As we look back at what happened in 2023 in Northern Virginia, it’s a year with a number of major developments and memorable news moments. Here are just some of the stories that made NoVA news in 2023.
Business/Development
Metropolitan Park, Amazon’s HQ2 in Arlington, opened in May, roughly four-and-a-half years after the digital giant chose Northern Virginia for its operations. The two towers span more than 2.1 million square feet, while the outdoor space has become a place to socialize.
While Arlington saw this major development come to fruition, other developments are still in the works.
In Prince William County, after much public debate, the supervisors in December approved rezonings that allow the PW Digital Gateway project to be built. The data center corridor proposed near Gainesville could become one of the largest in the world. Its rezoning came less than a month after the highly contested 270-acre Devlin Technology Park received its rezoning approval.
The General Services Administration in November named Greenbelt, Maryland, not Springfield as the future home of the FBI’s next headquarters, prompting Virginia’s congressional delegation to call for an investigation into how that decision was made.
December brought even more development news, the sale of the Dulles Town Center for $46 million and the bombshell revelation that Ted Leonsis and Monumental Sports may move the Capitals and Wizards out of DC and into Alexandria. A $2 billion, 70-acre sports and entertainment district is proposed near Potomac Yard shopping center.
This sports news came after Dan Snyder in April sold the Commanders, DC’s football team that practices in Ashburn, and after the February death of Ted Lerner, who developed Tysons Corner Center and Tysons II. Lerner, who died at 97, is credited with bringing baseball back to DC.
Transportation and Travel
The new Potomac Yard–Virginia Tech Metro station opened in Alexandria in May. The station is next to Monumental’s proposed entertainment district and within walking distance to the new Virginia Tech Innovation Campus that’s set to open in 2024.
While Metro continues to deal with a massive budget shortfall and perpetual funding issues because it lacks a dedicated source of funding, in March, it did say it had a fix to the problems plaguing its 7000-series trains and planned to spend $55 million over three years repressing all 5,984 wheels on the rail cars.
Plans moved forward at Dulles International Airport for a new 14-gate concourse with the awarding of a contract to Clark Construction in January.
At Dulles, future travelers will see a huge solar farm. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and Dominion Energy in August broke ground on the largest renewable energy project every built at a U.S. airport.
Politics
On the politics front, in February, Jennifer McClellan made Virginia history as the first Black woman to be represent the state in Congress. And Rep. Jennifer Wexton announced in September that her health had declined because of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and that she would not run for a fourth term in the 10th Congressional District.
In November, Democrats swept control of both houses of the state legislature.
Education
Notable in education in 2023, George Mason University set a record, with enrollment topping 40,000.
A federal appeals court in May ruled the revamped admissions policy at Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology does not discriminate against Asian American applicants.
And Fairfax County Public Schools said hired Kristen Haynor. She is believed to be the “first Neurodiversity Specialist in a U.S. K-12 public schools setting,” Fairfax County Public Schools said.
Culture
It took nearly 60 years, but retired Col. Paris Davis, an Alexandria veteran who was among the first Black officers in the Army’s Special Forces, finally received the Medal of Honor, America’s highest award for bravery, for his heroism in Vietnam.
A Falls Church woman who escaped Vietnam for the U.S. as a child used her internal fortitude to win $4.56 million on Squid Game: The Challenge.
And Huntley, a blues rocker from Fredericksburg, took home $100,000 and a recording contract on The Voice.
On a different musical note, Metallica acquired a majority interest in Furnace Record Pressing, which is located in Fairfax County.
Animals
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention some of the animals that Northern Virginians love that made news in 2023.
The era of “panda diplomacy” ended after 51 years at the National Zoo as its superstar giant pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and Xiao Qi Ji — left the country for China.
And the Chincoteague ponies received well-deserved recognition, becoming the state’s official pony.
Feature image, courtesy Amazon/Lucas Jackson, NBC, National Zoo, and Monumental Sports
For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine’s News newsletter.
