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Date: 11/17/2023
Subject: MCA - In The News
From: McLean Citizens Association


MCA Successfully Lobbies for Modifications to Off-Street Parking and Loading Zoning Ordinance:
 
MCA secured several modifications to the County-staff proposed revisions to the current provisions relating to off-street parking and loading in Section 6 of the Zoning Ordinance that will mean more parking spaces in new developments than staff had proposed and a reduced risk of overflow parking in surrounding neighborhoods. We also succeeded in securing the agreement of the Board of Supervisors to Follow-on Motions that will assess whether the new minimum parking and loading rates are working or need to be revised and that will increase transparency regarding developer requests to reduce off-street parking below the mandated minimums.
 
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Conversion from Office to Residential Use
 
Office vacancies nationwide reached a thirty year high in the second quarter of 2023. This national problem was reflected in northern Virginia where, according to the Virginia Realtors, a trade association, office vacancies stood at 16.6% for that period. However, vacancies hit 19.7 % for Class A properties as major firms downsized as workers failed to return to the office after COVID.

The initial impact of office vacancies has been a decline in the assessed value of office proprieties and a drop in tax revenues which directly impact local governments. In Northern Virginia, it appears that cities and counties may either have to shift the tax burden to homeowners or cut services or both.
 
 In July 2023, MCA sent a letter to BOS Chairman Jeffery McKay requesting that 
county staff undertake a study of the impact of conversions on property values, county tax revenues, schools and public services. In August, MCA met with McKay’s aide, Barbara Bryon, as well as county staff, who reported that they had completed a report on repurposing and were looking at other forms of conversion. Last week, however, Tracy Strunk, Director of the FFC Department of Planning and Development, was quoted in the press a saying that county staff would release a ‘white paper’ next year on how building conversions have affected office and residential markets.
 
MCA will seek to continue the dialogue with county officials and staff. We will focus on the impact of declining property values and revenue streams and the increased need for public services on fiscal projections as part of the FY 2024/2025 county budget process.  
 

Report on the Commercial Signs Regulation Part II ZO Amendment

 

On October 18, 2023, the MCA Executive Committee approved a resolution on the proposed Sign Regulation Part II ZO Amendment. The resolution supported efforts to update the county zoning ordinance, but opposed many of its specific provisions. These included (1) an increase in the allowable nighttime brightness of electronic signs; (2) the elimination of limits on the size of reserved parking signs; (3) the lack of regulations on multifamily building signs and (4) the failure to ban illuminated electronic signs in windows of homebased businesses.


At a public hearing on October 25, 2023, the Planning Commission responded to critical comments by MCA and other organizations by sending the draft amendment back to county staff for reconsideration. The Commission instructed staff to provide Commission members with responses to the written and oral questions and comments the Commission received during the hearing.

 
Read More Here: News / Articles.
Status Update on the McLean Central Business District: 
 
On October 13th, 2023, Supervisor Foust issued an annual update on the McLean Community Business Center (CBC) development activity. Some highlights are below.

The following table illustrates the existing, entitled, and milestone development level in the Center, General and Edge Zones of the McLean CBC.
CBD
As of October 1, 2023, there are 758 residential units existing and entitled in the Center and General Zones of the CBC, which is below the milestone level of development by 902 units. There have been no changes to the amount of existing and entitled residential units since last year’s memo dated July 7, 2022. Information about previously approved cases and those under review are included in the full memorandum (see below for link).
It is important to note that there were no zoning applications approved between June 30,2022 and October 1, 2023. There are three zoning applications under review in the McLean CBC that propose a total of 234 additional multifamily residential units, approximately 74,000 square feet of office use, and 1,700 square feet of retail use. The new development proposed by these applications would replace approximately 155,000 square feet of office use and a 2,000 square foot freestanding restaurant. 

Read the full report here: McLean Central Business District Annual Development Update
See all events here: calendar

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