Fairfax County Public Library is kicking off its summer reading program with a different approach this year.
The Fairfax Library Foundation will launch its inaugural Children’s Summer Reading Festival at two libraries this month to celebrate the beginning of FCPL’s annual summer reading program.
“We hope these festivals help get Fairfax County kids and adults excited for our Summer Reading Adventure,” FCPL Director Jessica Hudson said. “This year’s summer reading theme is All Together Now so we thought throwing a huge party would be a good fit! Thank you so much to the Fairfax Library Foundation for organizing these festivals.”
The first festival takes place on June 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lorton Library (9520 Richmond Highway). The second event takes place on June 24 from 4-7 p.m. at Chantilly Regional Library (4000 Stringfellow Road).
We are so excited to announce the launch of an exciting new event to kick-off @fairfaxlibrary’s summer reading program this year. Join us for the fun on June 10 at Lorton Library or June 24 at Chantilly Regional Library. Details here: https://t.co/Z4PODbulh5 pic.twitter.com/Z4vrGlrw0O
— Fairfax Library Foundation (@FLFoundation) May 19, 2023
The festival will include games, crafts, a bounce house, mini zoo, snacks, face-painting, food trucks and a photo booth.
Although both festivals are free, online registration is encouraged.
Registration for the summer reading program opens online on June 10. Paper logs will be available at all branches before the program kicks off on June 16. Individuals who register early will get priority for raffle entries to win Scrawl Books gift cards.
Adults who finish the program will get a coupon book and will be entered into other raffles for $25 gift cards for AMC, Barnes & Noble and VISA, along with other prizes — including four tickets to Escape Room Herndon.
In Chantilly, the festival will be followed by a free outdoor screening of Disney’s “Frozen: Sing-Along Edition,” Fairfax Library Foundation Development Director Cheryl Lee said.
The renovation of Reston’s Armstrong Elementary School is expected to begin in the spring of next year, according to Fairfax County Public Schools.
The school system has formally submitted a proposal before the county to add 126,000 square feet and modern amenities to the school.
“The increase in space will accommodate anticipated future enrollment,” FCPS spokesperson Julie Moult said. “Additions will provide a new administration wing with a new main entrance vestibule, a new library, an extension of the classroom wing, and two new pre-K classrooms. Renovations will enhance current classrooms and learning and support spaces, improve the bus and kiss and ride loop, and create new outdoor play areas.”
The project is currently in the design phase and was funded by a 2021 bond, Moult wrote in a statement. Built in 1985, the school’s current enrollment is 360 — well under its design capacity of 786 students — but the school building is in need of “significant” improvements, according to the application.
The renovated building will feature a new one-story administrative suite and a two-story classroom addition along the front of the school building. A one-story library addition is also planned on the west side.
“With the proposed renovations, the existing design capacity will increase by 14 students for a design capacity of 800 students,” the application states.
Three new playgrounds are also planned on the southern portion of the property. The parking lot will also get 36 more spaces on the existing playground area — a number that includes eight ADA spaces.
The project is expected to finish in the summer of 2026.
Vienna Featured Live on TV Right Now — “Lights. Camera. Action! Tune into the @fox5dc Zip Trip LIVE from the Town Green [today] from 6-11 a.m. as the Town gets its 15 minutes of fame (really it’s five hours, but who’s counting?)! See familiar faces, businesses, favorite spots, and more!” [Town of Vienna/Twitter]
Air Quality Alert Issued — “The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has issued a Code ORANGE Air Quality Alert Friday for Northern Virginia. A Code Orange Air Quality Alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups.” [National Weather Service]
County Updates Covid Data Dashboard — “In alignment with the CDC, the Fairfax County Health Department has shifted COVID-19 surveillance and data sharing to focus on measures of disease severity including COVID-19 hospitalization rates, death rates, and emergency care visits.” With some data no longer available after the end of the federal public health emergency, the dashboard will now be updated every Friday. [FCHD]
Man Sought for Alleged Sexual Assault — “Police are searching for a man accused of sexually assaulting and attempting to rob a woman in Centreville. He was last seen fleeing from the scene on foot into a nearby wooded area. A sketch of the suspect has been released to the public in hopes of identifying him.” [WUSA9]
FCPS Concerned About Lack of Finalized State Budget — “Additional funding for the most vulnerable Fairfax County Public School students is at risk as Virginia lawmakers remain divided over how they will distribute a revenue surplus and pass an amended budget. In a letter to the Fairfax County General Assembly Delegation…school board members” said the standstill and a calculation error have “created uncertainty.” [WTOP]
Initial Results of Blake Lane Safety Review Shared — “VDOT’s presentation Tuesday night shared only a partial list of problems that the audit has identified corridor-wide. These included potentially limited accessibility at some curb ramps and segments of sidewalk, lack of visual cues of the presence of pedestrians for drivers approaching Blake Lane” and more. [Patch]
Departing NFL Owner to Sell Mount Vernon Mansion — “The Washington Commanders’ soon-to-be former owners Dan and Tanya Snyder have left the $48 million Fairfax County home they bought less than two years ago, moving their belongings across the pond to England…River View, the Potomac River-fronting estate near George Washington’s Mount Vernon, has not yet been relisted” [Washington Business Journal]
Document Shredding Event Coming to Burke — “The Springfield District and Marian Homes will host a shredding event at the Rolling Valley Park & Ride parking lot on Saturday, June 3rd, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Donations are graciously accepted and will benefit Marian Homes’ mission to purchase and maintain affordable homes for individuals with intellectual disabilities” [Pat Herrity/Twitter]
It’s Friday — Sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind becoming east 5 to 8 mph in the morning. At night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. [Weather.gov]
If you find trips on the Capital Beltway into Maryland nightmarish now, imagine what they would be like without any transit options.
That’s the scenario posed by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) in a new study on the value of the region’s transit network, including Metro, local bus services like Fairfax Connector and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE).
Released today (Thursday), the study found that the American Legion Bridge — the only direct link between Fairfax County and Maryland — would need to carry 24,653 or 8.2% more vehicles per day in 2025 if there was no transit (325,619 vehicles) compared to the projected traffic volume with transit (300,965 vehicles).
The other bridges across the Potomac River would see even bigger differences, led by a 39.2% increase on the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
“These bridges are congested today, and congestion will increase in the future. Without transit, however, the capacity constraint on the bridges would be substantially greater,” the study report says.
The report notes that rush-hour traffic on all of the Potomac crossings is projected to exceed capacity in 2025 regardless of transit availability. The American Legion Bridge would exceed capacity by 3,651 vehicles under the “base” conditions and by 7,379 vehicles under the “no transit” scenario — a 102% difference.
Construction is underway to widen the Capital Beltway (I-495) by adding two toll lanes in each direction from the Dulles Toll Road to just south of the American Legion Bridge. The Virginia Department of Transportation has forecast that the 495 NEXT project will move approximately 2,500 more people per hour in both directions, starting in 2025.
However, Maryland’s plans to replace and expand the bridge remain in limbo following the exit of its private partner. Replacing the American Legion Bridge would allow the Beltway to move 5,400 more people an hour, VDOT has said, but the endeavor will cost an estimated $1 billion.
According to an NVTC spokesperson, the study’s calculations incorporated the 495 NEXT project, but it didn’t include the possibility of future bus service between Tysons and Bethesda, as proposed by both Fairfax Connector and Metro.
“Our study evaluated the difference between what’s currently planned for 2025 and a scenario in which all transit in Northern Virginia is removed,” NVTC said. “That means the proposed future route from Tysons to Bethesda, using the American Legion Bridge, was not included since it won’t be in service by then.”
Widening the Potomac crossings without also providing transit “is not a viable scenario,” NVTC says in its report, noting that the low-income households most dependent on transit “would likely not be able to live in Northern Virginia without” it.
“Even with planned capacity improvements, the region would not be able to accommodate the number of households and employment numbers currently forecasted for 2025,” the report said.
According to the report, NVTC projects that 193,558 transit trips will be made from Fairfax County, including the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, in 2025. About 72% will be taken by households earning $100,000 or less.
Overall, the county would see 122,918 more vehicle trips without transit, a 4.7% increase. The impact would be widespread for outgoing trips, but trips coming into Northern Virginia would be concentrated around employment centers, including Tysons and the I-66 corridor as well as Reston and Herndon along the Dulles Toll Road.
Transit generates $1.5 billion in annual personal income and sales tax revenue for Virginia, about $1 billion of which can be attributed to Metro, according to NVTC, but ridership for all of Northern Virginia’s systems is still below pre-pandemic levels.
Fairfax Connector had just under 5.2 million riders in fiscal year 2022, which ended June 30, 2022. That’s 62% of the riders seen in FY 2019 and just 53% of the 9.7 million riders reported in FY 2015.
Metro usage in Virginia is even lower, with buses sitting at 56% of FY 2019 levels and rail at 33%.
The region saw a total of 52.3 million transit riders in FY 2022 — 40% of the nearly 130.9 million seen in FY 2019 and 33% of the 158.2 million riders in FY 2015.
NVTC says it used 2025 as the target date for its study to take into account “the impacts of a post-pandemic travel environment.”
The Value of Northern Virginia’s Transit Network to the Commonwealth Study will be presented at the NVTC’s commission meeting at 7 p.m. today.
A Taco Bell in Herndon could soon be temporarily out of commission.
A proposal before Fairfax County seeks to demolish and redevelop the fast-food restaurant, which is located at 2170 Centreville Road, into a larger restaurant with a second drive-thru lane, according to a May 24 application.
“This redevelopment will bring a modern Taco Bell restaurant to the site, where the applicant will continue to service customers in the greater Herndon area,” the application from Virginia Restaurants LLC says.
The new restaurant will have the franchise’s new modern look and a slightly larger footprint. The increase in the building area — 2,380 square feet to 2,710 square feet — accommodates a larger on-site freezer, but the restaurant will likely be in the same position as the previous restaurant.
Because of a decrease in the use of interior seating, the restaurant will have fewer seats. An outdoor patio is also planned with 12 seats. The drive-thru — which is driven by demand — will provide 11 stacking spaces for customers, according to the application.
“The additional drive-through lane will allow the applicant to provide a more efficient customer experience and respond to trends at quick service retail facilities, which are seeking increased demand for drive-through space utilization, particularly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the application states.
The restaurant will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day. The applicant estimates that the expansion will generally only 26 net new morning and afternoon peak hour trips.
The application is in the early phases of the county’s approval process and has not yet been formally accepted for review.
Image via Google Maps
Pride Month starts today (June 1), and opportunities to celebrate in Fairfax County extend through the month.
This Saturday (June 3) features events in the Mosaic District, Reston and the City of Fairfax. Closer to the end of the month, folk-rock musician Brandi Carlile will headline the Out & About Festival at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.
Pride Month marks the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan and has become an occasion to celebrate LGBTQ individuals and communities.
Below are more details about Pride Month celebrations across the county this June:
Mosaic Pride Festival
Saturday, June 3
2-8:30 p.m.
District AvenueA parade begins at 2 p.m. in front of One Medical (2987 District Ave.) and will proceed down District Avenue to the main stage. Performances will feature drag queens, dance, and live music by George Mason University’s Green Machine band and more.
Reston Pride
Saturday, June 3
12-6 p.m.
Lake Anne PlazaIndie pop trio BETTY will headline the Reston Pride Festival at Lake Anne Plaza (1609-A Washington Plaza). The event will also feature comedian Chelsea Shorte and local businesses including Elden Street Tea Shop and Scrawl Books.
Fairfax Pride
Saturday, June 3
5-10 p.m.
Old Town HallThe City of Fairfax and George Mason University are hosting the first Fairfax Pride at Old Town Hall (3999 University Drive). The evening will begin with face painting, crafts and other activities. Later, there will be drag queen performances and a dance party.
Drag Bingo
Tuesday, June 6
6 p.m.
Starr Hill Biergarten at Capital One CenterDrag queens Crimsyn and Logan Stone will host a drag bingo night at Starr Hill Biergarten at Capital One Center (1805 Capital One Drive South, Suite 1100). There will also be music and drinks. An encore is scheduled for Sept. 12.
Pride Flow and Celebration
Sunday, June 11
10-11:30 a.m.
Lakeside ParkCelebrate pride with a colorful outdoor yoga class at Lakeside Park (5216 Pommeroy Drive). Attendees should bring their own yoga mats and water and plan to wear bright colors.
The Out & About Festival
Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25
Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods performances at 10:30 a.m.; festival starts at 4 p.m.
Wolf Trap National ParkBrandi Carlile, Yola, Rufus Wainwright and other artists will gather at Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Road) in the last weekend in June for a three-stage festival. The festival features LGBTQ+ artists and allies.
Pride Month Poetry Reading
Saturday, June 24
3-4 p.m.
Ellanor C. Lawrence ParkPoets Sunu Chandy, Kim Roberts, Holly Mason Badra, and Malik Thompson will convene at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly (5040 Walney Road) for a reading. “This reading lifts up a variety of voices and experiences to honor the rich legacy and contributions of poets and poetry in the queer community,” according to the event description from Arts Fairfax.
Fairfax County Public Library is also hosting events throughout the month, including a “crafternoon” on Sunday (June 4) and a screening of the 2018 film “Rafiki” on June 7.
Photo via Mosaic District/Twitter
The opening timeframe for Reston Town Center’s new theater has been pushed again.
LOOK Dine-In Cinemas is now expected to open by the third quarter of 2023, which would be this fall, a company spokesperson told FFXnow. The opening estimate was first pushed in late 2022 and then delayed to sometime in the first half of this year.
A spokesperson for the company said that once a date is available, it will be shared on the cinema’s website.
In a statement to FFXnow, the spokesperson said it was not clear why the date changed, adding that sometimes things get pushed or delayed.
This is the first location in the D.C. area for the company, which is renovating the Reston theater. Other features of the “luxury” brand include a food, beverage and cocktail menu, according to the company’s website.
LOOK replaces BowTie Cinemas, which closed in May 2022 after more than a decade at 11940 Market Street.
A spokesperson for Reston Town Center said that there was no information to share on any openings in the town center, including CitySwing and the Peruvian restaurant Pisco Y Nazca.
Second Arrest Made in Idylwood Double Homicide — An 18-year-old from Falls Church was charged on Tuesday (May 30) with robbery resulting in death in connection with Monday’s fatal shooting and stabbing at the Tysons View Apartments. Police announced earlier that a 17-year-old had been charged in the incident, which left two people dead and two injured. [FCPD]
N. Va. Dems Criticize National Guard Deployment — “Local Democrats slammed Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s decision to deploy Virginia National Guard service men and women to Texas to ‘secure’ the southern U.S. border with Mexico.” Democrats, including Fairfax County senator Scott Surovell, blasted Youngkin for “using service men and women for political gain” as speculation swirls that he plans to run for president. [Inside NoVA]
Man Hospitalized in Annandale Nightclub Shooting — “A man was shot at the Diamond Lounge, a nightclub in Annandale, at 2 a.m. [Wednesday], the Fairfax County Police Department reports…The Diamond Lounge, at 7203 Little River Turnpike, has been the scene of several violent incidents. In 2020, a man was fatally shot in the Diamond Lounge parking lot.” [Annandale Today]
FCPS Revises Messaging for College Help Program — Fairfax County Public Schools has taken out mentions of race and ethnicity from an email and website seeking applications to a College Partnership Program, which assists students who face barriers to higher education. The Virginia Attorney General’s office told FCPS on March 9 that the original message violated the Virginia Human Rights Act. [WTOP]
Amtrak Works to Address Traffic From Train Backups — Amtrak has added a message board and revised its queuing procedures at the Lorton Auto Train Station (8006 Lorton Road) after community members raised concerns about traffic spillover from vehicles being loading onto trains. For a permanent solution, the South County Federation has proposed that more land for an outbound vehicle queue is needed. [On the MoVe]
Snake Rescued After Wandering into Springfield Home — “Sneaky snake! [On Monday], Animal Protection Police Officer Paisley rescued a copperhead snake after it slithered into a home in Springfield and got stuck in a glue trap. Officers worked carefully to free the snake and send it on its way!” [FCPD/Facebook]
GMU to Compete for College World Series — “For the eighth time in school history, the George Mason Patriots will send a baseball team to the NCAA Division I Regionals. The school has not advanced to that level of play since 2014, but now GMU will be one of 64 teams vying for a chance to compete in the College World Series.” [WUSA9]
County Marks National Pollinator Month — “June is National Pollinator Month and the Fairfax County Park Authority is encouraging residents to celebrate and raise awareness about the significant impacts that bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds and even bats have on our surroundings and what we can do to protect them.” [FCPA]
It’s Thursday — Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Northeast wind around 7 mph. At night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Southeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. [Weather.gov]
After a recent study showed an uptick in homelessness, Fairfax County staff say that data connects pretty cleanly to a matching rise in evictions over the last year.
The county saw a 10% increase — 119 people — in people experiencing homelessness for an estimated total of 1,310 people.
“In many ways the connection between housing and homelessness are logical, as homelessness is essentially defined as not having housing,” said Tom Barnett, deputy director of the county’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. “Much of the work of a homeless system is helping people in housing crisis find and secure new housing opportunities that match their means and unique needs.”
Barnett said the increase in evictions, in turn, came at the same time as the end of federal and state eviction moratoria.
“The latest trends in evictions coincide with the ending of federal and state eviction moratoria and declining federal resources for emergency rental assistance from pandemic-era funding,” Barnett said. “The federal eviction moratorium ended in August 2021 and the Virginia eviction moratorium ended on June 30, 2022.”
According to the county’s eviction dashboard, there were 2,674 formal writs of eviction issued between June 1, 2020 and the end of 2022. Before Virginia’s moratorium ended, there were only two months in that period with 100 or more writs, but those numbers soared to 280 in October, 317 in November and 248 in December.
Barnett noted that some households are “evicted informally” and can’t be tracked.
In 2021, the county established a Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program that assisted households who couldn’t pay rent or utilities during the pandemic, allowing thousands to stay in their homes when they might otherwise have been evicted.
A new program was set up to cover some of those expiring benefits, but Barnett says the $14 million funding that program only accounts for a fraction of the $95 million in federal assistance provided over the last three years.
According to Barnett:
In anticipation of expiring federal benefits, [Health and Human Services] created the ERA Bridge Program in May 2022 and began accepting applications on July 1, 2022. The goal of this program is to keep significant resources in the community while beginning to transition to a new post-COVID operating and funding level still to be determined. The ERA Bridge Program totals approximately $14.0 million and is funded through a combination of federal and County funding. This funding is supplemented by leveraging community-based organization funds (private and federal) in addition to their Consolidated Community Funding Pool (CCFP) funding. This support is facilitated through the County and nonprofit partnership model that existed pre-COVID-19.
It is important to note that pre-pandemic, all rental and transitional housing assistance funded through CCFP totaled approximately $4.0 million. It is understood that post-pandemic funding needs will significantly exceed that amount, and the ERA Bridge Program provides time and space to evaluate future funding level needs.
Barnett said the long-term answers are going to come from investing in housing stability and eviction prevention.
The county has partnered with the Legal Services of Northern Virginia to provide legal aid for residents in the court system and has participated in direct outreach to landlords. The legal services partnership is funded for one year, with staff set to determine whether or not those services are required beyond that.
Within the court system, the county has also worked to streamline the rental assistance process and to proactively identify and assist residents at risk of eviction, Barnett said.
Even so, Fairfax County is experiencing higher demand in shelters for those experiencing homelessness, particularly in shelters designed for families, according to Barnett.
Shelter demand for families with children has surged since late 2021, which has increased the number of families in emergency shelters. As of March 6, 2023, County-contracted family shelter providers were serving 140 households, which is 246 percent of the number of households that they were contracted to serve in shelters. Similar trends are seen in the County’s two domestic violence shelters.
To address increased demand, HHS is currently working with emergency shelter providers to evaluate existing program models to determine if additional investments are needed to support emergency financial and rental assistance to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. HHS is committed to working with its nonprofit partners to ensure that no families with children are unsheltered.
The final pieces of the massive Arrowbrook Centre development near Herndon’s Innovation Center Metro station got the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s unanimous support last week.
The commission recommended on May 24 that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approve changes to the final, nearly 10-acre section of the mixed-use development, which is being built and managed by a Launders Charitable Trust.
Specifically, the proposal swaps a 435-unit residential building called Aura from the eastern corner of the property with an office building directly east to it. Aura will be constructed by Trinsic Residential Group.
The swap pushes a hotel planned at the site further east, leaving space for two office buildings at the corner of the site, according to Tabatha Cole of the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development.
The proposal also removes a parking structure in the land bay.
“Arrowbrook is not seeking to increase any density or any of the uses that are approved,” said John McGranahan, a partner with Hunton Andrew Kurth LLP.
But it’ll be a few years before the office and residential units will go online. To maintain the terms of the charitable trust that govern the development, the developer plans interim uses.
Early talks are underway for a potential partnership with the Virginia Tech Foundation and Virginia Cooperative Extension, a venture that focus heavily on sustainable agriculture, culinary arts and urban farming programs.
“That will be the home run,” McGranahan said. “That is what we’re hoping for. That’s what we’re planning for.”
If that plan falls through, the developer plans to install a community garden in addition to other uses like a lighted trail and outdoor plaza.
Jeff Fairfield, the trust’s manager, said the lease could be ready by the first half of next year, with the community garden as a fallback.
“My preference would be community-wide, first come, first serve,” Fairfield said regarding how use of the garden would be determined.
Hunter Mill District Commissioner John Carter clarified that the setback of the building near the Dulles Toll Road will be 71 feet instead of 200 feet — the current requirement in the county’s zoning ordinance. An exemption was supported by county staff.
Several planning commissioners lauded the developer for the quality of services provided. Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina called Arrowbrook Park — a park created by the developer — “stunning.” The developer also built a nearly 1,550 linear feet trail from Centreville Road to the Metro station.
“It’s pretty striking to go to that colosseum of a field out there and to see the high quality that it is,” Cortina said, adding that “you can really see the work that was done on that park.”
But some residents said they were concerned about issues related to traffic from construction and unmet promises of a grocery store and other retail on the site.
So far, the development includes Ovation at Arrowbrook, a 274- unit development for lease for tenants earning between 30 to 60% of the area median income. It includes roughly 36,000 square feet of retail space, 75% of which is leased.
As previously reported, upcoming tenants at the development include South Asian grocery Hello2India, Ornery Beer Company Public House and Paris Baguette. Those tenants are “coming soon,” Fairfield said.
Chef Peter Chang has also leased 3,500 square feet at the development for a Mama Chang restaurant, according to The Burn.
Granahan noted that Pulte — which has built most of the housing on the site — plans to conduct a community meeting once control of the streets flips from the builder to the homeowners’ association.
“The challenge is we’re in that period of developing a master plan community where the control of the streets is with the builder, not necessarily with the homeowners’ association,” he said.
He also said residents should have been aware of the intensity of the proposed development, which has been on the books for years.
Fairfield said Pulte hopes to transition control to the homeowners sometime in June.
The Launders’ trust was created after the death of the last remaining member of the family, which ran a cattle-grazing operation.
With the planning commission’s vote, the application is now scheduled for a public hearing before the Board of Supervisors next Tuesday (June 6).
A fast-casual chicken salad company is planning a move into Fairfax County, but exactly when and where it will stake its claim remains to be seen.
Chicken Salad Chick, which bills itself as the only fast-casual chicken salad concept in the U.S., has signed a development agreement with a local family to open eight new franchises in Fairfax and Arlington counties over the next five years, the business announced yesterday.
The franchises will be owned and operated by Devon Chamberlin — a mental health professional whose experience includes working in Fairfax County Emergency Services — and her father, Patrick Cavanaugh, and father-in-law, Barry Chamberlin.
All of them were born and raised in Northern Virginia, according to Chicken Salad Chick.
“After being a consumer of the brand for over a decade, it is a dream come true to have the opportunity to bring something so beloved to our community,” Devon Chamberlin said. “…People connect through their hearts and their stomachs, and we seek to do just that. I’m beyond grateful to run this operation as a family business and bring Chicken Salad Chick to the community.”
The first of the eight locations is slated to open in Arlington next spring, but an exact Fairfax County location isn’t ready to be announced yet, a Chicken Salad Chick spokesperson told FFXnow.
Founded in Auburn, Alabama in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick was born out of a desire by its founder, Stacy Brown, to craft the perfect chicken salad. It is now headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and has more than 200 restaurants in 17 states.
In addition to various chicken salads, whose flavors range from Fruity Fran to spicy Jalapeño Holly, the menu offers sandwiches, salads, and signature soups that change for each day of the week.
Chicken Salad Chick CEO Scott Deviney says the company sees “tremendous growth opportunities” in Virginia, where it has five currently operating locations with another 14 in development. The existing restaurants are in Christiansburg, Hampton, Mechanicsville, Richmond, and Roanoke.
The Southern company’s northward expansion won’t stop with Northern Virginia, according to Deviney.
“As we make our way toward Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, we are gaining brand awareness and fueling our mission to become America’s favorite place for chicken salad,” he said. “That mission is shared by Devon, Patrick, and Barry who bring immense enthusiasm, knowledge, and expertise to our brand. We can’t wait to see the positive impact they’ll have throughout their community.”
Sarah Selvaraj-D’Souza, former president of Reston Association’s Board of Directors, has resigned from her position after more than three years on the board.
In a Facebook post announcing her resignation on Friday (May 26), Selvaraj-D’Souza said her commitments to other projects and her nonprofit advocacy organization Reston Strong motivated her decision to resign.
“My decision to resign from the Board of Directors is not the result of any disagreement with the operations, policies or procedures, but to focus on my family, my advocacy and Restonstrong,” she wrote.
First reported by Patch, the resignation was effective immediately.
Selvaraj-D’Souza also recently accepted a role as the Hunter Mill District representative on the county’s Affordable Housing Advisory Counsel and a board position on the Faith Alliance for Climate Change.
Selvaraj-D’Souza said those positions were in line with her work ons social justice, housing equality and environmental sustainability. She still plans to continue serving on RA’s Environmental Advisory Committee.
More from Selvaraj-D’Souza’s Facebook post:
I have appreciated the opportunity to serve on the board as both a Board Member and Board President, and wish you and RA the best as you continue to move forward. Restonstrong was born as a by-product of my decision to run for the RA board and for that I am eternally grateful. The last 3 plus years have been an exercise in self-discovery – RA propelled me from a happy go lucky small business owner selling frozen custard and ceramics to a community activist championing for our neighbors’ rights.
RA’s board will now select a new board member from a pool of applicants. The individual will serve until the next board election, after which the decision will be left up to the members.
Selvaraj-D’Souza is now the fourth RA board member to step down before the end of their term within the past two years. Three people resigned in 2022, including two members who left shortly after that year’s board election.
The results of this year’s board election, which saw 10 candidates vying for five seats, were announced in April. RA’s board has nine directors, including four at-large members, four who represent a specific district and one representative for apartment owners.
Local Orange Line Stations to Close This Weekend — The Vienna, Dunn Loring and West and East Falls Church Metro stations will be shut down Saturday (June 3) so a 40-year-old steel rail between the Vienna and Ballston stations can be replaced. Free shuttles will be provided throughout the closure, which will last through June 25 for the Falls Church stations and through July 16 for Vienna and Dunn Loring. [WMATA]
Former Fairfax County Resident Launches D.C. Music Venue — “As a teen growing up in Northern Virginia, Dave Grohl remembers attending shows at the old 9:30 Club and finding community. ‘I got to witness hundreds of bands that inspired me to become a musician myself,’ he recalled at the grand opening of the new Atlantis music venue Tuesday morning.” [DCist]
Developer Puts Plans for Huntington Apartments on Hold — Elme Communities has “paused development activities” at Riverside Apartments (5860 Cameron Run Terrace) near the Huntington Metro station. The developer had planned to expand the 28-acre complex with 767 new units, but says it will now wait for construction loans to become less pricey. [Washington Business Journal]
Baking Company Opens Kitchen in Fairfax — Liberty Baking Co. started in owner Allison Friedman’s home in Fairfax City. After moving to Herndon early in the pandemic, the business has returned to Fairfax with a commercial kitchen that opened on May 6. While there will be an occasional pop-up, orders are generally placed online for pickups at the kitchen or deliveries. [Patch]
Bicycle Crashes Increase in Virginia — “So far this year, there have been 160 bicycle-involved crashes on Virginia’s roadways, resulting in the deaths of nine bicyclists and injuries to 156 others, DMV officials said on May 30. This is a 125-percent increase in bicyclist-related fatalities compared to four last year at this time, they said.” [Gazette Leader]
Local Teens Campaign to Protect Maryland Forest — Four members of Girl Scout Troop 153 in Fairfax County are petitioning Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital to sell over 600 acres of forest in East Marlton to a group that would preserve it, instead of to developers. The organization got the land as a donation in 2019 and hopes to sell it to fund outdoor programming, camps and other operations. [The Washington Post]
Grants Available for Local Arts Organizations — “ArtsFairfax announces that one month remains for local arts organizations to apply for Ticket Subsidy Grants. Awarded up to $5,000 each, this grant funds free and reduced-price tickets for performances, workshops, classes, and camps for people who may not have regular opportunities to experience professional arts.” [ArtsFairfax]
Hurricane Season Begins Tomorrow — “Hurricane season officially begins on Thursday, June 1 and ends Nov. 30…Hurricanes can cause damage to property as well as loss of life and limb; it’s important to be prepared with an emergency kit and plan before one potentially strikes this summer.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]
It’s Wednesday — Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Northeast wind around 6 mph. At night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Northeast wind 3 to 6 mph. [Weather.gov]
Space-oriented cybersecurity company SpiderOak has expanded its web of operations to Reston Town Center.
The U.S.-owned and operated software company opened its Reston office (11911 Freedom Drive) last month.
CEO Dave Pearah told the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) that the company chose to relocate from Kansas and Chicago to Fairfax County because customers in the space industry were seeking “complementary solutions for space.”
“The fact that we’re now in the space cyber resiliency market is a fun, exciting, and a surprising evolution of the company,” Pearah told the FCEDA. “I think that’s also true for Fairfax County in general terms of space development. It has taken off in the last few years.”
The county is a major hub for the defense and space industry, hosting offices for corporations like Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Blue Origin.
Pearah added that the company was also drawn to the area because of the amenities in Reston Town Center.
“We are at this unique intersection of space, cybersecurity, and embedded hardware utilizing distributed ledger technology,” he said. “We need people with that same diverse mix of interests, which Reston delivers.”
The company is affiliated with Madison Dearborn Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm.
Photo via Adi Goldstein/Unsplash
The Lake Anne area could pursue two different directions going forward, a consultant says: adhere to its status as Reston’s original village or transform into a destination landmark.
At a May 18 meeting, consultant Street Sense pitched the two visions for the nearly 60-year-old center. A second community workshop is planned in June.
Overall, the consultant suggests additional residential density on the Crescent site, allowing buildings from three to seven stories in height. The residential project should be between Lake Anne’s current density of 35 units per acre and 65 units.
Other changes are also suggested as part of the balancing act of preserving Lake Anne’s status as a local destination while charting its future growth. While an earlier public survey found community support for a grocery store, that’s off the books for Lake Anne’s economic future due to the nature of the center.
Angela McGarvey, managing director of brand at Street Sense, emphasized that multiple stakeholders, property owners, and properties at different stages of deterioration complicate the visioning effort.
“There is a financial imperative to move forward quickly and expediently toward a solution,” McGarvey said.
The first proposal envisions a “curated community with neighborhood draw.” It focuses on introducing new art studio spaces for rent, improving infrastructure, and redesigning the entry of Lake Anne Plaza’s existing surface lot to prioritize aesthetics, efficiency and wayfinding.
New development could feature low-rise apartments and townhomes, along with several accessibility projects like safe crossings from Lake Anne House and the Crescent to the plaza.
McGarvey noted that the plan puts less strain on existing infrastructure, maintains current programmed activities, and resembles the scale of current housing in the center.
But the vision would provide no new revenue sources, do little to change retail demand and revenue, and likely place the cost of infrastructure upkeep on existing residents and merchants. More partnerships with the county and others would be needed to maintain infrastructure, likely requiring changes to the Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association’s condominium agreement and responsibilities.
The second proposal positions Lake Anne as an “iconic destination with regional draw.” The addition of cultural attractions is proposed, along with consistent retail hours and a cohesive merchant’s organization.
The presented vision also includes a parking garage on the west public surface lot and new infrastructure for the farmers’ market.
A mid-rise, mostly multifamily residential development is proposed with a centralized green space and connections to the Crescent site and plaza. Also suggested is a connection of the current trail network to Lake Anne, restoration of the tunnel on the east side of the area, and a safer crossing from Lake Anne House and the Crescent to the plaza.
The second vision would create new revenue streams and potentially make Lake Anne a “year-round destination,” the consultant said. Using a more intense residential product would also free up more land for public amenities and cultural uses.
But the plan would require more upkeep, and new programming and venues could impact the amount of open space and the design of public areas around the commercial center.
Both plans simply state the need for a “solution-oriented approach” to clarify roles and responsibilities related to infrastructure, according to Streetsense. In recent years, infighting and local disputes have plagued the village center.
The consultant emphasized that “any movements forward will include a more targeted discussion with property owners.”
Streetsense conducted a visioning survey in February and March to court public opinions, along with in-person workshops and focus groups. A final report is slated for a June release.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn initiated the study last year to form a consensus around the economic vision for the Lake Anne Community Revitalization Area (LACRA).
