Editor’s Note — Tysons Reporter is running Q&As with the candidates running for the Dranesville and Providence District seats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this week. The stories have been lightly condensed and edited for clarity.
Featured here is Democrat John Foust, who is running against Republican Ed Martin for the Dranesville District seat, which represents McLean, Great Falls, Herndon and portions of Vienna and Falls Church.
John Foust is hoping that the upcoming election will land him another term representing people in McLean on the Board of Supervisors.
First elected to the board in 2007, Foust currently serves as the chairman of the county’s transportation and information technology committees, along with chairing the Fairfax County Economic Advisory Commission.
Originally from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Foust has been living in Northern Virginia since 1981 and in McLean since 1987, according to his county bio. He’s worked in steel mills and practiced construction law in Northern Virginia.
During a recent candidate debate in McLean, Foust pointed to his experience on the county board — pointing to the expansion of Balls Hill Road at Georgetown Pike to address traffic and the widening of Leesburg Pike (Route 7).
Tysons Reporter met up with Foust in his office to ask about how he would tackle affordable housing and capacity issues at public schools and what his top infrastructure priorities are if he is re-elected for another four-year term.
Tysons Reporter: Do you any plans to encourage the use of wind and solar polar among constituents. If so, how?
John Foust: Definitely. We are particularly with solar we at the county level have 130 or so buildings that we are looking at putting solar on, but with the constituents we are going out to the community with the CECAP — a community-wide energy and climate action planning process — and part of that is going to be looking at the possibility of solar on residential and commercial buildings in Fairfax County.
TR: As people come into the area, what do you say are your top priorities to stay and age in place?
Foust: At the county level, we have a 50+ Committee that has developed a lot of programs and services to address the senior population and to help them stay in their homes. Locally, I have established three different groups — one in McLean, one in Great Falls and one in Herndon — to help seniors and people with disabilities stay in their homes and stay in the community.
Each one has taken is set up to be run by volunteers and community leaders, and each one has taken on a slightly different angle on how they are going to do that based on what they think the most immediate needs are in their particular community.
For example in Herndon, it’s almost exclusively designed around transportation and getting seniors rides to their doctors and to wherever they need to go. It’s the most common complaint we hear from seniors is that they don’t have transportation.
So then we have in Great Falls, which is a semi-rural community and people don’t see each other on a regular basis all of the time, they focus more on a social environment. In McLean, it has been very active. We’re focusing a lot on education and resources.
TR: Anything you haven’t done yet that you would want to do to help people age in place?
Foust: The most important thing we can do for some people is to get the economy going to the point where they have a strong economy that can provide tax relief. That’s a very expensive proposition but it’s also something that is contributing to the difficulties seniors have staying in their homes.
We — Fairfax County and all counties in Virginia — our primary funding source is property taxes and so there are programs available to provide relief to seniors but they are not very generous and they can’t be until we have other revenue sources to subsidize that relief.
TR: What about home-sharing?
Foust: We’ve talked about it on numerous occasions. There are obviously issues having strangers come into your home and being responsible for some of your care. So there are issues but there are nonprofits that I think take the issues on and make that happen. And it would be a very positive development if we had that. It would provide another choice.
TR: How do you want to approach affordable housing? What do you think the county can do to make sure there are enough units for young professionals coming in?
Foust: The market pretty much delivers the housing we need for the people earning 120% or more of the AMI — the area median income. We use inclusionary zoning to try to create a significant inventory of what we would call workforce housing, which is in the 80-120% of AMI in and around the Metro stations. But then for 80% or 60% of AMI or lower, it’s a huge challenge and that’s the affordable housing market that we as a government have to be more involved in, whether it’s creating incentives or financial participation.
At the Board of Supervisors, we dedicate half of a penny a year — this is a new development — on the real estate tax, which is about $12 million, to support nonprofits and others who are trying to preserve the affordable housing that we do have. And then we added an additional penny, which is about $25 million a year — to support nonprofits and others who are trying to expand to the number of affordable housing units that we have in the county.
We, as a board, we have made a commitment to have delivered 5,000 units of affordable housing for people earning 60% or lower of the AMI over the next 15 years.
TR: Do you think the county needs to do more for affordable housing? Or is the track you’re on right now —
Foust: — No, the track we’re on right now isn’t — it’s a much better track, but it’s not going to lead to fully satisfying the demand. So that’s why we have other tools that we use. And we have Phase 1 of the Strategic Plan identified 25 different things that we could be doing. For example, big things like working with nonprofits [and] making government-owned land available.
TR: What are your top three transit infrastructure priorities?
Foust: Completing the Silver Line is absolutely critical. Creating and expanding a bus rapid transit network between activity centers in the county. And expanding the general bus service feeding the Metro stations on the Silver Line.
TR: Overall, how do you think the county can better approach capacity issues at the public schools?
Foust: You have to look at adjacent school districts and see if there are dramatic capacity differences and if so, whether there is are adjacents that can be made with community support to utilize the capacity at schools that are underutilized and relieve the pressure on schools that are over capacity.
You also have the Capital Improvement [Program], which require significant funding. So we made significant increases in capital improvements for schools currently at $180 million a year under bonding authority. In all probability, that number should be higher and we need to continue to look at that and try to get more projects done.
And generally, other outside funding via bonding in other areas to deliver more annual funding streams to focus on capital improvements and renovating the schools and increasing capacity.
TR: I’m assuming it’s different trying to address it before it becomes an issue than have to go back and try to fix it.
Foust: Yeah. We just have to bite some bullets and build some new schools. Eventually, we have built very few new schools in the county in the past decade and [the] population continues to grow.
My sense is that the School Board feels that buying the land is not the best bang for the buck because they already have schools with the land and it makes more sense to expand those schools. And from an operating standpoint — budgetary — it makes more sense to renovate and expand the schools you have rather than to build new schools.
But that gets you so far and at some point, you’re going to need to get some new schools. The one in Tysons is very high on my priority for the elementary school, especially. They have the land proffered to us, given to us by a developer. And it just needs to be incorporated into the school’s CIP and built.
The election is one week away for Fairfax County voters — and several seats are contested on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and School Board.
Eight of the nine district seats on the school board are contested, while six district seats and the chair are contested for the Board of Supervisors.
While many are incumbents — like John Foust, Penny Gross and Pat Herrity on the Board of Supervisors — some new faces are also vying for seats due to officials retiring, like Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth.
Here are the candidates (listed alphabetically by last name) running in the races Tysons Reporter will be reporting on next week:
Chairman of Board of Supervisors
- Joseph Galdo (Republican)
- Jeff McKay (Democrat)
Providence District Supervisor
- Eric Anthony Jones (Republican)
- Dalia Palchik (Democrat)
Dranesville District Supervisor
- John Foust (Democrat)
- Ed Martin (Republican)
Commonwealth’s Attorney
- Steve Descano (Democrat)
- Jonathan Fahey (Independent)
Fairfax County School Board — Providence District Seat
Fairfax County School Board — Dranesville District Seat
Fairfax County School Board — At-Large Seats (voters choose three)
In total, 10 locations will offer in-person absentee voting until Saturday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m.
Voters can find their polling locations with the My Neighborhood Map or through the portal on the Virginia Department of Elections website. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Check back on Wednesday and Thursday this week for Q&As with the Providence and Dranesville District candidates for the Board of Supervisors.
The election is next Tuesday, Nov. 5.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is set to hold a public hearing about a real estate tax exemption involving disability income tomorrow (Tuesday).
Fairfax County currently provides income-based real estate tax relief to homeowners based on income and disability.
A revision to the Virginia Code in July now allows localities to exclude the disability income of disabled relatives living in a taxpayer’s home from the total combined income calculation.
The proposal before the Board of Supervisors would codify that exemption for taxpayers in Fairfax County.
County staff has said the tax change could “potentially [expand] the number of properties that qualify for tax relief.”
More from Fairfax County:
The total amount of relief resulting from this amendment is difficult to estimate because the Department of Tax Administration cannot precisely determine how many individuals will apply and qualify under the revised calculation. It is anticipated that the fiscal impact will be minor.
The public hearings start at 3 p.m. and the tax one is set to start around 4 p.m.
If approved, the change would go into effect on Jan. 1.
Photo via Fairfax County/Facebook
The two candidates vying for the Dranesville District seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors debated last night in McLean.
The debate was hosted by the League of Women Voters-Fairfax Area at the McLean Community Center last night. Incumbent John Foust and Republican Ed Martin sparred on issues ranging from traffic congestion to gun regulations.
While they both agreed that it’s difficult to afford to live in the county and that focusing on climate crisis is important, the two men took very different approaches to how they would tackle the issues in the audience-submitted questions.
Foust pointed to his experience on the county board — he was first elected in 2007 — to emphasize that the local government will continue to make progress, pointing to the expansion of Balls Hill Road at Georgetown Pike to address traffic and the county’s conversion of existing streetlights to LEDs.
“We’re doing what’s necessary to prepare for the growth,” Foust said in response to a question about infrastructure and population growth. “[We need to do] more of what we’re doing.”
Meanwhile, Martin, who currently lives in Great Falls, pushed for lower taxes, more pressure on Richmond and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan about the traffic on I-495 and reconsideration of the One Fairfax policy — a social and racial equity policy.
“I reject One Fairfax,” Martin said, adding that equity is in the eye of the beholder. “Don’t we like equity? I like exceptional.”
While the debate was mostly civil, the conversation became heated around guns and whether Fairfax County should be a “sanctuary county.”
Foust passionately said that he supports banning guns from public facilities. “It’s scary. It is not fair to people,” he said.
While Martin said that he would defer to law enforcement’s opinion on guns in public facilities, his answer mostly criticized Foust for not taking enough action on the trailers at McLean High School.
“Having trailers behind a school is not safe,” he said before transitioning to his position that sanctuary counties can lead to violence.
Foust responded that he wants to see the trailers go away as well. While Martin noted safety several times throughout the debate, Foust said that Republicans wanting to limit gun regulations have made “none of us safe.”
“We are constantly rated the safest community for our size in the country,” Foust said, adding, “We are not a sanctuary county. I will tell you, we don’t go out and enforce civil warrants by ICE.”
By the time the debate wrapped up, the candidates had taken several jabs at each other.
Martin said Foust’s “I delivered” statements show Foust is part of antiquated leadership, while Foust dragged Martin for being a newcomer to the area — “I have never seen you at a community event” — and also for not filing some of his campaign finance reports.
The election is on Nov. 5.
Images via Fairfax County and voteedmartin.com
The two candidates vying for the Providence District seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors faced off last night at the Providence District Community Center.
The League of Women Voters, who hosted the debate, encouraged attendees to submit questions for Democratic Dalia Palchik and Republican Eric Jones, and the candidates didn’t hesitate to disagree when it came to the hot-button issues of the evening.
They compared thoughts on the importance of census data, budgets, sanctuary counties, immigration, renewable energy, panhandling and firearm regulation throughout the evening. Here are some highlights from the debate:
Affordable Housing and a Rising Cost of Living
When it comes to the panhandling in Fairfax County, Jones said people struggling financially in the area should move elsewhere in the country where the cost of living is lower, like Ohio.
“It’s very expensive to live here. there are other places where it’s not so expensive to live,” Jones said. “To some degree, it is simply a choice [on where to live.]”
Palchik took another approach. “I support that we took a step back and said, ‘No, we are not going to criminalize panhandling,'” she said, adding that the county should work to ensure there is enough affordable housing and job security.
On the topic of affordable housing, Palchik said she is looking into coordinating with faith-based organizations to expand affordable housing options, especially for seniors.
While Fairfax County has been highlighting its recent affordable housing efforts — especially in Tysons — the candidates stressed the importance of financial security.
Dalia said she wants to focus on fighting for fair wages for county employees, while Jones said he would rethinking policies for zoning and regulation to help small businesses.
Immigration and the Census
Immigration and the U.S. Census were popular topics during the debate.
Palchik said she was pleased when the citizenship question was removed from the census, saying that it encourages more participation. Without responses accurately representing the population of the district, the county would lose out on tax revenue that benefits the community, she said.
“We still have families who fear coming to school to sending their kids to preschool or going to a food pantry, because they are afraid we are collaborating and sharing their information with police,” she said.
Meanwhile, Jones said he believes undocumented immigrants are a danger to the community. “I am especially against sanctuary countries,” he said. “These are especially harmful to our legal immigrants.”
During his time with the U.S. State Department, Jones said he conducted interviews for the immigration process and granted thousands of people citizenship or permanent resident status.
“I believe we should cooperate completely with federal authorities,” he said.
Renewable Energy
One of the largest issues the candidates clashed on was the implementation of renewable energy. Palchik seemed to be in full support while Jones said the cost would outweigh the benefits.
“I think the so-called New Green Deal is unrealistic,” Jones said, referring to the Green New Deal. “You cannot run the Metro system on wind power, solar power and batteries.”
Instead, he told the audience that he believes in natural gas and nuclear power.
Palchik shifted the conversation, noting her endorsement by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups around the area. Palchik pointed to her time on the Fairfax County School Board, where she launched a joint environmental taskforce with the school board, students and Board of Supervisors.
She said that, if elected, she will be spending time in Richmond working to eliminate solar energy roadblocks.
New Republican Candidate
Jones was a new face for voters. After candidate Paul Bolon’s death in August, Jones was chosen as the new conservative candidate to run against Palchik.
“I’m running to give voters a choice in Providence District,” Jones said during his opening statement. “I wish my friend Bolon was here today.”
Palchik gave her respects after the debate. “I want to thank Mr. Jones for stepping up, I know it was a tragedy.”
The election is on Nov. 5.
The McLean Medical Building’s days are numbered now that Sunrise Senior Living is building a senior living facility on the site.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently approved the facility, which will add 140 beds, 40 employees at peak times and a public garden, along with open space for private use by the residents.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust praised Sunrise at the meeting on Tuesday (Oct. 15), calling the facility’s public garden “an excellent contribution to downtown McLean.”
Sunrise tried to bring a senior living facility to McLean two years ago.
In 2017, the board nixed Sunrise’s plans to open a facility at 1988 Kirby Road over concerns that it would overwhelm the surrounding residential area and worsen traffic.
“The last time Sunrise came before this board in Dranesville, it wasn’t this much fun,” Foust said. “The funny thing was a lot of the testimony pointed to this [location].”
Now, Sunrise plans to raze the McLean Medical Building on the site at 1515 Chain Bridge Road. A historical link was uncovered earlier this year tying the building, which is not listed on any official historical register, to the doctor behind the first polio vaccine.
“They have taken the perfect site and done it exactly right,” Foust said.
First image via DPZ, second image via Fairfax County
A new tower is coming to Tysons’ skyline and snapping up the “tallest building in the region” title.
The tower is apart of Clemente Development Co. plans for The View development, which won approval from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last night (Tuesday).
The mixed-use development by the Spring Hill Metro station will add six buildings, including the 600-foot-tall building that will reach higher than Capital One’s headquarters.
Known as the Iconic Tower, building plans to capitalize on its height with a publicly-accessible botanical garden and observation deck.
The development has been praised for its varied building heights and sleek design, but the Iconic Tower’s height of 600 feet — 200 feet above the maximum for Tysons buildings — has received some criticism from the McLean Citizens Association.
Dale Stein, the president of MCA, said that the height “breaks the trust of the community.”
However, the supervisors felt differently.
Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth said that the height creates an architectural statement that will help define downtown Tysons.
“If we keep that 400-foot level… we will have a collection of 400-foot shoeboxes defining our skyline in Tysons,” Smyth said, adding that people are “starting to see that already.”
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said that while he understands the MCA’s position about the height, “I don’t necessarily agree with that concern.”
Supervisors also lauded the development’s planned entertainment uses, which include a black box theater, art walk and open-air theater, along with a nearby community center.
“We’re no longer suburbia,” Smyth said. “We are going into the future with this.”
Image via Fairfax County
At the developer’s request, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is pushing its consideration of single-family homes in Merrifield to January.
Toll Mid-Atlantic LP Company is looking to knock down the existing house and structures by the Bear Branch stream valley and Lee Hwy to build 28 homes.
The redevelopment would keep about 35% of the property as open space. Each home would have a two-car garage, a 15-foot front yard setback and a 20-foot rear yard setback, according to the plans.
The Planning Commission recommended approval of the proposed infill project in September.
The proposal was set to have a public hearing before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors today (Oct. 15), but the developer requested that the public hearing get pushed to the second board meeting in January.
Images via Fairfax County
Heres What’s Closed Today — Government facilities, transit options and community centers are affected by Columbus Day — also known as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” in some areas — today. [Tysons Reporter]
FCPS OKs CBD Oil — “The Fairfax County School Board has approved a policy on the storage, dispensing, and administration of cannabidiol oil and THC-A that aligns with Virginia law that became effective on July 1.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Reston Hospital Center Coming to Tysons — “The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 24 unanimously approved plans by Reston Hospital Center to convert an existing three-story restaurant/bank building at 8240 Leesburg Pike into a freestanding emergency room that will be associated with Reston Hospital.” [Inside NoVa]
New Owners for Tysons Office Building — “American Real Estate Partners (AREP) has acquired 1660 International Drive, a 212,731-square-foot, Class A office building in McLean, Va., from NewTower Trust Company in a $71 million deal, according to AREP.” [Commercial Observer]
Vanpooling in Tysons — “Tysons is aiming to increase the number of residents to 100,000 and the number of employees to 200,000 by 2050. It also wants to reduce the number of cars on the road… In order to accomplish both of these goals, Tysons has to help people get to work without driving themselves alone.” [Greater Greater Washington]
Voter Registration Deadline on Tuesday — The voter registration deadline is on Tuesday (Oct. 15). [Virginia Department of Elections]
Rabid Raccoon Found in Falls Church — “City of Falls Church Police report the Fairfax County Health Department confirmed Wednesday, Oct. 9, that the animal put down on Oct. 4 was suffering from rabies. Police say no human was exposed to the sick raccoon but warn that residents should be aware of the endemic threat of rabies to the area.” [Falls Church News-Press]
The View Moves Forward — “The Fairfax County Planning Commission voted 10-0 Thursday night to recommend approval of the View at Tysons, setting up a final vote Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.” [Washington Business Journal]
Tysons Reporter has learned that a retired foreign service officer is joining the race for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ Providence District seat.
Eric Jones started working for the U.S. State Department in 1990 and retired in 2016, according to his LinkedIn.
Jones and his wife Yelena, who is a realtor, bought their home in Fairfax in 2005, according to The Washington Post.
Jones has been endorsed by the Republican Party, Pat Ferguson, who works in Fairfax County’s Office of Elections, told Tysons Reporter.
His name is expected to show up on the Virginia Department of Elections’ list of candidates on Monday, Ferguson said.
The previous Republican candidate for the seat, Paul Bolon, died from a heart attack in August at the age of 69.
Jones will face Democratic candidate Dalia Palchik on Nov. 5.
Image via Fairfax County Republican Committee
