After introducing itself earlier this year with a website update and some cherry blossom-related events, the Tysons Community Alliance is now digging into the area’s strengths, needs and what needs to be done to set it up for future success.

Picking up where the now-defunct Tysons Partnership left off, the nonprofit community improvement organization launched a strategic planning effort for Tysons this week by convening a series of work groups that will focus on different topics, such as residential development, transportation and parks.


Inline skating may soon become an option at Reston’s Lake Fairfax Park.

The Fairfax County Park Authority is expected to begin building an inline, outdoor skate rink next to the existing skate park this month.


Reminder: Last Day to Ride Self-Driving Shuttle — “Relay, the autonomous electric shuttle, is scheduled to take its final spin around Merrifield’s Mosaic District on Friday. The pilot project designed to test the effectiveness of driverless public transportation will be coming to an end.” [Patch]

McLean’s Spring Hill Road to Close — Spring Hill Road between Georgetown Pike and Old Dominion Drive will be closed from Monday, June 26 through Thursday, June 29 between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. each day “for a pipe replacement…Through traffic will be detoured via Old Dominion Drive, Towlston Road (Route 676) and Georgetown Pike” [VDOT]


A planned data center on the south side of Route 50 near Stonecroft Blvd is already stirring up some controversy, well ahead of a hearing before the Fairfax County Planning Commission.

An affiliate of Penzance, a D.C.-based firm, is seeking the county’s permission to rezone a nearly 12-acre piece of land to develop one of two options: a 402,000-square-foot data center or a 150,000-square-foot warehouse.


A pair of 480-unit buildings in the massive Halley Rise mixed-use development in Reston is nearing completion.

The Arbor at Halley Rise, located at the intersection of Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive, includes a pair of towers built on a common podium. It will also include 9,500-square-feet of retail, outdoor courtyards, a pool, amenities areas, club rooms and a fitness center.


Fairfax County is looking to convert the Original Mount Vernon High School into a collection of public facilities, including possibly an early childhood center, a senior center, a performing arts space and a business incubator.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is seeking a special exception amendment that will allow the county to turn the 84-year-old, now-vacated high school into an accessible public facility with a variety of proposed uses.


Some good news is on the horizon for local Metrorail riders: the West and East Falls Church stations are set to reopen on Monday (June 26) after a 23-day closure.

The bad news? The Vienna and Dunn Loring stations will remain closed through July 16.


FCPD Adopts Bean-Bag Shotguns — “Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, are repurposing a long-carried weapon in patrol cars — the shotgun. But now, those weapons are being converted to only contain ‘less-lethal’ bean bag rounds…Since March, the department has removed all 800 of its shotguns and replaced the weapons with 630 less-lethal beanbag shotguns.” [WTOP]

Workshop on Parking Overhaul Tonight — The Fairfax County Planning Commission will hold a workshop at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the “Parking Reimagined” initiative, the county’s first major overhaul of its parking regulations since 1988. Proposed changes include bicycle parking requirements and a tiered system for off-street parking. There will also be a public open house on June 29. [Zoning Administration Division]


(Updated 3:45 p.m.) Local charitable organization Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (4511 Daly Drive J) welcomed Sen. Mark Warner through its doors last week.

On Friday, June 16, Warner toured WFCM’s food pantry and warehouse in Chantilly and participated in a roundtable discussion with WFCM leaders and partners, such as the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington, Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services, Fairfax County Public Schools, Wegmans, Boy Scouts and Kings of Kings Lutheran Church.


Fairfax County’s General Assembly delegation will look drastically different next year after a pivotal Democratic primary yesterday (Tuesday) that also bolstered incumbents in most county-level races.

In two upsets, Sully District school board representative Stella Pekarsky eked out a win over veteran state Sen. George Barker for the 36th District nomination, while Fairfax Young Democrats vice president Saddam Azlan Salim ousted Sen. Chap Petersen in the 37th District.


View More Stories