Kinder Care is requesting a special exception application to build a child care facility at the corner of Stonecroft and Westfields Boulevards in Sully Station. The facility would be a one-story Tudor brick building, commensurate with the architectural style at Sully Station, and would be in use Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m., with a daily maximum enrollment of 200 children ages six months to 12 years. Kinder Care expects to employ approximately 20 employees; there is sufficient parking available. The facility would be enclosed by a six foot high fence.
Kinder Care, with 1,500 facilities nationwide, including 15 in Fairfax County, has executed a lease on the property, contingent upon the special exception approval. Two proffer condition amendments must be passed. Because 13 acres of the property are currently zoned PDH3, and 4.8 acres are zoned C5, each proffer condition must be amended so the property is governed by the same proffer condition amendment.
At present, two alternatives are allowed: the first is 52,500 square feet retail, and the second allows for one drive-up bank, one restaurant, and 32,000 square feet retail. The proffer conditions must be amended to allow a child care facility to be built. Therefore, two additional alternatives are proposed: the first allows one drive-up bank, one child care facility, and 15,500 square feet of retail. This alternative eliminates the restaurant and allows for less retail. The second alternative permits the child care facility and 25,000 square feet retail, but eliminates both a bank and a restaurant. Ms. Steele mentioned that the shopping center owner desires flexibility for future use. If the proffer condition amendments are approved, it will lock the owner into one of the latter two alternatives. At this time, the owner has approval for one bank and one fast food restaurant. Consequently, the owner is trading fast food for child care.
Rick Korink inquired about the expected traffic flow patterns. Ms. Steele stated that Kinder Care would probably have to pay to improve the frontage road. The majority of the traffic will be generated from Westfields Boulevard. Rick Korink suggested that Ms. Steele have traffic studies completed for discussion at the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA). Representatives for Kinder Care met with Sully Station last week with generally positive results. They will meet with Sully Station II on April 16th. Dick Frank stated that the key for approval will be approval from the Sully Station Associations. Jeff Parnes noted that this particular amendment is not as major a concern for the Sully District Council as it will be for the Sully Station Associations. Dick Frank added that WFCCA will be interested in the proposal.
The second presentation was by Marie Travesky and Tracy Perez of Travesky and Associates, Ltd., on behalf of Aaron Rents and Sells. Due to a Fairfax County zoning ordinance revision, only 40 percent of the total square footage of a furniture facility zoned I-5 will now be available for retail services. Upon inspection, almost all, if not all, furniture stores in Fairfax County maintained approximately half of their stores as retail, and are in violation of the revision. Therefore, almost all furniture stores will need to come into compliance with the revision. This specific presentation involves two Aaron Rents and Sells facilities (lots 2A and 2B) in the Sullyfield Industrial Park off Walney Road. The Aaron Rents facilities takes up 28,600 gross square feet of the industrial park. The request is to build an eight foot wall within the facility to separate the sales area from the warehouse area and bring the facility into compliance with the zoning amendment. Larry Tessier inquired whether fire code requirements differ between the warehouse and sales areas. The fire code requirements are the same for both areas.
This is the first request of many that will be seen throughout Fairfax County. Although the facilities were given six months after citation to comply with the zoning revision, the actual revision of the ordinance took over one year to complete. The request from Aaron Rents and Sells comes five months after the revision of the ordinance.
Deborah Leser, the Sully Representative to the County-Wide Trail Committee (CWTC), reported on the status of the trail system in the area, as this topic was briefly discussed at the last Sully Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting. Each District has one appointee on the CWTC, and they are walking every trail in the County. Trails can consist of mulch, stone dust, and asphalt, among other materials. The minimum width for bike paths is eight feet. Prior to 1988, the County had a paid employee in charge of trail planning. This position, however, was considered non-essential and therefore eliminated. Since 1988, the County Planner has been the only County employee with input on the installation of trails. If the County Planner does not contact anyone when a waiver comes through, it is granted. Consequently, the CWTC is seeing an increase in the number of waivers being granted that eliminate trails. The critical factor is that trail easements are being lost, particularly in areas of utility easements. Without the easements, there will not be a unified trail system in the County. The belief may be that if the County permits the CWTC to review plans, it will delay developer requests for new construction. Also as a result of the elimination of the County position, the trail system, set up in 1988, has not been revised.
We all need to let our Board of Supervisors know that trails are a valued, important amenity within the County. While the County may not want to spend additional funds on trails, we need to let them know that a connected trail system is necessary. Because this is worthwhile for the residents of Sully District, the following motion was discussed and approved, to be sent to the Fairfax Federation, Supervisor Frey, The Department of Environmental Management, and the Office of Comprehensive Planning:
The Sully District Council of Citizen's Associations strongly believes that a coordinated trail system is clearly in the public's interest. A coordinated trail system represents a recreational resource as well as a public health and safety resource.
In support of this effort, the county staff should be directed to actively ensure the integrity of the county's comprehensive trail system by pursuing all proffered easements. To manage this effort, trail coordinators should be assigned for each district in the County.
The Sully District Council requests that all trail waiver applications be routed through the County-Wide Non-Motorist Trails Committee so that the committee may perform its intended oversight function.
The motion was made by Tricia Goins, seconded by Bill Ritchie, and passed unanimously.
Ms. Leser also brought up the issue of a lack of pedestrian/commuter trails at the proposed 28/29 interchange. Although trails were originally slated for both Highway 28 and Highway 29, the current plans do not show any trails due to be constructed. Ms. Leser isn't sure whether a waiver of the trails at the interchange is being requested. If trails are wanted at the interchange, residents may have to force the issue. Rick Korink mentioned that he has met with County transportation officials as well as VDOT and stated that letters have been written regarding the issue. Dick Frank said that we can be reasonably assured that the subject will not be dropped, and believes that the trails were "lost" at the time of transfer from the County to the State. He will check on the issue. Rick Korink made the following motion: The Sully District Council requests that any plans for the Route 28/29 interchange adequately address the proposed county trail system. Jeanne Pujanauski seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
At this time, Ms. Leser is the only Sully resident working on this issue. The Committee discussed forming a Sully Trails Committee to help her with the time consuming task of identifying trails and disseminating information to the public. A comment will be put in the next Sully District Council newsletter regarding the formation of a Sully Trails Committee. Rick Korink suggested that we create a Sully map showing the trail system to hang in Supervisor Frey's conference room. The County has purchased GRIS on which to plot the county trails. In 1991, all Sully trails were mapped out by a Sully resident.
Ms. Leser also mentioned that the Park Authority is looking for applicants for VDOT Recreational Resource Grants. These grants are available if the following specific criteria are met: path must be 1,500 linear feet or less in length, there must be evidence of public demand, there must be a volume of traffic that would use the path, the land must be publicly developed (national, state, or local park), and the path must end at a logical focal point. The deadline for the grants was April 1, 1996, however, it has been extended until the end of the month.
Respectfully submitted,
Carol A. Hawn
For the Land Use and Transportation Committee