Author: Vernon Miles

Vernon Miles is the ALXnow cofounder and editor. He's covered Alexandria since 2014 and has been with Local News Now since 2018. When he's not reporting, he can usually be found playing video games or Dungeons and Dragons with friends.

Countywide

Homelessness continues to increase in Fairfax County, especially among families with kids

By Vernon Miles
Encampment set up by people experiencing homelessness (via MWCOG)

Fairfax County is continuing to see the number of locals experiencing homelessness over the last year increase — and a new report said inflation and housing costs are partially to blame.

This year’s point-in-time count — an annual count of individuals in shelters, transitional housing, and experiencing unsheltered homelessness — found 1,310 people experiencing homelessness in Fairfax County.

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Countywide

Fairfax County board passes on potential park ranger program for now

By Vernon Miles
Enforcing regulations at Scotts Run Nature Preserve is often a challenge, particularly during the summer (file photo)

Fairfax County could be getting park rangers one day, but it won’t be this year.

With the police department’s staff stretched thin, the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) has proposed a new solution for addressing service calls in its system: a park ranger program.

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Countywide

Fairfax County offers to split the bill for private stormwater projects

By Vernon Miles
Flooding on Old Courthouse Road (file photo)

Fairfax County is pushing forward on a program that could have the county government split the bill for private stormwater projects with property owners.

Flooding doesn’t end at the property line and the Local Stormwater Management Assistance Fund aims to help boost stormwater management on private property. At an environmental committee meeting of the Board of Supervisors on April 25, staff presented an update on the program.

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News

County torn over whether to dredge or not to dredge Lake Accotink

By Vernon Miles
Lake Accotink Park paddle boats (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The price tag affixed to dredging Lake Accotink has led some on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to say it might be time to pull the plug on restoration plans.

The Fairfax County park is popular, with over 250,000 visitors each year, but in a presentation to the board’s environmental committee yesterday (Tuesday), staff said the cost of the much-needed dredging project would be astronomical.

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News

Fairfax approves pedestrian-friendly redesign of congested Chain Bridge Road intersection

By Vernon Miles
Planned redesign of the Chain Bridge Road/Eaton Place intersection (image via City of Fairfax)

The City of Fairfax is moving forward with a plan to make the Chain Bridge Road and Eaton Place intersection safer.

After some debate at an April 11 meeting — and an alternate motion was proposed and failed — the Fairfax City Council ultimately voted 4-2 in favor of a redesign to the intersection, which is just outside Oakton near the Fairfax County border.

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Countywide

New report shows population growth has stagnated in Fairfax County

By Vernon Miles

Fairfax County’s population growth has slowed to a crawl, and it’s unclear if that’s a temporary result of the pandemic or a more permanent trend.

The newly published 2022 Demographic Report indicates that the county’s population has slowed since 2020. It decreased in 2021 for the first time since 1840, though 2022 saw a slight rebound from that — an increase of a fraction of a percent.

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Countywide

Board of Supervisors advertises steady tax rate, but locals say it’s a stealthy tax hike

By Vernon Miles
The Fairfax County Government Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Fairfax County is currently set to keep its real estate tax rate the same as last year, but some local residents accused county leadership of trying to disguise a tax hike for local residents.

During a meeting on Tuesday (April 11), the Board of Supervisors held a public hearing for the fiscal year 2024 tax rate, which is likely to hold steady at $1.11 per $100 of assessed value.

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Countywide

Board of Supervisors will give zoning overhaul another go after code struck down by Virginia courts

By Vernon Miles
In front of the Fairfax County Government Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is going to take a second stab at its ambitious Zoning Ordinance Modernization Project (zMOD) after Virginia’s Supreme Court struck down the prior approval.

The county’s zMOD overhaul involved a variety of sweeping changes to the zoning ordinance, from loosening limits on accessory dwelling units to changes in regulations governing flags and flagpoles.

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Countywide

Fairfax County giving its tax payment system a much-needed overhaul

By Vernon Miles

Fairfax County could be putting a little more money into a program that aims to make paying taxes in the county easier.

At a budget committee meeting on Tuesday (March 28), the Board of Supervisors got a briefing on the fiscal year 2023 third quarter review, looking over how staff are proposing to use a net $51.2 million in available funding.

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