A majority of the 2,400 owners of single-family homes in Falls Church soon could be allowed to build standalone accessory-dwelling units (ADUs) with far less government oversight.
City Council members on Monday (Nov. 25) formally started the ball rolling on a five-month consideration of allowing ADUs “by right” in neighborhoods zoned R-1A (low-density residential) and R-1B (medium-density residential).
But the two procedural taken Monday were not unanimous, one passing 6-1 and the other 5-2. Council member David Snyder voted against both, with colleague Erin Flynn voting against one of the two.
Neither was against the concept of accessory units, but had remaining qualms about portions of the proposal — and the process both in recent months and going forward.
A clear majority of Council members, however, were ready to take the plunge.
“I’m viewing this as the official starting gun,” said Council member Marybeth Connelly. “This is really the official start of what we’re doing.”
ADUs are defined in state law as independent dwellings on residential lots with their own living, bathroom and kitchen spaces. They can be used for family members or can be rented out for what the market will bear.
While currently allowed in single-family neighborhoods, property owners are first required to get a use permit and meet other administrative hurdles.
The use permit and some of the hurdles would go away under the new proposal, which is expected to circle through advisory bodies before returning in April for Council deliberation and, presumably, final action.
“We need to do our best to get this right,” said Flynn, who voiced concern that many in the public have yet to engage on the issue.
“It feels sort of top-down to me — somewhat of an inefficient process,” she said, voicing concern that the proposal has spent past months “ping-ponging” among various advisory bodies, making it hard for the public to track components as they evolve.
Mayor Letty Hardi countered that the effort to date represented a “nice pivot” from past practice, as input was gathered before the formal start of consideration.
“The process really was laid out well since the spring,” she said.
That was a view echoed by Vice Mayor Debora Schantz-Hiscott. She called it a favorable change to get the proposal before several key advisory panels in recent months, in advance of the process for consideration formally kicking off.
Snyder said the revised policy as presented Nov. 25 represented an improvement from past iterations. But he voiced ongoing concerns about allowing absentee property owners to build accessory units.
“There are some unintended negative consequences that I think need more exploration,” he said.
Snyder also expressed lingering fears about the impact of ADUs on school enrollment and city infrastructure.
Falls Church leaders aim to have the nuances fleshed out in the multi-month process. Next stop is a Dec. 4 meeting of the Planning Commission.
“We’re trying to get this right,” Hardi said. “We look forward to the next phase.”
“It’s a delicate balance,” said Council member Laura Downs, who has been in office for two weeks after winning a special election where ADUs were one of the topics of the campaign.
City staff say about 56% of the 2,400 single-family lots in the city are large enough to permit a standalone accessory-dwelling unit. They are most likely to be feasible on lots that have older (pre-1970s) homes, which generally have smaller physical footprints than those built subsequently.
The statute being considered would limit interior space of ADUs to the lesser of 1,000 square feet or 50% of the size of the main structure, but staff say that, typically, they are smaller — 300 square feet is typical.
Among some of the staff recommendations that were sent out for public review, the proposal:
- Would permit no more than one occupied ADU on each residential parcel — whether detached, attached to the home or inside the main home.
- Would prohibit short-term rentals.
- Would not require property owners to live in the main house to create an ADU.
- Would set a maximum ADU height of 20 feet or 25 feet, depending on the setback from the street.
- Would have the same occupancy limits as applied to primary residences.
- Would allow homeowners to connect the ADU to the main home’s water/sewer line, a savings of about $30,000 over having to install a separate line.
Advocates for increasing access to ADUs in Falls Church range from the city’s Housing Commission to the AARP. Advocates say ADUs will diversify the housing stock, making it more affordable for some to live in Falls Church who currently cannot.
Critics contend that increasing urbanization could change the nature of residential neighborhoods and overtax city infrastructure, from parking to water/sewer service.
Falls Church’s neighbors Arlington and Fairfax allow ADUs, with relatively small numbers constructed over the past decade, city staff told Council members.
Arlington permits short-term rental of ADUs, while Fairfax does not, staff said. Both Arlington and Fairfax have owner-occupancy requirements, they said.
The measure sent out for review on Nov. 25 also would continue allowing internal and attached ADUs in the R-M zoning district, which includes mix of housing types including townhouses and multi-family complexes. But it would require a city-issued conditional-use permit for accessory units there.
