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STUDENTS AID VICTIMS OF 2017 HURRICANE
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SUN GAZETTE TAPS THE TOP TALENT IN LOCAL HOOPS
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Sun Gazette VOLUME 39
GREAT FALLS McLEAN OAKTON TYSONS VIENNA
NO. 28
MARCH 29-APRIL 4, 2018
Short-Term Rentals
BRINGING HOME A ROBOTICS CHAMPIONSHIP!
Fairfax Inks Timetable on Adopting Regulations BRIAN TROMPETER Staff Writer
The Langley School’s Robotics Team finished in first place at the FIRST Robotics Chesapeake District Southern Maryland Event, held March 16-18, marking the first time in the club’s 20-year history that the team has won an event. Pictured with mentor Robert Foley are team members Joey Massaro, Abby Piper, Zach Lesan, Nate Ludlow, Peter Swaak, Shayan Golshani, James Ellsworth and Otto Janke. See more coverage in the Schools & Military section on Page 23. PHOTO COURTESY LANGLEY SCHOOL
Fairfax Again Picks Up ‘Tree City USA’ Designation Fairfax County has earned the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA designation for the 35th consecutive year, and will celebrate the achievement during a ceremony set for Earth Day. Fairfax County is one of 56 communities across the commonwealth and 3,400 nationally to win the designation for 2018. As part of the Tree City application,
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urban foresters performed an i-Tree Eco survey across the county. Among the findings: • There are more than 44 million trees in Fairfax County, and the overall tree cover is 51.2 percent. • The most common species are the American beech, red maple and tulip tree. • Trees in the county remove 4,538 tons
of pollution each year and produce 232.9 thousand tons of oxygen per year. Retaining the designation as a Tree City USA will be celebrated during a brief ceremony slated for the county’s Earth Day event – Springfest Fairfax – on Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sully Historic Site, 3650 Historic Sully Way in Chantilly.
It was inevitable: The freewheeling world of short-term rentals likely will be regulated soon by the Fairfax County government. The Board of Supervisors on March 20 authorized a series of public hearings on a proposed ordinance amendment for short-term rentals. County officials have proposed the ordinance amendment to regulate the rentals of dwellings for less then 30 days, which have become more popular thanks to online hosting platforms such as Airbnb, Vacation Rental by Owner, FlipKey and TripAdvisor. The county will hold a Planning Commission hearing on May 3 and a Board of Supervisors hearing on June 19. Because Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, the county needed authority from the General Assembly to address the matter. State lawmakers last year passed a bill allowing localities to regulate short-term rentals through their land-use and zoning authorities. Fairfax County officials have held four county-wide public meetings at community centers, conducted an onContinued on Page 14
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