Development Proposals/Site Plans : Planning Division : Arlington, Virginia

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Development Proposals/Site Plans

Site Plan Overview

In certain districts within the County's Zoning Ordinance, a site plan option is available. This form of “special exception” allows more flexibility in development form, use, and density than that permitted “ by-right (PDF Format)” in a zoning district. Site plan districts are written to give the County Board flexibility to approve modifications based on the individual characteristics of each site. In each site plan district, there are standards set forth. Unless otherwise stated within the site plan district, all standards within site plan districts can be modified using Zoning Ordinance Section 36.H.5.a. The majority of site plan review proposals are for hotel, residential, office and mixed-use development in certain high density zoning districts and typically within the Metro Station corridors. Please feel free to view the Site Plan Brochure (PDF Format).

The Site Plan Process in Arlington County

Review Process and Timeline
What happens after a Site Plan is approved?

Site Plan Application

New Site Plans and Major Site Plan Amendments
Minor Site Plan Amendments

Site Plan Projects Online

Current Site Plan Proposals
Preliminary Site Plan Filings

Other Information Related to Site Plans

Standard Site Plan Conditions
Permitting System
Extended Site Plan Terms for Approved Projects

Site Plan Process

Review Process and Timeline

The Zoning Administrator establishes an annual calendar of filing dates for site plan applications. Site Plan applications are submitted in accordance with Administrative Regulation 4.1 . The site plan is reviewed internally by the Departments of Community Planning, Housing & Development; Public Works; Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources; Police; Fire; Environmental Services; and Economic Development.

Prior to submitting a site plan application, the applicant, architects, engineers and attorneys generally meet with staff members in order to gain an understanding of the requirements and to identify any unique problems or constraints in the physical development of the site. Staff also strongly encourage prospective applicants to contact the impacted Civic Associations or neighbors to present the proposed development. The process is a minimum of 90 days long from the final submission date to the County Board hearing date, assuming that there are no major issues requiring deferrals. There is a preliminary submission date two weeks before the final submission date to allow staff time to review the application for completeness before the final filing date.

Site Plans are also reviewed by a committee of the Planning Commission , the Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC). The SPRC is comprised of members of the Planning Commission, County Advisory Commissions and Committee representatives, and Civic Association and neighborhood representatives. The SPRC meetings are informal, and provide an opportunity for the developer to present their plans and for the community to provide comments and direction on the plans. Typically, the SPRC meets on the project until they believe that the project is ready to proceed to the Planning Commission.

Site plan review requires public hearings before both the Planning Commission and the County Board. The Planning Commission reviews new site plans and major amendments and makes a recommendation to the County Board. The Planning Commission receives a written County Manager's report (staff report) and a report from the SPRC. The staff report recommendation includes a number of suggested conditions for approval. The County Board then takes final action on the site plan. If the project is approved, then the applicant can proceed with the development process and obtaining permits for development.

What happens after a Site Plan is approved?

The post-County Board site plan (final 4.1 plan) is required to be submitted within 90 days of the County Board's approval of the site plan. This “final 4.1 plan” represents the approved site plan and includes any changes made by the County Board at the hearing. Following approval of the "final 4.1 plan", the applicant can file for permits. Construction plans (final engineering and architectural plans) are reviewed and compared against the "final 4.1 plans". Permits are issued in stages and include: demolition of existing structures; excavation; sheeting and shoring; the foundation to grade (garage) permit; and the final building permit. At each stage, the Zoning and Planning offices check the plans for compliance with the approved site plan and conditions of approval. A building permit will not be issued if the building plans fail to comply with the approved plan. In this case, the applicant must either file for a site plan amendment or make the necessary adjustments to the building plan to bring it into compliance with the approved plan. If a building permit is not obtained and construction begun within the time period stated in the conditions of approval (typically 3 years), then the site plan approval becomes void. An extension may be requested by site plan amendment provided that it is filed prior to expiration of the site plan approval. Otherwise, a new site plan must be submitted for approval.

Site Plan Application

New Site Plans and Major Site Plan Amendments

Site Plan applications are submitted in accordance with Administrative Regulation 4.1. Administrative Regulation 4.1 governs the submission and review of applications for site plans and includes the required forms and regulations, and describes the required attachments and documents for site plan application submittal. The Administrative Regulation 4.1 includes, for example, criteria for traffic impact analyses and requirements for completing a LEED™ scorecard for the project as part of Arlington County’s Green Building Initiatives, as well as The Standards for Planting & Preservation of Trees on Site Plan Projects. A link to these documents and the site plan application are provided below and are applicable for all new major site plan and major site plan amendments.

Minor Site Plan Amendments

Any modification of an approved site plan which is not considered a major amendment and which cannot be approved administratively is a minor site plan amendment. Minor site plan amendment requires a hearing before the County Board, but the review process differs from that of a new site plan or major site plan amendment. Applications for minor site plan amendments can be made with the Zoning Office on the 10^th floor at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard (Courthouse Plaza) in accordance with a public hearing filing schedule. The process for the review of minor site plan amendments requires County Board review but not the review of the Planning Commission or the Site Plan Review Committee necessarily. Applicants are encouraged to present and review site plan amendment applications with affected Civic Associations and neighbors prior to submission. Once an application has been filed with, and accepted by Zoning, assigned staff in the department of Community Planning Housing and Development will complete a review of the application and prepare a report with a recommendation on behalf of the County Manager to the County Board. Recommendations are either to: 1) approve, 2) defer, or 3) deny the requested amendment. Amendments are typically to modify condition language or requirements, permit outdoor café seating, rooftop signs or comprehensive sign plans, and live entertainment and dancing among other things. Application requests are heard by the County Board at the public hearing scheduled no earlier than 60 days from the date of acceptance by Zoning. Click the below link to the current application for minor Site Plan Amendments.