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 County sees growing challenges for lower-income seniors seeking housing options

By Scott McCaffrey
Sign advertises available housing for seniors at MetroWest in Oakton, seen in 2023 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Housing costs are daunting for Fairfax County residents in general, but for seniors with limited financial resources, even subsidized housing options are becoming increasingly beyond their means, county staff say.

“We’re starting to see some disconnect,” Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development Director Tom Fleetwood said, describing the “emerging challenges” to the Board of Supervisors at a housing committee meeting on Tuesday (July 8).

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News

Fairfax County to update rules for preserving and developing manufactured homes

By Scott McCaffrey
A sign for the Waples Mobile Home Park outside Fairfax City (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The first major rewrite of zoning rules governing Fairfax’s manufactured home communities since the 1970s soon could head to county supervisors by the end of this year.

If approved, the new regulations would guide future development at the seven existing residential parks, which are mostly located in the Route 1 corridor. They also potentially would provide more protections for residents in cases of redevelopment or other displacement.

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Countywide

Federal tax changes could make it easier to build affordable housing, Fairfax officials say

By Scott McCaffrey
Tom Fleetwood, director of the Department of Housing and Community Development (screenshot via Fairfax County)

Fairfax County’s efforts to support additional affordable housing may have received an unexpected boost from the recently passed federal budget reconciliation act.

County officials are working through the details, but the changes in federal law could represent “a significant step forward” in financing affordable housing, Tom Fleetwood, director of the county’s Department of Housing and Community Development, told the Board of Supervisors at a housing committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday).

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News

More funding needed to advance Haycock Road shared-use path project

By Scott McCaffrey
The concept design for proposed Haycock Road improvements at Mustang Alley (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Future multi-modal bicyclist and pedestrian improvements along Haycock Road near the Fairfax-Falls Church border may be dependent on obtaining regional grant funding.

At its meeting next Monday (July 14), the Falls Church City Council is expected to formally request up to $15 million from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) in support of the upgrades, which is jointly sought with Fairfax County officials.

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News

Fairfax City planning commission advises rejecting plan to redevelop century-old house

By Scott McCaffrey
Design rendering for one mixed-use apartment building proposed at 4131 Chain Bridge Road (via City of Fairfax)

City of Fairfax planning commissioners say the latest incarnation of a plan to redevelop a key parcel along Chain Bridge Road has improved on past submissions, but most of them still didn’t like the proposal enough to support its approval.

The commission voted 4-2 on June 23 to recommend that the Fairfax City Council reject developer Paradigm Companies’ latest plan to replace a 109-year-old house at 4131 Chain Bridge Road with a 276-unit apartment building. The proposed project would occupy a 2.7-acre site and include about 11,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial/retail space.

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News

Median apartment rents in Tysons, Merrifield approaching Arlington rates

By Scott McCaffrey
Signs advertise apartments available for tours in The Jones at Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The median rent of an apartment in two urban areas of Fairfax County is drawing close to $3,000 per month, according to new data.

Should Tysons and Merrifield, including the Mosaic District, reach that figure in the second half of this year, they will join Arlington in the $3,000-per-month club.

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News

Fairfax County government, public school workers awarded for service to residents

By Scott McCaffrey
Recipients of 2025 A. Heath Onthank Awards (courtesy Fairfax County)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors honored three individuals on June 24 with the 2025 A. Heath Onthank Award, the highest honor for county government and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) employees.

Saluted for their outstanding service to county residents were:

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Countywide

Busy travel period expected on roads, rails and airplanes for Independence Day

By Scott McCaffrey
Traffic on Route 28 in Chantilly near the Route 50 interchange (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

For Fairfax County residents preparing to make a getaway for the Independence Day holiday, planning ahead could ease hassles no matter the mode of travel.

Here’s what to expect if you’re traveling for the extended weekend, from driver and airplane passenger projections to Metro and bus service impacts.

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News

Fairfax leaders start hunting new locations for student-built housing initiative

By Scott McCaffrey
A Spring Village Estates home constructed by Edison Academy students in Fairfax County Public Schools' FATE program (via Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk)

The future of an acclaimed program that gives local students real-world construction management skills may hinge on finding enough open space to build more houses.

At a June 24 meeting, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay urged his colleagues to scout for potential tracts of land to continue the collaboration between Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the Foundation for Applied Technical Education (FATE) and industry partners.

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News

N.Va. leaders: Messaging will determine political success or failure in November

By Scott McCaffrey
Del. Marcus Simon (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Control of state government in 2026 will hinge on which political party better connects with voters’ top concerns in coming months.

That’s the view of Del. Marcus Simon (D-13), speaking at a June 28 forum sponsored by NAACP’s Northern Virginia branches.

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