Vernon Miles | FFXnow

Greenbriar Park could be getting new pickleball courts

Published May 14, 2025 at 10:00AM

Greenbriar Park pickleball courts concept rendering (courtesy Fairfax County Park Authority)

The Fairfax County Park Authority is inviting public comment on a plan to build three new pickleball courts at Greenbriar Park (4600 Stringfellow Road) near Fair Lakes.

The proposal aims to “address the growing demand for pickleball facilities” after the sport’s meteoric rise in recent years. The hope is also to cut down on community concerns about “shared court usage” at nearby parks.

Around Town

Fast-casual stir fry spot Honeygrow opens tomorrow in Fairfax City

By Vernon Miles

Published May 8, 2025 at 3:45PM

Staff at work in the new Fair City Mall Honeygrow (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Fast-casual stir fry chain Honeygrow is opening its 59th location tomorrow (Friday) at Fair City Mall (9600 N Main Street) in Fairfax City.

The company received a $25 million investment earlier this year and has been on a spree of new openings, with another location launching in Springfield in March. Honeygrow also signed a lease earlier this year for a restaurant at Barcroft Plaza in Lincolnia.

Countywide

Fairfax school board considers new approaches to school construction projects

By Vernon Miles

Published May 8, 2025 at 10:00AM

Fairfax County Public Schools' current capital projects include construction on an addition to Louise Archer Elementary School in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Fairfax County School Board is considering a series of changes that might help cut down costs and other hurdles for new school projects.

During a work session on Tuesday (May 6), the school board and Fairfax County Public Schools staff discussed ways to reduce costs for new construction or share that burden with other entities — like through public-private partnerships or cost-sharing agreements.

Countywide

Fairfax County teachers’ union blames supervisors after budget crushes labor agreement

By Vernon Miles

Published May 7, 2025 at 3:45PM | Updated May 7, 2025 at 8:01PM

Fairfax County Public Schools workers wear Fairfax Education Unions T-shirts after electing FEU as their collective bargaining representative (courtesy Fairfax County Federation of Teachers)

Fairfax County teachers’ elation at securing a collective bargaining agreement, the first of its kind in nearly 50 years for the district, has proven short-lived.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is set to adopt a budget for fiscal year 2026 that transfers $2.93 billion to Fairfax County Public Schools — up $119 million from the current fiscal year, but well short of the $248 million increase that Superintendent Michelle Reid requested primarily to cover employee pay raises promised by the union contract.

News

Reston Association serves up tennis court overhaul to public for feedback

By Vernon Miles

Published May 7, 2025 at 11:45AM

Lake Newport Tennis Facility (photo via Reston Association)

Reston Association (RA) is looking for community input on plans to renovate the Lake Newport Tennis Court.

The courts at 11452 Baron Cameron Avenue are currently funded for renovation sometime in 2026 or 2027, with community engagement and engineering starting this year.

Around Town

Wineries pour into Tysons for Virginia Wine Festival later this month

By Vernon Miles

Published May 6, 2025 at 1:45PM | Updated May 6, 2025 at 3:31PM

Virginia Wine Festival attendees (photo courtesy the Virginia Wine Festival)

The Virginia Wine Festival is coming to Tysons at the end of this month.

The wine festival, founded in 1976, brings wineries from around the state together for a weekend of exclusive tastings, pairings and entertainment.

News

Franconia nonprofit’s plans to open in church building stuck in bureaucratic limbo

By Vernon Miles

Published May 5, 2025 at 3:45PM

Work being done on new Koinonia Foundation building (image via Koinonia Foundation/Facebook)

A Franconia nonprofit needing more space and an unused church building seems like a match made in heaven, but plans to expand Koinonia Foundation have been stuck in development hell.

Koinonia Foundation has long since outgrown its current space at 6037 Franconia Road, where it operates a food pantry, a clothing closet, and emergency financial aid with counseling — all in an 1,100-square-foot space.

Around Town

McLean Day festival returns this month to salute 110th birthday

By Vernon Miles

Published May 5, 2025 at 2:45PM | Updated May 5, 2025 at 3:04PM

McLean Day 2023 attendees enjoy a carnival ride (courtesy McLean Community Center)

The McLean Community Center’s annual McLean Day festival is returning later this month with food trucks, carnival rides, a petting zoo and more to celebrate the event’s 110th birthday.

The festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 17, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bridge Road).

Countywide

Jam-packed GMU board meeting becomes battleground in national school diversity fight

By Vernon Miles

Published May 2, 2025 at 2:30PM | Updated May 4, 2025 at 4:50PM

Students and faculty protesting outside of a Board of Visitors meeting (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

George Mason University Board of Visitors meetings aren’t typically jam-packed, but a battle over diversity programs among the school’s leadership has stirred up the university’s student body.

At a meeting yesterday (Thursday), board members questioned university staff on whether the school is complying with the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in education.

News

Proposed W&OD Trail visitor center could be located in Vienna

By Vernon Miles

Published May 1, 2025 at 3:45PM

A bicyclist approaches Church Street on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

NOVA Parks and the Town of Vienna are partnering for an initiative that could transform a pair of offices into a visitor center for the Washington and Old Dominion Trail.

Fresh off its 50th anniversary last year, the 45-mile trail runs from Shirlington out to Purcellville, with Vienna as its “geographic center,” NOVA Parks Executive Director Paul Gilbert said when announcing the project during an Arbor Day event at the Vienna Town Green last Friday (April 25).