ICYMI: Has McLean Dodged a Bullet?

This article was originally published June 26.

Fairfax County has implemented new zoning changes that have many residents of the county concerned that their neighborhoods are about to be overwhelmed by development -- but McLean may be spared thanks to a move by one official.

Fairfax County approved zoning changes at a public hearing Tuesday that would allow for higher-density development around Metro stations and in commercial areas, according to a WTOP report, which noted that the zoning changes were made because current zoning wouldn't allow the county to achieve its comprehensive plan.

But residents are concerned about the rezoning plan, according to the report. They are worried about overdevelopment, with more high-rise apartments causing a huge increase in traffic in the area as well as densely packed schools that could affect the quality of children's education. McLean may have escaped those concerns, however, because Supervisor John W. Foust won a lower density limit for McLean downtown during the meeting, which could mean less new housing in the area, according to a tweet by Stewart Schwartz, executive director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

McLean has already achieved a tremendous amount of growth in recent years, and plans for new high-rises seem to be unveiled on a regular basis for this exploding suburb of Washington, D.C. However, by putting a lower density limit on McLean, residents may avoid many of the problems their neighbors could experience in the coming years.

"The majority of the McLean Planning District has been recommended as suburban neighborhoods and low-density residential areas in the concept for future development," states the 2013 Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan. "Development in this area is generally limited to large lot single-family residential uses. Limited commercial and institutional uses are found in this portion of the district."