Land Use Committee Restricts Community Voice

In last month’s Beulah Corridor Magazine, Manchester Lakes Safety Committee (MLSC) warned of the reintroduction of the car wash construction at Festival at Manchester Lakes Plaza, at the already congested Beulah St, Manchester Blvd intersection. At the July 2017 Lee District Land Use meeting, the Land Use Committee (LUC) accepted verbal commitments made by the developer as sufficient to restart the application for permanent zoning changes and permit a special exception in the Manchester Lakes neighborhood. As the MLSC worked to express their position against car wash construction on a residential street, questions about the integrity of the Lee District LUC process arose.

The LUC initially announced vote deferral until September. Days before the public meeting the LUC shifted the presentation to October 2, 2017 at 7 pm. If LUC votes to approve, the application will move to the Fairfax County Planning Committee for vote.

In efforts to clarify LUC procedural inconsistencies and authorities MLSC met with Lee District staff. As more issues surfaced, our group wrote the Fairfax County Planning Commissioner, recommending LUC suspension until reforms can be implemented. While awaiting a response, the MLSC met with Supervisor McKay to discuss LUC’s lack of transparency, selectively following Fairfax Zoning Ordinances, and failure to appropriately represent our community. Mr. McKay admitted, he believed the LUC needed transformation, however he did not recall ever not following their recommendations. While the LUC is open for community representatives, Mr. McKay issued two letters rejecting two home owner associations on the LUC’s behalf. The LUC is sending Home Owner Associations notices that they no longer are permitted to have a voting representative for their community, in order to quell public participation and involvement in development of their communities.

The MLSC seriously objects to the car wash proposal and no one can explain any positive benefit to allowing this construction. Separate from the LUC behavior there are issues in the zoning application at odds with the Fairfax County Master Plan and Zoning requirements.

Make your voice heard to Mr. Murphy, the Fairfax Planning Commissioner, or Mr. Migliaccio, Lee District Planning Commissioner at plancom@fairfaxcounty.gov or calling 703-324-2865. It this time the LUC seems postured to insert this car wash in our neighborhood, and has scheduled the vote for 2 October. For a meeting schedule visit

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/lee/landuse.htm. Then for the agenda call the LUC telephone information line 703-971-6686 or 703-822-8572. The public meetings are held at the Lee District Government Center, 6121 Franconia Road Alexandria, VA 22310.

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