House fire caused by bird nest
An accidental fire at a house at 5215 Clifton Street in the Alexandria section of Mason District Sept. 25, was caused by a bird nest too close to an exterior light, according to investigators with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. No one was injured. Damage is estimated at $26,000. When firefighters arrived at … Continued
Expansion of Seven Corners Home Depot proposed
The Seven Corners Home Depot is requesting a zoning special exception allowing it to expand into the adjoining storefront, currently occupied by a temporary Spirit of Halloween store. It was formerly a Room Store, and before that, Dollar General. The expansion is needed because Home Depot has an inadequate area for staging and loading merchandise, … Continued
Seven Corners Task Force agrees on redevelopment plan, except for Sears site
Seven Corners, with Route 7 in the foreground. The Seven Corners Task Force agreed Sept. 23 to endorse a draft redevelopment and transportation plan for the area – with the exception of the Sears site. The task force had been unable to reach a consensus on how to develop one of three areas in the … Continued
Seven Corners plan deferred; new committee will look at Sears site
Mason Supervisor Penny Gross, Planning Commission member Janet Hall, and Seven Corners Task Force Co-Chair John Thillman at the Lake Barcroft Association meeting. The Seven Corners Land Use and Transportation Task Force will delay its final report, and a new committee made up of community residents will be formed to make recommendations on the redevelopment … Continued
Funeral chapel proposed near Backlick Shopping Center
The Mustafa Center The Mason District Land Use Committee is expected to hear a proposal Sept. 23 from the Afghan Academy for a funeral chapel at 6839 Braddock Road, Annandale. It would be across the street from the Mustafa Center, a mosque associated with the Afghan Academy. People who live nearby are concerned that the … Continued
Providence Players invite students and seniors to free previews
The Providence Players of Fairfax, a nonprofit community theater troupe performing at the James Lee CommunityCenter, is offering a free preview performance of each upcoming production this season for local students (and their teachers and guests) and seniors. The first free preview in this series will be Thursdays, Oct. 2, 7 p.m., for “Of Mice … Continued
Annandale firefighters inspecting residents’ smoke detectors
Annandale Station 8 Capt. Ralph Pisani (left) and crew member on Bradley Circle in the Broyhill Crest neighborhood. Firefighters from Annandale Fire Station #8 on Columbia Pike were out knocking on residents’ doors on Saturday checking to see if resident have working smoke detectors. If they don’t, the firefighters give them a new smoke detector … Continued
Man charged in connection with human trafficking, abducting a teenage girl
Contreras Detectives from Fairfax County Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit have charged a Mason District resident after they discovered he had allegedly abducted a 17-year-old girl, kept her in a locked room and victimized and exploited her. According to a FCPD report, the young woman was missing for over three months, but no one ever … Continued
FCPS lauds Falls Church High School library
A discussion with authors fills the Falls Church High School library. [FCHS photo] Students at Falls Church High School, one of the smallest high schools in Fairfax County Public Schools, were some the top users of their school library during the 2013-14 school year, according to an FCPS press release. The school averaged 4.8 books … Continued
Judge upholds eviction of Pro Maxx Fitness from shopping center
Fairfax County Courthouse The judge hearing the Pro Maxx Fitness eviction case in Fairfax County General District Court Sept. 19 upheld the eviction and ordered the gym’s owners to pay $35,000 in back rent to Carol Zach Reuss, the property manager of Annandale Shopping Center. The gym must vacate by Sept. 30. Reuss later told … Continued
Free workshop on how faith communities can grow food for the needy
Members of Columbia Baptist Church raise food for the needy. The public is invited to a free workshop in Annandale on how faith communities can develop gardens to benefit local food pantries or members of their congregation. The “Community Garden Harvests that Make a Difference” workshop takes place Sunday, Sept. 28, 3-5 p.m., at the … Continued
Tysons redevelopment will transform the entire region
Part of the proposed Arbor Row development in the Westpark Drive area of Tysons. A hundred and fifty years ago, Tysons Corners was literally the intersection of two roads, with not much else. It’s now a traffic-clogged employment center poised to become a big city with a lot more residents. And its name is being … Continued
Commentary: Ray Rice incident highlights need to protect abuse victims
By Jasmin Witcher With all the recent focus on the Rice family, the NFL, and questions as to who viewed the video and knew what, and when, I believe we should stop judging and pointing fingers and start focusing on the larger issue. Domestic violence is a local and a national problem that knows no … Continued
Loehmann’s Plaza renamed Graham Park Plaza
With Loehmann’s long gone from Loehmann’s Plaza – the discount clothing company went out of business last January – Federal Realty Investment Trust, the owner of the shopping center on Route 50 in Falls Church, is changing its name from Loehmann’s Plaza to “Graham Park Plaza.” According to a Sept. 16 press release, new signage … Continued
Fairfax County seeks public feedback on bus service
The Seven Corners bus transit center on Arlington Boulevard. Do you take buses regularly to get to a job, shopping center, or someplace else? The Fairfax County Department of Transportation wants to know how you think Metrobus and Fairfax Connector bus service should be improved. FCDOT is soliciting feedback from the public through a series … Continued