economic development | FFXnow

Fairfax County awards grants to eight local tech startups

Published September 10, 2024 at 11:00AM

A close-up of a computer chip (via Adi Goldstein/Unsplash)

Fairfax County is giving financial boosts to several local startups that are developing technology to improve communications, make agriculture more efficient and more.

The county’s Department of Economic Initiatives (DEI) announced last Thursday (Sept. 5) that it has selected eight companies for the second round of its Fairfax Founders Fund (FFF), which provides up to $50,000 in grant funding and technical assistance to “promising, early-stage startups” that could “disrupt industries” and create new jobs.

Around Town

Fairfax City Restaurant Week returns with dozens of dining options

By Acacia James

Published August 30, 2024 at 9:30AM

Ned's New England Deck burger and lobster roll (courtesy Fairfax City Restaurant Week)

In Fairfax City, Labor Day will coincide with the start of Summer Restaurant Week featuring Italian, Chinese, Caribbean and Mexican cuisines.

More than 25 restaurants will offer promotions to diners starting Monday, Sept. 2 through Sunday, Sept. 8.

Countywide

With new council, Fairfax County board seeks forward-looking approach to economic growth

By Jared Serre

Published August 21, 2024 at 1:30PM

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting on Jan. 23, 2024 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Fairfax County is taking a new approach to economic development, one that it hopes will place a greater emphasis on results rather than process.

By replacing the long-standing Economic Advisory Commission (EAC) with a Council for Economic Opportunity (CEO), the county’s Board of Supervisors can modernize its efforts to encourage county-wide economic growth, Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck says.

News

Fairfax City offers $25,000 in grants to local female entrepreneurs

By Jared Serre

Published August 12, 2024 at 9:30AM | Updated October 8, 2024 at 11:12AM

De Clieu Coffee and Sandwiches worker serves a customer (via Fairfax City Economic Development)

Grants totaling $25,000 will soon be up for grabs for women entrepreneurs in Fairfax City.

The Women’s Entrepreneur Grant Opportunity aims to provide such businesses with “the tools they need to facilitate their growth and expansion,” Fairfax City Economic Development (FCED) announced last week.

Countywide

Fairfax County office vacancy rate continues to rise

By Acacia James

Published July 24, 2024 at 3:30PM

A vacant office building at 1831 Wiehle Avenue in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Despite steady growth in employment numbers, office vacancy rates in Fairfax County continue to rise.

Stephen Tarditi, director of market intelligence at the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), presented recent data on office vacancies to the Board of Supervisors during an economic advisory committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday).

Around Town

Fairfax City introduces ‘Shop Local Week’ to boost small businesses

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 24, 2024 at 2:30PM | Updated July 24, 2024 at 2:47PM

A woman shops at Mode on Main by Mara in Old Town Fairfax (photo by Mauricio Cordeiro/Fairfax City Shop Local Week)

Fairfax City will kick off a week-long celebration of its local, small businesses tomorrow (Thursday).

Fairfax City Economic Development (FCED) has teamed up with the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and the Old Town Fairfax Business Association for the city’s first-ever “Shop Local Week,” which will unfold from July 25 through next Wednesday, July 31.

Around Town

Vienna shows off landscaping with new floral downtown tour

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 23, 2024 at 2:30PM

Flowers planted along Maple Avenue in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

If you’ve driven or taken a stroll down Vienna’s Maple Avenue this summer, you might’ve noticed more pops of color than in previous years.

The Town of Vienna wants to draw more attention to the vivid flowers lining its main downtown streets with a new, self-guided “Vienna in Bloom” streetscape tour. The town’s economic development and parks and recreation departments unveiled a map last Friday (July 19) showing the locations of dozens of different flowers and nearby local businesses.

News

Applicants wanted for Fairfax City and Vienna culinary jobs training program

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 16, 2024 at 1:30PM

A Fairfax City restaurant Week worker grills meat (courtesy Fairfax City Economic Development)

Reinforcements are on the way to bolster Fairfax City and the Town of Vienna’s restaurant industry.

The two localities are seeking applicants for a new Culinary Careers Collaborative program intended to train future chefs, bartenders and other food service workers for potential jobs with local businesses.

News

County to consider contributing funds to new McLean arts center

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 28, 2024 at 10:30AM

The McLean Project for the Arts hopes to build a new arts and education center at the Signet condominiums (rendering by CannonDesign)

The McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) could potentially get a financial assist from Fairfax County for its campaign to turn a long-vacant retail space into a new arts center.

The Board of Supervisors directed staff on Tuesday (June 25) to evaluate whether the MPA Downtown project might be eligible for a public investment from the county’s Economic Opportunity Reserve (EOR), which can be used to support “economic development activities of strategic importance,” along with capital development projects and real estate purchases.

News

Tax breaks considered for Lake Anne, Huntington developers to spur revitalization

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 20, 2024 at 10:30AM | Updated July 1, 2024 at 3:48PM

Lake Anne Plaza in late March (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County is looking at Reston’s Lake Anne area and the Huntington Metro station as the next candidates for a program that offers tax breaks and other incentives to jumpstart revitalization efforts.

Both areas have proven difficult to redevelop and are seeing stagnant real estate values, despite their prime locations and the county’s overall economic growth, according to Elizabeth Hagg, director of the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development’s community revitalization section.