The Board of Supervisors kicks off a busy fall schedule of meetings with a full Board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 15 beginning at noon. We'll finally be back in the Board Auditorium, which has been retrofitted with plexiglass panels (as shown in this photo) between board members' seats.

I am excited to get back to the business of our local government! And we are carrying forward some of the electronic means for public participation established earlier this year when our meetings were wholly virtual. 

Our meeting on Sept. 15 has several public hearings and I've noted a few below. All meetings are televised on Channel 16, streamed live online and available to view on demand following the meeting. Live audio of the meeting may also be accessed by dialing 703-324-7700.

While in-person testimony will be allowed at this meeting, alternative ways to testify are also available. In addition to appearing at the meeting, you can:

Read more details about testifying at public hearings including deadlines.

4 p.m. Public hearing on the matter of proposing to adopt a new Article 29 of Chapter 4 of The Code of the County of Fairfax, Virginia, as follows. Pursuant to the authority granted by Virginia Code §§ 15.2-1232.2 and 58.1-3219.4, the amendment to Chapter 4 proposes to add Article 29, An Ordinance to Amend the Fairfax County Code Relating to Incentives to Encourage Economic Growth. The amendment to add Article 29 to Chapter 4 (Taxation and Finance) establishes up to seven Economic Incentive Areas within the County, each established for a 10-year period, offering partial real estate tax exemptions and regulatory and financial incentives to private entities to encourage the purchase, assemblage, revitalization, and redevelopment of real property suitable for economic development that is consistent with the vision contained in the Comprehensive Plan adopted by Fairfax County. The proposed program may apply to areas within the Dranesville, Hunter Mill, Lee, Mason, Mount Vernon and Providence Districts. The Board will also consider whether to include any increase or decrease in fair market value on the tax-exempt portion of the qualifying property to the total tax incentive provided to the applicant. The proposed amendment would be adopted on Sept. 15, 2020, but the effective dates for each of the Economic Incentive Areas will be determined individually to begin between Jan. 1, 2021 and Jan. 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. and expire exactly 10 years after the effective dates adopted at the public hearing at 11:59 p.m. 

4:30 p.m. Public hearing to consider the potential removal, relocation, contextualization, or covering of any or all of the publicly owned Civil War related monuments or memorials located at the Fairfax County Judicial Complex, owned by the Board of Supervisors and identified on the Fairfax County Real Property Identification Map as Tax Map Numbers 57-4((1)) parcel 14 and 57-3((1)) parcel 17. The Civil War related monuments or memorials include the granite obelisk commemorating the death of John Quincy Marr, installed in 1904 on the lawn of the courthouse near the intersection of Routes 123 and 236, where it currently remains; two howitzer cannons donated to the County by the federal government in 1910; and a Virginia Department of Historic Resources memorial in the form of a marker, which is entitled “First Confederate Officer Killed,” located at the Judicial Complex.

4:30 p.m. Public hearing on a proposed ordinance that would prohibit the possession, carrying and transportation of firearms, ammunition, components or combination thereof in the following areas: (i) in any building, or part thereof, owned or used by the County, or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the County, for governmental purposes; (ii) in any public park owned or operated by the County, or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the locality, such as the Fairfax County Park Authority; (iii) in any recreation or community center facility operated by the County, or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the County; or (iv) in any public street, road, alley, or sidewalk or public right of-way or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public and is being used by or is adjacent to a permitted event or an event that would otherwise require a permit. The ordinance will also apply to parks located in the County that are owned by a park authority created or controlled by the County in conjunction with other localities, such as the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, if certain conditions are met. The proposed ordinance is authorized by state law effective on July 1, 2020. State law requires a locality enacting such an ordinance to exempt certain persons and activities from the prohibitions. Accordingly, the proposed ordinance would exempt Reserve Officer Training Corps programs and intercollegiate programs or club sport teams that use firearms. State law allows a locality enacting such an ordinance to exempt other persons and activities from the prohibitions. The current proposal exempts sworn law enforcement; security personnel who are authorized to carry firearms as part of their job duties; educational programs or events conducted or permitted by the County or an authority or local government entity created or controlled by the locality; wildlife management activities, including the County’s Deer Management Program; and the Bull Run Public Shooting Center, which is operated by NOVA Parks; the Board of Supervisors may create additional exemptions from the prohibitions.

I encourage you to watch or participate in our public hearings. If you have questions regarding the public hearings or other matters related to the Board of Supervisors, please send me an email.

Walter

Learn more about your options and make sure you check locations, dates and hours before you head out to vote!

If you have questions or concerns, do not delay in contacting the Fairfax County Office of Elections at [email protected].

The Fairfax County Deer Management Archery Program begins Saturday, Sept. 12 and runs through Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021.Under the oversight of the Fairfax County Police Department, in collaboration with the Fairfax County Park Authority and NOVA Parks, the archery program is conducted in parks and other locations throughout the county. The archery program began a decade ago and is part of an integrated Deer Management Program to reduce and stabilize the white-tailed deer population in Fairfax County in efforts to minimize safety and health hazards related to an overabundance of deer. These impacts include deer-vehicle collisions, potential spread of diseases, and environmental damage attributed to deer that can impact the ecosystem. The program is recognized as a safe and efficient method of deer population control by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

The locations where the program will take place can be found on this map and are marked with the red signs as shown in the photo. Learn more.

To learn more about the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study and the task force, please visit the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study web page. The next scheduled meeting is Monday, Sept. 14, 7 to 9 p.m. Details and the agenda will be found here. The meeting will be hosted on the Webex platform. Use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. You will be prompted to register with your email address and ZIP code before logging into meeting. If you prefer to listen to the meeting on your phone, you may call 1-408-418-9388 and use access code: 173 364 9854. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. (Please note each meeting has a unique link and call-in information.) You will also be able to watch a live stream of the meeting on YouTube Live. 

Wiehle Pedestrian Crossing Study Group virtual meeting is Thursday, Sept. 17, 7 to 9 p.m. The meeting is hosted on the Webex platform – use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. You will be prompted to register with your email address and ZIP code before logging into meeting. If you prefer to only listen to the meeting, you may call 1-408-418-9388 and use Access Code:173 748 0400. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711.

County staff will present the Zoning Ordinance Modernization (zMOD) Consolidated Draft. The draft represents a consolidation of the previously released installments, with revisions as a result of feedback received throughout the process and additional work by staff as described in Attachment 1. The meeting is hosted on the Webex platform – use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. You will be prompted to register with your email address and ZIP code before logging into meeting. If you prefer to only listen to the meeting, you may call 1-408-418-9388 and use Access Code:129 033 8635. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. Learn more.

Several months ago, the Board of Supervisors voted to create the Fairfax Relief Initiative to Support Employers (Fairfax RISE). The $46 million grant program assists small businesses and nonprofits affected by COVID-19 and is funded using federal CARES Act funds provided to the county. While this process has taken longer than many of us had hoped, grant selections have been completed and the county is getting close to completing the approval process. We expect more than 4,000 county small businesses and nonprofits to receive a RISE grant.

The Fairfax County Park Foundation's annual Dog Daze event is virtual this year. Take a photo of your dog near any body of water and enter it in the Dog Daze Virtual contest for a chance to win prizes. (Bathtubs, pools and puddles count!) Learn more.

Please consider stopping by with your food donations this Saturday, Sept. 12 and Saturday, Sept. 26. Fastran buses will be parked at 21 locations countywide, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to collect food donations to assist our neighbors who need our help during the pandemic. In Hunter Mill District you can donate at the North County Government Center in Reston and Patrick Henry Library in Vienna. Learn more.

¿Tiene alguna pregunta para nuestros panelistas?. Envíenos un correo electrónico a [email protected]

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/314210263193430/

Have you taken the 2020 Census yet? There is no better time than right now! Complete your census so our community receives the vital resources and representation we deserve. Learn more.