Before the new class of General Assembly members takes office in January, they are facing a push from local government leaders to quickly address Virginia’s historical underfunding of its school divisions.
In September, the General Assembly convened a group to examine how the state’s funding formulas could be updated to fix the problem, with recommendations due next November, ahead of the 2025 legislative session. However, many local governments say the timeline needs to be faster and are urging the legislature to take action immediately, at the start of the new budget cycle.
“We’re not asking for anything additional from the state,” said Jason Bellows, president of the Virginia Association of Counties. “We’re just asking them to fully fund their agreed commitments of their fair share.”
This July, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which conducts analysis and provides oversight of state agencies on behalf of the General Assembly, found that Virginia schools receive 14% less state funding than the 50-state average, equal to roughly $1,900 less per student.
Part of the problem, the report found, was that complicated funding formulas underestimate how much divisions need: In fiscal year 2021, for example, schools spent $6.6 billion more than was allocated by the Standards of Quality formula, which is used to calculate how much the state must contribute to fulfill its constitutional obligation to maintain high-quality public school systems.
Perhaps more significantly, during the Great Recession, state funding levels dropped dramatically and the legislature imposed a “support cap” limiting the number of support positions the state would fund. Positions affected by the cap included central office and administrative, technical, clerical, maintenance and instructional support positions.
But despite the state’s financial recovery following the recession, funding levels have never been fully restored, and the support cap was only partially lifted by the last state budget negotiated late this summer.
Many local governments weren’t surprised by JLARC’s findings, which they say validate years of school divisions arguing the state inadequately funds public education.
Bellows said public education is supposed to be a “50-50 share” between the state and local governments, with the federal government helping as necessary.
“The local governments have been stepping up to the plate and funding public education well above what we are required to do because the state, in their minimum requirements, can’t get the job done,” he said.
Timelines and budgets
After the release of the JLARC report this summer, the General Assembly included a provision in the budget calling for a work group to consider its recommendations and present them by Nov. 1, 2024. But many local government leaders want the legislature to act sooner as annual budget discussions loom and federal pandemic relief funds dry up.
Joe Flores, director of fiscal policy for the Virginia Municipal League, said the General Assembly and governor should prioritize taking action on the funding and formula problems during the upcoming legislative session.
“If this is a priority for the administration and for lawmakers, and we know it will be, we would hope that they would commit to begin to address these as soon as possible and as early as when the governor releases his budget, and if not, then [through] budget amendments that the General Assembly may put forward,” Flores said.
Planning for the future has also been complicated, officials say, by the legislature’s delay in adopting budget changes until September.
“Nothing is more detrimental to local government than leaving us in limbo for six months while essentially bureaucrats in Richmond argue over pennies,” Bellows said.
While that budget included an extra $427.7 million for public education, the funds were one-time money, a product of pandemic-era surpluses that Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration is encouraging divisions to use to staunch learning losses. Youngkin will present his recommendations for the state’s next two-year budget in December.
While the contents of that budget haven’t yet been announced, Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter said in a statement that the report “lays plain that the previous two administrations never truly sought adequate funding for K-12 education and more importantly, never sought to reform the system to make sure funding goes to serve students and teachers in the classroom.”
On Wednesday, however, the Virginia Board of Education voted to exclude elimination of the support cap from its list of changes it is seeking to the Standards of Quality as part of a regular two-year review.
Chad Stewart, a policy analyst with the Virginia Education Association, said the SOQ revisions process has been disappointing compared to years past, when the draft would be provided to the public by October.
“The board has really set the tone and the pathway for what the most important best return on investment items are for the General Assembly to vote on,” Stewart said. “And without the due diligence of the process this year, without the research basis for why they’re making these recommendations and how they justified it, we will have to see how much credibility there is for these recommendations and how much lawmakers are going to take them into account.”
This article was reported and written by the Virginia Mercury, and has been reprinted with permission. It was slightly edited for length, and links to the Fairfax County website and a previous FFXnow story were added by FFXnow.
Fairfax County police confiscated multiple machine guns last week from a Tysons man who was suspected of sending sexual messages to a juvenile.
Detectives began investigating Craig Strasbourger, 31, after receiving a tip in September from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, which gets reports of child sexual exploitation incidents, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
The tip indicated that Strasbourger “was suspected to be engaging in sexual communication with a juvenile from Kentucky,” the FCPD said in a news release on Friday (Nov. 17).
Detectives and the department’s SWAT team executed a search warrant for Strasbourger’s house on Robin Way Court on Thursday (Nov. 16), leading to his arrest.
“During the operation, detectives confiscated four illegal machine guns and various electronic devices from the premises,” the FCPD said.
Strasbourger has been charged with four counts of unlawful possession of a machine gun. He was initially held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center but later got released on a $4,000 secured bond, according to police.
Additional charges could be filed in connection with the electronic devices, which are being reviewed by detectives, the police department said.
Machine guns are allowed in Virginia, but they must be registered with the Virginia State Police. Under the Uniform Machine Gun Act, possession for an “offensive or aggressive purpose” is a Class 4 felony, which carries potential sentences of two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
The FCPD didn’t immediately elaborate on what made the machine guns found at Strasbourger’s house illegal, but the state law says an aggressive or offensive purpose is presumed if:
- The gun isn’t registered
- Shells are found in its “immediate vicinity”
- The person has been convicted of a violent crime
- Or the person doesn’t own or rent the property where the gun was found
Per Fairfax County General District Court records, Strasbourger is scheduled to appear for an arraignment at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 27 and a preliminary hearing at 2 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2024.
Updated at 1 p.m. — Hiep Van Vo, the suspect in Sunday’s shooting at the Fairview Park Marriott, was arrested at 11 p.m. yesterday outside a Giant in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Fairfax County police said today (Monday).
Vo is in custody at the Montgomery County Detention Center “awaiting extradition back to Fairfax County,” according to police.
Earlier: Fairfax County police are looking for an Annandale man believed to be the suspect in a fatal shooting at the Marriott hotel near Merrifield early yesterday (Sunday) morning.
Detectives obtained warrants last night for 43-year-old Hiep Van Vo, charging him with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm as a felon, the Fairfax County Police Department announced.
Police and fire units were called to the hotel at 3111 Fairview Park Drive around 12:42 a.m. after a 911 caller reported that someone had been shot in the chest and arm, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department personnel, who happened to be at the building after responding to an unrelated fire, found Charles Anthony Ashe Jr., 44, of Maryland “near the elevators suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper body,” the FCPD said.
Ashe was transported with life-threatening injuries to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he died that morning.
Witnesses reported that the shooting took place on the hotel’s sixth floor, and an officer said they found blood near the elevator, according to the scanner.
The FCPD says its detectives have determined that the shooting occurred after Ashe entered a hotel room where Vo was staying with four other people.
“Inside the room, Vo shot Ashe. No one else was injured,” the FCPD said. “Ashe was able to exit the hotel room and was carried by friends, who heard the gunshots, to the elevator. Vo fled from the hotel…Evidence of narcotics was discovered inside the hotel room.”
Police believe Ashe and Vo knew each other, and the shooting wasn’t a random act. The FCPD advises anyone with information about Vo to call 703-691-2131 or send a tip through Crime Solvers.
Detectives are on scene investigating. The victim, adult man was pronounced deceased at the hospital. #FCPD
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) November 19, 2023
CRITICAL HOTEL SHOOTING— Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park at 3111 Fairview Park Drive in Annandale. Firefighters from Engine-418 were on an unrelated call when gunfire was reported. They found one person shot with life-threatening injuries. h/t @HCBright10 cc: @ffxnow… pic.twitter.com/i2TUt0sTAP
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) November 19, 2023
Image via Google Maps
Updated at 8:40 p.m. — The 17-year-old driver who crashed on Pioneer Lane this morning was arrested for driving under the influence, but the Fairfax County Police Department says it will wait to officially file charges after consulting with the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
“Charges are pending as the investigation continues,” the FCPD said in a news release. “Detectives believe speed and alcohol were factors in the crash.”
Earlier: Six teens have been taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries resulting from a crash on a residential street in Idylwood.
Police and fire responders were dispatched to Pioneer Lane at Roswell Drive shortly before 5 a.m. today (Monday), according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
“One vehicle overturned. It looks like multiple passengers have been ejected. Fire department is on the way,” a dispatcher said at 4:56 a.m.
Officers and firefighters at the scene reported finding one person in the vehicle and multiple individuals laying in the road, including one boy who was conscious but bleeding from the nose. One of the ejected passengers was unconscious but was breathing and had a pulse.
The responders determined that there had been seven people in the car, all juveniles. A firefighter confirmed at 5:13 a.m. that the one person who didn’t need treatment was the driver, per the scanner.
On the scanner, officers said the crash appeared to have started on Shreve Road, reporting that “some of the patients were over 100 yards apart.”
1 juvenile has been arrested. Detectives continue to investigate. #FCPD
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) November 20, 2023
The Fairfax County Police Department said at 6:16 a.m. that one teen has been arrested. Lt. James Curry confirmed in an 8:25 a.m. media briefing that the arrested teen was the driver and has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
Based on a preliminary investigation, police believe the Lincoln SUV “crested” a hill on Shreve Road at a “very high rate of speed,” lost control and crashed into a tree. As the vehicle spun around, five passengers who police say weren’t wearing seatbelts got ejected.
“What’s clear is that speed and alcohol were absolutely factors in this crash, and sadly, without seatbelts being worn for the occupants, that’s what likely led to some significant, serious injuries,” Curry said.
Everyone involved in the crash was between 14 and 17 years old, according to Curry. Some of those involved were family members, while others were friends. Curry said detectives believe the driver doesn’t have a license, though the circumstances leading up to the crash are still under investigation.
Curry noted that the FCPD prepares for increased DUI incidents every holiday season, particularly on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
“The assumption is that it’s adults who are out drinking, and it’s easy to forget that juveniles do partake in alcohol illegally,” Curry said. “It’s an important reminder that kids need to be responsible, parents need to have conversations with their loved ones, make sure they’re safe, and it’s a sad reminder that we need to wear seatbelts.”
Hayfield Student Overdoses — “In a letter to families and staff, FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle C. Reid said a student at Hayfield Secondary School overdosed Friday. It is unclear if the student was on school property when the overdose occurred. Reid said in the letter that out of concern for the student’s privacy, the district will not be releasing any further information regarding the overdose.” [WUSA9]
Metro Fare Revenues Dip Despite Ridership Improving — “Revenue from fares, parking, advertising and other sources during the fiscal quarter amounted to $108.4 million, which is $17.7 million less than Metro predicted…Metro leaders didn’t express significant concerns Thursday while learning of the quarterly revenue gap, saying the pandemic proved the agency can’t rely so heavily on fares.” [Washington Post]
Nonprofit for Foster Children Moves to Annandale — “UMFS, a statewide nonprofit that provides services to at-risk children, relocated its Northern Virginia office last week to a space inside the Annandale United Methodist Church on Columbia Pike. The organization helps find foster parents for children who’ve been removed from their birth parents, trains foster parents to help children who’ve experienced trauma, and helps foster parents adopt the children in their care.” [Annandale Today]
Police Investigate Chantilly Convenience Store Robbery — “At 3:21 p.m. [on Saturday, Nov. 18] two men entered the Chantilly Check and Convenience Store armed with a firearm. The suspects forced an employee to open a safe and stole cash. The victim was not harmed, and the two men ran from the area.” [FCPD]
Halloween Candy Stolen From Kid in Vienna — A Vienna resident reported on Oct. 31 that a teen “approached her child and stole the candy he had collected that night, while another teen a few feet away was waving a knife,” according to the police department’s weekly crime recap. Police also got a report from a child who said teens “pulled out a toy gun in an attempt to scare him” in the Vienna Community Center parking lot on Nov. 11. [Vienna Police]
Construction Update on One University Housing — Construction is underway on both student housing and affordable housing for seniors as part of the One University project near George Mason University. Utility work along University Drive “is currently on schedule to be completed by the end of January,” setting the stage for improvements at the Ox Road intersection. [The Walkinshaw Advisory]
AI Coding Class at TJ Popular Among Students — “In Room 18 at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia, teacher Malcolm Eckel watched as his students worked on artificial intelligence for tic tac toe…Student Anika Saraf described the AI course as one of the best offered at the high school, largely because of the problem-solving skills students develop.” [WTOP]
I-66 Rush-Hour Tolls Paused for Thanksgiving — “The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will be suspending many highway work zones and lifting most lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon on Wednesday, Nov. 22 until noon on Monday, Nov. 27…All rush-hour tolls on the I-66 Express Lanes Inside the Beltway will be lifted on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 23.” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Monday — Clouds will increase throughout the day, reaching a high temperature near 50 with a gentle north wind around 7 mph. Moving into Monday night, expect a mostly cloudy sky and a low temperature around 37. [Weather.gov]
The best place to work in the world can be found right in Tysons, according to a new Fortune magazine ranking.
Hilton, the hotel company headquartered at Park Place II (7930 Jones Branch Drive), topped the 2023 World’s Best Workplaces list released yesterday by Fortune and Great Place to Work, a research and data platform that bills itself as the “global authority on workplace culture.”
Employing 4,300 people in the D.C. area and 460,000 people globally, Hilton has appeared on every iteration of the annual list since 2016, but this is the first time it’s snagged the no. 1 spot, the company said. It’s the first hospitality company to top the list.
“At Hilton, we are building a fully human experience at work, where our team members feel like they are seen, they are welcome, and they are part of something greater than themselves,” Hilton Chief Human Resources Officer Laura Fuentes said. “[This] recognition reinforces what employees are looking for — a workplace culture that helps them reach their full potential.”
The 25 companies on the World’s Best Workplaces list were identified based on surveys of 18 million workers from around the globe, according to Great Place to Work. Hilton is one of 13 U.S.-based companies to make the list.
To be eligible, businesses needed to have at least 5,000 workers, at least 40% or 5,000 of them based in a different country than their headquarters, and to appear on at least five of the Best Workplaces lists that Great Place to Work has released for individual countries.
Hilton appeared on 35 national lists, including the one for the U.S., where it came in at no. 2 both this year and in 2022.
Great Place to Work says the 2023 World’s Best Workplaces list was its most competitive since the tradition began 13 years ago, reporting that 28% more companies participated this year than last year and 40% more employee surveys were submitted.
The recognized companies were united by overall employee satisfaction, with 90% of workers calling them a “great place to work” compared to a little over half for a “typical” workplace. Employees also said they got fair pay, support for a healthy work-life balance and a say in “decisions that affected their lives.”
“This global list followed a rigorous process, one that assures that employees have spoken about what they think are exceptional workplaces where they feel trusted, empowered, and energized to do their best work,” Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontel said in a statement.
Hilton says its benefits for both hourly and salaried employees, including expanded parental leave, adoption assistance and a Go Hilton travel program that gives workers discounts at its hotels and resorts.
The company announced last year that it had renewed its lease at Park Place II, where its headquarters have been located since 2009. It planned to add 350 jobs over the next five years and upgrade the office space and common areas.
Hilton President and CEO Chris Nassetta says the company is united by founder Conrad Hilton’s goal of filling “the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality.”
“[The] recognition by Great Place to Work and Fortune is validation that our team members were the people he imagined in his bright vision for the future,” Nassetta said. “It is their dedication, hospitality and passion for the stays they create that has made Hilton the No. 1 best place to work in the world.”
As Virginia’s one state psychiatric hospital for youth continues to face bed shortages, additional regional youth mental health services could provide relief to kids and teens in Fairfax County.
While there are options for adults, Northern Virginia doesn’t have any crisis stabilization facilities for youth, according to Daryl Washington, executive director of the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, which provides mental health, substance use and disability services.
A crisis stabilization facility would provide an alternative to hospitalization, while making it easier for youth to receive psychiatric care close to home.
“It has many of the same services that a hospital would have where they have nursing staff, counselors, therapists and prescribers that can prescribe medication that are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Washington said.
As Washington told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last month, there’s no formally committed state funding or a public timeline for a regional facility, whichwould be developed in collaboration with other Northern Virginia counties.
However, state budget amendments approved in September include $58 million to enhance and modernize comprehensive crisis services, and CSB staff, along with county building experts, have toured possible locations.
Plans to build out regional youth crisis services come amid a national shortage of behavioral healthcare workers and challenges with state psychiatric beds in Virginia. The only youth state hospital — the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents in Staunton — is not operating at its 48-bed capacity.
“In fiscal [year] 2019, we were able to get 154 kids admitted to the youth state hospital, but last year there was only enough availability where we could get 41 admitted,” Washington said.
On top of that, Washington says the Staunton hospital recently faced challenges in maintaining its accreditation from the Joint Commission, receiving three preliminary denials between May and July before reaching accredited status in September. That status was confirmed with a follow-up survey in October.
FFXnow contacted a Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services spokesperson for comment but didn’t receive a response by press time.
Although the county also sends youth to local private hospitals, only some of them accept kids, and the wait time for a psychiatric bed can be long, according to Washington
“Last fiscal year, we had 139 kids that had to wait eight hours or longer to find a hospital bed,” he told FFXnow. “For the Northern Virginia region, it was 332 kids that had to wait eight hours or longer before we could locate a hospital bed for them.”
In some cases, the state hospital is a better fit for care. When a private hospital is appropriate, keeping kids local is preferable, Washington said.
“If we have a youth in our community, our number one goal is to try to get them care as close to home as possible,” Washington said. “You almost always get better outcomes when you can provide services and treatment as close to home as possible.”
Elsewhere in the state, a 12-bed crisis stabilization unit for youth recently opened in Wythe County.
“It’s a new service that the state is wanting to stand up and expand, but it just takes time to build that infrastructure and level of care,” Washington said.
Image via Google Maps
The remaking of Virginia Tech’s campus near the West Falls Church Metro station as a futuristic mixed-use development can officially begin.
The university and Falls Church City completed a sale of the 7.41-acre Northern Virginia Center site to developer Converge West Falls LLC last week, the city announced Wednesday (Nov. 15).
Approved by the Falls Church City Council in August 2022, the $25 million sale required the city to terminate Virginia Tech’s 40-year lease on the property at 7054 Haycock Road. Falls Church retains about $8.4 million of the proceeds from the sale, with the remaining $16.57 million going to the university, according to agreements authorized on July 25, 2022.
The sale paves the way for the academic center’s transformation into a new headquarters for HITT Contracting, a construction company currently based in Fairview Park near Merrifield. The development will also include a construction research lab for Virginia Tech and apartments with ground-floor retail.
“This closing marks an important milestone in a decade-long planning effort initiated by the City of Falls Church,” Falls Church Mayor David Tarter said in a statement. “We are excited about having the national headquarters of HITT Contracting and the Virginia Tech Coalition for Smart Construction as neighbors to our West Falls project.”
Part of a push to revitalize the West Falls Church Transit Station Area, the Northern Virginia Center redevelopment has been in the works since 2019 but stalled in early 2021 after Virginia Tech and HITT decided not to move forward. The lease termination and sale agreements with Falls Church helped revive the project last year.
Converge — a joint venture of HITT and the developer Rushmark Properties — submitted a development plan in September 2022 that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved on July 25.
In a formal unveiling this week, HITT shared that its new six-story, 270,000-square-foot headquarters will emphasize sustainability and serve as a “hub for education and innovation in construction,” while also providing better access to mass transit for its more than 900 local employees.
Features will include a 100,000-square-foot rooftop solar panel array and 40,000 square feet of ground-floor space for Virginia Tech’s new Coalition for Smart Construction, a research center that “will advance building practices and ultimately shape the industry’s future.”
HITT says its research and development team already has over 20 projects that it plans to work on at the new headquarters.
Notable ventures already in progress include a newly patented prefabricated building skin that reduces weight, increases speed to market, and creates more efficient buildings. HITT is pioneering the first use of the Caracol Heron AM robotic arm installed in the US for 3D printing, aimed to augment traditional construction methods, and implementing robotics on-site to support an enhanced experience for HITT’s field team through technology-enabled workflows.
“As an industry, we have to do better to tackle the challenges of rising costs, labor shortages, and our environmental footprint,” HITT Co-Chairman Brett Hitt said. “I believe that Virginia Tech will push the boundaries of construction by bringing its brilliant students to a space where they can work alongside our industry’s brightest minds. Bringing industry and academia together under one roof will help us effect real change.”
Outside the construction world, the project will also deliver a 13-story, 440-unit apartment building with up to 18,000 square feet of retail, 55,000 square feet of urban parks, and a portion of West Falls Station Blvd, a new road that will link the also-redeveloping West Falls and Metro station properties.
HITT CEO Kim Roy said the company is “ecstatic” that it will “continue growing in Fairfax County.
“We’re thankful to the City of Falls Church, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Fairfax County for supporting our plans to build this cutting-edge development,” Roy said. “We’re deeply committed to being good stewards of the local community and the environment.”
According to HITT, construction on its headquarters is expected to begin in early 2025 and finish in late 2026.
Holiday Gift Guide Highlights Local Artisans — “The Made in Fairfax network aims to be a one-stop shop for maker businesses and those who want to support them…This holiday season (or any time of year, really!) take ‘shop local’ to new heights by directly supporting the makers of these gift-worthy products — created right here in Fairfax County.” [Visit Fairfax]
Solar Panels Installed on Sully Community Center — “We’ve added yet another solar array on a county government building. This latest installation is in Chantilly at the Sully Community Center, which serves as the home of the Sully Senior Center and also provides a broad array of services, programs and activities for individuals of all ages and abilities.” [Fairfax County]
Filipino Chicken Restaurant Nears Opening in Chantilly — “Jollibee plans to open its fried chicken restaurant in Chantilly the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, according to signs posted on the fast food restaurant’s window. Work has been underway on the building at 4406 Chantilly Shopping Center…The site used to be a Burger King.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
McLean’s Mars Inc. Buys British Chocolatier — “McLean-based food giant Mars Inc., Greater Washington’s largest private company, said Thursday it is buying British chocolatier Hotel Chocolat for the equivalent of $662 million. Hotel Chocolat…is the only company in the U.K. that grows its cocoa on its own farm, which is located on the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia.” [Washington Business Journal]
Ledo Pizza Now Open in Lorton — “The new Ledo Pizza at Liberty Market in Lorton opened its doors Oct. 30, making it the first restaurant to open in the small shop building across from Lidl supermarket…On the opposite end of the retail building, Taco Rock has yet to open its doors but likely will be the next restaurant to do so, based on an updated timeline provided by the South County Federation.” [On the MoVe]
Annual Charity Toy Drive Underway — “#FCFRD is participating in the 2023 TOYS FOR TOTS Campaign! TOYS FOR TOTS collects new unwrapped toys and distributes them to less fortunate children. Fairfax County fire stations will be accepting donations until Sunday, December 17.” [FCFRD/Twitter]
Inova Adds Chantilly Urgent Care Clinic — “Fairfax and Chantilly residents seeking quick and easy medical care now have another option thanks to Inova-GoHealth Urgent Care opening a new location last Friday in the Greenbriar Town Center.” Inova and GoHealth now have 13 urgent care centers, including recent additions in Fairfax City and Seven Corners. [Patch]
McLean HS Student Won Softball World Cup — “Sitting in the dugout, looking over the field and beaming with pride, is sophomore Riley Staats. In late October, the young athlete celebrated a big win on the world stage. Staats, along with 15 other girls comprising Team USA, claimed the inaugural WBSC U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup title at Ota Stadium in Tokyo, Japan.” [FCPS]
It’s Friday — Patchy fog will clear up by 9 a.m., followed by partly sunny skies and a high of around 69 degrees. Night will bring a slight chance of showers and mostly cloudy conditions, with a low near 52 degrees. There will be a 20% chance of precipitation. [Weather.gov]
The future of Vienna’s trees will rest on a new town council.
When it met on Monday (Nov. 13), the current Vienna Town Council was scheduled to finalize a proposal aimed at preserving and enhancing the town’s tree canopy, which has declined over the past decade.
But after a public hearing on noise and other agenda items pushed the meeting past midnight, the council voted instead to discuss the tree conservation ordinance in a 5 p.m. conference session before its meeting on Dec. 4 — leaving no time for a formal vote before the end of the year, to the disappointment of some council members.
“I think it’s a shame that it’s come down to this, because this is something that’s been known for a long time, and it just has not been acted upon to the level it should’ve been in my opinion,” said Councilmember Steve Potter, who is retiring due to health challenges. “…We’re not doing what we said we were going to do, and that’s the part that bothers me, because it’s just not right.”
Designated a top priority for 2023 by the council, the tree ordinance will increase requirements for canopy coverage — from 20 to 25% for large, single-family residential lots, for example — and introduce new standards and incentives to encourage developers to plant and preserve trees.
If adopted, the conservation ordinance would be just the second one in Virginia, following in the footsteps of Fairfax County, according to a memo from Vienna Director of Planning and Zoning David Levy. Like most localities, Vienna currently requires that developers replace trees, rather than preserve them.
However, the council is still deciding the best approach to implementing the new rules.
One option recommended by Town Attorney Steve Briglia would update the town code chapters on zoning, subdivisions and the Conservation and Sustainability Commission (CSC), whose duties include serving as the town’s tree board. Under this approach, the requirements would still be enforced by the planning and zoning department.
An alternative proposed by Vienna resident and Kirkland & Ellis LLP attorney Brian Land, whose firm was hired to conduct a pro bono analysis in 2020, would create a new chapter in the town code with all tree canopy and preservation requirements. The ordinance would be implemented by the Department of Parks and Recreation and establish a tree commission independent of the CSC.
Tree advocates who testified before the council at a public hearing on Oct. 23 “overwhelmingly” favored Land’s proposal, arguing that it would be broader in scope and make a clearer statement on the importance of trees to Vienna, Gazette Leader reported.
The town attorney recommended giving the planning director authority to allow deviations from canopy requirements in cases where they would cause “unnecessary or unreasonable hardship to the developer.” It also doesn’t require trees to be monitored or inspected after construction.
The Vienna Planning Commission issued a recommendation last Wednesday (Nov. 8) largely supporting Briglia’s proposal with a few tweaks, including a requirement that developers seeking to deviate from the canopy standards justify their request and an added provision for inspecting trees before and after they’re planted similar to what Land suggested.
“This language is consistent with current practice and codifying it will clarify the process for builders and property owners,” the commission said in a memo for the town council.
The council gave no indication on Monday regarding which direction it plans to take but instead spent half an hour debating whether to schedule a conference session on the issue next month, knowing that an actual vote won’t come until a new council takes office.
Mayor Linda Colbert and the three council members who sought reelection this year — Howard Springsteen, Chuck Anderson and Ray Brill — are all set to return. They will be joined by Planning Commissioner Jessica Ramakis, Board of Architectural Review Chair Roy Baldwin and budget analyst Sandra Allen, according to election results finalized Tuesday (Nov. 14).
In response to complaints about the delay on a tree conservation ordinance vote, Colbert noted that the council had accomplished other objectives, including the adoption of an updated zoning code and approval of sidewalk projects facing an October 2024 deadline.
“I don’t think anybody’s trying to push this off,” Colbert said. “I think we have done a tremendous amount of work, this council has, and there’s only so many minutes or hours in a day. Nothing’s lost…We’ve done a lot of work on the trees. It just takes a lot of time.”
