Loading...
R-22-42RESOLUTION NO. R-22-42 WHEREAS, § 15.2-2223 of the Code of Virginia requires the City Council to adopt a comprehensive plan for the physical development of the territory within the jurisdiction of the City of Fairfax and that it may be amended in parts that cover sections or divisions of the City; and WHEREAS, the City of Fairfax 2035 Comprehensive Plan recommends small area plans be developed for each of the five activity centers identified on the Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map to be incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan by reference as amendments to geographical sections of the City; and WHEREAS, at a public hearing on October 25, 2022, the City Council approved and adopted the Kamp Washington Small Area Plan; and WHEREAS, in order to properly reference the Kamp Washington Small Area Plan as part of the Comprehensive Plan and to avoid conflicting language between these documents, some portions of the Land Use Chapter and Multimodal Transportation Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan should be amended; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on October 10, 2022 and recommended to City Council approval and adoption of the proposed amendments to the City of Fairfax 2035 Comprehensive Plan, as shown in the Attachment A; and WHEREAS, the proposed amendments to the City of Fairfax 2035 Comprehensive Plan as recommended for approval by the Planning Commission, has been posted on the City website in accordance with § 15.2-2226 of the Code of Virginia; and WHEREAS, in accordance with § 15.2-2226 of the Code of Virginia, the City Council of the City of Fairfax held a public hearing on October 25, 2022 for the purpose of receiving comments related to the proposed amendments to the City of Fairfax 2035 Comprehensive Plan. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Fairfax hereby approves amendments to the City of Fairfax 2035 Comprehensive Plan as shown in Attachment A, as may be amended by the City Council. This resolution shall be effective as provided by law. Adopted this 25th day of October, 2022. Mayor Attest: The vote on the motion to approve was recorded as follows: VOTE: Councilmember Harmon Aye Councilmember Lim Aye Councilmember Miller Aye Councilmember Ross Aye Councilmember Stehle Aye Councilmember Yi Aye ATTACHMENT A Proposed Amendments to the City of Fairfax 2035 Comprehensive Plan for coordination with the Kamp Washington Small Area Plan Land Use Chapter PAGE 26 - SMALL AREA PLANS Small Area Plans are an opportunity to conduct detailed analyses of concentrated geographic areas of the City and provide more specific recommendations on issues such as land use and transportation than that provided in the Comprehensive Plan. Once approved, Small Area Plans replace the Comprehensive Plan as the primary source for guidance on development in the respective Activity Centers. As supported by Land Use Action CCAC2.3.5, Small Area Plans are proposed for each of the five Activity Centers. As each of the Small Area Plans is completed and adopted, the recommendations from that plan will supersede the Activity Center Place Type recommendations from the Future Land Use Map. This may include the guidance provided for Physical Characteristics, appropriate Street Types, Use Characteristics, and Residential Limitations. 'Small Area Plans weFehave been adopted forthe Old Town Fairfax`a*d Northfax, and Kamp Washington Activity Centers. While a -brief descriptions of these twaactivity centers is -are provided in the Activity Center Place Type description, please refer to the respective Small Area Plans for specific guidance for any area within these activity centers. The general guidance in the Activity Center Place Type description applies to the , _Fairfax Circle, and Pickett & Main until small area plans are adopted for those Activity Centers. PAGE 27 — FUTURE LAND USE MAP Existing: `� Orchard St ATTACHMENT A Proposed: Orchard St PP. 32-24 ACTIVITY CENTER Definition The Activity Center Place Type, identified in purple on the Future Land Use Map, applies to locations in the City where pedestrian -oriented, mixed -use development is strongly encouraged. (Mixed -use development is pedestrian -oriented development that allows multiple activities to take place by layering compatible land uses, public amenities, and active streets accommodating multimodal transportation, and community -serving commercial.) Uses should be integrated as a mix of commercial uses, multifamily housing, and townhouses, either in the same building (i.e., vertical mixed -use) or as a combination of single -use buildings featuring a range of complementary uses within the Activity Center (i.e., horizontal mixed -use). Phvsical Characteristics Activity Centers can accommodate a variety of building types based on the different uses permitted and varying characteristics among individual Activity Centers. Recommended physical characteristics for specific uses are provided under Use Characteristics (p. 33) and more specific recommendations are provided for the Old Town Fairfax,aad-Northfax, and Kamp Washington Activity Centers on the following pages. The Comprehensive Plan also recommends Small Area Plans be developed for each of the City's five Activity Centers. As each of these plans is completed and adopted, the recommendations will supersede the pre-existing guidance of this Comprehensive Plan. In general, new development in Activity Centers should support a connected street network as recommended in the Multimodal Transportation Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan; provide an improved streetscape and pedestrian connections to surrounding uses, including links to the existing pedestrian network; and include inviting public and/or private open spaces. Buildings should be oriented ATTACHMENT A toward streets or open spaces with direct pedestrian access to these areas. Parking should be provided in structured or below -grade facilities where reasonable. Development in Activity Centers must meet the Code of Virginia definition for an Urban Development Area (Virginia Code § 15.2-2223.1) and follow the recommendations for Private Site Design and Elements in the applicable district of the City of Fairfax Design Guidelines. Predicated on the underlying zoning district, the Activity Center Place Type supports a density of a minimum FAR of 0.4; at least six townhouses or at least 12 multifamily dwelling units per acre; or any proportional combination of residential and commercial densities with building heights predominantly five stories or less, unless otherwise specified in an adopted Small Area Plan. Use Characteristics Office: Office uses are acceptable as components of mixed -use buildings or as stand-alone buildings. Retail: Retail uses may be provided on the ground floor of mixed -use buildings, as stand-alone buildings, or on upper floors of buildings where larger tenant floor area requirements would detract from an active presence on the first floor. Retail uses are preferred along Commercial Mains, except where indicated otherwise in adopted Small Area Plans, but may be provided at other locations within an Activity Center. Hotel: Hotels are acceptable as components of mixed -use buildings or as stand-alone buildings. Hotels are particularly encouraged in high visibility locations along Commercial Mains and at key intersections, or as may otherwise be identified in adopted Small Area Plans. Public, Civic, and Institutional: Public, civic and institutional uses that are allowed by special use permit in commercial districts in the Zoning Ordinance may be provided as components of mixed -use buildings or as stand-alone buildings. Residential Multifamily: Residential multifamily uses are acceptable as components of mixed use buildings or as stand-alone buildings. Ground floor residential uses in multifamily or residential mixed -use buildings, including accessory spaces and amenities but not including residential lobby areas, should not be provided along Commercial Mains, unless such uses are identified in adopted Small Area Plans. Where ground floor residential units are located adjacent to Active Streets or Commercial Mains, direct exterior access should be provided to individual units. Townhouse: Residential townhouses should only be considered to serve as a transitional use to existing development outside of the Activity Center. Residential Limitations The majority of future residential growth is anticipated to occur within the five Activity Centers identified in the Future Land Use Map. Refer to adopted Small Area Plans for specific recommendations on residential growth and future considerations to accommodate growth in each Activity Center. For Activity Centers for which a Small Area Plan has not yet been adopted, any unified development application that contains a residential component should have a density of no more than 48 dwelling units per acre. Such developments must offer benefits that support the vision of the Comprehensive Plan for the Activity Center. Such benefits should include the following: 1. A mix of uses within the development site; ATTACH M ENT A 2. Contributions toward a connected street grid; 3. Usable open space, and; 4. High quality design. Should a unified development application fail to offer these benefits, that development may contain no more than 20 dwelling units per acre. Direct fiscal benefits to the City from residential developments are not typically as strong as those from commercial properties. In order to avoid significant displacement of commercial uses in Activity Centers, new residential development should first focus on lower value commercial or industrial sites unless a significant commercial component is included. Conversion of commercial space in existing buildings into residential space is not generally supported. NOTE: The activity center descriptions for Old Town and Northfax below are provided for internal comparison only. They do not include any edits and will not be included in the staff report. P. 35 ACTIVITY CENTER — OLD TOWN FAIRFAX The Old Town Fairfax Activity Center ("Old Town Fairfax") encompasses a cultural hub for the City, with a concentration of historic buildings, public services, active open space, and commercial buildings. Old Town Fairfax can also capitalize on its proximity to George Mason University to attract university supported businesses and arts and entertainment venues. The entirety of Old Town Fairfax is within the Old Town Fairfax Historic Overlay District (HOD) or the Old Town Fairfax Transition Overlay District (TOD) and is subject to those provisions of the Zoning Ordinance and the City of Fairfax Design Guidelines. Refer to the Old Town Fairfax Small Area Plan, date June 2020, for specific recommendations within Old Town Fairfax, including locations for future streets and open spaces, opportunities for pedestrian connections across Commercial Mains, building form (including appropriate locations for more or less restrictive building heights from the Activity Center standards), and general land use and development limitations. The overall development plan for Old Town Fairfax, as provided in the Small Area Plan, is shown to the right. P. 36 ACTIVITY CENTER — NORTHFAX The Northfax Activity Center ("Northfax") is considered the most appropriate location in the City to accommodate a regional mixed -use destination. Its location at the intersection of Fairfax Boulevard and Chain Bridge Road, with immediate access to Interstate 66 and a potential future Metro station, is more accessible than other Activity Centers. It is also equidistant from existing regional mixed -use destinations at Merrifield and Fairfax Corner. In orderto leverage these characteristics, the City should strive to market Northfax to a wide range of commercial tenants and retail uses in order to take advantage of these benefits. New residential uses and amenities such as open spaces and a pedestrian friendly multi -modal transportation network, should also be leveraged to improve the commercial marketability of the Activity Center. ATTACHMENT A Refer to the Northfax Small Area Plan, dated June 2020, for specific recommendations withint he Northfax Activity Center, including locations for future streets and open spaces, pedestrian connections, building height and form, general land use and development limitations. The overall development plan for Northfax, as provided in the Small Area Plan, is shown to the right. PAGE 37 (NEW PAut) ACTIVITY CENTER — KAMP WASHINGTON Due to its geographic location, The Kamp Washington Activity Center (Kamp Washington) serves many functions for the City, as a gateway, a retail hub, and neighborhood destination. Despite this, it lacks many attributes that can help it better serve these functions, such a memorable destinations, usable open spaces, and convenient connections to adiacent neighborhoods. The Kamp Washington Small Area Plan strives to maintain the strong commercial market the area enjoys while improving the physical characteristics. It sets five goals for the activity center — cultivating memorable places, designing high quality transitions from the commercial corridor to neighborhoods, imiLroving the multimodal environment, creating quality and sustainable open spaces, and allowing land uses to evolve to meet future needs. Refer to the Kamm Washington Small Area Plan, dated September 2022, for additional guidance on any parcel or public area withing the activity center. The overall concept plan for Kamp Washington, as provided in the Small Area Plan, is shown above for reference. [Add the graphic with the overall concept plan from the Kamp Washington Small Area Plan] P. 36 ACTIVITY CENTERS AND COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS MAP The map has been modified to show the expanded Activity Center, consistent with the Future Land Use Map on page 27. Multimodal Chapter P. 86 Proposed Activity Center Enhancements (Map) Note:' Small Area Plans adopted for the Old Town Fairfax, a+4d-Northfax, and Kamp Washingt, Activity Centers. Refer to the respective Small Area Plan for specific guidance in each of these Activity Centers. P. 87 Proposed Street Typology Designations (Map) Note: 1R june 2020 Small Area Plans were have been adopted for the Old Town Fairfax Northfax, and Kamp Washingt• Activity Centers. Refer to the respective Small Area Plan for specific guidance in each of these Activity Centers. ATTACHMENT A P. 98 Transportation projects and Policies Map Note: in ju ne 2020,Sma11 Area Plans weFe have been adopted for the Old Town Fairfax, a+xd-Northfax, and ramp Washington Activity Centers. Refer to the respective Small Area Plan for specific recommendations in each of these Activity Centers.