Fire guts vacant house in Seven Corners
This house was unoccupied when it burned down. [Photo by Lisa Kirk] A house on the Route 50 service road near Olin Drive in Seven Corners was totally gutted by fire last week. The house had been vacant and was in bad shape. The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Departmenthas not yet determined the cause. … Continued
Supervisors adopt new rules on blight
A blighted house in Fairfax County [Department of Code Compliance photo.] The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved new rules that allow the county to repair blighted homes at the owner’s expense. The county can also impose liens to cover the cost of repairs. Under previous rules, the county had the authority to demolish, but … Continued
Seven Corners group to host open house on design concepts for Sears site
Three teams developed concepts for redeveloping the Sears site during a design workshop last month. The public will have a chance to examine three preliminary designs for redevelopment of the Sears site on Leesburg Pike in Seven Corners Dec. 9, 3-9 p.m., in the conference room at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in the Seven … Continued
Board of Supervisors approves Markham Place project
An illustration of Markham place from the county staff report. The Markham Place apartment project is going forward. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 2 approved a rezoning application for a 12-story, 310-unit apartment building on Markham Street, Annandale, on a 3.4-acre site currently occupied by Annandale AMF Lanes. “We are losing the … Continued
Julie Strandlie to succeed Janet Hall on Planning Commission
Strandlie Mason Supervisor Penny Gross is expected to announce the appointment of attorney Julie Strandlie as the Mason representative on the Fairfax County Planning Commission today. Strandlie would replace Janet Hall, who has served on the Planning Commission for 20 years and plans to focus on teaching skiing to people with disabilities, including the blind, … Continued
Is Annandale really that bad?
Thanks to an alert reader for pointing out this You Tube video about Annandale, titled, “Welcome Home to the Shithole of Annandale, VA,” posted by FlyingOverTr0ut a couple of months ago. The video is hilarious, although it’s pretty negative, so we were curious. Who is FlyingOverTr0ut and why does he hate Annandale so much? In … Continued
Mason land use committee rejects Route 7 shopping center
An illustration of the shopping center proposed for Bailey’s Crossroads. The Mason District Land Use Committee Nov. 25 decided not to endorse a shopping center proposed for Route 7 in Bailey’s Crossroads but did agree to support a plan for an Afghan funeral chapel on Braddock Road if certain conditions are met. The committee also … Continued
Community pool reps joining forces
The Edsall Park Pool. We might be having wintry November weather, but leaders of local community swimming pools are already thinking about next summer. The newly formed Mason District Pool Management Group, sponsored by the Mason District Council of Community Associations, is bringing together local pool reps to share ideas about improving management and best … Continued
Good Fortune supermarket brings Chinese specialties to Eden Center
Good Fortune specializes in live seafood. You can find things at Good Fortune, the supermarket that opened in the Eden Center Nov. 22, that you’ll never see in a Giant or Safeway, like whole ducks, live eels, jellyfish heads, huge taro stems, cans of grass jelly dessert, giant lotus roots, whole pig heads, and much, … Continued
Happy birthday, Lt. Luta ‘Cornie’ McGrath!
Luta “Cornie” McGrath enjoys her birthday cards. Retired Army Lt. Luta “Cornie” McGrath spent her birthday Nov. 21 chatting with visitors, reading some of the dozens of birthday cards she received, and enjoying the many flower arrangements delivered to her home in the Sleepy Hollow Woods neighborhood. On Saturday, members of her church, Queen of … Continued
Working group on Sears site develops basic design concepts
Members of the Seven Corners Working Group on Opportunity Area C spent most of the afternoon and evening Nov. 19 in a Design Workshop figuring out a vision for redeveloping the property along Route 7 occupied by Sears and two office buildings.The working group is continuing the work of the Seven Corners Task Force … Continued
Police target pedestrian safety
Police officers were out on Little River Turnpike in Annandale Wednesday evening distributing fliers to residents and motorists in an effort to increase pedestrian safety. Another team of officers will do the same along Leesburg Pike on Friday, Nov. 21. The goal is to target pedestrians not using crosswalks and raise awareness among drivers to … Continued
Bank customer robbed
The suspect. A customer at a bank at 7800 Heritage Drive, Annandale, was robbed at about 10:37 a.m. on Nov. 14, the Fairfax County Police Department reports. The police blotter doesn’t identify the bank, but there is an M&T Bank at 7857 Heritage Drive in the Heritage Plaza shopping center. A man approached the customer … Continued
Bailey’s Crossroads/Seven Corners group urges crackdown on illegal signs
Signs in the right of way, like this one in Wilson Boulevard, are prohibited. The Board of Directors of the Bailey’s Crossroads/Seven Corners Revitalization Corporation (BC7RC), increasingly frustrated by the proliferation of illegal signs and litter in the area, has formally asked Fairfax County and Virginia Department of Transportation officials to take action. “A significant … Continued
Arlington puts the brakes on Columbia Pike Streetcar project
Fairfax County officials expressed disappointment at the Nov. 18 decision by the Arlington County Board to cancel the Columbia Pike Streetcar project. “Although we believe the decision to end the project is short-sighted, we recognize that the project cannot happen without the support of the Arlington Board,” says a joint statement by Fairfax County Board … Continued