October 23, 2025 PC Land Use Process Review Committee - Oct 23, 2025

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Fairfax County Planning Commission 32 min 7 speakers 8 agenda items transcribed 7 days ago official recording ↗

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What agenda items were approved at the start of the meeting?

Candice Bennett 0:27

Good evening. I want to welcome everybody to our October 23rd meeting of the Land Use Process Review Committee. And we have quorum, so I'm going to call this meeting to order. And our first item on the agenda is we do need to get a motion to approve minutes for June 12, 2025, June 26, 2025, and July 24, 2025. So moved. Thank you. Can I get a second?

Timothy J. Sargeant 0:54

Second.

Candice Bennett 0:55

All righty. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. I'm assuming any abstentions? Okay. Moving on. So tonight we're going to be talking about congregate living facilities, and I will kick this over to staff if you want to introduce yourselves and take it away.

Janann Cato 1:16

All right, thank you. Good evening. My name is Janann Cato. I'm with the Zoning Administration Division. I'm joined by Bill Maland and Carmen Bishop. Today we'll be presenting on the proposed zoning ordinance amendment for congregate living facilities. We also have the staff summary document and draft text with additional information. And our goal today is to present and gather your input and feedback as we continue to refine the amendment.

Janann Cato 1:54

Sorry, I need to pull up the presentation. Okay, there it is. All right. OK, so to start, for background, this amendment originates from the 2025 Zoning Ordinance Work Program, which the board endorsed in June.

How does the proposed amendment redefine congregate living facilities?

Janann Cato 2:12

Congregate living facilities were identified as a priority one item directing staff to review zoning provisions for congregate living facilities to potentially expand the districts where they're allowed and revise the definitions and standards to include uses like homeless shelters and supportive housing. This direction builds on past discussions. So the housing committee back in November 2022 directed staff to look at zoning barriers for facilities serving people experiencing homelessness. The 2025 work program item was carried forward from an earlier work program topic in 2023, 2024. and a December 2022 board item which flagged this need. So this amendment is intended to revise the definition of congregate living facilities and provide more flexibility in where they can be located.

Janann Cato 3:11

Under today's ordinance, a congregate living facility is defined as housing in a supervised setting with onsite counselors or staff. They may include inpatient alcohol and addiction treatment and services for more than eight persons with disabilities. A certified recovery residence with over eight residents may also fall under this definition. The definition clarifies that congregate living facilities are distinct from group households, assisted living facilities, or group residential facilities. Those are different uses that are limited by age, disability, or resident count. Congregate living facilities, by contrast, can serve more diverse populations with broader supportive services and do not have a maximum resident count under the zoning ordinance.

Janann Cato 4:02

And that distinction means that congregate living facilities can serve populations that don't fit neatly into other categories. Currently, congregate living facilities are permitted with special exception approval in all conventional residential districts, except for rural agricultural, as well as in commercial districts C1 through C4. In planned districts, they must either be shown on the development plan or approved by special exception. There's also a location standard, which stipulates that if the facility looks like a single-family detached house, it follows that district's setbacks. Otherwise, it must be located at least 100 feet from all lot lines, that abut the R1 through R4 residential districts, and 45 feet from all other lot lines, or as determined by the board.

Janann Cato 4:57

The congregate living facility use was first added to the zoning ordinance in 2003 through an amendment. The amendment replaced the older use, which was called institutions providing housing and general care to the indigent, orphans, and the like. The term was updated to remove outdated terms and to reflect the broad range of support services that could be provided in a congregate living environment. Since that time in 2003, there have been six special exceptions approved.