From curbside pickups to ridesharing services and Amazon Prime deliveries, drivers making quick trips through neighborhoods or to local businesses have become increasingly commonplace in Fairfax County.
However, the county still doesn’t have any regulations around short-term parking, even after it adopted new parking rules in 2023, its first comprehensive update in 35 years.
Three-Story Home Addition Blocked — “A controversial three-story home addition that sparked backlash in a Fairfax County neighborhood will not move forward as planned after a zoning board denied the homeowner’s appeal.” Complaints about the project prompted county leaders to revisit their height restrictions for single-family houses. [DC News Now]
New Laws Regulate Rideshare Safety — “A change to how Virginia screens rideshare drivers will take effect this summer after Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed two bills tightening background check and identity requirements for companies such as Uber and Lyft. The new rules take effect July 1.” [The Center Square/Inside NoVA]
Redistricting Vote Certification Still on Hold — “Virginia’s top court on Tuesday left in place a county judge’s order temporarily blocking the state from certifying the results of last week’s referendum, when voters approved a new Democratic-drawn congressional map aimed at flipping four Republican U.S. House seats.” [Reuters]
Dominion Energy Bill Awaits Signature — “A bill backed by Virginia’s largest and most powerful electric utility is on Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk for final action after the legislature rejected some of her cost-saving suggestions. The legislation … would assign certain electric grid upgrade costs to data centers and allow Dominion Energy to spend $900,000 a mile burying local distribution lines.” [Inside Climate News]
House Seeks New Rules for Data Center Tax Break — While state Senate leaders are advocating for an elimination of Virginia’s sales and use tax exemption for data centers, a spending plan proposed by the House of Delegates would condition the exemption on new environmental standards, including a commitment to energy efficiency and a prohibition on co-locations with carbon-emitting power facilities. [Virginia Mercury]
Furniture Store Opens in Bailey’s Crossroads — “Regency Furniture opened April 25 in the space formerly occupied by Value City Furniture in Bailey’s Crossroads … Regency Furniture has a wide selection of sofas, loveseats, chairs, bedroom sets, coffee tables, dining sets, office furnishings, and décor accessories.” [Annandale Today]
Over 22K Pounds of Food Collected for Students — “A Food For Neighbors Red Bag collection in Fairfax County brought in about 22,300 pounds of food Saturday during the nonprofit’s final event of the school year, according to the organization … The group said the food from Saturday’s event was especially important because it was the last Red Bag collection of the school year.” [Patch]
Anti-Distracted Driving Demo in McLean — “McLean HS in Fairfax partnered with Virginia State Police for a distracted driving awareness event. Students saw firsthand the dangers of distracted driving and the importance of safe choices behind the wheel.” [Virginia State Police/X]
It’s Thursday — It will be mostly sunny with a high near 67°F and a northwest wind blowing at about 15 mph, with gusts reaching up to 25 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 44°F and a lighter northwest wind at 7 to 10 mph. [NWS]
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Apartment rents dipped year over year across most of Fairfax County in April, according to new data.
Seven of eight different geographic corridors of the county posted declines of between 0.8% and 2.9%, according to figures reported yesterday (Tuesday) by Apartment List.
The end is within sight for Fairfax County’s nearly decade-long push to convert all streetlights to more energy efficient LED fixtures.
Dominion Energy, which owns, operates and maintains about 96% of the county’s 60,000 streetlights, has upgraded approximately 93% or 52,100 of them to LED, as of March, the county announced earlier this week.
Summer is fast approaching, with it will come a full season of musical entertainment.
Fairfax County is home to a number of venues that will host concerts and festivals in the coming months, in many cases for free. Here are some options community members can look forward to, from Wolf Trap to Herndon:
Editor’s note: This story references domestic violence and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with this issue, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be called or texted at 988. You can also visit the website.
Two years before Dr. Cerina Fairfax was shot and killed by her husband, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, she had tried to leave him.
Fairfax County Public Schools will now recommend that families don’t give their children a smartphone before eighth grade.
At its meeting last week (April 23), the Fairfax County School Board approved a “Wait Until 8th” resolution that expresses support for “developmentally appropriate smartphone use as a community norm,” encouraging parents to hold off on giving their kids a smartphone until they finish eighth grade.
Spanberger Marks 100 Days as Governor — “Gov. Abigail Spanberger celebrated her first 100 days in office Monday in Richmond by touting her administration’s progress on healthcare, housing, and energy affordability measures. She had less to say, however, about the delayed state budget, which lawmakers haven’t finalized but must send to her desk for signature in the coming weeks.” [Virginia Mercury]
Settlement Approved in Capital One Lawsuit — “A federal judge approved a $425 million settlement from Capital One for a class action lawsuit over interest rates on its savings accounts. The approval was granted on April 20. If there is no appeal, settlement payments are set to go out around July 27, 2026.” [NBC4]
Reston Condo Sale Sets Va. Record — A penthouse unit that spans 5,798 square feet, plus a balcony, on the 27th floor of the JW Marriott Residences sold for $10.25 million on April 1, public records show. “The sale shatters Virginia’s previous condo record, set in February 2024 when a 29th-floor unit at Rosslyn’s Waterview tower sold for $5.65 million.” County records indicate that at least 34 of the JW Marriott’s 93 units have sold. [Washington Business Journal]
Pizzeria Opening Today in Falls Church — “Little Beast is preparing to dish up its first pizzas from its new restaurant at 119 E. Broad Street, on the ground floor of Broad & Washington.” The location will be the pizzeria’s first in Northern Virginia since owner Aaron Gordon closed Reston’s Little Beast and Red Velvet Cupcakery in 2023. [ARLnow]
Art Exhibit Centers on Teens’ Mental Health — “Teens grappling with mental health issues can find a way to express their feelings through art. That’s the premise for the Bridging the Gap art exhibit and reception at the Minnie Peyton Community Center in Bailey’s Crossroads on April 24.” [Annandale Today]
Local Brewery Wins Gold — “Caboose Brewing Co., which operates Caboose Tavern in Vienna and Caboose Commons in Fairfax, has won a gold medal at the 2026 World Beer Cup for its Boxcar Brown Ale in the American-Style Brown Ale category, according to a company release.” The same beer snagged a bronze medal at last year’s World Beer Cup. [Patch]
Vienna Little League Celebrates 75 Years — “From its start in 1952 with 175 players to now nearly 1,000 across 90 teams each spring, Vienna Little League has had a lasting, positive impact on generations of people in the community.” The Town of Vienna commemorated the league’s 75th season on Monday (April 27) by declaring the day “Vienna Little League Day.” [Town of Vienna/Instagram]
Tips for Tornado Season — “May is right around the corner, and that means tornado season is hitting its stride. Whether you’ve lived through a tornado warning before or you’re new to tornadoes, now is the time to figure out what you would do and where you’d go if a tornado warning was issued.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]
It’s Wednesday — Expect showers throughout the day, with a possible thunderstorm after 2 PM and a high of 69°F. Rainfall could be between a quarter and half an inch, with a 90% chance of precipitation that will dip to 70% at night. The low will be around 51°F. [NWS]
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When a Fairfax resident turned on the engine of his car and saw every warning light come on, that was his first problem. The second was figuring out what to do with the baby squirrels curled up inside a nest in the engine bay.
“He called Animal Services for help,” Thomas Ingle, chief field services officer and deputy director of Fairfax County Animal Services, told FFXnow. “And when the animal services officer gets there, she realizes that there are babies in there and the mom is nowhere to be found.”
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors informally adopted a $5.9 billion fiscal year 2027 budget this morning (Tuesday) that includes a small reduction in the real estate tax rate, more reserve funding and changes to proposed cuts.
The 8-2 vote during the “markup” session is a precursor to the board’s final adoption of a new budget next Tuesday, May 5, that will take effect on July 1.
