Rebuffing concerns raised by residents on both environmental and transparency grounds, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved the sale of 41.7 acres of county-owned land in Chantilly for development as a data center.
Without making any comments, the supervisors voted 9-0 on Tuesday (March 17) to sell part of the police department’s training facility at 3721 Stonecroft Blvd to Starwood Capital Group under the name SCG Capital Holdings LLC.
Fairfax County ended 2025 with nearly 20% more residents unable to find work than it started the year.
New figures reported yesterday (Wednesday) by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advance pegged the county’s unemployment rate at 3.3% in December. Though down from 3.8% in November, it was up from 2.7% at the start of the year.
Roof Collapses During House Fire — Yesterday morning (Wednesday), firefighters “responded to reports of a house fire in the 3100 block of Holmes Run Road in West Falls Church. Units arrived with fire engulfing the roof of a two-story single-family home … During operations, there was a partial roof collapse.” One person “was evaluated for non-life-threatening injuries.” [FCFRD/Facebook]
Virginia Joins Tariffs Refund Push — “Attorney General Jay Jones is pressing Congress to force refunds on billions of dollars in tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump, arguing the federal government must quickly repay businesses and consumers after the nation’s highest court struck down the policy.” [Virginia Mercury]
Grad Students Left Out of College Labor Bill — “Service workers like janitors and security guards who work for colleges and universities will be allowed to engage in collective bargaining under a bill lawmakers are sending to the governor. But college professors and graduate students are excluded from the bill.” [WVTF]
Quirky Bills Considered by General Assembly — “Hidden among the more than 3,000 bills filed are a few gems, like ones aimed at taxing porn, studying fungi and more.” Legislation sent by lawmakers to Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger include a ban on livestreaming while driving and a bill that would require movie theaters to show a certain number of films with subtitles or open captioning. [Axios Richmond]
N. Va. Getting First Women’s Sports Bar — “Women’s sports fans could soon have a bar of their own in Arlington. Sarah White, a longtime local restaurateur and partner at Westover Taco, is in the process of buying out of the taqueria at 5849 Washington Blvd.” She plans to turn the establishment into what she says will be Northern Virginia’s first sports bar to center on women’s teams. [ARLnow]
Watch for Roadwork in Fort Belvoir — “The Fort Belvoir community should plan to avoid the intersection of Stonewall Jackson and Gorgas Road from March 23-24 due to construction. Crews will be using heavy equipment to repave the lane divider. The area will be an active construction site with road closures and is off-limits for safety reasons.” [Fort Belvoir/X]
Walkway Proposed on Idylwood Road — “The Fairfax County Department of Public Transportation (FCDOT) will hold a virtual public meeting on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at 7 p.m., to gather public input” on a project to add an asphalt walkway along Idylwood Road from Idylwood Court to Hillside Drive. “Additional feedback will be accepted via an online survey available after the meeting through April 2.” [FCDOT]
When GMU Men’s Basketball Made Final Four — “Twenty years ago, George Mason University’s men’s basketball team defied odds, toppled giants, and created a legacy that continues to reverberate in the college sports world.” After entering the NCAA tournament in 2006 in the at-large No. 11 seed, the Patriots “emerged as the longest-shot ever to reach the vaunted Final Four.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 55 degrees and a gentle south wind at 5 to 7 mph. Thursday night will be partly cloudy with temperatures dropping to around 40 degrees and a light south wind. [NWS]
Support local journalism. Join the FFXnow Press Club to boost our reporting and to get upgraded newsletters.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (March 17) lauded 50 years of service by the county’s Master Gardeners program.
During a presentation, Board Chairman Jeff McKay praised the “dedication, expertise and spirit of service” of volunteers who have supported the effort over the past half-century.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors doubled down yesterday morning (Tuesday) on their opposition to a Tysons casino — and ramped up criticism of state legislators pushing the measure.
“This was absolutely a direct attack on local government,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said at the March 17 meeting, which came three days after state legislators passed legislation that would add Fairfax County to the list of Virginia localities eligible to host a casino.
A modest single-family house on a sprawling 8.3-acre lot in Reston could be parlayed into dozens of new homes for seniors if a recently submitted development proposal is approved.
Under the name SMT Land Holdings, the Reston-based home builder Gulick Group is seeking a special exception from Fairfax County for an independent living community to replace a one-story house that has stood at 11000 Baron Cameron Avenue since 1966, per local property records.
Potomac Recreational Advisory Lifted — “The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is lifting the remaining recreational water advisory for the Potomac River from the American Legion Memorial Bridge (I-495) to the Route 120 Chain Bridge.” The department will “continue to monitor sampling data as available,” with efforts to clean up the Jan. 19 sewage spill in Maryland continuing. [VDH]
Women Killed in Domestic Stabbings Mourned — “The Nepalese community gathered Tuesday to honor two women killed in a gruesome domestic attack, while also offering prayers for the man accused of the slayings. The memorial service, held weeks after a violent stabbing rocked a Mantua apartment complex, focused on the lives of Mamta Thapa and her mother, Binda Thapa.” [WUSA9]
Input Wanted on GW Parkway Trees — “The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking public input on big-picture plans for GW Parkway’s vistas and foliage — a topic that has previously sparked significant controversy. A virtual public meeting on ‘long-term care of historic scenic views’ will be held at 6 p.m. today (Wednesday), and comments are being accepted online. [ARLnow]
Study Considers Congestion Pricing in D.C. — “A D.C.-backed study of how congestion pricing might work in the city is now public, following years of wrangling. With that drama in the rearview mirror, policymakers can start to confront thornier questions about whether the policy is the right fit for D.C.,” though even the most supportive current elected officials don’t expect to start charging commuters any time soon. [WAMU]
Housing Bills Sent to Governor — Though the General Assembly nixed a few more radical bills, “many housing proposals are on their way to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk — some of which she has already stated she will sign into law. The bills represented a flurry of efforts to address housing issues including affordability, supply, renter protections, and state input on local zoning decisions.” [Virginia Mercury]
Belle Haven Office Building for Sale — “The 97,581-square-foot, eight-story office at 5845 Richmond Highway, currently branded as the Belle Haven Professional Center, is 56% leased to a mix of medical and professional tenants, according to marketing materials.” A floodplain and resource protection area limit potential redevelopment options, so the site is instead being pitched to businesses that would be interested in occupying it. [Washington Business Journal]
New Florida Flight Planned at Dulles — “Frontier Airlines Inc. is adding another route out of Dulles International Airport with plans to launch nonstop flights to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this spring. The daily flights to Fort Lauderdale, its ninth nonstop destination linking to Dulles, will begin on May 21 via an Airbus A320 aircraft.” [WBJ]
Vienna Photo Show Winners Named — “Amateur photographers from across the region showcased their talent in the 2026 Vienna Photo Show, displaying a collection of unique, award-winning photos at the Vienna Community Center March 14-15, 2026 … This year’s event featured 156 entries from 60 photographers and 171 attendees.” [Town of Vienna]
New Legal Notice — Restaurant seeks ABC wine, beer, mixed-beverage on/off-premises license. [Public Notices]
It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny weather with a high near 42 degrees and light, variable winds shifting to the south at 6 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy with a low of around 31 degrees and a southeast wind at about 5 mph. [NWS]
There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.
Despite the pleas of one local lawmaker, Fairfax County officials will not revisit their Trust Policy restricting information sharing with federal immigration enforcement agencies anytime soon.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity proposed revisiting the policy at today’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors, but the suggestion was rejected without discussion by the other nine members — all Democrats.
The signature of Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) is the lone step remaining before Northern Virginia localities receive a new tool to combat excessive vehicle noise.
“There was some drama with this bill,” acknowledged its patron, Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6), in a March 16 newsletter to constituents.
A dispute over ending a sales tax exemption on data centers stood in the way of the Virginia General Assembly passing a state budget passing before its regular session ended.
Over the past 18 years, Virginia became the world’s largest data hub, but community opposition to data centers has swelled. Most recently, in Fairfax County, environmental groups are questioning plans to sell part of a county-owned parcel at 3721 Stonecroft Blvd in Chantilly to data center developer Starwood Capital Group.
