A Dive into the World’s Data Center Capital — “Most people don’t give data centers a second thought — or even know what they are — until one affects their lives. In Northern Virginia, though, a lot of people do a lot of thinking about data centers.” [WTOP]
County Seeks Proposals for Land Use — “Fairfax County is now accepting nominations or proposals for land-use changes within the county to give people a more hands-on approach to shaping land use. ccording to a news release, the site-specific plan amendment process allows people to propose a land use change in the county’s comprehensive plan.” [Inside NOVA]
Reston Steakhouse to Open Nov.1 — “Renowned chef and restauranteur Steve DiFillippo’s will be celebrating the debut of Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse at Reston Station with a grand opening event on Monday, Nov. 1.” [Patch]
New FCPS Superintendent Fields Questions — “Michelle Reid, the new superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, met with students and families Wednesday night at the McLean Community Center where she took questions on a variety of school-related topics, including planned renovations at McLean High School.” [Patch]
It’s Wednesday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 67 and low of 58. Sunrise at 7:31 am and sunset at 6:17 pm. [Weather.gov]
The Fairfax County School Board passed a resolution on inclusive education at its meeting Thursday (Oct. 20), leaving aside an earlier version that included references to social justice, equity and antiracism.
The 7-4 vote came with much back and forth about topics including board procedure and the resolution’s timeline.
The four members who voted against the amended resolution — Mason District Representative Ricardy Anderson, Hunter Mill District Representative Melanie Meren and members-at-large Abrar Omeish and Karen Keys-Gamarra — had expressed support for its original iteration. Providence District Representative Karl Frisch was not at the meeting.
As passed, the resolution affirms the county’s support for teachers and administrators when it comes to “inclusive curriculum and instruction.” The resolution is symbolic and does not change county policy.
“….the School Board commits to protect and support teachers and administrators as they deliver FCPS-approved curriculum and classroom resources that are inclusive, and meet the high aspirations of our students, families, and the Fairfax County community.”
Amendments also left out a reference to “recent events” that have “caused many FCPS educators and school-based administrators to fear that implementing these necessary curricular improvements could lead to personal or professional harm,” according to the text of the original resolution.
Anderson, who introduced the original resolution, said the amended version would not adequately support teachers and cited the removal of the words truth, antiracist, equity and justice as among the reasons she would not support it.
“There are some essential components that are missing from the version being provided that I just cannot support not including in this kind of resolution,” she said.
The school board’s student representative, Michele Togbe, opposed the amendments.
“Amending it to the weak and hollow statements and words, where originally it was strong and clear, it doesn’t make sense to me, and I don’t see the progress that can be made by going forward with it,” Togbe said.
Dranesville District Representative Elaine Tholen, who brought the amendment with Braddock District Representative Megan McLaughlin, said she believed the amended version was “more inclusive of our board member views and less divisive for our broad community.”
Tholen added that she thought the message of support for educators should have been conveyed with “a simple statement,” but maintained the resolution format.
While the resolution is symbolic, the board has a controversial issues policy that outlines guidelines for administrators, teachers and students dealing with controversial topics. That policy, mentioned in the amended resolution, has been discussed at multiple governance committee meetings this calendar year, according to minutes from those meetings.
After the revision passed, several people spoke about the resolution during the community participation portion of the meeting. These included representatives from Free and Antiracist Minds (FAM) and the Fairfax County Council PTA, two of the many advocacy organizations Anderson said had been involved with the original resolution.
The amended resolution “was a great way of not having to vote no but also completely undermining the substance of the actual message,” said Kweli Zukeri, representing FAM. FAM called the vote a “craven display of systemic racism” in an Oct. 21 press release.
In a video testimony, Kara Danner, a member of the FCCPTA’s executive board, said the organization supported the original resolution for the sake of students’ mental health.
Other speakers accused the board of having political motivations and questioned its priorities.
Board chair and member-at-large Rachna Sizemore Heizer said she was glad to have the resolution to support teachers, but looked ahead before adjourning the meeting.
“At the end of the day I’m excited to get into budget season and looking at our strategic plan, because that’s really where we show our values,” she said.
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The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is formally opposing Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed model policies that would limit the rights of transgender and other gender-nonconforming students.
In a letter approved at a board meeting today (Tuesday), board chairman Jeff McKay said that the policies would have a negative effect on the county’s economic position and cites the human impact on students. Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity voted against the proposal.
“Your model policies – and the discrimination inherent to them – will have a chilling effect on our continued ability to attract the world’s most innovative companies to Fairfax County. To put it bluntly, discrimination is bad for business,” the letter, which is addressed to the Virginia Department of Education, states.
Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw noted that the proposal policy is contradicted by U.S. Supreme Court decisions and other legal precedent.
“Thankfully, many school system in the Commonwealth don’t intend to adopt them,” Walkinshaw said.
When voting against the proposal, Herrity questioned why the county was weighing in on a proposal related to the school system when other issues — like declining enrollment, learning loss, and the achievement gap — need exploration as well.
“My biggest problem with the letter, I don’t see any staff working on this at all,” Herrity said. He also said parents need to be involved in “critical decisions of this magnitude,” adding that parental permission to give a child an aspirin in schools.
McKay responded by stating that the board’s letter is part of the state’s education department call for public comment on the proposal — a comment period that ends tomorrow.
His letter also says that the policies put the county’s children at risk by denying support and affirmation to transgender students.
“A young LGBTQ person attempts suicide every 45 seconds in the United States. Key drivers of high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among transgender youth are the lack of social support and affirming experiences that they often face,” the letter states.
The proposed policies are at odds with the school system’s current policies that affirm students’ rights to accessing restrooms based on their gender identity and being called by their chosen names and pronouns. FCPS moved to update its previous policy — last amended in 2020 — based on state recommendations.
A spokesperson told FFXnow that the school system did not have more information to share about its position on the state’s policies. FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid sent to families last month, stating that FCPS was reviewing the draft policies.
This is not the first time McKay has publicly questioned the draft policy. Earlier this month, McKay told FFXnow that the school system may have legal grounds to go against the model policies.
Police Investigate Shooting in Annandale — One individual was shot on the 6200 block of Little River Turnpike yesterday evening. Preliminarily, police believe the incident was isolated. [Fairfax County Police Department]
School Board Supports Inclusive Teaching with Key Caveat — “The Fairfax County school board adopted last-minute changes to a resolution on Thursday evening focused on a commitment to “protect and support educators” in their work delivering inclusive classroom instruction. The final version softened earlier language and deleted a reference to a fractured political climate around Northern Virginia schools.” [DCist]
Woman Suffers Life-threatening Injuries in Springfield Hit-and-Run — A woman was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after a car hit her at the intersection of Gainsborough Drive and Wheatstone Drive. The drier was eventually detained. [FCPD]
Youngkin: County Schools Should Address Learning Loss — “In Richmond, Gov. Youngkin announced a seven-point action plan to address learning loss. Leaders at the Virginia Department of Education said learning loss was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic due to school closures and virtual learning.” [WJLA]
Witches Descend in Reston — Lake Anne Plaza is hosting this year’s flashmob paddle, which features witches and warlocks, on Monday. Wiccan attire is highly encouraged. [Lake Anne Plaza]
More Tysons Data Available — “The Tysons Tracker has been updated with new land use and development data from August 2021 through July 2022. The interactive online platform was launched last year to better showcase the monitoring data included in past Tysons Annual Reports.” [Fairfax County Government]
It’s Tuesday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 69 and low of 57. Sunrise at 7:29 am and sunset at 6:18 pm. [Weather.gov]
The Fairfax County Park Authority will celebrate the importance of protecting the night sky on Saturday, Nov. 12.
The free event, which takes place in McLean at Lewinsville Park from 6:30-8:30 pm, will feature live demonstrations, hands-on activities, and opportunities for the public to learn how to fight light pollution.
Tammy Schwab, project manager, tells FFXnow that there will be stations for people to learn about artificial light’s effect on plants, animals, and people. If the weather permits, there will be telescopes and binoculars to view constellations.
“We will also have information about the small actions folks can take to help reverse light pollution in their neighborhood.”
Schwab said it’s essential to educate the public on light pollution because it causes harm to animals and plants that are adapted to dark nights.
“This artificial light at night, especially those with high color temperatures like bright white and blue, have been shown to cause harm in humans as well by interrupting our circadian rhythms. Additionally, light pollution is a waste of energy,” Schwab said, adding that unlike other forms of pollution, humans can easily reverse light pollution with a switch.
The park authority is partnering with the McLean Citizens Association, the Analemma Society, and Dark Sky Friends. Registration is encouraged but not required.
Photo via Mindaugas Vitkus/Unsplash
Developer EYA came to the Vienna Town Council with a plan to turn a long-vacant commercial into a new set of townhomes, but the Town Council warned that it isn’t willing to give up on office and commercial development just yet.
Tysons Edge, an office building at 901 Follin Lane, has gone through attempts to lease since 2013 and has been vacant since 2015. The 97,000 square foot office building has had $2 million worth of renovations poured into the building with little progress in attracting a new occupant.
The proposal from EYA tearing down the building and converting the property into a 115-unit townhome development — scaled down from 165 originally planned for the site.
The project would come with some added amenities, like a new small park attached to the Washington & Old Dominion Trail.
But when the project came forward for discussion at a Vienna Town Council meeting on Oct. 17, the Council was decidedly mixed on the prospect of replacing the office building an entirely new use.
Council member Howard Springsteen said the financial benefits of the project promised by EYA amount to roughly the cost of one police office — a “drop in the bucket” — and said the change required to allow the development was tantamount to spot zoning.
“I don’t think we have a responsibility to bail out a landowner who is losing money,” Springsteen said. “I’m sympathetic to demographics changing and maybe we revisit this, but right now it’s a bad idea and I can’t support this… We’ll have to do all this for a zoning change because your owner can’t make money.”
Council member Ray Brill expressed concerns about building a housing development with only one exit lane, saying it wasn’t a proper spot for a housing development.
A recurring argument from the council was that the change would essentially signal the town giving up on the idea of office development. Despite the dramatic downturn in the office market caused by the pandemic, the Vienna Town Council said they’re not ready to recognize defeat.
The Town Council wasn’t unanimous in their disapproval of the project, however. Council member Chuck Anderson said the Town will have to be more open to making zoning more flexible.
“I understand the argument for diversity [of use], but if diversity means hanging on to a rapidly depreciating suburban commercial property that has no use and that the market has not really grasped a use for, I think we need to relook at that and see if we need to, not do spot zoning, but move the boundaries,” Anderson said.
Mayor Linda Colbert ultimately told EYA that the Town Council — in the politest possible terms — was not particularly interested in approving the project.
“At this time, thank you, and I think in the future perhaps,” Colbert said, “but I think right now we’re not moving that forward.”
The developer behind The Boro in Tysons is rethinking its plans to build a residential high-rise on what’s currently a parking lot in front of the mixed-use neighborhood.
In an Oct. 17 proposal to Fairfax County, The Meridian Group seeks to turn an approved 310-foot-tall residential tower into a 304-foot-tall office building — an unexpected shift when high office vacancies and demand for more housing has most developers moving in the opposite direction, as the Washington Business Journal noted.
The application still maintains housing as an option for the tower at 8399 Westpark Drive, known in development plans as Building B1:
- Option 1: A 304-foot-tall office building with up to 420,000 square feet of office and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail
- Option 2: A 357-foot-tall residential building with up to 425 multifamily dwelling units and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail
“The proposed office option will provide the Applicant with additional flexibility to respond to market fluctuations in its ongoing efforts to attract tenants to the Boro and Tysons as a whole,” Walsh Colucci attorney Robert Brant wrote in a statement of justification for Meridian.
In either scenario, the building would be paired with another high-rise labeled Building B2, a 395-foot-tall residential building with up to 550 multifamily dwelling units and up to 12,000 square of ground-floor retail.
“By preserving residential options for both Buildings B1 and B2, the Applicant retains the ability to attract more residents to a rapidly growing and highly desirable area of Tysons in close proximity to major employers, retailers, Metro, urban parks, and other attractive amenities,” Brant wrote.
If Meridian opts for offices in Building B1, it estimates that the development would generate 4,925 vehicle trips per day and host about 1,400 employees, based on the county’s standard ratio of one employee per 300 square feet of office.
The developer says it’s committed to making 55% of all trips undertaken by Metro, bus or walking.
With the application, Meridian is also requesting that the parking garage for the towers be connected to The Loft, the retail and office condominium building directly to their rear along Boro Place that was completed in 2019.
The parking garage will consist of eight above-grade levels and two underground levels. The developer says the podium could either be built all at once — where interim, private amenities would be provided for residents on the top level — or with the eastern portion under Building B2 coming in first.
In the latter case, the garage would serve Building B2’s residents and retail, while the remaining land on the western part of the block is used as a surface parking lot until the second phase is built with Building B1.
When fully built, The Boro will have five blocks with approximately 5 million square feet of development, 1.7 million of which was delivered with its completed first phase.
Meridian is also working to expand the neighborhood with another five buildings on the other side of Westpark Drive. Construction on The Trillium, a senior living facility, began in April.
Suspect Arrested in Connection with Herndon Shooting — A suspect has been arrested in connected with a shooting at the 2600 block of Logan Wood Drive in Herndon. The victim was hospitalized with injuries that are not life threatening. [Fairfax County Police Department]
School Board Member Apologizes After Using Slur — “Fairfax County School Board member Karen Keys-Gamarra was heard using a slur about people with disabilities during a hot mic moment at the board’s Thursday meeting… Keys-Gamarra sent a statement to WTOP, saying she deeply regretted using the word.” [Inside NOVA]
County Issues Alert on Incorrect Voter Mailing — “Recently, the Virginia Department of Elections in Richmond sent a mailing to voters in these three towns that incorrectly identified their polling place. In Fairfax County, about 25,000 voters in total are affected.
To fix the state’s mistake, the Fairfax County Office of Elections will send a letter to voters in these towns with their correct polling place. Election officials anticipate that these letters will go in the mail as soon as Monday, Oct. 24.” [Fairfax County Government]
Lorton Community Center, Library Opens — The county celebrated the opening fo the Lorton Community Center, library and renovated Lorton Park earlier this month. “Park Authority leadership and staff collaborated with the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services and the community from the initial site planning through construction to deliver a refreshed 1.7-acre park, which includes a new playground, fitness area, plaza space with seating, an open field, and a trail loop,” according to the county. [Fairfax County Government]
Townhouse Fire Under Control in Kingstowne Area — A fire broke out Saturday at a townhouse in the 7500 block of Digby Green in Kingstowne. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]
It’s Monday — Overcast throughout the day. High of 64 and low of 55. Sunrise at 7:28 am and sunset at 6:19 pm. [Weather.gov]
The weekend is almost here. Let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.
Here are the five most-read stories on FFXnow this week:
- Police: Man assaulted by group outside Centreville bar and pool hall
- UPDATED: Woman dies after crash on Lorton Station Blvd
- The Boro developer buys JCPenney stores in Fair Oaks, Springfield
- Undeveloped site on Route 50 could become a data center or warehouse
- County board again rejects proposed ban on giving money to people on street medians
Ideas for potential stories can be sent to [email protected] or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!
