
Planning Commission to take up accessory living units
The building to the left of this house in Mason District appears to be an ALU. After years of work and nearly 100 community meetings, the Fairfax County Planning Commission is holding a public hearing Jan. 28 on zMOD, the massive rewrite, consolidation, and modernization of the county’s zoning code. The Board of Supervisors’ hearing … Continued
Inova cancels COVID vaccination appointments
Many people lucky enough to get an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination in Fairfax County –including teachers who registered with Inova – are disappointed to find their appointments have been canceled. That’s because Fairfax County is getting fewer doses than anticipated. On Jan. 25, Inova announced it’s canceling all first-dose appointments “for the foreseeable future” due to the … Continued

First case of highly contagious COVID variant documented in Northern Virginia resident
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Department of General Services Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS) announced Jan. 25 that the first case of the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 has been identified in a sample from an adult resident of Northern Virginia with no reported recent travel history. The B.1.1.7 variant, which first emerged … Continued

Lake Barcroft, Malbrook residents oppose access plan for new houses on Sleepy Hollow Road
The future site of a new housing development on Sleepy Hollow Road. [Larry Golfer] Residents of Lake Barcroft and the Malbrook community are concerned that a new housing development under construction on Sleepy Hollow Road would bring more traffic to neighborhood streets. The Gulick Group has begun clearing land and plans to build 18 new … Continued

Rare bird spotted at Green Spring Gardens
The Rufous hummingbird at Green Spring Gardens. [Darren Hutchinson] Birdwatchers have been flocking to Green Spring Gardens in recent weeks to catch a glimpse of a Rufous hummingbird, which is rarely seen in this area. This species is usually found in the western U.S. They spend the winter as far south as Mexico and migrate … Continued

Explore a Park: Roundtree Park has been recently upgraded
The newly remodeled picnic shelter at Roundtree Park. [Keith Pham] This article is part of the Annandale Blog’s Explore a Park series. Previous parks in the series include Manassas Gap Park, Luria Park, and Fitzhugh Park in Annandale and Lillian Carey Park and Hogge Park in Bailey’s Crossroads. Features – Roundtree Park is on Annandale … Continued
Jollibee, a Filipino fast-food restaurant, to open in Lincolnia
A typical Jollibee restaurant. [Washington Business Journal] The vacant building on N. Beauregard Street in Lincolnia that formerly housed Boston Market will be taken over by the Jollibee Filipino fast-food chain, the Washington Business Journal reports. Jollibee’s bills itself as “the home of the famous chickenjoy,” a fried chicken bucket. The menu also features “yum burgers,” “jolly … Continued

Health officials urge patience in waiting for COVID vaccinations
First responders get COVID vaccines. [Fairfax County Health Department] Health officials urged the public to be patient, as they wait for a chance to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Demand far outstrips the supply, they said at a town hall meeting hosted by Del. Kaye Kory (38th District-Annandale), state Sen. Dave Marsden (38th District-Annandale), and Del. … Continued

More details emerge on affordable senior housing project on church property
The possible future home of the Culmore Clinic. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Jan. 26 on a major redevelopment proposal in western Annandale with 575 multifamily units, another proposal for Annandale and three in Seven Corners. If approved by the board, those proposals would be included in the … Continued

Fairfax County superintendent floats a revised schedule for in-person learning
The Mason Crest Tiger and school staff hand out school supplies at the Annandale elementary school. Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand presented a draft revised timeline for in-person learning to the school board on Jan. 21. The board will discuss the new plan at its Feb. 2 work session.

Crime report: Shooting, robbery
The Fairfax County Police Department reports the following crimes in the Annandale and Bailey’s Crossroads area in the past week: A man was shot in the lower body while walking on a sidewalk on Lake Street in Bailey’s Crossroads at about 7:20 p.m. on Jan. 16. He was taken to the hospital with injuries that … Continued

Bailey’s Crossroads shopping center is getting a makeover
Crossroads Center, the shopping center on Leesburg Pike and Columbia Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads, is getting a makeover. The façade refresh will be in place before the new Amazon Fresh grocery store opens in part of the former Safeway building, property manager Joe Sirni, a vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle, said at a Jan. … Continued

Teacher at Holmes Middle School arrested for sexual assault
Cheatham [FCPD] Fairfax County Police have arrested a teacher for sexually assaulting a student more than 20 years ago. Detectives arrested Marc Damon Cheatham, 51, of Woodbridge, on Jan. 20. He was charged with two counts of forcible sodomy involving a child under age 12, aggravated sexual assault of a child under 13, and producing … Continued

Sleepy Hollow sidewalks project in the land acquisition phase
The minor sidewalk repairs underway on Sleepy Hollow Road near Fern lane are not part of the big project to fill in the missing links on the sidewalks along Sleepy Hollow between Bay Tree Lane and Castle Place.

Northern Virginia has a worse housing burden for low-income families than any other U.S. metro area
The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in this Annandale complex is $1,800 a month. Northern Virginia has the highest rate of severe housing burden among low-income households, compared to the 50 largest U.S. metro areas, state a new report. According to “Unequal Burden” the latest report from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s Insight … Continued