Amid a surge in digital storage demand in Northern Virginia, Fairfax County is drafting stricter zoning regulations to enhance oversight of data center projects.

On Tuesday (March 19), the Board of Supervisors directed staff to update the county’s zoning laws to include new data center development criteria, such as increased residential buffers, size limits, energy efficiency standards and a mandatory noise study in the site plan.


Nearly two dozen single-family homes could be on the horizon for Gallows Road in Annandale.

MS-Gallows, which appears to be an affiliate of the builder Madison Homes is seeking to build 22 single-family homes at 3400 Gallows Road near I-495 and Woodburn Elementary School.


Settlement money from vape-maker Juul will help Fairfax County Public Schools bolster security at some high schools.

The Fairfax County School Board is set to vote tomorrow (Thursday) on adjustments to the school system’s fiscal year 2024 budget, including allocations of the $3.2 million it received from Juul after settling a class-action lawsuit over the company’s flavored e-cigarettes last year.


(Updated at 4:20 p.m. on 3/25/2024) Schools in Vienna, Herndon and Fort Belvoir have or are at risk of losing their crossing guards due to budget constraints facing the Fairfax County Police Department.

The Vienna Town Council and Mayor Linda Colbert were informed at a recent work session that the county will no longer provide crossing guards for any schools in the town’s limits because of a lack of funding, Councilmember Howard Springsteen shared at the council’s meeting on Monday (March 18).


Local police are searching for two suspects who reportedly attempted to rob a bank on Fox Mill Road just outside Reston.

Police believe that two men in a black Audi SUV entered the drive-thru of Wells Fargo at 2575 John Milton Drive on March 14 at 10:47 a.m. and demanded money via a note.


Man Charged With Indecent Exposures at Local Malls — A 29-year-old man from Maryland was arrested on March 15 for allegedly exposing himself at Five Below in Springfield Town Center on Oct. 12 and again in Spencer’s at Fair Oaks Mall. Police believe there may be other victims “due to the repeated nature of these offenses.” [FCPD]

FCPD Shares Locations of Sobriety Checkpoints — “The Fairfax County Police Department will be conducting sobriety checkpoints around the county throughout the year to identify and remove impaired drivers from local roadways. The checkpoints, hosted by the department’s dedicated Driving Under the Influence squad and district stations, will occur between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.” [Gazette Leader]


The Virginia General Assembly passed a measure three years ago allowing local governments to decrease roadway speed limits in their localities to as low as 15 mph. But recently, lawmakers found that the Virginia Department of Transportation denied seven of eight speed limit decrease requests, because, by state law, only the Commissioner of Highways can authorize changes on state-maintained roads.

Earlier this month, legislation advanced that would expand a locality’s speed-reducing authority to roadways within a business or residence district, including state-owned highways.


In the nearly 60 years since it was founded, Reston has become host to a variety of community and public entities with often blurred lines and responsibilities.

To provide clarity, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn wants Fairfax County to develop an inventory of Reston’s community-level services and infrastructure, including who is responsible for what services and infrastructure and how they are funded.


Construction to replace the Hunters Creek Pedestrian Bridge is slated to begin in October, according to the Town of Herndon.

An assessment by the town found that the bridge — which connects to the Sugarland Run trails from behind the Hunters Creek Swim & Racquet Club (417 Queens Row Street) — needs to be replaced and that erosion of the stream needs to be addressed.


An official proposal is on the table to redevelop an office complex adjacent to the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library with townhouses.

The owner of 7600 Leesburg Pike submitted plans to Fairfax County on Friday (March 15) for a 165-unit townhouse development that would replace the existing 4-story office buildings. Built in 1986, the 230,620-square-foot property’s current tenants include Westgate Realty Group, Oak Hill Montessori and Standard Healthcare Services’ College of Nursing.


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