<bt>An increased focus on affordable housing is one of several new elements in a revised Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Vienna.
Localities in Virginia are mandated to review their Comprehensive Plans every five years. The Town’s Planning Commission began its review of the plan last year by forming several sub-committees to review various aspects of the plan.
The 81 page document (including a number of maps) has revisions to virtually every page. Most of the changes are editorial in nature – removing a comma here or adding a period there.
The land use recommendations for the town, such as whether an area should be residential or commercial, and how dense the area should be, do not change.
Some new text however has been added. The plan recommends hat the Town Council examine affordable housing, and how it might accommodate more affordable units into the town.
In Fairfax County affordable units are generally created through what amounts to extra density on large developments. Vienna, however, is built-out. Essentially the only land left for new house comes from combining adjacent lots and the splitting them up again into more, smaller lots.
The plan suggests giving tax relief to landlords and perhaps amending the zoning ordinance to allow further changes.
The plan also suggests that the town begin using “alternative energy” vehicles in the town’s fleet, and that one way to help traffic problems would be to enforce traffic laws vigorously.
The text of the plan is available for review at www.viennava.gov/Town_Departments/PZFORMS/2006COMPPLAN_8_.pdf
A public hearing on the proposed plan is scheduled for March 6.at 8 p. m. in the council chamber at Town Hall, 127 Center St., S. Call 703 255-6341.
<1b>— Ari Cetron