OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Alexandria Board of Zoning Appeals Public Hearing - May 11, 2026

Public Meetings — Monday, May 11, 2026
BodyAlexandria, Virginia
SessionPublic Meetings
DateMonday, May 11, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:52:24
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Oh here you go because uh it's only on those three.

0:21

So we'll say everyone.

0:26

Um start the meeting.

0:30

Welcome to the May 11th meeting of the board of voting appeals.

0:34

For those of you who have not been to a BCA meeting, uh here's a procedural briefing.

0:40

When a case is called, the city staff will have up to five minutes to present their case, after which the applicant and their representatives will also have up to five minutes to present their position.

0:54

And then finally, the case will be open to public comments with each speaker also limited to five minutes.

1:01

Members of the public must fill out a speaking speaker form for the record, and you can find those forms outside the room.

1:08

The board may ask questions during any of these presentations, and the response to board questions do not count against your five minutes.

1:17

However, speakers are asked to only respond to the question and refrain from elaborating, restating their position or asking questions of the board.

1:27

Once public comment is closed, the board will deliberate on the case during which the board may ask additional questions of either the staff or the applicant.

1:37

And as always, um during this process, speakers are asked to only respond to the question and refrain from discussion.

1:44

The BZA is a seven-member board with a four-member quorum requirement.

1:49

All motions must have four affirmative votes to pass, regardless of the number of board members in attendance.

1:56

So with that being said, Ms.

1:57

Christmasen, please call the roll.

2:00

Mr.

2:01

Liu?

2:01

Here.

2:02

Ms.

2:02

Evelyn?

2:03

President.

2:03

Mr.

2:04

Burke?

2:05

Here.

2:05

Mr.

2:06

Foley.

2:07

Here.

2:08

Mr.

2:09

Justice?

2:09

Here.

2:10

Mr.

2:10

Patel.

2:12

Here.

2:14

We have a quorum.

2:15

Ms.

2:15

Bowman has indicated that she would be here, so we'll see if she shows up later.

2:20

Okay.

2:21

Sounds good.

2:22

So first order of business.

2:26

The first item is a legal training for the BZA members.

2:37

Good evening.

2:37

My name is Christina Zechman Brown.

2:39

I'm with the Alexandria City Attorney's Office, and I'm here to give you a legal procedures and processes briefing.

2:48

I'll go over a little bit about the specific functions of the BZA and then the general rules that apply to all boards and board members.

3:01

So what we'll discuss, this is sort of a bit about an outline.

3:05

We'll talk about the specific types of decisions that you all make, your variances, special exception decisions, uh appeals of director determinations, talk a little bit more a little bit about as well the um process for appeal when something's appealed to court.

3:21

We'll also look at FOIA meeting and documents rules, um, conflicts of interest, um, some rules that apply to all boards and commissions, and um touch on Robert's rules and your bylaws.

3:34

Um so just to lay a little bit of the groundwork for us all here.

3:38

Virginia is a Dillon rule state, and so that means when we have an author when we seek to do something as a city, we have to be authorized to do it either through the Virginia Code or the City Charter.

3:49

Um the Dillon rule is um basically the opposite if you think of it as uh from home rule.

3:55

Home rule means that you can create and generate any rules that you you would like to govern the conduct of the locality.

4:02

We instead have a charter and the charter and the Virginia Code are both given granted to us by the General Assembly.

4:09

And those are um specifically they speak um they speak in more recent years, they've been speaking more specifically to the functions of the BZA and um its rules and and the role that it plays.

4:23

Um this is just a list of and links to um the different provisions of the zoning ordinance, the city code, and the other rules um and laws that apply to the BZA.

4:37

Um so to start off, the BZA um serves several distinct and um important land use functions.

4:44

Um through the special exception process, you all grant property rights.

4:49

This allows a particular use to be made of a property if is if specific zoning ordinance criteria are met.

5:00

You also grant variances, which is a mechanism, the a relief mechanism when someone seeks to do something that's not allowed under the zoning ordinance.

5:06

This has a high bar for relief.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Planning And Zoning█████████████████████████████████████████████79%
Procedural██████10%
Public Engagement█████8%
Pending Litigation█1%
Engineering And Infrastructure█1%
Legal Interpretation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Alexandria Board of Zoning Appeals Public Hearing - May 11, 2026

The Alexandria Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) held a public hearing on Monday, May 11, 2026, at 7:02 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center. All seven board members were present, with two participating virtually. The meeting included a legal training session, two public hearings (a variance request and a special exception request), and approval of previous meeting minutes. The meeting adjourned at 8:52 p.m.

Legal Training for BZA Members

Christina Zechman Brown of the Alexandria City Attorney's Office presented a training on legal procedures and processes for the BZA. The training covered the specific functions of the BZA, including variances, special exceptions, and appeals of director determinations. It also addressed the variance criteria (seven factors), special exception standards, the appeal process to circuit court, FOIA and conflicts of interest laws, and Robert's Rules of Order. Key points included the high bar for variances (all criteria must be met), the requirement for a four-member affirmative vote, and restrictions on ex parte communications for variance and appeal cases.

Discussion Item: BZA2026-00002 – 1030 Cross Drive – Variance Request

The applicant, Jonathan and Tracy Mapley-Brittle, requested a variance to maintain an after-the-fact accessory structure (a gazebo) in the required secondary front yard of their corner lot, zoned R-8/Residential. The required setback was 25.20 feet; the gazebo was at zero feet. Staff recommended denial, citing alternative options (e.g., a pergola or open porch) and that the variance criteria were not met. The applicant argued that the lot's substandard size (6,182 sq. ft. vs. required 9,000 sq. ft.), pre-existing dwelling placement, and topographical grade differential created a unique hardship. Neighbors submitted letters of support.

During deliberation, board members expressed concern about precedent and the difficulty of meeting all variance criteria. Mr. Patel argued in favor, citing neighbor support and the lot's unique characteristics. The board voted 5-2 to deny the variance, with Mr. Patel and Secretary Eveland voting against the motion.

Discussion Item: BZA2026-00005 – 2411 Ridge Road Drive – Special Exception Request

The applicant, Ian Everett, requested a special exception to construct a rear addition in a required side yard of a corner lot, zoned R-8/Residential. The existing side yard was non-compliant due to the house's original gable height measurement. The proposal set the addition back, resulting in a requested relief of only 0.68 feet. Staff recommended approval, noting the addition met the special exception criteria and that a near-identical addition existed on a nearby corner lot. Board members praised the applicant's effort to comply with zoning and found the proposal consistent with neighborhood character. The board voted 7-0 to approve the special exception as submitted.

Key Outcomes

  • Variance Denied (BZA2026-00002): Motion to deny carried 5-2. Mr. Patel and Secretary Eveland opposed.
  • Special Exception Approved (BZA2026-00005): Motion to approve carried 7-0.
  • Minutes Approved: Motion to approve the minutes from the April 13, 2026 hearing carried 7-0.

Meeting Transcript

Oh here you go because uh it's only on those three. So we'll say everyone. Um start the meeting. Welcome to the May 11th meeting of the board of voting appeals. For those of you who have not been to a BCA meeting, uh here's a procedural briefing. When a case is called, the city staff will have up to five minutes to present their case, after which the applicant and their representatives will also have up to five minutes to present their position. And then finally, the case will be open to public comments with each speaker also limited to five minutes. Members of the public must fill out a speaking speaker form for the record, and you can find those forms outside the room. The board may ask questions during any of these presentations, and the response to board questions do not count against your five minutes. However, speakers are asked to only respond to the question and refrain from elaborating, restating their position or asking questions of the board. Once public comment is closed, the board will deliberate on the case during which the board may ask additional questions of either the staff or the applicant. And as always, um during this process, speakers are asked to only respond to the question and refrain from discussion. The BZA is a seven-member board with a four-member quorum requirement. All motions must have four affirmative votes to pass, regardless of the number of board members in attendance. So with that being said, Ms. Christmasen, please call the roll. Mr. Liu? Here. Ms. Evelyn? President. Mr. Burke? Here. Mr. Foley. Here. Mr. Justice? Here. Mr. Patel. Here. We have a quorum. Ms. Bowman has indicated that she would be here, so we'll see if she shows up later. Okay. Sounds good. So first order of business. The first item is a legal training for the BZA members. Good evening. My name is Christina Zechman Brown. I'm with the Alexandria City Attorney's Office, and I'm here to give you a legal procedures and processes briefing. I'll go over a little bit about the specific functions of the BZA and then the general rules that apply to all boards and board members. So what we'll discuss, this is sort of a bit about an outline. We'll talk about the specific types of decisions that you all make, your variances, special exception decisions, uh appeals of director determinations, talk a little bit more a little bit about as well the um process for appeal when something's appealed to court. We'll also look at FOIA meeting and documents rules, um, conflicts of interest, um, some rules that apply to all boards and commissions, and um touch on Robert's rules and your bylaws. Um so just to lay a little bit of the groundwork for us all here. Virginia is a Dillon rule state, and so that means when we have an author when we seek to do something as a city, we have to be authorized to do it either through the Virginia Code or the City Charter.

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