Author: FFXnow.com

County Releases Draft Outdoor Dining Rules — “Fairfax County officials are crafting a proposed zoning-ordinance amendment to make permanent some of the relaxed outdoor-dining rules implemented during the pandemic, but also address concerns about noise and the number of seats.” Virtual meetings on the proposal were held last week and on Tuesday (Aug. 15), with public hearings expected in early 2024. [Gazette Leader]

Tysons Nonprofit Opens Drone Testing Range — “Research and development nonprofit MITRE, with dual headquarters in McLean, Virginia and Bedford, Massachusetts, cut the ribbon this week on a new drone testing range near Orange, Virginia. The facility will be used to experiment with small, uncrewed aircraft systems and serve as a proving ground to develop, test and evaluate new drone, counter-drone and autonomous systems.” [WTOP]

Annandale Church’s “Black Lives Matter” Banner Vandalized — “Someone tore down banners at Little River United Church of Christ in Annandale during the night of Sunday, Aug. 13. One banner said ‘Black Lives Matter.’ The other said ‘Be the church'” and phrases like “fight for the powerless,” “reject racism” and “embrace diversity.” [Annandale Today]

Tysons Concourse Office Buildings Acquired — “A Rockville developer has acquired a 1980s-era office complex near Metro’s Silver Line in Tysons with an eye toward eventually redeveloping it as a mixed-use property with a focus on residential.” The new owner, Berman Enterprises LP, says its short-term plan is to lease the twin seven-story buildings at 1593 Spring Hill Road, but it will later evaluate “what a redevelopment could look like.” [Washington Business Journal]

Meeting Tonight on Burke Centre Parkway Safety — Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw is hosting a virtual community meeting at 7-8 p.m. tonight (Tuesday) to address the roadway’s safety after last month’s fatal crash. Police will touch on recent traffic enforcement, and VDOT will share the process for “potential design changes.” [The Walkinshaw Advisory]

People Found Sleeping in Reportedly Stolen Car Arrested — “Two people were arrested in a Lorton shopping center parking lot after they were found sleeping inside a vehicle that had been reported stolen, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.” [Patch]

Victims in Fatal Friday Crashes Identified — Fairfax County police have identified a pedestrian killed on Kirby Road on Friday morning (Aug. 11) as 86-year-old Brigitte Forster of McLean and a man who died after a three-vehicle crash on Arlington Blvd in Merrifield as “Paul Hession, 85, of the Churchill neighborhood.” Police also provided more details of a crash that shut down Route 50 that day near Fair Oaks Mall. [FCPD 1, 2, 3]

County Sticks With Contractor for Meals on Wheels — After previously relying on volunteers for the program, which delivers meals to seniors and people who are homebound, Fairfax County started “engaging a contractor to drop meals on a more limited once per week schedule” during the pandemic. At least one volunteer leader hopes Virginia will reject the county’s plan to keep using a contractor and the reduced schedule. [DCist]

Crane Removal May Affect GMU Area Traffic — “This Saturday, August 12, beginning at 9:00 a.m., contractors will be removing a crane from the central portion of the One University building site adjacent to the George Mason University campus…The removal will take several hours and will block the northern curb lane on University Drive just west of Route 123, near Mason’s Field House.” [The Walkinshaw Advisory]

Metro Train Operator Fired After Stranding Riders — “Metro is requiring supervisors to conduct checks on train operators working split shifts after an intoxicated operator left passengers stranded for 40 minutes last year…The commission released a report on the incident, which occurred Dec. 23 and resulted in Metro firing the operator, Metro spokeswoman Sherri Ly said.” [Washington Post]