In early June 2020, Arlington County will roll out a new virtual Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC) process that should streamline Arlington’s community review process in the short to midterm.
The SPRC, a committee of the Arlington County Planning Commission, typically holds three in-person meetings with numerous representatives from Arlington’s commissions and civic associations to review 4.1 site plan projects before the Planning Commission and the Arlington County Board hold meetings.
To keep projects moving during a time of social distancing, Arlington County devised a new online SPRC process:
- Applicants and staff will participate in two separate “online engagement” sessions involving recorded presentations from staff and the applicant as well as written feedback from the public.
- The SPRC will then hold a virtual, real-time meeting with the applicant to discuss unresolved issues raised by the public in response to the two required online engagement sessions.
The new online SPRC process is a good opportunity for developers who are thinking of pursuing a 4.1 site plan project in Arlington County in the near future. Expect the new online SPRC process to cut down on the amount of time it takes to schedule and complete the SPRC process, and to cut down on supporting costs (e.g., printing plan sets, consulting fees for participating in in-person meetings).
