Board Matter
April 8, 2014
Motion to Authorize an Amendment to the Comprehensive Plan:
Ravensworth Industrial Area
Madame Chairman:
The Ravensworth Industrial Area is located in the southwest quadrant of the I-495/Braddock Road interchange. This industrial area is recommended as a location which “should retain an overall industrial orientation for future uses,” taking advantage of its “excellent regional accessibility, particularly for trucks.” The area is generally planned for industrial use at an intensity of .30 FAR.
The owner of a warehouse in this area would like, through interior renovation, to add a self-storage component that is proposed to result in an intensity greater than .30 FAR. Increased intensity may be acceptable for the property if it can be demonstrated that the proposed use would not adversely affect peak hour traffic, and would be fully contained within the existing footprint of this low-rise building.
The Comprehensive Plan further specifies that residential uses are not recommended in the Ravensworth Industrial Area. However, since the County is now looking at the possibility of allowing single room occupancy units in industrial areas under specific circumstances and because this property owner is willing to entertain the concept of incorporating residential use within the existing building, I would like any Comprehensive Plan analysis to assess issues such as compatibility, location and public facility impact during this review.
Therefore, Madam Chairman, I move that the Board of Supervisors authorize staff to evaluate an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan to consider the conversion of a portion of the existing warehouse located at 5285 Port Royal Road (TM 70-4((10)) 503 and 503A) to a self-storage use which could result in an overall intensity up to 1.0 FAR under circumstances in which specified conditions are met. The conditions to be considered should include preventing traffic congestion during peak hours and limiting conversion to the interior of the existing building. I further move that the amendment consider the future inclusion of residential uses on this property, consistent with other county ordinances.