UPDATE: News and Announcements from the RHCA

Since there are no issues that require immediate action, the Tuesday, April 23, meeting of the Rose Hill Civic Association has been cancelled. However, there are a number of developments and issues of concern for your household and your community.

News Bulletin!

The government building at 6801 Telegraph Road across from Greendale Golf Course has been sold. The buyer is Sandeep Lohia, a real estate developer and business investor based in Northern Virginia. Sandeep and his wife, Sailini Lohia, founded Fiore Montessori School in Vienna and Leesburg, Va. The price paid for the vacant 110,000 square-foot building was $6.65 million.
   
Mr. Lohia has not said what he plans to do with the property, but the Rose Hill Civic Association will endeavor to find out and present its findings at the next RHCA meeting on May 28.

Entrance Sign Update

First, the investigation concerning the repair of the Rose Hill entrance sign is ongoing. Since the sign is located in VDOT right of way, we need approval to move forward. At the same time, we hope to hold the person liable for the damage to pay for the repair.

The crash occurred after a police chase that started on the Beltway and reached a speed of 90 miles per hour. No wonder the driver couldn’t make the turn onto Rose Hill Drive from Franconia Road! The driver’s court appearance is scheduled for June 18 and RHCA will be there. We invite you to join us. Meanwhile, we are soliciting ideas on what kind of sign you would like to see to replace the one that was damaged.

Property Tax Increase

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is in the midst of deciding the property tax rate for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The taxes will be due by the end of this year. Even though the public hearings have been held, we encourage you to communicate your concerns to Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk and Board Chairman Jeff McKay.

At present, the County Executive is proposing a four-cent increase per $100 of property value. That’s on top of the automatic increase triggered if your property has been assessed at a higher value than a year ago.

The requested tax rate would be 1.135 as compared to last year’s 1.095. That’s a $524 boost in the average annual tax bill for residential property in Fairfax County. The tax rate will apply to the entire assessment of your property. Given the rising cost of everything else, affordability of living in Fairfax County will take a hit, particularly for those on fixed or limited incomes.

Contact Supervisor Rodney Lusk at rodney.lusk@fairfaxcounty.gov or Chairman Jeff McKay at chairman@fairfaxcounty.gov. You can send it to the entire Board of Supervisors at ClerktotheBOS@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Personal e-mails are a more effective way to make an impact that an RHCA resolution!

Support our Franconia Neighbors on Government Center Redevelopment    

The County is involved in a proposal to redevelop the current Franconia Government Center into a five-story apartment building of 120 units for low- and moderate-income housing. The surrounding Franconia neighborhood is concerned about the impact of the proposed use and has mounted a vigorous campaign against the project. (Sound like the Rose Hill Plaza proposal?)

You can read about the proposed development, the community’s reasons for opposing it and sign a petition by visiting the Franconia Coalition website and reading the item that explains the issue. We encourage you to sign the petition, or better yet, transmit your opposition to Supervisor Lusk at the e-mail address above. You can also give input at a public meeting on April 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the cafeteria at John Lewis High School. Our friends in Franconia support us on the Rose Hill Plaza issue, so please return the favor.

Rose Hill Plaza Update

We are STILL waiting for Combined Properties to produce a revised plan for the development of the Rose Hill Plaza Shopping Center. No news may be good news, but there is the gnawing suspicion that Combined is trying to outwait us. We know there is activity to gather support for the project by the YIMBY Fairfax group, few, if any, of which, live in Rose Hill or our surrounding single-family neighborhoods.

YIMBY stands for Yes in My Back Yard. But this isn’t in their back yard, it’s in ours and we don’t want it. The development of hundreds of housing units will overwhelm our infrastructure and change the character of our neighborhood.

We must stand firm in our decision to protect our community, particularly against outsiders, developers and those with special interests. Your support of RHCA is critical if we are to succeed.