Dear Neighbors,
At Tuesday's Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, we recognized July as Immigrant Heritage Month. Immigrants fuel our economy and work in every profession, including health care, public service, law, education, engineering, construction, caregiving, manufacturing, service, agriculture and countless other industries. They create new businesses, generate jobs, bring new traditions, customs and perspectives. Fairfax County and the Mount Vernon District are welcoming to all who wish to live, work, learn and enjoy our community.
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Other meeting highlights:
- Approved "$200 Additional Fine for Speeding" signs on Newington Forest Avenue, at the request of the neighborhood.
- Authorized the creation of the Talent Up Fund to incentivize businesses to hire previously unemployed or underemployed County residents by matching qualified candidates and providing support during work based learning periods.
- Received the County's Master Arts Plan: Facilities, formalizing public art as a standard in new capital projects.
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At the meeting we recognized the passing of Dick Knapp, a retired Army colonel and government contractor who resided with his family for decades in the Pinewood Lake community and was highly involved in church and community activities. Dick was a true Richmond Highway corridor champion and a wonderful team player on the OMVHS steering committee. His quick wit, keen community knowledge and understanding of the facility and its importance will be missed.
On July 1, several new laws went into effect. Working with our local state representatives Senators Scott Surovell and George Barker, and Delegates Paul Krizek, Mark Sickles and Kathy Tran, we are able to continue to address your concerns for public safety, consumer protections, landlord/tenant issues, pedestrian safety and more. Notable new laws include:
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Crosswalks: Drivers must stop for pedestrians at clearly marked crosswalks, any regular pedestrian crossings or any intersections where the speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less. In 2020, the General Assembly passed legislation requiring drivers in Virginia to stop for pedestrians in these areas, stating “yield” now means “stop”. This law clarifies this language and makes it clear that localities authorized to install such signs can do so, helping to avoid confusion among drivers (who are required to stop for pedestrians under state law, but are confronted by street signs that continue to say “yield”).
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“Move Over” law: The "Move Over" law was expanded so drivers must now change lanes or slow down, when possible, for all stopped vehicles on the side of a road with flashing lights or flares.
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Illegal Signs: Adds contractors to the list of those able to act on behalf of the County to remove illegal signs from the state-maintained right-of-way. The County has already contracted with contractors to restart our illegal sign removal program.
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Background Checks for School Staff: This bill fixes communication gaps in the current background check reporting system. The bills require each division superintendent to annually designate an employee as the division safety official and provide updated contact information to the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety. This enables information about arrests and/or convictions of individuals between jurisdictions in the Commonwealth, as well as across state lines.
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Rent Increases Written Notice: Landlords who own four or more units will have to provide written notice of a rent increase to their tenants at least 60 days in advance.
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Human Trafficking: This law requires hotel managers and staff to complete online training on human trafficking within six months of being employed by a hotel and once every two years thereafter. Although the law was effective Jan. 1, 2023, the Fairfax County Health Department will begin enforcing these requirements starting July 1.
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Financial Flexibility for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: This bill amends the Family and Individual Supports, Community Living and Building Independence waivers to provide greater financial flexibility to individuals with developmental disabilities who are receiving waiver services.
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Jury Duty: Jury duty allowance has been increased from $30 to $50 per day.
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False 911 Calls: This new law will provide penalties for false emergency communication to emergency personnel that leads to a response a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia, which comes with up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
Join me on Wednesday, July 19 at 11 a.m. for the opening of our new Laurel Hill Community Garden Plots at Laurel Hill Park (9105 Hooes Road, Lorton).
Respectfully yours in public service,
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Dan Storck
Supervisor, Mount Vernon District
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
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Para recibir la información de nuestro boletín electrónico en español, o para hablar con un hispanohablante, comuníquese con Madeleine Carcamo Reyes a su preferencia, por teléfono al (703) 780-7518 o por correo electrónico: [email protected].
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To view the July 11, 2023 Board Package click here. For a complete listing of public hearings held and approved, please see the Clerk to the Board's official Summary of Board Actions, available the week following each meeting. |
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Proclamations and Recognitions |
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July 2023 as Immigrant Heritage Month |
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Item 2: Approved "$200 Additional Fine for Speeding" signs on Newington Forest Avenue from Hooes Road to Pohick Road as part of the RTAP Program, at the request of the neighborhood. The full item can be read here.
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Item 4: Authorized the creation of a grant program to provide relief to workers, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, that faced unemployment or underemployment or seek greater economic mobility. The goals of the Fund are:
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Support workers and employers to increase success and conversion of part-time employees to full-time employment;
- Match qualified but previously overlooked and diverse Fairfax County workers with employers;
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Incentivize employers to use Work Based Learning (WBL) by reducing their initial hiring risks and costs associated with WBL and providing stipend supports for participants during the work-based learning period;
- Build a consortium of regional talent resource partners and participating employers to integrate WBL as a sustainable, ongoing solution following this pilot project.
The Fairfax Talent Up Fund will support employers in addressing their talent challenges by aligning hard-to-fill entry-level, gateway jobs to include previously overlooked worker groups and connect them with regional talent sources to fill temp-to-perm internships as a new talent onboarding mechanism. The initiative will operate over a pilot period of 15- 18 months. The full item can be read here.
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Request for Waiver of Applicable County Zoning and Site-related Fees for Shiloh Baptist Church As-Built Plan Revision
Shiloh Baptist Church is located at 10704 Gunston Road in Lorton, across from Gunston Hall. The historic church was established in 1869 by freed slaves, and recently celebrated their 150th anniversary. The church use is currently governed by Special Permit SPA-83-V-090-02, which was previously approved in 2016, to permit site modifications and a building addition, with no changes to the parking lot or seating capacity in the main church building. To comply with plan requirements, the seating capacity was reflected as 148, requiring 38 parking spaces.
Due to issues with geometric requirements and utility interference with some parking spaces, the plan approval has been delayed and the church cannot acquire bond release, instead continuing to pay for extensions of establishing the use multiple times since 2016. Recently, however, it was discovered that the Church’s actual maximum seating capacity is significantly lower and therefore requires a corresponding smaller amount of parking spaces.
Through multiple meetings over the past year with Fairfax County Land Development Services, the Department of Planning & Development, and the applicant’s representatives, a path forward has been identified requiring several plan resubmissions and other approvals to reflect the reduced seating capacity and parking space requirement. Unfortunately, this will be very costly for the Church. Given the Church’s financial hardship since the pandemic and its status as a non-profit, there is good cause to grant their request for waivers of any Zoning or Site Related submission fees.
Action
Directed the Director of Land Development Services and the Director of the Department of Planning & Development to grant a waiver of all applicable County Zoning and Site-related Fees specified in Zoning Ordinance Section 8102 for the As-Built Plan Revision for Shiloh Baptist Church, located at 10704 Gunston Road, Lorton, VA 22079.
Saratoga Community Association (SCA) 50th Anniversary - Joint with Supervisor Pat Herrity
Saratoga is a Wills & Van Metre community of 690 single-family homes, with 39 acres of wooded, common-use property nestled throughout the neighborhood. The Saratoga Community Association (SCA) was established in the 1970s as a homeowner’s association to provide for the maintenance, preservation and architectural control of the residence lots and common areas contained within the Saratoga boundaries.
Today, Saratoga offers a wealth of popular amenities within walking distance, including access to a private-membership pool which hosts the Saratoga Stingrays Swim Team, both a fun summer team and a competitive swim team where many Saratoga families have volunteered to help support the youth of Saratoga through this sport. Also, it offers direct access to the 40-mile Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail (GCCCT) and adjacent Pohick Creek, which connects the entire County from one end to the other and provides a natural wonderland to discover and enjoy. On September 21, the Saratoga Community Association will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary.
Action
Directed a proclamation be prepared recognizing Saratoga Community Association’s 50 years of service to residents of Saratoga and Fairfax County, to be presented outside the Board room at their anniversary celebration on September 21, 2023.
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Board Appointments
Mount Vernon residents were appointed or reappointed at the June 27 meeting to the following:
- Human Services Council - Barbara Broman
- Affordable Housing Advisory Council - Keary Kincannon
- Barbara Varon Volunteer Award Selection Committee - Roberta Kelley Paul
- Water Authority - Joseph Cammarata
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Planning Commission
July 12
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SE-2021-MV-00032 Karlyn Davis d/b/a Karlyn’s Little Blessings, 8850 Creekside Way, Springfield. To permit a home daycare facility.
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SE-2023-MV-00006 Ashley Heineman and Gavin Dawson, 6417 14th St., Alexandria. To allow for accessory structures and uses in a floodplain.
July 26
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SE-2022-MV-00033 Nighat Iqbal dba Lorton Family Childcare, 9914 East Hill Dr., Lorton. To permit a Home Day Care Facility with up to 12 children.
Board of Zoning Appeals
July 12:
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SP-2023-MV-00031 Elisabeth Kyle and Harbor View LLC, 10621 Greene Dr., Lorton. Reduction of certain yard (setback) requirements to permit a roofed deck (covered porch) 43.6' from the front lot line.
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SP-2022-MV-00197: Roshan R Patel, Tr, and Meredith L Patel, Tr., 6105 Vernon Terrace, Alexandria. To permit a reduction of setback requirements to permit an addition 25.8 ft. from the front lot line and 6.6 ft. from the southeast side lot line and to permit a roofed deck (covered porch) 16.2 ft. from the front lot line.
July 19
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VC-2022-MV-00006 Ashley Heineman and Gavin Dawson, 6417 14th St., Alexandria. To allow an accessory structure (detached two-story garage) in a front yard on a lot less than 36,000 square feet in area.
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SP-2022-MV-00199 Charles Hill and Kelly Vanasche, 1605 Concord Pl., Alexandria. To permit a reduction in setback requirements to permit a roofed deck (covered porch) 25.7 ft. from the front lot line and a reduction of setback requirements based on errors in building location to permit: 1.) an accessory structure (shed) 9.3 ft. from the rear lot line and 2.) a second accessory structure (shed) 1.1 ft. from the west side lot line.
July 26
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SP-2022-MV-00191 Homa Alimi and Heavenly Home Childcare LLC, 9217 Haines Dr., Lorton. To permit a Home Child Care Facility, an increase in coverage of the minimum required rear yard, and a reduction of minimum yard (setback) requirements based on an error in building location to permit an accessory storage structure (shed) 0.6 feet from the northwest side lot line. This application has been reviewed for acceptance under the governing 1978 Zoning Ordinance (as amended).
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Park Authority Seeks Community Input on New Planning Strategy
The Fairfax County Park Authority is beginning a second round of community engagement through August 6, in preparation for the completion of the Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Access (PROSA) Strategy later this year. Building on the previous public engagement, staff is seeking community feedback on the proposed concepts included in the Draft PROSA Report Summary thorough participation in an online survey and/or at two virtual workshops scheduled in July. Learn more.
Fairfax County Police Chief Spotlight
This week’s Chief’s Spotlight highlights a traffic stop conducted by Mount Vernon District’s Neighborhood Patrol Unit. Thanks to some astute police work, two firearms with extended magazines were recovered.
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The Impact of the Co-Responder Program in Fairfax County
Over the past few decades, a growing number of jurisdictions have adopted law enforcement and mental health collaboration to provide a coordinated response to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. Fairfax County's Co-Responder Program is a partnership between the Police Department and the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB). Learn more.
Illegal Sign Removal Program
Fairfax County is assisting the Virginia Department of Transportation in removing illegal signs on selected major roads. Illegal signs can include political campaign signs, advertising signs and more. Signs are picked up every week between Tuesday and Thursday. Find the selected roads in the program here. Learn more about the removal program here.
Plastic Free July
Plastic Free July is a global movement to get more people involved in the solution to plastic pollution – and create cleaner streets, oceans and communities. Local governments in Northern Virginia adopted ordinances requiring grocery stores, convenience stores and drugstores to collect a five-cent fee on every disposable plastic bag used by a customer at the point of sale. Revenue from the taxes is used to fund environmental cleanup and waste reduction programs and to purchase reusable shopping bags for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) benefits. Learn more.
Green Business Partners/Best Workplaces for Commuters Joint Webinar
Fairfax County’s Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination and Department of Transportation recently hosted a joint webinar to showcase how businesses can benefit from the services and resources offered by the Green Business Partners and the Best Workplaces for Commuters programs. Watch here.
5 Things to Know
- Summer Heat Safety Tips
- Opioid Overdoses Continue: Learn How to Get Help
- Making Solar Make Sense: Solar Power 101 in Fairfax County
- The Police Department's Proactive Approach Yields Promising Reduction in Summer Crime: June 2023 Initiative Update
- Fairfax County Joins Statewide Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Program
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Mount Vernon District Office | 703-780-7518
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