An internal review by Fairfax County auditors found developers had failed to complete roads, walkways, sewers, gutters and other improvements they had promised on hundreds of projects.
In their deals with officials, developers pledged to build the public improvements as part of some 1,500 of the 3,000 ongoing construction projects in the county. As of the end of last month, 633 of the 1,500 project were found to be in “default,” according to the auditors. That means any number of the agreed-upon public improvements were not completed by a set date, leaving the county to find a way to finish the job.
“I think we made it known that this was a priority,” said Springfield District Supervisor Elaine McConnell, who called for county auditors to review the number of projects in default more than six months ago.
The cost of the default backlog to county taxpayers is unclear, and Fairfax County staff who could speak on the matter could not be reached Tuesday after requests were made to the Office of Public Affairs.
Elected officials say many of the 633 projects only have minor improvements left to finish, though some are major enough to require litigation.
Public improvements — known as proffers — are a key negotiating tool for builders. Developers will offer proffers in exchange for local governments approving higher-density rezonings. The improvements can range from small gifts of land to entire schools, and can cost a company tens of millions of dollars to complete. The improvements, in turn, can drive up home prices.
If a developer can’t or won’t finish the work itself, the county will pay for its completion through a deposit left by the company, or, in some cases, will take the developer to court.
“Usually it’s a matter that the county works with the developer to get things finished,” said Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth.
The Board of Supervisors recently passed legislation that allowed them to clamp down harder on builders who fail to complete the improvements. The audit indicated the county will add additional public works employees to deal with the default backlog, which McConnell said has swamped existing staff.
“They were overwhelmed in that department,” she said. “They needed some additional help.”
