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The Applications Acceptance Branch within the Zoning Evaluation
Division ("ZED") of the Department of Planning and
Zoning ("DPZ") reviews rezoning, special exception,
special permit and variance applications for compliance with
the Fairfax County Zoning Ordinances submission requirements
and to identify any additional applications or waivers that
are necessary with the filing of such applications. The Zoning
Ordinance, which is Chapter 112 of the Fairfax County Code,
governs the use of land in Fairfax County. The Zoning Ordinance
is adopted to promote the health, safety and welfare of the
public and to implement the adopted Comprehensive Plan for the
County. The following provides you with general information
about the requirements you must fulfill for acceptance of your
application. An application must be accepted before it can be
processed. The County provides application packages, which are available on
the internet, or by contacting the Zoning Enforcement Division at 703-324-1290, TTY 711.
The rezoning and special exception processes require a public
hearing before the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors
with a processing time of approximately 6 months from the official
date of acceptance. The special
permit and variance processes require a public
hearing before the Board of Zoning Appeals ("BZA")
with a ninety (90) day processing time from the official date
of acceptance, which is the date that all the submission requirements
have been submitted and have been deemed to be acceptable.
In general, the following items, which are detailed in the
Variance application packages, are required:
- A layout plan must be prepared by a certified architect,
landscape architect, engineer, or land surveyor that is licensed
in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and must include information,
such as: boundaries of the property; locations, dimensions
and height of existing and proposed structures; ingress/egress
from a public street; parking, proposed landscaping and screening;
stormwater management facilities; and the presence of any
floodplains or Environmental Quality Corridors ("EQC").
- A written statement detailing the proposed uses, including
operational characteristics, such as hours of operation.
- An application form. If the applicant is not the owner of
the property, you must provide written authorization from
the owner notifying the County that you have the authority
to file the application. Where a contingency contract exists,
we encourage you to provide a copy of this contract.
- An affidavit setting forth ownership and other interests
in the proposal.
You may find the following hints and time saving measures helpful
when filing an application:
- Schedule a pre-application
meeting. This meeting will help to provide early
identification of land use, transportation or environmental
issues that may have to be addressed later by the application
and/or the plat layout. To be the most helpful, it is important
to schedule a pre-application meeting as early as you can,
for example when you are contemplating purchasing a particular
piece of property. The Application Acceptance Branch also
provides pre-submission meetings that will assist you with
the actual filing of the application. The pre-submission meetings
are encouraged for all applicants because it will help determine
if your application materials are complete and may avoid delays
in the acceptance process. Please call the Church Ombudsman
703-324-1720 to schedule both a pre-application meeting
and a pre-submission meeting.
- Establish a key point of contact or representative within
your organization who will be responsible for the application.
This person should be responsible for obtaining information
and relaying it back to all other interested parties.
- Ensure that all parts of the application submission are
filed at the same time and that the submission is accurate
and complete.
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