Lincolnia Park Civic Association
Topics
Proposed Development for 6446 Eighth St
Plaza 500 Data Center
Proposed Changes to Accessory Living Unit Requirements
An individual has submitted a variance application to the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) to allow for construction of a house 8 ft from the lot line on Eighth St and 26 ft from the lot line on Cherokee Ave (typically 35 ft is required), due to physical constraints on the property including the stream that runs through it. The proposed home is shaped like a long, anrrow, rectangle, and would be 3,239 sq ft. The BZA has expressed concerns related to construction staging (including the presence of a driveway for a neighboring house that runs through an easement), sewer connection location, how imposing and out of character this house will look in our neighborhood with such a small setback, and the accuracy of the floodplain location, base flood elevation, and the Resource Protection Area line location. For these reasons, the BZA has deferred a decision three times since 2025 (most recently on January 14, 2026). The next meeting with the BZA is currently scheduled for March 25, 2026. Even if the BZA does approve the variance, the applicant will still need to gain approval from the Exception Review Committee (ERC) in Fairfax County, which reviews and approves exceptions for land-disturbing activities, such as building a house, that encroach upon Resource Protection Areas.
Plaza 500 Data Center
Miami-based developer, Starwood Capital's proposed 461,000-square-foot Plaza 500 data center at 6295 Edsall Road in Alexandria (Fairfax County), just 0.6 miles from our neighborhood (as the crow flies) has continued to move forward despite intense opposition from residents in the nearby Bren Mar neighborhood. The low-frequency hum that data centers produce can reportedly be heard from up to 3 miles away. An on-site, 5-acre electrical substation with 120 ft towers will also be required to serve the datacenter. This substation is expected to be completed by October 2027 and will sit 60-70 feet from residential homes in Bren Pointe, with a high-voltage transmission line even closer. Because Starwood's application was submitted before stricter 2024 county zoning laws took effect, it is largely exempt from new residential setback (200 ft) requirements. In December 2025, the Board of Supervisors rejected the Planning Commission's recommendations to increase setback requirements, allowing the substation to move forward. The Save Bren Mar coalition has proposed a land swap to the Board of Supervisors. They want the county to trade a separate police training site in Chantilly (which the developer, Starwood Capital, is currently trying to buy) for the Plaza 500 site to convert the Edsall Road location into affordable housing.
Proposed Changes to Accessory Living Unit Requirements
Following a review that showed low adoption rates since the rules were last changed in 2021, Fairfax County is exploring changes to its zoning regulations for Accessory Living Units (ALUs). An ALU is a secondary dwelling unit established in conjunction with and clearly subordinate to a single-family detached dwelling unit. These living spaces include areas for eating, cooking, sleeping, living, and sanitation. Interior ALUs are allowed with approval of an administrative permit, and detached ALUs are allowed on lots containing at least two acres with special permit approval. Public hearings and authorization of any potential changes could occur by the end of 2026. The county is aiming to simplify the approval process, reduce restrictions, and increase the number of legal ALUs in the county. Some of the potential changes under consideration include:
- Lowering the current 2-acre minimum for detached (freestanding) ALUs [a January 2026 county presentation suggested this could be reduced to a 15,000 sq ft or 0.34 acres minimum in residential areas zoned R-2, like much of Lincolnia Park]
- Reviewing the requirement that the property owner must reside on-site
- Allowing interior ALUs within townhouse properties
- Considering increasing the maximum number of occupants (currently limited to two)
- Potential elimination of space requirements
- Allow use of the entire basement regardless of when constructed