Fairfax County is reviewing an application to rezone 1.06 acres located at the end of Oak Leather Drive, west of Summit Oak Way, in Burke. Although located within Burke Centre, this parcel is not part of the Burke Centre Conservancy. This parcel is zoned R-4, or four single-family, detached dwelling units per acre. That means four homes could be built on this lot "by right" without needing any change in zoning or public hearings, according to information released by Supervisor Sharon Bulova (D-Braddock). Development surrounding this parcel is townhouses or other types of single-family attached housing. The Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan recommends that property in this area should be developed with attached dwelling units. Currently, there is a vacant house located on the site, which would be removed.
This rezoning application initially requested permission to construct 10 one-car garage townhouses. Since then, the applicant, Landmark Development, has dropped two units and is now proposing eight. The original layout proposed two sections of townhouses, laid out in an L-shaped design. Whenever there is a request for a change in land use, Bulova's policy is to host a meeting with residents and the applicant to ask questions, make comments and raise concerns. The first citizens Information meeting took place several months ago, and some of the concerns expressed at that time included layout, amount of buffering proposed next to existing homes, the steep slope of the proposed street and sidewalk, trail access to the lake, and the height of the proposed townhouses in relationship to the existing homes. Since then, the applicant went back to the drawing board and redesigned the site.
Bulova's office hosted a citizens information meeting on Sept. 23 and plans a walk to the property on Sept. 25, at 4 p.m. In October, the issue will go before a Planning Commission Public Hearing, on Oct. 22, at 8:15 p.m., and a Board of Supervisors Public Hearing on Oct. 27, time to be announced.