The public hearing concerning the five Franconia Governmental Center Redevelopment Project parcels to be conveyed to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority is deferred until Jan. 23, 2024.
A public hearing was set for Dec. 5 to consider ‘the validation’ and conveyance of property located at the Franconia Governmental Center to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The property has an address of 6121 Franconia Road and is identified as Tax Map Nos. 81-3 ((05)) parcels 0002A, 0002B, 0002C1, and 0003A and Tax Map No. 081-3 ((08)) parcels 0503, Franconia District.
The public hearing has been deferred to Jan. 23 at 4:30 p.m., according to an approved motion by Supervisor Rodney L. Lusk (D- Franconia) during the Tuesday, Dec. 5 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting.
The Franconia Police Station, District Supervisor’s office, Franconia Museum, Kingstowne Library, and Kingstowne Active Adult Center currently on the five-parcel property will be relocated into a new 90,000-square-foot building on Beulah Road.
“My office has received phone calls, letters, and inquiries from constituents, civic associations, and homeowners associations to include the following: Brookland-Bush Hill, Clermont Woods, Kingstowne Residential Owners Corporation, North Franconia, and Springfield Forrest,” Supervisor Rodney L. Lusk (D- Franconia) explained on Monday.
Two weeks earlier, on Tuesday, Nov. 21, in a vote of 9-1, with Supervisor Pat Herrity (R) dissenting, the board approved a motion by Lusk to advertise for the public hearing date as Dec. 5.
The Code of Virginia requires that any such public hearing be advertised once in a newspaper having general circulation in the locality at least seven days before the date set for the hearing. However, the timing overlapped with the extended Thanksgiving weekend holiday.
“Thank you for listening to the community’s concerns about the timing of the public hearing,” Sharada Gilkey of Brookland-Bush Hill posted on Supervisor Lusk’s official Facebook website.
A second and different concern regarding the same matter questioned the insertion of the word “validation.” Supervisor Penny Gross (D-Mason) questioned the staff about it at the Nov. 21 meeting.
“Part of this is a word we haven't seen before very often, and that is validation. How many other cases do we have in the pipeline that might need to have this look at the validation, about the validity of our previous actions?”
“It is only these two properties (Franconia and Braddock),” said Tom Fleetwood, director of the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development. Moments earlier, the board considered and approved advertising a similar administrative item, number 15, concerning advertising a public hearing to convey property at the Government Center to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (Braddock).
At the time, Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) had expressed concern about the Braddock Admin item, saying, “I think we're putting the cart before the horse." Herrity had said that a visioning study was underway, and the board was moving forward before it got the results.
The county plans to use the current Franconia Governmental Center on Franconia Road for affordable housing. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors transferred the 3.26-acre property to the FCRHA in March 2021 for the potential development of affordable housing, according to Fairfax County Housing and Community Development—Public Affairs.
Supervisor Dalia Palchik (D-Providence) pointed out on Nov. 21 that items numbers 15 and 16 had been pulled out of the list of other admin items usually voted on together and that the board was very committed to probably the biggest issue and concern they have in their county, "which is housing for all, affordable workforce housing at all levels.”
"We know there is not enough housing for our workforce and for our retirees, as we heard earlier this morning, who are finding it very difficult to retire here in Fairfax County and in Northern Virginia. One of the very few assets in areas where we are able to help leverage the construction of these really remarkable, well-developed, well-designed housing projects is by looking at land that is either publicly owned or we have some faith community-owned land," Palchik said.
Although there had been extensive discussions in the neighborhoods, Chairman Jeff McKay said he was aware that not every resident had embraced them. "Doing what's right for the larger community doesn't always necessarily mean everybody is happy at the end of the day, but this is critical for us to address affordable housing in both of these locations,” he said.
FCRHA has already sought a qualified developer to design, develop, construct, own, and operate, at no cost to the FCRHA, an affordable multifamily community under the terms of a long-term, nominal fee ground lease from the FCRHA. The total number of units on the property would be, at most, 120. All submissions were due by April 14, 2022.
Public Hearings: Citizens and businesses in Fairfax County are encouraged to present their views on issues of concern. The Board will hear public comment on any issue except issues under litigation, issues that have been scheduled for public hearing before the Board (this date and future dates), personnel matters, and/or comments regarding individuals. Each speaker may have up to three minutes, and a maximum of 10 speakers will be heard. Speakers may address the board only once during a six-month period. Individuals wishing to provide public comment must sign up in advance no later than 12:00 p.m. on the day of the public comment period, either online at
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/bosclerk/speakers-form or by calling 703-324-3151.