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.

News

Townhouse option for Reston office site advances, as some seek more, some less, density

By Scott McCaffrey
Aerial view of an office campus with a building outlined in red along Dulles Airport Access Road, near Sunrise Valley Drive.
Location, in red, of 1850 Roland Clarke Place (via Stewart Investment Partners and Fairfax County)

The Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended approval earlier this month of a development option for 70 townhomes on a 3.5-acre site on the western fringe of the Wiehle-Reston East Transit Station Area.

Expected to be considered by the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 25, the comprehensive plan amendment requested by developer Stewart Investment Partners would allow the townhouses to replace a five-story office building at 1850 Roland Clarke Place that dates to the early 1980s

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News

Planning commission backs major housing increase on Merrifield apartment site

By Scott McCaffrey
Merrifield at Dunn Loring Station apartments sign (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval at its July 22 meeting of a proposal that could more than quadruple the number of residential units at the Merrifield at Dunn Loring Station Apartments.

County staff’s comprehensive plan amendment would pave the way for Malkin Properties — which has owned the 35-acre garden-apartment complex at 8130 Prescott Drive since its construction in the late 1960s — to replace the existing 706 units in phases with up to 2,975 apartments in high-rise and mid-rise buildings near the Dunn Loring Metro station.

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Countywide

Mount Vernon supervisor wants second look at unified trash collection districts

By Scott McCaffrey
White garbage truck parked on a city street with the rear compactor open and a worker in a high-visibility jacket nearby, trees in the background, Swans Neck Way sign visible.
A garbage truck makes its rounds on Ridge Heights Road in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

At least one Fairfax County supervisor isn’t giving up on a push for bringing all residential trash collection under the purview of the county government.

“I hope we can look at it again. I want to have the conversation we never really had,” Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said at a July 7 meeting of the Board of Supervisors’ Environmental Committee.

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News

More restrictions on student parking proposed in Lake Braddock neighborhoods

By Scott McCaffrey
School entrance with a tall sign reading 'Lake Braddock Secondary School' over a purple sign; dark clouds in the sky behind.
Lake Braddock Secondary School (file photo)

It soon could be more challenging for Lake Braddock Secondary School students wishing to park without purchasing an annual pass from the school.

At its meeting on July 14, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors authorized a public hearing for Aug. 25 to consider further restrictions on non-resident parking around the school.

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News

Planning commission embraces long-awaited Reston Town Center North plan

By Scott McCaffrey
Reston Regional Library will be replaced by a new facility as part of the Reston Town Center North redevelopment (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Fairfax County Planning Commission gave its support last Wednesday (July 22) to the long-term redevelopment of the 48-acre Reston Town Center North tract.

Commission members voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors make the necessary zoning and land-use changes to accommodate an estimated 1.6 million square feet of redevelopment, a joint venture between the county government and Inova that has been percolating for more than a decade.

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News

Westfield High School baseball field named in tribute to late coach Rob Hahne

By Scott McCaffrey
Rob Hahne, Jr. (via American Baseball Coaches Association)

The Fairfax County School Board voted last week to rename a Westfield High School athletic facility as the “Rob Hahne Memorial Baseball Field.”

Hahne, who died May 14 at age 57, was a leader in youth sports and served as Westfield’s head baseball coach for a decade.

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News

Operator selected for planned VIP passenger facility at Dulles Airport

By Scott McCaffrey
A hand holds a stemmed wine glass filled with water, blue sky behind and a blurred airplane in the background.
VIP traveler at airport (via Ellen Jenni/Unsplash)

Travelers seeking the VIP treatment at Dulles International Airport — and willing to pay for it — will have another option in coming years.

The board of directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) approved a 20-year contract on July 15 with DAA International Ltd to develop and operate a remote VIP passenger facility at the airport.

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News

County board OKs option for more housing in Dulles Suburban Center corridor

By Scott McCaffrey
Aerial site plan showing a development with labeled blocks, roads, and surrounding properties (Westway Business Center, Dominion Energy Virginia, Discovery Square).
Development plan for a portion of Lincoln Park development in Dulles Suburban Center (via Fairfax County)

Fairfax County has cleared the way for another office park near Dulles International Airport to be turned into housing.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors authorized changes to the comprehensive plan on July 14 that could allow up to 483 residential units across 27 acres at the southwest corner of Centreville Road and McLearen Road in the Dulles Suburban Center corridor.

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News

Townhouse development on Bowman House tract in Reston wins final approval

By Scott McCaffrey
Rendering of EYA's proposed townhouse development at 1850 Old Reston Avenue (via VIKA Virginia/Fairfax County)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved a redevelopment plan that will result in 57 townhouses ringing the circa-1899 A. Smith Bowman House at 1850 Old Reston Avenue in Reston.

The 10-0 vote on July 14 allows the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association and developer EYA to move forward on the proposal, which replaces a pre-Covid plan for two new office buildings. The association, which owns the property, had intended to transform the 5.2-acre site into a new headquarters campus.

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News

Officials seek opportunities to expand Dulles Airport’s reach in Asia, Africa

By Scott McCaffrey
Representatives from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Virginia Department of Aviation, EVA Air and the Taiwanese government were present for a ribbon cutting in June 2026 (courtesy EVA Air)

Building on recent successes, destinations in Africa and Asia remain prime targets for new business opportunities, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) officials say.

But finding new opportunities necessitated nuance and persistence, said Paul Bobson, the authority’s vice president for airline business development.

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