Live Fairfax is a bi-weekly column exploring Fairfax County. This recurring column is sponsored and written by Sharmane Medaris of McEnearney Associates. Questions? Reach Sharmane at 813-504-4479.
Have you been here YET?
Are you a coffee lover? Do you search for the best local spots? I definitely do! As a regular at today’s spot, we are giving you the insider look at one of the hottest coffee cafes in Downtown Fairfax, De Clieu.
We met with the infamous Jazzii, one of the best baristas around to highlight what makes De Clieu set apart from the rest.
From the opening diverse atmosphere, to house made syrups and drinks that will make you come back again to in-house made bakery yumminess to those amazing sandwiches (can we say Breakfast all day).
Pro-Tip: it’s walking distance to Van Dyck Park, Old Town Square, and Fairfax Library so you can definitely have more fun!
Explore Fairfax with Sharmane Medaris of McEnearney.
Sharmane Medaris | Live Fairfax | www.soldbysharmane.com | [email protected] | @soldbysharmane | 813-504-4479 | 374 Maple Avenue Suite 202, Vienna, VA 22180
The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
A new report from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) found a “startling increase” in the number of pedestrian fatalities in Northern Virginia last year.
Along with the increase in pedestrian fatalities, DMV found a smaller increase in overall traffic-related fatalities in the region.
“In 2022, 56 pedestrians were killed as a result of crashes in the Fairfax region, compared to 37 in 2021,” the DMV report said. “This is an increase of 51%. Overall, based on preliminary numbers, there were 203 traffic-related fatalities in the region in 2022, a 3% increase compared to 2021.”
Crashes increased by 4% throughout Virginia last year.
A report compiled by the Traffic Records Electronic Data System (TREDS) put the number of total traffic fatalities in Fairfax County at 65, with 4,922 injuries.
Last year was the deadliest year for Fairfax County pedestrians in over a decade. With 32 deaths, the county was the site of over half of the pedestrian fatalities in Northern Virginia last year.
“We provide this data to give folks a look at what’s going on right now in their communities,” acting DMV Commissioner Linda Ford said in the release. “We hope drivers will be motivated to make a change and put a stop to the behaviors that we know contribute to these devastating crashes. Each of these numbers represents a real person and many are people in your community.”
“We provide this data to give folks a look at what’s going on right now in their communities. We hope drivers will be motivated to make a change and put a stop to the behaviors that we know contribute to these devastating crashes,” said Acting DMV Commissioner Linda Ford.
— Jordan Pascale
(@JWPascale) January 19, 2023
The battle over transgender student rights has taken center stage in the race for the Fairfax County School Board’s Providence District seat.
Consultant and Vienna resident Jeff Hoffmann officially launched a campaign on Tuesday (Jan. 17) to challenge incumbent Karl Frisch, who announced last week that he’ll seek a second term in office this November.
“It really is time for change on the School Board in Fairfax County,” Hoffmann wrote in a statement on his decision to run. “The current incumbency has become too comfortable, and they choose to vote a Party line agenda versus listen to us, the parents and other taxpayers who invest a high percentage in education.”
Founder of the Virginia Parents First Coalition, a political action committee (PAC) that says it backs candidates “who believe in traditionally conservative education principles,” Hoffmann drew the local LGBTQ community’s attention this weekend with a stunt phone call to the Inova Pride Clinic, where he claimed to be the stepfather of a transgender kid.
Started last June to coincide with Pride Month, the clinic is the first health facility in Northern Virginia to provide primary care specifically for LGBTQ individuals. It serves patients 12 and older.
As reported by NBC4, Hoffmann told a receptionist at the Falls Church-based clinic on Saturday (Jan. 14) that he was looking to schedule a nurse visit for his transgender stepdaughter based on advice from Fairfax County Public Schools staff and a teacher.
Asking if the clinic works with FCPS Pride, an advocacy group for LGBTQ employees and families in the school system, he said his kid would be accompanied by a teacher but not her unsupportive biological father, an apparent attempt to see if a student could get medical services without their parent’s knowledge.
Admitting that the kid he described in the call doesn’t exist, Hoffmann says he wanted to raise “awareness” that gender-affirming care is available to local adolescents, who he claimed are being referred to the Pride Clinic by FCPS Pride.
FCPS Pride said in a statement on Saturday that some of its members obtain services from the clinic, but the group has no direct affiliation.
“FCPS Pride does not have a relationship with the Inova Pride Clinic, does not operate in schools, and does not give any medical advice or make medical referrals,” the group’s executive board said.
Though he says this is “not a priority issue in my campaign,” Hoffmann has a history of opposing FCPS’s policy supporting the right of trans and gender-expansive students to be treated in accordance with their gender identity, criticizing it as a distraction from issues like addressing learning loss and other impacts of the pandemic.
Hoffmann’s campaign for school board continues a trend of candidates for local and state offices in Virginia running on anti-LGBTQ and anti-trans platforms, according to FCPS Pride co-president Robert Rigby Jr. Read More
Tim Kaine Expected to Announce Election Plans — “Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) will address his plans for the future when he appears at a news conference in Richmond on Friday, according to two people familiar with the senator’s intentions — which might mean he will reveal whether he will seek reelection in 2024.” [The Washington Post]
Man Sentenced in Springfield Shootings — “A Northern Virginia man was ordered to serve 20 years in prison — the maximum sentence — for fatally shooting two teens at a home in Springfield in 2021. Zachary Burkard, 20, was sentenced Thursday to 10 years for each voluntary manslaughter charge in the deaths of 17-year-old Ersheen Elaiaiser and 16-year-old Calvin Van Pelt. Once he gets out of prison he will have an additional three years of supervision.” [NBC4]
Future Route 1 Bus Stations Name Swapped — “Community organizations joined forces this week in a short-notice, but ultimately successful, effort to get the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) to change the names of two future Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations. As a result, the former ‘Hybla Valley’ station will now be known as ‘Gum Springs,’ and the former ‘Gum Springs’ station will become ‘Hybla Valley.'” [On the MoVe]
Merrifield Printing Company Announces Layoffs — “Custom Ink LLC is consolidating its production facilities amid what it says are ‘rising costs’ and a tight labor market.” The Merrifield-headquartered custom-printing firm will close sites in Charlottesville and Reno, Nevada, leaving one facility in Dallas, and lay off 338 employees. [Washington Business Journal]
Dulles Silver Line Station Doing Well — “The second phase of Metro’s Silver Line already is having an impact on travel to and from Washington Dulles International Airport. An average of 9 percent of travelers using the airport during the holiday period used the Silver Line, according to data discussed Jan. 18 by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s board of directors.” [Sun Gazette]
Reston North Task Force Prepares to Meet — “The Reston Town Center North Task Force will meet for the first time on Monday, Jan. 30, to discuss redevelopment on several parcels of land north of Reston Town Center. The meeting, which is open to the public, will take place at 7 p.m. at the North County Government Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, which happens to be within the scope of the task force’s area of focus.” [Patch]
Fairfax Indian Restaurant Celebrates Anniversary — “Bollywood Bistro in Fairfax City dishes up good times with friends and family, plus delicious food in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. And customers and well-wishers flocked there recently to celebrate the restaurant’s 13th anniversary and building expansion.” [Connection Newspapers]
Seven Corners Fire Station Demolition Complete — “A new beginning. Old Station 28, Seven Corners, is no more. The site is being prepped for the foundation of the new Station 28. While construction is ongoing, crews and units are housed in a temporary structure just down the road.” [FCFRD/Twitter]
It’s Friday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 54 and low of 41. Sunrise at 7:24 am and sunset at 5:17 pm. [Weather.gov]
The groundwork has been laid for a new townhouse development on Leesburg Pike in Pimmit Hills.
Vertical construction is expected to start late this spring on Tysons Ridge, a 104-unit complex replacing the circular office building at 7700 Leesburg Pike, according to developer EYA.
Built in 1976, the 150,000-square-foot office building has now been demolished. Fenced off and cleared, the 6.7-acre site is located across the street from Marshall High School and in walking distance of the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library.
“We are currently projected to open for pre-construction sales around Spring of 2023,” Tara Rosenberg, a new home advisor for EYA, told FFXnow.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved EYA’s proposal last January after the developer agreed to install water treatment facilities and an underground detention system, among other steps, to address stormwater runoff concerns.
Per the site plan, the project will include 38,101 square feet, or 0.87 acres, of parkland, concentrated on the north side of the property. The plan shows fitness and play areas as well as an 11,210-square-foot central courtyard with a pergola and terraces called The Green.
According to the Tysons Ridge website, the townhomes will start in the $800,000s and come in four floorplans. Prices for units equipped with private elevators will start at $1.1 million, though a “more concrete” pricing list and more detailed floorplans will be available closer to opening, Rosenberg said.
Move-ins are expected to come sometime in 2024.
Tysons is making good progress on fulfilling Fairfax County’s goal of turning it into a place where people live as well as work, county staff say.
Since the Tysons Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2010, the urban center has seen its population jump from 17,000 to 30,124 residents, according to data shared last week with the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s Tysons Committee.
Over that time period, the housing stock has increased from 8,943 units to 14,253, with another 1,613 units under construction, as of July 2022.
That influx of residents narrowed the ratio of jobs-to-households from over 11-to-1 in 2010 to about 6-to-1 in 2022. Aiming for 100,000 residents and 200,000 jobs by 2050, the plan posited a ratio of 4-to-1 as an ideal mix for Tysons.
“Tysons growth continues to be in line with plan growth projections, and we think residential is tracking probably at a faster pace than we anticipated, but there is still capacity in the pipeline,” Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development Urban Centers Section Chief Suzie Battista said at the Jan. 12 committee meeting.
Based on data compiled for the Tysons Tracker, an interactive platform that launched in 2021 and is currently being updated annually, county staff project that development will fall about 9 million square feet short of the 69.9-million-square-feet goal set forth in the plan for 2024.
Battista noted that the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and completion of Metro’s Silver Line extension are still unknown, but she doesn’t “think there’s any cause for concern.”
From August 2021 through July 2022, developers finished five buildings with 1.3 million square feet of space, including Capital One Hall and the Hanover apartments. Another 3.2 million square feet is under construction, and projects totaling 1 million square feet got site plan approval.
About two-thirds of the upcoming development is residential, which has grown by over 6.6 million square feet since 2011 — exceeding the roughly 3 million square feet of added office space.
Notably, the increase in housing has included 773 affordable or workforce dwelling units to date, not including the planned, all-affordable Dominion Square West and Somos projects. Tysons had just 40 units of affordable housing prior to 2010, according to the tracker.
Battista says developers seem open to the county’s revamped ADU/WDU policy for Tysons, which reduced the percentage of affordable units required in each project but lowered the targeted area median income (AMI) levels.
“We were finding from the development community, some of the higher tiers, that wasn’t really getting at the goal of what we were trying to accomplish with affordable housing just based on the AMIs in this area,” she said.
While heartened by the housing growth in Tysons, planning commissioners warned that the county also needs to focus on maintaining the area’s status as an economic engine, which means supporting commercial development as well.
The closer ratio of housing to jobs partly reflects a decline in the latter, Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina noted, with the estimated 88,304 jobs currently in Tysons falling short of the 105,000 jobs that the comprehensive plan had forecast by this time.
The jobs estimate is slightly outdated, since it comes from numbers reported to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments in 2015, according to Battista. An update is expected this year after being delayed by the pandemic and Census.
“That’s a good point,” DPD Deputy Director Chris Caperton told Cortina. “As excited as we are that the residential numbers are looking robust and people see this as a place to live, as a destination living spot, we do have to be mindful of the office numbers and our employment base out there.”
The need to balance housing and employment has made county staff cautious about supporting proposals to convert vacant or underutilized offices, particularly next to Metro stations, where the county wants to concentrate its job centers, Caperton said.
While office-to-housing conversions have become trendy, the viability of those projects tends to be very site-specific, since the uses have different needs in terms of design, amenities, schools, transportation and other factors, according to county staff.
The county has one conversion proposal for a Tysons office building under review, and more are in the works but haven’t been officially submitted yet. Battista says some of them show “good potential,” but there are others that staff have advised the developers not to pursue.
“[We want to make sure] we’re not making knee-jerk reactions based on the market to a long-range plan that we’re less than 15 years into,” Battista said. “…We want to see development, but it has to be an appropriate development that’s not going to hinder us in the future, because Tysons, we want it to remain the economic engine of the county and be competitive.”
County Prosecutor Uses Message-Deleting App — “Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano is using an app called Signal which deletes text messages like Snapchat…Descano is using the Signal app to avoid written communication from being obtained by the public and the press as allowed under the Freedom of Information Act, according to sources close to Descano.” [ABC7]
Hyundai and Kia Vehicles Targeted for Thefts — “On Jan. 14, officers responded to numerous calls for service involving stolen or damaged vehicles in Lorton. The thieves appeared to target Hyundai and Kia vehicles…The increase in calls for service regarding stolen and damaged vehicles is consistent with a pattern seen throughout the county.” [FCPD]
Youngkin Seeks to Require Merit Commendation Notices — “In response to widening concerns about how some northern Virginia school districts handled recognizing student achievements on a standardized test, Gov. Glenn Youngkin called Wednesday for legislation to require student and parental notification about certain scholastic awards.” [Associated Press/WTOP]
Deal Closed on Fairfax City Supportive Housing Site — “We closed on our property at the Hy-Way Motel! It’s the future home of our Permanent Supportive Housing development and we could not be more excited! Over the next few days, you’ll see some changes with the building beginning with a fence around the hotel and demolition in the next couple of months.” [The Lamb Center/Facebook]
Mount Vernon Rec Center Renovation Breaks Ground — “A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, for the expansion and renovation of the Mount Vernon Rec Center in Alexandria, Virginia, one of the county’s oldest and most popular Rec Centers.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]
Local Slug Lines See Drop in Popularity — “Three years into the pandemic, the once-popular slug lines along Interstate 95 are still ailing…On a recent morning, the site of the region’s oldest slug line — Bob’s Slug Line off Old Keene Mill Road in Springfield — was sleepy. Unlike in the old days, there were no lines of passengers waiting and no drivers shouting their destination.” [The Washington Post]
Capital Projects Website Gets Update — The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) has updated its website on capital projects with “a new look and improved functionality.” Changes include a simpler homepage, a central page for all projects, and new search options for finding bids and solicitations. [DPWES]
McLean Community Center Board Election Begins — Petition packets are now available through March 3 for candidates seeking to join the governing board. Candidates must be residents of Small District 1A and obtain 10 signatures endorsing them. There will be three adult seats and two youth seats up for grabs in this year’s election, which will have voting from March 15 through McLean Day on May 20. [MCC]
Mason Neck Park Considers Accessibility Improvements — “At present, there are no accessible paths leading from the parking lot to the play structure or picnic table. Sections of the asphalt trail have buckled from roots growing underneath, and the path’s incline and decline can be challenging for wheelchair users to navigate. Mason Neck Park Manager Lance Elzie is on a mission to change that.” [On the MoVe]
It’s Thursday — Rain until evening. High of 54 and low of 39. Sunrise at 7:25 am and sunset at 5:16 pm. [Weather.gov]
The new Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) budget could signal big changes for local schools, including extended availability of school counselors and new middle school athletics programs.
Superintendent Dr. Michelle C. Reid presented the budget for the 2023-2024 school year at a meeting last Thursday (Jan. 12).
The $3.5 billion budget is a $249.6 million (7.6%) increase over the approved budget for fiscal year 2023, which began July 1, 2022 and ends June 30.
Reid is requesting an additional $159.6 million from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
Part of that cost comes from an increase in employee compensation.
According to a release from FCPS, the budget includes:
- $80.9 million to provide a market scale adjustment of 3.0% for all employees.
- $58.2 million to provide a step increase for all eligible employees.
- $19.9 million to provide a 1.0% retention bonus for employees hired in FCPS during FY 2023 and remaining employed with FCPS in FY 2024.
- $4.3 million to provide a step extension for all scales.
Several members of the school board praised the proposed increase for staff compensation.
Another popular item among school board members is funding to provide middle school spring and fall athletic activities.
“You had me at middle school sports,” said Hunter Mill District representative Melanie Meren. “I think about where I grew up and the sports there, and it’s something that’s so missed here…I know this is a significant ask, but we are going to get an incredible investment. I’m eager to work to make this happen.”
Student representative Michele Togbe said the expansion of high school counseling for students into summer break will be a welcome improvement.
“If I could hug a budget, I would hug this budget,” Togbe said. “With the counselors, I think it’s really cool that we’re expanding their contract and their days.”
Other notable investments in the new budget include:
- Increased access to Pre-K: the budget includes $2 million to provide resources for 10 additional Pre-K classrooms.
- Support for students with disabilities: the budget includes $2 million to be allocated to the Special Education Compensatory Services Fund to address learning loss caused by the pandemic
- Changing student enrollment needs: the budget includes a variety of improvements grouped together as “student enrollment needs,” including paying for increased costs in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs and free and reduced-price meals, totaling around $65.2 million for 679.2 positions
The Fairfax County budget will be presented on Feb. 21, followed by a joint meeting of the school board and Board of Supervisors on Feb. 28. Public meetings will be held in April followed by final adoption on May 9 for the county budget and May 25 for the school budget.
A proposal to increase the density of housing along Spring Hill Road just outside McLean is among several applications for potential redevelopment in the immediate Tysons area that Fairfax County will present for public comment at a virtual meeting next month.
In its Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) nomination, Spring Hill Road Investments LLC asks that the county allow three to four dwelling units per acre at 1336, 1340, 1344 and 1348 Spring Hill Road, a stretch of single-family houses between Lewinsville Road and the Dulles Toll Road.
Right now, the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan recommends (page 138) two to three units per acre for the land, which totals 4.97 acres in size and is currently zoned for just one unit per acre.
“The additional density would make redevelopment more consistent with the type of housing one might expect near the Dulles Toll Road as a gateway to the Neighborhoods that adjoin and the assisted living facility across the street of the Property,” Matthew Roberts, an attorney for the applicant, wrote.
If the proposed amendment is accepted, the company says it will seek approval of a “Spring Hill Road Assemblage” townhouse development with up to 19 units and approximately 114,741 square feet of open space.
The development would consolidate the property’s five acres into one parcel and replace the existing driveways with just one vehicular access point on Spring Hill Road.
“Homes and open space could be oriented to create a welcoming ‘entrance’ to the neighborhood along Spring Hill Road,” the application says. “In addition, visitor parking and modern stormwater management systems could be installed to service the site.”
The application argues that townhouses would be preferable to redeveloping the site with detached homes, which would present “minimal opportunities to address transitions to adjacent properties, architectural compatibility, or environmental development techniques for sensitive areas, home construction, or stormwater management.”
The Spring Hill proposal is one of five Tysons-related nominations that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors advanced to the screening phase of its SSPA process, which identifies possible land use changes to the comprehensive plan.
The other requested alterations would:
- Replace the office buildings at 7600 Leesburg Pike in Pimmit Hills with townhouses
- Add an option for housing in The Boro East office complex
- Bring mixed-use development to the Koons auto dealership properties by the Route 123/Route 7 interchange
- Ensure that additional development at Scotts Run, including a potential hotel and senior living facility, will be allowed
The county will host a virtual meeting on the five applications at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
The Board of Supervisors accepted a total of 70 SSPA nominations for further review, led by 13 Hunter Mill District proposals. A community meeting focused on the Vienna and Oakton area, including three proposals in Merrifield, is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Jan. 25.
After the community meetings wrap up, the Fairfax County Planning Commission will hold a workshop in February where the public will be able to comment. The commission will then decide which applications should be included in the county’s official plan amendment work program, which is expected to go to the board for a vote this spring.
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The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
