|
November 5, 2025
Neighbors,
As we approach Thanksgiving, I’m reminded that this season is about gratitude and caring for our neighbors, especially those who need.
This year, however, the need in our community is even greater as more people confront hunger —oftentimes due to actions in Washington.
Across our region, food banks are facing unprecedented demand. Cuts in federal aid, federal employees who have lost their jobs, and the now longest ever federal government shutdown have left many families struggling to make ends meet.
About a quarter of Fairfax County residents experience food insecurity, according to the Capital Area Food Bank. This means not having enough to eat, not eating regularly or not having access to nutritious foods.
In addition, their annual survey finds that regionally 41% of households impacted by federal job cuts were food insecure. (This survey was conducted in May well before the federal shutdown.)
These numbers represent our neighbors, and together, we can lend them a hand. This is why my office is participating in the Reston Community Center’s Thanksgiving Food Drive.
I invite you to drop off food or grocery cards at my office at the North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston. Or visit one of the 18 other participating locations.
Through Nov. 26, you may donate non-perishable foods that will benefit Cornerstones, and these are some of the food items most needed:
- Rice (brown or white)
- Mac & Cheese (boxes or individual servings)
- Beans or lentils (all types)
- Canned fruit
- Canned green beans
- Canned meats and fish
- Granola bars
- Sugar, flour, oils (canola, vegetable, olive)
- Shelf-stable milks and condiments
Let’s help fight hunger this holiday season — and beyond.
Regards,
Walter
| |
- Recognizing Community Champions
- Attend my Policy Plan Community Meeting Nov. 10
- Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM Week of Action
- Beacon Landing Ground Breaking
- Lahey Lost Valley Resident Curator Public Meetings
- Congregate Living Facilities Zoning Meetings
- What's News in Vienna
- Events and Activities
| | Photo: Harold Leff who received a 2025 Champion of Character Award for his 33 years of service on the Fairfax County Athletic Council as the Hunter Mill District representative. | |
Recognizing Community Champions
Who Are Making a Difference
| | |
Friends of Trees Awards
Kudos to these two deserving Friends of Trees Award recipients:
🌳Maryam Dadkhah received the award for her leadership, public education on native trees and plants and active efforts to help plant hundreds of trees on public parks and lands, including her work with Fairfax ReLeaf, Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District and Vienna's Parks Maintenance Superintendent.
🌳Jack Russell and the 23-member Tysons Forest Community Task Force received a well-deserved award for their visionary work to preserve and enhance a 65-acre urban forest. Supported by my office, they developed thoughtful recommendations that will serve as a model for protecting urban forests across the county.
| | Photo: Tysons Forest Community Task Force members. | |  | Photo: Jack and Susan Russell with the Tysons Forest Community Task Force. | | | |
Environmental Excellence Awards
Eileen Kragie, with Dark Sky NOVA and Dark Sky Friends, was recognized with an Environmental Excellence Award for her outstanding education, outreach, and advocacy to prevent light pollution and protect our beautiful night skies.
| | Policy Plan Community Meeting on Nov. 10 | | |
What’s happening: Attend my community meeting to offer me and Hunter Mill District Planning Commissioner John Carter feedback on the proposed updates to the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan’s Policy Plan:
📅Monday, Nov. 10
🕡7 p.m.
📍North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston
Fairfax County planning staff is unavailable and will not attend the meeting to provide an overview or answer questions. So for background information, please review the following, especially the staff presentation to the Planning Commission that includes recent updates to the draft plan based on feedback:
Why it matters: As one of the Comprehensive Plan’s components, the Policy Plan provides a vision for future land use in the county. It also contains the Board of Supervisors’ goals, policies and objectives for land use, transportation, affordable housing and more.
However, the Policy Plan hasn’t been wholistically updated since it was adopted in 1990, so this project aims to
- Review, update and streamline existing policies, eliminating obsolete or redundant policies, reflect emerging trends in land use, incorporate new priorities like the focus on making it easier to get around by foot or bike.
- Add new policy plan elements such as equity and community health
- Ensure the policy plan aligns with other county plans, including the Strategic Plan and One Fairfax Policy.
Project phases: This project is divided into two phases. During this first phase, the plan’s Land Use, Transportation, Environment, Parks and Recreation, and Healthy Communities policies will be updated. Once these changes are adopted, the project’s second phase will begin. The focus will be the plan’s Economic Development, Revitalization, the Chesapeake Bay Supplement, Heritage Resources, and Parks and Recreation policies.
What’s the Policy Plan: The Policy Plan sets forth general countywide policies to guide land use planning and development. Because it focuses on the broader vision, the plan doesn’t offer guidance for specific properties or geographic areas, such as recommended uses, density, intensity or site design. These more detailed, localized recommendations are found in the four Area Plans instead. Of course, the Policy Plan provides a framework that informs the site-specific guidance in the Area Plans. And it provides the policy foundation for requiring residential developers to offset their development’s impact on public facilities like schools, and it expresses values like respecting existing residential neighborhoods when new development is proposed.
| | Join me for Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM’s “Week of Action” Nov. 8-16 | | |
What’s happening: Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM, a new volunteer-led effort to save trees and parks from invasive vines and plants, officially launches its organization with a “Week of Action” from Nov. 8-16.
Join me for one of the group’s action events on Monday, Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. at Vienna’s Southside Park for an invasive removal and habitat restoration.
I’ll also be participating in the Hunter’s Green Cluster invasive removal on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. at 11733 Indian Ridge Road, Reston.
If you want to join me at these two events — or the many others across Northern Virginia — registration is requested.
Why it matters: At Vienna’s Southside Park, volunteers have been battling invasive vines, bushes, and grasses on the woodland trail for the past four years. Invasive plants (as well as deer) are destroying tree canopy countywide and harming animal species that depend on native trees and shrubs. (Fun fact: Berries of invasive species are poorer in nutrition compared to native berries.)
| | Beacon Landing Breaks Ground on 54 Permanent Supportive Housing Units | | |
What’s happening: On Monday, I participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for Wesley Housing and The Lamb Center’s 54 new permanent supportive housing units for older adults experiencing or at risk of chronic homelessness in Fairfax City.
It will be the largest permanent supportive housing community in Northern Virginia, and it advances for the most vulnerable residents the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ goal to create 10,000 net new affordable housing units by 2034. The county contributed $6.8 million to this $33 million project, as well as awarded 48 project-based housing vouchers for the development.
What’s Beacon Landing: This joint project will offer wraparound supportive services to the single adults who live there. Located near the Lamb Center, the new complex is being built on the site of the former Hy-Way Motel (9640 Fairfax Boulevard) in Fairfax City, just inside the boundary of Fairfax County.
The five-story building will include structured parking, community space, outdoor terrace, and ground floor office space that will expand The Lamb Center’s employment readiness program. The complex will offer:
- 42 studio apartments
- 10 one-bedroom apartments
- Two, two-bedroom apartments
It’s anticipated that construction will be completed in December 2026.
| | Lahey Lost Valley Resident Curator Public Meetings in November | | |
What’s happening: Attend three upcoming meetings on the Resident Curator application for historic Lahey Lost Valley house located at 9750 Brookmeadow Drive, Vienna.
-
Thursday Nov. 13: Join an in-person, public meeting at 7 p.m. at Oakton Library at 10304 Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. The curators will present their proposal, and you will have an opportunity to provide comments and ask questions.
The Fairfax County Park Authority will also hold two livestreamed work sessions to evaluate the application:
- Monday, Nov. 10 at 10 a.m.
- Monday, Nov. 17 at 10 a.m.
Watch these sessions on the Lahey Lost Valley webpage, and recordings will be posted there afterwards. (Public comments won’t be accepted during these two work sessions, however.)
Who are the curators? Sonja Lupescu and Michael Nakagaki submitted their curatorship application in July, and this would be the duo’s first historic restoration project.
Lupsecu, who has worked in international development, stated in their application that her experience also includes working on archaeological sites in Jamestown and Yorktown where she “gained familiarity with the processes of excavation, cataloging, and preservation of historical artifacts.” Nakagaki, who has worked for 15 years in federal policy and environmental management, is also an experienced woodworker, building custom furniture and restoring antique furniture.
What’s proposed: The house, a mid-18th century brick-hall parlor house with a 1940s brick addition, requires an estimated $282,000 in repairs to the foundation, masonry, roof, windows and more. Lupescu and Nakagaki say they will make the most important repairs over five years:
“Our rehabilitation plan begins with critical structural assessments and progressing through systems upgrades, historical restoration of architectural elements, and public accessibility improvements in the first five years to address the repairs in the treatment plan. In later years, we will renovate the auxiliary structure to serve as an interpretive center with ADA access and facilities to support events and community education as well as improvements to the natural areas of the property.”
| | Community Meetings on Proposed Zoning Changes for Congregate Living Facilities | | |
What’s happening: Attend two virtual meetings next week to learn more about proposed zoning updates for congregate living facilities:
- Monday, Nov. 17, at noon
-
Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m.
Both meetings will feature the same content. If you can’t attend, recordings will be available afterwards. For questions or more information, contact Jennan Qato by email or call 703-324-1314, TTY 711.
What’s proposed: The proposed changes would revise the definition for congregate living facilities to clarify the types of populations served and expand where they may be located while ensuring compatibility with surrounding land uses. A congregate living facility provides housing and supportive services in a supervised setting to individuals requiring those services. The Board of Supervisors requested that these proposed changes be considered.
| | |
Bowman House Pottery Show Nov. 8
Handmade pottery will be on display and for sale at the Bowman House Arts and Crafts Center on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Find a great gift for the holiday season, and you may pay by credit card, cash and checks.
“Mayor and Chief at Your Service” Nov. 12
Want to learn more about e-bikes and scooters? Join Mayor Colbert and Police Chief Morris for “Mayor and Chief at Your Service” on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Vienna Police Community Room (215 Center Street, South). They'll discuss safety guidelines, how to ride responsibly, and where e-bikes and e-scooters are permitted in town.
Deer Management Program Begins This Month
Deer management operations will be conducted in Vienna this month through March.
Trained Fairfax County Police sharpshooters will work from 4 to 10 p.m. during five nights between November and March at these two locations selected by the town:
- Northside Park
- Mulch Yard on Beulah Street
However, operations will not be conducted on weekends (Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays) to minimize impacts to park use. Nor will they be conducted over the Thanksgiving holiday (Nov. 27 to Dec. 1) or during the winter holiday season (Dec. 19 to Jan. 2).
As a safety precaution, the exact dates for sharpshooting are not planned to be released. Vienna Police officers will be stationed around the sites before sharpshooting begins to keep residents from entering, and they will remain at their posts until operations have ended.
The Town of Vienna joined Fairfax County’s Deer Management Program for the first time this year. Last October, the council requested that I include the town in the county’s annual program, and they adopted a new ordinance in April to authorize it in Vienna.
| | Stay Informed and In Touch | |
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn
703-478-0283, TTY 711
| | | | |
