A first-time developer will proceed with plans to rezone a 1-acre property in Fairfax. Supervisor Sharon Bulova (D-Braddock) hosted a meeting Tuesday night to gauge citizen opinion on the project which yielded no significant opposition.
Massoumeh "Pam" Gangi of Alexandria, filed an application with the county to rezone 5501 Sideburn Road in order to split the property and build two houses there. Gangi, who owns a gift shop in Washington, D.C., purchased the Sideburn Road property in 2002. A house still stands on the land, but it would be demolished to make room for the two new houses.
The only neighbor to attend the meeting was Diane Ringer, who lives on Fyfe Court, which borders Sideburn Road. Ringer came to find out more about Gangi’s plans for the trees on the Sideburn Road property.
"My concern is the trees," said Ringer. "They look nice, and they provide a bit of a buffer for the trains." Train tracks run to the south of Sideburn Road and Bonnie Brae Elementary.
Gangi’s engineer, Paul Hoofnagle of Alexandria Surveys, said the current plan is to leave the heavily wooded back third of the property untouched and to preserve the 20-foot red maple tree at the front of the property.
Planning commissioner Suzanne Harsel (Braddock) was also at the meeting. While the county’s Comprehensive Plan would allow up to three houses to be built on the property, Gangi plans to build two 3,000-square-foot homes, one at a time, and has proffered to provide sidewalk, curb and gutter along the front of the property, and to use existing utilities.
Gangi’s application will next be heard by the Fairfax County Planning Commission on Sept. 30, in the board auditorium at the Fairfax County Government Center. Those wishing to sign up to speak at that meeting may call 703-324-2865.