Author: James Jarvis

James Jarvis covers county government, local politics, schools business openings, and development for both FFXnow and ARLnow. Originally from Fauquier County, he earned his bachelor’s degree in government from Franklin & Marshall College and his master’s degree in journalism from Georgetown University. Previously, he reported on Fairfax, Prince William, and Fauquier counties for Rappahannock Media/InsideNoVa. He joined the ARLnow news team as an assistant editor in August 2023.

Published February 14, 2025 at 9:00AM

Fairfax County Public Schools Chief Financial Officer Leigh Burden at a school board work session on Feb. 4, 2025 (via FCPS/YouTube)

For Fairfax County Public Schools officials, an already daunting budget season has been complicated by a new financial risk: the possibility of losing federal funding.

Last month, the federal Office of Management and Budget issued a memo directing federal agencies to halt spending so it can review financial assistance programs to ensure they align with administration priorities — which include eliminating diversity initiatives, rolling back environmental regulations, and restricting immigration.

Countywide

FCPS braces for fallout as VHSL moves to enforce Trump’s transgender athlete ban

By James Jarvis

Published February 13, 2025 at 11:20AM

Scenes from a transgender rights rally at Luther Jackson Middle School in Fairfax (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Fairfax County Public Schools is facing a legal and financial dilemma after the Virginia High School League’s (VHSL) executive committee voted to ban transgender student athletes from competing in girls’ sports.

The league, which governs public school sports and other competitions across Virginia, announced the policy change on Monday (Feb. 10) after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to withhold funding from educational and athletic institutions that let transgender girls and women to compete in female sports.

News

Developers propose turning Grist Mill Park barn into restaurant, concert venue

By James Jarvis

Published February 12, 2025 at 9:00AM

Grist Mill Park Barn (via Google Maps)

A group of local developers is looking to transform the long-unused barn at Mount Vernon’s Grist Mill Park into a restaurant and live music venue.

The unsolicited proposal was submitted by Long & Foster realtors Mark and Michael White, Tech24 Construction CEO and President Victor Bonomi, and First Washington Realty senior construction director Daniel Wiechert.

News

Local early childhood education center reels from federal funding uncertainty

By James Jarvis

Published February 10, 2025 at 3:45PM

Sen. Tim Kaine walks with High Horizons Executive Director Latisha Howze (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The Trump administration’s freeze on federal grants and loans has left early childhood education programs like Higher Horizons in Bailey’s Crossroads facing financial uncertainty, even after a court ruled the funding must resume.

On Friday (Feb. 7), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) met with staff and educators at the nonprofit Head Start provider to discuss the lingering effects of the freeze, which was triggered by a White House directive pausing federal aid while the administration reviewed how the funds align with its policy goals.

Countywide

Fairfax County kicks off public outreach on planned trash collection overhaul

By James Jarvis

Published February 4, 2025 at 8:15AM

Trash bins on the side of a road in Dunn Loring (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County is launching a public outreach campaign ahead of a June Board of Supervisors hearing on its plan to take over management of residential trash collection.

The Department of Public Works and Environmental Services introduced its plan for Unified Sanitation Districts (USD) in December. The proposal would shift the county from a waste collection system where most single-family homeowners hire private haulers to a county-managed model that would assign private companies to specific collection zones.

News

McLean Citizens Association questions need for Dunn Loring school before board vote

By James Jarvis

Published February 3, 2025 at 3:55PM

Dunn Loring Elementary School design (via Fairfax County Public Schools)

The McLean Citizens Association (MCA) is calling for the Fairfax County School Board to delay the construction of a new Dunn Loring elementary school, arguing that the project is unnecessary given the ongoing decline in student enrollment at nearby schools.

The request comes ahead of a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting tomorrow (Feb. 4), when officials are set to hold a public hearing and vote on whether to approve the project.

News

Hotel conversion into Fair Oaks family shelter approved despite resident objections

By James Jarvis

Published February 3, 2025 at 9:45AM

Sign advertises the Fairfax County Planning Commission's public hearing on a proposed family shelter at 3997 Fair Ridge Drive (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Plans to convert a former extended-stay hotel into an emergency family shelter are moving forward after the Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously approved the project, despite pushback from nearby residents.

Commissioners voted 9-0 (with two members absent) to allow the shelter at 3997 Fair Ridge Drive across from Fair Oaks Mall. Formerly an Extended Stay America hotel, the site will be repurposed to provide emergency temporary housing for families experiencing homelessness and serve as a domestic violence shelter.

News

Prosperity Avenue road diet plan faces obstacle from proposed development

By James Jarvis

Published January 30, 2025 at 9:45AM

Prosperity Avenue approaching the noise wall along I-66 in Merrifield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County’s plan to add protected bicycle lanes and pedestrian safety features to Prosperity Avenue is moving ahead, but a new high-density development along the Merrifield corridor could complicate the design.

At a public meeting on Monday (Jan. 27), the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) shared the latest updates on its road diet project, which would reduce the road from four to two lanes, add buffered bike lanes, and introduce pedestrian safety improvements in front of the Dunn Loring Metro station between Hilltop Road and Gallows Road.

Countywide

Federal spending freeze could have jeopardized student meals, FCPS superintendent says

By James Jarvis

Published January 30, 2025 at 9:00AM

Justice High School cafeteria staff prepare meals for distribution to students during a snow day (courtesy Donnie Biggs/FCPS)

The Trump administration’s plan to freeze federal spending could’ve disrupted free and reduced-price meals for thousands of students if it had taken effect, according to Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid.

The directive, issued Monday (Jan. 27), ordered federal agencies to halt grants, loans, and other aid and review federal financial assistance programs to ensure they align with President Donald Trump’s policy agenda, which has prioritized cutting government spending and scaling back diversity and equity efforts, among other goals.

Countywide

Fairfax County explores tighter rules for substations as energy demand grows

By James Jarvis

Published January 29, 2025 at 3:45PM

138 Kv power lines connected to Reston substation (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Fairfax County is proposing new zoning regulations for utility substations that could limit where they can be built and impose stricter standards on projects near residential neighborhoods.

The draft amendments, discussed at a Board of Supervisors Land Use Policy Committee meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 28), aim to address community concerns about the noise and industrial appearance of substations, while accommodating the region’s growing energy needs, zoning administrative staff said.

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