McLean Planning Committee Gets New Leaders

Ghassan Abukurah, a McLean architect, is the newly elected president of The McLean Planning Committee which makes recommendations on developments in downtown McLean,

Abukurah, one of the four representatives of the  the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce, on the planning committee, will serve along with incumbent Vice President Jim Peoples, a member from the surrounding citizen associations group, Maya Huber, a member from the McLean Citizens Association, will serve as Secretary. Huber is a walking encyclopedia of McLean zoning law and history. Huber succeeds Robin Crawford.

Mr. Abukurah succeeds Richard Salopek, also a local architect who is a member of the McLean Citizens Association. 

"I am extremely excited to pass the leadership of the MPC to Mr. Abukurah," Salopek said.  "I look forward to his deeply thoughtful approach to assessing development proposals within the McLean CBC (Central Business District) and the continuity of leadership he will provide. I laud the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce for nominating a community leader of his caliber to lead the MPC."

Abukurah said, "As an architect, I can understand the ins and outs of the planning process. . . I decided to donate my time to the benefit of the community where my business is."

The MPC is comprised of sixteen members, four members each from the surrounding homeowner associations, the McLean Citizens Association, the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce, and the McLean Commercial Landowners Association, the downtown owners.   The Officer positions rotate among the MPC's constituent groups. Officers serve a one-year term beginning on July 1st.

Former Dranesville Supervisor Stuart Mendelsohn created the planning committee. Mendelsohn brought a controversial project to the planning committee in May 2010 when he represented a group that wants to build 49 townhouses  on Elm Street on what is now a parking lot.

The Planning Committee is one of the three most important citizens organizations* in McLean. It has only advisory power — advising the Dranesville Supervisor and the Fairfax County Planning Commission on land use issues in what is formally known as the McLean Community Business Center. In plain English — our  beleaguered downtown.

Members are unpaid. They have a tiny budget. The committee meets 7:30 pm, the third Wednesday of each month. The meetings are open to the public.

*The other two major McLean organizations are the McLean Citizens Association, our unofficial town council. MCA is composed of representatives from McLean’s homeowners association. It has only advisory power and a tiny budget.

The McLean Community Center board which is elected and collects millions of dollars from our property taxes to operate the Community Center. The board can make decisions and oversees a $6 million budget and $12 million surplus.