The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will examine next week whether to implement a tighter system of oversight of companies seeking to build mammoth big-box stores.
The board will hold a public hearing April 9 on singling out stores that meet a certain size criteria for a new layer of regulatory screening. The county’s current code does not distinguish between small stores and large establishments such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot.
The regulatory move signals the county’s apparent lack of urgency in bringing in massive new retailers, which can contribute substantially to tax coffers. Officials have said the new regulations would protect surrounding neighborhoods that could be disrupted by substantial new traffic and noise.
The ordinance would apply to new proposals on commercial land, with some exceptions, of stores ranging from 80,000 to 120,000 square footage of floor space.
Those establishments, according to the proposal on Monday’s board agenda, could move forward only if supervisors decided it didn’t harm neighboring properties and the local road system. It also would require that noise and outdoor lighting be minimized, and that structures “be designed to protect the character of the neighborhood” through design and architecture, among other changes.
