Arlington County offers multiple opportunities to weigh in on long term planning and project development, including comprehensive plans (e.g., the Affordable Housing Master Plan, the Forestry and Natural Resources Master Plan), Sector Plans (e.g., Plan Lee Highway, Pentagon City Planning Study), and Project Site Plans for both government facilities and private development efforts. These planning efforts have generally focused on density, height, architectural design, open spaces, and other visible features but offer a powerful avenue for advocating for net zero carbon buildings and other less visible sustainability goals.
Public engagement opportunities take multiple forms, from online comments, to focus groups, and meetings with residents and other stakeholders. Meetings that were held in person prior to the COVID-19 pandemic have evolved to virtual platforms, which makes public engagement easier and, we can hope, will be continued as restrictions are lifted.
Arlington’s building codes are governed at the State level, which lag behind recommended standards for energy efficiency and do not align with net zero carbon building standards. Developments seeking higher density (i.e., greater building size) must undergo review by the Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC), a subcommittee of the County Planning Commission that advises the County Board on growth and development.
- Each project has its own webpage with project design information, review timeline and scheduled meetings, recorded builder and staff slide-show presentations as well as previous meetings and public online comments once opportunity for comment has closed. The process operates under the State of Virginia’s open meeting rules with multiple opportunities for public comment, including:
- Online feedback opportunities on specific topics, open for one week approximately 30 and 60 days after the final site plan is accepted,
- Up to three SPRC meetings open to the public, including opportunities for public comment at the discretion of the SPRC Chair at the end of the meeting, usually not longer than 2 minutes. Links to join the meetings virtually using Microsoft Teams, with or without installing the app, can be found on the webpage along with telephone numbers for audio-only participation. Pre-registration is not required.
- Review by the Transportation Committee for transit-related aspects of the project such as bike lanes, traffic flows, and sidewalks,
- Review by the Planning Commission which typically meets on the first Monday of each month. Its website provides details regarding schedules, agendas, and input processes. Speakers must pre-register online or by phone by 5:00 pm the day before the hearing and are limited to 3 minutes for individuals and 5 minutes for organizations.
- Final project approval by the County Board, which meets the third Saturday of each month starting at 8:30 . Speaker registration is required and typically opens via a link on its web page a week prior to each meeting. Individuals registered to testify on a Regular Hearing agenda item may speak for a maximum of 2 or 3 minutes. Representatives of civic organizations such as EcoAction Arlington may speak for a maximum of 5 minutes, with a limit of one person per organization using a 5-minute slot.
While the County Board has the final say on project approvals, citizen input at the SPRC level can often have the greatest impact, giving applicants maximum opportunity to revise their designs before they become finalized. We encourage you to get engaged in these processes and will provide suggestions on specific sustainability measures for particular projects in upcoming issues of the EcoAdvocate.
This content originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of The EcoAdvocate newsletter produced by the EcoAction Arlington Advocacy Committee. For more information about the Advocacy Committee, please visit ecoactionarlington.org/get-involved/ecoaction-arlingtondvocacy/