The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has thrown its support behind Maryland’s pursuit of federal funding for a long-awaited replacement of the American Legion Bridge.
At the request of Chairman Jeff McKay and Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman, the board approved a letter on April 16 urging U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to fulfill the Maryland Department of Transportation’s expected grant request for its American Legion Bridge and 270 Corridor project.
In addition to replacing the 60-year-old bridge, the only direct connection between Fairfax and Montgomery counties, MDOT is considering adding toll lanes on its side of the Capital Beltway from I-495 to the I-270 western spur, along with transit, pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
According to McKay, the department’s State Highway Administration informed county officials that it will apply for the federal Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Program, which has $5.1 billion to allocate to transportation infrastructure projects nationwide. Applications are due by May 6.
“We know this is an emergency situation. We applaud Maryland for getting this going again,” McKay said during the board meeting.
Maryland went back to the drawing board on its plans for the Beltway last year after private express lanes operator Transurban withdrew from a project championed by then-governor Larry Hogan. Then called Op Lanes Maryland, the proposed road widening and bridge replacement encountered fervent opposition from residents and local officials, leading to delays and lawsuits.
Virginia has pushed ahead with its own effort to widen the Beltway with toll lanes, known as 495 NEXT, but some community members, including elected officials, have worried it won’t offer much congestion relief without Maryland’s involvement, instead merely pushing the existing chokepoint at the Dulles Toll Road in Tysons north to the George Washington Memorial Parkway in McLean.
In his letter to Buttigieg, McKay notes that capacity improvements for the American Legion Bridge have long been a priority for Fairfax County.
The American Legion Bridge, as a direct connection between the region’s most populous counties, is one of the most heavily used. It is also the most congested, with traffic volumes expected to increase. The chokepoint created by this bridge requires long-term solutions to help those traveling between Maryland and Virginia.
The Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant availability provides an opportunity to advance a project that is an important regional conduit for travel and economic activity between Virginia and Maryland, which will ensure the continued economic vitality of the Metropolitan Washington region.
In addition to adding toll lanes, the new bridge will feature a shared-use path and allow for planned bus routes between Tysons and Bethesda.
At community open houses last fall, MDOT officials touted potential benefits for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users, though limited details and a need for funding left some skeptical. The project could break ground by 2026, which would put it on track to finish construction by 2031, Maryland Matters reported.
After breaking ground in spring 2022, the Virginia Department of Transportation anticipates starting operations for the new I-495 toll lanes in December 2025 and fully wrapping up 495 NEXT in May 2026.
Speed Camera Added Outside Oakton HS — A speed camera has been installed for Oakton High School on Blake Lane near Sutton Road, just days after a driver was sentenced to four years. Fines will be issued after a 30-day warning period. Fairfax County anticipates expanding its pilot program to as many as 50 locations this year. [Fairfax County/Twitter]
Annandale Doctor Pleads Guilty to Over-Prescribing Opioids — “An Annandale doctor pleaded guilty [on Friday, April 26] to maintaining a drug-involved premises.” While working at Fairfax Pain Clinic between 2016 and 2020, he “prescribed high opioid dosing without first confirming diagnoses, performing relevant medical examinations, or reviewing prior medical records.” [U.S. Attorney’s Office]
FCPD Reveals Drug Take Back Day Results — “On Saturday, our district stations joined forces with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other Fairfax County agencies to collect 1,167 pounds of expired medications and prescription drugs from the community during the 26th Annual National Drug Take Back Day Initiative.” The West Springfield District Police Station led the way, collecting 303 pounds. [FCPD]
Annandale Church Volunteers Fix Up Homes — “Nine men with developmental disabilities living in two group homes in the North Springfield area got a nice surprise when they returned from outings Saturday evening. While they were gone, volunteers from several Annandale churches spent the day fixing up their homes.” [Annandale Today]
Mount Vernon Trail Bridge Project Nears Finish — “Nearly exactly a year after the National Park Service kicked off its replacement of Bridges 23 and 24 along the southern Mount Vernon Trail, the project is near its completion…The Park Service has scheduled a ribbon cutting for the opening of Bridge 23 on May 19 at 10 a.m. at Belle Haven Park.” [On the MoVe]
TJ Students Could Win $20K in Math Competition — “The students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology are among six teams that made it to the finals in the MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge…More than 600 teams in the U.S. and the U.K. submitted papers” proposing “ways lawmakers could potentially monitor and address the dual problems of homelessness and lack of affordable housing.” [WTOP]
Massive Reston Library Book Sale Coming Up — “Over 1,000 boxes of books mean this will be our biggest sale ever. And, due to upcoming library renovations, there will be no sales in August or September…So come to our big sale and stock up on our record-breaking selection!” The sale will start for Friends members tomorrow and for the general public at 10 a.m. on Thursday (May 2). [Friends of the Reston Regional Library]
It’s Tuesday — Mostly sunny skies with a high of 87°F and light southwest winds at 8 to 10 mph can be expected this afternoon with a 20% chance of showers after 2pm. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a low near 65°F. There is a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. [NWS]
Real estate taxes will likely go up for Fairfax County homeowners in the coming year, but perhaps not by as much as they could.
The Board of Supervisors plans to approve a 3-cent tax rate increase, down from the four cents that was advertised. That will reduce the average tax bill hike from about $524 to just over $450.
While additional funding is proposed for affordable housing, public libraries and parks, the county’s fiscal year 2025 budget won’t satisfy Fairfax County Public Schools’ full funding requests or include the pay levels sought by county employees.
An initial draft of the county’s FY 2025 budget markup suggests setting a real estate tax rate of $1.125 per $100 of assessed value, a 3-cent increase from the current rate of $1.095 per $100.
During a budget committee meeting on Friday (April 26), board members argued that the tax rate increase is necessary due to a revenue shortfall from a sluggish commercial sector and reduced state funding.
“Our current situation is not sustainable, and we can already imagine what’s going to happen in the next tax year as it relates to commercial office and particularly the elevator office,” Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk said.
As a result, the county is unlikely to increase the market rate adjustment (MRA) for county employees beyond the 2% proposed by County Executive Bryan Hill.
According to the markup draft, general county employees are set to receive an average salary increase of 3.25% to 6%, effective July 1, including the 2% MRA, pay scale adjustments and increases for performance and length of service. Deputy sheriffs will, on average, receive an increase of 7.85% in FY 2025.
The county also proposes allocating only $165 million of the $254 million requested by FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid — nearly all of which would be used to fund teacher and personnel pay raises.
That will still be nearly 7% more in funding than what the school system got last year. The supervisors expressed hope it will cover Reid’s proposed 6% salary increase for all school employees, but their optimism hinges on the state providing additional money to fill any remaining financial gaps.
Board members raised concerns over the state’s chronic underfunding of public schools, which costs FCPS $345 million annually, according to a recent study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission of Virginia. That could be compounded by budget cuts proposed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
State funding cuts force local governments — which derive most revenue from real estate taxes — to place a heavier tax burden on homeowners, who end up footing the bill to make up the difference, supervisors said.
Looking to the future, they urged the school board to seek funding more in line with the county’s projected revenue to ensure it can fulfill the request.
“I think it’s worth reminding people who are watching that over 89% of FCPS budget expenditures go to compensation,” Board Chairman Jeff McKay said. “So, this is not an insignificant thing we’re talking about. If you have 89% of your budget going to something, you should be studying that ad nauseam and making sure that every dollar that’s going there is targeted to the people that need it most to be able to properly stay in market.”
The board acknowledged a need to diversify the county’s revenue sources but stopped short of suggesting specific solutions.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity argued that the rising burden of real estate taxes is driving out residents.
“From budget testimony calls and emails to my office, it’s clear our residents can’t handle another tax increase,” he said. “I mean, it’s 56% in 10 years, and that’s because of budget increases. Census data clearly shows people are voting with their feet and leaving Fairfax County.”
Instead of doing an internal review, Herrity called for an independent, third-party review of the county’s financial situation that could provide “hard facts.”
“As we’ve seen in the last two months, from when the county executive presents his budget in February to April, you can’t do the analysis you need to do,” he said.
Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw countered Herrity’s claims about the county’s migration patterns, pointing to housing issues as the fundamental cause.
“They want to be here in Fairfax County,” Walkinshaw said. “We have great schools, a strong economy, and they want to be here. They need housing in order to be here.”
At a mark-up session tomorrow (Tuesday), the board will consider allocating $4 million to support affordable housing initiatives, per the draft. Since setting a goal in 2022 to build 10,000 units by 2034, the county has already created or has plans to build approximately 4,000 affordable housing units.
Additionally, the board intends to set aside a total of $1 million for Fairfax County Public Library’s materials collection, pickleball courts at Wakefield Park, the Women’s Center relocation and construction of the Eileen Garnett Civic space in Annandale.
The D.C. area’s cherry trees are no longer blossoming, but cyclists can still take in the warm, pollen-filled spring air when the Pedal with Petals Family Bike Ride returns to Tysons next month.
Organized by the Tysons Community Alliance (TCA), the event was introduced last April as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. This time, it will take place on May 11, from 8-11 a.m., and the routes will cover more of Tysons, instead of centering on Tysons Corner Center.
“We are thrilled to be bringing back this community event,” TCA CEO Katie Cristol said in a press release. “Pedal with Petals is a great opportunity to bring our community together while promoting active mobility opportunities throughout Tysons.”
Registration for the bicycle ride is open and free, but it’s limited to just 200 participants, who can undertake an advanced, 4.5-mile-long route or a nearly 2-mile, family-friendly route.
The advanced ride will start at 9 a.m. and reach Wolf Trails Park on Old Courthouse Road, while the shorter ride will start at 9:30 a.m. and follow a loop. Riders will meet in the parking lot of The Concourse (1593 Spring Hill Road) for both routes, which begin and end on the Vesper Trail.
In addition to cycling, activities planned for the event include a bicycle decorating station, free bike tune-ups offered by REI, music from a DJ, coffee and pastries from Vienna’s Frothy Mug van and post-ride ice cream provided by local caterer Tysons Creamery.
The Merrifield-based nonprofit Food for Others will also collect donations for a food drive. While not required, the TCA is encouraging participants to bring at least one non-perishable food item, such as cereal, pasta or canned goods.
The TCA is still seeking volunteers to support Pedal with Petals by helping set the courses up, checking riders in, overseeing activities and other duties. Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling will provide bike marshals to help guide cyclists along the two routes.
Coinciding with National Bike Month, the second annual Pedal with Petals will come on the heels of the Tour de Hunter Mill community bicycle ride organized every spring by Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn’s office. That event on Sunday, May 5 will concentrate on the Reston and Vienna area, featuring routes along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail and the new shared-use path on Leesburg Pike (Route 7).
A child care company with hundreds of day care centers and preschools across the U.S. is seeking to add one in Tysons.
Primrose Schools has submitted an application for a special exception from Fairfax County that would allow it to open a day care center inside the office building at 1749 Old Meadow Road near Scotts Run.
The facility would support up to 193 kids a day — its proposed maximum capacity — from the “greater McLean area,” according to a statement of justification dated April 19. There would be up to 35 employees, including teachers and attendants, on site at a time.
The center will occupy 88,350 square feet in the existing building, but some new construction would be required for adjacent outdoor play areas, Carlos Montenegro, an attorney representing Primrose Schools Franchising Company, wrote.
The submitted plans show a two-floor facility with 12 classrooms and an approximately 4,300-square-foot play area, including separate playgrounds for infants and toddlers, early preschool attendees and preschool or after-school students.
Estimating that the center will draw 450 vehicles per day, mostly during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up periods, Primrose Schools is proposing to remove about 45 of the building’s 348 parking spaces, while re-striping five accessible spaces.
The changes would give the building a total of 316 parking spots.
“All children will be delivered and picked-up after parking on the property. There will be no vehicular cueing line,” Montenegro wrote.
Established by Paul and Marcy Erwin in 1982, Primrose Schools opened its first school in Marietta, Georgia, with a goal of centering education at a time “when ‘all-play’ is the accepted norm” for child care, according to its website.
The private company has since expanded to over 500 locations, including franchises in Chantilly and Reston.
One of Primrose’s Arlington locations came under scrutiny last year by Virginia’s Department of Social Services. An investigation found that the center had failed to report child abuse and mistreatment by employees who were fired shortly after the alleged incidents, according to NBC Washington.
County staff are currently reviewing the special exception application for a Tysons location to determine whether it should be formally accepted.
Image via Google Maps
Google plans to invest $1 billion to expand data center campuses in Northern Virginia this year, including two Loudoun County sites and a newly opened site in Prince William County.
Ruth Porat, the president, chief investment officer and chief financial officer of Google and its parent company, Alphabet, announced the funds on Friday (April 26) at the company’s Reston headquarters. They will bring Google’s total investment in the state to more than $4.2 billion to date.
“We’ve been here for five years with two data centers, and today, I’m really proud to announce that we’re investing an additional billion dollars in Virginia to expand those campuses and to add a third data center in Prince William County,” she said.
Google also introduced a $75 million artificial intelligence opportunity fund and an AI essentials class as part of two new workforce development initiatives geared towards helping employees and learners in Virginia benefit from new technologies.
“The intent is to ensure that everyone everywhere across Virginia and across the United States has the ability to get central training around AI,” Porat said. “How can we individually use it? How can we use it to support our businesses large and small?”
Through providing grants to best-in-class workforce development and education organizations, Google’s opportunity fund will equip more than a million people with fundamental AI skills.
“Google’s new AI Essentials course will teach people to use AI effectively in day-to-day work. In under 10 hours, people will get practical, hands-on experience using AI to help with work tasks through videos, readings, and interactive exercises,” a press release reads.
One of the fund’s first recipients, Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), will provide the new AI Essentials course and a Google Cybersecurity Certificate to its Onward to Opportunity participants in Virginia and across the country, according to the release.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin spotlighted the state’s technological advances, noting that Northern Virginia is the global hub for data centers with more development than the next five U.S. markets combined.
“With that comes tremendous synergy and an ecosystem that enables advanced development,” Youngkin said. “And so, Google’s $1 billion investment is a continued demonstration that that ecosystem is one worth investing in.”
Youngkin also said local communities are benefitting from data centers by paying $2.2 billion in wages and “a billion dollars in local revenue that funds an immense investment in schools and public services and social services.”
At the same time, some localities have moved to more closely regulate data centers in response to concerns about their neighborhood and environmental impacts. Fairfax County will hold community meetings starting this Thursday (May 2) to gather feedback on its proposed zoning changes.
In the press release on Google’s announcement, IVMF Executive Director Dr. Mike Haynie expressed appreciation for the technology giant’s continual backing.
“We are extremely proud to receive continued support from google.org that will allow us not only to continue to deliver the cybersecurity training that we’re currently delivering to the military connected community, but now also enhance the support we can provide to our nation service members, veterans and military spouses through AI training,” he said.
Fairfax City Schedules Fireworks Test — “Fairfax City Parks and Recreation has arranged for a “test fire” of fireworks from the roof of Fairfax High School. The test fire, consisting of two 15-second bursts, will occur between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. April 30.” The test is planned in preparation for the city’s Independence Day Celebration, which is scheduled for July 4. [City of Fairfax]
Vienna Veteran Charged With Making Toxin — “A judge on Friday ordered a Marine Corps veteran and former militia member to remain jailed pending trial on charges he attempted to make ricin, a biological toxin.” The 42-year-old man was arrested about two weeks ago after “traces of ricin along with lab equipment and castor beans, from which ricin is derived,” were found in his home. [Associated Press/WTOP]
Local Man Allegedly Showed Porn to Elementary School Students — “The 18-year-old man from Fairfax County was arrested and is facing several charges, including possession of child pornography, Arlington County police announced…The man worked at Abingdon Elementary School in the Fairlington neighborhood, in the after-school program for students, police said.” [ARLnow]
Arrest Made in Reston Armed Robbery — “Reston Days B officers & K9 just arrested a man after he broke into a home & robbed a woman at gunpoint in the 2200 blk of Stone Wheel Dr in Reston. The man tried to flee across a nearby golf course but was quickly apprehended.” [FCPD/Twitter]
Community Service Held for Clifton Fire Victims — “The Brice family held a celebration of life after the family was struck by tragedy earlier this month: their sons, 6-year-old William and 3-year-old Zachariah, died in a fire at their grandparent’s house in Clifton…The parents, supported by the community, cherished the memories of the kids on Saturday at the event.” [WUSA9]
Local Musicians Plan Inaugural Mount Vernon Festival — “Fifty-five years after hundreds of thousands of people descended on Woodstock, New York for a legendary music festival, a Fort Hunt-area musician is organizing a somewhat smaller rendition for local community members’ enjoyment — Waynewoodstock.” [On the MoVe]
Satellite Company Signs Deal for Reston Move — “SES and SES Space & Defense have inked a 35,000-square-foot lease restructure and relocation at Reston Square, 11790 Sunrise Valley Dr. in Reston, VA. As part of the deal, SES, a Luxembourg-based satellite communications company, will consolidate operations at the Reston property, serving as one of its main U.S. offices.” [Connect CRE]
It’s Monday — Expect sunny skies and a high of approximately 89 degrees, with a west wind at 5 to 7 mph that will turn southward in the afternoon. Monday night will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 65 degrees and a south wind at about 7 mph. [NWS]
For this year’s Independent Bookstore Day, local bookworms will be encouraged to collect not just new literary titles, but also places to buy them.
More than a dozen shops across Northern Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia have teamed up for a new “Passport” program, giving customers a chance to win prizes if they visit different locations.
“The Passport will introduce book lovers to more of our region’s growing bookstore scene, and offer them a way to celebrate with their favorites,” a press release for the campaign says.
The passports will be issued by the participating stores this Saturday (April 27) on Independent Bookstore Day, which is organized by the American Booksellers Association to celebrate the importance of independently owned book shops to local communities.
Passport holders will then have until May 31 to collect stamps from the participating stores. Four stores will net a book, eight stores a tote bag, and those who visit at least 10 stores can enter to win a grand prize, which will have books, gift cards and other items from each of the 15 shops, according to Fonts Books and Gifts owner Amber Taylor.
Taylor’s McLean store, which opened last year near Chesterbrook Plaza, is one of several Fairfax County businesses involved in the promotional campaign. Bards Alley in Vienna (full disclosure: this reporter’s sister is an employee), Scrawl Books in Reston and Herndon’s A Thousand Stories are also taking part.
“Northern Virginia is home to a robust and growing community of local, independent bookstores. And, our region is full of readers, book lovers and supporters of local businesses,” Taylor said by email. “We hope all of our customers enjoy filling their Bookstore Passports beginning on Saturday as they visit their favorite stores, and some stores that are new to them.”
In addition to the Passport program, each of the stores has its own activities planned for Independent Bookstore Day.
Scrawl Books has lined up several author visits, while Fonts will offer non-alcoholic drink samples, among other activities. Bards Alley will host a “stuffy sleepover” and storytime, and A Thousand Stories has partnered with Arts Herndon and the Friends of Runnymeade Park for a native plant and art sale.
Now in its 11th year, Independent Bookstore Day was started in 2013 by booksellers in California before going national in 2015. According to the American Booksellers Association, over a thousand stores across all 50 states will host events this year.
Passport programs or “bookstore crawls” have become a popular promotional method. The Northern Virginia crawl — which also includes Curious Iguana in Frederick, Maryland, and WordPlay in Wardensville, West Virginia — echoes similar campaigns in D.C., Connecticut and other areas.
The cost of riding Metro trains and buses will go up, starting July 1, when the transit agency’s new budget takes effect.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) board of directors approved a $4.8 billion fiscal year 2025 budget yesterday (Thursday) that will increase fares by 12.5%, including by ending the flat $2 rate for weekend and late-night rides introduced in 2021 and expanded in 2022.
Going forward, riders will be charged between $2.25 and $2.50 during those times, depending on how far they travel. The new budget also raises the base fare for both buses and rail from $2 to $2.25, the cap for MetroAccess service from $4 to $4.50, and the price of rail and bus passes.
The increases will keep fares “in line with inflation,” WMATA said in a press release.
The transit authority also hopes to generate some more revenue by introducing a 5-cent hourly rental fee for its bicycle lockers, capped at $1 per day, though vehicle parking rates will be unchanged.
In a statement, Metro Board Chair Paul Smedberg acknowledged that the budget “asks for a shared sacrifice from our employees and customers,” but WMATA stressed it was able to avoid the “catastrophic” cuts proposed last year, when it projected a $750 million funding deficit.
“We appreciate the collaboration of our regional partners on this board-approved budget that will keep our community moving,” Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke said. “This region is a great place to live, work, and play, and our recent ridership reflects the vital role Metro plays in getting people where they need to go.”
Some “targeted” service reductions will still be implemented, including “modest” headway increases for the Orange Line on both weekdays and weekends and for the Green and Yellow lines on weekends, according to a staff report. Metro also plans to utilize more six-car trains and a two-hour peak period.
Metro says it averted more drastic moves like station closures and worker layoffs by identifying $50 million in “cost efficiencies” — including a wage freeze for non-union positions — and securing increased funding commitments from D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
However, the amount of money headed to the transit agency from Virginia remains up in the air. The General Assembly passed a two-year budget in March with an additional $149.5 million for Metro, but Gov. Glenn Youngkin proposed an amendment earlier this month that would allocate $133.7 million — most of it redirected from the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC).
Last week, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors urged state lawmakers to reject Youngkin’s proposal, noting that funding is already running low for NVTC, which manages funding for transit systems throughout the region, including Metro.
The ongoing wrangling over the state spending plan has created some uncertainty for the county, which is considering an additional $10 million for Metro in its proposed FY 2025 budget.
Now that Metro has finalized its budget, the county anticipates adjusting its contribution, but the final numbers are contingent on what the state does. Read More
The continued development of Tysons doesn’t have to come at the expense of its remaining natural green space, argues a recent report on ways to preserve 65 acres of forest in the urban center.
A community task force has recommended two dozen actions that could help preserve and even enhance wooded areas collectively known as Tysons Forest, including tree plantings and clean-up efforts. Dated March 24, the report was formally accepted by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on April 16.
“Usually, task forces are not looking at preserving natural areas like this and enhancing them, but it was a really wonderful and very positive community-led effort,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said at the board meeting.
Alcorn assembled the Tysons Forest Community Task Force last September to craft a plan for protecting the woods along Tysons’ southwestern edge. Spanning the Dulles Toll Road to Gosnell Road, the expanse includes the 33-acre Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley, the Ash Grove Historic Site and Raglan Road and Freedom Hill parks.
Chaired by resident Jack Russell, the task force counted residents, local building owners, office tenants, Fairfax County Park Authority staff and other county representatives, and conservation experts among its 23 members.
After meeting throughout the fall and winter, the group solidified recommendations that it hopes will enable humans and wildlife to coexist, while making Tysons Forest “sustainable and emerald green forever.”
Leading the proposals is the need for the county to officially recognize the stream valley corridor as Tysons Forest, including by adding wayfinding signage, and incorporate a pledge to protect the habitat in its Tysons Comprehensive Plan.
The task force also highlighted the importance of replenishing the area’s tree canopy, which it reported has declined by approximately 20-25% in the past five years. In addition to planting 200 wire-guarded trees and seedlings annually, the report suggests cutting down on the amount of invasive plants by at least 50% by 2028 and conducting counts of birds, bees and other wildlife to measure the area’s biodiversity.
Other notable recommendations include:
- Revive the Ashgrove Trail extension project and evaluate options for connecting it to the Vesper Trail south of Spring Hill Road
- Expand Tysons Forest by securing proffer contributions from developers and encouraging property owners to adopt ecologically friendly practices
- Maintain a safe and clean forest by requiring developers to mitigate run-off into streams, adding trash cans along walking trails and conducting regular trash cleanups
- Enlist local students as “green champions” by offering volunteer opportunities and including youth on future task force teams
- Create a website and events calendar for Tysons Forest
Task force members have already started to implement some of the recommendations, according to Alcorn’s unanimously approved board matter. Planning is underway to install a wildlife learning trail along a commercial property and restore one acre of a park authority-owned site with native plants.
Tysons Forest was also the site of a recent Earth Day litter pick-up walk.
“I’m hopeful that this will be the first of many such initiatives that are collaborations across public-sector property owners, private-sector property owners and folks that care about the community and care about the environment,” Alcorn said in a county-produced video about the event.
Going forward, the task force proposed creating a work team to oversee the report’s implementation. That could eventually evolve into a permanent Friends of Tysons Forest organization.
Expressing particular enthusiasm for the “green champions” idea, Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik lauded the task force’s work as “a really good model” that the county could potentially replicate for other forests.
Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw noted that more preservation efforts will be needed for the county to meet its goal of covering 60% of its land area with tree cover, as stated by the Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP) adopted in 2021.
“This kind of effort is really key, and I do think this can be a model,” Walkinshaw said. “Maybe we look at a slightly streamlined version of this that we can apply to other forests around the county, especially in developed, urbanizing areas. That’s really where the rubber is going to meet the road, or the trees are going to meet the road, for us in terms of meeting our goals.”
