FAIRLINGTON / BRADLEE

SMALL AREA PLAN

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ADOPTED 1992 MASTER PLAN ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

Amended 9/13/1997, Ordinance 3950 Amended 12/15/2001, Ordinance 4234 Amended 2/25/2012, Ordinance 4753

AMENDMENTS TO FAIRLINGTON/BRADLEE SMALL AREA PLAN - as of 6/4/15

FAIRLINGTON / BRADLEE

SMALL AREA PLAN

ALEXANDRIA CITY COUNCIL

Mayor Patricia S. Ticer

Vice Mayor William C. Cleveland

Kerry J. Donley

T. Michael Jackson

Redella S. Pepper

Lonnie C. Rich

David G. Speck

CITY MANAGER

Vola Lawson

PREPARED BY:

DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Staff:

Sheldon Lynn, Director

Larry Grossman, Chief Comprehensive Planning

Principal Author:

Gregory Tate

Graphics

Carla Childress

Allen Martin

JUNE 13, 1992: ORDINANCE 3576

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview of the Fairlington/Bradlee

LIST OF MAPS

1. | Study Area | 2 --- | --- | ---
2. | 1974 Land Use Plan | 5
3. | Fairlington/Bradlee Land Use, as amended | 6 | Amended 9/13/97, Ord. 3950; Amended 12/15/01, Ord. 4234; Amended 2/25/12, Ord. 4753 |
4. | Proposed Land Use Changes (1992) | 7
5. | Existing Zoning | 10 6A. | Proposed Zoning | 11 6B. | Proposed Zoning Changes | 12
6. | Existing Height Restrictions (1992) | 14
7. | Fairlington/Bradlee Height Limits | 15
8. | Transportation Recommendations (1992) | 18
9. | Braddock Road Transportation (1992) Recommendation | 19
10. | Tree Planting Plan (1992) | 20

OVERVIEW OF THE FAIRLINGTON/BRADLEE PLANNING PROCESS

In response to a request from City Council, the Department of Planning undertook a planning exercise to update the Master Plan for the Fairlington/Bradlee area. A series of task force meetings were held from December 1986 through March 1987 with the purpose of reevaluating the Master Plan and recommending needed changes to City Council.

The Fairlington/Bradlee area is the predominantly commercial area located at or near the intersection of King Street (Route 7), Braddock Road, and Quaker Lane. (Map 1). The land use is predominantly retail and commercial services, with a small amount of office space (primarily medical) and a little housing. Most of the area is zoned C-2 which allows high density (FAR 3.0) development at heights of up to 150 feet.

While the area is zoned for intensive commercial use, the area has not yet experienced significant high density commercial activity. It is the concern of nearby neighborhoods that such uses could seek to locate in the area and to change the nature of the area that give emphasis to this study.

The major concerns expressed at meetings on the plan were:

1. how to relieve the perceived congestion at the King/Quaker/Braddock intersection,

2. how to maintain the low scale neighborhood-serving retail currently existing within the area, and

3. how to insure that new development will be in scale with nearby residential areas.

The Fairlington/Bradlee plan is intended to provide guidelines for implementing appropriate land use, zoning, transportation and urban design policies in the area. The recommendations made in this plan are a result of Planning staff analysis and issues and concerns raised by the Fairlington/Bradlee Area Task Force.

Fairlington / Bradlee

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Map 1 Study Area

MAP 1

GOALS FOR THE AREA

1. To preserve and maintain neighborhoods adjacent to the plan area and protect those areas from density increase and from congestion from development and redevelopment of land within the plan area.

2. To preserve and maintain the continued presence of neighborhood-serving retail currently existing in the area.

3. To ensure that commercial redevelopment be compatible with surrounding neighborhoods and in scale with existing commercial areas.

4. To improve traffic circulation in the area, consistent with attainment of other goals and objectives.

5. To improve the visual appearance of the area, consistent with sound principles of urban design.

MASTER PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS:

Both the Fairlington and Bradlee Shopping Centers have undergone major renovations recently, and Bradlee has expanded its retail offerings. The consensus of the neighborhood task force is that these centers are important to the surrounding residential neighborhoods, and should be preserved, and that steps be taken to insure that they are not replaced by out-of-scale, high density office development which could change the nature of the area.

The task force reviewed the current (1974) land use plan for the area (Map 2) and concluded that the plan had to be refined to meet the goals for the area. In particular, the 1974 plan designates much of the area for commercial development, failing to distinguish between high density commercial office development, and low density, neighborhood-serving retail development of the kind that currently exists within the area.

The proposed plan makes those distinctions (Map 3).

The Zoning Code allows nearly 2,000,000 square feet of office space to be developed in this area; this amount is clearly excessive for a neighborhood serving commercial center which is not one of the City's designated growth areas. Staff recommends that the total office space in the entire area not exceed 200,000 square feet, and that medium and high density office development be directed to the City's growth areas.

Plan Concept

The basic concept of the proposed Plan is to concentrate neighborhood serving commercial along King Street and North Quaker Lane, limiting both the extent of office development and the heights of buildings. Commercial development should not be allowed to spread to the east along Braddock Road beyond Radford Street where the residential neighborhood begins. The heights, density, and intensity of uses would be limited adjacent to residential neighborhoods.

The plan proposes three new commercial categories which more accurately describe the kind of commercial development desired:

CSL: Commercial Service Low Low intensity service, low scale office and clean industrial uses compatible with residential areas; 1-4 stories

CG: Commercial General Auto oriented retail and service activities

OC: Office Commercial Moderate density, low height office development

RECOMMENDED CHANGES TO THE MASTER PLAN (MAP 4)

1. From Commercial to Residential Medium (RM).

   These two areas are residential townhomes. The current commercial designation is inappropriate.

Fairlington / Bradlee

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Map 2 1974 Land Use Plan

RL - Residential Low RM - Residential Medium C - Commercial I - Institutional

MAP 2

Fairlington / Bradlee

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Map 3 Fairlington/Bradlee Land Use Plan, as amended

RM - Residential Medium RH - Residential High CL - Commercial Low CG - Commercial General OC - Office Commercial CSL - Commercial Service Low INST - Institutional

*Amended 9/13/97, Ord. 3950 (Property removed from Fairlington/ Bradlee SAP and included in Taylor Run/Duke SAP) Amended 12/15/01, Ord. 4234; Amended 2/25/12, Ord. 4753

*Ord. 3950

Ord. 4753

Ord. 4234

This area is not covered by the Fairlington/Bradlee Plan nor the North Ridge/ Rosemont Plan. Map 4, however, notes its intended proposed land use as RM

Fairlington / Bradlee

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Map 4 Proposed Land Use Changes (1992)

1 From C to RM 2 From RL to Inst 3 From RL to RM 4 From RL to RH 5 From RL to RM 6 From C to CG 7 From C to CG 8 From C to CSL 9 From C to OC

MAP 4

2. From Residential Low to Institutional (INS).

This area is shown as residential low. The site is currently owned by the Blessed Sacrament Church, is under construction for a new church and school facility and should be shown as institutional.

3. From Residential Low to Residential Medium (RM).

This area is residential low with single-family homes. The recommended change to residential medium would allow for redevelopment to townhomes and act as a transition from the proposed residential high to the west to the institutional use and low density residential to the east. The designation represents a compromise allowing existing single-family houses to remain but allows redevelopment to higher densities of residential.

4. From Residential Low to Residential High (RH).

This block is currently used as institutional, is zoned C-O and has been approved by Council for high density residential.

5. From Residential Low to Residential Medium (RM).

This block is currently designated residential low for single-family housing but is being developed for townhouses. Residential medium is the appropriate designation.

6,7. From Commercial to Commercial General (CG).

These areas are designated commercial and are primarily retail and service oriented commercial. Designating these areas for commercial general will help to retain the strong retail base that now exists, and to discourage their redevelopment for excessive amounts of office. This designation will, in addition, accommodate the automobile sales and service uses on the two sites owned by Lindsay Cadillac Co. and anticipated to remain on these sites for the indefinite future and/or would permit limited office development on these sites.

8. From Commercial to Commercial Service Low (CSL).

These areas are appropriate for mixed commercial and services, at low densities and heights that are compatible with nearby residential.

9. From Commercial to Office/Commercial (OC).

Council thought this site was appropriate for OC densities. For currently approved land use, please refer to Map 3.

ZONING RECOMMENDATIONS

The major recommendation of the study is to revise the existing C-2 commercial zone to allow for a differentiation between the commercial functions as called for in the master plan recommendations:

1. CSL - Commercial Service Low: low intensity service and commercial; low scale office and clean industrial uses compatible with medium density residential areas; 1-4 stories.

2. CG - Commercial General, retail/service centers with a limited amount of office development allowed.

3. OC - Office Commercial: medium density commercial at low heights.

Currently, the commercial zoning allows development up to 150 feet in height and to a density of 3.0 which is not compatible with the small area plan goals (Map 5).

The portion of the townhouse development on Dogwood Drive west of Kenwood currently zoned C-2 should be rezoned to RM residential. The property is currently used for medium density residential uses, and it would be inappropriate for commercial development to extend into the residential area.

There was general support for the proposal that the residential properties between Kenwood and Radford from south of the Lindsay parking lot to Braddock Road should be rezoned from R-8 to R-B to preserve the area in residential use, but to allow longer term redevelopment of the area at somewhat higher densities to serve as a transition zone from the higher density commercial and housing developments to the west to the low density residential areas to the east and northeast.

Recommendations:

A. Refer to the Zoning Task Force a study of how to create new commercial zones to preserve neighborhood serving retail areas and to limit high density office development on retail commercial sites.

(Proposed Zoning Changes - Map 6)

1. Rezone the portion of the townhouse development at Kenwood Avenue and Dogwood Drive from C-2 to a residential category.

The C-2 commercial is inappropriate for a residential development.

2. Rezone the blocks between Osage Street, Kenwood Avenue and Braddock Road as shown on the attached map from R-8 to RB.

This rezoning will allow the existing single-family houses to remain, but will allow for future development of townhouses.

3. Rezone the remainder of the block bounded by Kenwood, King, Radford and Braddock from R-8 to RB.

4. Rezone the Bradlee Shopping Center (including the gas station and the Safeway), the Fairlington Shopping Center, and the parcels at Braddock and King to a new zoning category consistent with the CG master Plan designation.

The goal of the rezoning is to preserve important neighborhood retail facilities, to encourage new neighborhood serving retail, and to limit the extent of office development. This designation will, in addition, accommodate the automobile sales and service uses on the two sites owned by Lindsay Cadillac Co. and anticipated to remain on these sites for the indefinite future and/or would permit limited office development on these sites.

9

This map is no longer being updated. For current zoning, please refer to the citywide zoning map on the GIS Standard Maps webpage, www.alexandriava.gov/ gis.

Map 5 - Existing Zoning

This map is no longer being updated. For current zoning, please refer to the citywide zoning map on the GIS Standard Maps webpage, www.alexandriava.gov/gis.

Map 6A - Proposed Zoning

This map is no longer being updated. For current zoning, please refer to the citywide zoning map on the GIS Standard Maps webpage, www.alexandriava.gov/gis.

Map 6B - Proposed Zoning Changes

5. Rezone the Lindsay Cadillac properties to a new designation consistent with the CSL category.

The goal of the rezoning is to reduce the height and intensity of uses allowable in this area while allowing provision of retail and service activities in a manner consistent with nearby residential areas.

6. Rezone the properties along Quaker Lane between Fern and Dogwood to a new category consistent with the CG master plan designation.

The goal is to preserve the existing retail and service uses.

7. Rezone the block at King and Quaker from C-2 to a category consistent with Commercial General.

This rezoning is consistent with existing uses and limits office development at a site that has poor access.

8. Rezone from C-O to a RC-Residential High Zone.

This block has been approved for a high density residential project. This proposed rezoning is consistent with that proposal.

9. Rezone from C-2 to a zone consistent with Office Commercial.

Council thought this site was appropriate for OC land use and zoning, with densities up to a 1.5 F.A.R. For current zoning, please refer to the citywide zoning map on the GIS Standard Maps page, www.alexandriava.gov/gis.

HEIGHT LIMITS

There was a consensus that the allowable heights in the area are too high (Map 7). Allowable heights of the 150 feet were felt to be inappropriate both in terms of their relationship to nearby residential areas, and in terms of the kind of neighborhood-serving commercial that is desired in the Bradlee/Fairlington area. Heights of 150 feet are appropriate to high intensity commercial centers such as are found in the Eisenhower Valley and parts of the west end, but inappropriate for this small business complex in the center of low scale residential neighborhoods.

TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATIONS

One of the major concerns of the task force is the need to improve traffic flow through the King/Quaker/Braddock intersection.

The major problem of the intersection is not an unusually high volume of traffic on any one street segment, but rather the fact that there are so many movements through the intersection that the sum total of all the signal phases result in a very long cycle time with a limited number of cars being able to move through each phase. It is clear that the only way to make a significant impact on the intersection is to reduce the total number of traffic movements either by 1) eliminating some turning movements, 2) building a grade separation with King Street passing under the intersection, or 3) combining King and Braddock traffic together where they cross Quaker Lane.

Fairlington / Bradlee

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Map 7 Existing Height Restrictions (1992)

MAP 7

Fairlington / Bradlee

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Map 8 Fairlington/Bradlee Height Limits

• Denotes Change
• 1 Up to 45 feet with a SUP
• This site is in the North Ridge study area

MAP 8

The intersection involves three major arterials, one of which is a State route and any significant improvements will require analysis by the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation. Therefore, staff recommends that City Council authorize the Director of Transportation and Environmental Services to submit the King Street/Quaker Lane/Braddock Road intersection to the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation for preliminary engineering and evaluation of design alternatives. The study process may take a considerable amount of time. It is to the City's interest to initiate that process soon so that the alternative solutions can be analyzed.

The task force also raised two other transportation issues. One concerns the entrance to the Bradlee Shopping Center where the intersection of King Street and Taylor Drive is controlled by a traffic signal and Taylor Drive and the King Street service drive is controlled by stop signs. This situation produces confusion over who has the right-of-way which results in congestion.

The other issue that citizens requested to be examined was converting eastbound Braddock Road at Kenwood Street from one travel lane to two lanes: one for left turn movement and the other for through and right turns. Currently, cars are permitted to park up to the corner on Braddock Road.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Direct the Director of Transportation and Environmental Services to investigate if parking on eastbound Braddock Road at Kenwood Avenue can be restricted in order to provide one lane for left hand turns onto Kenwood and one lane for through and right hand turn movements.

2. That staff make a study of the intersection at King Street/Quaker Lane/Braddock Road and come back to Council with alternatives as to whether to go to State or to have the City do it. Also to expand the study area to include Braddock Road down to Marlee Way and to address the ingress and egress of Bradlee Shopping Center as well as pedestrian circulation.

URBAN DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS

The Fairlington/Bradlee area is made up of two retail centers with Bradlee Shopping Center serving as the focal point. Both have recently been upgraded and renovated improving the visual appearance of the centers. Lindsay Cadillac has just completed improvements to its new car storage lot and plans to renovate its used car facility at Quaker Lane and Braddock Road.

The Fairlington/Bradlee area is one of the City's main focal points with a high volume of traffic carried on its three major arterials. The area is bordered by attractive well established residential and institutional areas.

Yet for all these strengths much of the area suffers from a lack of visual form. The visual appearance of the area does not convey a strong sense of neighborhood retail. Pedestrian access is hazardous and not well defined throughout the area. A vast amount of the area is devoted to paving to accommodate the automobile both in parking and in wide streets. These elements have created a harsh visual and pedestrian environment that can be softened by landscape improvements and delineation of pedestrian crossing points.

Some landscape improvements have occurred as a result of recent construction or renovations of commercial properties, but staff’s plan calls for modest tree plantings in areas that the City Arborist determined to be in need of additional plantings and/or replacement of damaged or dying trees.

<u>Recommendations:</u>

1. That Council ask the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities to consider the plan for tree plantings in the Fairlington/Bradlee area and inclusion of that plan as a capital expenditure to be included in the Capital Improvements Program. Staff has not proposed trees along the portion of King Street likely to be affected by the study of ways to improve the intersection (Map 11).

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Fairlington / Bradlee

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Map 9

Transportation Recommendations (1992)

1 Study parking restrictions on eastbound Braddock Road at Kenwood in order to provide three lanes: one for left turns, one for through movements and one for right turns.

2 Staff study of the King Street/Quaker Lane/Braddock Road intersections, including Braddock Road down to Marlee Way and the ir[ ]ss and egress and pedestrian circulation adlee Shopping Center.

Fairlington / Bradlee

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EXISTING LOCATION, "NO PARKING HERE TO CORNER" SIGN

PROPOSED RELOCATION, "NO PARKING HERE TO CORNER" SIGN

Map 10

Recommendation to Provide For (1992) Left Turn & Thru Traffic Lanes On Eastbound Braddock Road

MAP 10

Fairlington / Bradlee

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Map 11 Tree Planting Plan (1992)

████████ Thornless Honeylocust ●●●●● Willow Oak ●●●●● Red Oak ██████ Red Maple ☐☐☐☐☐☐ Littleleaf Linden ○○○○○ Ginko /// Marshall's Ash

MAP 11