NEWSLETTER
JULY/AUGUST 2025 | Left photo: At the MCA Membership meeting: MCA President Camille White-Partain, at right, with MCF Board Member Jane Bohlin, with MCA Board Member Martin Smith in background.
Right photo: MCA members at the McLean Day booth, from left: Second Vice President and Membership Committee Chair Steve Donovan, Board Member Jo-Anne Sears, Board Member and Budget & Taxation Committee Chair Jim Kulikowski, Membership Committee member (and unofficial photographer) Brian Shahkarami, Board Member Amy Gwinn, President Camille White-Partain, and Membership Committee member Martha Vera.
To view more of Brian's 2025 McLean Day photos and Annual Meeting photos just click the links or visit the MCA website.
| | Photo courtesy Office of Dranesville Supervisor |
Dear MCA Members,
During my first month in office, I had the opportunity to attend many interesting meetings and events. I would like to share at least one with you, as it coincides with the inclusion of eleven decades of MCA history. Merrily Pierce has graciously agreed to present a decade of this rich history at each monthly MCA Board of Directors meeting.
On June 14th, I attended the Historic Pleasant Grove’s Annual Open House and Museum Grand Reopening. Descendants of freed slaves and native Americans built The Pleasant Grove Church, located on 8641 Lewinsville Road, McLean Virginia. After a few years of fundraising, the Church was established in 1895. During the next seven decades the Church provided religious and secular services for the community.
In 1980, the Church was sold and the new owners stripped it of its stained-glass windows, beadboard wainscoting and stamped tin ceiling and wall covering, which they sold at auction.
In 1982, The Friends of Pleasant Grove, a nonprofit organization, was chartered to preserve this landmark. Currently, the organization is trying to locate the items sold and return them to their rightful place.
If you have a chance to visit this historic Church, museum and cemetery, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Wishing you a happy and safe 4th of July and an enjoyable summer.
PS: Please join me in donating to our local Fire Department -- see below. Thank you!
Camille White-Partain
President, MCA
| MCA Comments on Plan Forward's Transportation Policy Revisions
At its July 2nd meeting, MCA approved a letter commenting on Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT's) proposed revisions to the County’s transportation policies in the County’s Comprehensive Plan, part of the Plan Forward initiative. The letter commended FCDOT for proposing enhanced multimodal transportation and public transit and for promoting collaboration with community members in transportation planning, initiatives, and projects.
The letter also offered suggestions for improvement, including:
-- encouraging the County to be diligent in responding to community questions regarding transportation projects and initiatives;
-- strengthening policies that recognize the heightened transportation needs of seniors, persons with disabilities, and other persons who are mobility challenged;
-- reconsidering changes to policies that promote safety;
-- acknowledging the impact of budget constraints on active transportation projects (e.g., sidewalks) to allow more neighborhoods to be addressed
-- adding canopy tree loss to the list of environmental concerns.
The MCA Transportation Committee typically meets on the second Tuesday of the month. However, the next committee meeting will take place via Zoom in late July or August (date TBD) as a joint meeting with the Environment, Parks and Recreation Committee and the Virginia Department of Transportation regarding the 495Next Project. For more information, contact Transportation Committee Chair Glenn Harris.
| County Staff Briefs P&Z Committee on Urban Design Guidelines
The June 24th Planning & Zoning Committee meeting began with a presentation on the updated Urban Design Guidelines, Vol. I, from Daquan Zhou, Revitalization Program Manager for Fairfax County's Department of Planning and Development. Volume I, issued in 2018, lays out best practices that apply to all districts (Volume II is district-specific). It was updated to reflect the County's changing built environment and capture the latest urban design approaches. MCA is particularly interested in how the Guidelines apply to McLean Community Business Center redevelopment efforts.
After emphasizing that the Guidelines are advisory in nature, Mr. Zhou reviewed substantive updates to the Guidelines regarding:
-- "Active Transportation" (bike paths and sidewalks)
-- Crosswalks, driveways, and other pedestrian safety priorities
-- Street trees, landscaping, furnishings
-- Pavement treatments
-- Townhomes
-- Architecture from a pedestrian viewpoint
-- Parks, with an emphasis on equity and accessibility
A video of the June meeting, which also includes a presentation about a proposed Tysons area development and a discussion of Plan Forward's Land Use Element is available on the MCA website, along with previous meeting videos. | Tysons Liaison
Public Safety/Seniors Liaison |  |
Greater Tysons Citizens Coalition (GTCC) Hosts Annual Public Safety Update
June 12th: Annual Safety Update. Organized by MCA's Public Safety/Seniors Liaison, Patrick Smaldore, and GTCC Chair/MCA Tysons Liaison, Sally Horn, this year's public safety update was exceptionally informative. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD) officials discussed, among other topics, the new in-house pharmacy program; workarounds implemented to preserve critical services in the face of budget constraints; and plans for the new fire station at Tysons Transit Station.
Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) discussed crime statistics and trends, including types of cybercrime; the effectiveness of the Tysons Corner Mall police beat; efforts to reduce car racing and noise, and many other topics. View the FCPD slide presentation here.
FCPD also provided some useful links:
Watch the video of both presentations, with Q&A.
Upcoming GTCC Meeting
July 10th: Tysons Community Alliance (TCA) Update. TCA CEO Katie Cristol will update attendees on TCA activities and provide an assessment of Tysons from the TCA perspective.
Meeting will be held in the McLean Community Center's McLean Room at 7pm. For more information, contact GTCC Chair and MCA Tysons Liaison, Sally Horn, at tysons_liaison@mcleancitizens.org
| Fire Engine Fundraiser:
Help McLean Volunteer Fire Department Purchase a New Fire Engine
The Mclean Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) is having a breakfast fundraiser on July 25th at J Gilbert's, the purpose of which is to help raise money for a new fire engine. The total cost of the engine is more than $1 million, with about $300,000 paid for by the County. MVFD has to raise the remaining $700,000.
Event tickets are $175 each. Click here to purchase tickets -- or click here to make a donation in any amount. (Sponsorship package information is below.)
MCA is encouraging its members to contribute to this worthy cause. If you'd like your donation to count toward the MCA contribution, please indicate your MCA affiliation when you purchase tickets or donate. | |