The Fairfax County Department of Animal Sheltering (DAS) will likely assume the duties of the Animal Protection Police, starting this summer.
At a mark-up session last Tuesday (April 30), the Board of Supervisors indicated that it will implement the consolidation by transferring a position from the Fairfax County Police Department and creating a new chief animal control officer (ACO) as part of the fiscal year 2025 budget, which is scheduled to be formally adopted tomorrow (Tuesday).
However, Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity argued that eliminating animal protection police officers (APPOs) is not in the best interest of residents, echoing concerns raised by the county’s police union that the new arrangement might reduce officers’ benefits and impact both public safety and animal welfare.
“We still haven’t addressed what’s gonna happen with wildlife services,” Herrity said. “‘I will figure it out later’ is not good enough when you’re looking at a major restructuring like this. We heard overwhelming opposition from a very diverse group of our residents…from employee groups to HOAs, to wildlife rehabilitators to environmentalists. There’s been no cost impact analysis done.”
The county sees the creation of the ACO position as the first step in the planned consolidation, which will take 18 to 24 months to fully implement, according to the DAS budget. If it’s approved, most funding and positions will be included in next year’s proposed budget.
Herrity proposed amending the FY 2025 budget, which will take effect on July 1, to remove the position transfer, but the motion died without a vote after no one seconded it.
Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman argued that civilian animal control officers could handle the services provided by APPOs, freeing up police officers to focus on higher-priority calls.
“Most emergency calls from Animal Services in Fairfax County are not law enforcement matters,” Bierman said. “The majority of calls or requests for assistance…involve minor code violations.”
Staff have been instructed to provide additional information about the roles of DAS staff and police officers under this new structure and any changes in their approach to wildlife and other services.
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said the board will focus on best practices regarding the new configuration moving forward.
“This is not an easy decision, but from what I have seen, the potential impact and improvements on our current offerings are excellent in many ways,” she said. But I think we could really use—as we’ve all agreed—some improvements in the way it’s communicated and structured, meeting our needs, wanting to continue to be the best, and looking at best practices.”
Reducing police involvement in animal control
County staff proposed in January that animal control officers, supervised by the DAS, take over the responsibilities of the animal protection police, including animal care and law enforcement.
They argued that since few animal service emergencies require police action, many tasks can be handled by trained civilians, reducing the need for police involvement in every situation.
“Most emergency calls for animal services in Fairfax County are not law enforcement matters,” DAS Director Reasa Currier told FFXnow in an email. “Most calls are requests for assistance with injured, ill, orphaned, or stray animals, or involve minor code violations.”
In 2016, Fairfax County divided animal care and control functions between the DAS and the police department, but the new system has been “ineffective” and led to “gaps in service,” Currier says.
Under the proposed changes, animal control officers would assume a role similar to that of the APPs, managing all service calls, including investigations of animal cruelty, execution of search warrants, and administering rabies vaccinations.
According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, ACOs must complete at least 120 hours (three weeks) of basic training, covering areas such as animal sciences, animal-related law and basic law enforcement.
Unlike animal protection officers, ACOs won’t train at the police academy, but the FCPD would still provide support for criminal investigations involving animals when needed, per the DAS website.
Difference in training and loss of benefits
During a budget public hearing last month, the Southern States Police Benevolent Association’s (SSPBA) Fairfax County chapter, the recognized union for FCPD officers, urged supervisors against consolidating the two services, citing concerns regarding employee equity and public safety.
Several members said their training at the police academy prepares them to handle a broader range of dangerous situations that ACOs may not be equipped to handle without similar training.
“I would never ask anyone to do this job without sending them to the police academy,” SSPBA member and APPO Kathleen Prucnal said at an April 16 meeting. “…I’m doing on that training every time I walked up to a door alone with a difficult job that had to be done. Every time I initiated contact with a known gang member. Every time I was alone on a dark highway putting a suffering animal out of its misery. The job takes a toll.”
Prucnal and others also raised concerns about a potential loss of benefits for any animal protection police officers who become ACOs instead of staying with the FCPD.
Although pay and retirement would remain unchanged, several members noted that police can get federal benefits typically available to first responders, including workers’ compensation, disability retirement, and state and federal health insurance.
“This proposal claims that no change in pay or retirement would happen, but what has not been discussed is the change of benefits for the traumatic scenes exposure to hazardous materials or protection and benefits my family should I be killed in the line of duty,” SSPBA member and APPO Taylor Naumoff said. “If I were to choose to become an ACO, I forgo the benefits provided to law enforcement officers and potentially leave my children without their mother and any assistance should the worst occur.”
SSPBA Fairfax County Vice President Siobhan Chase says the objections to the consolidation aren’t meant to diminish the work of ACOs in other jurisdictions, but the union believes animal control is more effective when handled by fully sworn law enforcement officers.
“The current proposal is built upon providing the new ACOs with the state minimum training (3 weeks) as a cost-saving measure,” Chase told FFXnow by email. “The link between domestic violence, animal cruelty, child abuse, and other interpersonal violence speaks to how this training is necessary for ACOs.”
Going forward, developers in the Town of Vienna will be required to save trees, not just replace them.
After years of study and discussion, the Vienna Town Council voted on April 29 to adopt a new tree conservation ordinance and create an advocacy committee in a bid to preserve and expand the town’s declining canopy.
Effective July 29, the town code amendments require anyone building on at least 2,500 square feet of land to cover 10 to 25% of the property with tree shade, depending on its zoning district. The developer must try to preserve existing trees before removing and replacing them to meet the 20-year canopy requirement.
If they fall short of the requirement, developers can contribute cash to a new Tree Preservation and Planting Fund that the town will use to fund planting projects in the community.
The new Tree Advocacy Committee replaces an existing tree board under the Conservation and Sustainability Commission (CSC). Made up of nine appointed residents, it will advise and assist the town with issues related to plant conservation and management, including by crafting an urban forest management plan and helping staff compile annual reports.
Anticipating concerns or questions from affected property owners, Councilmember Jessica Ramakis suggested before last week’s vote that the town should stress the benefits of the policy changes when communicating them to residents.
“There are positive environmental impacts. I think the tree canopy in the town is something that is valuable for that reason,” she said. “…Also, I think a lot of residents in the town find it to be part of the character of the town, so there are a lot of benefits, to be sure.”
Despite its designation as a “Tree City” by the Arbor Day Foundation, Vienna’s tree canopy has dwindled over the past decade, shrinking by 163 acres, or 13%, between 2011 and 2021, according to a report released in October 2022.
Per a town press release, about 38.7% of Vienna currently has tree cover — a rate lower than that of Falls Church City (46%) but higher than Arlington County (38%) and Alexandria City (32.5%).
Town staff unveiled the proposed tree conservation ordinance last May, noting that adding preservation rules would align Vienna with Fairfax County. The town has had 20-year canopy standards since 2014, but it didn’t dictate how developers should meet the required minimums.
Though it was a priority for the town council, the road to adoption was prolonged by debate over the structure of the amendments, including whether they should be enforced by the planning or parks and recreation department. The town also sought Virginia’s permission to set a 10-year canopy requirement, but state Sen. Saddam Salim’s bill died in the General Assembly.
Calling the vote “a long time coming,” Mayor Linda Colbert and Councilmember Chuck Anderson gave kudos to former council members Steve Potter, Nisha Patel and Ed Somers for their efforts in advancing the tree conservation measures.
“I was hoping he could be here tonight, because Steve put his heart and soul into this. It was extremely important to him,” Anderson said. “…There’s a lot of people who worked on this, but this was Steve’s passion, and I think he’s probably drinking some sort of red [wine] in our favor tonight to see this pass.”
Barnes & Noble has closed up shop at Tysons Corner Center for the year.
Yesterday (Sunday) was the bookstore’s last day serving customers in the two-level space it has occupied since the mall’s expansion wing opened in 2005. In the month leading up to the closure, shelves were emptied and some areas closed, including the cafe, as the store cleared merchandise through “last chance sale” discounts.
Fortunately for local book lovers, the chain’s absence won’t be felt as long in Tysons as it was in Reston: Barnes & Noble announced that it will return with “a beautiful new store here in Tysons Corner Center,” as first reported by Northern Virginia Magazine.
“We thank our wonderful Tysons Corner booksellers for their many years of hard work and dedication,” the B&N Tysons Corner team said in the announcement. “They, as we, cannot wait to welcome you back into our brand-new bookstore.”
Barnes & Noble is still in the planning and design stages for the new store, but it hopes to reopen in the late spring or early summer of 2025, according to Janine Flanigan, the company’s senior director of store planning and design.
With the move, Barnes & Noble will trade approximately 30,000 square feet of space for a one-level, almost 17,000-square-foot spot that was vacated by Arhaus when the furniture store relocated to Tysons Galleria in 2021.
The store will follow the theme-oriented layout that Barnes & Noble adopted for new locations after CEO James Daunt took over in 2019. Expect “light oak-colored bookcases” with Victorian lace and a “soft pink paint color,” Flanigan told FFXnow.
“The store is designed [by] creating book rooms for categories that lead one on a journey of discovery,” she said. “…The store will house all the best books, toys, games and gifts that our customers expect from their Barnes & Noble store.”
Flanigan confirmed that the smaller location will still have “well curated selections” of DVDs, Blu-Rays, CDs and vinyl music, along with an “updated” B&N Café.
The bookstore’s last days in its current spot came during a busy weekend for the mall, which hosted its second annual Taste of Tysons Corner on Saturday (May 4). Renovations to improve the look and accessibility of some parking garages are also under construction into October.
During its temporary closure in Tysons, Barnes & Noble is encouraging customers to visit its other locations in the Spectrum at Reston Town Center and the Mosaic District in Merrifield. The Northern Virginia Book Crawl showcasing local independent bookstores is also underway.
Early Voting Underway for Congressional Races — Fairfax County opened three early voting sites on Friday (May 3) for the June 18 Democratic and Republican primaries, which will determine nominees for multiple House and Senate seats. “An additional 13 early voting sites open on June 8…The last day to vote early in person is June 15.” [Fairfax County, NBC4]
One Injured in Merrifield House Fire — “Fairfax County Fire and Rescue personel extinguished a fire late Thursday night at a two-story home in the Merrifield area. Initial reports said no one was injuried, but a department spokeswoman told Patch on Friday afternoon that one civilian was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.” [Patch]
Star Wars-Themed Drone to Land in Chantilly — “Coinciding with Star Wars Day, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum announced that a new artifact — a new themed Boeing CV2 Cargo Air Vehicle — will go on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center…in May.” The aircraft was outfitted to resemble an X-wing Starfighter for Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge resort. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Dunkin’ Donuts Plans Store in Annandale — “The small building at 7025 Columbia Pike in Annandale undergoing renovations will house a Dunkin’ Donuts shop, according to a building permit posted on the structure. The building was formerly occupied by Annandale Florist but has been vacant since a fire in August 2022.” [Annandale Today]
Report Finds Gender Disparities in Fairfax County — “The report, ‘Gains, Gaps & Goals: The Status of Women and Girls in Fairfax County,’ explored how women and girls fare in economics, health and overall well-being, painting a picture of what one expert called, ‘the good, the bad, the ugly.'” Findings include a wage gap between male and female workers as well as “significant mental health disparities.” [WJLA]
New Student Rep Chosen for School Board — “Megan Sawant, a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, has been elected by the countywide Student Advisory Council (SAC) to serve a one-year term as student representative to the Fairfax County School Board, beginning July 1.” [Gazette Leader]
Reston Community Center Celebrates 45 Years — “The Reston Community Center (RCC) is celebrating its 45th anniversary. In a recent episode of the ‘County Conversation’ podcast, Bev Cosham, chair of RCC’s Board of Governors, spoke about what makes RCC so special and highlights its 45th anniversary.” [Fairfax County Government/Twitter]
It’s Monday — Showers and thunderstorms are possible after 2pm, with patchy fog clearing by 10am. Expect mostly cloudy conditions with a high near 80. Monday night, the chance of rain continues, with a low around 65 and light winds. Precipitation chances are 40% in the day and 50% at night. [NWS]
Local morning commuters can save on gas and win a free t-shirt when Bike to Work Day returns to Fairfax County this month.
The 23rd annual Bike to Work Day is scheduled for Friday, May 17, offering residents across the D.C. area the opportunity to celebrate cycling. Fairfax County will host 27 designated pit stops, with additional stops organized by Commuter Connections, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and local governments in the region.
Participants are encouraged to register and visit a pit stop by bike to receive a complimentary T-shirt in this year’s color (orange), along with snacks and door prizes. A total of 110 pit stops will be available throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
Most pit stops will operate in the morning, with some offering afternoon hours. Commuter Connections, a regional network of transportation organizations, offers turn-by-turn directions for routes that would take cyclists on safe, bicycle-friendly paths and roads.
While Bike to Work Day is a free event, T-shirts are reserved for the first 16,000 registered participants. All registered participants will be eligible to win grand prizes, including bicycles, through raffle drawings.
Each pit stop will offer amenities, including complimentary snacks, beverages, swag bicycling information and raffle prizes. Cyclists can also join free Bike to Work Day convoys led by experienced volunteers.
Bike to Work Day will proceed rain or shine, though individual pit stops can make adjustments in extreme weather conditions. Participants are advised to bring rain gear and stay informed of updates from their pit stop manager.
A full list of pit stops in the Fairfax County area is below.
Annandale
Centreville/Chantilly
- Near Centreville High School (Clifton)
- Stringfellow Road (Chantilly)
- Sully Government Center (Chantilly)
Fairfax area
- Burke Centre VRE Station
- Fairfax County Government Center
- Fair Lakes Center
- Old Town Square (Fairfax City)
Falls Church area
Reston/Herndon
South County
- Fort Belvoir
- Sherwood Regional Library (Hybla Valley)
- Workhouse Arts Center (Lorton)
Springfield
- Metro Park at Walker Lane
- Saratoga Park & Ride (Newington)
- South Run RECenter
- West Springfield Government Center
Tysons/Vienna area
- Jim Scott Community Center (Oakton)
- MITRE Corporation (Tysons)
- Mosaic at Strawberry Park (Merrifield)
- Oakmont RECenter (Oakton)
- Town of Vienna
- Tysons Corner Center
Local golf professional Larkin Gross has qualified for the 2024 PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, where he will face off with some of the U.S.’s top male golfers in two weeks.
Gross, a Fairfax resident and assistant professional at the Westwood Country Club in Vienna, secured a spot in the Professional Golfers Association of America’s annual tournament after competing in the PGA Professional Championship in Frisco, Texas.
Gross finished inside the top 20 at the Texas event, which was held at Fields Ranch from this past Saturday (April 28) through Wednesday (May 1).
Those who finish in the top 20 at the PGA Professional Championship qualify for the PGA Championship, one of the country’s four major golf championships for men and the only one exclusively for pro players.
Gross tied for the eighth position in the PGA Professional Championship, finishing with the same score of 292 as fellow Virginian, Locust Hill resident Josh Speight, among others.
Now in its 106th year, the 2024 PGA Championship will take place at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 16-19. In addition to Gross, the player lineup includes Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and defending champion Brooks Koepka.
A D.C. developer is officially scuttling plans for City View, an office high-rise once expected to break ground near Tysons Galleria a decade ago.
Four Points has asked Fairfax County to amend its plan for the 1.7-acre site at 7901 Westpark Drive so it can build a 28-story hotel and condominium tower instead of the 10-story office building that the Board of Supervisors approved in 2012 as part of the Arbor Row development.
“The Applications continue to propose a predominantly commercial use of Block F in the form of a world-class hotel and ground floor retail use,” Matthew Roberts, a counsel for the developer, wrote in an April 30 statement of justification. “New, luxury residential condominium units will complement and add to the variety of uses at the Property. Further, the condominium units will provide additional ownership opportunities for residents who wish to live, work, play, and contribute to Tysons.”
Announced in 2013, City View was intended to replace the headquarters of the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), which owned the property. The CEO of American Real Estate Partners, the enlisted developer, declared it would be “the most desirable office building in the market” due to its proximity to the then-incoming Tysons Metro station and I-495, Commercial Property Executive reported at the time.
Though a groundbreaking was initially anticipated in late 2014, AMT’s existing office building wasn’t demolished until late 2018 — two years after the trade association relocated just a block away to 7901 Jones Branch Drive.
Four Points, which bought the vacant property for over $10 million in 2021, still trumpets City View as a future “crown jewel of the new Tysons” on its website, but the developer has now determined that an office building is “no longer feasible” for the site “due to persistent market conditions,” according to the application submitted to Fairfax County.
“Yet, a primarily commercial use of the site is viable, in line with the Tysons Plan’s vision for Arbor Row,” Roberts wrote.
Topping out at 365 feet, compared to the 175-foot maximum height for City View, the newly proposed building would consist of 225 hotel rooms, 32 condo units on its upper floors and 4,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor.
The building would be supported by 270 on-site parking spaces in a mostly underground garage and about 24,000 square feet of private amenity space, including a second-floor terrace with a swimming pool. The developer has offered to provide 0.25 acres of publicly accessible park space and an 8-foot-wide sidewalk along Westpark Drive.
According to the application, the hotel, condos and retail will generate fewer peak-hour vehicle trips than the planned office building would’ve, and the retail will complement the businesses in the adjacent Nouvelle Apartments, whose current tenants include the Mediterranean restaurant Agora Tysons.
A lack of proposed workforce dwelling units (WDUs) could be a sticking point for county staff, which has objected to a similar omission in another potential Arbor Row building. Four Points believes a cash contribution in lieu of WDUs is justified by the “unique circumstances” of its development, which will be mostly devoted to commercial uses.
“The residential component of this development will consist of luxury condominiums with price points and associated condominium fees exceeding other typical for-sale residential products,” the application says. “This will likely be prohibitive and generate a financial burden for lower-incomes residents.”
According to Roberts’s statement, the only residential building in Tysons to include for-sale WDUs is Monarch, which opened in Arbor Row last July, and those units have been “difficult to implement.”
The City View site is one of six blocks in Arbor Row. The approved plan for the neighborhood calls for almost 2.7 million square feet of mixed-use development on 19.4 acres along Westpark Drive near Tysons Galleria.
Image via Google Maps
School Bus Catches Fire in Reston — “#FairfaxsBravest are on scene of a school bus fire on SB Fairfax County Parkway at Fox Mill Road. The driver exited the bus prior to #FCFRD arrival. The bus was otherwise unoccupied. The fire is out.” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter]
Record Heat Reported at Dulles Airport — “By 6 p.m. Thursday, the record for Thursday’s date was tied at Reagan National at 91 degrees…and the record was broken at Dulles International Airport when temperatures hit 91 degrees…The previous record for May 2 at Dulles was 88 degrees, and the average high in the region for this day of the year is 73 degrees.” [WTOP]
Task Force to Recommend Metro Funding Plan — “Setting up Metro with dedicated funding has been discussed for decades in the region but still hasn’t come to fruition. Now, WMATA and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments hope a regional task force can finally bring about an agreeable plan of action.” [WTOP]
Local Schools Get New Principals — “Daniels Run Elementary School Principal Chris Smith was named the new principal at Katherine Johnson Middle School on Thursday afternoon, according to a release from the City of Fairfax Schools.” Meanwhile, Holly Dowling, an administrator at Braddock Elementary School, will serve as principal of Bailey’s Upper Elementary School, starting May 13. [Patch, Annandale Today]
County Animal Shelter Waives Adoption Fees — “The shelter is partnering with the BISSELL Pet Foundation for the ‘Empty the Shelters’ adoption event. Thanks to the foundation’s generous support, the shelter will offer fee-waived adoptions for all pets…May 2 through 5 at both shelter locations.” [Fairfax County Animal Shelter]
Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month — “Mental Health Awareness Month, observed every year during the month of May, is an opportune time to fight stigma, provide support, increase awareness and remind individuals of the services and resources that exist to support the millions of people impacted by mental health issues.” [Fairfax County]
It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny day with highs around 79 degrees and an east wind of 9 to 11 mph. Moving into Friday night, there is a 30% chance of showers as clouds increase. Overnight lows will be near 54 degrees with east winds around 8 to 11 mph. [NWS]
An officer who fatally shot a McLean man in 2022 violated Fairfax County Police Department policies, but the shooting itself was within policy and legal bounds, a new report on the FCPD’s investigation says.
In the report, which was released yesterday (Wednesday), Fairfax County Independent Police Auditor Richard Schott affirmed the police department and Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s findings that none of the three responding officers violated criminal law when they tased and shot 26-year-old Jasper Aaron Lynch at his home on July 7, 2022.
“I believe the conclusions reached by the department were correct in this case, although I acknowledge they may be difficult to accept,” Schott wrote. “The death of [Lynch] was unquestionably tragic. But that does not mean that the force — even the deadly force — used during the incident was legally unreasonable.”
Though it determined the shots and tasings were “lawful and allowed by departmental policy,” the FCPD’s investigation found that the officer who shot Lynch — identified by police as Edward George — violated other policies by not turning on his body-worn camera during the first of two calls to the house on Arbor Lane and not carrying his taser during either response, according to Schott’s report.
The department requires all officers to activate their body camera when making contact with community members during calls for service, and officers certified to carry an “electronic control weapon” must have it on their person. George had left his taser “in the trunk of his patrol car,” the report says.
An FCPD spokesperson declined to comment on whether George faced any discipline for the policy violations, stating that the department “cannot release details about administrative personnel files.”
No criminal charges against officers
Lynch’s sister and a family friend called the police twice that night seeking assistance for Lynch, who was experiencing a mental health crisis. During the second call, one officer deployed a taser twice after Lynch threw a “wooden tribal mask” at him, according to the report.
Four seconds later, another officer tased Lynch when he began approaching while carrying a wine bottle, which he then dropped. George fired four shots with his handgun, followed by a fifth into Lynch’s neck after Lynch collided with the second officer.
Lynch died at the scene. As described in Schott’s report, the encounter unfolded within a minute of the officers entering the home at 8:52 p.m. Read More
This sponsored column is written by the team at Arrowine & Cheese (4508 Cherry Hill Road in Arlington). Sign up for the email newsletter and receive exclusive discounts and offers. Experience Arrowine’s Tastings & Events. Have a question? Email [email protected].
This question often perplexes those of us in the industry. However, the answer, in its essence, is remarkably straightforward.
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The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
Inova Health System appears to be narrowing its vision for the former ExxonMobil headquarters site in Merrifield to health care.
The nonprofit has “no immediate intention” of pursuing previously approved plans to turn the 117-acre campus at 8095 Innovation Park Drive into a mixed-use development, Inova President and CEO Dr. Stephen Jones recently told the Washington Business Journal.
Now named the Inova Center for Personalized Health (ICPH), the campus will instead continue to house medical facilities, such as the Inova Schar Cancer Institute, and administrative offices, which are being relocated from the Inova Fairfax Medical Campus on the west side of Gallows Road, according to the WBJ’s story.
“It’s not a priority, for sure — and never was a priority for me,” Jones told the WBJ, noting that his focus will be on “clinical care.”
Inova proposed ambitious plans in 2018 to build out ExxonMobil’s former corporate headquarters with health care, academic and research facilities, along with multi-family housing, offices, a hotel and retail.
Under Jones’s predecessor, Knox Singleton, the health care system began leasing the campus in 2015 after it was vacated by the oil and gas company, opening the Center for Personalized Health in 2017 and the cancer institute in 2019.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors amended its comprehensive plan in September 2019 to allow 3.8 million square feet of potential new development on the property in addition to five existing office buildings, which collectively totaled more than 1.2 million square feet.
About half of that future construction would’ve been devoted to academic and research spaces for George Mason University and the University of Virginia. Inova also envisioned 705 residential units — possibly for assisted living, student housing and workforce housing — and a 120,000-square-foot hotel “that could be used by families of cancer patients and researchers,” according to the county.
“The campus now will be transformed into a vibrant innovation district with dynamic academic and research spaces, along with supporting retail, hotel, housing, and recreation uses that are open and inviting to the community,” Inova said in a press release at the time.
Just a month later, however, Jones announced an organizational restructuring for Inova, and the nonprofit shuttered the capital investments initiative, start-up accelerator and genomics research institute based at the ICPH.
Since then, the ICPH has expanded its cancer screening services and leased space to UVA, which is expected to begin offering college degree programs, classes for high school students and workforce training on the Merrifield campus in January 2025.
Jones told the WBJ that Inova could still follow through on a substantial redevelopment in the future if “opportunities came along,” but he doesn’t want to get distracted from the system’s health care-related needs, including new hospitals planned in Alexandria and Springfield.
