The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors are expected to approve on Tuesday increased fines for speeding on one south Reston street.
Under the county’s Residential Traffic Administration Program (RTAP), homeowners can petition their district supervisor to point out a traffic safety issue. The supervisor can then take the request to the Virginia Department of Transportation, which then performs an engineering review to see if the issue is justified.
In this case, the issue is speeding on Rosedown Drive between Bedfordshire Circle and Glade Drive.
The board is expected to approve the installation of “$200 Additional Fine for Speeding” signs on the following road:
The speed limit on Rosedown is 25 miles per hour.
Section 46.2-878.2 of the Code of Virginia permits a maximum fine of $200, in addition to other penalties provided by law, to be levied on persons exceeding the speed limit on appropriately designated residential roadways.
The cost of the additional signs is $600, which is paid for out of the VDOT secondary road construction budget.
Reston resident Bill Bouie will be honored with The Katherine K. Hanley Public Service Award the 2016 Board of Supervisors’ Breakfast on April 22.
The award, sponsored by Leadership Fairfax, is given annually to a member of the community who exemplifies service above self and has had a positive impact on Fairfax County. The award is named for former Board Supervisor and current Secretary of the Commonwealth, Katherine K. Hanley.
Bouie, a telecommunications executive, serves as the current chairman of the Fairfax County Park Authority Board. He has also been involved in numerous Reston and county organizations, including Reston Little League, Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts, Public Links, Inc., the Reston Community Center Board of Governors, Reston Hospital Center Board of Trustees and the Initiative for Public Art Reston.
The event begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Fairview Park Marriott in Falls Church and will feature a networking breakfast; a state of the county address by Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova; and a panel discussion with the supervisors and the presentation of the Hanley Award.
Tickets and sponsorships may be purchased through Leadership Fairfax’s website.
Leadership Fairfax’s Board of Supervisors Breakfast brings together over 300 community and business leaders annually, and helps citizens learn about issues impacting the county and the Board of Supervisors, says CEO and President Karen Cleveland.
Bill Bouie/file photo
Fairfax County is facing potential cuts to services and the public schools as the Board of Supervisors prepares to vote on the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget.
But the public has several chances to speak up on what is important as the supervisors will hold public hearings on the advertised tax rate rise and the budget in general on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.
The supervisors are preparing to vote on the budget on April 19. The 2016 budget remains in effect until June 30.
They will also discuss the county’s third quarter package, which contains savings and spending requirements such as additional costs related to snow removal and savings related to current fuel costs that result in no net General Fund impact.
County Executive Ed Long has recommended $20.5 million in previous one-time balances be used to increase reserve levels and to be utilized by the Board. Long’s recommendations for use of these funds:
- $10.25 million to continue to build the county’s budget reserves.
- $10.25 million available for the Board to consider allocating to one-time uses, which could include: Making additional contributions to reserves.
Putting funds aside for future development opportunities. - Continuing to address the backlog of county infrastructure needs.
- Meeting one-time capital requirements at various facilities.
As far as the 2017 budget, Long recommended and the supervisors approved an advertised tax rate rise of 4 cents per $100 of home value for Fairfax’s $3.99 billion budget.
That means the average Fairfax County homeowner will see a rise of about $303 on their tax bill as they will be taxed $1.13 per $100 of home value. That will give the county an extra $23 million in FY 2017.
That still might not be enough to fully fund Fairfax County Public Schools, though. Superintendent Karen Garza has asked for a 6.7 percent rise over last year’s county transfer in order to give staff raises, keep elementary school classes below 30 students and keep extracurricular and special academic programs intact.
The schools annually receive about 52 percent of the county’s $3.99 billion budget. The county has offered a 3-percent increase (to about $2 billion) for the schools, which leaves a gap of over $67 million.
Have something to say about the budget. Here is the public hearing schedule:
- April 5, 4 p.m. (following 3 p.m. public hearing on tax rate)
- April 6, 1 p.m.
- April 7, 1 p.m.
Hearings take place at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway in Fairfax. They will also be shown live on Fairfax County Government Channel 16.
A few hours after passing a motion for an advertised 4-cent hike in real estate taxes for Fiscal Year 2017, some members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors asked for a practically unprecedented do-over.
That led to a tense discussion and vote to reconsider at the end of Tuesday’s seven-hour Board of Supervisor’s meeting — as well as a supervisors’ shouting match after the meeting adjourned.
Though a vote to reconsider is allowed under Roberts Rules of Order, it had not been put into use in nearby 20 years. Supervisor Penny Gross (D-Mason) said she could not remember one since 1997.
“I am troubled by this,” said Gross. “I don’t think we should be considering voter’s remorse on the same day [as we passed a motion].” Read More
At the suggestion of Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will be taking another look at instituting a meals tax.
Hudgins made the motion after a sometimes emotional supervisors meeting on Tuesday, where the board passed an advertised 2017 tax rate rise of 4 cents. Some supervisors advocated for a higher maximum tax rate of 5 or 6 cents per $100 of real estate value. Read More
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to advertise a tax rate of $1.13, an increase of 4 cents from the current rate of $1.09 per $100 of assessed value.
The board can adopt a tax rate that is lower, but not higher, than is advertised when it marks-up (makes amendments to) the Advertised Budget on April 19.
The additional tax, which is in keeping with the recommendation of County Executive Ed Long, will provide about $23 million more per one-cent rise for Fairfax County’s coffers for Fiscal Year 2017.
But with a 4-cent increase, the county is still likely to give Fairfax County Public Schools only 3 percent more than it did last year. The schools have been seeking a 6.7-percent raise in order to give employee raises and keep elementary class sizes small.
The schools annually receive about 52 percent of the county’s $3.99 billion budget. Read More
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza said the system is doing its part to cut costs, and she implored the county Board of Supervisors to do theirs to increase funding.
“We’re really at the crossroads,” she said at a joint school board/board of supervisors meeting on Friday. “You are going to determine which path we go. We can continue to cut, to the point of where we no longer recognize our system, or do we begin the slow process of continuing to sustain excellence in our schools? We recognize that these are very difficult decisions, but we ask for your support.”
Garza’s proposed Fiscal Year 2017 budget asks the county for an operating budget transfer of $1.9 billion (a 6.7 percent increase over 2016). County Executive Ed Long’s proposed budget includes a school operating transfer of $1.88 billion (a 3 percent, or $54.75 million, increase from 2016).
Long’s proposed $3.99 overall county budget comes with a suggested real estate tax increase of 4 cents per $100 of value, or about a $303 annual tax bill rise for the average Fairfax County homeowner.
The supervisors will advertise the county tax rate on Tuesday, which will be followed by public hearings on the matter in April. At last week’s meeting, Garza and several school board members urged the supervisors to consider an increase of more than 4 cents in order to adequately fund schools.
Garza pointed out that asking for just under $2 billion is frugal on the part of the schools. Were the schools system to get everything it needs — such as replacing aging textbooks and computers, as well as employee raises and reductions in classroom sizes — it would take an extra $305 million, Garza said.
“FCPS has a tradition of excellence that continues despite the daunting challenges we face,” Garza told the supervisors. “FCPS’ reputation for excellence is forged through genuine community investment and together, we leverage our strengths to make a difference for every student. Our success as a system attracts businesses and people to our county and it strengthens the quality of life in our community.”
Garza said the budget gap of nearly $68 million means “we cannot even fund the basic needs of our system.”
Garza presented her proposed budget in January. After several months of warning about potential cuts to sports, music, Advanced Academics and other programs, the superintendent said no cuts would be made for 2016-17.
But that depends on full funding from the county.
“Further cuts would be required,” Garza said. “The county stated that additional significant program reductions will change the fabric of the county irrevocably and this is also true for FCPS. For both county and schools, we must begin to look ahead and recognize that investments are necessary to keep Fairfax strong.”
Garza reiterated the point that FCPS has made about $500 million in cuts and eliminated more than 2,000 jobs in the last eight years.
That left some supervisors skeptical. Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity said the school system is participating in deceptive “political theater” since the school system’s budget has actually grown by $500 million since then.
“How do you cut every year for nine years and go from a $2.1 billion budget to a $2.6 billon budget?” Herrity said.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority’s plan for the Reston Town Center Metro station.
What to know now: The station, which will be located in the Dulles Toll Road median just west of Reston Parkway and about a half-mile from the current Reston Town Center, will look exactly like other Silver Line stations.
That is disappointing news to the Reston Town Center Association and its Design Review Board, which requested adding some flair in order to give the station area, particularly on the north side closest to town center, a sense of place.
“The station proposal reflects ‘standard’ station design and does not distinguish this stop as a place of special distinction appropriate to Town Center’s status in, and contributions to, the county and the region,” Robert Goudie, RTC Association Exeuctive Director wrote in a letter to Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova. Read More
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors have unanimously approved a 155-bed assisted living and memory care facility for Leesburg Pike (Route 7) near Baron Cameron Avenue.
Singh Senior Living of Cary, NC, plans to build Waltonwood Reston on a 23-acre parcel at 10819 Leesburg Pike. Singh currently manages more than two dozen Waltonwood facilities nationwide, including one in Ashburn.
The special exception is required to build a medical care facility on land that is currently zoned residential. The land currently contains a 1,500-square-foot unoccupied house, which will be torn down, according to an October report by the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning.
The staff report recommended approval of the project, as did the Fairfax County Planning Commission at a December meeting.
Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins said she appreciated Singh’s flexibility in making the design something that fits in with the residential neighborhood nearby.
“I also appreciate county staff working to develop conditions so it could be an asset to the Hunter Mill District and the county’s 50+ plan, which reflects the aging we will see as a community,” Hudgins said.
The 155,150-square-foot facility will feature about 20 acres of open space on the the 23-acre property. There will be 113 parking spots, but Hudgins added the additional development condition that Singh provide free shuttle bus service for employees from nearby Metro or bus stations.
Other development conditions agreed to by the developer: to add a right turn lane on Leesburg Pike and build a retaining wall and vegetation to screen the front of the building from Leesburg Pike.
Singh will also contribute $10,000 for additional traffic signals.
The brick-and-stone building will be designed in a courtyard configuration. It will include additional common areas, including: a common dining room, hair salon, convenience store and cafe, library, hobbies & crafts room, movie theatre and assorted lounge areas. A complete physical therapy and exercise area is also planned.
No residents spoke out at the public hearing portion on the issue at Tuesday’s board of supervisors’s meeting. Read More
Northern Virginia streets — and work and school schedules — are getting back to normal have the big snow of nearly two weeks ago.
So it’s a good time to take a step back and reflect about what went right and what wasn’t so right in the Fairfax County and Virginia Department of Transportation response.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova is calling for a “snow summit” at the Supervisors’ March 1 meeting.
“Compared to ‘Snowmageddon,’ [in February of 2010] where some county residents were trapped — some of them without power in their homes for up to a week — I think VDOT’s response to this storm was excellent, but there are still lessons to be learned and practices that can be improved,” she said at Tuesdays Board of Supervisors meeting. Read More
Reston will likely be getting a 135-bed assisted living and memory care facility located on Leesburg Pike.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is expected to approve on Tuesday a special exception to a zoning ordinance that that will allow Singh Senior Living of Cary, NC, to build Waltonwood Reston on a 23-acre parcel at 10819 Leesburg Pike. The land is located just in front of the Ascot subdivision of homes near the intersection of Baron Cameron Avenue.
Singh currently manages more than two dozen Waltonwood facilities nationwide, including one in Ashburn.
The special exception is required to build a medical care facility on land that is currently zoned residential. The land currently contains a 1,500-square-foot unoccupied house, which will be torn down, according to an October report by the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning.
The staff report recommended approval of the project, as did the Fairfax County Planning Commission at a December meeting.
The 155,150-square-foot facility is “proposed to be developed as a medical care facility consisting of assisted living and memory care units to serve the immediate area needs for senior assisted living and dementia. The facility will primarily serve the greater Reston, Great Falls, Tysons Corner and Herndon area. The future residents of the facility are projected to come from the area, or move to the area to be near their adult children who live in the vicinity of Waltonwood Reston, ” says the developer application.
The applicant says the proximity of Reston Hospital Center, about two miles away, will be a great asset to the project and offer added medical services not provided on site but that may be needed by residents.
Singh says:
There will be about 20 acres of open space on the property.
Plans include 110 assisted living and 25 memory care units, plus a single staff/visitor unit, and 113 parking spots.
There will be a continuous retaining wall along the majority of the frontage, enabling preservation of a large portion of the existing hedgerow Leesburg Pike and a complete screen of the parking areas visible from Leesburg Pike.
The building will be designed in a courtyard configuration. It will include additional common areas, including: a common dining room, hair salon, convenience store and cafe, library, hobbies & crafts room, movie theatre and assorted lounge areas. A complete, state-of-the-art physical therapy and exercise area is also planned. Read More
The plans for the future Reston Town Center Metro station will have a public hearing before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
The plans for the station, expected open as part of the Silver Line’s Phase 2 in early 2020, were recommended for approval by the county planning commission earlier this month.
The Reston Town Center stop will be more similar to the urban-style stations at Tysons than it will be to Wiehle-Reston East, the existing stop that is adjacent to a 3,000-space underground parking garage. The Reston Town Center stop, like the stations at Tysons, will have virtually no parking.
And it will still be about a half-mile walk to the Reston Town Center as it stands today. However, development is expected that will bring mixed-use amenities closer to where the station will be built in the middle of the Dulles Toll Road near Reston Parkway and Sunset Hills Road.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) said in the county staff report for the project that there are a number of challenges with the plans — and that some might change moving forward. Read More
This is an opinion post by Reston resident Terry Maynard, who serves as the Co-Chair of Reston 2020. It does not represent the opinion of Reston Now.
The newly re-elected County Board of Supervisors is at it again: They are proposing a “Priority 1” zoning ordinance amendment (ZOA) that would allow development density in a number of areas in the County to increase to a floor-area-ratio (FAR) of 5.0 plus a 0.5 bonus density for meeting key County priorities. The ZOA includes all of Reston’s Metro station areas (TSAs) and Lake Anne, a Commercial Revitalization Area (CRA).
In fact, the ZOA proposal covers an entire alphabet soup of about 20 urbanizing and redeveloping “Selective Areas” across the county: TSAs, CRAs, CRDs, CBCs, PDCs, and PRMs. Together, the County calls all these “Selective Areas” and the ZOA makes no distinction among them. That’s a potential half billion gross square feet (GSF) of new development and redevelopment added to the County’s current roughly one billion GSF of total existing development of all kinds.
And the “Selective Areas” cover only about five percent of the county’s total 400 square mile area. If you are interested to learn about this proposed ZOA, there are opportunities for you to hear more and provide your comments as early as this Wednesday, Jan. 13. Read More
Several parents representing the #I Am FCPS advocacy group spoke to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at their last meeting of 2015 on Tuesday, asking the board to fully fund Fairfax County Public Schools for Fiscal Year 2017.
The group is comprised mainly of parents and was recently formed in response to the FCPS Budget Task Force report that looks at ways to slash $50 or $75 million from the budget for 2017.
FCPS Superintendent Karen Garza has said the school could be facing a shortfall in that range if the county supervisors give the schools the standard 3-percent increase in funding for next year.
I Am FCPS member Melanie Mehren, a Vienna resident, says the group has mobilized to write 12,000 letters and get 1,200 Facebook likes in the last month.
“We are asking for your leadership to determine how to fully fund the schools for the longterm,” she told the supervisors. “Funding has not kept pace with our growing and changing community. FCPS has grown at the rate of one classroom per day. We are now spending $1,000 less per child when compared with 2009.”
The Virginia General Assembly will determine in its January session how much money to give local school systems. After that, counties can work on what their contributions.
Garza has said a large portion of the school system’s rising costs are due to increases in compensation, rising health care costs and retirement fund contributions. The school system — now with 188,545 students — has a growing enrollment with an increased need for special services.
Garza will present her proposed budget in January. The final budget will be adopted by the school board in May — and it may contain changes such as increased class size, cutbacks in sports and activities and a reduction in staff positions, among others.
Board of Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova said fully funding schools is the board’s No. 1 priority on their legislative agenda for the 2016 General Assembly. She pointed out that the problem begins at the state level.
“The state has reduced its share [of funding all Virginia schools] by $1 billion,” she said. “Counties have tried to make up the difference. In Fairfax, we have increased about $200 million for schools.”
Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity pointed out that the board did fund 99 percent of school board requests last year. He also wanted to know how much FCPS is spending on its #SAVEFCPS campaign, which is not affiliated with #IAMFCPS.
FCPS gets about two-thirds of its funding from the county. More than half the county’s $2 billion in spending goes to education.
Rachel Stot, Kilmer Middle School PTA president, said a standard 3 percent transfer from the county “will leave a devastating shortage that will affect the whole community.”
“There are no acceptable cuts left,” she said. “Please fully fund the ask.”
Photo: Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved nearly $11 million for 18 transportation projects that will improve pedestrian and bicycle access to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station and the future Reston Town Center Metro Station.
Among the improvements: adding sidewalks, crosswalks, signals, bike lanes and expansion of Reston’s upcoming bikeshare program. See the accompanying chart for the full list.
Transportation Projects for Reston/Herndon area
The county has been discussing the infrastructure necessary for Reston’s transit areas since 2008, when the Silver Line was just an idea. See the Reston Metrorail Access Group (RMAG) report.
The board also approved projects in 2011 and 2012 to support Reston-area Silver Line access improvements. Those previously funded projects are either completed, under construction, or in design, the county says.
“Our Board supports these projects to help expand transportation options for Fairfax County residents,” said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova. “As more people are looking for ways to walk and bike to work, Fairfax County strives to make the infrastructure available for residents to use. These crosswalks, sidewalks and the W&OD trail access will also support the eventual opening of the new Phase II Silver Line stations.”
The Supervisors also approved a list of about $11 million in improvements for the Herndon Metrorail Station Access Management Study (HMSAMS) for future access to the Herndon station and in the Town Of Herndon.
The approved HMSAMS projects include three pedestrian/bicycle intersection improvements; seven pedestrian and bicycle facility improvement projects, including signalized crosswalks, lighting, sidewalks, shared-use paths and on-road bike lanes; and three projects that will study the design feasibility and costs of major pedestrian and bicycle improvement projects.
In early 2014, the supervisors approved $42.92 million for the projects. The total for the project approved for Reston and Herndon on Tuesday total about $22 million, according to Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) estimates. The $22 million will come from a 2014 bond referendum approved by Fairfax County voters.
