Author: Scott McCaffrey

A Northern Virginia native, Scott McCaffrey has four decades of reporting, editing and newsroom experience in the local area plus Florida, South Carolina and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. He spent 26 years as editor of the Sun Gazette newspaper chain. For Local News Now, he covers government and civic issues in Arlington, Fairfax County and Falls Church.

News

Gateway Park design, towing top County Board’s December agenda

By Scott McCaffrey
Rendering of the proposed new Gateway Park in Rosslyn (via Arlington County/YouTube)

Designs for a Rosslyn park, a controversial towing decision and a possible change in Arlington County Fair operations are all going before the Arlington County Board this week.

These items are all on the agenda as the Board holds its last meetings of the year on Saturday (Dec. 14) and the subsequent Tuesday (Dec. 17).

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News

Richmond’s help sought on office-to-residential conversions

By Scott McCaffrey
A rendering of a proposed office building to residential highrise conversion in 2018 (via Arlington County)

Arlington leaders are seeking help from the state government in boosting efforts to convert aging office buildings to residential use.

“We have some buildings that are great candidates” for conversion, County Board member Maureen Coffey said at a Dec. 3 work session with members of the county’s legislative delegation.

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With print edition folding, civic ‘heartbeat’ of Fairlington faces uncertain future

By Scott McCaffrey
December 2024 All-Fairlington Bulletin (via Fairlington Citizens Association)

Leadership of the Fairlington Citizens Association (FCA) has decided to cease monthly print publication of its All-Fairlington Bulletin newsletter in 2025.

The decision was based on rising costs, declining advertising revenue and changes in readership habits, the civic association’s leadership said.

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Higher tax bills likely on horizon for Falls Church homeowners

By Scott McCaffrey
A sign outside the city hall of Falls Church (staff photo by Jared Serre)

Falls Church homeowners likely will face higher real-estate tax bills in 2025-26 even if city leaders are able to shave a few pennies off the tax rate.

With no rate change, the typical city homeowner would face an estimated median $529 tax increase owing to higher assessments, the result of a still-robust housing market.

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News

Tweaks to county’s stormwater-rebate program on the horizon

By Scott McCaffrey
Flooding in Arlington in 2019 (file photo)

Arlington property owners next year likely will have a number of new ways to claim rebates against the government’s new stormwater fees.

County staff have proposed two additions to existing opportunities to lessen the annual stormwater fee, which is based on a property’s impermeable surface and for residential properties averaged $258 this year.

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News

County leaders seek more early-childhood support from Richmond

By Scott McCaffrey
Early-childhood education (via Picsea/Unsplash)

Ensuring access to affordable, high-quality daycare and early-childhood education has landed near the top of the Arlington County Board’s 2025 legislative wish list.

The cost of child care in Northern Virginia is “more expensive than college,” Board member Takis Karantonis said at the body’s Tuesday (Dec. 3) work session with members of the county’s delegation to the General Assembly.

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News

Neighbors again press for safety upgrades to S. Carlin Springs Road

By Scott McCaffrey
Glencarlyn Civic Association president Brandon Hemel discusses recent accidents (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

A recent near-tragedy again has returned the spotlight to safety on S. Carlin Springs Road.

“People after the pandemic are driving like crazy,” Arlington County Board member Takis Karantonis said at a meeting last night (Dec. 2) of the Glencarlyn Civic Association. “There is no way to sugar-coat it.”

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News

Falls Church asks for a later start and end to Election Day

By Scott McCaffrey
Falls Church Registrar David Bjerke feeds provisional ballots into a scanner (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Falls Church city leaders are asking the General Assembly to push back the statewide election-poll-opening time from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m., while moving the closing time from 7 to 8 p.m.

A change would benefit those who serve as officers of election at polling places, who must be there about an hour before the opening. It also “would put Virginia in line with most of the surrounding states,” Falls Church Electoral Board members said in a letter to the City Council.

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News

Deer-culling discussion could be coming to Falls Church in 2025

By Scott McCaffrey
Deer in a local neighborhood (Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann)

Could 2025 be the year Falls Church city leaders decide to allow culling of deer within the community’s 2.2 square miles?

There were hints at a recent meeting that some in top leadership ranks are interested in at least starting a conversation.

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News

Paperwork issues leave some arts groups behind as county increases funding

By Scott McCaffrey
Performers from Signature Theater perform Christmas songs during a tree lighting event in Shirlington in 2019 (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Several arts groups appear to have missed out on Arlington County grants this year due to issues in handling paperwork.

A number of groups were left behind when the Arlington County Board recently divided up $366,000 in fiscal 2025 grants to arts organizations and individual artists. Among them were several performing-arts troupes, which in past years had received funding.

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News

Governance structure should be an Arlington priority in 2025, expert argues

By Scott McCaffrey
John Milliken, second from right, at 2024 ISCC awards (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Arlington’s current system of government has “served us well,” but might be in line for an update, one expert believes.

John Milliken — who served on the County Board in the 1980s until he was tapped to be Virginia’s secretary of transportation — opined on the topic of Arlington governance changes at the annual meeting of the Inter-Service Club Council (ISCC) of Arlington last week.

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