Firstly, thanks to our community for supporting Aster Waves, the micro farm business I founded in 2025. I am honored to be sharing our story in The Rambler.

The seeds for Aster Waves were planted during the 1990s when my teenage self-maintained an extensive garden and worked on horse farms. My interests in horticulture and animal husbandry have persisted, although they were sometimes muted by life circumstances.

However, over the last decade, my farming dreams experienced several accelerants:  

1) The purchase of my home in Rose Hill (with land…and dirt!) after years of apartment living.

2) The development of my interest in wildlife conservation, especially pollinators, resulting in my property becoming a certified wildlife sanctuary.

3) As an extension of this interest, becoming a beekeeper and the correlated bee husbandry mentoring I’ve received; and

4) Due to my husband’s veteran status, our participation in Arcadia Farms Veteran Farmer Reserve training program during 2025.

Of these, the Arcadia program was especially impactful for formalizing my interests in wildlife conservation and sustainable agriculture into a fledgling but more formal farm business.

As an enterprise, Aster Waves’ mission is to strengthen our community through accessible and sustainable agriculture. We hope to humanize a connection to farming and drive better harmony with each other and with wildlife. The support and engagement we have received from our neighbors thus far gives me hope that we are on the right path.

Interestingly, the very nature of beekeeping drives connection. Bees demand a high skill level. I benefited from working with mentors, and now that my skill level has matured, I am mentoring new beekeepers and running for an officer position with the Northern Virginia Beekeepers Association.

For the near term, we seek to drive a big impact despite our ¼ acre suburban lot. Bees provide a unique opportunity when land is limited as their space requirements are far less than most other livestock. Additionally, many beekeepers have multiple apiaries at no additional cost due to the desirability of bees’ presence for pollination. Honey, as a crop, is conducive to small-scale farming because of its shelf life; it lasts thousands of years in optimal conditions which helps avoid perishability losses. Honey is also a highly desired product; it has terroir, similar to wine, which means the taste is highly dependent on its growing environment. Our honey naturally changes throughout the year and from year to year but always reflects the terroir of Rose Hill.

Bees are industrious creatures; with only a few hives, our 2025 honey crop neared 25 gallons, which is higher than average and likely the result of my other gardening activities. Thanks to the support of our community, most of this inventory is sold and I expect the business to be profitable in 2026.

Honey is indeed a sweet part of our story, although we are writing more chapters. Our current product list goes beyond honey to include beeswax, loofah and birdhouse gourds, and during 2026, we plan to further experiment with flowers, attend more markets and continue to explore purchasing additional land.  

If you are interested in following our journey, you can find us at asterwaves.com, on Instagram (@aster_waves_urban_farm), on Nextdoor (Aster Waves Urban Farm) and at our home at 4404 Roundhill Road.  

Lydia Lawless is the founder of Aster Waves Urban Farm

Rose Hill Civic Association Meeting on Tuesday, January 27 Cancelled Due to Inclement Weather, Decision on Plan for Development on Telegraph Road Set for Next RHCA Meeting February 24

Due to the snow and extreme cold in the forecast, the Rose Hill Civic Association meeting for Tuesday, Jan. 27, is being cancelled.

A planned presentation on plans to develop the former government property across from the golf course will be rescheduled for the next RHCA meeting on Tuesday, February 24 in the community rooms at John Marshall Library.

Stay safe and check on your neighbors as we all recover from the storm.

The Reverend Billy Graham once said, “A coach will impact more people in one year than most do in a lifetime.”  The question of course is, what kind of impact will that coach have?

A big part of my life has been spent in the local youth and high school sports scene in Northern Virginia and specifically in Franconia. My sports experience started with Pioneer T-ball at Lee District Park (now Franconia Park) in 1981 with my dad as one of my coaches. I also played soccer and basketball while in middle school and even made the All-Star team in the 7th and 8th grade.

At Hayfield High School, however, my dreams of athletic glory ended abruptly when I tried out for JV basketball and was cut. That experience forced me to reconsider my identity as an athlete but also set the stage for a career in coaching.

I came to believe that my identity was in who God said I was. I began to focus less on performance and more on character.

Despite not having played any sports in high school, I was able to play one year of D3 college basketball. Along the way, I found I had a knack for teaching and even took a part-time job coaching JV basketball. I also led a basketball instruction clinic and coached a church youth team. I wasn’t the greatest coach, but I really enjoyed the process of teaching and learning.

Over the years I’ve learned a lot, both by trial and error, by professional development, and by being around some great coaches.  Here’s what I believe are the core tenets of what it means to be a coach:

1. Care for your athletes and their families. We need good people more than good athletes. There’s a great book called “Inside Out Coaching” where the Head Coach of high schoolers is asked how his team is looking.  He responds, “I’ll tell you in 20 years.” He was more concerned with the type of adults they became than the athletes they were.
2. Integrity. What is the transformation you want to see? Make sure the goals you set are good and then ask yourself: “Does what I say and do in practice, and in games, actually lead toward these goals?”
3. Intentionally teach character. Sports don’t automatically teach it. There are too many stories of successful athletes with character problems.
4. Pursue excellence. While perfection is impossible, excellence is not. Details matter. Lead by example and expect your athletes to do the same.
5. Become an excellent observer and expert communicator. I see coaches get frustrated or experience less than great results because their observations are inaccurate or their communication isn’t as clear as they think it is.
6. Know what to control. You can’t control everything. Sometimes you might even impede progress by trying to control everything.  Learn what needs to be controlled, and what doesn’t. Get input from others. Your own perspective is often limited.
7. Have fun. You can get more from athletes when something is fun. Be creative on how to keep things fun.

This is why I coach. While I’m nowhere near perfect, I strive to be a good example to my athletes, and to other coaches, and pull others up along the way.

If you are like me, we could use you out there coaching. There are a lot of volunteer coach opportunities in the area, including Pioneer Youth Baseball and Lee Mount Vernon Sports Club.

Steven Able represents the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and works with coaches and athletes at seven public schools in Fairfax County, including Edison High School.

Hi, my name is Emily Davis. My parents have lived in Rose Hill for over 40 years. On the morning of October 10, 2025, a series of ordinary moments aligned in extraordinary ways to save the life of Kingsley Davis, a man known for his warmth and humor and a distinctive neighborhood dog whistle.

Kingsley is my dad and as he stepped outside that day with the family dog, Bodi, to assess our lawn for landscaping, within minutes he collapsed in the yard, unresponsive and in full cardiac arrest.

At that same moment, across the street, two of our neighbors were running behind. Elellan, a punctual student who never runs late for school, happened to be delayed. Her mother, Lemene, pulled their car out of the driveway at a slightly different angle—a subtle shift in routine that became the difference between life and death. From the car, they saw my dad lying on the side of our yard on the ground.

Bodi reacted instantly with a loud, piercing bark—a dog’s instinctive alarm—and then, remarkably, stepped back as Lemene and Elellan ran toward Kingsley, then to our home, banging on the door and shouting for assistance.

Inside, my mother Janet and I rushed outside. 911 was called by our amazing neighbors and as I assessed my father’s condition I immediately began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR.

“Those first minutes are everything,” the cardiologist would later tell me. CPR kept oxygen circulating to my dad’s brain and vital organs until emergency responders arrived. Doctors made it clear that this quick action was the critical factor in his survival. “You saved his life,” the medical team told me. “CPR is the first line of action in cardiac arrest. Without it, the outcome would have been very different.”

Kingsley was taken to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Fairfax Inova Hospital where he underwent a defibrillator procedure and later transferred to Mount Vernon Inova Hospital for rehabilitation, including speech therapy, physical therapy, and respiratory care. After one month and three days, on Nov. 10, my dad came home where he continues a steady and remarkable recovery.

Our family will never forget the role our neighbors played and what others did while my dad was hospitalized: Offering prayers, dropping off meals, checking in, taking care of Bodi during the day (you know who you are!), and providing the kind of support that transforms a crisis into a shared effort of care.

This experience has reshaped my own perspective on emergency preparedness. I have lifeguarding and Teacher CPR and First Aid skills and I plan to continue CPR education through the American Red Cross and am hopeful that others will consider doing the same.

My dad is alive today because a chain of small miracles—perfect timing, fast action, and lifesaving skills—came together at exactly the right moment.

The following story is about a subject that has bedeviled and been costly for residents of Rose Hill and neighboring communities for more than 50 years. Side and rear walls of homes have collapsed because of shifting clay in developments that were zoned in the 1960s and before. Properties that were zoned then but not developed until later have resulted in slides, particularly those home built at the bottom of a hill. That is apparently what happened in this case when the upper slope was developed after the approval of engineers, both public and private, that were involved in the process. I was a member of the Fairfax County Planning Commission from 1975 to 1995 and tried, along with then Supervisor Joe Alexander and many interested citizens, to avoid development on marine clay and steep slopes. We weren't always successful because of land values and engineers' reports that the clay issue could be contained. This story should be required reading for all engineers and residents who are involved with properties that include marine clay.  

- Carl Sell, President, Rose Hill Civic Association

Creaking floors at night? Unexplained knocks in the wall? Who you going to call? For Peter and Rhiannon on Carriage Drive, the answer was not Ghostbusters, but a foundation specialist. Soil in our area has large amounts of clay. When wet, this clay expands; when dry, it contracts. Over time this process pushes on walls and causes sinkage below foundations.

The couple's house had classic signs of foundation damage: doors and windows that were stuck, cracks in the drywall at the corners of window and doorways, and squeaky, uneven floors. There were three problems: 1) the foundation in two corners had sunk, 2) the back wall built into the hill was pushed inward, and 3) and the grading around the house had deteriorated, preventing water from running away from the house. The couple spent a year planning the work, obtaining quotes, and evaluating contractors, eventually signing a contract with Structural Repair & Renovations.

The first step was to stabilize the foundation. Work began in November 2024, when the crew excavated the perimeter of the house to access the concrete footing. To prevent the foundation from sinking, twenty-six piers were driven into the soil around the house and secured to the footing. To keep the back wall from moving inward, ten composite straps were installed inside from the footing to the sill plate.    Exposing the back wall showed the damage was greater than anticipated, and rebar and concrete columns were cast into a portion of the back wall to strengthen it.

The next step was to prevent water buildup around the foundation. The crew applied heavy, multi-layered waterproofing around the house to direct water down along the walls to an exterior French drain at the base. Then the excavation was backfilled with gravel to allow water to filter down to the drain, preventing the hillside from expanding and contracting into the walls.

Lastly, to direct water away from the house, the entire property was regraded, and downspouts were buried and directed away from the house.

Exposing so much of the structure of the house was an opportunity to add a personal touch and prepare for future additions. A slab was poured along the   entire length of the front to provide a concrete porch. The side exit into the hillside was expanded to prepare for a mudroom and kitchen expansion addition. The air conditioner was moved away from the bedrooms to reduce noise at night. Two windows were added to the lower level to increase natural light. Walls from a previous remodel that overly divided the lower level were removed. Finally, the structure of the rear deck, which had deteriorated, was rebuilt.

The project spanned three months, and the couple spent two and a half weeks out of the house while the inside portions of the work (removal of walls and drywall, installing new windows, and reinforcing the back wall) were underway. While it was a large undertaking, the house is better for the work and the bumps in the night have disappeared.

(Photos: Peter Knudtson)

Dear Supervisor Lusk:

I am writing this letter on behalf of myself, my neighbors, and the Rose Hill Civic
Association to make sure you and the County staff are fully aware of the history of this
application, which relates to a vacant property that is in my backyard. The previous owner
of my property was heavily involved in an effort to develop it under the current C-5 zoning.
As you will see, that attempt was denied because of the poor soil conditions on the site.
So far, it does not appear that the applicant seeking the zoning change is fully aware of
the problems.
   
Comments in e-mails to our Association also quote the County Planning Staff as
thinking the development should be attractive to the neighbors because it will "beautify" the site. If accurate, that quote shows a lack of knowledge of the property, which was
used as a lumber yard long before Rose Hill was built. The property has also been long
neglected by its current owners, especially the vacant side of the property, which is
overgrown with invasive plant species (kudzu) and contains tires, toilets, and a wide
variety of dangerous trash that has been dumped there over the years. The other side
isn't much better, and other than the few storefronts, it appears to serve mostly as an
industrial zone overflowing with junk vehicles. A bare-minimum level of maintenance on
the site would be nice but filling it with townhomes or retail is hardly beautifying it.
Other than admitting they represented the owner, the lawyer and real estate salesman
who represented the developer at the February 25 RHCA meeting presented no plan or
information. It feels like they are being deliberately cagey and dishonest. When asked if
they knew the history of the soil and other problems with the site, they said they were
aware and were working on them. I have observed exactly zero people working on these
problems in the 7 years I have lived here. The answer left many questions for a
community that has a long history with soil problems caused by marine clay.

To that point, the area is basically a swamp pocked with marine clay deposits, a small
stagnant pond, and multiple springs. The property is on a steep hill and development
efforts in the 1960s involved removal of large amounts of soil that led to cave-ins,
slippage, and foundation damage to structures uphill from the site on Maryview Street.
Further, another developer paid a worker to clear the land a few years ago and, in the
process of doing so, the worker’s backhoe became stuck in the marine clay soil and had
to be towed out.

Although the comment about beautification was second-hand, we want to make sure
the Planning Staff is aware of the previous actions by the Department of Public Works
and Environmental Science involving this site.
   
We are appalled at the cavalier approach by a yet-unidentified developer for this
proposed zoning in our midst. We question their commitment to providing information to
our community and the County Staff. We are writing to make sure you and the staff are
aware of our concerns at this early stage of the process.

First, we wonder why the County has accepted an application for development that
already has been turned down for reasons that obviously have not changed. We would
also like to know why the owners of the land have been allowed to let it fall into disrepair
for decades and are now going to be potentially rewarded by selling it and developing it.
Furthermore, we are deeply concerned about the potential height of townhomes or other
structures that might be built in our backyards.

It's been more than two years since Combined Properties Inc. first unveiled its proposal to replace the Rose Hill Plaza shopping center with a mixed-use development consisting of as many as 400 apartments with garage parking and ground-floor only retail, a separate building for a grocery store and pedestrian-oriented green space along Rose Hill Drive.

A survey conducted by the Rose Hill Civic Association in 2022 found widespread opposition to the proposal and Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk has held up consideration by the Fairfax County Planning Commission until the property owner comes up with a different proposal that addresses community concerns about the loss of retail, increased traffic and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood.

While Combined Properties has not yet submitted a new proposal for the property, RHCA is concerned that having no new input from residents of Rose Hill and surrounding neighborhoods could result in approval of the original proposal.

To ensure your voice is heard, please follow this link to a Google Forms page and fill out a new survey. The Rose Hill Civic Association will collect responses in the coming weeks and share them with the community, board of supervisors, and Combined Properties.

The following image is a rendering Combined Properties' most recent plan for Rose Hill Plaza (as far as we know).

Sandeep Lohia, the new owner of the office building at 6801 Telegraph Road, has agreed to discuss his purchase of the large former government office building across from Greendale Golf Course at a meeting of the Rose Hill Civic Association on Tuesday May 28 at 7 p.m. in the community rooms of the John Marshall Library. 

When Martha Day opened Sonny’s Place in 2018, she was looking for a new purpose in her life after retirement. Her Irish Setter pup, Sonny Boy, had just begun attending Doggie Daycare at Poochie Playhouse, which was shutting down after operating for 12 years in Rose Hill Plaza.

“I decided what could be more fulfilling than providing a loving safe place for Sonny to play with other dogs in the community,” Martha says.

Since then, Martha has provided what she likes to call “your pets favorite home away from home” for nearly 2,000 customers.

”Sonny’s Place provides wonderful daycare, professional grooming and the only cage-free boarding in the area,” Martha says. “Dogs are given two walks a day, socialized with other dogs of like size and guaranteed to be tired when picked up by their owners at the end of the day.”

Now, because of health issues, Martha is attempting to sell the business and is negotiating with several prospective buyers. The process is complicated by the fact that the owner of the shopping center, Combined Properties, has proposed razing the center and replacing it with as many as 400 apartments and cutting as much as 70% of space for retail stores.

“Like all the shops in Rose Hill Plaza, the question of whether they will be around after 2027 is very real,” Martha says. “Sonny’s is a very important and valuable business for this community.”

“Through the years we have experienced highs and lows. The challenges have been many, from constant turnover among dog groomers, the Covid-19 shutdown, and dog flu and cat rabies cases. We survived them all thanks to the love and support of wonderful people in the community and the understanding and support of the landlord.”

Martha says her hope is that Sonny’s will continue to serve pet owners in Rose Hill for years to come. “The foundation,” she notes, “has been laid.”

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.

Community members, schoolteachers and staff are volunteering their time to mentor young people who need a helping hand to keep up with classmates or to ease anxieties some kids have in dealing with group activities and personal relationships.

At Rose Hill Elementary, Virginia State Trooper Darius Henry comes from his home in Woodbridge to spend time with a student he first met two years ago and who now has become a kind of celebrity to all his 6th grade classmates when Trooper Henry shows up in full uniform to have lunch or when he joins in during recess or rides along as a chaperone on a field trip to the Baltimore Aquarium.

Henry, who is 30 years old and has two kids of his own, wants students to see police as real people and not someone to fear. “[Mentoring] has a positive effect on me too,” he says. “When I walk in and the kids go crazy, it helps me out. I see a lot of bad things in my job. It’s nice to have brighter things to think about.”

At Twain Middle School, Samantha Vivian-Beck runs a program called R.i.S.E. (Respect. Inspire. Strive. Educate.) that pairs selected students with teachers and school staff who then engage in planned extracurricular activities, such as a scavenger hunt, escape room, or potluck dinner, at least once a month during the school year.

“In my second year at Twain Middle School, I saw that there were lots of students who struggled behaviorally and socially and that their struggles impacted their ability to participate in after school clubs and events,” Samantha explained. “The RiSE mentoring program gives those students a better sense of community which in turn allows them to build stronger relationships with peers and adults.”

Samantha would like to see the program she started at Twain expanded to other schools. “If Fairfax County Public Schools had the resources to enable me to do RiSE full time for the county, I would jump at the chance as I fully believe in its viability.”

At Edison High School, a new mentoring program that matches students with each other has recently been launched and Tiffany McVicker, a student who was mentored at Twain, says she looks forward to joining the program next year. “RiSE really helped me,” she said.

Martha Macdonald, a mentoring specialist with the Fairfax County Public Schools, says approximately 3,000 community members and school staff are currently involved in mentorships with roughly 4,000 students throughout the county. The number of community mentors fell off sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic, Macdonald notes. “I lost 800+ trained and vetted mentors who never returned after schools reopened,” she said. “Many of them moved geographically or moved onto another worthy cause.”

Anyone interested in becoming a mentor can contact Martha at the Office of Student Safety and Wellness at 571-230-3596.

Fairfax County officials are planning a series of studies to create commercial profiles of neighborhoods in the county that will inform future economic development initiatives, according to a recent FFX Now report that mentioned Rose Hill as one such area. Read the entire report here.

During a recent committee meeting, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors discussed the program, which involves studying different communities to provide data-driven insights into their commercial districts. The first phase will focus on Bailey’s Crossroads and University Mall, considering factors such as diversity, geography, retail spending, community engagement, and more. The county plans to examine 86 shopping centers, including Rose Hill Plaza, across 26 special planning areas.

The Rose Hill Civic Association is available to assist county staff as they study the Rose Hill Plaza Shopping Center and create a commercial profile for our neighborhoods. We view the area as vibrant, diverse, and economically upscale in income and community attractions. We want to ensure that Fairfax County staff, most of whom don't live here, present an accurate picture of Rose Hill in their profiles. We believe that Rose Hill Plaza could benefit from an owner who will aggressively market the center, highlighting the area's positive attributes in ways that will attract exciting new restaurants and retailers and encourage existing businesses to stay.

The County's financial profile for the Rose Hill area is attached. Hopefully, the County staff will use the profile a part of its study and encourage the shopping center owner to utilize the information as it markets the center. We in Rose Hill conclude that the economic stability of the area is not as bleak as the County and the owner have alleged.

Did you know Franconia Park has more than five miles of walking trails? Since April 2022, volunteers have been hard at work removing brush and marking pathways to provide a safe place to enjoy a quiet walk in the woods.

Trail entrances are not yet clearly marked but can be found at several spots along the newly built Chessie’s Trail, which is paved, and along two busy roadways: Telegraph Road near Split Rock Road and South Kings Highway near Vantage Drive. Another trail entrance is in the vicinity of the outdoor basketball courts located behind the Rec Center gymnasium.

On the second Saturday of every month, the Trail and Property Beautification Team brings together volunteers, from grade school and high school students working towards service hour goals to adults and retirees who love nature and enjoy making their community more beautiful, to work on pruning trees, clearing paths and adding mulch to flower beds in the park and around the Rec Center.

“I just love being out here,” says Stephanie Smith, a volunteer who leads the Trail Team. Stephanie earned a degree in Forestry from Virginia Tech and is the Rec Center’s Volunteer of the Year. “These trails are so close to our neighborhoods; being out here takes you away from the busyness (of life). We’ve marked the trail, so you can’t get lost . . . even if you wanted to!”

Each month we have a plan of action based on supplies on hand, activity at the park and weather conditions. We have worked to widen existing trails, paint hash marks on tree trunks to lead you through a trail, cut back fallen trees, and with the help of Alexandria resident Elijah Wilson as part of his Eagle Scout project, built a culvert to prevent erosion. The U.S. Coast Guard delivered river rocks to an area of the trail for their monthly service project and Dominion Energy built a stairway on a steep portion of the trails as well.

If you would like more information about the Trail and Property Beautification Team, please reach out to me, Franconia Rec Center’s volunteer coordinator, at Julie.Margolis@fairfaxcounty.gov

As publicized in the current issue of the Rambler, a Franconia Teen who is a golfer at Edison High School is collecting names on a petition to save the former Top Golf site on South Van Dorn Street as a recreational facility. A developer has proposed to tear down the golf site and build 174 townhouses. The proposed development is double what is called for in the current comprehensive plan for the site and will adversely impact rush hour traffic on South Van Dorn Street. It also will set a dangerous precedent for the proposed apartments at the Rose Hill Plaza Shopping Center, which currently is planned, zoned and operated as a commercial center. Please consider making your voice heard by signing the petition as a decision is planned to be made in January. You can read more about the Rose Hill plan on this web site, reading the Rambler and paying attention to our e-mail contacts.

Candidates seeking election to represent Rose Hill in the Virginia State Senate, along with various other local offices, are on the agenda for the Rose Hill Civic Association meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 24, in the community rooms of the John Marshall Library. State offices are of great importance as they affect each of us directly and form the basis for Fairfax County laws and ordinances.

If you missed the Franconia District Supervisor Forum earlier this month, a video of the meeting on our website shows incumbent Rodney Lusk and challengers Paul Beran and Mark T. Welch each making presentations and answering questions from community members. Election Day is Tuesday, November 7. The polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Rose Hill Elementary School. Early voting starts Thursday, October 26, at the Franconia Government Center, 6121 Franconia Road, daily from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Also on the agenda for the October 24 RHCA meeting is an update on plans to build 173 townhouses at the former Top Golf site in Kingstowne on South Van Dorn Street. A proposal submitted by EYA LLP calls for an increase in the number of residential units allowed under the current comprehensive plan and may be used to justify a similar request to build apartments at the Rose Hill Plaza shopping center. Your voice is important!

The Rose Hill Civic Association hosted a Franconia District supervisor candidate forum on Wednesday, October 11. We recorded the video and posted it on YouTube so that voters and community members can watch the forum if they were unable to attend.

UPDATE 10/27/2023: Paul Beran contacted the RHCA and issued the following statement, which we're including in full:

Greetings from the campaign trail. I had the occasion to read your editor's note. It misquoted me as having said the proposed sale of Rose Hill Plaza is "imminent." I don't recall ever saying that. Please show me where I did, or retract your statement. I also said I had heard that the property tax on the Plaza had not yet been paid. I wondered why a proposal was being even considered without being paid in full at the time. The county statement you printed conveniently left off the dates they were paid. Nonetheless, I am pleased to see that they've been paid. We all need to pay our property taxes. The prospective buyer learned of their delinquency while doing their due diligence with the county. I made no representation beyond what I was told by the presumed buyer. I appreciate the importance of being accurate in reporting to the people.

Three candidates for Franconia District Supervisor will meet Rose Hill voters on Wednesday, October 11, in the community rooms of the John Marshall Library beginning at 7 p.m. Incumbent Democrat Rodney Lusk will begin the program, making a short statement and answering questions at 7:10 p.m. Republican Paul Beran will follow at 7:45 p.m. and Independant Mark T. Welch at 8:15. Times may differ by a few minutes. Questions will be limited to community members from Rose Hill, Sunny Ridge and Guilford. Each candidate will be asked to start their presentation by addressing the shopping center issue.

We heard from the Franconia School Board candidates on September 26. Another forum for candidates who will represent our community in the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates will be held on Tuesday, October 24, at the John Marshall Library. Also included will be candidates for Fairfax County Sherrif, Clerk of the Court and at-large seats on the Fairfax County School Board. Reaching and coordinating schedules with all of the candidates is difficult, so some may not appear. We encourage you to peruse the Fairfax County Electoral Board's 2023 Sample Ballot and contact the websites of the candidates listed.

Virginia is what is called a "Dillon Rule" state, meaning that local jurisdictions have only the power granted them by the State governing bodies. That's why our representatives at the state level are so important! We encourage you to understand the rules governing our community at the local, state and national levels. A tough chore, but that's what being a responsible citizen is all about!

Those who attended the School Board candidate meeting heard that apparently principals have the option to schedule community meetings without regard to liability insurance. We checked and found that information appears to be correct as far as it pertains to Rose Hill Elementary. We will work with the principal at RHES to schedule meetings that will attract a higher number of attendees than we can accommodate at the library. No doubt a meeting to consider any new shopping center plan from Combined Properties will trigger that number!

Recent actions by the Fairfax County Planning Commission may affect proposed changes at the Rose Hill Shopping Center. On Wednesday, September 27, the Commission approved a recommendation for 173 townhouses on the former Top Golf site on South Van Dorn Street despite a Land Use Committee vote to deny the application. The Land Use Committee is made up of community representatives in the Franconia District. One of the advocates who spoke in favor of the proposal presented a video from a group called YIMBY (Yes, In My Backyard). They didn't claim to live here!

The Planning Commission also voted to recommend to the Board of Supervisors that it LOWER the parking requirement for multi-family developments like the one proposed by Combined Properties. RHCA has continually opposed low parking requirements for multi-family units because they don't work and the excess spills over into single family communities.

For the past eighteen months since it was first presented, opposition to Combined Properties’ plan to redevelop the Rose Hill Plaza shopping center has increased dramatically after several meetings, Rambler articles and e-mail announcements.

We now have a definitive statement from Supervisor Rodney Lusk (included below) on his position on the proposal and the process and a promise from Combined to provide a new proposal by the end of the year.

In response, this is an attempt to encapsulate the community’s opposition, which apparently has not totally reached the ears of the decision makers and the property owners. In short, RHCA, its members and neighbors are overwhelmingly opposed to anything that aggravates issues such as traffic, schools, environment and the community’s quality of life.

Additional residential development affects the already high traffic volumes and the capacity of our schools. Tall buildings are not compatible with Rose Hill and its neighbors.

We like our retail center and support plans that will enhance our shopping needs. We particularly appreciate the center’s convenience and its mix of retail and professional services.

We suggest that any redevelopment of the center remain generally in line with Fairfax County’s adopted Comprehensive Plan for our area. We oppose the Site-Specific Plan Amendment process being used to circumvent the adopted plan and judge the project in a vacuum, disregarding the adjacent communities. We have said that since the beginning.  

For everyone’s information, we are referencing the specific language of the current comprehensive plan for sectors RH 2, RH4 and RH5 of the Rose Hill Planning District that has been in effect since the 1970s. It outlines our expectations for density, traffic, schools, environment, parks and recreation and infrastructure necessary to accommodate what exists and what is planned.

Pictured below, RH2 encompasses the area north of Franconia Road across from the shopping center. RH4 is the area of the shopping center and west of Rose Hill Drive and RH5 includes the area east of Rose Hill Drive.

We look forward to a plan that will enhance the community, not add to its already spiraling deficiencies in traffic and school capacity.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) has long been an occasional component of the daily weather forecast, particularly when it's high, cautioning the young, old, and health-impaired to limit their time outside. However, air quality took center stage in June as residual smoke from wildfires in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec drifted south and blanketed the DC region with hazy, harmful air.

AQI is the Environmental Protection Agency's index for air safety. It ranges from zero to 500 and is organized into five increasingly harmful categories: green (0-50), yellow (51-100), orange (101-150), red (151-200), purple (201-300), and maroon (301-500).

On June 8, the DC metro area posted a record high AQI of 198, according to a report in the Washington Post. But did you know that one of the places where the air is sampled is literally in our back yard? Yes, the monitoring station is in  Franconia Park, just beyond the Rec Center, next to a cell phone tower and close by a baseball field.

Dan Salkovitz, a meteorologist with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, said Franconia Park was carefully chosen due to the relative absence of nearby pollution sources, like highways or industrial centers, accessibility to technicians, and a variety of other EPA criteria. It measures six distinct pollutants, all of which can contribute to AQI: sulfur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5).

The latter two pollutants refer to inhalable particles that are 10 and 2.5 micrometers or smaller respectively. While ozone and PM10 can be proxy measures for smoke like that which blanketed the area in June, PM2.5 was the primary driver of poor air quality that exceeded the safe levels established by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

Contrary to the Washington Post report, Salkovitz said that AQI levels from early June (rated at the high end of the “code red” level) were not the highest ever experienced. In 2012, the station recorded a "code purple" day, although the main pollutant on that day was ozone.

Far more important than these daily spikes, however, is the broader trend line for AQI in the region. The good news is that air quality has been trending in a positive direction for many years.

"It is important to realize that air quality throughout Virginia has been greatly improving in recent decades," Salkovitz told the Rambler via email. "For   example, the number of days when ozone exceeds the NAAQS has dropped from dozens of days per year (approximately six dozen days in 1991 and 2002 alone) to just a few days per year now."

Air quality data from Franconia Park and four other monitoring stations in Northern Virginia are used to calculate the AQI for the Washington, D.C. area and can be found online at  www.deq.virginia.gov/our-programs/air/monitoring-assessments/air-quality-forecast.

Check out the rest of the August 2023 Rambler!

Owner Combined Properties wants to tear down the Rose Hill Shopping Center Plaza, keep it closed for two years, and then open a version that will include up to 400 apartments in buildings up to six stories tall, two thirds less commercial space, and parking garages. The only thing that will remain the same is McDonald’s on the corner,  which has a long lease.

Rose Hill and its neighboring communities are overwhelmingly opposed to Combined’s plans and have let Fairfax County know it in no uncertain terms. A citizen’s petition opposing the project has garnered more than 1,000 names and expands each day.

Meetings, from the Rose Hill Civic Association to County staff forums to Planning Commission hearings have drawn loud protests from those who would be most affected. The only positive voices come from the legal, real estate, finance and construction industries that directly benefit from development activity.

And, make no mistake, proponents represent organizations who claim to represent the community but are organized and funded by the very entities which will benefit the most.  They claim to represent a national trend toward increased housing. Who benefits?  

Rose Hill Plaza serves a vibrant suburban neighborhood. To build an urban-style development in its midst makes no sense. Our roads and schools already are overcrowded and there are NO plans to accommodate addition growth. Fairfax County’s Comprehensive Plan for the Rose Hill area envisions exactly what currently is in place here.

The signs you see opposing the project reflect a rising tide of community concern that is headed toward a tsunami unless clearer heads prevail. RHCA supports some sort of improvement to the existing center but does not support a development that will overwhelm our community.

More detailed information on the Combined plan and the community’s reaction are included on this web site. We invite you to become better informed about what we believe will be a detrimental addition to our community.  

If you have questions, contact RHCA president Carl Sell at sellcarl@aol.com or Daniel Bearth, editor of the Rose Hill Rambler, at idmbearth@aol.com.
If you would like to sign the petition against the development, here is the information needed to access the document: https://chng.it/hc2H4hGRdh

By Daniel Bearth

Carl Sell, president of the Rose Hill Civic Association and a long-time advocate for youth sports, parks and recreation and historic preservation in Fairfax County, was recognized as a 2023 Community Champion in a ceremony May 10 at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax, Va.

Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk nominated Carl for the Volunteer Service Award and praised his work over six decades as a youth baseball coach, community organizer and representative of Lee District (now Franconia) for the Fairfax County Park Authority and Fairfax County Planning   Commission.

“He has made many outstanding contributions resulting in the preservation of our district’s history, expansion of our parks and development of our neighborhoods,” Lusk said. “Because of Carl’s servant leadership, his work will continue to positively impact our residents for decades to come.”

Carl was a sportswriter and editor at the Evening Star newspaper in Washington, D.C. when he began coaching baseball in the early 1960s. He helped to expand the Pioneer Baseball League, coached the first female to play organized youth baseball in Fairfax County and extended opportunities for black youths to play.

While serving at the Park Authority, Sell oversaw the acquisition of an abandoned gravel pit that would become the site of Franconia Park and Rec Center. And in 1975, working with Supervisor Joe Alexander and Sen. Harry F. Byrd of Virginia, he helped negotiate a transfer of federally owned land to create Huntley Meadows Park and a nationally recognized wetland.

As a member of the Planning Commission, one of the major   accomplishments was the planning and rezoning of another former gravel pit for what is now the large and thriving community of Kingstowne.

Carl is an author of several books about the Civil War and serves as chairman of the Franconia Museum.

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Combined Properties has submitted a revised plan for redevelopment of the Rose Hill Plaza shopping center (pictured above). Company spokesman Gregory A. Riegle, in an email to Rose Hill Civic Association President Carl Sell, described the following changes from the original proposal presented in March 2022:

-Retention of a meaningful retail program that is sized and configured to current and foreseeable retail needs and trends.
-Reduced building heights in critical transition areas, including areas adjacent to Rose Hill Apartments. Building heights adjacent to the Rose Hill Apartments are proposed to be limited to four floors.
-Retention of a dedicated grocery option.
-Less structured parking and more surface parking.
 -Greater setbacks from Rose Hill Drive.
 -More logical access from Franconia Road.
 
Mr. Riegle said that while a final design is still pending, the revised plan will feature between 375 and 400 residential units and a reduction in commercial space compared to the original plan. “Our goal,” he noted, “remains to reach an outcome that will ensure the center’s success in a way that fits logically within the established community. We look forward to continuing the discussions in the coming months.”

Read a detailed statement of justification submitted by Combined Properties by clicking HERE.

[RHCA notes that although Combined’s revised plan rearranges the buildings, the inclusion of almost 400 apartments and the loss of even more commercial space are major concerns for community residents.]

In response to a plan (pictured above) from Combined Properties Inc. to redevelop the Rose Hill Plaza shopping center, the Rose Hill Civic Association offers for consideration an alternative proposal that addresses the concerns expressed by community residents.
Specifically, the RHCA suggests that a senior living component be included in the redevelopment plan with underground or garage parking confined to the senior living facility and store front parking preserved for other retail stores. A portion of the residential development could be set aside for personnel needed to operate the center and essential public workers, including entry-level police and fire fighters, school employees and teachers, health care, etc. The new center should also be compatible with the overall comprehensive plan for the area, including adjacent commercial and residential properties, and reflect suggestions from the community about the type of shops and businesses needed.

Recognizing the need for revitalization of a center that is 60 years old, RHCA presents this proposal as a way for Combined to realize the financial benefits of revitalization while at the same time respecting the community’s concerns.

The community does NOT support additional high density residential development.
Rose Hill is more than 65 years old and many of its streets are the same width as they were when the community was first built. Public facilities have been designed and built to accommodate low density residential.

There is little room for additional students at Rose Hill and nearby Bush Hill Elementary and Mark Twain Middle School. Rose Hill Elementary is located on busy Rose Hill Drive and traffic for student pickup at the start and end of school days already causes backups and delays.

Adding a senior living component would be a way to lessen the impact of redevelopment on both traffic and school enrollment.

Any proposed development shall address access points from Rose Hill Drive and Franconia Road through comprehensive traffic studies.
Facilities for people over age 55 produce much less traffic with a corresponding lesser need for onsite parking.  The current center also lacks an upscale sit-down restaurant. Such facilities are often found in Senor Living projects and access to the community would enhance the local dining experience for all. Likewise, small commercial shops often found in Senior Living facilities could serve the public, enhancing the financial viability for leaseholders.
Amenities typically found in senior housing, such as a pool, are already present in the community and would not be needed.
Any new development should have height limits and be compatible with existing developments, such as the Rose Hill Apartments and Heritage Knoll Condominiums. A new grocery story should be located in such a way to accommodate deliveries without impacting access to the Senior Living or commercial area.

Limit the height to three stories over one retail, except over grocery store, which shall have no additional stores over it.
The new center should be part of an overall comprehensive plan for the area now occupied by the center itself, the adjacent apartments and condos, a commercial bank, and the U.S. Post Office. The emphasis must be how the new center fits in with the surrounding suburban communities.

The mix of businesses in the center should reflect the suggestions advanced in the community surveys collected by RHCA. The community will provide the customers that will make the center a success and its desires for the type of shops and business should be taken into consideration.

Retail square footage of the new development will remain the same as in the present shopping center.