By Brian Trompeter
The Fairfax County Police Department will accept grant moneys, if awarded, to finance the purchase of license-plate-reading (LPR) equipment and explosive-ordnance-disposal robots, following expected authorization June 27 from the Board of Supervisors.
The department will apply for, and accept if received, $241,500 in funding from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services’ fiscal year 2023 Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program to purchase five LPR speed trailers, 44 LPR cameras and three mobile LPR cameras. The equipment, which has helped county police solve a bunch of recent crimes, is intended especially to combat a rise in violent carjackings and stolen vehicles, police said.
The grant, which requires neither a local cash match nor the creation of any new positions, will run from Sept. 1 this year to Sept. 30, 2024. Because of the May 26 application deadline, county staff submitted the required paperwork pending the Board of Supervisors’ approval. Staff informed the board May 11 about the intent to apply for the grant.
According to a study conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, more than 70 percent of crime is associated with a vehicle.
County police have been using LPR equipment since 2008 to identify stolen vehicles and license plates, wanted persons and vehicle involved in felonies. The department currently has 20 license-plate readers and nine mobile readers.
Just since Nov. 1, 2022, county police have used LPR systems to recover 34 stolen vehicles with a combined value of more than $735,000. In that same period, county police used the equipment to find five missing people and recover 11 firearms, most of which had been stolen and two of which had been modified for automatic fire.
Supervisors on June 27 also were expected to authorize county police to apply for, and accept if received, $1 million in grant funds to replace two outdated robots now being used by the police department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Section.
The funds would be made available by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services using federal dollars.
Replacing the old robots better will allow the EOD Section to inspect, evaluate and manipulate a potential improvised explosive device at a distance.
This grant would not necessitate any new positions or a local cash match.
Board to Designate Merrifield Site as Revitalization Area for Affordable-Housing Development: The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors was set June 27 to designate a 3.4-acre parcel in Merrifield as a revitalization area, in hopes this will enhance the site’s prospects to be used for an 80-unit affordable-housing development.
The site, located at 2990 Telestar Court, is owned by Inova Health Care Services, which is under contract to sell the site to Madison Investment Portfolio LLC. Madison has an agreement with Conifer Realty LLC to acquire and develop the Telestar site.
The affordable-housing development, which would require a rezoning from the county, would consist of an adaptive reuse of an existing office building at the site. The resulting affordable-housing units would serve households earning between 30 and 80 percent of Area Median Income, with the average being around 60 percent. (Fairfax County’s AMI currently is $152,100 for a family of four).
The development would feature a gym, laundry rooms, management and maintenance offices, and a community area for gatherings and events. The project also would include a public park with a playground, seating areas, open space and dog park.
By designating the location as a revitalization area, supervisors will make the project eligible for additional points under the state government’s evaluation process for housing tax credits.
Supervisors to Set Hearing on Proposed Restrictions on Boone Boulevard in Tysons: Fairfax County supervisors on June 27 were slated to set a public hearing for July 25 to discuss a proposed prohibition on parking of commercial vehicles, recreational vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers on a section of Boone Boulevard in Tysons.
The proposed restriction would apply 24 hours per day, every day of the week, along the north side of Boone Boulevard between Howard Avenue and the southeastern property line at 8230 Boone Boulevard. The amendment would include watercraft, boat trailers, motor homes and camping trailers under the category of recreational vehicles.
The owner of commercial properties at 8230 and 8246 Boone Boulevard asked the Providence District supervisor’s office about the possibility of restricting such vehicles on the street.
County staff on multiple occasions over a 30-day period studied parking along that block of Boone Boulevard and found there was long-term parking of commercial vehicles, which reduced the amount of available on-street parking for other purposes.
County officials estimate that if supervisors approved the proposed parking amendment, it would cost about $700 to install new signage along that section of the street.
