Chris Colgan | Real NoVA Newsletter by Chris Colgan

Oliver Buchannon

Chris Colgan

🤩 A 4th D.C.-area airport is on the horizon

Aug 6, 2026

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5 min read

🤩 A 4th D.C.-area airport is on the horizon

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering Dulles Airport's major concourse and parking overhaul, Manassas clearing a key FAA hurdle toward becoming the region's fourth commercial airport, and Reston Town Center North's long-awaited redevelopment moving forward.

🤩 Tysons Just Unveiled a 5-Acre Park

Jul 30, 2026

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6 min read

🤩 Tysons Just Unveiled a 5-Acre Park

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering Tysons' new five-acre Signature Park, Hines' $140M plan for 1,000+ homes across Prince William County, and Reston Town Center North's long-awaited makeover moving forward.

😯 NoVA's “Deep Throat” is about to disappear

Jul 23, 2026

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5 min read

😯 NoVA's “Deep Throat” is about to disappear

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering Arlington's 'Deep Throat' garage giving way to two 27-story housing towers, Hepburn and Sons' $18.1M Prince William headquarters adding 80 jobs, and McLean's new 2.5-mile trail from the $660M I-495 project.

😯 NoVA's “Deep Throat” is about to disappear

Jul 16, 2026

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6 min read

😯 NoVA's “Deep Throat” is about to disappear

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering Fairfax's $987M Route 1 bus project moving ahead despite a funding gap, NVTA's $776M for 21 regional transportation projects, and Vienna's $1M for a new W&OD Trail visitor center.

🌐 The $1B Sphere Changing National Harbor

Jul 9, 2026

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6 min read

🌐 The $1B Sphere Changing National Harbor

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering Centreville's plan for a more walkable town center, Prince William's rejection of a 2,000-acre data center campus, and the $1B National Harbor Sphere's first site plan.

The 174-Acre RFK Plan Taking Shape in NoVA

Jul 2, 2026

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5 min read

The 174-Acre RFK Plan Taking Shape in NoVA

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering your guide to NoVA's Fourth of July fireworks, the NFL Draft coming to the National Mall in 2027, and the plan to reshape D.C.'s 174-acre RFK campus.

👀 A $2B change could be coming to Old Town North

Jun 25, 2026

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5 min read

👀 A $2B change could be coming to Old Town North

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering the new Virginia laws taking effect July 1, Alexandria's approval of the $2B+ Old Town North waterfront redevelopment, and Fairfax County's plan for a more walkable Centreville.

🔥 Dulles’ $700M Concourse Is Almost Ready

Jun 18, 2026

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5 min read

🔥 Dulles’ $700M Concourse Is Almost Ready

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering why Fairfax residents are increasingly moving to Richmond, Dulles Airport's $700M Concourse E opening this fall, and Inova's Fairfax expansion that could double ER capacity by 2028.

👀 Haymarket may ban e-bikes from sidewalks

Jun 11, 2026

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5 min read

👀 Haymarket may ban e-bikes from sidewalks

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering Haymarket's proposed e-bike sidewalk ban, a $12M-saving solar project on a former Lorton landfill, and the D.C. region's first ADA-compliant kayak launch.

👀 A $6M Tech Move Is Coming to Arlington

Jun 4, 2026

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5 min read

👀 A $6M Tech Move Is Coming to Arlington

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering a $6M tech HQ headed to Arlington, Herndon's Metro-district sign overhaul, and 8 can't-miss June festivals.

⚽ A huge World Cup watch party is coming to D.C.

May 28, 2026

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5 min read

⚽ A huge World Cup watch party is coming to D.C.

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering D.C.'s World Cup Fan Zone, Micron's Manassas chip expansion, and Waymo mapping streets in Alexandria and Arlington.

👀 The 1 a.m. vote that pushed a 74,000-sqft Buc-ee’s forward

May 21, 2026

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5 min read

👀 The 1 a.m. vote that pushed a 74,000-sqft Buc-ee’s forward

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering Stafford's approval of a massive I-95 Buc-ee's, a $25M McLean Gold Coast estate sale, and why price cuts are losing their punch for Mid-Atlantic sellers.

👀 Prince William’s 22M-sqft data center fight isn’t over

May 14, 2026

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6 min read

👀 Prince William’s 22M-sqft data center fight isn’t over

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering free summer events across the region, QTS's appeal to revive the Prince William Digital Gateway, and fresh energy in NoVA's April housing market.

💥 Prince William’s 2,000-acre data center plan may be collapsing

May 7, 2026

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5 min read

💥 Prince William’s 2,000-acre data center plan may be collapsing

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're diving into the record-breaking $10.25 million condo sale at Reston Station, the collapse of the Prince William Digital Gateway data center plan, and King Charles and Queen Camilla's royal stop in Front Royal.

👀 Wait... Arlington back in D.C.?

Apr 30, 2026

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4 min read

👀 Wait... Arlington back in D.C.?

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're diving into a proposal to add Arlington and Alexandria back into D.C., Manassas's master plan for the Mathis site, and the new restaurants coming to One Loudoun.

👀 DC Just Approved a Monument Bigger Than Lincoln

Apr 23, 2026

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5 min read

👀 DC Just Approved a Monument Bigger Than Lincoln

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're diving into Loudoun County's Rivana development finally breaking ground, Virginia's Balloon & Wine Festival returning this May, and a massive 250-foot arch approved for Washington, D.C.

🚫 Here’s Why Fairfax Just Said No to a $1.5B Casino

Apr 16, 2026

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5 min read

🚫 Here’s Why Fairfax Just Said No to a $1.5B Casino

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're diving into a popular West Coast pizza chain finally landing in Reston, Governor Spanberger's veto of a $1.5B casino proposal in Fairfax County, and a local developer pushing a $350M sports complex as an alternative to a Buc-ee's in Stafford.

🍸 Dinner... Then a Rooftop Party? Arlington Says Yes

Apr 9, 2026

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13 min read

🍸 Dinner... Then a Rooftop Party? Arlington Says Yes

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're diving into NoVA's creepiest urban legends, Northern Virginia's dominance in the latest Best Places to Live rankings, and a new dinner-and-rooftop destination opening soon in Arlington.

🚫 Prince William’s 22M Sqft Data Project Just Got Voided

Apr 2, 2026

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11 min read

🚫 Prince William’s 22M Sqft Data Project Just Got Voided

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're looking at a major court ruling that has voided Prince William County's 22-million-square-foot Digital Gateway data center project, four new free pickleball courts replacing Tysons' winter ice rink at Capital One Center, and a $1.2M townhouse community breaking ground near Crystal City's Metro stations.

🔥 A $90M Bet on Reston’s Future

Mar 26, 2026

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13 min read

🔥 A $90M Bet on Reston’s Future

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're looking at a new owner's ambitious plan to redevelop Reston Crossing into a mixed-use neighborhood, Fairfax County's $166M deal to sell police training land to a data center developer, and why over 1.5 million Virginia jobs could be impacted by AI.

🚨 D.C. Officials Are on Alert: Multiple Unknown Drones Flew Over a Military Base

Mar 19, 2026

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15 min read

🚨 D.C. Officials Are on Alert: Multiple Unknown Drones Flew Over a Military Base

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're looking at Hershey's brand-new hands-on candy experience now open in Tysons, the newly revealed INDYCAR street circuit coming to the National Mall for D.C.'s 250th birthday celebration, and the unidentified drones spotted flying over a military base just minutes from the White House.

😮 We Didn’t Expect This News About Stephens City’s Beloved Family Drive-In

Mar 12, 2026

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16 min read

😮 We Didn’t Expect This News About Stephens City’s Beloved Family Drive-In

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're covering the surprise comeback of Stephens City's beloved 70-year-old Family Drive-In, the $19.8 million sale of Cisco co-founder Sandy Lerner's historic Upperville estate, and a new ranking revealing the 20 hottest ZIP codes in Northern Virginia (where homes are selling in as little as 6 days).

🔥 Inside GW’s $427M Ashburn Campus Sale to Amazon

Mar 5, 2026

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14 min read

🔥 Inside GW’s $427M Ashburn Campus Sale to Amazon

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're looking at the can't-miss events filling up the NoVA/DC calendar this March, the plans bringing a massive Dick's House of Sport to the old Lord & Taylor space at Tysons, and George Washington University's blockbuster $427 million campus sale to Amazon Web Services.

🎲 A $750M Casino Bet May Be Coming to Fairfax County

Feb 26, 2026

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15 min read

🎲 A $750M Casino Bet May Be Coming to Fairfax County

In this edition of Real NoVA, we’re looking at Robert Duvall’s lasting Virginia legacy, the growing push for a Fairfax casino resort, and why Northern Virginia’s housing market is behaving very differently from the rest of the country heading into 2026.

🚧 New $13.3M Overpass Project in Sterling Could Change Your Daily Drive

Feb 19, 2026

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14 min read

🚧 New $13.3M Overpass Project in Sterling Could Change Your Daily Drive

In this edition of Real NoVA, we're tracking a $13.3M overpass that's finally breaking ground on the W&OD Trail in Sterling, rounding up five local spots to celebrate National Margarita Day in NoVA, and unpacking how Waymo's push for driverless cars in D.C. could reshape Northern Virginia real estate.