Lee District Monthly Newsletter

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

Edition 8 
November 2014 
 
The McKay Messenger
  
A Long Time Coming - And Worth the Wait
Cutting the ribbon to Springfield Town Center alongside Vornado and PREIT executives.

Springfield Town Center: October 17 was a banner day for Lee District when the doors to Springfield Town Center were finally opened. The grand opening included many eager shoppers, many of whom got in line as early as 4 a.m. to see the end result of this new revitalized place to dine and shop.


 

This was no small feat - in fact, it took years of focused dedication from my office and County staff to help usher the mall through a rezoning, many permit requests, and more. Everyone involved with this important project devoted countless nights, weekends, and holidays to ensure that Springfield Town Center would stay on schedule to open in time for the holiday shopping season.


 

And what a grand opening it was! This $250 million plus renovation project has already sparked much positive interest in Springfield and the feedback I've received from shoppers and residents has been nothing but positive. I think everyone would agree when I say that the mall -- our sense of place, a cornerstone of civic pride, and a regional draw -- is back and better than ever. 

  

Just this month, Chuy's and Nando's Peri-Peri held their own grand openings, and I expect more stores and restaurants to continue opening through the holidays and into the new year. On the horizon, we'll see the late-November opening of Yard House and the 2015 opening of Dave and Busters. This is the first phase of a multi-phase development that will see a mix of retail, commercial, and residential growth, as well as a hotel, open space, and recreational facilities--a true town center.

 

You may have also noticed the construction taking place along Frontier Drive. That work will create a wider, multi-use space for walkers and bikers alike, as well as a park at the corner of Spring Mall Drive and Frontier Drive to welcome pedestrian, Metro, and vehicular commuters. The mall's developer, Vornado, is also working to repave Frontier Drive. That work should be completed by the end of the year.

Slow Down: You live here. We live here.
Help keep our neighborhoods safe.
Fairfax County has started a public awareness program to highlight the dangers of neighborhood speeding.
  
As we all know, speeding is a real problem in Fairfax County. In fact, nearly 80 percent of respondents to a recent survey listed speeding drivers as one of their main concerns.
  
That's why the Board of Supervisors has joined forces with the Fairfax County Police Department and Office of Public Affairs to launch this community-wide initiative.
  
You can participate in the public education program by posting eye-catching yard signs such as the one pictured above with the "Slow Down! You live here. We live here" message in your neighborhood. They're available at no charge from my office on a first come, first served basis.
  
Additionally, the Police Department will be purchasing eight new radar messaging signs that will be deployed across problem speed spots across the County. These devices will alert speeding motorists as they are traveling and are designed for increased awareness and education. More information about the location of these radar messaging signs will be provided in a future edition of this newsletter.
Transportation Bond Approved

The $100 million transportation bond approved by voters on November 4 is one of several funding sources we can use to finance our $1.4 billion in transportation needs over the next six years. These include the small projects that make such a difference in our neighborhoods--turn lanes, traffic signals, directional signage, missing sidewalks, bike lanes, and trails. These projects improve neighborhood safety, access to community facilities like schools and transit, and link neighborhoods, as well as relieving traffic congestion.  A number of these projects will benefit our district; please contact my office if you'd like information about specific ones.

 

In 2013, the Board of Supervisors launched a countywide dialogue on transportation projects and held a series of meetings to gather community feedback. Overwhelmingly, I  heard about the need for pedestrian, bicycle, and transit improvements.

  

I'm sometimes asked if voting for a bond will result in higher taxes. Actually, it's the reverse. We're prudent with our bonds in Fairfax County. Our financial guidelines say that the annual cost of our county's debt service (principal and interest payments) may not be greater than 10 percent of annual combined general fund disbursements. We also maintain our county's net long-term debt at or below three percent of the total market value of taxable county property. This careful debt management is one of the reasons for our triple-A bond rating and it's also why our bonded debt will not contribute to higher local taxes.

Thank you for subscribing to my monthly e-newsletter. I hope these updates will keep you in the loop with some of the major events in our District.

If you'd like to learn more about something in the newsletter or have an idea for a future edition, please don't hesitate to contact me or my staff.
  
Sincerely,

Jeffrey C. McKay

Lee District Supervisor

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

703-971-6262
Jeffrey C. McKay
 
Supervisor McKay has served on the Board of Supervisors since 2007.  
Did You Know?

Question: How can I find out about crime in my neighborhood?

  

Answer: Fairfax County has a new online crime-mapping tool called Police Events that you can use to locate crime in you neighborhood, even as soon as the day after.

To use the system, you go online here where you can choose or plug in a location, date range and event type (types of crimes). You can pick a specific location such as an address, a school or a ZIP code. There are 16 different types of crimes to choose from (including peeping incidents, noise violations and burglaries or you can just select "all"). You can choose a date or a date range.

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