Whereas the Arlington County Board has adopted sector plans for Metro station areas in the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor, including for Clarendon, which set out rules for new buildings and uses in the station areas,

Whereas these sector plans have been developed through a community process and represent a commitment by the County Board to the community that it will approve only those buildings and uses in the sector plan areas that are consistent with the concepts and meet the standards set out in the appropriate sector plan,

Whereas the proper forum for amending sector plans is through a community review process, which would generally involve a trading of rights and obligations between the community and the property owners/developers applicable to the sector plan area, and such amendments should not be made ad hoc on a project-by-project basis,

Whereas the failure of elected and appointed County officials to implement the concepts and enforce the rules of the plans would render the rules unenforceable and the plan meaningless, would unilaterally give away valuable community rights and benefits, and would represent a breach of the commitments made to the community which they are elected or appointed to serve,

Whereas a developer in the Clarendon Sector Plan area has filed site plan amendments to the Market Common in Clarendon, which amendments are on the County Board agenda for February 9, 2002, one of which amendments calls for a residential building that would fail to meet density, setback, and coverage requirements in the zoning district and fail to meet sector plan requirements regarding placement of loading dock and garage entrances, and building design, materials, and orientation, and a second amendment that calls for a retail/parking garage component that fails to meet specific sector plan requirements, including with respect to sidewalk width, and building design and materials compatibility, among other things,

BE IT RESOLVED that the Arlington County Civic Federation calls upon both the Arlington County Planning Commission and the Arlington County Board to defer or deny these applications and those of any other developers in this and other Sector Plan areas until the applications fully comply with applicable zoning and sector plan requirements, or until the proposed changes have been negotiated with the appropriate community.

This page was last revised on: December 27, 2003.