When it was all over, Will Elliott stood near the front of the auditorium at Oakton High School looking a little tired and a lot enthusiastic. He was one of the organizers of an April 19 forum developed to discuss land-use issues in Fairfax County.
Organizers, which included, Fairfax Citizens for Responsible Growth (Fairgrowth), the Sierra Club, the Hunter Mill Defense League, Options for Oakton, the Southwest Vienna Citizens Association and the Providence District Council say about 450 people signed in Tuesday night.
Many of those in attendance were citizens who are often involved in land-use issues. Many people also left before the meeting’s end. However, Elliott thinks the meeting was able to achieve a broader reach. "There also seemed to be a lot of average people out here who didn’t speak," he said. "I think there were some average Joes we pulled out of their houses."
About 40 people spoke, most of them from the Vienna, Fairfax, McLean and Great Falls areas and most of them working along similar themes regarding what they say are too many high-density projects and a lack of transparency and accountability in the county’s land-use decisions. "Our concerns are not with one proposed development or a single issue," said Pam Miller, one of the organizers.
"Even taking Tysons Corner out of the mix, there is too much high-density development, redevelopment, call it what you wish," said Adrienne Whyte. That development, she said, "is degrading our quality of life."
"We do not have to approve rezonings, Whyte said. "They are a privilege, not a right, and we certainly don’t need any more town centers."
Jim Barrett of Oakton agreed. "We’ve all become disturbed by a paradigm shift," he said. ‘I don’t find another town center exciting, I find it disheartening."
MANY SPEAKERS stated their perception that they are not listened to during the planning or zoning process, and their belief that overdevelopment is a result of the deep pockets of developers who make campaign contributions to government officials.
Others cited Out of Turn Plan Amendments as a problem. "Routine planning by Out of Turn Plan Amendment indicates that county leaders have no plan at all," Miller said.
Amendments to the county’s Comprehensive Plan typically happen in four-five year cycles, but sometimes developers will propose a change during the off years, so they are called out-of-turn amendments.
Bob Freeman of the Fairfax area was one of the few to speak against the general sentiment of attendees. "Citizen’s have an enormous amount of public input in the process," Freeman said in an interview, citing the task forces that are set up during the Area Plans Review process, and the public hearings at the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors before land-use decisions are made.
Freeman further pointed to the increased population in the county and questioned where the houses for these people should go. "If we’re not going to have it at the Metro, where are we going to put it?"
Many speakers took the opportunity to criticize the Board of Supervisors for its policies, and for not attending the meeting. Supervisor Dana Kauffman (D-Lee) was at the meeting, and other supervisors cited prior commitments. Supervisors Linda Smyth (D-Providence), Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) and Gerry Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) each sent a staff member. "I’m not here to differentiate or separate myself from my colleagues," Kauffman said.
Kauffman acknowledged the number of people who attended the meeting. However, he said that land-use issues are often more complex than whether or not to approve additional density or not. "There isn’t a question that has a simple answer," he said.
For example, he said "Out of Turn Plan Amendments have made a significant positive difference in my end of the county."
A HOST of other current and former government officials at the federal, state and local levels attended, including U.S. Reps. Tom Davis (R-11) [see related story page XX] Frank Wolf (R-10); State Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (R-34); Dels. Steve Shannon (D-35), J. Chapman "Chap" Petersen (D-37), Mark Sickles (D-43) and Vivian Watts (D-39); School Board Members Phil Niedzielski-Eichner (Providence), Stu Gibson (Hunter Mill), Steve Hunt (At-large); Planning Commissioner Walter Alcorn (At-large) and most of the Vienna Town Council.
Former Chair of the Board of Supervisors Jack Herrity (R) thought that the meeting might end up having a larger significance. Herrity was generally perceived as being pro-growth when he was on the Board of Supervisors and that stance is largely cited as one of the reasons he eventually lost to Audrey Moore (D). This meeting, he said, signifies a similar attitude is building now. "I think it’s the start of a rebellion against this county government," he said.
The main question remaining for Elliott and the other organizers is what they will do next. Elliott pointed to a Web site under development, fairgrowthnetwork.org, that he hopes will act as a clearinghouse and network for citizens from different parts of the county.
"We want to be positive," Elliott said. "We want to call for greater accountability of our officials. We want to raise the level of citizen involvement."