By Brian Trompeter
Fairfax County officials plan to purchase a property at 819 Swinks Mill Road in McLean, then demolish the home and impervious surfaces there and restore the natural floodplain.
The Board of Supervisors on March 21 was set to authorize the Stormwater Planning Division of the county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services to accept $920,000 from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM). The grant funding, which is available through Aug. 8, 2025, originated from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program.
The project will cost up to $1,424,025, with the remaining $500,000 balance coming from a county stormwater fund.
That section of McLean is quite hilly and leads toward Scotts Run Nature Preserve. The house at 819 Swinks Mill Road was constructed in 1950, before the advent of the National Flood Insurance Program. The home sits withing the 100-year flood-inundation zone of Scotts Run and is at “significant risk” of flood damage, county officials said.
Because the house was damaged by floods during storms in June 2006, September 2011 and July 2019, officials have classified it as eligible for mitigation assistance.
FEMA and VDEM on Sept. 16, 2022, approved grant funding for the project, which will pay for acquisition and closing costs, demolition, debris removal, site restoration and construction management.
Public Hearing Set on Whittier Ave. Parking Restrictions: Fairfax County supervisors on March 21 were slated to set a public hearing on May 9 to discuss proposed rules that would prohibit overnight parking of commercial vehicles, recreational vehicles and trailers on a section of Whittier Avenue in downtown McLean.
The proposal would ban the parking of such vehicles from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day on Whittier Avenue between Old Dominion Drive and Laughlin Avenue.
County code allows the Board of Supervisors to restrict parking in non-residential areas if long-term vehicle parking reduces on-street parking for other uses.
Representatives of businesses on commercial parcels of Whittier Avenue contacted the Dranesville District supervisor’s office in hopes of restricting the parking of commercial vehicles, recreational vehicles and trailers on the street’s unrestricted blocks.
Fairfax County Department of Transportation staff reviewed those Whittier Avenue blocks multiple times over a 30-day period and confirmed that long-term parking of commercial vehicles is reducing the availability of on-street parking for other uses, county officials said.
If supervisors approve the proposed parking restrictions, it would cost the county about $700 to install signage alerting motorists to the new rules.
Supervisors to Set Public Hearings on ‘Parking Reimagined’ Proposals: Fairfax County’s long-awaited, and long argued about, “Parking Reimagined” proposal will be the subject of two public hearings before the Board of Supervisors votes on the new rules.
Supervisors were set on March 21 to authorize a Fairfax County Planning Commission public hearing on April 19 and a Board of Supervisors hearing on June 6.
The Parking Reimagined initiative’s aim has been to reduce excess parking in order to lessen environmental impacts such as stormwater runoff and heat islands, encourage place-making efforts, promote efficient use of valuable land and allow for greater parking flexibility for current and future land uses.
The county’s Department of Planning and Development and Land Development Services have been poring over county parking regulations since August 2021. The last such comprehensive review was in 1988.
The sweeping new rules would institute a tiered parking framework for various areas, with fewer spaces required in high-density and revitalization areas. There also would be new rules for off-street parking and loading, bicycle parking and stacking spaces. For specifics on the proposed parking changes, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov and search for “Parking Reimagined.”
County Seeking Nearly $2 Million to Bolster Recycling Efforts: Fairfax County supervisors on March 21 plan to authorize the county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services’ Solid Waste Management Program to apply for and accept $1,991,208 in grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which would be used to enhance the county’s recycling efforts.
If the EPA approves the grant request, the county would use the funds to survey and tag recyclable items put out at curbside by residents and, if necessary, give residents feedback on how they could do a better job recycling. County workers would leave an “oops” tag if residents placed inappropriate items in their recycling carts.
Such an approach is an effective way to increase recycling rates and decrease contamination in residential-recycling programs, officials said. The county estimates the initiative would cost $2.3 million.
The grant period would run from this August through December 2024. After the grant funding expired, the county would not be obligated to continue funding the program.
County Pursuing $1 Million EPA Grant for ‘Resilience Hub/Solar Sanctuary’ Initiative: The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on March 21 was expected to authorize the county’s Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination (OEEC) to apply for a $1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Government-to-Government program.
County officials would use the moneys to establish a “Resilience Hub/Solar Sanctuary” in a vulnerable part of the county. Resilience Hubs support residents, coordinate communication, distribute resources and enhance the selected communities’ capacity to adapt to climate change, officials said.
OEEC is evaluating potential sites with partner organizations and agencies. The pilot project would be a model for establishing other Resilience Hubs/Solar Sanctuaries in the county, as well as elsewhere in the country, officials said.
The grant requires the county to partner with community-based organizations, and the OEEC will work with local non-profits including Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions.
No local funding match would be required for the grant and no new county positions would be created as a result. County officials propose these uses for the grant funds:
• $25,000 for energy audits.
• $600,000 for materials and upgrade costs, including solar photovoltaic panels, battery storage and back-up power, and energy efficiency upgrades.
• $25,000 for building remediation, such as asbestos removal, lead-risk reduction, and environmental-hazard alleviation.
• $100,000 for design and construction of stormwater infrastructure.
• $150,000 in staff support (non-profit sub-awardee) for management, to be spread out over three years.
• $25,000 for education and outreach-program development.
• $75,000 for a workforce-development training program and related materials.
