Around Town

An annual fundraiser that encourages diners to indulge their sweet tooth in the name of supporting breast cancer research will return to Northern Virginia this Friday (Oct. 16).

Four eateries in Fairfax County are participating in this year’s Bakes for Breast Cancer campaign, which asks restaurants, cafes, bakeries, grocery stores and other businesses to donate proceeds from their dessert sales to fund research and treatment of the disease.


News

Officials from Fairfax County and the Virginia Department of Transportation recently gathered to celebrate the impending completion of a nearly 4-year-long, $94.4 million project aimed at alleviating a key bottleneck on Route 29, near the Centreville area.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith, Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, and VDOT officials cut a ceremonial ribbon on Oct. 8 to mark the end of the widening project, which extends for 1.5 miles between Union Mill Road and Buckleys Gate Drive.


Countywide

Prices ticked up slightly for single-family houses, but otherwise, Fairfax County’s September real estate market was soft, according to new data.

A total of 897 properties went to closing during the month, down from 953 a year before and below the five-year September average of 930 transactions, according to figures reported Monday (Oct. 12) by MarketStats by Showing-Time.


News

The Historic Blenheim grounds in Fairfax City are closed for today (Tuesday) to accommodate the removal of a large southern red oak tree near the preserved 19th-century home.

The tree was initially scheduled to be removed on Oct. 2 as part of a larger project to restore the site’s woodland habitat, including by eliminating dead or invasive trees, but the contractor’s plans were foiled by “equipment problems,” the City of Fairfax said.


Event

The Reston Museum is excited to announce that the much-anticipated Reston Home Tour will take place from 10:00AM to 4:00PM Saturday, October 17th. The tour will feature six fabulous residences throughout Reston. Visit the homes at your own leisurely pace and enjoy the special touches, unique styles and specially crafted designs of each home. Tickets can be purchased at the Reston Museum located on Lake Anne Plaza or online at restonmuseum.org.


News

Reston Association members could face another assessment hike in the new year, but on the plus side, the increase might be the smallest since 2021.

RA CEO Peter Lusk proposed raising the annual fee paid by members of the homeowners’ association to $900 — a $10 or 1.1% increase from the current rate of $890 — to support a draft 2027 budget presented to the board of directors last Thursday (Oct. 8).


News

The McLean Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) welcomed a brand-new fire engine this weekend, doubling the number in its fleet.

According to department leaders, the community’s support was crucial throughout the process, which began with fundraising and ended with a push-in ceremony in the middle of an open house on Saturday (Oct. 10) where everyone from kids to Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman and Congressional Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) literally put their back into placing the engine in its new station.


News

FFXnow readers now have online access to archives of the GazetteLeader community newspaper from 2023 through 2024.

Local News Now, which acquired the GazetteLeader in September 2024, has merged the newspaper’s coverage into its own websites, with Fairfax-specific articles found at FFXnow and Arlington-related articles on its sister site, ARLnow.


Countywide

Rally Calls for Data Center Moratorium — “About 200 people – young activists, older adults, and parents with strollers – came out to a rally and march on Oct. 10 to show their support for a moratorium on data centers in Virginia. The event took place outside the Plaza 500 site in the Bren Mar Park community where Starwood Capital is planning to build a huge by-right data center complex next to residential neighborhoods. [Annandale Today]

Spilled Milk Closes Road — Henderson Road was temporarily closed between Winding Creek Court and Wolf Valley Lane in Clifton yesterday (Monday) afternoon “after a semi-truck lost its cargo containing milk crates on the roadway.” Drivers were advised to find alternate routes until the road reopened at around 6:45 p.m., according to Fairfax Alerts. [FCPD/X]


News

Fairfax County is moving forward with a $7.5 million project to add a child care center and an athletic field to the Hybla Valley Community Center.

At its Oct. 7 meeting, the Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously signed off on the proposal to revamp the facility at 7952 Audubon Avenue.