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Development
We Must Destroy Democracy in Order to Save It!
About fifty years ago the United States was involved in a military conflict in Vietnam which lasted many years and did not end well. There was a phrase from that era – “We had to destroy the village in order to save it” –which encapsulated its own self-defeating logic. We know better than the natives. We must force them to appreciate our values. Fast forward to 2026.
Willard Sherwood Health and Community Center Discussions
Residents in Fairfax City have been hearing a lot about the proposed Willard Sherwood Health and Community Center (WSHCC) project discussed at recent meetings, and one number in particular keeps coming up: an estimated $1.7 million annual operating cost to the city once the project is fully implemented. While the proposal’s goals include improving services and responding to community needs, many residents are understandably asking what that figure could mean for their own property tax bills and for the city’s long-term finances. This is especially important because the WSHCC is only one of four projects with the potential to increase real estate taxes substantially.
Affordable housing is a frequent rallying cry among our leaders
In Fairfax City, affordable housing is a frequent rallying cry among our leaders. Mayor Catherine Read has repeatedly emphasized its importance to the City’s vitality and long-term growth. She’s championed diversified housing types, supportive projects like Beacon Landing, and even sought legislative changes to help religious institutions build affordable units. Those are worthy goals — but they ring hollow if other City actions make living here increasingly unaffordable.
The Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center: A Nice-to-Have Project?
After the Council’s vote to increase the real estate tax rate to $1.055 last spring, many residents are taking a more critical look at which recommended capital improvements are “nice-to-have” projects, such as the extensive recreational component of the Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center, and which are “must-have” projects, such as replacing the high school roof and renovating the elementary schools.
Opinion
Response to Open Letter to Mayor and Council: George Snyder Trail
I disagree that there is an effort to stop the construction of the GST. I have been attending and speaking out at city council meetings regularly since 2023, and have met no one who is against implementing some bike trail connectivity between Route 123 and Fair Woods Pkwy, and east to connect with Draper Dr. at Fairfax Blvd. The choice is not a bike trail or not; it’s a question of the footprint of the GST.
Development
The George Snyder Trail Controversy: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, ….”
The rationale for building an over $21.M, 1.7-mile through-the-woods George Snyder Trail (GST) is falling apart. Initially, the purpose of the GST was to get people from Point A to Point B and support local businesses along Fairfax Boulevard. How does a through-the-woods trail away from businesses do that? How does the less expensive alternative design concept, which creates a shared-use path along Eaton Place and Fairfax Boulevard, not do that?
News
City Council Matters: Environment, Budget & Zoning (op-ed by Kate Doyle Feingold – former City Council Member)
There was a great win for the Fairfax City environment on Earth Day. And a great lesson for tireless residents who continued to speak up about taxpayer dollars going to build destructive, wide, paved roads through our dwindling forests.
Community
Open Letter To Mayor and Council: George Snyder Trail (op-ed by Elisa Matos)
For those of you who were re-elected to office, you will recall my deep concern with all of the changes imposed upon Mosby Woods, from street renamings, to conversion of our neighborhood street to a neighborway, to an asinine proposal to construct a roundabout at the entrance to our neighborhood on a road which terminates in our neighborhood, to installing signs and reflective posts all up and down Fair Woods Parkway. These efforts were done in an attempt to facilitate bicycle traffic from the George Snyder Trail through our neighborhood to the other key points including the Vienna metro station. All along, we were told how important the neighborway was to the trail network, to bicyclists, and to overall connectivity.
Development
Changes to the Period of Validity for Zoning Approvals in Virginia
Local governments in Virginia have long granted approvals like special permits, site plans, and subdivision plats to allow property development. Usually, these approvals stay...
