News | FFXnow - Part 482

Morning Notes

Published June 2, 2023 at 7:30AM

Kids explore the Red Caboose in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Vienna Featured Live on TV Right Now — “Lights. Camera. Action! Tune into the @fox5dc Zip Trip LIVE from the Town Green [today] from 6-11 a.m. as the Town gets its 15 minutes of fame (really it’s five hours, but who’s counting?)! See familiar faces, businesses, favorite spots, and more!” [Town of Vienna/Twitter]

Air Quality Alert Issued — “The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has issued a Code ORANGE Air Quality Alert Friday for Northern Virginia. A Code Orange Air Quality Alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups.” [National Weather Service]

American Legion Bridge would be even more congested without transit, study says

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 1, 2023 at 3:30PM

On the Capital Beltway at the American Legion Bridge into Maryland (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

If you find trips on the Capital Beltway into Maryland nightmarish now, imagine what they would be like without any transit options.

That’s the scenario posed by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) in a new study on the value of the region’s transit network, including Metro, local bus services like Fairfax Connector and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE).

Demolition and renovation proposed for Herndon Taco Bell

By Fatimah Waseem

Published June 1, 2023 at 2:30PM

The redevelopment of the Herndon Taco Bell is proposed (Image via Google Maps).

A Taco Bell in Herndon could soon be temporarily out of commission.

A proposal before Fairfax County seeks to demolish and redevelop the fast-food restaurant, which is located at 2170 Centreville Road, into a larger restaurant with a second drive-thru lane, according to a May 24 application.

Vienna Police revives crackdown on stop sign violations for June

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 1, 2023 at 1:15PM

A Vienna Police car on Mill Street (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Town of Vienna Police Department will once again usher in summer with a hardline approach to stop sign violations.

The department launched a campaign today (Thursday) that will see officers step up their enforcement of traffic safety laws, especially those governing stop signs, after seeing “a noticeable increase in such violations.”

Pimmit Hills residents stage benefit concert to help fund legal fight over Washington Gas pipeline

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 1, 2023 at 10:30AM

Pimmit Hills residents recently held a pizza party to raise funds to cover legal fees from Washington Gas' lawsuit over a planned gas pipeline (photo by Marni Penning)

The Pimmit Hills neighborhood has officially reached the “let’s put on a show” stage of its battle against a planned Washington Gas pipeline.

Faced with escalating legal fees, residents have banded together to stage a “Protect Pimmit Hills Hoedown” benefit concert from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday (June 3) as a fundraiser for four of their neighbors who were sued by the utility company.

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com

Published June 1, 2023 at 7:30AM

Fog hovers over Lake Audubon in Reston (photo by Terry Baranski)

Second Arrest Made in Idylwood Double Homicide — An 18-year-old from Falls Church was charged on Tuesday (May 30) with robbery resulting in death in connection with Monday’s fatal shooting and stabbing at the Tysons View Apartments. Police announced earlier that a 17-year-old had been charged in the incident, which left two people dead and two injured. [FCPD]

N. Va. Dems Criticize National Guard Deployment — “Local Democrats slammed Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s decision to deploy Virginia National Guard service men and women to Texas to ‘secure’ the southern U.S. border with Mexico.” Democrats, including Fairfax County senator Scott Surovell, blasted Youngkin for “using service men and women for political gain” as speculation swirls that he plans to run for president. [Inside NoVA]

With evictions fueling homelessness, Fairfax County explores options to stop them

By Vernon Miles

Published May 31, 2023 at 3:30PM

Writs of eviction issued in Fairfax County (image courtesy Department of Housing and Community Development)

After a recent study showed an uptick in homelessness, Fairfax County staff say that data connects pretty cleanly to a matching rise in evictions over the last year.

The county saw a 10% increase — 119 people — in people experiencing homelessness for an estimated total of 1,310 people.

Final pieces of Arrowbrook Centre advanced by planning commission

By Fatimah Waseem

Published May 31, 2023 at 1:15PM

Aura is a residential building proposed on the final land bay in the development (Photo via Fairfax County government/handout).

The final pieces of the massive Arrowbrook Centre development near Herndon’s Innovation Center Metro station got the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s unanimous support last week.

The commission recommended on May 24 that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approve changes to the final, nearly 10-acre section of the mixed-use development, which is being built and managed by a Launders Charitable Trust.

County proposes initial Route 7 BRT stations in Tysons, from Spring Hill to West Falls Church

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 31, 2023 at 10:30AM

The proposed route and stations for the Route 7 bus rapid transit system in Tysons (via FCDOT)

Plans for a Route 7 bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Tysons are starting to take more concrete shape, outpacing an ongoing study of the corridor further to the south.

The service will initially launch in Tysons, operating between the Spring Hill and West Falls Church Metro stations, before later expanding into Falls Church and Alexandria, Fairfax County Department of Transportation staff told planning commission members at a May 11 committee meeting.

Former board president steps down from Reston Association board

By Fatimah Waseem

Published May 31, 2023 at 9:30AM

Reston Association

Sarah Selvaraj-D’Souza, former president of Reston Association’s Board of Directors, has resigned from her position after more than three years on the board.

In a Facebook post announcing her resignation on Friday (May 26), Selvaraj-D’Souza said her commitments to other projects and her nonprofit advocacy organization Reston Strong motivated her decision to resign.