The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) is holding a public meeting this Saturday (May 2) on proposed renovations to the Audrey Moore Rec Center, the oldest recreational facility built by the agency.
The FCPA says the rec center has served as a community hub since its opening in Annandale in 1977. After undergoing some routine maintenance four years ago, the 76,000-square-foot facility complex is set for a major overhaul.
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.
Construction is progressing on a new townhome neighborhood near the Vantage Hill Condominiums in Reston.
Two buildings containing the first seven of 28 houses planned in The Fairland at Vantage Hill are on track to be completed this summer, likely in July or August, according to Craftmark Homes sales manager Lori Windsor.
Fairfax City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday night (April 28) to move forward with a plan for construction of a combined $127.2 million Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center.
The city government will cover about $54 million in construction costs, with the Fairfax County government paying the rest. The two will also split operating costs once the facility opens, based on usage rates.
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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A man has been taken to the hospital with serious injuries following a crash on Ox Road (Route 123) near the Crosspointe Fire Station in Lorton.
Police officers and units with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to Ox Road at Hampton Station Court just after 4 p.m. today (Wednesday) for a single-vehicle crash.
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.
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.
