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

Vote deferred after hours of testimony on Franconia Triangle affordable housing plan

By Scott McCaffrey
Renderings of Franconia Governmental Center redevelopment (image via Fairfax County government/Soto Architecture & Urban Design)

Fairfax County Planning Commission members opted Wednesday (April 30) to defer for a week final action on a hotly debated plan to build affordable housing on the site where the Franconia Governmental Center now sits.

The delay came after more than 90 local residents testified over the course of 3.5 hours, most in opposition to the proposal for a 4-story, 120-unit apartment building on the 3.26-acre site at 6121 Franconia Road.

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Countywide

DMV advises waiting to obtain REAL ID, if possible, to avoid crush

By Scott McCaffrey
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Fairfax Westfields center in Chantilly (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

If you don’t need one immediately, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) officials suggest waiting out the current rush for REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identity cards.

“At the Virginia DMV, there’s no deadline to get a REAL ID — just plenty of good days to apply, as customers are able to apply for one year-round,” Camila Barco, a spokesman for the state agency, told FFXnow.

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Countywide

Federal government cuts fuel rise in joblessness across Fairfax and D.C. region

By Scott McCaffrey
Participants in a rally at Great Falls Park to support National Park Service workers amid federal government cuts hold up signs (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The ranks of unemployed Fairfax County residents ticked up nearly 8% month-over-month and 37% year-over-year in March, according to new state data, as Northern Virginia’s economy takes a hit from the federal government’s downsizing and collateral economic impacts.

A total of 20,836 Fairfax residents were counted as unemployed for March, according to figures reported this week by the Virginia Employment Commission. That compares to 19,315 in February and 15,171 in March 2024.

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News

UPDATED: VDOT will start shifting I-495 traffic to new lanes in Tysons area next week

By Scott McCaffrey
495 NEXT lane adjustments set for May 2-3, 2025 (courtesy VDOT)

Update —  With rain in the forecast for this weekend, the traffic shift for northbound I-495 has been postponed to the night of May 9 through the morning of May 10, VDOT says.

Earlier: Traffic on the Capital Beltway (I-495) in the Tysons area will start moving to newly constructed lanes on the outer side of the highway tomorrow (Friday).

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Obituary

Former school board member Janie Strauss remembered as champion for students

By Scott McCaffrey
Fairfax County School Board member Janie Strauss in 2018 (photo courtesy Brian Trompeter)

Former Fairfax County School Board member Janie Strauss, who has died at age 78, is being remembered as a community champion with a focus on improving the lives of youth.

Strauss, who served as the school board’s Dranesville District member for nearly 30 years, representing the McLean, Great Falls and Herndon areas, died at home on April 11 after a year-long battle with glioblastoma brain cancer, her family said.

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News

Fairfax County board marks 50 years after fall of Saigon by honoring Vietnamese community

By Scott McCaffrey
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors presentation of proclamation marking 50th anniversary of Fall of Saigon (screenshot via Fairfax County)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and saluted the Vietnamese American community’s vital role in the local area and nation.

“We honor all the contributions that the Vietnamese American community makes to Fairfax County on an everyday basis,” Board Chairman Jeff McKay said when presenting a resolution at an April 22 meeting. “Anywhere you go in Fairfax County, you can see this.”

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News

More funding accepted to support Richmond Highway bus rapid transit

By Scott McCaffrey
Residents attend an in-person update on the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project at the Gerry South Hyland Government Center on Jan. 15, 2025 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Plans for the nearly billion-dollar planned bus rapid transit (BRT) project in the Richmond Highway corridor took another step forward at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting on April 22.

The supervisors formally accepted $47.7 million in grant funding from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) in support of the project, which is currently estimated to cost $979 million. The money will come from the Commonwealth’s “Smart Scale” funding pool.

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News

In one Fairfax community, typical ‘starter home’ now valued at $1.2 million

By Scott McCaffrey
This home on Holly Leaf Court in Great Falls went on the market April 25 with a listing price of $1,150,000. It is listed by Glenn Feagans of Keller Williams Realty (photo via Bright MLS/Zillow)

Great Falls is one of 233 communities nationwide where the value of a typical “starter home” now tops $1 million, according to a new Zillow analysis.

At just over $1.2 million, the typical value of a Great Falls starter home is six times the national average. Great Falls is the lone Virginia community to make the 2025 list.

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News

Possible increase to county’s lodging tax receives mixed reviews

By Scott McCaffrey
A standard AC Hotel room with a king bed at Marriott's Reston Town Center location (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Consideration of a meals tax has gained most of the attention this budget cycle, but Fairfax County supervisors also are looking at increasing the transient-occupancy tax paid on hotel stays.

If adopted next month, the increase from 4% to 6% on stays of less than 30 days will raise an additional $13 million in the coming fiscal year, said Phil Hagen, director of the county’s Department of Management and Budget.

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News

FCPS given more time to submit plans for Centreville High School expansion

By Scott McCaffrey
Proposed Centreville High School renovation (via FCPS)

Fairfax County supervisors on Tuesday (April 22) gave the county school system an extension totaling nearly a full year to submit planning documents for expansion of Centreville High School.

The action did not sit well with the supervisor in whose district the school is located.

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