Clemyjontri Carousel Temporarily Stalled by Birds — “The Fairfax County Park Authority took its Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible carousel at Clemyjontri Park in McLean out of operation May 5 because the birds had placed nesting material in its main gear.” The carousel is expected to resume operations this weekend after staff removed the material and installed a Plexiglas barrier to prevent the birds from returning. [Gazette Leader]
Man Who Assaulted Connolly Staffers Previously Called Office — Rep. Gerry Connolly “said that staffers had previously talked to the man on the phone and he seemed off. Pham’s father said in an interview that his son was schizophrenic and has been ill since his late teens. The father said that his son had been refusing to take his medication and that he had unsuccessfully sought help for him.” [The Washington Post]
Car Crashes Into School Bus in North Springfield — Yesterday “around 8:45am in the 5200 blk of Inverchapel Rd, a sedan struck a school bus. No children were injured as a result. The driver of the white sedan was treated for minor injuries and was charged with having a phone in hand. U text. U drive. U pay.” [FCPD/Twitter]
State Trooper Injured in I-66 Collision — “A woman struck the back of a Virginia State Police SUV, propelling it into a state trooper and knocking him into incoming traffic on Interstate 66 late Monday afternoon, law enforcement says.” The crash occurred around 4 a.m. after the trooper stopped a pickup truck near the 50-mile marker for speeding. [WTOP]
New Restaurants Coming to Annandale — “A Wingstop restaurant is coming to the new shopping center on the corner of Little River Turnpike and John Marr Drive in Annandale…Another restaurant is under construction next door. Moby Dick House of Kabob is opening at 7042-J Little River Turnpike at one end of that retail center, and Patient First is coming to the other end.” [Annandale Today]
Results Are In for FCPD Anti-Speeding Campaign — “The Fairfax County Police Department shared the results of the agency’s ’50 Means 50′ campaign, which aimed to deter dangerous driving behavior on the Fairfax County Parkway…Officers issued 890 traffic summonses and 163 warning tickets, totaling 1,053 violations.” [WUSA9]
Vienna Repeats With Fitness Challenge Win — “For the second consecutive year, Team Vienna emerged the victor in the annual Mayors’ Fitness Challenge. The friendly competition between the Town of Vienna and Falls Church and Fairfax cities encourages residents to get moving and log their minutes of exercise in the name of community spirit and team pride.” [Town of Vienna]
Library Fandomania Returns to Providence Community on Saturday — “‘Geek out’ at our sixth annual celebration of comic books, science fiction, fantasy, TV, movies and more. Meet Ben Hatke, author and illustrator of the Zita the Spacegirl series and other titles…Show off your costuming skills in a cosplay contest, learn how to paint gaming miniatures, browse the vendor and artist hall, take a snack break at a food truck, and be sure to pick up some free swag.” [Fairfax County Public Library]
It’s Wednesday — Sunny, with a high near 72. North wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Tonight: Clear, with a low around 47. Northeast wind around 8 mph. [Weather.gov]
Reston Row is under construction (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Fairfax County government staff said a proposal (action item 3) that aims to right-size how much developers pay for their transportation impacts could negatively affect funding for local projects.
Currently, developers have to pay to offset their transportation impact of added density if the development exceeds the limits established in the comprehensive plan for areas like Tysons, Reston or Centreville.
With the county trying to emphasize public transit in many of its denser areas, proposed changes could reduce the estimated “trip generation” of new development, and past contributions to programs offsetting that development impacts could be adjusted to the new standard.
Back in August, the Board of Supervisors directed staff to reevaluate guidelines for the county’s road funds in order to maintain the county as an appealing destination for developers, according to the board matter introduced by Chairman Jeff McKay.
“Recently, the County has been experiencing various forms of redevelopment, including repurposing buildings for different uses and the redevelopment of sites with new developments where other buildings had been rendered obsolete and torn down,” McKay wrote. “This redevelopment is vital in keeping the County economy competitive, as well as resilient…However, the adopted guidelines do not anticipate how to handle the new reality we are experiencing.”
McKay said some of the current contribution requirements for developers don’t reflect the reality of how much traffic the new developments are putting on roads:
For example, a project in Fair Lakes where an obsolete office building paid into the Road Fund in the 1980s is being replaced by townhomes. The townhomes will generate a lower trip rate than the office building. As such, and absent guidelines on how to address these instances, County staff was only able to give the developer credit for the previous contribution. However, that contribution was at a much lower square foot rate since it was made 40-years ago. Staff did not have the latitude to consider the lower trip generation rate, or how much the rates have increased over time when evaluating the Road Fund contribution.
But while that could benefit developers, staff also said that change could be a hit against the county’s transportation funding — and at-risk populations are most likely to be impacted.
According to the staff report:
Staff conducted an Equity Impact Assessment and concluded that this action may negatively impact at-risk populations. While there is a realized benefit of allowing developers to reduce their development derived contribution toward County road funds, that benefit comes at the expense of reduced transportation funding. Although the at-risk populations in most road fund areas are primarily within the low to average vulnerability index, the Centreville area has populations that falls within the high to very high vulnerability index. Reduced funding in all areas, especially Centreville, may result in reduced transportation services for populations in need of additional accessibility and transportation options.
In short, if approved, staff said there will be less money to spend on transportation projects.
“The proposed revisions to the road funds may result in reduced developer funds received for transportation projects,” the report said.
The item was docketed for review at a Board of Supervisors meeting on May 9 but was deferred.
Though the solstice won’t arrive for another month, the spirit of summer is already alive at Tysons Corner Center.
After drawing a crowd earlier this month with its first-ever Taste of Tysons, the mall has lined up a variety of free Summer on the Plaza events and activities, including returns of its outdoor family movie nights and a concert series.
The movies will screen from 7-9 p.m. on one Friday each month, starting next week:
- May 26 — Moana
- June 30 — E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
- July 28 — Boss Baby: The Family Business
- Aug. 18 — Matilda
Complimentary popcorn and soft drinks are provided at the screenings.
Similarly taking place from 7-9 p.m., the concert series will launch in June with singer Jarreau Williams, an Alexandria native. In a change of pace from last year’s retro series, the 2023 program is intended to celebrate different genres:
- June 17 — Jarreau Williams (R&B)
- July 15 — Keeton (pop)
- Aug. 19 — Delta Spur (country and classic rock)
For those who can’t wait until June to groove to some live music, The Boro (8350 Broad Street) is hosting a May concert series with the Tysons Community Alliance. The last show, featuring the jazzy Julian Berkowitz Quartet, is coming this Saturday (May 20) from 1-3 p.m.
Throughout the summer, Tysons Corner Center will also have regular art, game, music and fitness activities on the Plaza.
From a press release:
Art Wednesdays
May 3-Aug. 23
5 p.m.
The PlazaThe first four Wednesdays starting May 3 watch live graffiti art come to life. The Lorton Workhouse and Live Art International introduces alternating art concepts for participants to take a drawing class, take home personalized airbrushed swag and more. All materials will be provided.
Wellness Sundays
May 7 – August 20
Class times: 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., and noon
The PlazaEvery Sunday experience a new workout and learn about local plants and flowers for Wellness Sundays. Join for Fabletics and The Lorton Workhouse for rotating classes in Pilates, belly dancing, and Boot Camp class and creating your own take-home flower arrangement with Old Dominion Flower Company.
Game Night Thursdays
May 11 – August 31
6 p.m.
The PlazaStarting May 11th, DC Fray will host a free game night every other Thursday. Game concepts will rotate between Cornhole, Roller Skating, Ping Pong, Bingo, RC Racing and Pickleball. Prizes will be awarded!
Music & Dance Fridays
May 5 – August 11
Classes: 6 p.m. or 6:45 p.m.Join Silvia and La Musica the first two Fridays of each month starting May 5 through August 11 for salsa lessons and a musical workshop. For beginners, Salsa lessons start at 6pm and bachata lessons begin at 6:45 PM. The La Musica: World of Encanto music workshop for kids will feature musical genres from successful Disney films: Coco, Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros and Encanto for karaoke session with live percussion instruments.
Fairfax County Public Schools is proposing some notable updates to its student policies.
At last week’s school board meeting, school officials laid out a number of proposed revisions to its Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook, including how cases of bullying are handled, what’s interpreted as appropriate clothing, and the potential for increased punishment for substance misuse.
The presentation from FCPS Assistant Auperintendent Michelle Boyd was relatively brief due a planned school board work session next week (May 23), which will likely be spent discussing the proposed dress codes updates, Providence District School Board Representative Karl Frisch noted.
Essentially, FCPS is looking to update verbiage around the dress code, which was last reviewed in 2016. The update will not include a ban on pajamas that was initially proposed earlier this year but has since been reconsidered.
Proposed language includes the dress code supporting “equitable educational access” while not reinforcing stereotypes or increasing marginalization:
FCPS’ student dress code supports equitable educational access and is written in a manner that does not reinforce stereotypes or increase marginalization or oppression of any group based on race, color, national origin, caste, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, medical condition, household income, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, age, or genetic information.
It also clarifies that the same rules apply “regardless of the student’s age or gender” while providing examples of what isn’t allowed, including clothing that depicts or promotes use of weapons, alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.
Any violation and enforcement of the dress code will continue to be addressed in a “discreet” manner, showing respect to the student, and “minimizes loss of instructional time.”
“Violations of the dress code should generally be treated as minor infractions unless they are repeated or egregious in nature (e.g., streaking, hate speech),” the current code says.
However, this can leave much open to interpretation for school staff and administration. Several school board members noted that some language could be included to ensure a more standardized interpertation across the school system.
“I know we are trying to thread a needle here between what kids recognize as appropriate dress and not,” Springfield District School Board member Laura Jane Cohen said.
Also being proposed is a shift in what happens when there are alleged acts of bullying. The school system is now seeking to require that a principal or staff member notify a parent or guardian of every student involved in an alleged act of bullying within 24 hours of learning about the incident.
The update would also better define that bullying involves a “power imbalance” and what that could look like.
“Examples of a power imbalance include, but are not limited to, greater physical strength or size, access to embarrassing information, or greater popularity or social connectedness,” reads the updated definition.
Also proposed are updated definitions of harassment, hate speech, and hazing, along with potentially more severe punishments. For example, hazing could become a Level 5 infraction, which is the most severe and could result in law enforcement getting involved.
In addition, students with a first-time hate speech infraction would be required to participate in “culturally responsive intervention.”
FCPS is also tweaking its handling of substance misuse in response to recent incidents. While incidents involving alcohol, marijuana, and inhalants customarily result in a two-day suspension, the school principal can decide to levy even more disciplinary action if the conduct has “substantially disrupted the instructional program [or] endangered the well-being of others.”
This could mean a referral to the superintendent and a suspension of up to 10 days. There are number of other changes being asked for, including rewordings and clarity in terms of verbiage, but as Boyd said, those are “relatively minor in nature.”
After next week’s work session, a revised draft is set to be presented to the school board at the end of the month. The school board is expected to vote and adopt the updated students’ rights and responsibilities by the end of June.
A fitness studio that quietly opened near The Boro in Tysons during the COVID-19 pandemic will finally get an official welcome this week.
P20 EMS Fitness Experts will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its Tysons studio this Friday (May 19) — more than two years after the location opened inside OneLife Fitness at 8250 Greensboro Drive.
Supported by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, the ribbon-cutting is also intended to mark the company’s rebranding to P20 from its previous name of Personal 20, according to co-founder and owner Connie Ruiz.
“Realizing our clients have been referring to us as P20 for years, we decided it was a good time to rebrand and refresh with a new name and a new logo,” Ruiz said. “We changed our tag line as well to reflect that we are EMS Fitness Experts.”
EMS stands for electronic muscle stimulation, which involves devices that send electric impulses to mimic muscle contractions. Used in physical therapy as well as workouts, EMS devices can help strengthen or tone muscles but, by themselves, don’t result in a major change in physical appearance, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
The Tysons studio is P20’s second location.
A native of McLean, Ruiz and her husband Pedro discovered EMS in Portugal and wanted to bring the concept to the U.S. With their daughter Carmen, the couple launched Personal 20 in January 2017 with a studio in Herndon.
The business claims to offer “a 20-minute workout with all the benefits of a 90-minute workout.”
“We love what we do, helping our clients get stronger, healthier and happier with P20,” Ruiz said. ” …We are not only the first to bring EMS to [Northern Virginia], but we are confident that our quality-controlled program and continuous education for our trainers has us on the right path to success for our clients.”
A cocktail reception to celebrate the rebranding will be held from 4-6 p.m. at the studio on Friday, with the ribbon-cutting taking place at 5 p.m.
Man in Connolly’s Office Attack Tied to Earlier Assault — “The suspect is accused of attacking another person shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday. He approached a woman sitting in her car in the Chantilly area, asked her if she was white and then smashed her windshield with a bat, police said. He’ll be charged with a hate crime and destruction of property.” [NBC4]
Youngkin Vetoes Undergrounding Utilities Bill — “On Friday, May 12, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed legislation that would have funded an underground electricity distribution line along Route 1 in Fairfax County in support of the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit project. The legislation had passed unanimously in both the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate.” [On the MoVe]
Police Still Looking for Suspect in Culmore Shooting — “Detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau continue to investigate last week’s non-fatal shooting in Culmore.” Police are seeking the public’s help identifying a suspect based on surveillance footage from the May 10 incident, which occurred near a 7-Eleven in the 3300 block of Glen Carlyn Drive. [FCPD]
Reston Area Primed for Housing to Replace Offices — “The Reston-Herndon area saw a 112% spike in Class-A multifamily rents over the three years ending March 31 — the largest of any submarket in the D.C. region, according to Delta Associates’ first-quarter multifamily report…With all this demand, the obsolete office parks that dot the area are due for a reckoning, panelists said.” [Bisnow]
Possum With Babies Relocated From Chantilly Park — “A few weeks ago, our incredible Park Specialist, Kiersten, at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park successfully relocated a mother opossum who was eating out of the trash can. The can was gently lowered so Mom could climb out with all babies tucked away in her pouch. Thank you, Kiersten, for ensuring the mommy and babies were safe and unharmed!” [FCPA/Facebook]
Food Scrap Disposal Expands to All Farmers Markets — “Each of the Park Authority’s 10 Farmers Markets now include food scrap disposal sites where customers can dispose of food waste to be composted. This expansion is the result of a highly successful pilot program that experienced strong customer support in 2022.” [FCPA]
FCPS Settles on Graduation Venue for Next Five Years — “The Fairfax County School Board on May 11 unanimously approved a $500,000-per-year, sole-source contract with Monumental Sports & Entertainment to rent EagleBank Arena at George Mason University’s Fairfax campus for graduation ceremonies. The contract will run for five years and have a total value of $2.5 million.” [Gazette Leader]
Family Bicycle Ride This Weekend in Vienna — “This Sunday at 10:30 am, join Vienna’s Bicycle Advisory Committee for a 6.3-mile family bike ride on local trails and low-volume streets. The ride starts and ends, rain or shine, at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry Street SE. Helmets required.” [Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling/Twitter]
It’s Tuesday — Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 50%, with possible showers between 1 p.m. and 2 a.m. [Weather.gov]
In the future, Fairfax County residents won’t need to trek to a park to experience nature.
Instead, the park will find them with the Wonder Wagon Mobile Nature Center, a Fairfax County Park Authority initiative that will bring educational programs on nature and the environment to underserved communities and Title I schools with limited access to green spaces.
“Mobile nature centers will allow greater opportunity for communities to come to know the Park Authority and the cultural and natural resources around them,” FCPA public information officer Benjamin Boxer said. “…The concept is to activate the nature that is all around us for those who may not have the means for easy access to one of the Park Authority’s facilities.”
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved an initial $114,640 for the mobile nature center with its adoption of the fiscal year 2024 budget on May 9. However, that funding falls short of the $229,279 that the park authority requested to cover two merit staff positions and operating costs for a full year.
In addition, the FCPA estimates that it needs approximately $200,000 to acquire electric or hybrid vans to transport the center.
The county hopes to fill those gaps with the help of the Fairfax County Park Foundation, the nonprofit that obtains private donations, grants and partnerships to supplement the park authority’s public funding.
Earlier this month, the foundation was awarded a $34,000 grant for the mobile nature center from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s Environment Fund, which launched in 2018 with its first grant going to the Fairfax County Public Schools Get2Green initiative.
Boxer called the grant “a significant step” in the foundation’s fundraising effort.
“The Fairfax County Park Foundation is grateful for the generous…grant from CFNOVA,” Bobbi Longworth, the foundation’s executive director, said. “The grant will help fund the Wonder Wagon Mobile Nature Center that will teach children in Title 1 elementary schools and underserved areas about the environment and the importance of stewardship of nature and parks. By bringing environmental education to them, it will increase the children’s connectedness to nature where they live.”
According to the FCPA, the mobile centers will be filled with supplies for “a variety of interactive field trip experiences,” from science experiments to live insects and other creatures.
The exact programming remains to be determined, as the park authority plans to host some community engagement events starting this summer to gather ideas from the public.
“Test programs may begin in the fall,” Boxer said.
McLean Day is just around the corner.
The annual outdoor festival will return for a 108th year this Saturday (May 20), bringing amusement rides, live music, food and carnival games to Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bridge Road) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Started in 1915 as a school and community fundraiser, McLean Day has taken place at Lewinsville Park since 1988 and draws as many as 10,000 people throughout the day each year, according to the McLean Community Center (MCC), which produces the event.
Like last year, the rides will open ahead of the full festival on Friday (May 19) from 2-10 p.m. Wristbands for unlimited rides are on sale now for $20, a $5 discount from on-site ticket purchases.
Performances will be held throughout Saturday on a main community stage and a more kid-oriented juggler’s stage. The community stage will feature singing, dance and theater, per MCC’s website:
- 11 a.m. — Art in Motion (MCC’s youth dance class participants)
- 12:50 p.m. — Noah Asher (low-key covers and originals)
- 1:10 p.m. — Hull (alternative rock band)
- 1:40 p.m. — Unruly Theatre Project, The Alden’s professional teen improv group
- 2:20 p.m. — Minahil Ishaq (singer-songwriter)
- 2:50 p.m. — Kiril French (Broadway and pop solos)
- 3 p.m. — Teen Character Awards
- 3:20 p.m. — Kiril French (Broadway tunes and pop solos)
- 3:45 p.m. — Hull (alternative rock band)
The McLean Citizens Association, which organizes the Teen Character Awards, shared last week that this year — the 25th annual ceremony — will have four honorees:
- Alex Abraham: a junior at McLean High School who volunteers at the food bank Share of McLean and runs an annual coat drive for the Virginia Hospital Center
- Sebastian Herbolsheimer: a senior at Langley High School who volunteers as an EMT for the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department and serves as junior assistant scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 1916
- Kasim Khapra: a sophomore at the Potomac School who founded the nonprofit MyPy Coding, which provides free, online coding classes to students in second through eighth grade
- Tatum King: a junior at McLean High School who volunteers for McLean Little League’s Challenger division, a baseball program for kids with physical and mental disabilities
As usual, McLean Day will also have a voting booth where residents can cast ballots in person for MCC’s governing board election. This year, there are five adults and 10 teens campaigning for three adult and two teen seats on the 11-member board.
Other noteworthy activities include laser tag, rock-climbing walls, a petting zoo, beachball corral, an activity called Bubble Ball, a magician and various costumed characters.
No parking will be available at Lewinsville Park, so Fairfax Connector will provide free shuttles from the McLean Metro station and three satellite locations: McLean Baptist Church (1367 Chain Bridge Road), McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Avenue) and Redeemer Lutheran Church (1545 Chain Bridge Road).
All of the shuttles will run from 10:25 a.m. through 6 p.m., according to MCC.
(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) Two members of Rep. Gerry Connolly’s staff were assaulted this morning by a Fairfax resident with a baseball bat.
The City of Fairfax Police Department and the United States Capitol Police (USCP) are investigating the incident at 10680 Main Street, Suite 140. The suspect has been arrested, while the victims were taken to the hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, police said.
According to police, 49-year old Xuan-Kha Tran Pham entered Connolly’s Fairfax District Office in the Mainland Building around 10:49 a.m., carrying a metal baseball bat and used it to assault two staffers.
Connolly wasn’t present at the time.
“Right now, our focus is on ensuring they are receiving the care they need,” Connolly said in a statement. “We are incredibly thankful to the City of Fairfax Police Department and emergency medical professionals for their quick response.”
Read more on this story at FFXnow…
Photo via Google Maps
(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) Fairfax County officials are hoping to clear up a legal kerfuffle over its zoning ordinance, which was readopted last week after getting voided by the Virginia Supreme Court earlier this year.
Before readopting a modernized version of the zoning ordinance — known as zMod — on May 9, the county filed a petition for a rehearing in the Supreme Court case Berry v. Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
The court struck down the ordinance on March 23 — nearly two years after it first took effect — because it was originally adopted during a virtual meeting and therefore violated the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
The court argued that the county’s state of emergency rules for Covid only allowed virtual meetings on issues “necessary to ensure the continuation of essential functions and services,” which it said didn’t include updating a document last overhauled in the 1970s.
Most residents testifying at an in-person public hearing on zMOD’s readoption last week opposed the update.
Even though zMOD has now been reinstated, the county confirmed to FFXnow that it’s still pursuing the request for a rehearing in the Berry case.
“The Berry opinion was broadly framed and has potential implications that reach beyond zMOD,” a county spokesperson said. “The decision affects numerous localities, among many other public bodies, across the Commonwealth who conducted electronic meetings in good faith reliance on the relevant state legislation to protect their residents during the pandemic.”
The petition argued that the Supreme Court’s opinion not only raised questions about close to two years of zoning actions, but also forced “every public body in the Commonwealth that met electronically during the pandemic…to examine its actions and speculate whether this Court would deem them ‘time-sensitive.'”
In the filing, the county argued that the board acted in “good faith” by holding virtual public meetings in the midst of the pandemic, and they were consistent with Virginia’s limits on public gatherings at the time, which had dropped to 10 people when the board authorized public hearings on zMOD in December 2020.
The county also argues that voiding zMod “casts doubt on years of pandemic-era decisions made in good faith reliance on the budget language.”
Walsh Colluci Lubeley & Walsh, a prominent law firm in the area that handles many Fairfax County land use applications, has also filed two amicus briefs on behalf of the Home Builders of Virginia, the Virginia Association for Commercial Real Estate and the Virginia Land Title Association.
They argue that the Supreme Court’s decision has “already had a significant adverse effect on local governments and private sector entities statewide.”
“The court’s reasoning has cast a cloud over a vast number of land use approvals and permits, not just in Fairfax County but throughout the Commonwealth,” one filing states, adding that “the number of applications potentially impacted by the court’s decision cannot be understated.”
The court could rehear the case if any of the seven justices determine there is good cause.
