Falls Church council refers Chesapeake Bay technical code updates and initiates urban design guidelines

Falls Church City Council on June 8 referred a package of technical amendments arising from a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) audit and initiated a separate process to develop new urban design guidelines.

Staff presented four linked items: (1) a comprehensive‑plan amendment to Chapter 5 (Environment) to include required Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (CBPA) maps and narrative; (2) revisions to stormwater code definitions and water‑quality impact assessment procedures; (3) updates to subdivision plat submission requirements; and (4) corrections to site‑plan and landscaping code references. Staff characterized the changes as largely technical and aimed at ensuring code consistency with state CBPA requirements. The Planning Commission schedule begins with work‑session review on June 17 and a public hearing on July 1, with council hearings and second readings targeted for July 13.

Separately, council adopted an initiating resolution to update Chapter 3 (Community Character) by creating new urban design guidelines. Staff said the initiative will focus on making the city's design guidance more concise and usable, and will incorporate sustainability and resiliency concerns. The council emphasized scope control — updating the 2001 guidelines where needed but avoiding an open‑ended rewrite — while asking staff to tighten architectural preference language and to work with the Architectural Advisory Board and other commissions.

What happens next: Council referred the CBPA comp‑plan amendment to the Planning Commission, scheduled related public hearings for July, and directed staff to circulate materials to advisory commissions (Environmental Sustainability Council and Urban Forestry Commission). For the urban design guidelines, the city will pursue public engagement and return with draft language and proposed adoption steps.