After years of debating the issue of “panhandling” in board rooms, Fairfax County will now actually talk to the people asking for money, often from sidewalks and street medians.
At Chairman Jeff McKay’s request, the Board of Supervisors approved $75,000 for a survey of people engaged in panhandling as part of a budget carryover package adopted on Tuesday (Sept. 26).
“Understanding that asking for money is a protected act under the First Amendment, it is imperative that the County better understand the needs of the people who are panhandling and explore innovative approaches to responding to panhandling,” McKay wrote in his request that the item be added to the package, which allocated $203 million in leftover funds from fiscal year 2023.
Per the memo, the survey will be conducted by a contracted firm that should have experience surveying “marginalized populations” and “a proven track record of producing high-quality data.”
Collected data could include:
Demographics; reasons for panhandling; how long they have been panhandling; experiences with employment, poverty, and homelessness; panhandling income and spending patterns; possible coercion and collaboration among people panhandling; and opinions on what it would take to stop panhandling.
The memo notes that the surveys “must be conducted safely and confidentially.”
A start date hasn’t been determined yet, but the survey is expected to take six months. The results will be presented to the board at a future committee meeting.
The planned survey will be the county’s latest effort to address panhandling, following rejected attempts to prohibit the practice or install anti-panhandling signage. The county did launch a clean-up program in 2019 that gives temporary work to people experiencing homelessness.
While panhandling is protected as free speech, the county discourages community members from giving money to people on the streets who ask for it, arguing that it’s more effective to connect them with long-term assistance.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, who has led the charge against panhandling, said earlier in Tuesday’s meeting that he’s reviewing “ordinances involving prohibiting the exchange of objects in the roadway that have been successful in other jurisdictions,” including Loudoun County. Read More
Herndon’s business community expressed overall levels of satisfaction with the town in a recent survey, but some say they want the town to focus more on expanding support for businesses.
Presented at a Herndon Town Council work session on Tuesday (Sept. 19), the results were gathered from a business survey by Priority Metrics Group (PMG), which included 155 respondents, the average of which has been in the town for 17 years.
At the work session, council members emphasized the need for the town to more actively support businesses and expand town events that draw customers — two themes of improvement from the survey.
“They want a more business-friendly government,” Councilmember Donielle Scherff said. “We’ve talked a bit about customer service-centric leadership and staff, and this just sort of buttresses into that.”
Most respondents say they chose Herndon because of its location.
“They like being here. There are amenities and attributes that are here that they like,” said John Barrett, owner of PMG.
Overall, sentiments about the town’s general business environment dipped only slightly since the last survey was conducted in 2018.
Business owners said they were drawn by the access to airports — which expanded last year with the opening of Metro’s Silver Line extension — as well as the overall quality of life and the image of the town. Top concerns included licensing, taxation, regulations, crime rates, traffic and the quality of new development.
Many business owners said they wanted to see more special events in the town — a move that Councilmember Cesar del Aguila said emphasizes the need for the council to focus extra attention on event development.
“What I’m hearing here solidifies my personal belief that we’re on the right track,” del Aguila said, noting a need to focus on branding for the town. He said it was “painful” to hear that some business owners did not feel noticed by the local government.
So far, use of the Mason Enterprise Center — a business accelerator program from George Mason University that launched earlier this year — appears limited, according to the survey. A little over 80% of respondents said they had not heard about the center.
Most respondents — 77% of businesses — said the Metro Silver Line has had no impact or a neutral impact on their businesses.
PMG also recently completed a survey of town residents, who flagged traffic as a top concern.
Photo via Google Maps
Traffic concerns were among the top issues flagged in a survey of Town of Herndon residents.
Despite those frustrations, the survey by Priority Metric Group found high levels of satisfaction with town services and quality of life in the town.
Priority Metrics Group owner John Barrett emphasized that the results are based on a weighted sample, specifically for household income and ethnicity, in a presentation to the Herndon Town Council on July 11.
He said respondents were repeatedly instructed that the survey is intended to evaluate town services, not issues beyond the town’s purview.
Most respondents — a little over 60% — in the survey were white, while 16% of the sample was Hispanic, 15% was Asian and 7% was Black. Comparatively, the town’s population is 31% Hispanic, 41% white, 14% Asian, and 6% Black, according to the latest U.S. Census data.
The average survey participant lived in the town for 13 years, and 84% worked outside of the town. Roughly 15% of respondents plan to move from the town in the next year, largely due to the cost of living or housing.
The survey found that most respondents were very satisfied with professionalism of the police, trash and recycling services, and customer service at both the Herndon Municipal Center and the Herndon Community Center.
Satisfaction was lowest when it came to traffic flow, with just 52.3% of respondents saying they’re “satisfied” or “very satisfied responses” compared to 64.7% in a 2018 survey.
The survey also gauged thoughts on the conditions of the town’s sidewalks and streets, the overall appearance of the town, the police department’s ability to address neighborhood problems, traffic and parking code enforcement, and access to town facilities for people with disabilities.
Overall, the town continued to receive average performance ratings on six criteria, but declined on six others, including overall appearance and neighborhood safety. The most substantial decline was related to traffic.
Key issues related to the appearance of the town include challenges on Elden Street, the stalled redevelopment of downtown Herndon, and overall trash and cleanliness of the town and parks.
Still, 88% of residents are satisfied or very satisfied with quality of life in the town.
Most respondents pointed to Herndon’s small town appeal as the community’s most magnetic factor by far.
“Even though you’re kind of in the middle of this hub of activity right next to Dulles, right next to D.C…is this small community feel,” Barrett said. “People love it.”
The Fairfax County Park Authority wants feedback on a draft plan to make county parks more equitable and accessible.
County staff is collecting input on its Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Access (PROSA) Strategy through an online survey and two virtual workshops scheduled this month. The second round of community engagement comes as the FCPA prepares to finalize the strategy later this year.
FCPA Director Jai Cole said the strategy will guide the park authority toward improved accessibility, park equity, and a “stronger balance of park experiences countywide.”
“The cutting-edge research which we’ve undertaken, coupled with the valuable insights we’ve received by way of community input, will be invaluable tools in our work to ensure equitable access to our park system,” Cole said.
According to the county, top priorities of the draft PROSA report include:
- Ensuring all community members have access to FCPA parks within a 10-minute walk
- Enhancing access to “complete park experiences”
- Enriching habitat connectivity between environmental corridors
- Analyzing and prioritizing recreation needs and projects with an equity lens, as required by the county’s One Fairfax policy
According to the report, approximately 52% of residents have access to a county park within a 10-minute walk from their home.
Emphasizing its vision of ensuring residents can get to a park without driving, the report states that barriers can include the presence of large roadways with limited pedestrian crossings, a lack of sidewalks, remote park entryways and natural features, such as a stream or forested area.
“Opportunities to remove barriers and improve park access range from adding a trailhead or a new park entrance where feasible, to partnering with an agency to add a crosswalk, or acquiring parkland,” the PROSA report says.
Enhancing accessibility is also about improving the access visitors have to active, “passive,” social and natural or cultural recreation, according to the report, which proposes that the park authority develop parks with limited activities, acquire parkland, and collaborate with other public agencies to achieve its goal.
The objective of enriching habitat connectivity is centered on preserving and enhancing the county’s current and future natural environment.
“Improving habitat connectivity is a critical strategy for addressing habitat loss and fragmentation, a top threat to biodiversity,” the report reads.
The FCPA will identify sites where habitat health could improve, plant trees to bolster area with lower tree canopy, and consider opportunities to improve habitat connectivity when acquiring parkland.
The report commits the park authority to considering “racial and social equity and population density when prioritizing park and recreation needs and projects in order to diminish racial and social inequities within our community.”
The first round of community engagement on the PROSA strategy wrapped up last fall. The virtual workshop for the second round of community engagement is scheduled for July 18 and July 25. Comments through the online survey will be accepted through Aug. 6.
Registration for the online survey and workshops is available on the PROSA webpage.
The Fairfax County Police Department is partnering with Zencity to roll out a community survey tool that markets itself as a way to “reimagine” local policing.
Chief of Police Kevin Davis described Zencity Blockwise as a tool to measure public sentiment and build trust in the community at a press conference yesterday (Monday) to provide more information about the new countywide initiative. He was joined by Zencity Chief Strategy Officer Michael Simon.
“When we partnered with Zencity, we wanted to take that next step and better capture community feedback, community sentiment,” Davis said. “And we want to make sure that the things we do as a police department are in line with the expectations of our broader community.”
Zencity Blockwise is already used by other police departments across the country, including Chicago and San Diego, but it represents an evolution of public engagement tools utilized by FCPD.
Davis noted that just over a year ago, FCPD piloted My90, a community performance feedback tool designed to measure residents’ satisfaction with FCPD following an interaction with law enforcement.
However, Davis explained that, unlike that previous survey, Blockwise captures “sentiment about policing that is not pursuant or following a police interaction.”
Instead, the tool works to limit FCPD’s “blindspots” around residents’ everyday needs by increasing public access to local law enforcement and providing a platform for citizens across a vast and diverse jurisdiction to voice their concerns, according to Davis.
“The way to ensure that we have a more representative voice in the community is to reach as many people as humanly possible,” Davis said. “So people who don’t typically attend community meetings, people who don’t typically have interactions with their police departments, but they certainly do feel a certain way about public safety and about their police department.”
To assist in the FCPD’s goal of increasing its reach, Zencity uses census data to divide Fairfax County into its eight patrol regions and serve randomized digital advertisements to all devices across the county, according to Simon.
The advertisements encourage residents to submit an anonymous two-minute feedback survey that asks open-ended questions about the FCPD in eight different languages.
“You’ll see an advertisement that solicits your feedback wherever you may be on the internet,” Simon said. “That ad is targeted at you because we need you to fill a demographic and geographic quota that represents what the census data tells us about each individual neighborhood.”
The FCPD will then analyze the results to more effectively address the community’s most urgent needs based on the voluntary information provided by county residents. Drawing a parallel to other law enforcement technology that tracks local crime patterns to lower crime rates, Simon explained that Zencity measures three key indicators: fear of crime, trust and priority.
After enough data has been collected to establish a baseline, the survey results will be continually updated and posted to the FCPD’s open data portal, which already has data related to subjects such as use of force and internal retention rates, according to Davis, who emphasized a commitment to community transparency.
Since launching on Thursday, June 1, the survey has already received around 300 responses. Simon said Zencity hopes to garner 1,500 responses every month.
He also hinted that Zencity and FCPD will potentially pilot end-of-survey questions about respondents’ contact information, but for now, the service will be “one-directional.”
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is asking for public input on how to reduce congestion and the number of crashes on two half-mile sections of road in Springfield.
A new survey is open through June 15, asking residents about their traveling habits and safety concerns along Franconia Road between Backlick Road and Loisdale Road. The survey also focuses on Commerce Street between Amherst Avenue and Franconia Road.
The survey marks the beginning of a STARS (Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions) study that will help develop “proposed improvements that localities can pursue for funding,” a press release says.
Those two sections of roads, particularly Franconia Road, are of concern because they often have traffic congestion due to the nearby I-95 interchange. There’s also a high number of crashes, according to VDOT.
That half-mile section of Franconia Road averages about 69,000 vehicles a day and has had 162 crashes between January 2015 and October 2022, per a VDOT presentation. That includes at least one fatal crash and several that resulted in severe injuries.
The portion of Commerce Street in the study has much less volume, with only about 19,000 vehicles every day. But there have been even more crashes along the road during that same time period.
A large number of the 171 crashes have resulted in property damage only, but several did lead to severe injury.
VDOT is looking into a number of improvements along those roads focused on safety, the presentation notes.
That includes “innovative intersections” that have different shapes or traffic flow patterns. It could also mean adding Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, high-visibility crosswalks and improved bicycle facilities, including better bicycle lane transitions and pavement markings.
What exactly will be done will, at least partially, depend on the results of the public survey, VDOT said.
In the questionnaire, respondents are asked to rank their top concerns, with traffic congestion, pedestrian safety, public transit access, and speeding among the options listed. They are also asked when they typically traveled along those roads, by what method of transportation, and when they typically experience congestion.
The survey “will be used to help develop potential safety and operational alternatives that will be evaluated and presented during the second round of public involvement scheduled for this winter,” the project website reads.
The study is set to be completed in spring 2024. No construction timeline has been set as of yet, per the press release.
We’ve come a long way, from our beginnings 10 years ago as RestonNow.com to expanding to cover the entire county as FFXnow.
Our team wants to continue growing and improving our local coverage, but we need your help to do it. Our annual reader survey is back for 2023 and your feedback will help shape the direction of FFXnow over the coming year.
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Fairfax Connector is shaking up its service along the I-66 corridor in anticipation of two major parking facilities finishing construction later this year.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation has proposed adding or revising almost 30 routes in Tysons, Vienna, Springfield, Chantilly and Centreville, as it seeks to incorporate the upcoming Springfield and Monument Drive garages into its bus system.
According to FCDOT, the changes will improve travel throughout the D.C. region, with the Monument Commuter Parking Garage and Transit Center in particular supporting new connections between the eastern and western sides of the county.
“By creating a transfer point at the new Monument Park-and-Ride facility, riders will have the opportunity to transfer between local routes, access regional routes, and connect to the Vienna Metrorail Station, Franconia Metrorail Station, Tysons, or…D.C.,” FCDOT said in a news release.
Shaped by two previous rounds of public engagement, the proposed service plan will be presented today (Monday) at a 7 p.m. community meeting in the Franconia Government Center (6121 Franconia Road). Virtual meetings are also scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) and Thursday (May 25).
The public can also provide input through an online survey until June 5.
Monument Drive
The $43 million Monument facility will boast 820 parking spaces, eight bus bays, a pick-up and drop-off area, and bicycle racks and storage. Located at the Government Center Parkway intersection next to Fairfax Corner, it broke ground in November 2021 as part of the I-66 widening.
FCDOT has proposed adding the facility as a stop on Route 660, a cross-county connector from the Stone Road Park & Ride in Centreville to the Tysons Metro station that launched in February.
Other notable changes involving the Monument facility include:
- Route 605: Reston Town Center Metro station to Fair Oaks Mall
- Route 622: Fairfax Towne Center circulator with more local links and new weekend service
- Route 625: New route to Random Hills Road and Pender Drive
- Route 651: New seven-day service to the Westfields, Chantilly, and Fair Ridge areas
- Route 663: Stringfellow Road Park and Ride to the Vienna Metro station
- Route 670: New peak express service between Chantilly and the Franconia-Springfield
Metro station - Route 671: New peak service from Chantilly to the Dunn Loring Metro station
Reston Association‘s work on its first 10-year parks and recreation plan is underway.
The organization has kicked off a community survey to gather information on how it should approach the planning process for future and current parks and recreation needs.
The survey is open through June 30 and is available to all. The survey is anonymous and takes roughly 15 minutes to complete.
“One of RA’s missions is to optimize the use of land and investments related to leisure opportunities for our members,” Reston Association said. “A planning process is conducted roughly every 10 years to ensure that our parks and recreational facilities and programs are optimally meeting both the current and future needs of our residents.”
Mike Leone, a spokesperson for RA, said the board is expected to hear the results of the community survey at when it meets in September.
The survey is intended to determine current use of parks and recreation programs and facilities, future uses, and what kind of new facilities and programs should be considered in the future.
The survey is available online. Survey stations are also planned at RA ballfields, community events, courts and pools.
A survey mostly taken by respondents who contacted the Fairfax County Police Department showed high levels of positive community sentiment for the department.
The survey — conducted as part of a nine-month pilot program to engage the community and find information on how the community feels about the agency — kicked off in late May last year through Axon’s My90 program.
The program sent text messages to people who reached out to the agency to request specific types of services.
“My90 is one of many tools we use to engage with our community, better understand how the public feels about interactions with our department, and build trust,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said. “Since deploying My90, we have collected thousands of responses from all over Fairfax County and have the opportunity to review the valuable feedback we gain from community members we have just served.”
It’s unclear how the method of pooling survey respondents skewed the results.
Most respondents contacted FCPD to report a crime, accident or concerns — suggesting some level of comfort with contacting the FCPD. As a result, roughly 45% of the interactions were with a dispatcher and 41% were with a police officer. The remaining 9% were with animal control.
“There is no way for us to tell if the results are skewed or not,” an FCPD spokesperson told FFXnow when asked how the survey method may have skewed results.
The spokesperson added that the police department did issue an open call for the survey last May.
Traffic offenses (22%) and theft of personal property (18%) were flagged as the top concerns in the community. Violent physical attacks was the top safety concern for roughly 15% of respondents, although 26% wrote “other” as the top safety concern.
When asked what FCPD should do to improve safety in the community, nearly half of respondents (48%) said they wanted to see increased patrol visibility.
Other improvements ranked relatively low in the community, including increasing the number of officers (14%), increased community engagement (13%), increased information sharing (9%) and other (14%).
More than 70% of respondents said they were treated with respect, treated fairly and felt safe contacting FCPD based on their interaction with the police department.
Respondents were predominantly white — 63% — followed by Asian American (10%) and African American (9%). Respondents also skewed older, with 36% between the ages of 46 and 60 and 27% over 61. The gender mix was roughly equally distributed.
Based on their recent interactions, 68% of respondents said their view of FCPD was very positive and 76% said they received the help they needed.
