Two Cents

MONDAY, MAY 24, 2010

Our Two Cents Worth. (part one)

OUR TWO CENTS WORTH.

This letter is in response to Zoning Administrations

request for ideas that address

  our county's

  Housing 

deficit of minimum expense modest Affordable 

  

properties 

 

that offer privacy ,safety and security.

This letter is both a reply as well as an effort to inform

and Advocate for positive action while being the first

time the  individual signers may have seen this
information.

This Zoning letter requests  feedback  but does not 

indicate what the RSU status is. Open Space or Great

Rooms versus MINI Apartments? 

What is the next step? 

County Zoning already has limits.

Existing limits that have been in 

place for some time now.

Fairfax County website:

bedroom for  1       70     sq. ft.     7x10

bedroom for 2      100     sq.ft.   10x10

bedroom for 3      150     sq.ft.    10x15 /window exits all.
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/opa/striketeam/rules.htm

Why are RSU's  For 1 to 3 people a problem?

                           (residential Studio unit)

 Known as Efficiency/ Studio unit in Arlington,

Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax City etcetera.      

Even in limited supply in 

 Fairfax County. 

  U

 

nits range from 310 sq.ft 

 to 

 

514 sq. ft.

   including  bath,kit., closets, living  .

  55 Apartment Complexes reviewed.

" BY RIGHT " solutions that include

the small real estate investor can create 10 to 15%

of the projected housing needs we are facing . 

We can  call them"Interested parties" if it is

simpler to understand and apply.  Many

people want to help .

This VITAL ADDITION is  needed to

accommodate the housing growth of our County's

population ,now and  the future, It is invaluable!!

and urgently needed ..we need to start now. 

We needed action 10 years ago. Inaction only

insures a continued housing squeeze which

will force housing prices in this county to

Increase by "DESIGN".  

CRITICAL NEEDS CARE:

 Owners   received a $26 savings over 2010. 

The 

 

tax rate per 100 valuation still went up

regardless. 400,000 x $26.oo =  $10,400,000.

10 to 12 group homes could have been built

that could have Housed  120 people with

severe chronic mental health concerns.

SSDI/SSI income would offset an estimated

$ 25,000 per month expenses. Medicaid would

have relieved the County of Health care costs.

 120 individuals

 

 representing the County's greatest

uncovered  and unrecoverable externalized 

expenses.

LIMITATIONS:

The letter states that this housing unit 

discriminates against Families. Which is correct

but only because the choice supported the hope to

make them affordable in the numbers that have 

been projected.  SRO ,  Single Room Occupancy

 attempts to struggle with cost containment.

So is this the product of 5 years? To tell us we

asked for the wrong thing?  I am confused.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dsm/publications

/reports/sroreport0705.pdf

 This limitation even discriminates against 

the

 

 Housing  segment it is purported to serve.

Landlords and Funding sources have their 

say 

about 

 

occupancy. Zoning need not limit it.  

Residency mixes can be dictated 

 

by income as 

exampled 

 

at Fairfax Co.'s Gum Springs Glen. 

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/rha/seniorhousing/gsg.htm

Gum Spring Glen 1 bedrooms are comparably small. 

 

 

So, one of many questions, 

 

Does it takes 5 years to

read our 

 own web site (strike team reference above)

to tell 

 us we can't do something ? Actually an obvious

"DON'T WANT TO DO"?          Seems that way?

Excuse us if this is the wrong conclusion.

...