On 13 Jan, the Board of Supervisors approved the Comprehensive Plan amendment for the SE Quadrant notwithstanding strenuous opposition from citizens.  The amendment allows another “urban” elementary school to be constructed, this one on the curb of Columbia Pike with no green space and surrounded by commercial developments.  The Holmes Run Valley Citizen’s Association submitted a written statement opposing the plan amendment and testified at the hearing.

The supervisors’ decision was a disappointment but not unexpected.  The Board does not recognize that citizen participation is the essential ingredient in land use planning.  Supervisor Gross, in particular, seems intent upon dictating the future vision of our community.

A letter objecting to the Board’s decision and the conduct of the hearing has been sent to Sharon Bulova, the chairman of the Board.  Articles on the plan amendment have been published in the Washington Post and the Annandale Blog.