A multifamily residential building with a public plaza and retail space at Business Center Drive and Wildlife Center Drive in EYA's proposed Lake Fairfax Business Center redevelopment (via Poole & Poole Architecture/Fairfax County)
Fairfax County planners want a little bit more time before making a recommendation on the proposed redevelopment of Lake Fairfax Business Center.
At its Sept. 23 meeting, the Planning Commission deferred a vote on the plan to turn the mostly vacant office park in Reston into a large residential neighborhood.
A turtle sunbathes on a log in Royal Lake in the Kings Park West neighborhood (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Medicaid Restrictions Take Effect — “Effective Oct. 1, many noncitizens without green cards will lose eligibility for Medicaid as a result of HR 1 … Many legally residing immigrants with humanitarian statuses — including refugees, people granted asylum, victims of trafficking, and others — who were previously eligible for Medicaid will now be unable to access publicly-funded coverage.” [VPM News]
Protest of Trump Arch Plans — “Speakers including U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), senators from Oregon and Illinois, a retired U.S. Army colonel and Arlington County Board member J.D. Spain Sr. kicked off a full day of demonstrations planned near the traffic circle between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.” [ARLnow]
Man Charged With Firing Shots While Fishing — “An Annandale man is facing charges after police say he fired several gunshots while fishing on the Potomac. Arlington County police were dispatched to the area around Chain Bridge just after midnight [Thursday] morning after D.C. police reported the sound of gunfire on the Virginia side of the river.” [ARLnow]
Herndon Town Services Relocated — The Herndon Municipal Center and town council chambers (777 and 765 Lynn Street) are closed today (Friday) through Jan. 2, 2027 for facility upgrades, including new HVAC units and overhauls of the entrances. Walk-up services have moved to 397 Herndon Parkway, Suite 100, while public meetings normally in the council chambers will convene instead in the Herndon Police Department’s community room (397 Herndon Parkway, Suite 300). [Town of Herndon]
Best Buns Opens in Falls Church — “A new Best Buns location opened [yesterday] in Falls Church, serving up all-day breakfast and fried chicken sandwiches with a full-service bar. The standalone spot in the West Falls development (265 W. Falls Station Blvd) is the Shirlington-based chain’s first to offer outdoor rooftop seating” with a bar. [ARLnow]
Construction Affects Fairfax Connector Routes — “Beginning Sunday, Oct. 4, bus bay construction at the East Falls Church Metrorail Station will affect Fairfax Connector Routes 803 and 715.” Buses will pick up passengers in Bay D instead of B and C, and drop-offs will be provided in a layover area along N. Sycamore Street. [Fairfax Connector/X]
Halloween-Themed Buses Hit the Road — “Fairfax Connector’s popular Spooky Buses are back for another Halloween season, featuring three buses decked out in unique Halloween-themed designs. The festive buses will begin making their way throughout Fairfax County during October.” [Fairfax Connector]
World’s Oldest A Capella Group to Perform — “The Yale Whiffenpoofs, widely recognized as the world’s oldest continuously performing a cappella group, will perform in Vienna on Oct. 15, a homecoming for bass singer Cyrus Rivers,” a Reston native who graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. [Patch]
New Legal Notice — Establishment seeks mixed-beverage restaurant license; objections due within 30 days. [Public Notices]
New Legal Notice — ABC permit for restaurant alcohol; objections due within 30 days. [Public Notices]
It’s Friday — The weather will be mostly sunny with a high of 88°F and a southwest wind at 5 to 8 mph. On Friday night, expect a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mostly cloudy skies, and a low of around 60°F, with a north wind at 7 to 10 mph. [NWS]
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The Point at McLean apartments in Tysons with a "now leasing" banner (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Fairfax County’s median apartment rents declined 0.8% year-over-year in September, as the rental market cools down for the second half of the year.
Median countywide rents were $2,052 for one-bedroom units, $2,377 for two bedrooms and $2,395 for all units, according to figures reported Sept. 29 by Apartment List.
Groundbreaking at Willard Sherman Health & Community Center (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)
Fairfax City officials and some of their Fairfax County colleagues gathered Wednesday (Sept. 30) to kick off an expected three years of construction of the future Willard-Sherwood Health & Community Center.
Built on the Blenheim Blvd site long occupied by the Joseph Willard Health Center, the new 100,000-square-foot facility will serve both city and county residents with health offices and recreational programming.
The former principal of Hayfield Secondary School is accused of spending nearly $8,000 in school funds for personal expenses and has been charged with felony embezzlement, Fairfax County Police said yesterday (Sept. 30).
Darin Thompson, 51, of Lorton, turned himself in to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center yesterday after police obtained a warrant for his arrest. He was released on a $3,000 unsecured bond.
McLean High School entrance (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)
Parking options are about to become more limited for students at McLean High School.
Members of the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday (Sept. 29) to add another local street into the residential parking district that surrounds the high school.
The boardwalk cuts through water at Huntley Meadows Park (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
School Board Member Seeks to End Hiring Restrictions — “Fairfax County School Board member Melanie Meren is calling on the superintendent to lift restrictions on hiring outside teachers, saying some students remain without assigned full-time teachers six weeks into the school year … Under the approach she described, only current Fairfax County Public Schools employees are considered for vacant teaching positions.” [WJLA]
Crossing Guard Hiring Underway as 75 Years of Program Marked — “On Wednesday, the Fairfax County Police Department announced that openings for crossing guards are now available. The school crossing guard program began in 1951 with just 10 guards. Now, the program serves 95 locations across the county, totaling 185 guards.” [WUSA9]
Tysons-Based MyEyeDr. to Aquire 300 Locations — “MyEyeDr. has more than 900 locations nationwide, including more than 50 in the Greater Washington market, and the acquisition would add another 300 more. The deal, announced Monday, does not include EyeCare Partners’ ophthalmology practices, which the Ballwin, Missouri, company will continue to operate.” [Washington Business Journal]
New Women’s Clothing Retailer Coming to Reston — “It looks like Virginia is getting its first Brandy Melville store – a young women’s clothing retailer known for its trendy ‘fast fashion’ ensembles and accessories … It will reportedly be going into the former Apple Store space left vacant when Apple moved into a bigger unit next door.” [The Burn]
Rep. Beyer’s Challengers Share Stances on Federal Role in Education, Term Limits — “Rep. Don Beyer’s three challengers in the 8th District want less — or no — federal involvement in public education. ‘The government should stay out of it. I don’t think it’s their business,’ said Shelly Arnoldi, the Libertarian candidate, in a Sept. 28 forum presented by a coalition of local League of Women Voters organizations. Arnoldi was joined by Republican Tony Sabio and independent Tim Sharman.” [ALXnow]
Medicaid Changes Affecting Noncitizens Begin Oct. 1 — “Medicaid changes for noncitizen adults begin tomorrow, Oct. 1. Regardless of immigration status, there are community clinics and other services available to help you stay healthy.” [Fairfax County Government/X]
Ribbon Cut on Stream and Trail Restoration in Tysons — “Fairfax County Supervisor Walter Alcorn joined with residents, Westwood Village President Claudia Diamond and county staff to celebrate the restoration of the Old Courthouse Spring Branch and Ashgrove Trail. Located over a half mile from the Spring Hill Metro Station in Tysons, this project stabilized the stream channel, improved stream ecology, replaced the damaged stream crossing with a new concrete culvert and rebuilt the Ashgrove Trail with new hand railings.” [Hunter Mill District Supervisor’s office]
Crisp Fall Weather Is on the Way — “For fans of sweater weather, DC could see its first morning lows in the 40s of the season next Tuesday and Wednesday. Cooler suburbs will almost certainly dip into the 40s.” [Capital Weather]
New Legal Notice — Establishment seeks mixed-beverage restaurant license; objections due in 30 days. [Public Notices]
New Legal Notice — Applicant seeks mixed-beverage restaurant license; objections due in 30 days. [Public Notices]
It’s Thursday — The weather will start off partly sunny and gradually become fully sunny, with temperatures reaching a high of about 84°F. There will be a southwest wind blowing at 5 to 9 mph. In the evening, expect partly cloudy skies and a low temperature around 65°F, with a southwest wind at about 7 mph. [NWS]
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Lake Braddock staff rally outside the school during Back to School night Sept. 1. (courtesy of FCFT)
Some teachers at Lake Braddock Secondary School are pushing back against a relatively new job duty: weapons detection.
The staff members say that they are not qualified nor the appropriate personnel to screen for weapons as students pass through OpenGate security systems at the Burke school. As part of the ongoing dispute, the Fairfax Education Unions — a partnership between the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers and Fairfax Education Association, the labor unions representing non-managerial employees — has filed a formal grievance against FCPS.
Windscreen designs for several stations along The One bus rapid transit (via Fairfax County)
County supervisors on Tuesday (Sept. 29) approved designs for windscreen artwork to be placed at the nine stations along “The One,” Fairfax’s future Richmond Highway bus rapid transit corridor.
Each of the designs reflects a theme related to the area surrounding a station. Submissions were sought from artists as part of the project’s “Community Charm” initiative.
The driver, a 46-year-old man from Fort Washington, Md., was charged with careless driving and infliction of injury or death on vulnerable road users, a class 1 misdemeanor.