T-Zone Proposal Heading To City Council After Planning Commission OKs

FALLS CHURCH, VA — After a Planning Commission recommendation on "T zones" between commercial districts and single-family homes, the proposed zoning changes next head to Falls Church City Council.

In February 2021, City Council had asked planning staff to examine zoning tools allowing small residential project developments on infill sites to small for large commercial or mixed-use developments. City staff turned to T zones, which are transition areas between commercial corridors and residential neighborhoods, for potential zoning updates. About 3 percent of the city's land is zoned as a transition area.

A key goal of the zoning changes are to allow more housing variety, particularly townhouse and multifamily development. Other goals of the T zone updates are to allow more neighborhood-serving retail and encourage reinvestment from larger builders.

According to a city staff report, 4 percent of the city's housing stock is townhouses, duplexes or quadplexes — 258 units. Multifamily buildings account for 54 percent of units — 3,110. Single-family homes make up the remaining 42 percent of the housing stock — 2,385.

Current T-1 zoning is mainly on North Washington Street and on Park Avenue with existing uses like Columbia Baptist Church, Christ-Crossman Methodist Church, Sunrise of Falls Church, single-family houses converted to commercial use and residential townhouses.

T-2 zoning is on North Washington Street and Park Avenue near Maple Avenue and currently has the Kaiser Permanente facility and a small office building.

The Planning Commission recommendation to City Council calls for allowing the by-right use of triplexes and four-unit residential buildings one acre or less lots. Another recommended land use change would be not allowing residential uses in T-zones along North Washington Street north of Great Falls Street to promote commercial activity.

With Park Avenue being planned as a "Great Street" to promote multimodal transportation and more civic activities, the Planning Commission recommended making commercial uses conditional on Park Avenue For building and site design guidelines, the Planning Commission recommended a maximum height of 40 feet or three stories (the lesser of the two) for by-right buildings. However, a maximum height of 50 feet or four stories (the lesser of the two) could be requested through the special use permit process.

On affordable housing, the Planning Commission recommended an overlay taxing district to support the Affordable Housing Fund rather than a requirement for 10 percent of new residential units to be affordable.

Other building and site design guidelines and environmental guidelines were recommended by the Planning Commission.

City Council will review the Planning Commission's recommended zoning text amendments during a March 6 work session.