Charm and Chocolate -- Fairfax City Festival

When Forbes Magazine named Fairfax City #3 of the top 25 U.S. cities to live in, it must have had the Chocolate Festival in mind.

Every year at this time the town invites the rest of us to binge on chocolate and charming 19th century surroundings.  This year's festival will be held on February 6 and 7 in Old Town Fairfax at Main Street and University Drive.

Events will include a contest to create chocolate works of art, a Pancake breakfast (chocolate chip, of course), open house in some the district's historic buildings and a craft show.  Walk off some of those excess calories by exploring well preserved buildings dating from the early 1800's, including the site of the first Confederate casualty of the Civil War and the Fairfax City Courthouse--built in 1800 and still in use today.  The district also includes a wide variety of restaurants and boutiques.

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Serving real estate needs of Northern VA · in Alexandria · in Arlington · in Fairfax County ·

City of Fairfax needs Volunteers for the Environmental Sustainability Committee

City of Fairfax residents and members of the business community are encouraged to participate in the Environmental Sustainability Committee, a newly established committee that focuses on city-related environmental and energy issues. Eight committee members will be appointed by the City Council based on their interest in and experience with environment sustainability issues.

The committee is expected to meet bi-monthly and will be tasked with submitting an annual report to the Fairfax City Council that includes findings on the current condition of the city’s environmental resources; proposed policies and programs that support the preservation, protection and enhancement of the city’s environmental resources; and evaluation as to the effectiveness of existing programs and policies to protect the environment. For information, call 703-385-7816.

Of the eight positions, four will be for city residents appointed at-large. The balance will be comprised of one city resident who serves as the recycling coordinator of her/his civic association and three members of the city business community. (For the latter, city residency is not required, but the business must be located in the city.) Applications are being accepted by the Fairfax City Clerk. For information, call 703-385-7935.

In addition Fairfax needs volunteers for the following:

• Board of Architectural Review (one vacancy for a city business representative) — Hears requests for
new construction, alteration or significant landscaping in the Historic, Transition and Architectural Control Districts. Also reviews signage in the Historic and Transition Districts and some multi-tenant buildings and centers in the Architectural Control. Meets on the first and third Wednesdays of the month.
• Commission for Women (four vacancies) — Identifies and advocates for the needs of women in the
city. Promotes programs to increase awareness and provide services to the community. Open to men and women. Meets on the third Tuesday of the month.
• Environmental Sustainability Committee (one vacancy for city resident, two vacancies for city
business representatives, one vacancy for a member of the Civic Associations Recycling Coordinators Committee) — Advises and assists the City Council on policies and practices dealing with the environment and energy conservation. Meets bi-monthly (to be determined).
• Fairfax County Domestic and Juvenile Relations Court Citizens Advisory Council (one vacancy) —
Advises and cooperates with the court upon all matters affecting the working of laws relating to children, their care and protection, and to domestic relations. Also will serve on the City of Fairfax Human Services Committee.
• Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (one vacancy) — Studies and makes recommendations to the
City Council on park and recreation facilities and programs. Meets on the second Thursday of the month. Applications will be considered at an upcoming City Council meeting following submission. Unless otherwise noted, city residency is required (at least one year living in the city and registered to vote in the city). Submit letters of interest and resume (if available) to City Clerk Melanie Burrell. Vacancies are subject to change. Information: 703-385-7935.

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Serving real estate needs of Northern VA · in Alexandria · in Arlington · in Fairfax County ·

Fairfax County and City of Fairfax Utilities and Services

Sponsored by Condo 1 Alexandria / Will Nesbitt Realty LLC

Serving real estate needs of Northern VA · in Alexandria · in Arlington · in Fairfax County ·

Purchasing a home near the highway?

In an area crisscrossed with high volume commuter routes and heavily-trafficked Interstates, it's inevitable that some folks are going to live in close proximity to a highway. It's great to be near the Beltway or Route 66 because this can take a serious bite out of your commute. But the downside is that the highways can generate a lot of noise. In most areas, there are towering concrete walls to dampen sound in the neighborhoods in close proximity to the Beltway, I-66, I-395 and other highways.

In the picture above the wall has been taken down as work crews expand the road. Once the expansion is completed, they'll reassemble the wall. There's not much you can do about construction, but once the wall is back up, the neighborhood should be relatively quiet. In the homes and condos closest to the walls, I find that the noise sounds a bit like a waterfall---a wooshing white noise that is not particularly offensive. The noise is perhaps worst near an exit. Exit ramps create noise because every so often a trucker exiting the highway will use his "jakebrake". That is to say, the truck will gear down and emit a loud, low growling noise not unlike a Harley Davidson's loud pipes.

Here's a thought to consider if you are purchasing a condominium near the highway. In my travels I've found that the condos at the ground floor are much quieter. This is because the condos on the top floor are often just above the sound-break and therefore get the full brunt of the highway noise. Some folks like the noise ... it sounds like busy and they like being in the city. Some folks can't stand the noise and find out the hard way ... after they've purchased ... that they could have gotten a first or second floor unit.

About the Author --- Will Nesbitt is the principal broker of Condo 1 Alexandria and Will Nesbitt Realty. Will specializes in condos, townhouses and single family residences in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Crystal City, and Kingstowne. Will resides in Belle Haven Estates just outside Alexandria VA in Fairfax County.

Sponsored by Condo 1 Alexandria / Will Nesbitt Realty LLC

Serving real estate needs of Northern VA · in Alexandria · in Arlington · in Fairfax County ·

The differences between cities, counties, towns and unincorporated settlements in Virginia

For many, especially those who are new to the area, the system of jurisdictions that we have in the Commonwealth of Virginia can be confusing. This is especially confusing in Northern Virginia, where Virginia intersects with Washington DC and the State of Maryland.

Fortunately I have a fresh bottle of CONFUSION-B-GON to spray liberally as needed.

Around our nation's capital

Let me start with my single-biggest pet peeve among newcomers: the term "DC proper".

I have seen this term used regularly on a site that claims to provide local information. That information is provided by people using anonymous handles. Anonymous handles should be your first clue not to completely trust the information you find.

At any rate: there is no such thing as "DC proper". There are three main jurisdictions here: Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.

It is very common to live in Northern Virginia or Suburban Maryland and work in DC. Virginia is as different from DC as New Jersey is from New York. With a wink and a smile I have to inform you that just because you thought your job was transferring to Washington doesn't mean that you're moving to DC proper or improper.

Virginia jurisdictions

One of the keys to understanding Virginia real estate for a property search is to understand the differences between towns, counties and cities. In Virginia, as in most other states in the US, a county and an area administer below the state-level by local / county government. Counties are often rural areas, but Fairfax County has over a million residents and has very little rural land left.

Fairfax County aside, a county may have one or more towns within it's borders. In Virginia a town, no matter how many people live in that town, is part of a county and is managed by the county. In Virginia, towns often have governments but these governments are subordinate to and part of the county where the town is found.

In addition to counties, Virginia has a fairly unique concept called a city. A city is like a county, except it is more urban than rural. For example Falls Church and Alexandria are both cities. Cities, unlike towns, are not subordinate to counties. Cities are independent and operate on a level similar to counties.

This can be particularly confusing in Fairfax County. Fairfax County is a large mostly urban county and it surrounds Fairfax, an independent city. So the City of Fairfax is surrounded by Fairfax County, but it's not a part of Fairfax County. Falls Church, Alexandria and Fairfax are all cities. Manassas and Manassas Park are both cities and both are surrounded by Prince William County.

Real estate is sorted by county

It's important to understand this system of administrative organization because land tax records are stored by the county or city. Because tax records are organized by the county or city, real estate property searches are often sorted by the administrative jurisdiction.

For a newcomer it can be a little difficult to tell the difference between Fairfax and Fairfax County, between Manassas and Manassas Park and Prince William County. Another point of confusion is Arlington. Arlington is a city in a practical sense, but Arlington is a county.

Herndon, Vienna and Clifton are all towns located in Fairfax County, which mean that these towns have local governments subordinate to the county. Springfield is much bigger than Clifton, but Springfield is not a town.

Another curious case is Crystal City. Crystal City is located in Arlington County. Interestingly, Crystal City is not a city nor is it a town!

Unincorporated settlements

Which brings us to the next point of confusion in the area. There are many unincorporated neighborhoods, villages, towns and settlements in Northern Virginia. Unincorporated just means there is no local (i.e. town) government. Rather than having a town government, an unincorporated town is managed by the county. Springfield, Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Mclean Tysons Corner and Reston are just a few of the many unincorporated towns in Fairfax County. In places like Springfield this can be a little confusing because without a town there is no formal border between Franconia and Springfield and thus no hard and fast distinction between the two. In addition, with the near completion of Kingstowne, Franconia-Springfield is now home to one of the largest planned communities/subdivisions in the area. Kingstowne is considered a town in and of itself by many.

Post office address

To make matters even more confusing for newcomers, there is the matter of the post office. The postal address of a property is not always an indicator of the jurisdiction of a property. For example, many addresses in Fairfax County have an Alexandria address. Service from the Alexandria post office has no bearing on the county or city of the adress in question.

Confusion-B-Gon guarantee!

Well, that's the last of this bottle of CONFUSION-B-GON. If you're still confused, no worries. Contact Will Nesbitt or Condo 1 Alexandria. Tell us what you seek and we'll find the property for you!

Sponsored by Condo 1 Alexandria / Will Nesbitt Realty LLC

Serving real estate needs of Northern VA · in Alexandria · in Arlington · in Fairfax County ·