Fairfax County leaders are weighing whether to revise long-standing limits on house heights as increasingly complex, taller home designs test the boundaries of the current rules.
During a Board of Supervisors Land Use Policy Committee meeting Tuesday, county staff said the existing residential building height maximum, 35 feet, has not changed since it was introduced in 1959.
While the maximum height hasn’t shifted, newer homes across the Northern Virginia suburb are getting built with complex rooflines and heights reaching over 40 feet. However, because of the way the county measures home height, homes that exceed 35 feet are able to do so through “creative workarounds,” according to county documents.
“It’s much bigger homes with a lot more intricate architectural design that are really pushing the limits of the current regulations,” Andrew Hushour, assistant zoning administrator in Fairfax County’s Department of Planning and Development, said Tuesday.
Home height is measured using average height, Hushour said, which is the measurement of the highest ridge line of a roof. But, he said, “We’re seeing a lot of dwellings in the last 10 to 15 years that are pretty intricately designed with a lot of different roof lines, different roof structures even.”
One idea under consideration is keeping the method used to calculate building height the same, but clarifying how it’s defined and updating county illustrations. Another would keep the method used to calculate height the same, but update the maximum height between 37.5 feet and 40 feet. County staff recommends 38 feet.
A third option would use a home’s highest eave to calculate its height.
The proposals wouldn’t directly address concerns about a home addition in Greenbriar last year that divided some. Without specifying the property, Hushour said, “That one’s a little more complex, because we really were tasked with looking at the full bulk requirements as it relates to compatibility and infill development, which would include setbacks, not just the height.”
“It’s this first step,” Hushour said about the height discussion. “It’s a logical first step. It’s a building block.”
Supervisor Jimmy Bierman said increasing heights “is kind of a constant thing that we’re seeing in the Dranesville District. I’m very happy to see this coming forth.”
Jeff McKay, the board’s chairman, said “simplicity is important for a lot of reasons.”
“This is highly technical. I would just say that wherever we land, I’m interested in the community and industry’s feedback on this,” McKay added.
The county has already started planning meetings with industry groups and community members. A draft could be presented to supervisors for consideration this fall, Hushour said.
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