Jay Golter was a little shocked when he received a letter in the mail offering to buy his Springfield home, then tear it down to make way for new townhouses.
"I was unhappy," said Golter, who lives on Abilene Street, one of three roads targeted by Fraser Forbes, a McLean-based land brokerage company. "I didn't know what the process was, and if the fix was already in."
Golter said the letter he and several of his neighbors received last month offered to "unlock the hidden value" of his property and combine his property with that of his neighbors to create "new, higher density property."
The letter could be the first of many arriving in the mailboxes of residents in development hot spots, as the south county prepares for the Area Plans Review (APR) late next year.
The APR, which is currently under way for the Dranesville, Hunter Mill, Providence, and Sully districts, will take place for the rest of the county beginning in 2005, and allows for the submission of nominations to amend the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan is the county's guide to making land-use decisions, and any rezoning decisions made must be approved by the county's Planning Commission.
"I think there are several neighborhoods in the Lee District that will have the same situation as Springfield Estates," said Jeff McKay, chief of staff for Supervisor Dana Kauffman (D-Lee). "As long as the real estate market stays hot, and there are lots of these old neighborhoods … those are always a big target for developers."
Golter and citizens from three neighboring communities — Monticello Woods, York Manor and Springfield Commons — are banding together to create an officially recognized community association, which stretches from I-95 east to the Metro tracks.
"We want to be organized and make our opinions known," said Barbara Fraker, who lives in the Monticello Woods neighborhood. "We don't want them to have to sell their houses and move out."
OVER 300 members of the communities attended a Sept. 28 meeting at Springfield Estates Elementary School, where they shared their opinions and heard more about the process of rezoning.
"We figured we have a common interest," said Fraker.
According to McKay, the process of amending the APR is lengthy. Beginning next fall, nominations will officially be accepted for changes to the Comprehensive Plan. Anyone can submit a nomination, but unless 75 percent of the residents to be affected by the change, representing 75 percent of the land area, approve the change, it dies in the hands of the county planning staff. Once that hurdle is cleared, all changes must go before the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors
"Only after that," said McKay, "would you start the rezoning process." In all likelihood, once the APR process ends and the rezoning process begins, the calendar will have turned to 2007.
That means that while companies may seem to be offering top dollar for homes now, by the time the sale actually goes through, that sale price won't be as high as it could be.
According to Golter, the price offered for his home in the letter wasn't that much more than the market value for it.
IN THE CASE of Springfield Estates, putting together a community association isn't just a way to create unity, it also will help to make sure the neighborhoods stay informed throughout the APR process.
In the Lee District, each community association recognized by the supervisor's office also gets a voting member on the District Land Use Committee and stays in regular contact with the supervisor's office.
"It just made sense," said Golter. "Whether this plan comes to fruition or not, we're in a very desirable location, and probably for the rest of our lives, there will be people with designs on this property."
Nonetheless, said McKay, forming an association is one step he recommends for all communities seeking to stay informed about governmental decisions.
"It's obviously a very prudent move," he said. "If they have a representative, it's a lot easier for us to communicate. Otherwise, all we can do is send a big mailing out. Having a community association for us is an enormous benefit."
Currently, citizens from each neighborhood are in the process of forming a bylaws committee and examining the bylaws of other community associations to form their own code. They hope to be official by the end of the year, which Golter hopes will be the first step toward keeping his neighborhood intact.