Neighbors Plead for Fewer Houses in Proposed Vienna Development
http://www.sungazette.net/mclean-greatfalls-vienna-oakton/news/neighbors-plead-for-fewer-houses-in-proposed-vienna-development/article_c2f90e44-9887-11e3-826b-0019bb2963f4.html
Residents of a neighborhood just north of the town of Vienna are pressing for lower density at the proposed new Spring Lake Section 3 subdivision.
Sekas Homes Ltd. would like to rezone 5.4 acres from one house per acre to two units per acre and build nine new houses.
John Sekas, owner of the development company, said he could build six houses “by right” on the parcel – neighbors contend just five would be permitted – but is asking for three more homes to offset expenses in making key improvements at the site.
The developer plans to increase the amount of tree canopy at the site, control stormwater by installing two infiltration trenches and a bioretention filter (or “rain garden”) and connect the houses to a Fairfax Water main.
“We’re going to build new homes no matter what,” Sekas said. “The question is, how do you want them built? In order to do all these controls, there are costs associated with it. If we don’t do the subdivision, we would dig six new wells.”
But nearby residents worry the new subdivision would be a marked departure from what exists in the neighborhood now.
“We felt it was going to compromise the character and integrity of our neighborhood,” said Jeanne McVey, who lives on Besley Road.
“We’re not a neighborhood of big mansion houses,” she added. “We really feel like the county missed the boat on this one and needs to look at it again. What he’s proposing looks nothing like what’s here now.”
Cecilia Forbes, who lives on Tetterton Avenue, agreed with McVey’s assessment.
“We have no problem with Mr. Sekas building his houses,” Forbes said. “We object to the [development’s] density and changing of the neighborhood.”
The subdivision, which would be located about 400 feet north of the intersection of Besley and Old Courthouse roads, would have 1.66 dwelling units per acre.
That is more than the other developments surrounding it, but is in keeping with Fairfax County’s zoning regulations, according to the staff report prepared by county planning officials.
Four of the houses would be accessible via a private road from Besley Road, which would end in a cul-de-sac. Three homes at the north end of the property would be accessed from Tetterton Avenue and two homes would be reached via Besley Road.
The proposed subdivision lists nine lots for houses, plus three other lots – marked A, B and C.
Parcel A is a non-buildable, 56,600-square-foot lot associated with the adjacent Leroy Subdivision and would have an infiltration trench for stormwater control, plus a bioretention filter at its southern end; Parcel B has 5,900 square feet of land and also would contain an infiltration trench; Parcel C is 10,900 square feet and located at the rear of Lots 3 and 4.
The site would have about 35,000 square feet worth of conservation easement areas, including part of Parcel A and all of Parcel C.
According to county officials, projected water runoff at the site would be less than what occurs in its pre-development state and at least 40 percent of phosphorous in that water would be removed.
Some neighbors, however, were skeptical that the runoff-mitigation efforts would prove effective.
“If their stormwater measures fail, all that water will come down our side yard,” said Carol Moore, who lives off of Besley Road.
The new houses will reach a maximum 35 feet in height, incorporate “green building” features and attain the Energy Star for Homes qualifications, according to the county staff’s report.
The applicant’s proposal would preserve a 29,000-square-foot “environmental quality corridor” in the center of the site, something that “could not be similarly achieved by a conventional district that requires larger minimum lot sizes, lot widths, and setbacks and does not have a minimum open-space requirement,” the staff report read.
The site now is home to two single-family houses, which would be razed, plus nearly 234,000 square feet of tree canopy.
The subdivision’s nine housing lots would range from 14,100 to 20,500 square feet, with the average being about 18,044, or just over four-tenths of an acre.
The newly created lots would be similar to those of an adjacent development, Manors at Wolf Trap, and are larger than typical ones found in the nearby town of Vienna, Sekas said. The developer said he originally hoped to build 10 houses and two cul-de-sacs at the site, but after hearing from neighbors, he cut the plan back to nine houses and one cul-de-sac.
Critics, however, say the new parcels would be significantly smaller than most surrounding lots and therefore not in keeping with the rest of the neighborhood.
Sekas has offered to have 37-percent tree coverage at the redeveloped site, as compared with the 30 percent that would result from a by-right development.
Forbes countered that this did not offset the impact from more houses.
“Is it worth changing the character of the neighborhood for 7 percent more tree cover?” she asked.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission on Jan. 23 recommended approval of the new Spring Lake development and the Board of Supervisors will take up the rezoning application March 4.
“The plan is pretty much set, but if there’s anything that would improve it, I’m always open to discussion,” Sekas said.
This rendering shows the location of nine proposed single-family homes in the Vienna area that would be built as part of the Spring Lakes cluster development by Sekas Homes Ltd.
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