Fairfax County officials are mulling whether to add new oversight to retailers seeking to build enormous new stores.
The new layer of approval would apply to buildings that exceed a certain square footage, and is therefore essentially aimed at “big-box” retailers like Wal-Mart and Target.
The move is intended to safeguard against some of the negative impacts large retailers can bring to surrounding communities, such as noise and traffic, said county spokeswoman Merni Fitzgerald. The stores tend to draw commuters from other areas and can overwhelm local roads.
“It is the recognition that large retail stores have sometimes unintended consequences when it comes to how they affect the local transportation infrastructure,” she said.
County policy now does not distinguish among retailers based on their size, essentially putting a neighborhood coffee shop and a Home Depot on equal regulatory footing.
“Under current regulations, both small and very large retail sales establishments are subject to the same regulations, irrespective of the potential impact that might occur,” Fairfax County staff wrote in a report on the proposal.
The Board of Supervisors on Monday set a public hearing for April 9 on the measure, which would, with some exceptions, apply a new set of standards to approvals even if the land has already been zoned commercially. They include ensuring adequate parking, preventing impacts to adjacent properties, minimizing noise and designing structures to “protect the character of the neighborhood.”
