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July 8, 2026

If you’re age 50-plus, you can help shape county programs and services for older adults.

Take a few minutes to answer an online survey that closes on July 14.

I hope you’ll take the 2026 Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults. It’s important because it will guide updates to the county’s strategic plan for programs and services for seniors, adults with disabilities and their caregivers.

If you were among the 22,000 randomly selected seniors invited by mail to take the survey, however, there’s no need to answer again. Of course, there’s still time to take it if you haven’t participated yet.

While your answers are anonymous, you’ll be asked about many aspects of daily life, including:

• Opportunities to work, socialize, and volunteer
• Challenges related to retirement, housing, and caregiving
• Use of community services such as public transportation and senior centers

Please share this survey with your friends and neighbors 50-plus who live in Fairfax County and cities of Fairfax or Falls Church.

Regards,

Walter

• Hunter Mill Melodies Concert Tomorrow
• Tour Historic Ash Grove House Saturday
• Attend my Summer Town Hall July 20
• Accessory Living Unit Zoning Changes
• Trash Disposal: Long-Term Solutions Needed
• What's News in Vienna
• Events and Activities

Attend my Summer Town Hall

on July 20 in Vienna

What's happening: Mark your calendars. I’ll be holding my summer town hall on Monday, July 20 at 7 p.m. at the Vienna Town Hall, 127 Center Street, South. This is an open forum where you can share your questions and concerns with me.

If you wish, you’re welcome to submit questions in advance; send an email or call my office.

Questions? For more information or reasonable ADA accommodations, please contact my office by email or call 703-478-0283, TTY 711.

What’s happening: Mark your calendar for July 15 or 20 if you want to learn more about the proposed accessory living units zoning changes. Join one of these two virtual community meetings on Microsoft Teams:

🗓️ Wednesday, July 15 at noon (Meeting ID: 263 567 861 190 84 

Passcode: be7zz3ce)

🗓️Monday, July 20 at 7 p.m. (Meeting ID: 249 370 555 574 05 

Passcode: mZ7WX9Zv)

Both meetings will cover an:

✅ Overview and discussion of draft zoning changes

✅ Next steps for the proposal

✅ Opportunity to ask questions and share feedback

Better known as in-law suites or granny flats, accessory living units are secondary dwelling units to single-family detached homes located on the same parcel. They may be inside these homes — such as in a basement or as an addition to a house — or they may be standalone, detached units.

Why it matters: Right now, the county’s rules limit, and perhaps to an excessive extent, people who want to create accessory living units Since 2021 when zoning rules were previously relaxed to allow certain ALUs to be approved administratively without a public hearing, there have only been 12 approved in the Hunter Mill District. And Hunter Mill has more than 50,000 housing units.

By clarifying and streamlining the rules, the proposed changes are intended to provide more flexible housing options for the variety of situations facing many families these days, including the needs of aging parents and young professionals who struggle to afford housing in our area.

Proposed changes: County zoning staff presented their recommendations to the Board of Supervisors yesterday. These changes were informed by community feedback, and they include:

• Reducing Lot Sizes: Homeowners currently can’t build a standalone, detached ALU without a public hearing before the Board of Zoning Appeals unless their lot is at least two acres or larger. And only 4.7% of detached single-family homes in Fairfax County are located on lots that are 2-acres or more. In addition to allowing via an administrative approval detached ALUs on these larger lots, staff also recommend allowing ALUs on lots between 15,000 and 36,000 square feet with a special permit and associated public hearing.
• Removing occupancy requirement: Today, a homeowner must live on the property, either in the principal dwelling or in the ALU. Staff recommend eliminating this requirement based on community feedback. It limits military families, diplomats and others living overseas from renting out an ALU.
• Increasing occupancy limit: Only 2 people may live in an ALU currently, and staff propose raising this limit to 3 people. This would allow seniors to live with a caregiver or a child with disabilities.
• Streamlining Approval Paths: Transitioning approval for detached ALUs on 2-acre-plus lots from a lengthy and expensive special permit process to a simpler, faster administrative permit. This wouldn’t change any zoning requirements that ALUs still must meet.

While a state law passed this year would allow ALUs in townhomes, county staff is not recommending ALUs in townhomes due to parking concerns common in our townhome communities.

Next Steps: While specific dates haven’t been set yet, the Planning Commission will consider the proposed changes towards the end of this year, followed by a Board of Supervisors public hearing. This means you’ll still have opportunities to provide feedback on the proposal in the coming months.

What’s happening: With the county’s trash disposal operations facing a looming $6 million deficit next fiscal year, county staff presented the Board with potential options yesterday on how to close this shortfall.

In May, the Board directed staff to come back to us with recommendations on how to fix this deficit. (Read my May newsletter for more background on the situation.)

The short-term cost savings proposed would only close the gap for the next fiscal year, and the projected deficit will grow to $20 million in FY ’29 if no action is taken. And most of these cost savings options would be borne by higher fees paid by consumers using services at the I-66 Transfer Station without addressing the core inefficiency in our current trash hauling system, which is that most trash generated in Fairfax County is hauled in regular trash trucks to the I-66 Transfer Station, dumped into one of the 40 County semi-trucks, hauled 17 miles to the I-95 waste to energy facility where it is burned for electricity. Then empty county semis drive back to I-66 to do it again. This trash transfer system involves touching waste twice (something to be avoided if at all possible) and costs us about $30 million every year.

Because the tipping fees that haulers pay to take trash to our I-66 Transfer Station don’t cover the county’s costs for handling waste after it has been collected from residences and businesses by your trash hauler, staff have been making up the difference with a reserve fund. (This one-time money resulted from the county’s sale of the I-95 facility in 2016 and using one-time funds to pay for ongoing operations is another bad practice that should be avoided.) Now, this reserve is set to run out of money next fiscal year

Big picture: Fundamentally, the problem is simple: our system operates at a greater cost than it collects in revenue — and it’s designed to support the county’s expensive, inefficient “trash infrastructure.”

Overall, the county’s solid waste operations (Fund 40150) cost about $89 million a year —and 33% of this total simply goes to trucking trash to Reworld. (Out of this total budget, the county also maintains its closed I-95 landfill and recycles household hazardous waste, electronics, glass and yardwaste.)

Feeding the beast: As noted above, we pay about $30 million a year to truck trash 17 miles to Reworld, the private facility in Lorton that incinerates trash for the county. Under our contract with the company, which is set to expire in 2031, we’re even responsible for paying tens of millions in penalties if they don’t receive their contracted minimum amount of garbage each year.

Compounding this problem is that Fairfax County’s tipping fee is already higher than neighboring jurisdictions, and it’s projected to increase even more in the coming years. As these fees continue to rise, this may result in haulers illegally taking their trash to cheaper locations (which is called “leakage” in industry jargon.) If this happens, it undercuts our ability to deliver the contractually obligated tonnage of trash to Reworld.

As a result, our current system revolves around “feeding the beast” at Reworld. I am working with my board colleagues to change that and make our system more efficient. Where additional resources are needed they should be focused on waste reduction strategies like recycling, composting and preventing waste from going into the garbage in the first place.

Stay tuned!

Celebrating the 19th Amendment: July 8

Celebrate the women of Vienna and beyond at the Vienna Business Association Mixer and Empowering Women Panel. In honor of the 19th Amendment, hear local leaders, advocates, and community members share their stories on Wednesday, July 8, beginning at 5:45 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center. Enjoy refreshments before the panel discussion begins at 6:30 p.m. Registration is encouraged.

Summer on the Green Concert This Friday Night

Vienna Town Green is your destination for live, outdoor music this summer. This Friday, July 10, enjoy an evening of rock, blues, soul and reggae music performed by The Cassaday Concoction at the Summer on the Green concert beginning at 6:30 p.m. Bring a lawn chair or blanket, but no alcohol or pets, please.

In case of inclement weather, call the town's weather line for updates on whether the concert will be canceled: 703-255-7842. Weather cancelation decisions are generally made between 4 to 5 p.m. on the day of the event.

🎸Listen to Cheick Hamala Diabaté perform modern West African music tonight at Lake Anne Plaza.

♫ Take a break with King Teddy’s performance on July 9 at Halley Rise.

🎸Yeah, yeah, yeah, Beatlemania Now comes to Reston Station on July 10.

🏰Meet princesses at A Royal Fairytale Experience on July 11 at the Tysons Ballroom Dance Center.

🕺Relive the ‘70s with the Discoteks on July 11 at Reston Town Center Pavillion.

🎪Gum Springs celebrates America250 on July 11 at Cornerstone Church of Christ in Alexandria.

🪗Attend the Slavic Festival Concert on July 11 at the Hyatt Regency Dulles in Herndon.

🐷Blue Sky Puppet Theatre presents “The Three (Not So) Little Pigs” on July 11 at Reston Town Square Park.

🌞Sungaze on July 11 at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

👕Find new clothes at the Clothing Swap and Sale on July 12 at Solace Brewing Company in Sterling.

🎻Listen to string students play popular hits and classical compositions on July 12 at Reston Town Square Park.

🪈Mystic Warriors play Andean music on July 15 at Lake Anne Plaza.

🩸Learn how to Stop the Bleed on July 15 at Reston Hospital Center.

🎸The Guitar Renegades strum classical guitar, jazz and more on July 16 at Halley Rise.

🪕Alison Krauss & Union Station perform on July 16 at Wolf Trap.

🍷Eat and drink at the Purcellville Wine and Food Festival on July 18 at Fireman’s Fields Park.

🎸Bitter Luck plays rock classics with a progressive flair on July 18 at Reston Town Center Pavilion.

🛞The Unicycle Lady delivers silliness, music and play on July 18 at Reston Town Square Park.

🎺Listen to trombone music during the Bone Voyage concert on July 19 at Reston Town Square Park.

🪇Latin pop band Ocho de Bastos plays July 23 at Halley Rise.

👻Take a ghost tour of historic Fairfax City on July 24.

🎭STARS Performing Arts Presents: “The Music Man Sr.!” July 24-25 at the Great Falls Grange.

🪞Shenandoah Conservatory students present The Disney Classics on July 28 at Reston Town Square Park.

🎸AC/DC tribute band HELL’S BELLES rock out on July 25 at Reston Town Center Pavillion.

Find all events for these local organizations: Reston Community Center, Town of Vienna Parks and Recreation Programs, Tephra ICA and Arts Fairfax. Find other community events in the Reston Letter.