Author: Scott McCaffrey

A Northern Virginia native, Scott McCaffrey has four decades of reporting, editing and newsroom experience in the local area plus Florida, South Carolina and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. He spent 26 years as editor of the Sun Gazette newspaper chain. For Local News Now, he covers government and civic issues in Arlington, Fairfax County and Falls Church.

Countywide

New Va. data show extent of Fairfax’s unemployment uptick during 2025

By Scott McCaffrey
Job seekers at a Virginia Universities Career Fair in Merrifield in August 2025 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County ended 2025 with nearly 20% more residents unable to find work than it started the year.

New figures reported yesterday (Wednesday) by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advance pegged the county’s unemployment rate at 3.3% in December. Though down from 3.8% in November, it was up from 2.7% at the start of the year.

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Countywide

Volunteer Master Gardeners honored for 50 years of service in Fairfax County

By Scott McCaffrey
County supervisors on March 17, 2026 honored Fairfax County Master Gardeners (courtesy Fairfax County)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (March 17) lauded 50 years of service by the county’s Master Gardeners program.

During a presentation, Board Chairman Jeff McKay praised the “dedication, expertise and spirit of service” of volunteers who have supported the effort over the past half-century.

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News

Affordable housing approved for emptying Franconia Governmental Center site

By Scott McCaffrey
Rendering of affordable housing on Franconia Governmental Center site (via Soto Architecture & Urban Design/Fairfax County)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved a rezoning of the former Franconia Governmental Center site that will permit it to be redeveloped with affordable housing.

Though criticized by some, the proposed 120-unit apartment building won support from housing advocates, and the overall development plan “improved dramatically” during a lengthy community review, Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk said after yesterday’s 8-0 decision.

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Countywide

Fairfax board members denounce local General Assembly legislators who supported casino bill

By Scott McCaffrey and Angela Woolsey
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik and Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay chat during a March 2026 board meeting (staff photo by Jared Serre)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors doubled down yesterday morning (Tuesday) on their opposition to a Tysons casino — and ramped up criticism of state legislators pushing the measure.

“This was absolutely a direct attack on local government,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said at the March 17 meeting, which came three days after state legislators passed legislation that would add Fairfax County to the list of Virginia localities eligible to host a casino.

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Countywide

Legislation to monitor excessive vehicle noise awaits Spanberger’s signature

By Scott McCaffrey
Del. Rip Sullivan presents his vehicle noise monitoring bill before the House innovations subcommittee on Feb. 5, 2026 (via Virginia House of Delegates)

The signature of Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) is the lone step remaining before Northern Virginia localities receive a new tool to combat excessive vehicle noise.

“There was some drama with this bill,” acknowledged its patron, Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6), in a March 16 newsletter to constituents.

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News

Potential expansion of Seven Corners apartment complex wins planning body’s backing

By Scott McCaffrey
Conceptual rendering of the proposed new Cavalier Club apartment building (via Hord Coplan Macht/Fairfax County)

The Fairfax County Planning Commission signaled support on March 11 for additional rental housing on a key parcel that sits on the Fairfax and Arlington county line near Seven Corners.

Commission members voted 11-0 to recommend approval of a site-specific comprehensive plan amendment (SSPA) for the 5.64-acre Cavalier Club site at 6200 Wilson Blvd, opening the door for more multifamily residential development.

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News

NOVA Parks rejects call for transit along W&OD Trail right-of-way

By Scott McCaffrey
Walkers and bicyclists on the W&OD Trail in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Recent proposals to use part or all of the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Regional Park for future transit options are non-starters, the body controlling the right-of-way says.

“Similar proposals have been discussed previously and have been determined to not be viable,” NOVA Parks officials said in a March 11 posting on the regional body’s website.

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Countywide

Fairfax County on track to keep top bond rating, but capital project costs weigh on budget

By Scott McCaffrey
Fairfax County Chief Financial Officer Christina Jackson (screenshot via Fairfax)

The Fairfax County government will not be imperiling its coveted AAA bond rating despite taking on an estimated $2.26 billion in new debt in coming years, county staff told supervisors this week.

Despite the reassurance, staff raised concerns at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ Budget Policy Committee meeting on Tuesday (March 10) that the increasing debt load will put the squeeze on a county budget already facing economic headwinds.

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Countywide

D.C. regional leaders see ‘double-edged sword’ as data centers proliferate

By Scott McCaffrey
CoreSite's Reston data center campus (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Data centers present both opportunities and challenges, and at a recent regional meeting, local leaders were urged to become acquainted with both, regardless of whether their jurisdictions are directly impacted.

“Don’t ever have a conversation of ‘all-good’ or ‘all-bad’ — there are a lot of nuances,” Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall said at a March 11 meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG).

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Countywide

Fairfax ramps up efforts to address AI’s impacts on economy, future workforce

By Scott McCaffrey
Fairfax County's Council on Economic Opportunity meets on March 10, 2026 (via Fairfax County)

Fairfax County leaders continue to take preparatory steps toward more aggressively tackling impacts of artificial intelligence on the local economy and workforce.

The county government had “dozens of applicants” respond to a request for proposals to help develop an “AI Economy Action Plan,” Rebecca Moudry, director of the Fairfax County Department of Economic Initiatives, told local elected officials and business leaders on Tuesday (March 10).

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