Countywide

Fairfax County is ramping up its efforts to help homeowners’ associations and other resident groups bring electric vehicle chargers to their communities.

The county’s Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination is now accepting applications for the second phase of its Charge Up Fairfax pilot program, which provides technical and financial assistance to organizations looking to add charging stations in common areas.


News

Any future buildings constructed in the heart of Vienna will get a little more vertical wiggle room under the town’s impending new zoning code.

Slated for adoption right on schedule at the town council’s meeting next Monday (Oct. 23), the first comprehensive rewrite of Vienna’s land use regulations since 1969 will introduce a few new uses and simplify the zones and districts that guide development.


Sponsored

This biweekly column is sponsored by The Mather in Tysons, Virginia, a forward-thinking Life Plan Community for those 62 and better.

Thanksgiving may be a month away, but every day is a good day to focus on feeling thankful. That’s because concentrating on feelings of gratitude helps you feel happier and more positive in the short and long term.


Around Town

Local shoppers looking to put the finishing touches on their Barbie Halloween costumes are in luck.

The Barbie truck is rolling back into Tysons Corner Center later this month, this time featuring a “Dreamhouse Living” theme to celebrate 60 years since the doll moved into her first residence, according to Mattel lore.


Countywide

Rabid Animal Incidents Alarm Health Department — “After identifying a rabid raccoon and skunk within a mile of each other over the last 25 days, the Fairfax County Health Department is asking residents in the Centreville/Bull Run area to steer clear of wild animals and to report any animal attacks right away…To date, 22 animals have been diagnosed with rabies in the Fairfax Health District in 2023.” [FCHD]

Reston Man Charged With Sex Crimes Against Teen — “A 21-year-old Reston man is facing charges after a sex crimes investigation involving victims under the age of 18. The charges stem from ‘criminal incidents that occurred in 2020,’ Arlington County police said. ACPD says they’re now seeking other potential victims of the suspect.” [ARLnow]


Around Town

There’s a new shop in Merrifield focusing on an eclectic, “curated collection” of handcrafted goods.

Vivid Chill hosted a grand opening this past weekend in the Mosaic District, moving into Suite 150 at 2910 District Avenue from a spot in Great Falls.


News

Fairfax County’s planning commissioners weren’t quite as giddy as kids in a candy store when presented with Mars Inc.’s plan to expand its McLean headquarters last week, but the general level of enthusiasm wasn’t too far off.

The only note of disappointment sounded during the public hearing last Wednesday (Oct. 11) came when Sully District Commissioner Evelyn Spain joked that she had hoped to get some early Halloween treats.


Countywide

Deadline Extended for Input on Pedestrian/Bicycle Projects — Initially set to close yesterday (Monday), the deadline for community members to take Fairfax County’s Active Transportation Project Funding Survey has now been moved to midnight on Thursday (Oct. 19). The survey will narrow down a list of proposed pedestrian and bicycle projects up for $100 million allocated by the county board. [FCDOT]

Groveton Neighborhood Named a Historic Site — “Randall Estates looks like so many Fairfax County subdivisions built in the early 1960s…But its development — undertaken by a Black public-school teacher to provide homes for African American professionals who had few opportunities for home ownership during Jim Crow in Virginia — was recently recognized by the Fairfax County Registry of Historic Sites.” [On the MoVe]


Countywide

The continuation of higher mortgage rates put a damper on Northern Virginia home sales in September, which were down 18.2% compared to a year earlier, according to the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors.

That decline was worse that August’s year-over-year decline of just 12.4% and reversed a trend of an improving market that had been seen since the spring.


News

Fairfax County will sell bonds to finance the Tysons Community Center planned as part of the Dominion Square West housing project.

The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority was authorized by the Board of Supervisors last Tuesday (Oct. 10) to sell up to $43 million in facilities bonds to fund the community center, which has an estimated cost of $41 million.


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