Note that procedures for a Board of Supervisors Public Hearing are different from the procedures for the Planning Commission.
|
|
|
|
Mark Your Calendar
JULY 16 (Tuesday), 4 pm
Public Hearing: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
|
- Zoning Ordinance Amendment to strengthen the standards for data centers
- Comprehensive Plan Amendment on workforce dwelling unit policies
|
September 12 (Thursday), 7 pm
|
Public Hearing: Franconia Governmental Center Redevelopment, Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority
|
|
|
|
How to Provide Public Hearing Testimony
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stay In Touch!
Emails are kept confidential and not shared.
You may request to be removed from the list at any time.
|
|
Copyright 2024 Rose Hill Coalition LLC. All Rights Reserved.
|
|