Opinion: Commentary: Lee District Welcomes You
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Opinion: Commentary: Lee District Welcomes You

Lee District Supervisor’s staff helping with the food distribution in the community.

Lee District Supervisor’s staff helping with the food distribution in the community.

On behalf of Fairfax County, and especially Lee District, I welcome you to our community. Lee District is a uniquely diverse and vibrant community. As a 20-year resident of the district I never cease to be amazed by the strength of the relationships throughout the neighborhoods in Lee. I take incredible pride in representing such an invested and engaged community.

I’m particularly proud of the beautiful park and recreation amenities in Lee. Huntley Meadows in Alexandria for example offers fantastic opportunities for observing wildlife and experiencing our County’s truly unique natural resources. The Lee District Recreation Center boasts many outdoor activity spaces including tennis and softball fields as well as an indoor pool, fitness, and gymnasium.

Currently in Lee District there are a few projects underway to look forward to. First, the Springfield Town Center is on track to be further developed into a mixed-use site including hotels, office space and residential parcels. We hope to transform the site into a community space that will eventually act as a venue for local events such as concerts, seasonal attractions and other community uses. It will truly be a recreation hub that caters to all those in our community.

Another project currently underway is the redevelopment of the Historic Richmond Highway Corridor. Starting with the widening and addition of the Bus Rapid Transit along the corridor which will increase connectivity between the two ends of the highway. In addition, Richmond Highway will soon feature an Emerging Tech Center focused on attracting business and talent in the tech industry. This center will also be partially dedicated to providing job training to residents who are looking to switch careers or learn new, in demand skills. The goal is to shift the mostly retail job market the corridor now offers, to a robust high skill, high paying, job market. My office will continue to provide updates as we move through different phases of the project.

Finally, I want to highlight the hidden gem that is the Franconia Museum. Located at the Franconia Governmental Center, the one room museum features artifacts, books, and pictures that trace the history of Franconia and surrounding neighborhoods since the early 1900s. I encourage anyone, and especially newcomers, to visit. The Franconia museum is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.