Mason District Residents: ‘Proposed RSU Amendment is Reckless”

Annandale-area residents joined Fairfax County officials from the Planning Commission, Department of Zoning and Department of Code Compliance at a meeting to discuss the county’s proposed residential studios (RSUs) zoning ordinance amendment.

More than 100 people crammed into the cafeteria of Sleepy Hollow Elementary School in Falls Church last Thursday to hear more about the amendment and voice their concerns about what the RSUs mean for their community. The meeting was hosted by the Mason District Council of Community Associations (MDC).

RSUs are efficiency dwelling units no larger than 500 square feet in size intended for single-occupancy use, according to Donna Pesto, senior assistant to the Fairfax County Zoning Administrator. Tenants have to make less than $45,000 annually to be eligible to live in an RSU. The units would be managed on-site and each of the proposed properties that would house the units would have to be reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission following a public hearing, as required under the special exception zoning process. 

The original proposal for the amendment allows for the units to built in a variety of residential, commercial and industrial districts in the county. However, At-Large Planning Commission member Janyce Hedetniemi said Tim Sargeant, chairman of the Residential Studios Committee, will recommend residential districts below R-12 be eliminated from consideration in the amendment.

That announcement was welcome news to many Mason District residents who’ve expressed serious objections to the amendment due to fears that private developers would build the RSUs in single-family home neighborhoods zoned in the lower R districts and diminish the character of those communities. The MDC launched a petition against the amendment and the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations passed a resolution that outlined several changes they’d like to see to the proposal.

Still, the announcement did not completely erase all concerns.

Residents Divided on Need for RSUs in Fairfax County

Tensions occasionally ran high during the meeting as residents both in favor of and against the amendment addressed the officials. One resident called the amendment “reckless” while another described it as an “experiment”. Some of the residents who spoke out against RSUs said they were worried about the kind of tenants who would move into the units.

“I don’t like this proposal. To say that I think this is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of is an understatement. My husband and I have lived in our home for 25 years. We’ve poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into this home. Do you think we’re going to be happy about RSU’s coming into our neighborhood, which could be occupied by people just out of prison, the homeless, single young people who like to party for days on end?” said a woman from the Columbia Pines neighborhood.

“Why should our objective be to make Fairfax County attractive to everyone who wants to live here?” said a Ravenwood Park resident to a round of applause from the audience. “If you’re successful, we’re going to be inundated by all types of people from everywhere… do we really want to encourage that?”

Other residents like Stephanie Mench from Falls Church’s Westlawn community said they approved of the amendment as a way to fix affordable housing in the county.

“Fairfax County is in desperate need of housing options for every kind of person with every kind of need,” said Mench. “If we don’t have these options available, then what options will be available for people who needs these [units]?”

The issue, according to Mollie Loeffler with the MDC, is less about arguing whether the county needs affordable housing and more about the effect RSUs would have on the communities.

“It’s not that we’re against affordable housing. What the anger stems from is the degradation of our neighborhoods,” said Loeffler. “It’s more about the where [the RSUs will go] and how they’re used.”

Hedetniemi said the RSUs are meant to help working-class citizens and young professionals and provide them with a place to live that works with their budget.

“We have an opportunity in Fairfax County to provide housing for the hospital worker, the cafeteria worker, the hotel worker, for whom most apartment rents are unattainable. By considering an RSU proposal, we are enabling labor to move into areas close to work thereby eliminating transportation needs, thereby eliminating labor needs, and thereby enabling people to live independently,” said Hedetniemi. “It’s not just simply diversity and it’s not just simply income; it is, in a sense, recognition that there are people in our population in Fairfax County for whom living wages do not provide sufficient means for them to live independently.” 

Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross echoed Hedetniemi’s comment, explaining that the units are not intended just for low-income families or the homeless. 

“It’s not just about homeless people. It’s about people who need housing, who are coming here looking for a place to live and to work. We are short of housing units for people who live here now and who will move here later,” said Gross.

Code Compliance: One of the Biggest Concerns with RSUs 

Among the issues residents raised as a concern with the amendment are: occupancy/overcrowding and code compliance, overflow parking and compatibility issues.

Due to Mason District’s history with reporting a high number of complaints, many residents were skeptical the county would be able to stop multiple families from living in the units.

“We’re complaint-oriented. We rely on all of you to report those problems to use and we investigate and resolve them to the best of our abilities. If the RSU amendment is adopted, in whatever form it is adopted, that will be part of our mission to enforce those rules,” said Jeff Black, director of Code Compliance.

Pesto said the zoning ordinance requires that parking for the units be on the application property, but residents were still worried about overflow parking in their neighborhoods. Residents also worried about the RSUs being built far away from public transportation. One resident called the amendment a disservice by making people live in neighborhoods where you need a car to get around.

It is still unclear whether the RSUs would be evenly distributed throughout the county since the locations have yet to be proposed or selected by the private developers. Pesto said the board would consider proximity to another RSU dwelling when approving the projects.

The next public meeting on RSUs will be Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. in Conference Rooms 106/107 in the Herrity Building, located at 12055 Government Center Parkway in Fairfax.

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