Politics & Government

Civic Associations Ask to Defer Zoning Vote

Planning Commission and then City Council are expected to address changes to zoning law that critics say could affect citizens' rights across the city.

A group of Alexandria civic associations is asking the city manager to defer action on an amendment that would change local zoning rules.

They say proposed changes designed to move forward officials’ plans to redevelop the waterfront could blunt their ability to protest unwanted development near their homes anywhere across the city.

City officials announced mid-February plans to introduce a new zoning text amendment that they say would allow the city to beat litigation related to implementing the city's waterfront development plan.

Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

• See: Alexandria City Council to Vote Once Again on Waterfront Plan

Tom Soapes, president of the North Old Town Independent Citizens Civic Association or NOTICe, which signed the March 1 letter, told Patch "one of the biggest concerns is the speed with which the city is trying to get this change passed."

Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He added that most people don’t understand the difference between a map amendment and a text amendment and “what you can do under one and not do under the other. If this is as innocent as the city staff says it is, then it needs to be explained fully.”

The city late Friday posted a “frequently asked questions” document (PDF) about the proposed changes, answering such questions as “what is the difference between a map amendment and a text amendment?"

Soapes called the document “helpful,” but said it “does not resolve the question of how important text amendments are.  How much change can you effect with a text amendment?”

The city’s Planning Commission is scheduled Tuesday evening to vote on a proposed change and City Council is expected to address it March 16.

In the letter, the Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations told City Manager Rashad Young: “The rights and responsibilities of landowners specified in the Zoning Ordinance go to the very heart of how the citizens of Alexandria may participate usefully and effectively in the conduct of the city’s planning and zoning process.”

The group said this type of change should only be changed with “the broadest and most thoughtful deliberation and unhurried consideration…”

Waterfront residents last year filed lawsuits over the plan saying they can protest changes to both map and text amendments. The city says protests only apply to changes in zoning maps and because the waterfront vote only dealt with a text amendment, they couldn’t protest.

City Council recently decided to re-vote last year’s 5-2 decision approving the waterfront plan and it is expected to pass 6-1, which would be a supermajority. Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg has expressed dissatisfaction with the plan.

See: Old Town Debate Tackles Waterfront Redevelopment
See: Folk Legend Pete Seeger Joins Alexandria's Waterfront Debate

If it does pass (again) but this time by a supermajority, the vote would squelch the protestors’ argument that the city’s zoning rules require a council supermajority vote to overrule a protest by residents who live near an area designated to be rezoned.

The civic associations' letter is signed by federation co-Chairmen Poul Hertel and Lynn Bostain. The groups agreeing to a motion calling for more explanation of the change and presented Feb. 27 at a federation meeting are:

  • Brookville-Seminary Valley Citizens Association
  • Fairlington Citizens Association
  • Holmes Run Park Committee
  • NorthEast Citizens’ Association
  • North Old Town Independent Citizens Association (NOTICe)
  • Old Town Civic Association
  • Rosemont Civic Association
  • Seminary Hill Association
  • Seminary West Civic Association
  • Taylor Run Citizens Association
  • Wakefield Tarleton Civic Association


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