The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will appoint a group of residents to look over police complaints and internal probes as part of a new effort to increase transparency in the area’s law enforcement, according to local officials.
In a 9-1 vote today, the board approved the creation of an independent Police Civilian Review Panel, which will receive Fairfax County Police Department misconduct allegations from the public and examine FCPD internal investigations. The panel will have nine appointees, who can serve up to two, three-year terms.
“Establishing a Police Civilian Review Panel is a historic step in the right direction toward increasing trust and transparency between police and residents,” board chairman Sharon Bulova said in a statement.
The board’s vote came after the Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission called for the panel in an October 2015 report to county supervisors. Although Bulova established the commission following a fatal police-involved shooting in 2013, the new panel won’t handle matters concerning potentially criminal uses of force by cops.
Supervisor Pat Herrity, who was the only board member to vote against the panel, said it creates “a lot of serious problems,” including an “uncertain fiscal impact” and police staffing issues.
“The creation of this panel will take our police off the streets at a time when they are in high demand already,” he said in a statement.
Two major projects near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station are up for discussion at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting tomorrow.
The proposed Lincoln apartment complex at Commerce Park Drive and the Lofts townhomes at Reston Station are on the agenda for about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Wiehle Station Ventures LLC is seeking to redevelop a surface level parking lot across the street from the Sunrise Valley convenience center and, beyond that, Reston National Golf Course, into a 260-unit Lincoln apartment building at Commerce Park, Association and Sunrise Valley drives. The property is also close to Soapstone Drive, where a future toll road crossing is planned.
The Board of Supervisors also is set to consider the design concept for the Lofts, in which Pulte Homes would redevelop a one-story industrial building at 1825 Michael Faraday Court into 44 residences.
The parcel is about one-third of a mile from the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. The development and the Metro stop eventually will connect through interior streets, including an extension of Reston Station Boulevard, plans show.
Though the Planning Commission has recommended approval to the Board of Supervisors, the concept has not been without issues.
Hunter Mill planning commissioner Frank de le Fe said he feels the project attempts to jam too many residences into too little land, as the plan calls for fitting 12, two-by-two townhouses into less than two acres.
Other issues brought up had to do with the configuration of open space, the amount of surface parking, the design of a pocket park and the lack of landscaping connecting to public space.
Images via Lincoln At Commerce Park, Lofts at Reston Station, Fairfax County.
Reston is changing at a fast clip — with several large development projects in progress and more than a dozen new applications in the pipeline.
Concerned Reston residents say they want to know about those projects in an equally speedy manner.
Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and representatives from the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning held a public meeting at Reston Association Monday in which they spelled out how the development process works, from application to final approval from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
Even though the development process can take years, the citizens in attendance complained about a lack of opportunities for community engagement earlier in the process.
“The planning process is making me crazy,” said longtime Reston resident Tammi Pettrine. “In reality, citizens have no power against the county.” Read More
The Fairfax County Planning Commission has recommended for approval a plan to tear down a 1980s office building at 11720 Sunrise Valley Drive and replace the building with 54 townhomes.
Rooney Properties’ plan now moves on for final approval by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, most likely in October.
The decision came at the planning commission’s Wednesday meeting, about two months after a public hearing on the project. The commission said then had some concerns with driveway size, garage size and delivery accessibility for Rooney Properties’ plans.
Since the 11720 project’s July hearing, the applicant went back and updated the development plan to show designated delivery area in the southwestern corner of property.
The planning commission and the county planning staff also had an issue in July with Rooney’s lack of proffers to provide transportation demand management (TDM) such as traffic lights.
The proposed project sits just across Roland Clarke Place where another Rooney property, the Marcel Breuer-designed former headquarters of the American Press Institute. That building, also owned by Rooney, is in the process of being torn down to make way for way for 34 townhouses and 10 condos.
Photos: Location of project, top; Existing office building, bottom.
After a campaign by architectural archivists and historians to save and repurpose the Marcel Breuer-designed former American Press Institute building in Reston, the building learned its fate Tuesday night.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to allow developer Sekas Homes to demolish the 42-year-old Brutalist building and construct in its place 34 townhomes and 10 condos.
Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins said while she appreciated the efforts to save the building at 11690 Sunrise Valley Dr., the building did not have historical designation and was not in a historical overlay district.
The supervisors’ mission is to stick to judging an application on “meeting the criteria set forth in the Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance for this area and supported by recommendation of approval by Department of Planning and Zoning,” she said.
While a DPZ staff report recommended approval for the redevelopment, the Fairfax County Planning Commission did not. Read More
Farewell, Tall Oaks Village Center as a retail spot. Welcome, Tall Oaks Village Center as a mostly residential neighborhood.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors took an unprecedented step for Reston development on Tuesday when it unanimously approved Jefferson Apartment Group’s (JAG) proposal to rezone, rebuild and transform the smallest of Reston’s village centers.
JAG will now go forward with plans for 156 homes (a mix of townhomes, 2-over-2 townhomes and multifamily buildings), community space, 8,500 square foot of retail and about 6,000 square feet of office space.
“We are very excited about the approval and the chance to rejuvenate a shopping center that has been fallow for a number of years,” said JAG CEO Jim Butz. “This will be one more nice neighborhood for Reston.”
Butz said he estimated the retail site plans and permitting will be processed in the next nine months. Because the retail space will be located in existing free- standing buildings on the property, that will enable a smooth transition for current retail tenants who desire to stay at Tall Oaks.
The residential permitting process will take about 12-14 months, Butz said. Construction would begin sometime after that.
Tall Oaks’ longtime challenges have been a location on a dead end and lack of visibility from a main street. Its longtime anchor tenant, Giant Foods, moved out in 2007 and vacancies have been mounting since.
JAG representatives have said the property was marketed to retailers in the last several years but there was little interest in locating there as more than five major retail centers featuring a grocery anchor are located within a few miles.
More recently, the developer conducted a market study that showed large retail was not viable at Tall Oaks, which is now only 13 percent occupied.
“This has been a very difficult center to remodel or upgrade,” said Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, who lives in the Tall Oaks area. “The hope I have is JAG is able to provide what is necessary to provide that.”
JAG paid $14 million for the property in 2014 and has held numerous meetings with the community since then. After noting community concerns, JAG has added green space and additional retail space to its original plan.
But many in the community were still not in favor of a complete overhaul for Tall Oaks. Some residents still maintain that retail would thrive at the center if it were properly managed. Read More
Nearly six years after being approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors — and then virtually halting plans to move forward — there is some action on Lerner Enterprises’ Excelsior Parc project.
The Excelsior Parc will include 457 residential units in two buildings on Reston’s Oracle campus near the intersection of Sunset Hills and Reston Parkway.
The project was first proposed in 2oo6 and was sent back from the county several times for changes that were finally approved by the supervisors in 2010. The Fairfax County Planning Commission had recommended denial of the plan for two 15-story towers because they seemed out of scale with Plaza America, Reston Parkway and surrounding areas.
However, a lot has happened since 2010. The Reston skyline has come to include The Harrison, Midtown, BLVD and plans for a 23-story office tower, among other buildings. So 15 stories seems rather modest.
But that is not why the developers are back before the supervisors. The buildings had originally been approved for 820 underground parking spaces. The developers are seeking a reduction in parking of 16.4 percent, which must be approved by board.
The County Executive recommends the supervisors approve the reduction based on an analysis of the parking requirements. He has recommended 612 spaces, including 58 designated for guests.
Part of the reason for the change is the Metro. The property is about a half-mile from the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station and about the same distance from the future Reston Town Center Station, which is scheduled to open in 2020.
The Excelsior is planned to have 212 studio/one-bedroom units; 202 two-bedroom unites; and 33 three-bedroom units.
The Board of Supervisors will discuss and vote on this on Tuesday.
No word on when the construction will begin.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion on Tuesday to allow up to 5.0 FAR — a mark of high density — in 22 areas of the county close to Metro stations.
The ordinance establishes a maximum FAR of 5.0 for Transit Station Areas and a maximum FAR of 4.0 for Commercial Revitalization Districts, (CRD), Commercial Revitalization Areas (CRA), and Community Business Centers (CBC).
The board also passed an amendment introduced by Supervisor John Foust (Dranesville), that says the McLean area can only build up to a 3.0 in its revitalization and community business district areas. Foust said allowing high density building in McLean would alter the area’s traditional smaller-town character.
While the vote for increased FAR (Floor-Area Ratio) sounds like skyscrapers are on the way, it isn’t, the supervisors reiterated.
Allowing maximum density, particularly in areas close to Metro or in need of revitalization, gives future developers flexibility, said Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to authorize the addition of bond questions to the Nov. 8 General Election ballot.
If approved, part of the $312 million in bonds will go for various county improvements, including a contribution for Metro equipment and the replacement of the Embry Rucker Community Shelter in Reston.
Building a new shelter is already in the plans for the Reston Town Center North Area. A new shelter is likely to be located close to where the current one is located on Bowman Townr Drive. The bond money would provide $48 million for Embry Rucker, as well as several other county shelters.
Voters will be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on three bond questions totaling $312 million for transportation, parks and human services.
The supervisors’ vote allows the county to petition the Circuit Court to order the referendums. Under state law, the county must petition the court to put a referendum on the ballot.
If approved by Fairfax County voters, the money is intended to provide:
- Metro boost: $120 million to help pay for the county’s share to Metro’s capital improvement program that includes safety and system maintenance projects, new rail cars and power upgrades for running eight car trains, additional buses for operating Priority Corridor Networks, and rail station improvements to increase the capacity of the system’s infrastructure.
- Parks improvements: $107 million to fund priority needs identified in the county Park Authority’s needs assessment ($94.7 million) and sustain the county’s capital contribution to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority for another four years ($12.3 million). Reston-area parks such as Lake Fairfax Park would benefit from the general countywide improvements.
- Social Services: $85 million to replace the Sully Senior Center and a new Lorton Community Center ($37 million) and renovate, expand or replace the Patrick Henry, Embry Rucker, Eleanor Kennedy, and Bailey’s emergency shelters for people who are homeless ($48 million).
Two weeks ago, the supervisors authorized a meals tax question to be added to the General Election ballot.
Fairfax County voters will be asked to authorize a 4-percent meals tax for county areas that do no currently have one (including Reston). A meals tax is expected to add about $100 million to the county annually, about 70 percent of which would go to Fairfax County Public Schools.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved on Tuesday changes that will add amenities and parking to Reston’s future tallest building.
Even though the 23-story tower at 1760 Reston Parkway has been approved since 2012, don’t look for construction to begin any time soon. Developers are waiting until major tenants have signed leases before beginning construction.
When they get there, tenants will find views from the roof — 115 feet higher than any of Reston’s current buildings — to the Blue Ridge and D.C. as well as a seventh-floor outdoor park.
A rooftop terrace is planned as an amenity for tenants of the building. It will be surrounded by a 35-foot tall glass screen wall with an opening on the west side to shield the space from strong winds; it will be constructed of aluminum and steel supports and clear glass.
The terrace will include outdoor seating; a trellis structure on the west side of the rooftop to provide shade for outdoor seating; an enclosed event space serviced with restroom and pantry facilities; and a 2,500-square-foot vegetated green roof. Read More
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 8-2 on Tuesday to add a meals tax referendum question to the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
They say they are now prepared for a real fight on both sides of the issue, but ultimately it will be up to Fairfax County voters whether the 4 percent tax gets implemented in summer 2017.
The addition of a meals tax has been discussed for years, but was last put to referendum in 1992, where it failed.
However, the county is continually finding itself in an annual budget crunch, particularly as the needs of Fairfax County Public Schools are growing. The board says it will allocate 70 percent of the nearly $100 million annual expected meals tax revenue to the schools, with the remainder going for county services.
About $3 million of the nearly $100 million in revenue would go to back to restaurants/businesses to offset costs of implementing the meals tax, the county says.
The supervisors’ transfer to the schools was $2 billion this year.
Several supervisors said prior to Tuesday’s vote that they would like to see more specifically what the schools will do with the money. Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, a proponent of the meals tax, made a motion to delay the vote until after a joint retreat with the school board, which is scheduled for next week. The motion failed.
Still, several supervisors said the schools need to show a good faith effort in how they spend the extra money. FCPS teacher pay continues to lag behind neighboring counties, and Supervisor John Cook (Braddock) said “we are at a tipping point on needing to bring teacher pay up to market.”
“If I hear [the schools] say they are spending the money on an elite, special program and not on teacher pay, then I will campaign against it,” said Cook. “I am not happy about a meals tax. I worry about local places without a liquor license and a high profit margin. But it is time to have a dialogue.” Read More
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is expected to approve on Tuesday the steps necessary to get a meals tax referendum on the ballot for November’s general election.
The supervisors are seeking to add a 4-percent meals tax because it will give the county an extra estimated $99 million annually. Seventy percent of that would go to Fairfax County Public Schools, which has faced budget constraints the last several years.
FCPS, which has nearly 200,000 students, received a transfer of just over $2 billion from the supervisors this spring. The county gives 52 percent of its budget to the schools.
The tax would be on restaurant meals, of course, but also prepared foods sold at grocery and convenience stores. Surrounding jurisdictions such as the towns of Herndon and Vienna, as well as Arlington and Alexandria, have meals taxes.
Jim Lewis and Michele Hymer “Cookie” Blitz have been selected as Hunter Mill’s Lord and Lady Fairfax as part of 2016 Celebrate Fairfax.
Each year, Fairfax County Supervisors select members of their districts who have demonstrated superior community service.
The Lords and Ladies will be honored at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on June 7, as well as at a special dinner reception that evening. Celebrate Fairfax is June 10-12 at the Fairfax County Government Center.
From Celebrate Fairfax:
James G Lewis, Jr. is the ultimate storyteller. He shares his expertise, talents, extensive knowledge, and enthusiasm for local history with all. In fact, in most conversations with Mr. Lewis, you can count on hearing, “I have a story about that.”
As an avid historian with an interest in the Hunter Mill Road corridor, Mr. Lewis not only reports the history, he discovers it. His explorations have uncovered sites of skirmishes, encampments, graves and structures from the Civil War era and before. He shares this history with the community through his popular lectures; bus, walking, and cemetery tours; and numerous books and publications.
He helped produce the documentary, “Danger Between the Lines”, shown on public television and winner of the County’s historical award.
He was instrumental with the research, applications and installation of several roadside markers that denote important historical events. Recently, Mr. Lewis expanded his repertoire of lectures to include talks on WWII milestones and events, which he shares around the county at no charge. With his enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge, he connects residents across generations to our rich local history.
Michele Hymer Blitz, or Cookie as she is affectionately known, serves as the Hunter Mill District appointee to the Fairfax Area Disability Services Board and past Board Chair, a position she has held since 2006. Over her tenure, Hymer Blitz has proved to be a champion for County residents with disabilities, especially in employment and housing issues and is a member of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee.
Along with her advocacy for individuals with disabilities, Cookie is completing a two year term as President of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, and is also a long time member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.
Additionally, she is a Trustee of the Jewish Federations of North America and serves as National co-chair of the Aging and Family Caregiving Committee. Hymer Blitz also enjoys volunteering at the Closet in Herndon and is a supporter of Cornerstones in Reston. In 2014, she was named one of 30 Social Justice Makers in VA by the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.
On the docket at tonight’s Reston Planning and Zoning Committee: The idea to allow Reston’s high-density areas — and some residential areas — to become more populous.
Fairfax County has proposed an ordinance to establish a maximum FAR of 5.0 for Transit Station Areas and a maximum FAR of 4.0 for Commercial Revitalization Districts, (CRD), Commercial Revitalization Areas (CRA), and Community Business Centers (CBC).
It also wants to see residential areas increase from 1.5 FAR to 2.5 FAR if provisions for open space and affordable housing are put in place.
FAR stands for Floor-Area Ratio, a mark of density.
Representatives from Fairfax County’s Department of Planning and Zoning will attend tonight’s meeting at 7:30 p.m., at the North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston.
The Reston P & Z Committee does not have any real power in the approval process — that ultimately falls to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, which will hold a public hearing on the issue on June 21. But the Reston meeting is a good chance for those with Reston interests to hear more and ask questions. Read More
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Budget Committee has recommended that a meals tax referendum be put to Fairfax County voters in the general election this fall.
The idea will now go to the entire Board of Supervisors for a vote.
The meals tax, which supervisors last discussed — but decided not to go to referendum — in 2014, was brought up this spring by Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins.
