Template Letter

Written comments can be submitted to the Fairfax County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. When the public hearing is scheduled, specific submission instructions will be published by the county. In the meantime, you can direct comments to:

Fairfax County Department of Planning & Development
Reference: SE-2025-FR-00044
12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 730
Fairfax, VA 22035

You may also contact the Franconia District Supervisor's office directly to express your concerns and request that your comments be included in the public record for this application.

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Date]

Fairfax County Planning Commission
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
12055 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035

Re: Special Exception Application SE-2025-FR-00044 — 7301 Beulah Street

I am a resident of the Franconia area and am writing to express concerns regarding Special Exception application SE-2025-FR-00044 at 7301 Beulah Street.

This application seeks approval for 86 townhome-style independent living units on approximately 10.97 acres zoned R-1. While framed as “independent living,” the scale, intensity, and institutional nature of the proposed use are inconsistent with the purpose and expectations of R-1 zoning, which is intended to preserve low-density residential character and land-use predictability.

Granting this Special Exception would fundamentally alter the expectations of R-1 zoning in this area. Approval would signal that parcels zoned for single-family residential use are appropriate locations for institutional-scale residential development without a rezoning or Comprehensive Plan amendment. Approval here would establish a precedent that R-1 parcels in the Beulah/Steinway corridor are suitable for similar exceptions in the future, creating cumulative impacts that extend well beyond this individual site.

The environmental impact of this proposal is significant. The project would eliminate nearly 11 acres of contiguous green space that currently functions as informal wildlife habitat and ecological buffer. This land supports deer, foxes, rabbits, squirrels, bats, and birds, and provides stormwater absorption, tree canopy, and environmental buffering between roadways and surrounding residential neighborhoods. This represents a permanent loss of ecological function that cannot be mitigated through conditions or landscaping.

There are also concerns regarding construction intensity and duration. Based on similar projects, development of this scale typically involves prolonged construction activity, and requests for extended or continuous construction hours can have substantial impacts on nearby neighborhoods through noise, lighting, heavy vehicle traffic, and disruption of daily life. These impacts are particularly significant in areas currently characterized by low-density residential use.

Additionally, the property’s reliance on well and/or septic systems, and the anticipated need to transition to public water and sewer infrastructure, further underscore that the site is not currently suited for the intensity of development proposed. Utility extension and associated construction introduce additional environmental disturbance, infrastructure coordination challenges, and long-term impacts that go beyond the scope of a typical R-1 use.

The requirement for a Traffic Impact Analysis further indicates that the proposed development would meaningfully affect local roadways and intersections, especially when considered alongside other existing and proposed developments in the surrounding area.

Taken together, these factors raise serious concerns regarding zoning compatibility, cumulative impacts, environmental loss, and long-term precedent. For these reasons, I respectfully request that the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors carefully consider whether the applicant has met the burden required to justify a Special Exception in an R-1 zoning district.

Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully,

[Your Name]
[Your Address]

Additional Actions

Writing a letter is one of the most impactful things you can do. You can also add your name in support of responsible development, document local wildlife sightings, and share this website with neighbors who may not yet be aware of the proposal.