There is no argument about whether the City of Alexandria needs more capacity in its increasingly-crowded schools, but the process to approve increased capacity has received some scrutiny.
Tuesday evening, Alexandria’s Planning Commission recommended increasing the limit on school density, but did not change the threshold at which a Development Special Use Permit is required. A DSUP will still be required if the school's proposed density exceeds the Floor Area Ratio generally permitted within its zone.
That approval came alongside approvals for the rebuilding of Douglas MacArthur Elementary School. The original school was built in 1943 to accommodate about 560 students, but more than 650 are enrolled there now. Plans for the new building provide for capacity of around 850 students to accommodate enrollment growth.
As the City moves forward with building or significantly renovating MacArthur and other school buildings, officials have determined it is necessary for those other facilities to also serve many more students.
Alexandria’s population continues to grow, and the addition of thousands and thousands of new residences will bring more children to local schools. In the past 13 years, the school system has welcomed more than 5,000 new students.
Tuesday evening, the City of Alexandria Planning Commission considered a significant proposal to approve a Zoning Text Amendment allowing for increased density at other public school buildings with a much more streamlined approval process.
After lengthy discussion, the commission decided to alter the allowed density for Floor Area Ratio (FAR) from the current 0.6 at schools to 0.75, and require a special use permit for levels of density above 0.75 for Alexandria’s public school properties. This was a significant scaling back from the original proposal, which would have essentially eliminated FAR limitations.
Prior to Tuesday evening’s approval, zoning allowed developers to increase Floor Area Ratio (a measure of density) to 0.6 at school properties through a simple special use permit. But nearly every upcoming school project will need an FAR of more than 0.6 to adequately serve students, according to Alexandria city staff. In a presentation during the commission meeting, city staff revealed that several schools in the City of Alexandria “needed” a FAR of 0.7 to 1.7 to fulfill capacity needs.
The MacArthur Elementary School project will move forward with a density greater than 0.6 FAR. According to city documents, “The new school is designed for a capacity of 850 students in grades Pre-K through 5th grade and will be approximately 163,435 gross square feet in size. The school will include a cafeteria, media center, gymnasium and art classrooms. The City’s RP&CA will continue to provide activities at the school with over 3,000 square feet of dedicated space. Most of the parking will be provided in a below grade parking garage for faculty and staff, with a small 5-space surface lot for short-term parking.”
According to Alexandria City officials, “The height of 60 feet will remain unchanged as it allows a reasonable height suitable for ACPS’s needs. Much of the density is expected to go into increasing one story schools up to three stories which would be well within the 60-foot height limit. Adding [floors] as opposed to expanding schools at one or two levels will also allow for maximum retention of open space for outdoor play and recreational activities and facilities. The text amendment would apply to 12 of 18 school properties.”
Ten Alexandria Civic Associations opposed the amendment that originally proposed the elimination of a FAR ceiling: “As has been the case in other matters, this amendment seems squarely arranged to force a quick approval vote and deny a true discussion on its merits.”
On Facebook, one resident voiced concern that the new process will be “removing key process protections for residents and handing over significant decision-making authority to the city.”
In a letter to the Alexandria Times, three former presidents of the North Ridge Civic Association wrote: “Larger schools stacked higher and wider may be a necessary long-term approach given the lack of surplus ACPS property and our growing school population, but we should retain our case-by-case review process, which ensures that significant increases in building size meet the character and needs of the neighborhoods they serve.”
“If the city is truly seeking a zoning change to help build bigger schools in higher-density areas of the city, why not seek a less sweeping modification of the zoning code to apply more narrowly to such projects?” wrote Kay Stimson, Meghan Rainey and Lyn Gubser.
The city staff information packet included a number of objections from residents, as well, primarily focused on how increased density would go against the character of the neighborhoods schools are in and could negatively affect the amount of open space around school buildings.
The approval of a FAR of 0.75 meets residents in the middle — allowing increased density at schools like MacArthur while keeping in place a process that provides for resident input during the planning process.
