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Planning Commission tests Crescent District rules and recommends tempering density caps amid traffic concerns
Summary
Staff testing of the draft zoning ordinance for the Crescent District showed high theoretical residential capacity; staff recommended lowering the draft maximum to 60 dwelling units per acre, reducing nonresidential FAR targets and adjusting mixed-use ratios as commissioners raised transportation and downtown-capacity concerns.
Town planning staff led commissioners through a testing exercise of the draft zoning ordinance’s Crescent District Activity Center standards on Jan. 15.
Mr. Watkins (presenting staff testing results) applied the draft standards to two test cases — the approved Virginia Village parcel and the Leesburg Plaza Shopping Center — and reported hypothetical outcomes for open space, residential units and floor-area ratios under different development scenarios. Watkins said the draft ordinance’s highest residential-density scenario produced estimates well above what the market has produced to date and recommended a practical cap of 60 dwelling units per acre (instead of 100) and a step-back on nonresidential FAR (suggested starting at 1 rather than 2 in some cases).
Watkins also urged tempering the draft’s mixed-use requirement so the residential share would be closer to 70% rather than the higher residential shares seen in the Virginia Village approvals. The staff presentation emphasized these were feasibility tests based on simplified assumptions (e.g., assumed unit mix and average multifamily unit size) rather than detailed parcel-by-parcel designs.
Several commissioners pressed staff on transportation impacts. One commissioner summarized current traffic performance as poor and questioned whether downtown intersections could handle additional density, urging more study before adopting higher maximums. Staff responded that rezonings to achieve higher densities would require legislative rezoning, proffers and infrastructure mitigation and recommended aligning transportation projects in the TIP and CIP with zoning ambitions. Staff also said the travel-demand model was updated in 2025 and that the transportation engineer and consultant will be invited to future sessions to provide more granular capacity analysis.
Commissioners and staff agreed to continue testing and to bring additional traffic-model input to the next meetings; Planning Commission work sessions and public hearings will follow the staff responses and additional analysis.
