The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) is continuing an aggressive push to expand its affordable housing supply with the recent acquisition of land near the Innovation Center Metro station.
The agency announced Tuesday (Oct. 13) that it has purchased two parcels at 3625 and 3627 King Johns Way in the McNair area south of Herndon for nearly $23 million.
The impending closure of the Washington Post’s longtime printing plant in Springfield will cost more than 100 employees their jobs.
The Jeff Bezos-owned media company notified state and local officials on Oct. 7 that the facility’s relocation from 7171 Wimsatt Road to a smaller site in Loudoun County will result in layoffs affecting 118 workers. The layoffs are scheduled to take effect on Dec. 31.
Va. Lagging on AI Expertise, Report Says — “Virginia’s information technology office is not up to speed on artificial intelligence, and the agency that helps draft laws does not have the AI expertise needed to address the quickly evolving technology, according to a state-directed report.” [Cardinal News]
Arlington Removes Flock Cameras — “All county-leased Flock Safety technology had been removed as of last week, in compliance with a County Board vote last month, county spokesperson Ryan Hudson told ARLnow … The decision, which came amid nationwide backlash against the technology and concerns about potential misuse by federal agents, does not affect cameras installed on private property.” [ARLnow]
Fairfax County Public Schools has acquired a quantum computer, touted as the world’s first for kindergarten through 12th-grade students, for its new Skyview High School in the Floris area south of Herndon.
Roughly the size of a small refrigerator, the computer is expected to be installed in December and become available next spring to FCPS students, enabling them to explore quantum concepts, understand how the machine differs from a traditional computer, and test problems.
Fairfax County is planning to streamline its restaurant permitting process and improve communications to support small businesses.
The county recently conducted a study of its permitting process, covering the time from when restaurants submit building plans to their opening day to identify areas the process is slow or could be improved. The results were presented to the Board of Supervisors’ audit committee on Oct. 6.
If he’s reelected to the Herndon Town Council, Kelvin Garcia has no intention of becoming complacent.
The former law enforcement officer is proud of his accomplishments from his first two years on the council, including the creation of a youth advisory committee and his support of collective bargaining for the town’s police department. But he believes he still has more work to do.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors set the stage yesterday (Oct. 13) for a tax on recreational marijuana at the highest rate allowed when retail sales become legal next summer.
On a 10-0 vote, the supervisors directed staff to develop an ordinance that would impose a 3.5% cannabis tax on top of the state sales tax and a 6% state marijuana tax, all slated to take effect when Virginia starts permitting retail sales on July 1, 2027.
Early Voting Strong in N. Va. — “Virginia has recorded nearly twice as many early ballots as it had at the same point in the 2022 midterm election cycle, with early voting surging in Northern Virginia.” As of Oct. 11, “In Fairfax County, early voting increased 128% over the same period [in 2022], rising from about 27,000 ballots in 2022 to more than 62,000 this year.” [WUSA9]
Developer Moving HQ to Tysons — “Middleburg Communities is moving its headquarters from Vienna to a new office about a mile away in Tysons, Bisnow has learned. The multifamily owner and developer inked 27,800 SF at Lerner Enterprises’ 1800 Tysons Blvd.,” which will make it easier for employees to get to work and enable it to better accommodate future growth, founder and CEO Chris Finlay said. [Bisnow]
An annual fundraiser that encourages diners to indulge their sweet tooth in the name of supporting breast cancer research will return to Northern Virginia this Friday (Oct. 16).
Four eateries in Fairfax County are participating in this year’s Bakes for Breast Cancer campaign, which asks restaurants, cafes, bakeries, grocery stores and other businesses to donate proceeds from their dessert sales to fund research and treatment of the disease.
Prices ticked up slightly for single-family houses, but otherwise, Fairfax County’s September real estate market was soft, according to new data.
A total of 897 properties went to closing during the month, down from 953 a year before and below the five-year September average of 930 transactions, according to figures reported Monday (Oct. 12) by MarketStats by Showing-Time.
