Special Land Use Plan Study “Plus” – A Land Use Analysis for Shirlington

 

GLUP Amendment

In December 2017, Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRIT) submitted to the Arlington County Zoning Office a formal application for a Special General Land Use Plan (GLUP) Study for a 5.45 acre area which includes the cinema real estate tax parcel and roughly half of the 8.43 acre Parcel 2 located within the Shirlington Phased Development Site Plan (PDSP) #106. The subject area is currently designated “Low” Office-Apartment-Hotel (up to 1.5 FAR for office, up to 72 units/acre for residential, up to 110 units/acre for hotel)  and zoned C-O-1.5 Mixed Use District. The subject properties of the GLUP amendment request are currently occupied by a cinema, retail and office development, as well as a surface parking lot. The applicant is requesting a GLUP amendment to “Medium” Office-Apartment Hotel (up to 2.5 FAR for office, up to 115 units/acre for residential, up to 180 units/acre for hotel) and a rezoning to C-O-2.5 Mixed Use District. The applicant is contemplating a future residential use redevelopment of the surface parking lot at the corner of South Arlington Mill Drive and South Randolph Street.

In May 2019, FRIT submitted a supplemental application to include the hotel site located near Campbell Ave. and Arlington Mill Drive and, in June, FRIT submitted a request on behalf of WETA to include its property along Quincy St. The current and requested GLUP and zoning categories are the same as those identified for the parcels included in the original application.

Location

The subject properties are located within the Village at Shirlington and are identified in the above map.

Scope of Study

The study will analyze the site in the context of the surrounding area and obtain feedback from the Long Range Planning Committee of the Planning Commission (LRPC) and the community on the appropriateness of the requested change. The scope of the study will include the following:

• History of the GLUP and Zoning designations and PDSP / site plan approvals for the study site and surrounding area
• Existing GLUP and Zoning designations and PDSP / site plan approvals for the subject site and surrounding area
• Existing environmental and topographical features, land uses, densities, building heights for the study site and its surrounding area
• Recommendations of County plans and policies, as applicable
• Allowable uses, densities, building heights, etc. for requested GLUP designation and other GLUP designations to be studied
• 3-D computer modeling of study site’s existing conditions, and various scenarios reflected requested GLUP designation and other GLUP designations to be studied
• Preliminary transportation analysis for the study site and its surrounding area, including recommendations for improvements such as new streets and walkways, connections, etc.

Study Process

Timeline	Topics & Materials
LRPC Meeting #1 June 25, 2019	Overview of the Special GLUP Study Plus process Background information on the site Preliminary site analysis Discussion and refinement of process and scope Define the full and core study boundaries Define GLUP scenarios to be modeled
LRPC Meeting #2 July 23, 2019	Walking tour with staff presentations followed by meeting Discussion of opportunities, constraints, assumptions to inform scenario modeling, etc. LRPC discussion and direction
LRPC Meeting #3 Sept. 25, 2019	Staff responses to questions raised at previous meetings Emerging guiding principles Presentation of scenarios LRPC discussion and direction
Community Forum Nov. 20, 2019	Community input on modeling and preliminary principles
LRPC Meeting #4 Dec. 11, 2019	Presentation of parking utilization report Results of Community Forum and online survey LRPC discussion and direction
LRPC Meeting #5 Jan. 21, 2020	Principles and vision discussion Building heights discussion LRPC discussion and direction
LRPC Meeting #6 Feb. 18, 2020	Transportation impacts analysis Historic preservation discussion Presentation of refined scenarios LRPC discussion and direction
Transportation Commission July 2, 2020	Visit the Transportation Commission webpage
Planning Commission July 6, 2020	Visit the Planning Commission webpage
County Board July 18, 2020	Visit the County Board webpage Comment/Response Matrix.

 

Meeting Materials

• Nov. 14, 2018 – LRPC Meeting: Agenda | Staff Presentation | Meeting Summary
• June 25, 2019 – LRPC Meeting: Agenda | Staff Presentation |Scoping Document | Meeting Summary
• July 23, 2019 –   LRPC Meeting: Read Ahead Information | Walking Tour Map | Agenda | Staff Presentation | Meeting Summary
• September 25, 2019 – LRPC Meeting: Agenda | Demographic Information | Staff Presentation | Historic Overview |Historic Overview Presentation
• November 20, 2019 – Community Forum:  Staff Presentation | GWU Graduate Students’ Meeting Summary
• December 11, 2019 – LRPC Meeting: Agenda | Staff Presentation | Parking Study
• January 21, 2020 – LRPC Meeting: Agenda | Staff Presentation
• February 18, 2020 – LRPC Meeting: Agenda | Transportation Impacts Analysis | Staff Presentation

Application Materials

• Dec. 11, 2017 – Study Application
• Feb. 16, 2018 – Updated Applicant Letter
• May 30, 2019 – Supplemental Application
• June 7, 2019 – Second Supplemental Application

Additional Materials

• Feb. 14, 2018 – Letter from Shirlington Civic Association
• July 22, 2019 – Letter from Shirlington Civic Association
• July 31, 2019 – Study Scoping Document
• Aug 27, 2019 – Demographic Data
• Sept 9, 2019 – History of Shirlington
• Dec. 9, 2019 – Shirlington Parking Study by DES
• Dec. 12, 2019 –Letter from Shirlington Civic Association
• Dec. 16, 2019 – Results from the Community Forum and Online Survey
• Jan. 17, 2020 – Draft Vision and Guiding Principles
• Jan. 29, 2020 – Arlington’s Principles of Civic Design
• March 20, 2020 – Letter from Fairlington Citizens Association on the Study
• April 7, 2020 – Letter from Shirlington Civic Association, FRIT, WETA and Signature Theatre on the Revised Vision Statement and Guiding Principles
• April 8, 2020 – Feedback from Online Engagement on Vision Statement and Guiding Principles
• May 1, 2020 – Letter from Parkfairfax and Parc East
• July 2, 2020 – Letter from FRIT on Draft Study Document
• July 5, 2020 – Letter from Shirlington Civic Association on Draft Study Document
• July 6, 2020 – Letter from Urban Forestry Commission on Draft Study Document
• July 6, 2020 – Letter from Douglas Park Civic Association on Draft Study Document
• July 6, 2020 – Letter from WETA on Draft Study Document
• July 6, 2020 – Letter from Park and Recreation Commission on Draft Study Document
• July 12, 2020 – Letter from Transportation Commission on Draft Study Document
• July 12, 2020 –Letter from FRIT and WETA Requesting a Deferral
• July 14, 2020 – Letter from Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board on Draft Study Document
• July 17, 2020 – Letter from Chamber of Commerce on Draft Study Document
• July 17, 2020 – Letter from Green Valley Civic Association on Draft Study Document and Exhibits
• July 17, 2020 – Letter from Shirlington Civic Association on Planning Commission Meeting and Exhibits