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Planning Commission recommends CDD 21 amendment to align with Alex West small area plan; approves zoning text changes
Summary
The Planning Commission voted 7-0 on March 4 to initiate and recommend zoning text amendments and to recommend changes to Coordinated Development District (CDD) 21 so the district aligns with the Alex West Small Area Plan.
The Alexandria Planning Commission on March 4 voted to initiate and recommend approval of zoning text amendments and to recommend approval of amendments to Coordinated Development District (CDD) 21 to align the districts conditions with the December 2024 Alex West Small Area Plan.
Planning staff described the changes as technical and clarifying updates across multiple ordinance sections (articles 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 11), including revisions for public buildings constructed prior to specified dates, fence allowances where properties abut nonresidential uses, and exemptions for smaller additions from site-plan requirements. Staff said one aim was to harmonize code language with the small area plan and remove references to provisions that no longer apply.
The commission voted 7-0 to initiate the zoning text amendment and 7-0 to recommend approval. On the coordinated development district (CDD 21) amendment, commissioners also recommended approval 7-0, including acceptance of two edits noted in a March 4 staff memo (amendment to condition 37 and deletion of condition 38) and changes to the zoning table (remove the phrase "town center" and change "Garden District" to "Garden neighborhood").
Commissioners discussed increased open-space requirements in the Alex West plan and the CDDs 25 percent open-space requirement for development parcels; staff clarified that public open-space contributions required by the small area plan are calculated separately and do not count toward the 25 percent per-parcel requirement, consistent with past practice. Property owners and representatives, including developers with holdings in the CDD, urged staff and the commission to recognize implementation challenges and flagged that some projects will request modifications under the DSUP process.
Staff and several applicants agreed to continue working on clarifying language for specific neighborhoods (notably the Upland Park portion and the 1900 North Beauregard block) before the package goes to City Council. The commissions recommendation will go to council for final action.
