Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Washington Capitals-donated skating rink nears opening at Lake Fairfax Park

Published May 6, 2024 at 2:30PM

A new inline hockey rink donated by the Washington Capitals is being installed at Lake Fairfax Park (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The Washington Capitals will soon unveil a new sports facility in Northern Virginia — one likely to be much less controversial than the team owner’s failed push for an arena in Alexandria.

Installation of the inline skate rink donated by the D.C.-based professional hockey team to Lake Fairfax Park (1400 Lake Fairfax Drive) in Reston is expected to finish this week, according to the Fairfax County Park Authority.

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Vienna will require developers to preserve trees, starting this summer

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 6, 2024 at 1:30PM

A yard sign advocates for saving Vienna's trees (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Going forward, developers in the Town of Vienna will be required to save trees, not just replace them.

After years of study and discussion, the Vienna Town Council voted on April 29 to adopt a new tree conservation ordinance and create an advocacy committee in a bid to preserve and expand the town’s declining canopy.

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Burke resident dies in private plane crash, state police say

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 6, 2024 at 10:30AM

Police and first responders at the scene of a fatal plane crash in Palmyra (courtesy Virginia State Police)

Two people, including a 73-year-old Burke resident, were killed yesterday (Sunday) when their plane crashed in central Virginia, police say.

According to the Virginia State Police, the sheriff’s office in Fluvanna County got a 911 call at 8:54 a.m. from residents of Palmyra who reported seeing a “low-flying plane,” followed by “what sounded like an explosion.”

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Photos: Barnes & Noble temporarily closes Tysons store, will relocate within mall

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 6, 2024 at 9:30AM

Barnes and Noble at Tysons Corner Center on May 4, 2024, a day before it temporarily closed (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Barnes & Noble has closed up shop at Tysons Corner Center for the year.

Yesterday (Sunday) was the bookstore’s last day serving customers in the two-level space it has occupied since the mall’s expansion wing opened in 2005. In the month leading up to the closure, shelves were emptied and some areas closed, including the cafe, as the store cleared merchandise through “last chance sale” discounts.

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Reston Association launches public survey on proposed Shadowood renaming

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 3, 2024 at 11:30AM

A sign for Reston's Shadowood Recreation Area (via Reston Association)

The push to rename Reston’s Shadowood Recreation Area has reached a new phase with the launch of an online survey.

Reston Association announced on Wednesday (May 1) that it’s officially seeking community input on a possible name change for the swimming pool and tennis courts on Springwood Drive.

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Developer proposes hotel with condos in place of long-planned Tysons office building

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 3, 2024 at 10:30AM

Plans to construct a City View office building at 7901 Westpark Drive in Tysons have stalled, leaving the site vacant (via Google Maps)

A D.C. developer is officially scuttling plans for City View, an office high-rise once expected to break ground near Tysons Galleria a decade ago.

Four Points has asked Fairfax County to amend its plan for the 1.7-acre site at 7901 Westpark Drive so it can build a 28-story hotel and condominium tower instead of the 10-story office building that the Board of Supervisors approved in 2012 as part of the Arbor Row development.

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FCPD: Lorton man arrested for shooting at fellow rideshare passenger

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 3, 2024 at 9:45AM

Fairfax County police logo (file photo)

Police arrested a Lorton man earlier this week in connection to a March 1 incident where he allegedly fired a gun at another rideshare passenger.

According to the Fairfax County Police Department, officers responded to the 9200 block of Ashland Woods Lane in Lorton shortly after midnight for a call about a shooting.

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Fatal McLean police shooting was ‘tragic’ but not ‘legally unreasonable,’ auditor says

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 2, 2024 at 4:30PM

Media gathered for a police briefing on officer's fatal shooting of Jasper Aaron Lynch in McLean on July 7, 2022 (via FCPD/Twitter)

An officer who fatally shot a McLean man in 2022 violated Fairfax County Police Department policies, but the shooting itself was within policy and legal bounds, a new report on the FCPD’s investigation says.

In the report, which was released yesterday (Wednesday), Fairfax County Independent Police Auditor Richard Schott affirmed the police department and Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s findings that none of the three responding officers violated criminal law when they tased and shot 26-year-old Jasper Aaron Lynch at his home on July 7, 2022.

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Report: Inova backs off plans for mixed-use ‘innovation district’ on Merrifield campus

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 2, 2024 at 11:30AM

Inova's Center for Personalized Health campus in Merrifield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Inova Health System appears to be narrowing its vision for the former ExxonMobil headquarters site in Merrifield to health care.

The nonprofit has “no immediate intention” of pursuing previously approved plans to turn the 117-acre campus at 8095 Innovation Park Drive into a mixed-use development, Inova President and CEO Dr. Stephen Jones recently told the Washington Business Journal.

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Fairfax restaurant listed among 25 best in D.C. by New York Times

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 2, 2024 at 9:30AM

Inside Mama Chang in Fairfax City (courtesy Mama Chang)

Mama Chang may not be in D.C., but that didn’t stop it from being named among the city’s best restaurants by the New York Times.

The Fairfax City eatery from high-profile chef Peter Chang earned a spot in a list of the “25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now” that the Gray Lady published on Monday (April 29), continuing a series highlighting the food desk’s favorite restaurants in cities around the U.S.