2018: The year in review

The story about Kmart closing got the most hits this year.

Here’s a look back at some of the stories we published in 2018:

January 

Justice High School students select Wolves as the school mascot.

Kruger’s Antiques Plus on Little River Turnpike, an Annandale institution for 39 years, is forced to close.

The Jefferson Fire Station moves to temporary quarters on South Street so its building on Hodge Place can be replaces with a new, larger fire station.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission endorses the Lincolnia Planning Study Task Force’s recommendation to create a Community Business Center in the area surrounding the Little River Turnpike/N. Beauregard intersection.

February

Mathnasium, a math tutoring center, opens on Columbia Pike, Annandale.

Lake Accotink

Inova proposes a massive mixed-use development on Gallows Road across from Inova Fairfax Hospital.

Release the Craycken, a seafood/chicken restaurant, opens on Markham Street in Annandale.

Local leaders and community members consider the benefits and costs of various options to prevent sediment build-up in Lake Accotink.

March

Members of the community speak out at a Planning Commission hearing against Vulcan Materials’ proposal to build an asphalt plant on its property in an industrial area of Mason District.

The newly renovated Burger King reopens on Columbia Pike in Annandale.

The Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores in Bailey’s Crossroads are closing, as their parent company filed for bankruptcy.

The Board of Supervisors approves a project to convert the Kids Choice center on Ravensworth Road in Annandale to a combination adult daycare center and banquet hall.

April 

Groundbreaking for the homeless shelter.

The owners of Bawadi Mediterranean Grill on Leesburg Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads are fighting eviction.

Construction begins on a new, larger homeless shelter with transitional housing on Seminary Road in Bailey’s Crossroads.

The Planning Commission approves a scaled-down mixed-use project for redeveloping Graham Park Plaza on Arlington Boulevard in Falls Church.

Preliminary plans are announced for a renovation and upgrade of the bowling alley on Markham Street in Annandale.

Sleepy Hollow Road residents come out in force to oppose a plan for sidewalks.

May

The INOUT Cube, a temporary art installation in Seven Corners, incorporates photos of local residents.

The INOUT Cube

A temporary roundabout on Ravensworth Road in Annandale is aimed at regulating traffic flow without the need for a traffic signal.

A new chicken restaurant, Pelicana, opens on John Marr Drive in Annandale.

Bailey’s Crossroads residents complain the developer of a shopping center on Leesburg Pike is not living up to its promises.

A coyote kills a pet dog in the Parklawn community.

The large Avant apartment community in Annandale has a new name, the Vistas of Annandale, and the new managers promise major improvements.

June

The Fairfax County Office of Community Revitalization sets up a pop-up park to generate public feedback on a proposal for a small urban park on Columbia Pike in Annandale.

The Plaza at Landmark announces a Hobby Lobby store will move into a vacant space in the  shopping center in Lincolnia.

Vulcan Materials.

Library Friends groups are engaged in a bitter dispute with Fairfax County Public Libraries.


July

The Christopher Cos. propose a revised plan for an age-restricted housing development on Gallows Road.

Demolition starts on the Landmark Building on Columbia Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads.

The Board of Supervisors approves zoning applications allowing Vulcan Materials Co. to expand and upgrade its concrete mixing and batching facility – without an asphalt plant.

A new Mediterranean restaurant, Zoës Kitchen, is coming to the Barcroft Plaza on Columbia Pike.

The new CVS.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church on Little River Turnpike is hit by racist and Anti-Semitic vandalism.

August

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approves zoning rules allowing property owners to rent homes for short-term lodging.

A CVS drugstore opens in a new retail center on Leesburg Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads.

For the second time this year, a toddler dies after falling from a window at Skyline Towers.

The Annandale cannon, a landmark at Columbia Pike and Backlick Road, is removed for refurbishing.

A Korean chicken restaurant, Choong Man Chicken, is coming to Tom Davis Drive in Annandale.

The Annandale Kmart on John Marr Drive announced plans to close.

September

Justice High School is rededicated at a ceremony that honors Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, civil rights activist Barbara Rose Johns, and World War II hero and educator Louis G. Mendez Jr.

Outstanding athletes, coaches, and teams are inducted into the newly created Annandale High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

The St. James

The huge St. James sports and wellness complex opens on Industrial Drive in the Springfield area.

The Pinecrest Golf Center has a new Valis Family Golf Learning Center with a golf simulator.

Homeowners oppose plans for a 72-unit 55+ housing development on Gallows Road.

October

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation revises the proposed Sleepy Hollow Road sidewalk project in response to widespread opposition from residents.

The Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia is vandalized.

An Orangetheory fitness studio is coming to the Barcroft Plaza shopping center.

The Taste of Annandale

Huge crowds descend on Tom Davis Drive for the fourth Taste of Annandale.

Dogs show off their fashion sense at the Taste of Annandale pet contest.

The Taste of Annandale 5K draws a record crowd.

The Bawadi restaurant reopens in Seven Corners in the former Sunflower restaurant.

November

Environmental advocates charge construction at the Inova Center for Personalized Health on Gallows Road is damaging the Holmes Run watershed.

Emessa, a Mediterranean restaurant, takes over the spot formerly occupied by the Seven Corners Pub on Leesburg Pike.

A new planning process is underway for redeveloping the Landmark Mall property.

Backlick Park in Annandale is totally renovated with a new playground, fitness equipment, pavilion,  and trails.

A new Giant grocery store opens in the Landmark Plaza shopping center in Lincolnia.

Backlick Park

The Mason District Land Use Committee comes out against Woodburn Manor, a 72-unit 55+ housing development proposed for Gallows Road.

December

Sharon Bulova, who has served as chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for the past 10 years, will not seek re-election in 2019.

Penny Gross announces plans to run for another term as a Mason District supervisor.

The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance Exception Committee opposes construction of a house on an Annandale property subject to flooding.

Erickson Living proposes a large community for seniors on the former Northern Virginia Training Center property on Braddock Road.

Mason District school board member Sandy Evans announced plans to retire after her term is up.