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

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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Countywide

Iran conflict clouds Fairfax County homes market as springtime approaches

By Scott McCaffrey
A for sale sign for a house in Vienna coming soon to the market (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County saw solid home sales and increasing prices in February, but the U.S. war in Iran and its potential to exacerbate existing affordability challenges may cloud the springtime market.

Sales countywide for the month totaled 691, up 6.2% from a year before, according to figures reported Tuesday (March 10) by MarketStats by ShowingTime.

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Countywide

As homes get taller, Fairfax County seeks to clarify longstanding height limit

By Scott McCaffrey
A new house in Fairfax towers over its older neighbor (via Fairfax County)

The general height limit for single-family homes across Fairfax County has stood at 35 feet for 67 years. But county officials say that restriction needs clarification so local residents and builders better understand how the calculation is made.

“Simplicity is important for a lot of reasons,” Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay said yesterday (Tuesday) at a meeting of the board’s Land Use Policy Committee.

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News

New bus funding likely for Fairfax, but proposed Tysons route doesn’t make cut

By Scott McCaffrey
Commemorative design on Fairfax Connector bus (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Fairfax County is likely to receive most, but not all, of the funding it is seeking through a regional transit grant program.

The county’s request for just under $4.4 million in funding to support a new limited-stop Fairfax Connector service between the Tysons and Franconia-Springfield Metro stations has been removed from the list of projects being considered for the fiscal years 2027-2028 I-66 Commuter Choice funding cycle.

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