Density Increase Deferred Indefinitely For Groveton Verizon Site

GROVETON, VA — A comprehensive plan amendment to increase residential density on a Verizon-owned site was indefinitely deferred by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Tuesday.

The plan amendment relates to the site at 2806 Popkins Lane, which Verizon uses for a telecommunication switching station. Because Verizon only uses a small part of the site for the switching station, it sought to subdivide the property and sell the rear part for development.

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck told the board the deferral was prompted by community input.

"My office worked closely with community members and this neighborhood," Storck wrote in a recent newsletter. "While Verizon representatives wanted to move forward, the community was not supportive."

A proposal for a land use change was presented during the 2019-2020 South County Site-Specific Plan Amendment process. The nomination proposed up to 33 townhouses.

In January 2021, the Board of Supervisors authorized consideration of a plan amendment, directing staff to a higher density option of 5 to 8 dwelling units per acre. The current comprehensive plan amendment recommendation for the site is 3 to 4 swelling units per acre, the same as the Memorial Heights neighborhood to the east. That density increase would allow up to 16 units above the current plan recommendation.

Support for the density change has been mixed. The Mount Vernon task force for the South County Site-Specific Plan Amendment process did not recommend a plan amendment with due to concerns about traffic, tree cover and the environment. The Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended the plan amendment with the county staff's recommendation on tree cover.

With a deferral, Storck said the property owner can submit a rezoning application in the future to be reviewed "concurrently" with a plan amendment. That process would include more chances for public feedback.