🏗️ Fairfax County & City are moving forward with a major shared project that will bring health care, recreation, childcare, and senior services under one roof.

🏡 Making $100,000 a year sounds like solid home-buying territory. But higher mortgage rates, insurance, taxes and maintenance costs are changing how far that income can stretch.

🚇 A Metro-owned site next to Alexandria’s Braddock Road station could become a new mixed-use neighborhood with hundreds of homes, retail space and upgraded transit connections.

Scroll down and enjoy!

—Chris Colgan

A free two-day neighborhood fall festival, with more than 140 local artisans and small businesses selling fashion, jewelry, home décor, art and specialty goods. The weekend also includes the FRESHFARM Farmers Market, kids' crafts and games, Sip & Stroll specials at Mosaic restaurants, and live entertainment throughout.
📍 Location: Mosaic District, Merrifield/Fairfax County
📅 Date: Sept 26–27 | 11 AM – 6 PM
🎟️ Tickets: Free
MORE INFO→

This juried outdoor show brings local and national fine artists to Carlyle with thousands of American-made pieces across every medium. Life-sized sculpture, paintings, jewelry, pottery and textiles.
📍 Location: John Carlyle Square Park, Alexandria, VA
📅 Date: Sept 26–27 | 10 AM – 5 PM
🎟️ Tickets: Free
MORE INFO→

A classic all-day neighborhood carnival with rides, bounce houses, live music and a beer garden, plus a wide food lineup, bingo, prize games and a 50/50 raffle. There's also a 1.5-mile Falcon Fun Run, with proceeds supporting Saint Ann Catholic School programs.
📍 Location: Saint Ann Catholic Church school and grounds, Arlington
📅 Date: Sept 26 | 10 AM
🎟️ Tickets: Free; tickets are sold on-site for food, drinks, and activities
MORE INFO→

NOT ENOUGH? SEE 10+ GREAT THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND→

Driving the news
A ceremony marking the start of construction on the Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Sept. 30 at the former Joseph Willard Health Center, 3750 Blenheim Blvd. The public is invited.

Details: The new 100,000-square-foot center will replace the aging Joseph Willard Health Center and combine county and city services in one location.

The building is planned for LEED Gold certification and will use all-electric building systems and equipment.

Why it matters
Fairfax residents will have one place to access services that currently span health care, recreation, early childhood programs and senior activities. Replacing two aging facilities also gives the city and county updated space that can serve local families for decades.

The big picture
Planning began about 10 years ago as Fairfax County and Fairfax City considered how to replace the Joseph Willard Health Center and Green Acres Center, both former schools dating to the mid-20th century.

The answer became a shared facility serving residents of both jurisdictions.

Between the lines
The project goes beyond replacing an old building. By putting county health programs, city recreation services and community programs in the same complex, Fairfax is creating a hub meant to serve residents from early childhood through their senior years.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay pointed to the project as an example of long-term investment and cooperation between the county and city.

Fairfax City Mayor Catherine Read said the center reflects years of work and will offer something for every generation, from childcare and health services to senior programs and recreation.

What’s next
The Christman Company will construct the center based on plans from Grimm + Parker Architects. Fairfax County’s Building Design and Construction Division is managing the project with the city’s project management team, The Blue Heron Leadership Group.

Construction is expected to continue through late 2029.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE→

Driving the news
Zillow found that a household earning $100,000 can typically afford a home worth about $377,000 in Virginia. That’s roughly $3,000 less than a year ago.

Details
At that price point, a typical Virginia home offers: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and about 1,308 square feet of living space.

Zillow defines an affordable home as one where the mortgage, property taxes, insurance and maintenance total no more than 30% of monthly income.

Why it matters
Virginia buyers earning around $100,000 still have access to homes priced slightly above the national affordability mark of $369,000. That gives local households a bit more buying room than the typical U.S. buyer at the same income level.

The big picture
Where you live can make a major difference. Nationwide, the amount of home a $100,000 income can support ranges from about $318,000 in Illinois to $423,000 in Maine.

Between the lines
Home price alone doesn’t tell the whole story. Property taxes, homeowners insurance and maintenance costs can shrink — or stretch — your buying power depending on the state.

What’s next
If Virginia isn’t the only place on your radar, the full article lets you compare affordability across other states, including typical home prices, bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE→

Driving the news
Metro has issued a request for proposals seeking a development team to transform 3.4 acres beside the Braddock Road Metro Station.

The agency envisions a walkable, transit-oriented project with housing, shops, public spaces and stronger connections for pedestrians and cyclists.

Details
Metro says the site could support about 420,000 square feet of development.

The station is served by the Blue and Yellow lines along with multiple Metrobus routes.

Why it matters
The project could add hundreds of homes within walking distance of rail and bus service, while bringing new shops and public spaces to the Braddock Road area.

For Alexandria, that could mean more housing near existing transit, better station access and new activity around a major transportation hub without requiring residents to depend as heavily on cars.

The big picture
Metro has been using its Joint Development program to turn underused transit-owned land into housing, commercial space and other development.

Its 10-year plan calls for advancing 20 joint development projects by 2032.

Between the lines
The proposal would arrive as Alexandria is also working on improvements along the Braddock Road corridor.

That city project is focused on making connections between the Metro station, nearby homes, schools, businesses and trails safer and more efficient.

The redevelopment still faces local concerns. ALX Now reported that some nearby residents have raised questions about flooding and added traffic, with neighborhood opinion divided over the potential project.

What’s next
Metro will review proposals from private development teams and select a partner capable of financing and delivering the project.

Any eventual plan would still need to move through additional development and approval steps before construction could begin.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE→

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