Public Affairs

Fairfax County Executive Ed Long has presented an organizational assessment of the county’s Fire and Rescue Department, produced by the Titan Group, a division of Gallagher Benefit Services Inc., to the Board of Supervisors.

The report covered discrimination, harassment, retaliation and bullying, as well as equal employment issues, workforce morale, internal communications, leadership, and the sufficiency and effectiveness of existing Fire Department and county complaint and grievance procedures.

“I am very proud of our Fire and Rescue Department. These individuals risk their lives for our safety every day,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova. “The county and Fire Chief Richard Bowers requested this study to help us identify those areas needing improvement. The findings in this report have brought some important issues to our attention that must be addressed. It is critical that every member of the Fire and Rescue Department is treated with dignity and respect.”

The cultural assessment report was based on the perceptions of department members who participated and it identified five core themes of the department’s culture based on the most prevalent responses and comments from participants.

• Dedication – Noted to be high across the department. A low attrition rate was noted with a high number of respondents acknowledging job security.
• Leadership – Generally positive comments were given about station level commanders and civilian supervisors, but concerns were raised about senior management including a lack of trust and accountability, as well as a fear of retaliation.
• Bullying/Harassment/Discrimination – There is a perception that these issues do exist in some areas of the department and need to be proactively addressed to change the current culture.
• Conflict Management – A lack of trust in senior management and a lack of understanding of the department and county grievance process, and perception that discipline is unfair and not applied consistently.
• Hiring/Promotions – Members expressed concerns that the department hires applicants who do not have the necessary experience, motivation and skills, and that competitive selection processes for staff positions and promotions are perceived as unfair and not equitable.

These themes were identified from the responses to an online survey of uniformed, volunteer and civilian members of the department. This survey was distributed to department members by email, kept open for three weeks, and had a 62 percent response rate. In addition, 65 one-on-one interviews were conducted and 33 members participated in focus groups. Personnel were selected randomly for the interviews and focus groups. Additional one-on-one interviews were conducted with personnel who specifically requested to be interviewed. Also, 16 members of the department who had previously filed a grievance or complaint were asked to be interviewed, and eight agreed to participate.

In addition to identifying these core theme areas, the report also included recommendations for future action. The county executive has established an Executive Review Committee, which will oversee the implementation of changes and improvements made in response to the report. 

“It is clear from the results of the cultural assessment of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department that we have some challenges ahead. I take these results very seriously. Under my leadership, and with the support of my senior management team and county leadership, we have the opportunity to strengthen the department as we move forward. The issues will not be solved overnight and with any cultural shift, it will take time and hard work to bring about the necessary transformation, which I am committed to doing,” said Fire Chief Richard Bowers.

“My responsibilities will be to review the assessment in detail, form work groups to include representatives from various stakeholders, including employee groups, diverse department members, and partners such as the Department of Human Resources and the Office of Human Rights and Equity Programs, and develop an action plan for the Executive Review Committee by May 1, 2017.”

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Fairfax County is holding its first community meeting on Jan. 24 as it moves forward to modernize its 40- year old Zoning Ordinance.

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in conference rooms 4 and 5 at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax.

The public is also encouraged to take an online survey that will be available through Jan. 31.

Dubbed “zMod,” the project will revamp the county’s zoning laws that were first adopted in their current form in 1977. zMod will help the county carry out its strategic plan to grow and diversify its economy.

This effort started in March 2017, and zoning officials began work with proposing key updates to specific provisions of the ordinance, like the recently approved update that offers greater flexibility to make minor modifications to previously approved developments.

Now, officials are focusing on making the overall ordinance easier to use and establishing new, more general zoning use categories. To make it more user friendly, the county is looking at incorporating more charts, graphs and illustrations into the ordinance, reducing redundancies in the text and using language that’s easily understandable.

New zoning categories will be proposed to combine uses of similar impact into broad categories for consistency and ease of understanding and implementation. This shift will permit for greater agility, so the county won’t need to make zoning updates to accommodate specific new uses.

The county has hired Clarion Associates, a nationally recognized planning and land-use firm, to lead these two major components of zMOD.

Public input will help guide the process. The initiative will include an extensive outreach component embracing community-wide participation, education, and an evaluation process that will include numerous meetings and workshops.

To learn more about the project, visit the zMod webpage or call the Fairfax County Office of Community Revitalization at 703-324-9300, TTY 711.

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David A. Oblon will be presented his official commission as a Fairfax Circuit Court judge on Friday, Jan. 5, at 4 p.m. at the Fairfax County Courthouse, Courtroom 5J, 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax. The public is invited to attend the investiture ceremony. (The “snow date” for the ceremony is Friday, Jan. 19).

At the ceremony, Delegate Richard C. (Rip) Sullivan Jr. will present Oblon with his official commission and Oblon’s law school friend, 17th Judicial Circuit Clerk of Court Paul F. Ferguson, will ceremoniously administer the oath. Oblon previously took his oath of office on Dec. 21. State Senator Scott A. Surovell and retiring Delegate David B. Albo will make some remarks. 

Before joining the Circuit Court, Oblon served almost a decade as a substitute judge for the General District Courts while engaged in private practice with the law firm Albo & Oblon, L.L.P.

Oblon earned his Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from the George Washington University and his law degree from the George Mason University School of Law (now the Antonin Scalia Law School).

For more information and reasonable ADA accommodations, contact Kim Callahan, Fairfax County Circuit Court, at 703-246-4166, TTY 711.

Winter break is already underway for Fairfax County Public Schools, which are closed through Jan. 1. This also means your kids will be home for more than two weeks. That's a lot of hours to fill for working parents and bored kids.

The good news is we have several options that will help make winter break fun.

Park Authority Day Camps and Programs

The Park Authority has several fun winter break day camps for ages preschool through high school.

Let your budding star take center stage at a performing arts camp. Channel your youngster’s inner Jedi with Jedi survival camps. Reach new heights at Lego-themed camps. Or explore more camps including nature, fencing, gymnastics and cheer, music, ice skating and robotics.

Register for Winter Break Day Camps

Parks and RECenters

Our parks and RECenters are also open during winter break. Here are a few ideas:

• Bundle up and check out the new family-friendly Chessie’s Trail at Lee District Family Recreation Area.
• Head to Frying Pan Farm Park to see the baby pigs and catch a winter puppet show.
• Help feed the reptiles at Hidden Oaks Nature Center.
• Practice your golf swing at one our weather-proof driving ranges.
• Make a splash in one of our heated, indoor RECenter pools.
• Gear up for the upcoming Olympics with a trip to the Mount Vernon Ice Arena for open skate.

View Full Listing of Park Programs

Events at Your Library

Take a look at some of the activities taking place at your local library branch, including:

• Holiday open houses.
• Youth sketching and waterpainting club.
• Creating unique aromatherapy gifts for teens.
• Holiday movie nights.

Find Upcoming Library Events

SACC Winter Program

Children enrolled in School Age Child Care's (SACC) Winter Program, “Call of the Wild: Animal Heroes,” will enjoy a week filled with fun and adventure as they explore the stories of both real life and fictional animal heroes. The program offers fun, safe and educational care for children in kindergarten through 6th grade at 23 sites throughout the county.

To enroll your child at a location near your home or office, call SACC Registration at 703-449-8989, TTY 711, between 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, except holidays.

More Info on SACC

RECQuest for Grades 1-6

RECQuest provides parents of students in grades 1 through 6 with an affordable recreation program during winter break that incudes team sports, games, arts and crafts, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programming, service projects and field trips.

Register for RECQuest

Fun for Teens, Too!

Teens In Action offers an engaging, healthy and affordable recreation program for Fairfax County teens to learn, play and serve. Activities include team sports, games, arts and crafts, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programming, service projects, cultural field trips and much more.

Register for Teens in Action

McLean Community Center Winter Break Trips

The McLean Community Center offers a variety of day trips that will keep your kids busy from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Options include:

• Star Wars movie day
• Indoor go karting
• Retro arcade games
• Bowling and a movie
• Tubing and ice skating

View All Winter Break Trips

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors appointed Bryan Hill as county executive, effective Jan. 2, 2018. Hill is currently the James City County, Va., administrator and clerk to its Board of Supervisors. He replaces Edward L. Long, who retired in September. Kirk Kincannon is currently serving as acting county executive.

“The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is pleased to welcome Bryan Hill to Team Fairfax,” says Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova. “Bryan brings impressive leadership, management, communications and budget experience to the table, and we look forward to working alongside him. Fairfax County is on a great track, and we are confident Bryan will continue to build upon a foundation of excellence for both our workforce and county residents.”

Hill has been with James City County since 2014, and he previously spent seven years with Beaufort County, S.C. as deputy county administrator.

At James City County, Hill is responsible for oversight of staff, major infrastructure projects, economic development, transportation initiatives and the development and implementation of the county’s first strategic plan. He recently led the realignment of the county’s debt portfolio, which resulted in AAA ratings from each of the three major bond rating agencies.

“Bryan was an asset to our county and we are very proud of his outstanding accomplishments,” says Kevin Onizuk, chairman of the James City County Board of Supervisors. “I am confident his hard charging leadership, finance and budget expertise and forward thinking will build upon Fairfax County’s already excellent foundation. We will certainly miss Bryan’s teamwork, outstanding personal integrity and strong character. Fairfax is lucky to have him and we wish him great success for years to come in his new position.”

Hill also has served as the vice chancellor for finance and operations at the University of South Carolina's Beaufort/Bluffton Campus, and as the director of finance for the University of Maryland’s Office of Information and Technology as well as director of administration for the Department of Aerospace Engineering

“Selecting a county executive is the most important hire the Board of Supervisors undertakes,” says Board Vice Chairman Penny Gross. “Working with a consultant, the board reviewed dozens of applications, selected several talented candidates for interviews and fully participated in the lengthy selection process. As Personnel Chair, I especially look forward to working with Bryan Hill on issues of importance to our county workforce.”

Hill is the recipient of an award for academic excellence from the American Association of Budget and Program Analysts, and while at the University of Maryland, he earned the A. James Clark School of Engineering Staff Award and a commendation from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at its 50th anniversary celebration.

He has a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Alfred University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California. Hill will receive an annual salary of $250,000.

Bulova also applauded Kincannon for his work. “I would like to thank our acting county executive for his fantastic work and support over the past few months while the Board of Supervisors and Human Resources Department underwent the county executive search and hiring process,” she says.  

News Highlights

• Fairfax County updated its zoning rules to allow homeowners and other property owners to make minor modifications to previously approved developments.
• The proposed change is part of the effort called zMod to modernize the county's Zoning Ordinance.

Fairfax County approved a change to its zoning rules to allow homeowners and building owners to make minor modifications to previously approved developments. The Board of Supervisors signed off on the changes at their Nov. 21, 2017 meeting.

The change will make it faster and easier for property and building owners to react to changing market or site conditions while retaining the protections embodied in a zoning approval and expected by the community.

The revision is needed to make the Fairfax’s zoning rules more responsive and user friendly to current conditions, said Barbara Byron, Director for the Fairfax County Office for Community Revitalization. The “minor modification” amendment is one of the changes that make up the county’s multi-year zoning modernization project dubbed "zMod".

Typically, land use actions are approved with a set of proffers or development conditions to address site specific and/or operational aspects of a development proposal. It is frequently the case that modifications to an approval are subsequently requested, either based on detailed design and engineering done at the time of construction, or because needs have changed over time. The zoning ordinance allows what are called “minor modifications” to be approved by the zoning administrator to address these issues.  Zoning rules have allowed this authority for the past 30 years; the new changes modestly expand this authority.

The changes add flexibility to existing provisions in four areas:

• Allowing rooftop solar panels or other innovative energy and environmental technologies that are less than 10 feet tall.
• Excluding from the definition of gross floor area, any incidental increase in interior space created by the replacement of a façade material on an existing building.
• Allowing a change in the color of signs and typeface provided they do not change the character of the approved sign.
• Making the current provisions regarding minor building additions consistent for all types of uses up to 250,000 square feet, at an amount of up to 5 percent of the approved floor area up to a maximum of 2500 square feet; or up to 1 percent for all uses above 250,000 square feet.
• Permit modifications that reduce setback dimensions up to 10% from that shown on an approved development plan.

This administrative authority is limited in nature and requires that any changes substantially conform with the approved proffers or conditions and do not materially alter the character of the approved development, reduce the effectiveness of landscape or screening, or adversely impact the relationship of an approved development to the adjacent properties.

These specific changes were proposed due to recent circumstances encountered by county zoning staff.

For example, Metro Park, an office park about two miles from the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station, wanted to install solar panels on the roof of one of its buildings to achieve a LEED platinum rating, the highest possible under this green building certification. The panels supported the county’s policy goal to encourage green building and environmental sustainability, yet they exceeded the proffered building height and therefore could not be approved administratively and required the filing and approval of a Proffered Condition Amendment application.

More recently, the Silverline Center’s owners sought to modernize their 44-year old, office building in Tysons. The upgrades were needed in order to keep the building competitive with higher class, new office space being built near the Metro stations.  The owners replaced the office’s old concrete façade with floor-to-ceiling glass. Because glass is thinner than the old panels, the building’s overall square footage would have exceeded the maximum permitted. To address this, the interior lobby and other spaces needed to be decreased in size. The Silverline Center’s successful transformation helped to advance the county’s plan to redevelop Tysons and encourage the repositioning or reuse of older office buildings.

The zoning ordinance amendment also would allow the Board of Supervisors to approve certain requests for minor variations to proffers, as action items with public notice:

• The addition or modification of a use which is not specifically precluded by proffers or conditions, if the new use does not have a greater land use impact than the approved uses would, based on factors such asparking, trip generation, vehicular circulation, or hours of operation. This would grant flexibility to allow for new uses in places such as shopping centers.
• An increase in building height based upon final engineering or design issues, provided the resultant height does not exceed 15 feet or 15% of the approved height, whichever is less,  exceed the maximum height of the zoning district, or have a materially adverse impact on adjacent properties.
• A modification to minimum yard dimensions, building setbacks or distances from peripheral lot lines, but only if the modified dimensions would not have a materially adverse impact on adjacent properties or other proffered conditions.
• The addition, modification or deletion of active or passive recreation uses at the request of the property owner or owners association, if the request is consistent with the objectives of the original zoning approval; does not reduce the recreational or open space below the minimum required for the zoning district or otherwise required by the Zoning Ordinance; and does not delete an approved but unbuilt facility.
• The modification of proffer commitments to technologies (such as computer business centers) or services (such as transportation shuttles) that are underutilized or have become ineffective or obsolete as circumstances have change
• Modification of architectural design, character, color, features, or materials for buildings and signs provided such modifications are of equivalent quality and do not have a materially adverse impact on adjacent properties.

The county’s parking garage at the Innovation Center Metro Station is an example of why officials are recommending the provision to allow for a small increase in building height. This garage that will serve SilverLine Metro riders was approved to be 50 feet tall. However, bedrock was found on that site, which would be very expensive to remove. As result, the county sought to raise the building’s height by eight feet, requiring the submission and approval of a Proffered Condition Amendment application, which added time and expense to the project.

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News Highlights

• Board of Supervisors and School Board adopt a social and racial equity policy that commits the county and schools to consider equity when making decisions or developing or delivering programs or services.
• Equity benefits everyone, and it boosts economic growth for families, businesses and our economy.
• As recognized in our strategic Economic Success Plan, equity is a driver for the county’s future economic growth.

This week, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and School Board adopted a joint social and racial equity policy called One Fairfax.The School Board adopted the One Fairfax policy at its meeting on Nov. 20. The Board of Supervisors adopted One Fairfax at its meeting on Nov. 21.

This joint policy commits both boards to consider equity in decision-making and in the development and delivery of future policies, programs and services. One Fairfax offers a framework—or “lens”— for the county and schools to look intentionally, comprehensively and systemically at barriers that may be creating gaps in opportunity.

“Fairness is our shared value as Americans, and every child should have an equitable chance to succeed if they work hard,”said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova. “Not only does One Fairfax recognize that our commitment to equity is the right thing to do—but it also recognizes that equity is an economic imperative to help every resident thrive.”

“The foundation for a successful community is a school system where all students have access to an excellent education—no matter where they live, where they come from or what challenges they may face each day,” said Fairfax County School Board Chair Janie Strauss. “The One Fairfax resolution and policy renew our promise to focus on each child by name and by need and to continue to develop a workforce that reflects the growing diversity of our student population.

Equity generates better economic outcomes—greater economic security for families, increased revenue for businesses and an even stronger local economy, says a growing body of economic research. Cities and counties with greater social and racial inclusion have stronger and longer periods of economic growth, and they have faster per capita income growth.

Although Fairfax County has achieved an exceptionally strong local economy and high quality of life, as its population has grown and diversified over the last 25 years, inequities in income and opportunity have also increased. These inequities carry a high price tag, according to a study by the nonprofit research and action institute Policy Link and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity at the University of Southern California. The study found that Fairfax County’s gross domestic product would have been $26.2 billion higher in 2012 if its racial gaps were closed.

The One Fairfax policy identifies 17 areas of focus to promote equity including community and economic development, housing, education, environment, and transportation. It also creates shared definitions, along with a process to implement the policy.

Policy development work began in July 2016 when both board adopted a joint resolution to form the policy. The One Fairfax policy was developed through intensive collaboration between schools and county officials that included conferring with national experts and examining best practice models. Senior leadership and staff were provided equity-focused training to increase their shared knowledge and to better understand the role of equity in government and education.

The county and schools look to further engaging with the community to identify equity goals and opportunities for working together to foster equity. “Leadership Fairfax is eager to work with the county, schools and community to identify actions that address these inequities,”said Karen Cleveland, president and CEO. “We signed on as a co-sponsor of the Equitable Growth Profile because we immediately recognized the potentially devastating impact on our community without action and the compelling economic opportunities when everyone is given the chance to succeed.”

Recognizing that equity drives growth, Fairfax County’s Strategic Plan to Facilitate Economic Success pointed out, “No community has a preordained right to prosperity. Prosperity can only be achieved and sustained when a community's citizens, businesses, and government work in concert for everyone's benefit.”

For more information, visit the county's One Fairfax webpage of the school's One Fairfax webpage.

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News Highlights

• In partnership with eight other Northern Virginia jurisdictions, Fairfax County was awarded $737,500 in regional economic development grants.
• The money will help to train, attract and retain workers for network and cybersecurity; data and data warehousing and computer and software programming jobs, as well as create a high-tech fabrication lab.
• The grants help to push forward the county's strategic plan to grow and diversify the economy.
• The funds will go to partners already identified in the grant proposals, and the county will not be awarding money to other individuals or organizations to provide services.

In partnership with eight other Northern Virginia jurisdictions, Fairfax County and neighboring governments were collectively awarded $737,500 through a state economic development program to create high-paying jobs.

The money will be used to train, attract and retain computer programmers, data analysts and network and cyber security experts to Northern Virginia. The funding also will go towards creating a state-of-the-art engineering technology “Fabrication Laboratory” in Northern Virginia.

The grants will come from the Growth and Opportunity for Virginia, better known as GO Virginia. This program focuses on creating high-paying jobs by encouraging regional collaboration.

The funding was announced on Dec. 12, and it makes up a portion of the total $2.2 million in initial Go Virginia grants awarded this year.

“These projects will leverage public and private funding to grow and diversify each region’s economy,” said Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. “There are many innovative proposals from our regions that will assist in addressing the challenges my administration has worked to tackle in areas such as cybersecurity and workforce development. These projects will strengthen our workforce, support collaborative programs, and will bolster our successful efforts to build the new Virginia economy.”

Fairfax County collaborated with eight other jurisdictions to secure the $487,500 regional workforce development grant. The county submitted its joint project with the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, and Manassas Park and counties of Arlington, Loudoun, Prince William counties.

The county was also a partner with the Northern Virginia Community College in its winning $250,000 grant proposal to create a high-tech lab to spur more engineering jobs. The college will develop the new “Fabrication Laboratory” in collaboration with Micron Technology, U.S. Army’s Night Vision and Sensors Directorate, and BAE Systems. The project also will help create the engineering jobs by leveraging established internship programs at Micron Technology and BAE Systems, as well as the existing SySTEMic curriculum at Northern Virginia Community College.

The workforce development project capitalizes on the high demand for data analytics, cyber security and computer programming jobs in Northern Virginia.

These kinds of jobs make significant industry clusters in Northern Virginia’s economy. For example, the region has largest number of computer security analysts in the nation.

Yet, there is still a significant demand for more workers. There were almost 9,500 total cyber positions being advertised in Northern Virginia in the second quarter 2017, according to research by the Northern Virginia Community College.

The Northern Virginia Technology Council has identified five kinds of jobs that are hard-to-fill: big data and analytics; cyber security and privacy; data center and cloud infrastructure; network systems and programming and software development. The Go Virginia grant will help to train, attract and keep these kinds of workers in the region.

Fairfax County strategic plan to grow and diversity the economy calls for expanding jobs in cybersecurity, data analytics, translational medicine, other emerging technologies.

Along with many other actions, the county sought the grant to help advance this plan and grow the local economy. Read the 2017 update to learn more about other actions the county is taking.

The county will not be awarding Go Virginia funds to individuals and organizations to provide programs and services who were not already included in the grant proposals.

For more information, contact Eta Davis, economic initiatives coordinator, in the county executive's office at 703-324-2531, TTY 711.

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News Highlights

• Attend the final community open house on the effort to update the land use plan for the Embark Richmond Highway project.
• The open house will take place on Jan. 10, 2018, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., at Whitman Middle School, 2500 Parkers Lane Alexandria
• County staff will present their recommendations for updating the Comprehensive Plan that the Planning Commission will consider later in January.

Fairfax County will hold a final community meeting and open house on Jan. 10, 2018, to present its proposed revisions to the Comprehensive Plan recommendations for the Richmond Highway Corridor area.

These recommendations will:

• Create a cohesive vision for the corridor that includes stewardship of the environmental and heritage resources;
• Prepare the corridor for pedestrian and bicycle enhancements, a planned bus rapid transit (BRT) system from Huntington to Accotink Village/Fort Belvoir and a future Yellow-line Metrorail extension to the Beacon/Groveton and Hybla Valley/Gum Springs areas; and,
• Create mixed-use, transit-oriented development around the nine BRT stations that support live-work-shop-play environments.

• Learn about the proposed comprehensive plan recommendations, as well as next steps in the process.
• Ask questions on the recommendations before the Planning Commission’s public hearing in January.
• Talk to county staff one-on-one

The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the comprehensive plan amendment on Jan. 25, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. The Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the amendment on March 20, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.

Embark Richmond Highway is a multi-year effort involving land use and transportation planning. Contingent upon adopted Comprehensive Plan recommendations and funding, the effort will include design and construction activities for a bus rapid transit system operating primarily on dedicated lanes along Richmond Highway. An expanded and connected system of roadways, walkways, trails and bicycle facilities are planned to work seamlessly with the BRT system. This planning effort will also address the future extension of the Metrorail Yellow Line to Hybla Valley.

The county is updating its Comprehensive Plan to support the population and job growth associated with the planned transit system along the Richmond Highway corridor. The focus will be primarily on planning for walkable, urban-style mixed use development in the vicinity of the future transit stations, with the goal of creating vibrant, active communities where people can live, work, shop and play — all with easy access to transit.

The project supports the county’s long-term planning goals of expanding transit service, improving pedestrian and bicycle systems, and building more dense, mixed-use, transit-oriented developments that attract residents and businesses, creating more jobs, increasing tax revenue. Embark Richmond Highway also aligns with the county’s Strategic Economic Success Plan, as well as efforts to revitalize the corridor.

Embark Richmond Highway resulted from a Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation study on the transportation needs for the Richmond Highway corridor. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors endorsed the study’s recommendations in May 2015, moving the project forward for planning, design and construction, with implementation anticipated to occur after 2020.

Transportation

Public transportation to the event location is available through Fairfax Connector Routes 152 and 161. Check schedules on the Connector website.

Transportation assistance to Whitman Middle School is also offered, per request, from Sacramento Neighborhood Center, South County Government Center and Hybla Valley Elementary School.

Requests for transportation assistance are accepted until Jan. 3, 2018, by calling 703-704-6336, TTY 711, or by email.

Stay Informed and Engaged

For more information on the project:

• Visit the Embark Richmond Highway webpage
• Follow us on our Facebook page Fairfax County Land Use and on Twitter with hashtag #EmbarkRH
• Contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-324-1380, TTY 711, or by email, including for reasonable ADA accomodations.

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News Highlights

• The hackathon helped increase the public and private sector collaboration to develop the innovation ecosystem in Fairfax County, a key strategy in our plan to grow and diversify the economy.
• The event also tested VDOT's new data portal that is part of the agency's overall drive towards innovation.

It’s no secret that the D.C. region suffers some of the worst traffic congestion in nation—second worst in the U.S. to be precise, according to the Texas Transportation Institute’s annual rankings.

Can technology create solutions to get traffic flowing more freely? This is what Fairfax County and the Virginia Department of Transportation asked when they brought together software and app developers, data scientists and transportation experts this month.

To find out, the county and VDOT held a transportation hackathon on Nov. 16-17, at Refraction, a tech co-working space in Reston. More than 100 people participated in the intense, two-day sprint to write code for apps, programs and technology to improve traffic tie ups, safety and mobility.

The hackathon was also intended to spur the development of new technologies and startups, a key strategy in the county’s plan to grow and diversify the economy.

“The whole event was about growing the innovation ecosystem and getting entrepreneurs, tech companies, government and people involved in infrastructure into one room to think differently about how we tie together,” said Eta Davis, Fairfax County’s economic initiatives coordinator.

It also was designed to test VDOT’s new data portal that’s part of the department’s push to innovate. The portal serves up real-time information from traffic signals, sensors, dynamic message signs and more.

“We wanted to really focus on big data to see what we can do with the data we have available from VDOT, as well as Fairfax County, U.S. DOT and others,” said Virginia Lingham, special assistant to the state agency’s chief of innovation.

Eleven teams competed for cash prizes up to $3,000. The competitors included individuals, established tech firms and George Mason and Old Dominion University students.

Check out the #MasonScience @ggsdepartment team hard at work at the #HackFairfax #DCTech with @VaDOTNOVA. Cheer teams on later today as they present solutions to mobility, safety, and congestion challenges in @fairfaxcounty. #MasonSolveX pic.twitter.com/9QdUdW3MbO

— College of Science (@GMU_COS) November 17, 2017

The teams produced ideas that ranged from employing artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict congestion or accidents to an app to help people who are blind safely cross the street to using big data to identify what makes intersections safe or find trends or hotspots to improve safety.

These innovations were evaluated on criteria that included their creativity, likelihood for commercialization and use of data. Judges represented the tech industry, academia and government and included Virginia Deputy Secretary of Technology Anthony Fung.

Getting down to the final hours... @VaDOT @fairfax @alltrafficsol #dctech #HackFairfax 🚗🚙🚌 pic.twitter.com/xt2wBsgPfb

— stringsAsFactors (@NotFakeBrendan) November 17, 2017

While two days wasn’t enough time to create market-ready products, the hackathon was a success, officials said.

Really impressed with what the hackers put together in less than 48 hours at the Transportation & Mobility Hackathon! Awesome work! #HackFairfax #dctech @fairfaxcounty @refractionpt @VaDOT @VaDOTNOVA pic.twitter.com/a9H406Z7A4

— John Foust (@johnfoustva) November 17, 2017

“There are great ideas here that challenge us,” said VDOT Chief of Innovation Rob Cary. “It certainly challenges us to think about how we can get more data out there.”

He pointed to other data sources, like livestream E-ZPass toll and travel time information, that could be added to the portal to fuel creative consumer apps.

As result of this first event in Fairfax, VDOT plans to hold hackathons in Hampton Roads, Richmond, Roanoke and Blacksburg, Cary said.

“We design, maintain operate a system of roadways, but we have a lot of data that others can do fantastic things with,” said Cary. “And I think you saw great examples of that today.”

For the county, the hackathon fostered collaboration between the public and private sectors that can help make Fairfax an innovation hub, and the event injected the startup mentality into county government.

“We were hoping that by working together we could educate the folks in the room about how government works and help the government folks in the room think differently,” Davis said. “How do we incorporate some of that entrepreneurial spirit in how we do business as government.”

James Quigley, who leads the Reston-based tech company GoCanvas, agrees.

“I also represent, and have been passionate about, this collaborative work on the public side,” said Quigley who serves on the county’s Economic Advisory Commission.

He said the hackathon was an example of this shared focus on innovation that’s happening across the region.

“I think you’re going to feel more and more of this energy,” Quigley said. “And the realization that it happens in urban centers, and it happens together.”

To this point, the hackathon wouldn’t have been a success without the many partners that made the hackathon possible, including Refraction, 1776, Smart City Works, George Mason University and Virginia Tech. Financial support was provided by Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Qlarion and Reston Chamber of Commerce, and lunch was provided by Le Pain Quotidien.

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