Planning Commissioner John Ulfelder Retires

During the December GFCA Land Use & Zoning (LUZ) Committee members learned of the retirement of Commissioner John Ulfelder, Dranesville District’s Representative to the Fairfax County Planning Commission. 

During the meeting, members acknowledged Commissioner Ulfelder's distinguished career of public service and his participation in GFCA LUZ meetings over the years.  Commissioner Ulfelder also provided the committee with a few details regarding his successor, Alyssa Bachelor-Causey.  Ms. Batchelor-Causey will be sworn in during the first meeting of the Planning Commission in 2025.

Commissioner Ulfelder has been active with a number of local community groups and non-profit organizations.  He served on the Board of the Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA) from 1991 to 2003, as well as serving as president of the GFCA from 1997 to 2000 and chairing the GFCA’s Land Use and Zoning Committee from 2001 to 2005.  He served on the last four Dranesville District Area Plan Review (APR) Task Forces and served as chairman during the 2004 and 2008 reviews.  Commissioner Ulfelder also served as Chairman of the Hunter Mill Road Area Special Study in 2005 and 2006 and served on the Dranesville District Budget Review Task Forces for FY’s 2012, 2013 and 2014 (Chairman for FY 2014).

We wish him well and extend our thanks for his long career in community service.

Library Crosswalk Community Meeting

The proposed Fairfax County-sponsored Great Falls Library Crosswalk continues through multiple planning stages.  We have scheduled a January 30, 2025 meeting to be held at the Grange with representatives from the Fairfax County Department of Transportation and our Dranesville Supervisor Jimmy Bierman.  This meeting will be an opportunity for Great Falls residents and GFCA members to review the plans for the crosswalk prior to their finalization. 

Please plan on attending this meeting to hear about the crosswalk and to meet our District Supervisor, Jimmy Bierman.

January 30, 2025; 7:00 pm
In-person
Great Falls Grange
(FCDOT will attend and review the Proposed Plans and answer questions regarding the Crosswalk between the Library and Safeway.)

New County-wide Trash Collection Plan Announced

Fairfax County is developing a new trash collection platform called the Unified Sanitation Districts (USD) to roll out over the next few years. Under this proposed system the county will manage waste hauling contracts directly with private contractors.  All trash collection will be by individual contractors, selected by the county for the various geographic districts.

Trash collection services have been a continued concern for our residents over the years.  County officials state that a centralized system will improve reliability, lower costs and reduce the number of trucks on the roads (reducing greenhouse gasses).

Last September GFCA announced the Fairfax County Zero Waste Resident Survey.  The county invited residents to complete the survey to provide feedback on current trash and recycling practices and the proposed countywide zero waste strategies.  The survey was open until September 30. Seventy-six responses came from Great Falls out of the over 300 from the Dranesville District.  The survey questions and cumulative results are at: https://publicinput.com/Report/ggu4ieyaq1l). 

On December 10, Matthew Adams, Division Director of the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, presented the update on this initiative.  To listen to the report visit: https://video.fairfaxcounty.gov/player/clip/3629?view_id=9&redirect=true

The GFCA Environment and Parks Committee will host Mr. Adams at their June 9 zoom meeting for further updates on this trash collection initiative.

GFCA recognizes that there are many unanswered details associated with this trash collection initiative and GFCA will continue to update as more information becomes available.  For current information and the public input timeline visit: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/boardofsupervisors/sites/boardofsupervisors/files/Assets/meeting%20materials/committees/2024/Agenda%20Item%202_SWMP%20Update_A-1a.pdf

General Assembly’s  2025 Legislative Session to Open

The 2025 Virginia General Assembly session begins on January 8 and is scheduled to continue until it adjourns on Saturday, February 22.  As of press time, GFCA Communications determined that more than 200 bills have been submitted by legislators during a pre-filing period that ends January 8, 2025 on which date the General Assembly convenes.  This is a short legislative session.

The General Assembly meets annually, beginning on the second Wednesday in January, for 60 days in even-numbered years and for 30 days in odd-numbered years, with an option to extend annual sessions for a maximum of 30 days.

Because of time constraints, legislators and staffs have to balance their priorities and work at an accelerated pace, as attendees at a December 16 Legislative Town Hall conducted by State Senator Jennifer Boysko and Delegate Rip Sullivan.  They emphasized that the schedule dictates that the scope of proposed bills will by tightly focused. 

Delegate Sullivan has identified several of his top issues including the environmental impacts of data centers relating to their widespread usage of diesel-powered back up power; exploring ways to give back the state budget surplus to the localities; support for a Fairfax County proposed pilot on enforcing of loud vehicle exhausts; and restating his opposition to a Fairfax County Casino.

Similarly, Senator Boysko told attendees at the Town Hall that there will not be movement on a broad range of topics, given the session’s duration.  But she reaffirmed her stance opposing a Fairfax County Casino indicating that, in every other case across the Commonwealth, the local government petitioned the General Assembly for a Casino authorization,  She expressed the view that Tysons in Fairfax County is not the proper placement for a casino and that it is inconsistent with the County Comprehensive Plan.

Sen. Boysko has committed to supporting gun violence prevention and will attempt to bring back a gun safety bill this term.   

The leadership of the Standing Committees of the GFCA (EP, LUZ, TRN) and the Committee Coordinator, met on December 4, 2024 to review and discuss edits to the GFCA 2023/2024 Legislative initiatives.  The Executive Board of the GFCA unanimously adopted the revised initiatives on December 17, 2024 (See next article).

GFCA's provided testimony during the public hearing before the Fairfax County delegation to the General Assembly on January 4, 2025 highlighting the organizations positions on several key legislative initiatives.

The initiatives identified by the GFCA closely track with those previously adopted and, in several cases, are identical to those presented in the last legislative session.