A pitch for housing at the Kingstowne site previously occupied by Topgolf and now home to Rudy’s may finally become a reality.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended on Wednesday (Sept. 27) that the Board of Supervisors approve a proposal to allow residential development at 6626 South Van Dorn Street. Most community members who spoke at the preceding public hearing voiced support for the proposal — a change of pace from the vocal opposition that greeted previous redevelopment plans.
Terms for Herndon Town Council members will remain unchanged after the council unanimously agreed to drop a proposal to increase the term from two to four years.
The council voted on Tuesday (Sept. 26) to remove consideration of the item from its legislative program for the Virginia General Assembly’s 2024 session. A similar effort came up almost a decade ago but was dropped by a previous council after lack of public support.
After years of debating the issue of “panhandling” in board rooms, Fairfax County will now actually talk to the people asking for money, often from sidewalks and street medians.
At Chairman Jeff McKay’s request, the Board of Supervisors approved $75,000 for a survey of people engaged in panhandling as part of a budget carryover package adopted on Tuesday (Sept. 26).
A raccoon struck by two different vehicles on Route 29 last weekend has tested positive for rabies, Falls Church City says.
The drivers hit the animal near the 500 block of S. Washington Street in the West Falls Church area on Saturday, Sept. 23, according to the city. The raccoon’s resulting injuries led Falls Church City police to euthanize it.
State Senate Candidate Almost Fired by FCPD — “Republican state Senate candidate Bill Woolf, who is running in Virginia’s Nov. 7 election on his record as a former Fairfax County Police detective and human-trafficking foe, would have been fired had he not resigned in 2017 during an ongoing internal affairs investigation into hours he reported on duty while at another job, according to police records.” [Washington Post]
What a Government Shutdown Would Mean for Virginia — “A government shutdown would be a double whammy for Virginia, a state that’s home to more federal civilian employees and active-duty military personnel than almost any other.” The funding halt would also affect public programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supports about 15,490 people just in Fairfax County. [Washington Post, Associated Press]
The redevelopment of downtown Herndon — a long-delayed partnership between the Town of Herndon and Reston-based developer Comstock — continues to advance after more than a year-long pause.
At a Herndon Town Council meeting on Tuesday (Sept. 26), Town Manager Bill Ashton II said building permits for the project have gone to the fire marshal for approval.
Fairfax County Public Schools will receive money to support student wellness after settling its portion of a class action lawsuit against the vaping company Juul Labs.
The Fairfax County School Board reached a settlement on Aug. 31 with Altria Group, which owns several tobacco companies — including cigarette maker Philip Morris USA — and has a 35% ownership stake in Juul, FCPS announced on Sept. 19. The news was previously reported by DC News Now.
Planning efforts to determine an economic vision for the Lake Anne area in Reston continue to receive financial support from Fairfax County.
At a meeting on Tuesday (Sept. 26), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $200,000 in carryover funding for the Lake Anne economic visioning study. The board considered a number of items to fund by carrying over leftover money from the fiscal year 2023 budget.
Fairfax County has officially updated its parking standards for the age of telework and transit-oriented development.
After a public hearing on Tuesday (Sept. 26) that drew dozens of speakers, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a slate of off-street parking regulations intended to steer away from the car-centric impulses that governed the suburb as it grew post-World War II.
Developer Hosts Political Fundraisers at Possible Reston Casino Site — “Perhaps to bolster its efforts to build a casino at or near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station, Comstock scheduled fundraisers for two Democratic Party candidates who may be leading the Virginia General Assembly during the 2024 Session.” [Patch]
County Takes Over Volunteer-Based Nonprofit — “The Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services is pleased to announce it will assume administrative and programing responsibilities for GrandInvolve, a non-profit organization that places older adults as volunteers in Title I schools, effective Nov. 1, 2023.” [NCS]
