SULLY DISTRICT
COUNCIL MEETING
August 21, 2013
I. CALL
TO ORDER
President Mark McConn called the
meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.
II.
ATTENDANCE
Members
1.
Mark
McConn, President Bull
Run Community Association
2.
Jeff
Parnes, 1st Vice President Chantilly
Highlands
3.
Lewis
Grimm, Treasurer Franklin
Farms
4.
Priscilla
Knight, Secretary Sully
Station II
5.
Charles
Fleming Chantilly
Farm HOA
6.
Al
Francese Little
Rocky Run
7. Rick Vaughan Dartmoor
Woods HOA
8.
John
Litzenberger Sully
Planning Commissioner
9.
Jim
Horner Century
Oaks?
10.
Jim
Hart Board
of Zoning Appeals/Planning Commission
Guests
and Visitors
11.
Judith
Heisinger BRCA
12.
Nick
Perfili FCDOT
13.
Bob
Lerch Rocky
Run?
14.
Sara
Mariska Walsh
Colucci
15.
Clayton
McCane Sunoco
16.
Don
Lore Sunoco
17.
John
Anderson Cornerstone,
Sunoco
18.
Jody
Bennett HMDC
19.
Mary
Ann Tsai DPZ
20.
Janis
Vitols Holly
Acres Community Council
21.
Lidia
Soto-Harmon CEO,
Girl Scouts Council of the Nation’s Capital
22.
Evan
Pritchard Walsh,
Colucci
23.
Sam
Butz GSCNC
architect
24.
Laura
Bassett GSCNC,
director, information services
25.
Carol
Cross GSCNC
26.
Gene
Cross consultant
27.
Nancy
Wood GSCNC
28.
Laura
Bassett GSCNC
29.
Jackie
Wooldridge GSCNC
30.
Barbara
Hunter GSCNC
31.
Kathy
Duda GSCNC
32.
Yasuko
Okuno GSCNC
33.
Newt
Wood
Justin Knoll Rd.
34.
Hamid
Taheri
Justin Knoll Rd.
35.
Susan
O’Connor
Justin Knoll Road
36.
Kathy
& Joe Whitcraft
Justin Knoll Road
37.
Lommot
& Leslie Copeland
residents
38.
Mike
Fleming
Fairfax
And
47 other Oakton residents
III. LAND
USE AND TRANSPORTATION
A.
A-Plus
Sunoco Application
Sara
V. Mariska, of Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley, Emrich & Walsh, P.C., represented
A-Plus Sunoco gas station at Willard Road and Daly Drive. She requested approval
for A-Plus’s application to remodel the station and allow alcohol to be sold.
Judith
Heisinger, a member of the Western Fairfax County Citizens Association, said WFCCA
has objected to the application if the gas station sells alcohol. She noted that years ago neighbors objected
to allowing other gas stations in the area to sell alcohol. She said the prohibition has been the
practice in Western Fairfax for 15 years.
Mr.
Parnes noted that the SDC agreed with the WFCCA and took a position against
alcohol sales when the SDC met on July 24, 2013.
Attendees
asked questions about alcohol sales. Mr.
McConn said the Sully District does not have a policy that says it will oppose alcohol
sales at gas stations, but if this A-Plus Sunoco can do it, the other 20-some
gas stations in the Sully District would probably request that their prohibition
be removed.
Mr. Francese made a
MOTION that the Sully District Council not object to the expansion and
remodeling of the A-Plus gas station. Mr.
Grimm SECONDED the motion and made a FRIENDLY AMENDMENT that says the Council
requests that alcohol not be sold at the gas station. Mr. Francese ACCEPTED the Friendly
amendment. The motion was APPROVED. (5-0-1 abstention)
B.
Girl
Scouts Application for a Special Exception for Camp Crowell in Oakton
Evan
Pritchard of Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley, Emrich & Walsh, P.C., discussed an
application for a Special Exception. The Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital
would like to build a storage facility at Camp Crowell off Justin Knoll Road in
Oakton.
Mr.
Pritchard went over the application and the timeline. The Girl Scouts originally proposed a 4,000
square foot facility with the option to expand it to 6,000 square feet. He said the Council would like to store Girl
Scout records, equipment for camping, materials for badges and crafts, and memorabilia.
Mr. Pritchard noted that Fairfax County approved in 1981 a Special Exception that
allowed the Girl Scouts to build a caretaker’s cottage, as well as a new lodge,
parking lot, and amphitheater. The Girl Scouts did not build the cottage and
they do not plan on building one. They applied for an amendment that would permit
the Council to reduce the size of the lodge from 12,000 square feet to 5,000
square feet.
In
2013, the Girl Scouts were told they must find another storage facility because
the one they have been using in Merrifield would not be available sometime this
year. (Currently, the Girl Scouts have a
month-to-month lease.) Therefore, the
Girl Scouts’ application to build a storage facility at Camp Crowell was put on
a fast track in February with plans to go before the Planning Commission in
July.
Mr.
Evans said the Girl Scouts have had several meetings with homeowners, and they
presented their case before the Sully District Council in May. They held a
meeting at the lodge on June 12 and answered questions about the proposed
location of the structure. Neighbors asked
that the building blend in better with the woods. Mr. Evans said the Girl Scouts will increase
the number of evergreen trees and bushes to camouflage the structure. He noted that homeowners requested that Camp
Crowell not increase its occupancy.
Mr.
Evans said the Girl Scouts did not anticipate neighbors’ strong opposition. Because of the concerns, the Scouts asked the
Planning Commission to delay the hearing until September.
Delays
have occurred as the Girl Scouts have tried to accommodate changes in the
proposed storage facility and location. The application for the building will
go before the Board of Zoning Appeals. It
may go before the Land Use Commission in September.
GSCNC CEO Lidia
Soto-Harmon
Ms.
Soto-Harmon said there are more than 64,000 Girl Scouts in the National Capital
region. The GS Council supplies equipment for camping – including for girls
with special needs. For 25 years they
have stored materials in Merrifield, but since that area is going to be changed,
the Scouts have to find a new location.
Therefore, the Scouts would like to use part of the 67.5-acre Camp
Crowell for a storage facility.
Ms.
Soto-Harmon noted that the camp was there before any nearby houses were
built. She said they have been good
neighbors: they have had Justin Knolls plowed during snow storms. And, they have not asked for a change in the
Special Exception for 22 years.
Ms.
Soto-Harmon said the storage building will remain at 4,000 square feet. The colors have been changed. They have
shifted the orientation so that the narrow side of the building will face
Justin Knoll. Trucks will not be used
for deliveries. Instead, the Scouts will use a van that will leave in the
morning to deliver materials, and then return in the afternoons. The van will be stored in the building’s
garage. The facility will be closed at
night and on weekends. She said, “We will not allow an increase in traffic.”
Ms.
Soto-Harmon said the Girl Scouts have made a successful effort to reduce the
traffic of girls coming to the camp by organizing parent carpooling and uses
buses. She said Girl Scout cookies will not be stored there.
She
said, “As the CEO and as Girl Scouts, I can tell you our word is good: The
proposal will be exactly as we say.”
In
answers to SDC questions, Mr. Evans and Ms. Soto-Harmon said the site was
selected because of its relatively level topography. The building will be approximately 50 feet
from the cul de sac. The high berm that is
there now will remain; it will block part of the building.
Camp
Crowell is the most centrally located camp for Scouts in the Washington, D.C.,
area. The Nation’s Capital region
comprises 25 counties.
Mr.
McConn noted that if the Girl Scouts sold the camp to a real estate developer
there would be a lot of construction and traffic. Ms. Soto-Harmon said they want to keep the
camp and they would like to build a storage facility.
Mr.
Evans said a traffic analysis did not have to be done because the application
does not meet the threshold. He said they
anticipate no more than about six trips a day to and from the camp because of
the storage facility. Mr. Grimm asked how many trips have been made daily from
the Merrifield facility. The Girl Scout
study came up with a little more than 100 trips a year. Ms. Soto-Harmon reiterated that troop leaders
will not be allowed to pick up materials from the facility or return them. The
van will deliver and collect all materials to reduce traffic.
Spokespersons
from Oakton Neighbors
Newt
Wood, a property owner next to the camp, said the building could be modified
someday to be 6,000 square feet. He said
he objects to having a steel corrugated pre-fab structure built in the
neighborhood. He said it doesn’t look like a house or a garage, and it would
detract from their property values.
Diane
Tippman, president of the Girl Scouts, is involved with real estate. Therefore, Mr. Wood asked that she use her real
estate connections to find another location.
Mr. Wood said the warehouse is going to be a regional distribution center. It said the Scouts will have a 15-foot box
truck that will pick up on Friday and return on Monday. He said he doesn’t believe that a van will
leave in the morning and return at night.
Kathy
Whitcraft said the Justin Knoll neighbors have asked for the delivery records,
but they have not received them. She noted
that the camp can have 550 people at any one time. She said, “We feel it isn’t appropriate for
the community.”
Jim
Hart said he serves on the Land Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals. He
said that by law a public hearing will be scheduled 90 days before the BZA
hears the case. There will be a sandwich
board to announce a hearing at the Government Center. All nearby homeowners will receive a letter notifying
them of the hearing. Homeowners may come
and speak and they may submit comments. Or
they can watch the meeting on television.
John
Litzenberger, Sully District Planning Commissioner, encouraged the sides to
keep talking to see if they can come to a compromise.
Homeowner
Comments
·
A
former Girl Scout leader said she doesn’t think the facility is in the best
location at the camp. The Girl Scouts want to only use the 5-acre spot noted.
·
Another
homeowner wanted to know if the Girl Scouts will increase development. Mr.
Litzenberger and Mr. Hart said that the Special Exception will spell out the
agreement. If the agreement is violated, the Girl Scouts will be fined. Mr.
Litzenberger said the County has an office of zoning enforcement. The more the violations, the higher the
fines.
·
In
section I of the July Special Exception application, the Scouts indicated they
would pave a trail to connect it to the Cross County Trail. The Girl Scouts are agreeing to a partial
connection to “maintain the primitive nature of the area.”
·
A
gentleman said he is concerned about the effect on the property value of nearby
homes. He asked the SDC if the warehouse would affect it. Mr. Parnes said to ask real estate agents
about a possible affect.
·
Regarding
vehicles needed for construction, the Scouts and Mr. Evans said the concrete
pad will need about 30 trucks of concrete.
The County ordinance allows construction to occur between 7 a.m. and 7
p.m. Construction should last several weeks.
Mr.
Parnes said the SDC will wait on making a decision on the application until the
BZA takes a position. The Girl Scouts agreed to come back to the SDC in a few
months.
IV. SCHEDULE
OF UPCOMING MEETINGS
Mr.
Parnes went over the upcoming schedule of events. He urged homeowners to join
the council and have a vote in what the SDC does.
September
25 – Candidates forum
October
23 – Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, Dulles rail
November
20 – Updates from VDOT, FDOT, and Northern Virginia Transportation Authority
December
18 – Westfield Business Property Owners
February
2014 – Fairfax Center Area Task Force
V. ADJOURNMENT
The
meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. The next
SDC meeting will be on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013.
Respectively
submitted by,
Priscilla
B. Knight
Sully
District Council Secretary