Parking restrictions proposed for central Annandale
Trucks on Daniels Avenue. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will consider on Sept. 10 the establishment of parking restrictions on several streets in central Annandale to prevent long-term parking by commercial trucks. The measure would prohibit commercial vehicles from parking on Daniels Avenue (between Maple Place and 4104 Daniels Ave.), the Little River Turnpike … Continued
Affordable housing advocates promoting residential studio units
Community leaders oppose studio units in single-family neighborhoods already plagued by overcrowded houses. Discussions here about Fairfax County’s proposal for a new zoning category to allow “residential studio units” (RSUs) have mainly focused on the potentially deleterious effect on stable residential neighborhoods. Yet there’s another side to the issue. Advocates for affordable housing have been … Continued
Fish and Wildlife Service moving to Skyline Center next summer
Seven Skyline Place [photo from city biz list]. The federal Fish and Wildlife Service’s move from Ballston to the Skyline Center could be a huge boost to revitalization efforts in Bailey’s Crossroads. About 800 employees are expected to move into a 183,000-square foot space at Seven Skyline Place at 5275 Leesburg Pike in the summer … Continued
Green Spring Gardens gazebo renovated
The gazebo at Green Spring Gardens is being restored with help from private companies and organizations. Phase one improvements, carried out on Sept. 7, include a new roof, handrail, and decking. Phase two improvements will include replacing and expanding the patio, redesigning the accessibility ramp, installing steps to face the lawn, and redesigning the gardens … Continued
Annandale Florist shop reopens with new owner in new location
Kim Park with the sign from the old Annandale Florist shop. It was a sad day when Annandale Florist closed last December. It’s now back: Kim Park purchased the business from owner Gary Sherfey, who had retired after running Annandale Florist for some 45 years. His parents had founded the store in 1955. Park has … Continued
Concert series ends on a blues note
The 2013 Spotlight by Starlight concert series at Mason District Park and Ossian Hall Park is finished, so we’ll leave you with one last video from Bob Kovacs: It’s Clarence “Bluesman” Turner doing the blues classic “See See Rider.” “Turner has an interesting guitar technique where he strums and picks the strings with his fingers … Continued
Man attacks woman on Annandale Road
Fairfax County Police are seeking a suspect who attempted to abduct a woman on Annandale Road Wednesday, Sept. 4. The woman, age 48, was walking on the sidewalk on the 2900 block of Annandale Road, by the Jefferson Village Apartments close to Route 50, at about 8:30 p.m. An unknown man approached, pulled her off … Continued
Landmark Mall redevelopment plans visualized
The City of Alexandria has released conceptual drawings showing what Landmark might look like after the first phase of a redevelopment project is completed. Groundbreaking for the first phase of the project to convert the Landmark mall into a mixed use project is expected to take place in the Spring 2014, said Colleen Willger, an … Continued
Overuse of pesticides is killing off bees essential for pollination
Dead bees under trees sprayed in a mall in Wilsonville, Ore. [Photo by Rich Hatfield of the Xerces Society.] By Deanna Crumbling In Wilsonville, Ore., on June 17, it was discovered that a chemical weapon of mass destruction had left over 25,000 carcasses in the parking lot of a shopping center, and the bodies were … Continued
Fairfax County school board explores office building as school site
The Fairfax County School Board is examining the viability of acquiring a five-story office building at 6245 Leesburg Pike in Seven Corners and converting to a school to provide relief for the severely overcrowded Bailey’s Elementary School. According to a Sept. 5 news release from Fairfax County Public Schools, Bailey’s is at 130 percent capacity … Continued
Support high school band programs on Tag Day, Sept. 7
The Marching Atoms in the Chapel Square Halloween Parade. Saturday, Sept. 7, is Tag Day, when high school band students will be knocking on peoples’ doors asking for donations to help support band and other music programs. In the Annandale/Mason area, band students from Annandale High School, Falls Church High School, and Stuart High School, … Continued
Fairfax County library system threw out thousands of books
Library books in a dumpster. The recent discovery of perfectly good library books tossed in a dumpster has ignited the opposition to efforts to overhaul the Fairfax County Public Libraries. When Providence Supervisor Linda Smyth heard that the library system was actually throwing out books, many of them in excellent condition, she went to see … Continued
County shuts down Han-Sung Oak restaurant
Han-Sung Oak, the Korean restaurant that’s been at Barcroft Plaza on Columbia Pike for many years, has been shut down by Fairfax County because inspectors determined the gas-fired system for cooking at individual tables was not in compliance with county building codes. The restaurant will not reopen because it will be too expensive to bring … Continued
Efficiency units could destabilze neighborhoods, community leaders warn
A tiny studio apartment in San Francisco. [Photo from USA Today.] Civic association leaders are concerned that a Fairfax County proposal to create a new zoning category allowing tiny efficiency apartments could destroy the character of older, residential neighborhoods, especially in places like the Annandale/Mason area where overcrowding is already a problem. The Fairfax County … Continued
Volunteers needed for Accotink Creek cleanups
Volunteers with some of the tires and trash taken out of local streams. (Photo from Friends of Accotink Creek.] Community associations, nonprofits, employee groups, religious institutions, scout groups, students needing community service hours, and anyone who cares about having clean, healthy, litter-free waterways are encouraged to join the 2013 International Coastal Cleanup, beginning next Saturday. … Continued