Fairfax County’s inventory of pickleball facilities has expanded with the arrival of 10 courts dedicated to the increasingly popular sport.
Newly renovated courts at Lewinsville Park in McLean and George Washington Park in Mount Vernon will officially open on Saturday, Oct. 15, the Fairfax County Park Authority announced yesterday (Thursday).
The festivities will start at 9 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting at GW Park (8426 Old Mt. Vernon Road) led by Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck. Park officials and local pickleball advocates will also make remarks, and there will be time for photos and “light refreshments,” according to the news release.
The park authority began demolition work on the GW courts this spring, one of five court renovation or maintenance projects planned for this year.
The park’s four tennis courts have been converted into six courts dedicated to pickleball and two courts that can be used by both sports. The $202,306 renovation also added new surfacing, fencing and nets.
Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bridge Road) will get its ribbon-cutting at 4 p.m. Expected speakers include FCPA Executive Director Jai Cole, Board Member Tim Hackman and Fairfax County Advocates for Pickleball, the release says.
Costing $650,000, the Lewinsville project resurfaced and added new fencing for all six of the park’s courts, but only one was turned into dedicated pickleball courts, a downsizing from the park authority’s original plans to repurpose two or three of the facilities.
Tennis players had argued that the county doesn’t have enough courts for their sport to cede or share that many with their pickleball-playing counterparts, a conflict that has emerged as a top challenge to the county’s efforts to add more pickleball facilities.
“The improvements align with recommendations in the recently completed Pickleball Study and are an effort to introduce a greater variety of court sports to accommodate the diverse users across the county,” the FCPA said of the Lewinsville and GW renovations. “Interest in pickleball locally and countywide is growing quickly, and the introduction of pickleball at these locations will address the need for additional facilities for this emerging sport.”
This summer, the park authority celebrated the launch of the Wakefield Park Pickleball and Tennis Complex in Annandale, a $410,000 renovation project that installed two pickleball courts and accessibility improvements.
The ongoing widening of I-495 from Tysons to McLean will require the permanent taking of 1.15 acres from Scott’s Run Nature Preserve.
As compensation, the Virginia Department of Transportation has proposed building a new park for the Fairfax County Park Authority on a 1.83-acre site at the corner of Georgetown Pike and Balls Hill Road that it currently uses as a maintenance yard.
“This is a commitment that we made and worked very closely with the park authority to provide all the features that they require,” VDOT Megaprojects Director Susan Shaw told the Board of Supervisors’ transportation committee last Friday (Sept. 30).
According to a draft agreement dated July 12, VDOT will dedicate a 1.27-acre portion of its property to a park with seating, bicycle racks and a repair station, “passive open space,” and a plaza at the head of a 10-foot-wide connection to a trail along Georgetown Pike.
The trail is part of a regional network that VDOT has committed to providing as part of the I-495 Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project, which is extending the interstate’s toll lanes about three miles from the Dulles Toll Road toward the American Legion Bridge.
“The expanded trail network will likely exacerbate the currently stressed parking situation at the [Scott’s Run] Preserve, a very popular park in Park Authority’s system that became overwhelmingly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the agreement shared with FFXnow says.
To support that increased demand, VDOT’s proposed park will have a circular parking lot with 25 spaces, four of them designed as ADA-accessible. The department will also construct a 5-foot-wide sidewalk along Balls Hill Road, leading into the park.
VDOT needs to obtain “a right of entry” by Nov. 15, but the park authority has been “very helpful in working together with us,” Shaw said.
“There are still some final steps. It’s very tight, but we feel like we’re on track to meet that Nov. 15 date,” she said.
An FCPA spokesperson says the authority hasn’t officially agreed to the swap, since it still needs to be approved by state agencies and the National Park Service.
“We are working with VDOT on their 495 project,” the park authority said in a statement to FFXnow. “We are awaiting further input and documentation from the state and NPS, so technically we have not signed off on the discussions but are working closely with all parties to resolve issues and fulfill all environmental requirements and regulations.”
When asked what issues still need to be resolved, the spokesperson said “that is simply a reference to fulfilling all environmental requirements and regulations” and that “there is really nothing more to share at this time.”
In the draft agreement, VDOT says it will dedicate the park land once 495 NEXT reaches “substantial completion,” which is currently expected to come in December 2025.
“This will allow the Design-Build Contractor to use the existing maintenance yard from I-495, without mixing with school traffic at Cooper Middle School to maximize the safety of school traffic,” VDOT says.
County officials expressed concern about 495 NEXT’s potential environmental impact, particularly on Scott’s Run, throughout the planning process, though the Board of Supervisors ultimately endorsed the project as necessary to relieve congestion on the Capital Beltway.
As part of an agreement between VDOT and the board, I-495 Express Lanes operator Transurban will provide nearly $1.4 million to help restore approximately 3,000 linear feet of Scott’s Run and stabilize stream banks at two locations, Shaw said.
That work won’t begin until after 495 NEXT is completed in 2026, so workers can take into account the Beltway’s new footprint, according to Shaw. The county’s public works department told FFXnow in July that it won’t have construction funding until July 1, 2025 at the earliest, anyway.
Retired Priest Found Not Guilty of Sexual Abuse — “Terry Wayne Specht, 69, of Pennsylvania was found not guilty by a jury in Fairfax County of one felony count of aggravated sexual battery of a child younger than 13, court records show. Investigators claimed the assault took place in 2000, according to an indictment, when Specht was chaplain and assistant principal at St. Paul VI Catholic High School.” [The Washington Post]
Vehicle Hits Pedestrian in Groveton — Fairfax County police officers were dispatched to the 7200 block of Fordson Road yesterday morning (Thursday) after a driver hit an adult, male pedestrian. The crash closed the street between Richmond Highway and Lockheed Blvd for more than an hour. Initially considered life-threatening, the man’s injury condition was later upgraded. [FCPD/Twitter]
Victim in Annandale Hit-and-Run ID’d — Dalchoon Park, 74, of Annandale died Sunday (Oct. 2) after a driver hit her while she was crossing Annandale Road in the 4200 block, Fairfax County police say. The driver left the scene without providing aid and remains unidentified, though a witness said a “small white SUV or sedan” stopped in the area before driving away. [FCPD]
Local LGBTQ Students Targeted After Transgender Policy Protests — “In the days after the walkout and the tremendous media coverage it generated, [the Pride Liberation Project’s] internal communications — including a private Zoom meeting and a message board created for students — were accessed by conservative activists who subsequently began sharing screenshots and other information from the group online and with right-wing media.” [Salon]
Inova Buys More Land Around Fairfax Hospital — “Inova Health System is pleased to announce the purchase of approximately 35 acres of land adjacent to the north of Inova Fairfax Medical Campus. The land is currently developed and used under a long-term ground lease to RBDW Amberleigh LLC as the Amberleigh apartment community. Inova has no immediate plans for the land and will have no role in operation of the housing units for the duration of the term of the ground lease.” [Inova]
County Farmers Markets Offer Hot Food — “The Fairfax County Park Authority farmers markets are pleased to announce the 2022 hot foods pilot program for the remainder of this year’s market season. Customers will now be able to purchase a hot breakfast or dinner at the McLean, Annandale, Kingstowne and Oak Marr farmers markets from select vendors.” [FCPA]
Rep. Wexton and Challenger Hung Cao Face Off — “Inflation and abortion kicked off the 90-minute forum Wednesday night, capturing the divides on two issues that have largely defined the campaign narratives in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District and beyond as the nation reels from inflation at a 40-year high and wrestles with the fallout of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.” [The Washington Post]
Fairfax County NAACP Praises New Park Signs — “The Fairfax County branch of the NAACP has awarded NOVA Parks executive director Paul Gilbert a Freedom Fund Community Advocate Award, which celebrates community members who fight for equality and a better future…Under Gilbert’s leadership, NOVA Parks has unveiled nine new interpretive signs in the past year that showcase a more diverse history.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s Friday — Clear throughout the day. High of 73 and low of 55. Sunrise at 7:11 am and sunset at 6:43 pm. [Weather.gov]
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].
What if, during your life, you could only practice your chosen profession 45 times? Well, that’s winemaking! Think about it: 45 times, that’s it. And you have to get it right each time, no matter the circumstances. Mother Nature is rarely consistent, perhaps never. Every year a winemaker has to make an enormous amount of decisions based on what the vintage gives them to work with.
Let me explain: we discussed the notion of “terroir” before. A “successful” wine must transfer or speak of the place it is from; that’s the whole enchilada, nothing less, or why drink wine in the first place?
We choose a particular varietal, a Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc, from a “specific place” with an expectation of what it will taste like and how it will work with a particular food or moment. But how do we form these expectations?
The winemaker’s job is to seamlessly get the land’s soul into the bottle without screwing it up. And, to capture not just the particular varietal or blend but to bottle “the vintage,” to pleasantly give you the flavors or expression of that particular growing season, that is the Art, my friends! And great winemakers embrace this challenge.
They know they are working with a product that doesn’t lend itself well to intervention, manipulation, or strongarm tactics. As a winemaker, you listen to the grapes, they don’t listen to you. No matter what you could do to change the nature of the fruit (technology today allows for this, lipstick on a pig), a cosmetic. Trying to change the soul of the wine is a fool’s errand.
I took 25 clients on a river cruise five years ago. I planned each visit, and when I sat back and looked at each winemaker I selected to visit, women ran 80% of them! Some of you might disagree, but I believe women are better suited for making wine. Women seem to approach winemaking from a more cerebral, nurturing perspective. They are more apt to deal with the realities of the vintage, to let the vintage speak, allowing the wine to be what it is intrinsically, and not forcing it to do or taste as they “think” it should. Perhaps it has something to do with maternal instincts. I’m not a psychologist, so I can only guess.
Now for the nitty-gritty, decisions, decisions. It all starts with picking the harvest date. The hard and fast rule is harvest takes place 100 days after flowering. But it’s not that easy; here’s why; when I started in this business 45-plus years ago, “Brix” were everything. People harvest according to the sugar content of the fruit. Winemakers squished a grape, placed the juice on a refractometer, and read the sugar content of the juice. That told you the potential alcohol level, and when you hit “your number,” you picked. Today winemakers get more up-close and personal. They go into the vineyards weeks before the harvest and observe.
They examine the stalks. Are they ripe, woody (overripe), shriveled, or green and healthy? Then they look at the all-important skins (healthy mature skins are everything in making red wine, especially). Grape skins are the primary source of tannins, allowing the wine to age gracefully. The all-important skins also contain phenols or compounds that enable the wine to develop complex aromas. Are the skins ripe and not bitter when you bite into them? Are they fragile, easily broken, damaged, or sunburned?
Then comes tasting the entire berry, not just for sweetness but maturity; the skins, the flesh, and the pips. Then you are ready to go, or maybe not? More on that next week!
Cheers,
Doug
Photo by Kym Ellis on Unsplash
The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
Fairfax County deserves more local authority, Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay says, calling Virginia’s Dillon Rule “increasingly more intrusive” in day-to-day operations.
The Dillon Rule dictates that localities only have the authority to create laws, set guidelines, and wield power if the state expressly grants it to them.
However, McKay argues this system treats counties as so “unsophisticated” that they need the state to make decisions for them — an assumption that seems particularly outdated for a locality like Fairfax County, which is home to nearly 1.2 million people and an annual budget of $4.7 billion.
“It’s a…broken, inconsistent, and non-responsive system for our constituents that needs modernization,” McKay told FFXnow. “Every time we need something, we’ve got to go to Richmond and beg because most [Virginia] localities don’t need or want that authority. And that’s a problem.”
McKay told Axios D.C. last month that he wanted the county to have more control over its destiny, including the option to levy personal income taxes.
He calculated that Fairfax County only gets 23 cents for each dollar it pays in state taxes. While some disputed that exact calculation, McKay says the county sends enough revenue to the state that it should have more authority to determine how it’s generated.
“I think the county should have the authority to levy any tax that they want and let their voters hold them accountable,” he said. “The state should not be telling them, ‘You can’t raise revenue this way or that way or any other way.’”
If allowed to do this, he would consider a personal income tax as a means to lower — or, even, eliminate — the real estate tax, which provides over $3 billion, or roughly 68% of the county’s annual revenue. He says it would be a fairer, more equitable, and less risky way of raising revenue.
The Dillon Rule’s restrictions on local authority go beyond taxes, hampering day-to-day operations of the county, McKay says, arguing that the “one-size-fits-all” mentality of governing no longer works in a state where counties are diverse in size, population, and budgets.
For instance, rewinding to 2020, McKay says he and other Northern Virginia leaders had to “compel” then-governor Ralph Northam to delay rolling back Covid restrictions in the region.
At the time, Fairfax County’s infection numbers were a lot closer to those in D.C. and Montgomery County than to Roanoke or smaller Virginia localities. Yet, while D.C. and suburban Maryland could keep their covid restrictions in place, Northern Virginia was initially on the same timeline as the rest of the Commonwealth.
“I didn’t have the same authority that they had to do what they were doing,” McKay said. “I was beholden to negotiating, in essence, with the governor about what was in the best interest of Fairfax County.”
McKay says the Dillon Rule is also a factor in the case of the Glasgow Middle School counselor who was arrested last year for a sex crime but stayed employed by Fairfax County Public Schools for months after.
“Another example of a challenge in my community that…fell through the cracks because of a lack of detail, lack of aggressiveness, and lack of awareness of what the Virginia standard or requirements are for localities reporting these incidents,” he said.
In addition to advocating for a centralized, statewide notification system, county and school leaders are looking into the FBI’s Rap Back program, which notifies employers if a worker’s fingerprints are added to its database in connection with criminal activity. However, FCPS can’t join unless the entire state enrolls.
As reported last week, McKay also cited the conflict between FCPS’ policies on the treatment of transgender and other gender-nonconforming students and those proposed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration as another example of local authority being usurped by state lawmakers.
Even on less contentious matters, the Dillon Rule has slowed down the county’s ability to act, McKay says. It took at least five years for the General Assembly to allow the installation of solar panels on a county-owned closed landfill in Lorton.
“The idea that we couldn’t be greener sooner because the state didn’t give us express permission to do that was terribly frustrating to me,” McKay said. “We literally could not use the property that we own for what we want to do with it, that benefits Virginia, without getting General Assembly approval.”
If the county decides to address ongoing trash service issues by franchising haulers, that again would require a change in Virginia state code and another visit to the General Assembly.
When he tells residents that even some of the most basic county functions have to be approved by state officials, they often find it “maddening.”
“This is a problem of a part-time legislature in Richmond who likes the authority that they have to create one size fits all answers,” he said. “And we’re left holding the pieces.”
But a reevaluation of how the Dillion Rule is used in Virginia appears unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Del. Paul Krizek (D-44) told Axios D.C. last month that ceding the power as McKay suggested is a “non-starter” that he doesn’t envision coming up in the General Assembly anytime soon. McKay said he’s not surprised by state lawmakers’ reluctance to change.
“They love their lever of control, and in essence, for it to go away, you’d be asking people who think they have control to cede that control,” he said.
McKay conceded that there are smaller towns, cities, and counties in Virginia that don’t want or need the type of authority that Fairfax County is seeking.
He proposes that maybe localities over a certain size or budget could have more decision-making powers — or, over time, there will be perhaps an “annual erosion” of the Dillon Rule.
“The members of the Board of Supervisors and the 12 members of the school board…have a much better pulse on what’s going on and the day-to-day lives of our residents than people at the state level who may have never even visited Fairfax County,” McKay said. “I think [local authority] is important for effectiveness, efficiency, and direct representation.”
The high-end gowns of Dior will soon grace the halls of Tysons Galleria.
The Parisian fashion house will open a clothing boutique at the mall, its first in Virginia, Tysons Galleria recently announced on Instagram. The store is currently expected to open in June 2023.
Brookfield Properties, the property owner, says it views Dior as a complement to the mall’s existing roster of luxury clothing stores, including Versace, Chanel and Saint Laurent. The latter two are set for future expansions.
“It continues to be an exciting time at Tysons Galleria,” said Kirsten Lee, Brookfield’s executive vice president of luxury leasing. “The Brookfield Properties’ leasing team curates the shopping center to ensure it remains the best luxury shopping destination in the region.”
Founded in Paris in 1946 by designer Christian Dior, Dior has 47 boutiques in the U.S., though its only location in the D.C. area right now is at CityCenterDC. The company didn’t return FFXnow’s request for comment by press time.
An electrical work permit issued by Fairfax County on Sept. 29 indicates that the Tysons Galleria store will be located on the mall’s second floor in suite 2218.
Fashion and accessories have been the primary focus of recent newcomers to Tysons Galleria, including Balenciaga, Van Cleef & Arpels, Jacadi Paris, Montblanc, Ralph Lauren, and Omega. Earlier this year, the mall reopened its Urbanspace food hall.
In addition to Dior, tenants coming to the mall will include watchmakers Panerai, Breitling and IWC Schaffhausen, along with Azzuri Kitchen and Bath, according to Lee.
Also on the way are the Singaporean restaurant Jiwa Singapura, sports bar Yard House, and CMX CinéBistro, though the movie theater-restaurant hybrid no longer has a set opening date.
The Fairfax County Police Department could begin using cameras to catch speeders in nine school crossing zones and one highway work zone as soon as early 2023.
The proposed photo speed enforcement pilot program was presented to the Board of Supervisors at a public safety committee meeting Tuesday (Oct. 4).
The work zone included in the pilot would be on Route 28, while the school placements have not been finalized, FCPD Capt. Alan L. Hanson, the police department’s traffic division commander, said.
Drivers caught going at least 10 mph over the speed limit would receive civil penalties, according to the presentation. A maximum penalty of $100 could be incurred for exceeding the limit by at least 20 mph.
A working group including several county departments recommended a six-month pilot program, Hanson said. Their work came after a 2020 state law passed permitting jurisdictions to use speed cameras in school and construction zones.
The draft ordinance authorizes FCPD use of the devices and outlines the fine structure. Photo speed enforcement would aim to reduce the number of people speeding and bring down the number of crashes in and around school areas, Hanson said.
“We’re not trying to entrap people, what we’re trying to do is maintain or gain voluntary compliance,” he said.
Multiple supervisors emphasized that the initiative is not designed to bring in revenue. Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said he doesn’t believe residents will see the program as a money grab, but the board could also avoid this perception by making a plan for what to do with any excess revenue.
“I say plow them back into pedestrian and bicycle safety in and around our schools,” he said.
The state law only enables cameras in designated school crossing and highway work zones. This limits the county’s ability to use them around Blake Lane, where safety concerns have been particularly urgent after an allegedly speeding driver struck and killed two Oakton High School students in June.
The county has already increased fines for speeding and routed school buses off of Blake Lane in the wake of the fatal crash.
“Blake Lane is a corridor that the school board is working to establish as a school zone, and so that’s one of the places that we would like to select for the photo speed enforcement as soon as it can be designated as a school zone,” Hanson said.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity asked about FCPD’s ability to staff the program after it declared a personnel emergency in August.
Options could include drawing on officers who are on “light duty,” Hanson said, though having “at least one designated staff to maintain and kind of run it would be certainly beneficial.”
Braddock District Supervisor James R. Walkinshaw, who vice chairs the public safety committee, said it’s “obvious” this effort would decrease pressure on officers by reducing the need for them to be stationed outside a school for traffic enforcement.
“They’re going to be able to be out doing proactive policing in other parts of the county,” Walkinshaw said.
Following the pilot, the program could expand to include 50 cameras between July and September of 2023, and then grow again to better cover school zones starting in July 2024, according to the presentation.
In the presentation, Hanson estimated cameras will cost $3,000 per month.
An administrative item will be submitted at the board’s Nov. 1 meeting so that the county clerk’s office can advertise the ordinance, according to a timeline in the presentation. The board will vote on the ordinance after a public hearing at its Dec. 6 meeting.
“I’m fully on board with the pilot,” said Franconia District Supervisor Rodney L. Lusk, who chairs the public safety committee. “This is a great program, a great start for us and I think it’s going to definitely help.”
Three more people were killed on Fairfax County roads this morning, police reported.
Eastbound Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) remains partly shut down in Tysons after two people died in a single-vehicle crash at Chain Bridge Road, the Fairfax County Police Department said shortly before 5:30 a.m.
Speed is believed to be a factor in the crash, according to police. Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives remain on the scene to investigate.
Further south, a pedestrian was struck and killed on Richmond Highway (Route 1) at Backlick Road in the Fort Belvoir area.
“Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives are enroute to investigate,” the FCPD said at 7:36 a.m. “Officers from our Motors Unit are arriving to assist diverting traffic.”
According to the Virginia Department of Transportation’s traffic cameras, the north left lane, left center lane, right center lane, and right lane of Route 1 are still closed, as of 8:25 a.m. Drivers should expect delays.
Two lanes are now open on EB Rt7 Leesburg Pike. Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives continue to investigate this crash. Follow our blog, https://t.co/lhGv3NDvYs, for updates when available. #FCPD https://t.co/4vX4ISjVeM
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 6, 2022
Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives are enroute to investigate. Officers from our Motors Unit are arriving to assist diverting traffic. Avoid the area. Expect delays.
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 6, 2022
Last Day to Apply for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals — “Apply for Free and Reduced-Price Meals by the deadline of Thursday, October 6. Any family interested in free or reduced-price meals MUST submit a new application, even if your child has received free meals in the past.” [FCPS/Twitter]
IT Issues Slow Voter Registration Processing — The Virginia Department of Elections warned local officials on Friday (Sept. 30) that “unspecified technical issues” had created a backlog of voter registration applications. Fairfax County, “where 10 staffers routinely work on voter registrations,” received a surge of about 11,000 applications overnight. [The Washington Post]
Reston Arts Center Would Be Funded With Bond — “Residents of Small Tax District #5 in Reston would not be solely responsible for funding the performing arts center being considered for Reston Town Center’s Block J property. Joseph Lahait, a debt coordinator with the Fairfax County Department of Management and Budget, told a group of about 50 people at a town hall meeting Tuesday night that all county taxpayers would be responsible if such a project were approved by the Board of Supervisors.” [Patch]
School Board Sees Need for Better Communication With Special Education Families — “Researchers found the school system could do a better job communicating with parents while developing, implementing, and then tracking a student’s individualized education program, or IEP. Hayes said doing so ‘can help proactively reduce conflict between families and schools’…School board members agreed that improving communication between parents and schools would be helpful.” [WTOP]
Man Arrested for Sexual Assault and Robbery in Fairfax — “Detectives said a 37-year-old man was arrested and charged for his alleged involvement in a sexual assault turned robbery in Fairfax on Monday. Officers responded to the 13200 block of Leafcrest Lane around noon for a report of a robbery and sexual assault. Police claim Nolberto Sanchez Hernandez assaulted the victim before taking off with her property.” [WUSA9]
ATM Burglary Attempts Continue — “The latest incident occurred between 4:00 and 4:10 a.m. on, Saturday, October 1. In this incident, two men arrived in a white Ford truck at the NextMark Credit Union at 6506 Loisdale Road in Springfield. The men placed a tow strap around the ATM machine and attempted to steal it, but were unsuccessful.” [FCPD]
Herndon Candidates’ Forum Tonight — “Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Herndon Candidates Forum Thursday at 7 p.m., in the Herndon Fortnightly Library at 68 Center St. This will be a chance for town residents to meet candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot” [Patch]
McLean Pet Fest Returns This Month — The McLean Community Center’s annual celebration of all things pets will be held at McLean Central Park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16. The event will include a pet parade, a photo booth, “pet demonstrations, pet-related information and a variety of exhibitors.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s Thursday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 72 and low of 51. Sunrise at 7:10 am and sunset at 6:45 pm. [Weather.gov]
Fairfax County is moving forward with an update to its affordable housing policy that could ensure a one-for-one replacement of affordable housing units in areas under redevelopment — signaling a major push to bind development to affordable housing preservation.
Open for public feedback until 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 28, the proposal would amend the county’s comprehensive plan to require developers to replace affordable housing on sites where it’s being eliminated in order to get their project approved.
The proposed policy leads with the first goal of ensuring “no net loss of affordable housing units within redevelopment to the extent practicable.”
There are a few policy changes listed beneath that, but one of the more practical and relevant ones for new development is Policy E:
For any proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment or zoning application review that proposes redevelopment of existing multifamily residential units, conduct an affordability analysis through the Department of Housing and Community Development to 1) identify existing affordable housing onsite and 2) understand the potential impacts of the proposed redevelopment on the existing affordable housing, such as a reduction in the number of affordable units or modification to the income tiers served.
This policy seemingly extends not just to committed affordable units — those contractually set to be available at certain levels of income — but to market-rate affordable housing units too — units that are at levels considered affordable without being set as such by a regulatory agency.
While some of Fairfax County’s neighbors like Alexandria have one-to-one replacement requirements for committed affordable units, requiring the replacement of market-rate units is a fairly bold new step.
“Absent any long-term affordability commitments, market-affordable developments can be lost to redevelopment or repositioning of the asset, leading to the displacement of existing residents and to community fragmentation,” the policy proposal said. “The County has committed to a goal of no net loss of these market affordable units, and should preserve the affordability of market-affordable multifamily rental housing units to the extent practicable.”
The changes within the proposal could also ripple out beyond just affordable housing preservation. Like in Alexandria, the county could allow greater density in exchange for affordable housing units.
“Additional residential densities or intensities above the Plan recommendation may be considered in development proposals that commit to long-term preservation (30 or more years), as an incentive to preserve or replace existing affordable multifamily rental housing units,” the proposal said.
The policy proposal noted that levels of density granted could involve other factors, like transit accessibility or financial feasibility around affordable units.
“The potential benefit of the preservation relative to the number and type of units preserved, the income levels served, and/or the strategic importance of the units relative to other factors, such as transit accessibility or financial feasibility of the preservation should be considered as part of any proposed development seeking additional density or intensity,” the proposal said.
The change wouldn’t give developers carte blanche for added density, however, and any proposal would have to weigh the impacts to the environment, schools, parks and other public facilities.
The Board of Supervisors reviewed the proposal at a Housing Committee meeting on Sept. 30. The meeting raised some questions about its feasibility, but the committee seemed generally in favor of the changes to the plan amendment.
“I do acknowledge that in some areas we might have difficulties being able to actualize that one-for-one replacement,” Lee District Supervisor Rodney Lusk said. “Thinking about my own district, I’m thinking about flood plain issues and other environmental aspects. That creates an issue.”
In areas where there can’t be a one-to-one replacement on site, Lusk said the county should consider requiring housing built elsewhere, but for the sake of keeping communities together, he said off-site housing should be the last resort.
Supervisor Dan Storck said around 80% of the units that would be preserved would be along the Richmond Highway in his Mount Vernon District.
“We do not want to go the route of Alexandria,” Storck said. “Frankly, they’ve lost about 90% of their affordable housing over the last 20 years, and that’s exactly why we’re doing what we’re doing. I think the board gets that we can’t just sit idly by and hope for the best…That challenge means we have to sit up our game and work more. The next steps are all ones that I fully support and think are essential to preserving housing, and frankly, I think more is going to have to be done even than that.”
