Tysons | FFXnow - Part 335

Morning Notes

Published November 1, 2023 at 8:15AM

Capital One Center stands north of the I-495 and Route 123 interchange (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Freeze Watch to Take Effect Tonight — “The National Weather Service has issued a Freeze Watch from late Wednesday night through Thursday morning. Temperatures between 26 – 30 degrees are possible. Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, sensitive vegetation, and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.” [Ready Fairfax/Twitter]

Renamed Seven Corners Fire Station Welcomes New Engine — “FS28, Fort Buffalo, held a push in ceremony for its new engine, E428. In Sept 2023, the Fairfax County [Board of Supervisors] accepted the recommendation of FS28 members to rename the station from Seven Corners to Fort Buffalo. This is the 1st piece of apparatus to carry the new name.” [FCFRD/Twitter]

Countywide

Defeated Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney candidate endorses write-in campaign

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 31, 2023 at 3:30PM | Updated October 31, 2023 at 3:47PM

Defense attorney Ed Nuttall announces he will campaign to be the Democratic nominee for Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney (via ABC7)

The official ballots for next week’s general election identify just one candidate for the job of top prosecutor in Fairfax County, but a group that identifies itself as victims’ rights supporters hopes to push another man into the office instead.

Defense attorney Ed Nuttall, who lost the Democratic primary in June to incumbent Steve Descano, officially endorsed a write-in campaign last week that seeks to make him the next Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney.

News

Planning commission clears way for higher-capacity wastewater facility in Tysons

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 31, 2023 at 2:30PM

The proposed new Tysons West wastewater pump station at 8606 Leesburg Pike (via Fairfax County)

The next wastewater pump station to serve Tysons West will be able to handle 25 times as much water as its predecessor.

That added capacity will provide critical support for an area expected to add more than 10,000 new residents by the end of this decade, according to Fairfax County staff and the planning commission, which unanimously approved a plan last Wednesday (Oct. 25) to build a new station at 8608 Leesburg Pike.

Countywide

Fairfax County judge weighing fate of suit over Youngkin’s carbon market withdrawal

By Charlie Paullin / Virginia Mercury

Published October 31, 2023 at 11:45AM

The Fairfax County Courthouse (file photo)

A Fairfax County judge is weighing whether to throw out a lawsuit from environmental groups challenging Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s effort to remove Virginia from a regional carbon market.

Judge David Oblon heard oral arguments from Virginia Solicitor General Andrew Ferguson and Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Nate Benforado Friday morning in Fairfax Circuit Court. The hearing, which lasted about 30 minutes, concluded with the judge saying he would take the case under advisement before issuing a written decision.

News

Reston District Station tops county’s annual drug take-back day

By Fatimah Waseem

Published October 31, 2023 at 11:00AM

The county collected more than 750 pounds of unused and expired medications this year (Photo via FCPD).

The Reston District Station collected the most unused and expired over-the-counter and prescriptions medications as part of the Fairfax County Police Department’s 25th annual drug-take back day.

The police department’s stations collected 776 pounds as part of the annual event, which is a partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

News

Man crashes onto gas station pump to end police chase in Tysons

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 31, 2023 at 10:15AM | Updated October 31, 2023 at 3:45PM

Police arrested a man suspected of larceny and carjacking after he crashed at a Shell gas station in Tysons (via FCPD/Twitter)

(Updated at 3:45 p.m.) A stolen vehicle wound up on top of a gas pump after a brief police chase near Tysons Corner Center yesterday (Monday).

Fairfax County police arrested a man suspected of larceny and carjacking after he crashed into the Shell gas station at 8103 Leesburg Pike around 4:36 p.m., according to the police scanner on Open MHz.

Countywide

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com

Published October 31, 2023 at 8:15AM

A northern mockingbird spotted at Sunrise Valley Elementary School in Reston (photo by Pete Huffer)

Plaza America Architect Has Died — “George Dove, who started his architecture career in D.C. in 1971 and later rose to become managing principal of WDG Architecture, died Oct. 23. He was 81…He led designs for projects in Crystal City and Arlington Gateway in Arlington; Skyline Center in Falls Church; Plaza America in Reston; and the Portals project near the Jefferson Memorial in D.C.” [Washington Business Journal]

Mixed-Use Development in Bailey’s Crossroads Advances — “The Fairfax County Planning Commission on Oct. 25 recommended approval of a Comprehensive Plan amendment to facilitate a mixed-use redevelopment project on the Food Star site…The plan amendment would allow for increased density — with building heights up to 14 stories — on a 13-acre site at the southeast intersection of Leesburg Pike and Carlin Springs Road.” [Annandale Today]

News

NOW: Man wanted for reported abduction in Loudoun arrested in Oakton

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 30, 2023 at 4:55PM | Updated October 30, 2023 at 5:24PM

A man suspected of abduction in Ashburn was arrested at Chain Bridge Road and Flint Hill Road in Oakton (via FCPD/Twitter)

A police pursuit of a man who reportedly attempted to abduct a woman crossed county lines before ending just outside the Town of Vienna this afternoon.

Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) is currently closed at the Flint Hill Road intersection in Oakton in the wake of the arrest, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. The Town of Vienna said on Twitter at 4:30 p.m. that one southbound lane between Flint Hill and Nutley Street had opened.

Countywide

School board approves raises for FCPS staff but says state funding still inadequate

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 30, 2023 at 3:30PM

Fairfax County Public Schools (file photo)

All Fairfax County Public Schools employees will get a bump in their paychecks, starting next year, after the school board unanimously approved 2% raises last week.

The additional pay was made possible by the budget that the Virginia General Assembly belatedly adopted in early September, which provided money to raise teacher salaries across the state. But school board members and FCPS workers argue that overall state funding for education falls far short of what they need.

News

County board approves first projects under McLean downtown revitalization plan

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 30, 2023 at 1:30PM

The adjacent Astoria mixed-use residential development and Mars headquarters expansion on Old Dominion Drive and Elm Street in McLean (via Fairfax County)

On their own, the first developments approved by Fairfax County since it overhauled its plan to revitalize downtown McLean seem modest.

One is a corporate headquarters expansion, while the other is a seven-story, mostly residential building, promising 130 new units of housing but not exactly rivaling the scale of the high-rises going up in Tysons.