The following is a proposed draft agenda reflecting the concerns of a
wide variety of Fairfax County citizens. It is an evolving
document, intended
to serve as a starting point for discussions at the October 3, 2006
"Town
Hall" meeting and has yet to be endorsed by any group. Add your
voice to the
Citizens'
Agenda blog.
After each point, results of a survey taken at the October 3, 2006
"Town Hall" meeting are provided. For complete survey results,
click here.
Protect Public Resources
1)
Infrastructure capacity.
Development plans should include independent, objective estimates of
impacts on roads, schools, parks, fields, streams and transit,
including the financial cost of offsetting the impact. Developer
contributions should be maximized.
Survey results: Strongly Agree: 80%; Agree: 19%; Disagree 1%;
Strongly Disagree: 0%; Not sure: 1%
2)
Use all powers available
under
state law, especially when changes are sought to the land use
plan, to insure that development will not seriously degrade public
resources.
Survey results: Strongly Agree: 76%; Agree: 18%; Disagree: 0%;
Strongly Disagree 2%; Not sure: 5%
3)
Stormwater, Streams and
Watershed.
Consider the regional watershed implications of all development
projects. Broaden notification to downstream residents.
Increase
protections for intermittent streams. Strengthen requirements to
reduce impervious surfaces, increase tree cover, and enhance water
absorption. Improve
streams for recreational uses.
Survey results: Strongly Agree: 73%; Agree: 26%; Disagree: 0%;
Strongly Disagree 0%; Not sure: 2%
Enforce
Developer Promises
4)
Require developers to pay
into an
enforcement fund until 3-5 years after construction is
completed, to ensure adequate county staff to enforce proffers and
building codes.
Survey results: Strongly Agree: 80%; Agree: 15%; Disagree: 2%;
Strongly Disagree 2%; Not sure: 2%
5)
Establish serious penalties
for failing to meet commitments, including blocking completion of
projects that do not fulfill key targets, such as traffic control and
retail. Establish accountability for enforcement of all zoning
requirements and proffers.
Survey results: Strongly Agree: 83%; Agree: 15%; Disagree: 1%;
Strongly Disagree 1%; Not sure: 1%
Quality of
Life Strategies
6)
Transportation.
Establish a
four-pronged rapid transit solution that will begin serving Route 1,
Route 95, Route 66 to Centreville, as well as the Dulles Toll Road, in
7-10 years.
Survey results: Strongly Agree: 66%; Agree: 20%; Disagree: 3%;
Strongly Disagree 0%; Not sure: 10%
7)
Reevaluate Tysons Corner
strategy, before
committing to elevated rail, and before approving major
redevelopment.
Examine whether an aggressive internal circulation system, such as
dedicated bus lanes or monorail, can allow the main transit line to
bypass Tysons.
Survey results: Strongly Agree: 55%; Agree: 29%; Disagree: 4%;
Strongly Disagree 2%; Not sure: 11%
8)
Schools.
Strengthen
quality of life standards for schools, requiring later lunch hours,
adequate play areas, and replacing all individual trailers with units
connected to school.
Survey results: Strongly Agree: 57%; Agree: 33%; Disagree: 4%;
Strongly Disagree 2%; Not sure: 5%
9)
Parks, playing fields,
trails,
athletic needs. Cut playing field shortage by opening up
underutilized school fields to community. Make trails and indoor
athletic facilities a priority in park bonds. Require “real”
ground-level green space in new development.
Survey results: Strongly Agree: 69%; Agree: 25%; Disagree: 2%;
Strongly Disagree 0%; Not sure: 4%
Involve the
Public to Insure Community Support
10)
“Community-first” planning.
Major redevelopments — including urban-zone and transit station
redevelopment — should begin with fully inclusive visioning processes
aided by 3-D modeling. All land-use proposals should undergo
grass-roots citizens' review.
Survey results: Strongly Agree: 82%; Agree: 15%; Disagree: 2%;
Strongly Disagree 0%; Not sure: 2%
11)
Reform public hearing
procedures.
On disputed projects, wait until staff can prepare written answers to
concerns raised by citizens. Do not vote immediately after
hearings. Enable citizens to testify by teleconference from home
districts to increase accessibility.
Survey results: Strongly Agree: 80%; Agree: 16%; Disagree: 2%;
Strongly Disagree 0%; Not sure: 2%
12)
Improve Community Outreach.
Hire a community outreach staff to empower citizen involvement in land
use cases. Hold periodic outreach hearings by supervisors in different
parts of the county to discuss key long-term concerns: Examples include
affordable and workforce housing, transportation funding, BRAC, Tysons,
transit-oriented development, HOT lanes, “green”
construction/sustainability, relations with neighboring counties.
Survey results: Strongly Agree: 73%; Agree: 21%; Disagree: 4%;
Strongly Disagree 0%; Not sure: 2%