The neighbors of Popes Head View and the Ridges of Glendilough would like to express their opposition to the special permit submitted by La Biblia Church Ministries, Inc., in application SP2020-SP-049. Their project seeks to build a place of worship in an area along the Fairfax County Parkway (Route 286) that is zoned Residential Conservation (R-C) and as such is slated for environmental protection. We believe the special permit should not be granted for the following reasons:

1.     The Church seeks to build a structure that would require usage of over 57% of the land’s open space while only 43% of land would be dedicated for natural conservation purposes. This is contrary to current zoning rules and regulations for the special permit. If the application is approved, the structure will be incongruent with the low development and conservation driven nature of the region. In a Memo by Kelly Atkinson, AICP, Chief, Page 13 (94 of staff report), she recommends that the proposal stays within the 50% undisturbed land use precedent. The Memo also states that this type of application that seeks extensive waivers “should be rigorously reviewed”.  

2.     The applicant has expressed that the reason why they will be short of undisturbed land, is because of the joint VDOT and FC projects to expand Route 286 and connect Shirley Gate Rd to Popes Head Rd. We believe this argument should not be taken into consideration to grant the special permit. The Fairfax county expansion project has been going on for years. As such, when the applicant bought the land they knew about the VDOT and County Projects. It was the applicant’s burden to research how the changes in circumstances would have affected their development plans.

3.     The proposed church will not be in harmonious development with adjacent proprieties thus affecting their development given the all waivers requested that will allow them to bypass open space and conservation rules contrary 8-006 General standards.  

4.     A memo submitted by the Fairfax County Park Authority on February 8, 2021 states that the area, tax map numbers 67-2((1)) 34B, 34C and 36, “contain natural or heritage resources or environmentally sensitive areas. Intrusion of non-development should therefore be restricted or prohibited; mitigation measures may also be required to protect these resources from impacts of adjacent development. The protection of environmentally sensitive areas is particularly pressing given that when the representative of La Biblia Church was asked on the June 30, 2021 zoning commission meeting about the creek that runs through the property. The representative of La Biblia Church demonstrated a lack of awareness of the creek’s existence. This brings other issues into consideration:

a.     There are wetlands in lot 36.

b.     The properties in Popes Head View adjacent to lot 36 already have water run off issues.

c.     The trees standing in lot 36 help mitigate flooding. If the trees are removed to construct parking for the church, how will the water run-off be mitigated. This is an issue that has not been studied by the applicant and that poses a great threat to the adjacent properties.

d.     We have attached images taken from the BZA ArcGIS online platform that show the wetlands and that the creek touches lot 36 in two instances.

5.     Another environmental concern we have relates to noise levels. Currently, the trees in the properties along the Fairfax County Parkway serve as a barrier and buffer to mitigate highway noise. The applicant has not shown how they will mitigate this issue.

6.     As mentioned above, the areas along Popes Head Rd are low development and low population density. This is supported by zoning ordinance PART C 3-C00 R-C RESIDENTIAL-CONSERVATION DISTRICT. If lots 34 B, 34 C and 36 that add up to approximately 15 acres of land were used for building single family homes, only three family homes could be erected. The Ordinance in section 3-C08 dictates that the maximum density in this zone is One (1) dwelling unit per five (5) acres, or 0.2 dwelling unit per acre. This can also be observed with the construction of the houses in Popes Head View that border lot 36. As such, a building that will be bring more than 700 congregants in the first stage of development, and 600 more in the second stage, is incongruent with the area.

7.     According to the Park Authorities’ Memo Lots/parcels 34B and 36 exhibit “moderate to High Potential for Native American sites” This aspect of the proposal has not sufficiently addressed and seems to be more of an afterthought rather than a central piece of preservation within the project as it should be. 

8.     We believe the traffic studies performed by La Biblia Church are insufficient. The traffic conditions will drastically change while the Fairfax County Parkway is being expanded and after the project is finished. Additionally, traffic will also be significantly affected if Fairfax County constructs the Shirley Gate Rd extension. We invite the board members to drive along Popes Head Rd. It is a small road. It is by no means a major artery. The traffic that the church will generate will have a negative impact on the residents along this road.

9.     Another issue we identify pertaining to the traffic that the church will generate is the wear and tear of Popes Head Rd. All places of worship are exempt of property taxes per the Code of Virginia, Title 58.1, Chapter 36:

"property used by its owner for religious, charitable, patriotic, historical, benevolent, cultural, or public park and playground purposes, as may be provided by classification or designation by an ordinance adopted by the local governing body and subject to such restrictions and conditions as provided by general law."

This means that all the single-family homes along Popes Head Road will be paying for the maintenance of Popes Head Rd. However, there is a big asymmetric issue at hand. The road will require maintenance more often if the traffic volumes increase with the construction of the church. The church congregants will experience a benefit that they are not paying for, and that will be an additional burden on the area residents.     

10.  The applicant proposes to provide a total of 255 parking spaces for a church built for 1300 congregants. If you divide 1300 by 255 (the vehicles that the church can accommodate) you get a result of 5.1 what this calculation shows is that at least each vehicle should have 5 passengers in order to accommodate all the attending congregants in the parking spaces provided by the church. Even if they provided buses for their congregants as an alternative mean of transportation, the math suggest that the parking spaces are insufficient to house that many people. The parking plan is incongruent with the building capacity. This poses a major inconvenience for the residents along Popes Head Rd and the passerby traffic. This parking situation is conducive for congregants to find alternative parking space in the surrounding properties and communities.

For the non-exhaustive reasons outlined above, we ask the Board Members to deny the special permit application SP2020-SP-049 submitted by La Biblia Church Ministries, Inc., to construct a Place of Worship in Lots 34-B, 34-C and 36 at 11600 Popes Head Road, Fairfax, VA 22030.

Sincerely,

The Residents of Popes Head View and the Ridges of Glendilough