 | |
Help MCA Celebrate 110 Continuous Years of Community Service
Former MCA President, Merrily Pierce, Chair of MCA’s 110th Anniversary Celebration, recently reminded me that MCA is Fairfax County's oldest continuously operating civic association! The secret to our longevity is directly related to our passionate, informed and dedicated volunteers and our engaged membership. I hope to see you at the two 110th Anniversary Celebration events or the other events listed below.
Collectively, MCA Committees are focused on the 2025 Virginia Legislative Session. The County Board of Supervisors will develop a legislative agenda. It is anticipated that the Supervisors will focus on Virginia’s underfunding of schools per Virginia's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) report.
Again, we urge you to help us Kill the Casino Bill. Plan to attend the Public Forum on October 27 at 3:00 p.m. at McLean High. To learn how you can help us to get our Supervisors to NO CASINO, click on the No Casino Toolkit below.
Attend the No Fairfax Casino Community Forum:
When: Sunday, October 27, 3-4:30 p.m.
Where: McLean High School, 1633 Davidson Rd
What: This Community Forum will feature special guest speaker Senator Jennifer Boysko, a member of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, where the Casino Bill was continued in the last legislative session. This bill can be restarted as early as Fall 2024 but is more likely to be reintroduced in the 2025 General Assembly Legislative Session.
Stay Informed:
Get your very own No Fairfax Casino Toolkit!! |  | | | | Upcoming Events:
Dranesville Celebration of Trees. Sunday, October 20th, 4pm-6pm, Lewinsville Park. Spend the afternoon surrounded by nature and help promote awareness and protection of the Dranesville District tree canopy at this first annual event.
MCA 110th Anniversary Celebration. Thursday, November 14th, 7pm-9pm, McLean Community Center Community Hall: Come celebrate and enjoy refreshments as we honor our past as the oldest active county civic organization and look forward to a future of continued involvement in the issues that impact McLean residents. Volunteer at Signupgenius or contact Merrily Pierce.
| | | Be a Participant, not a Bystander:
Join MCA Today
Many important emails, including MCA’s membership renewal notices, are landing in spam folders. This is due to “enhanced filtering” by email providers. You can check your MCA membership status by logging into your account or clicking here. If you need assistance, email membership@mcleancitizens.org.
|  | | Committee Spotlight: Public Safety Liaison
The Public Safety Liaison addresses public safety issues and advocates for solutions by studying and reporting on matters related to Police, Fire and Rescue, public safety communications, emergency management, and public health. By working closely with local, state, and federal officials, the Public Safety Liaison aims to inform and educate McLean area residents so they can keep themselves and their neighbors safe.
2024 programs included:
* Collaborating with the MCA Transportation Committee to host a citizens information event on traffic calming measures, February 21st at McLean Community Center (MCC) (video).
* Collaborating with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FRD), the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD), and MCC to present the annual Senior Safety Summit, April 24th at MCC (photo album).
* Collaborating with MCC and FRD to sponsor a CERT Basic Training Course starting May 13th, Monday and Thursday evenings at MCC (22 students graduated!)
* Helped coordinate the participation of the McLean District Police Station, the McLean Volunteer Fire Department, and the McLean American Legion Post 270 in the May 27th Memorial Day Wreath Laying Ceremony at McLean High School.
* Collaborating with MCA's Tysons Committee and the Greater Tysons Citizen Coalition (GTCC) on the annual meeting on public safety in and around Tysons, June 20th at MCC (video).
* Helped coordinate the participation of FRD and FCPD in the McLean Movie Night sponsored by McLean Revitalization Corporation, September 20th at Franklin Sherman Elementary School (photo album).
Mark your calendar now for these 2025 programs:
Senior Safety Summit: Wednesday, April 23, 2025, 10am-12pm, at MCC. This informative program covers community risk reduction, crime prevention and safety, emergency preparedness, missing persons, financial crimes, and romance and business scams, with plenty of time for questions.
CERT Basic Training Course: April 17 – May 10, 2025, in the Pimmit Hills Education Center, 7510 Lisle Ave, Falls Church, VA 22043. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a national program supported by FEMA and managed in Fairfax County by the FRD to make communities safer, more prepared, and, when incidents occur, more resilient in recovery.
Patrick Smaldore has served as MCA's public safety liaison since 2012. A graduate of both the Police and Fire Rescue Academies, Patrick was recognized as the 2023 Lord Fairfax from Dranesville District.
(Photo above: Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Chief Training Officer Deputy Chief Brian Edmonston, left; Patrick Smaldore, center; and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Chief John Butler, at FCFRD Recruit #162 Graduation Ceremonies, September 20, 2024.)
|  | Committees: The Heart of MCA
Budget & Taxation (B&T)
Planning & Zoning (P&Z)
Transportation
Education & Youth (E&Y)
Environment, Parks & Recreation (EP&R)
Tysons
Membership
Liaison to McLean Community Center (MCC)
Liaison to McLean Planning Committee (MPC)
Liaison to McLean Revitalization Corporation (MRC)
Public Safety Liaison
Senior Liaison
MCA's Committees study issues affecting residents of the McLean Area; develop MCA Resolutions and letters on issues of public significance; and organize public citizen information sessions where local elected officials, Fairfax County representatives and others address specific areas of interest.
Each Committee is made up of volunteers, many of whom have considerable experience and expertise on subjects that the Committee oversees.
You must be a member of the MCA in order to join an MCA Committee.
If you're interested in joining a Committee, or if there is an issue affecting the McLean Area that you think the Committee should investigate, contact the Committee Chair. Thank you for helping to keep MCA an effective advocate for the greater McLean community! | | |
Don't Forget to Renew Your MCA Membership
Click the Red Button Below
|  | | Letter on ALUs
MCA has written a letter to the Fairfax County Zoning Administrator stating its concern over proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance that would relax the requirements for Accessory Living Units (ALUs). In its letter, MCA notes that ALU restrictions in the 2021 Zoning Ordinance (zMOD ) were incorporated in response to homeowner opposition to relaxing ALU requirements. MCA also points out that the Administrator's April 2024 Report fails to provide support for several of its suggested changes, including a reduction in the current 2-acre requirement for ALUs and an increase in the 1,200 square-foot space limitation.
|  | Accessory Living Units Defined
In Fairfax County, an accessory living unit (ALU) is defined as a secondary dwelling unit established in conjunction with and clearly subordinate to a single-family detached dwelling unit. These living spaces include areas for eating, sleeping, living, and sanitation. ALUs within the principal dwelling (not in a detached structure) and that meet all of the applicable standards, including access and entrances, size, and parking, may apply for approval through an administrative permit. Otherwise, an accessory living unit requires submission of an application for a special permit, which requires approval by the Board of Zoning Appeals. For more information, see the County ALU application page.
| | |
Step Back in Time: Get Ready for MCA's 110th Anniversary Celebration
|  | |
If you've never visited the Mclean History Portal, you're missing out. An MCA-backed project, the Portal went live in May 2019 to serve as a "virtual McLean Room" to aid researchers and residents interested in McLean's history (the actual archives are located in the Virginia Room at the City of Fairfax Regional Library). The Portal indexes collections that range from manuscripts, photographs, and oral histories to newspapers, yearbooks, and more. |  | (downtown McLean, early 1970s)
Browse e-book histories, such as this one on Salona, that traces the history of a McLean, Virginia house from the "Langley" grant through the Civil War up to 1979.
Check out some of the McLean History Portal's fascinating oral histories. | | |
|