(Updated at 3:30 p.m.) A local Fairfax resident and golf professional has qualified for the 2024 PGA Golf Professional Championship.

Larkin Gross, an assistant professional at Vienna’s Westwood Country Club, is among 13 mid-Atlantic golf professionals to qualify for the championship, which will be held from Saturday, April 28, to May 1 at Fields Ranch in Frisco, Texas.

The top 20 finishers in the 312-player field will advance to the 2024 PGA Championship, scheduled for May 13-19 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. There, they will face off against the world’s premier golfers at the second major championship of the year.

The PGA Professional Championship, the country’s largest all-professional tournament, represents all 41 PGA Sections of the PGA of America.

“The MAPGA is very proud of our 13 PGA Members who qualified for this year’s PGA Professional Championship,” Middle Atlantic PGA President Lynne Hunter stated in the press release. “This prestigious event gathers the finest from our 30,000 members to vie for a spot in the PGA Championship and to compete alongside top international players.”

Among those participating in the tournament will be the top 20 from last year’s championship and qualifiers from section championships.

The tournament, which offers a purse of $715,000, will conduct the first round cuts for those outside the low 90 scorers and ties after 36 holes on Monday, and again after 54 holes on Tuesday to those those outside the 70 scores and ties.

The winner will receive a $715,000 prize, and the top 20 finishers will join the Corebridge Financial Team, qualifying for the PGA Championship at Valhalla. There, they will compete against the world’s elite in one of golf’s most prestigious events.

A home-based golf instruction facility is coming soon to a half-acre of land on 1051 Kelso Road in Great Falls.

Next Level Golf — a local golf instruction company — hopes to open a golf instruction facility that “fosters golf development for individuals of all backgrounds and abilities, including veterans, individuals with PTSD, disabilities and juniors/adults interested in the sport,” according to the application, which was filed last week.

The company plans to install a green and bunker area for golf lessons. The applicant emphasized that that the company has no intention of installing a driving range or golf course — only a specialized facility focused “solely on golf development activities.”

“The utilization of the land will not pose any harm or distraction to neighboring properties, streets, or roads, and will maintain the agricultural stability of the area. The proposed short game area will span approximately 1/2 acre and will be designed specifically for putting, chipping, and pitching practice within a designated 15,000 square foot area. No chemicals other than those required for normal lawn maintenance will be used, ensuring minimal environmental impact and preserving the integrity of the soil,” the application states.

Next Level Golf also plans to use a portion of a home’s garage — roughly 700 square feet — to install golf simulators that allow indoor training options.

The addition requires a special permit and special permit amendment. The application is in the early stages of the county’s review process and has not yet been formally accepted for review.

Image via Google Maps

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved the transformation of Rudy’s Golf and Sports Bar in Kingstowne into 17 acres of single-family homes and public parks.

Last week, supervisors unanimously endorsed a proposal by Maryland-based EYA Development to redevelop the property at 6626 South Van Dorn Street. The roughly 17.4-acre site hosted the first Top Golf in the U.S. until the facility closed in early 2020 and Rudy’s opened in 2022.

The project will include 174 single-family homes, 18 of which will be designated as affordable, and several acres of public parks.

The approval comes nearly a decade after a more intensive version of the project was first proposed in 2015. Since then, the proposal has changed multiple times after facing public backlash over concerns about traffic congestion, compatibility with the neighborhood and stormwater management.

Following extensive public feedback, the number of homes in the plan was reduced from 275 to 174, and the idea for thousands of square feet of retail space was scrapped altogether.

Despite those changes, some community members and Franconia Land Use Committee representatives continued to speak out publicly against the proposal up until last month, when the Fairfax County Planning Commission voted unanimously to advance the plan.

Those who spoke during a January public hearing on a comprehensive plan amendment that would allow residential development at the site argued that the density remained excessively high and expressed concerns over traffic congestion and environmental effects.

However, EYA representatives addressed traffic concerns by presenting an analysis that showed traffic would reduce after redevelopment compared to if the property stayed the same. The developer also plans to construct a new underground detention vault and multiple bioretention facilities to control stormwater drainage.

With each successive vote, the number of people turning out against the project has declined. During the latest public hearing on March 5, only two people spoke — both of them in favor of the project.

“The developer of this proposal…has sought input from neighboring communities and environmental groups throughout this process, resulting in a well-designed plan that deserves support,” said Sonya Breehy, Northern Virginia advocacy manager for the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

Breehy also highlighted the critical need for more housing amid a region-wide shortage.

Board Chairman Jeff McKay highlighted the absence of opposition during the public hearing, attributing the positive outcome to the county’s patience and commitment to “get it right.”

“I, for one, am glad to say that we resisted many plans that would have been insufficient, certainly inferior to the plan that we see here today, as many people have acknowledged,” he said.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission has teed up an approval of a residential development that could replace Rudy’s Golf and Sports Bar in Kingstowne with nearly 200 single-family homes.

Commissioners voted unanimously on Feb. 14 to recommend approval of the development proposal for 6626 South Van Dorn Street, which once hosted a Topgolf before Rudy’s opened in 2022.

The decision came weeks after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a comprehensive plan amendment to increase the housing density allowed at the proposed site from three to four units per acre to 10 units.

The Maryland-based housing developer, EYA Development, initially proposed a much larger project in 2015 that would’ve added 275 residential units and up to 70,000 square feet of retail. However, the developer had to revise its plans multiple times in the face of opposition before finally securing community support.

The latest plan would transform the 17-acre property into 174 single-family homes, 18 of which will be designated as affordable, and create several acres of public park space.

Most attendees at last month’s Board of Supervisors public hearing on the comprehensive plan amendment expressed support, but there were still some holdouts, notably the Franconia Land Use Committee. Speakers argued that the proposed increase in density was inappropriate for the site, citing concerns over traffic congestion and environmental impact.

But when Franconia District Planning Commissioner Daniel Lagana questioned Cooley LLP lawyer Mark Looney about potential traffic concerns last week, the developer representative countered that the property owner has the right to lease out the former Ruby Tuesday restaurant at any time — a move that could generate more traffic than the proposed development.

“Were that restaurant operating at its full capacity with, let’s say, two fast-food-type restaurants, it would have significantly more daytime traffic, as well as higher peak hour traffic in both the morning and evening along South Van Dorn Street,” Looney said.

Looney noted that EYA plans to construct a new underground detention vault, replacing the existing one that’s over two decades old, and multiple bioretention facilities — also known as rain gardens — to capture and purify the majority of stormwater runoff flowing into the Potomac River.

“So, everything that will leave the property at the end of the day will be much slower and much cleaner than the what the storm water is today,” he said.

The Franconia Land Use Committee was absent from the planning commission hearing, where nearly 10 individuals supported the development.

Toward the end of the hearing, Lagana praised EYA for its persistence in working with the community to design something he described as “truly remarkable” and “forward-thinking.”

“Working with this coalition of groups and building this broad alliance of people that were engaged in this for three and a half years…gave you the type of design that you needed to have for this site,” Lagana said. “I mean, it really led to the great solution that we have before us today, which I think is just a beautiful site design.”

The commissioner, however, called the actions of the Franconia Land Use Committee members “unbecoming of any appointed body in this county.”

“We reduced the [number of homes] to 100 units, we improved stormwater, we improved [affordable dwelling units] — I mean, the list goes on and on and on and on, and we’re still dealing with these, I think, fictitious problems that kept coming up,” he said. “And I just want to say the amount of frankly, vitriol and hostility personal hostility that was directed at the applicants at some points was absolutely unacceptable.”

The next public hearing on the rezoning application will take place before the Board of Supervisors on March 5, according to the county website.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has revised its comprehensive plan for Kingstowne, opening the door for potential new housing development at the former Topgolf site.

After a two-hour public hearing, the board unanimously agreed on Tuesday (Jan. 23) to boost the housing density at 6626 South Van Dorn Street from 3-4 units per acre to 10 units per acre.

The amendment sets the stage for EYA Development, a Maryland-based housing developer, to construct a single-family subdivision with 174 units, 18 of them designated as affordable, and a public park on the 17-acre site currently housing Rudy’s Golf and Sports Bar and an empty Ruby Tuesdays.

The developer must still gain the county’s approval for a rezoning and its official development plan, which are under review.

Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk noted that the currently proposed development has generally won public support, including from the Kingstowne Residential Owners Corporation, the Friends of Huntley Meadows, and Friends of Kingstowne Lake. The planning commission and county staff also recommended approval.

“I think the proposed plan provides significant opportunities to provide a new feature for this site that would integrate well with the surrounding residential communities and the Kingstowne area,” Lusk said.

Originally proposed in 2015, the development aimed to create a mixed-use area with 275 single-family homes, 16 dwelling units per acre, and up to 70,000 square feet of retail.

Since then, the application has been revised multiple times, primarily due to resident and stakeholder backlash concerning traffic, compatibility with the neighborhood and stormwater management.

However, at the hearing, most of the roughly two dozen speakers expressed support for the application. Read More

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.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors first requested county staff to consider an amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan in 2015. At that time, the proposal would’ve allowed up to roughly 275 residential units and up to 70,000 square feet of retail uses.

However, feedback from the community, including “comments related to the proposed density being too high, too many dwelling units proposed and also opposition to retail uses on the site,” led to a series of changes, according to county planner Aaron Klibaner.

“The first iterations included both residential and retail uses, and then later transitioned to all residential,” Klibaner said. “The proposed density has steadily decreased, beginning at 16 dwelling units per acre in 2015 down to 10 dwelling units per acre.”

The latest concept also includes affordable housing units and allows consideration of “a consolidated open space in the form of a publicly accessible community park,” he added.

The updated proposal also ensures connections for pedestrians and cyclists to Kingstowne and guidelines to protect the preservation of trees. 

Resident Kenneth Bailey opposed the plan, saying his son is now on his school’s golf team because of Rudy’s, which opened last year and offers recreational golf and entertainment. However, he said he understood the benefits of the proposal. 

“I’m still going to say my position on behalf of my son and…all the other young people that could benefit from a place like Rudy’s,” Bailey said. “I mean, I get it. We need housing. Sure. There’s not enough housing in Northern Virginia.”

Aaron Wilkowitz, vice president of YIMBYs of Northern Virginia’s Fairfax County chapter, said he supports the updates for several reasons,t the most prominent being the development of more affordable housing.

“Every single home matters. Every new unit matters to driving down prices and making Fairfax County affordable for everyone,” Wilkowitz said.

Paul Wagner, a Kingstowne resident, commended staff for incorporating suggested changes since the plan was first introduced.

“What was on the table with 275 units in that property was worrisome to me and my family,” Wagner said. “What we have on the table now seems much more reasonable to me. It’s a plan that has been considerate.”

After the 2015 and 2021 versions of the amendment petered out, Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk revived the redevelopment effort on Dec. 6, 2022, reporting that it had secured resident support, including from the Kingstowne Resident Homeowners Association, “as a result of extensive community outreach and engagement.”

If the Board of Supervisors approves the amendment after its scheduled public hearing on Oct. 24, the project is expected to be undertaken by developer EYA, the Washington Business Journal reported last week.

(Updated at 9:05 p.m.) Local police are investigating an armed robbery that took place last night (Wednesday) at Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston.

Police arrived on the scene at around 8 p.m. to investigate the incident. No injuries were reported. 

At least one suspect reportedly displayed a handgun, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Police Department told FFXnow.

“This incident is still an active investigation, and no other information can be provided at this time,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement.

According to the county’s police scanner, six juveniles were seen near the 15th hole on the golf course. A female individual reportedly displayed a hand gun.

The juveniles were reportedly seen attempting to steal golf carts, according to the scanner.

Earlier this month, police confirmed that several golf carts were stolen from the golf course at 1711 Clubhouse Road and later recovered.

FCPD did not provide any additional information about the incidents.

With autumn just over the horizon, Capital One Center has lined up an expanded roster of events, vendors and musicians for its fifth Perchfest.

The biannual weekend festival will return to The Perch (1805 Capital One Drive) in Tysons on Sept. 15-17, marking about two years since it launched in 2021 to celebrate the skypark’s opening.

In addition to the usual live entertainment and lawn games, the upcoming festival will feature a mini golf tournament called the Perch Putt Open to benefit Miriam’s Kitchen, a D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness that will serve as the event’s charity partner.

“Each year the program grows,” Meghan Trossen, head of Capital One Center’s public affairs, said of Perchfest. “We are thrilled to team up with Miriam’s Kitchen, which has served our community for over 40 years to end chronic and veteran homelessness in the DC Metro Area.”

The tournament is open to event sponsors and anyone who buys spots for four people at $500. Noting that there are only a few sponsorships remaining, Trossen says interested participants can register by contacting her directly at meghan.trossen@capitalone.com.

The Perch Putt Open will kick off the weekend’s festivities from 3-7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15.

For those not participating in the mini golf tournament, this fall’s Perchfest will still offer a new attraction in the form of a Shop Made in VA pop-up market showcasing apparel, home goods and other products from local artisans.

The 18-hole Perch Putt mini golf course, its accompanying food trucks and Starr Hill Biergarten will also be open throughout the festival.

The full schedule is below, though Capital One Center says it’s subject to change depending on the weather:

Friday, September 15th

• 3-7 p.m. — Perch Putt Open, Tysons community vendors on the Great Lawn
• 4-6:30 p.m. — Starting Early at Starr Hill Biergarten
• 7-10 p.m. — Run for Cover at Starr Hill Biergarten

‍Saturday, September 16th

• 12-12:45 p.m. — Free “Sweat Sesh” fitness class from Body Fit Training (BFT) on the Great Lawn
• 12-2 p.m. — Free Flowing Music Experience at Starr Hill Biergarten
• 12-7 p.m. — Shop Made in VA and Tysons community vendors on the Great Lawn
• 2:30-4:30 p.m. — Texas Chainsaw Horns at Starr Hill Biergarten
• 3-6 p.m. — Four Roses (Wren’s private label) barrel release party
• 5-7:30 p.m. — Sidemen Band at Starr Hill Biergarten
• 8-10:30 p.m. — Kleptoradio at Starr Hill Biergarten
• DJ/MC afterparty with Captain/2nutz at Starr Hill Biergarten until closing at midnight

‍Sunday, September 17th

• 10:30-11:15 a.m. — FitCoach Caroline HIIT Workout at Starr Hill Biergarten
• 11 a.m.-5 p.m. — Tysons community vendors on the Great Lawn
• 12-2 p.m. — The Vandalays
• 2 p.m. — Pie-eating contests sponsored by Wegmans and Capital One Center
• 2:30-5 p.m. — NovaKane at Starr Hill Biergarten

Coming from Wren, the Japanese restaurant in The Watermark Hotel, the Four Roses barrel release party will require separate registrations. More details on that particular event will be coming soon, Capital One Center says.

Perchfest is free to attend, but advance registrations through Eventbrite are encouraged.

In the past, the festival has drawn about 15,000 people over three days, according to Capital One Center. The most recent edition in May offered a preview of three restaurants — Sisters Thai, Stellina Pizzeria and Ox & Rye — coming to the mixed-use development, though now, they’re not expected to open until next year.

A family entertainment center in Chantilly is officially under new ownership.

Creepy Greens Entertainment, LLC has taken over Mini Monster Golf and is now fully operational.

An application submitted to Fairfax County seeks permission for a special permit so the new owner can provide laser tag, arcade expansion, and a kitchen and cafe area that is currently unused.

“The previous owners of the store were granted this special permit and the new owner, Creepy Greens Entertainment Inc., hopes to retain it,” the application says. “No additions, expansions, or use case changes are planned.”

A company representative told FFXnow that the application before the county was necessary in order to “reflect the new ownership.”

The special permit plan aims to maintain the existing character of the area, according to the application.

The facility is open in the fall and winter Monday through Thursday from 2-9 p.m., Fridays from 2-10 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m.

In the spring and summer, the hours will be Monday through Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m., according to the permit application.

Developers are seeking permission to redevelop Reston’s two golf courses through a process where Fairfax County considers land use changes to its comprehensive plan.

The county is currently considering dozens of nominations throughout the county for the Site-Specific Plan Amendment process, including the redevelopment of Reston National Golf Course and Hidden Creek Country Club.

Currently, the county’s comprehensive plan states that both areas are planned for private recreation uses — more specifically as golf courses. For years, community organizations like Rescue Reston have vehemently opposed the redevelopment of both golf courses.

Reston National

Weller Development and War Horse Cities, the owners of Reston National, want to convert the “obsolescent golf course” into a 100-acre open space conservancy with an 8-acre linear park and a “mixed-use village.” The concept is not new and was initially floated several years ago.

The application says the development team could pursue a more intense development plan with more residential development, given its “substantial, longstanding zoning rights.”

“Repurposing the property to provide much needed community amenities, a range of housing and shopping opportunities, and permanent useable open space with covenants, so as to preserve that open space in perpetuity, better utilizes one of Reston’s premier assets,” the application says.

But the prospect has previously drawn backlash from community groups. Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn also publicly stated that he would not support redevelopment, unless there is existing community support.

The owners say the golf course is the “very definition of underutilization,” averaging 95 people per day on an annual basis across its 168 acres.

“To remain a dedicated ‘golf course’ is counter to the vision set out by Robert E. Simon in his founding principles, as his was a uniquely inclusionary vision,” the application argues. “Far worse, this serves to delay or potentially forfeit a timely opportunity to accomplish key goals set out by Fairfax County leadership.”

The application proposes converting the golf course into a “village” with new houses and retail and permanent open space dubbed the Conservancy, joined by a linear park that could have nurseries for native plants, vegetable gardens, and pollinators.

The Conservancy is described as a “generational opportunity” to create publicly accessible open space with restored meadows, a performance pavilion, other pavilions, seating areas, community gardens, a dog park, waterfront pier, and new trees.

“Reston National Golf Course has been the focus of intense debate within the community going back more than a decade,” Steve Siegel, a partner at Weller Development, wrote in the application. “While this Owner respects and understands the perspective of Reston National’s immediate neighbors, we contend that, as wonderful as the game of golf is for the few who actually play it, a private pay-to-play golf course is the wrong use for this site in 2022 and moving forward.”

Hidden Creek

Wheelock Communities, the owner of Hidden Creek Country Club, also contend that the golf course “no longer contributes appropriate to the live, work and play principles on which Reston was based,” adding that the country club has roughly 500 members.

The application notes that a significant number of the club’s membership lives outside of Reston.

“The reality, therefore, is that the combination of weakening economics and competing country club and golf course options, together with ongoing and significant need for capital reinvestment not supported by current revenue, means the Country Club’s future in its current form is shaky, at best,” wrote Mark Cooley, a land use lawyer representing Wheelock.

Instead, the developer pitches turning roughly 100 acres of the property into recreational open space and adding residential units, which could include a range of housing types at several price points to address the “missing middle” of affordable housing.

In July, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors tweaked the SSPA process by allowing more frequent opportunities for nominations, new submission criteria with more information, and enhanced community engagement.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is expected to decide which nominations will move forward — and which ones will be killed — at a meeting on Dec. 6.

The first SSPA cycle kicked off in 2017 for the North County area followed by a second cycle in 2019 for the South County area.

In October, the county accepted nominations for all nine supervisor districts in the current SSPA cycle.

A complete list of other SSPA nominations for the Hunter Mill District is available online.