The 2026 Spring Egg Hunt was an incredible success thanks in part to all of our attendees as well as our amazing volunteers.
We had lots of candy…and more than 3,500 plastic eggs. What does that mean? Another fabulous Spring egg hunt in Lyon Park. Numerous volunteers spent hours stuffing candy into those little plastic eggs the weekend before the event.
The weather on Saturday was better than we could have planned. Lyon Park was full of kids (and parents) having fun (and collecting thousands of eggs in a hurry). We hope you were able to join us. If you watch the videos of the event posted online, you will laugh. The kids are excited and hilarious. We had a large number of kids find Lucky Eggs. They turned them in for special Peeps® prizes and lots of smiles.
When our Giant Bunny made his appearance, everyone went wild. It was a great addition to our event, and a fabulous photo op. Thanks to Neel Vaidya from Troy’s for being such a trooper.
Thank you to my amazing team of volunteers (young and “slightly” older)…without you, the event would not have been possible. Your hard work made it a successful event.
These types of events make Lyon Park special and a true asset for our community. Please step up and get involved in our next big event, the 100th Lyon Park Spring Fair.
Governor Spanberger on April 13 submitted amendments to the Virginia Houe and Senate for a controversial “Faith in Housing bill” that would allow faith based and 501(c)3-based tax-exempt organizations who own property to gain significant new value from properties if they choose to develop them for new mixed use housing projects.
Many of the properties are in low-residential areas of commercial zones that do not allow much beyond low residential or low-commercial density, which often tops out at 3 stores and about 10 units of housing per acre. Arlington nonetheless has done approximately 6 church/non-profit conversions in the past 15 years, providing additional density for affordable housing. These were not done “by-right”; they involved extensive community and County Board inputs. The new bills if passed, will allow the mixed-use projects in residential and low-density commercial areas by-right, as was done for “expanded housing options” or EHO in 2023, removing the community/county board reviews of new permits.
There are preconditions:
The property must have been owned by the non-profit for at least 5 years,
60% of the rental units must be available to household making 80% of AMI ($123,750 for a family of four);
60% of the ownership units must be available to households making 120% of AMI ($196,680 for a family of four);
The affordable units must remain affordable at those levels for 30 years.
While there are additional conditions for properties in a revitalization zone or historic district, the basic allowance for these “mixed-use” projects (also allowing for day cares/cafes/ancillary uses) is for up to 20 units of housing per acre (u/a) at heights of 45’. (The current height limits in low density residential zones such as much of Lyon Park is 35’.) Richmond legislators are jockeying over amendments, including one that would limit the House/Senate versions of the bill that propose allowing any building within 500’ of such a proposed development to “confer” its height or density upon that new project, also “by-right.” We probably won’t know outcomes until late April. LPCA will briefly touch on this topic at its May meeting, but in-depth discussion will occur at the June LPCA meeting, so please join us. We will also discuss in June other new zoning laws that will affect requirements for onsite parking for singe family and multifamily home development.
Have you been to the playground at Lyon Park after a good rain? The high tide stems from a stream running under the park. Years ago there was a pond in the park! Recognizing that our playground is well-loved and well-used, but aging, a Playground Committee, under the auspices of the Lyon Park Community Center’s Board of Governors and the Lyon Park Citizens Association, is working on a plan to address the water issues, add child-and environment-friendly play surfaces, and upgrade the aging playground equipment and picnic areas.
The Committee’s work is led by our neighbor Mark Ilich. New committee members are still welcome, as the Committee continues to seek community input and begin fundraising. Fundamental principles of this project include: (1) we want to protect our tree canopy, (2) any new gardens must be low maintenance, focusing on resilient native plants, (3) we want to protect open areas of the park, as much as possible, (4) we want community input, but there will be a cutoff, allowing plans to move forward; (5) funding will come from donations or perhaps some small grants; and (6) no phase of work will begin until we have funds to cover the cost. For more information about the project, check out our website at https://lyonpark.org/explore/parks-green-spaces/lyon-park-playground-renovation/. You also can look for information tables at some Lyon Park community events, watch for future articles in the Lyon Park and Ashton Heights newsletters, and keep an eye on the LP and AH community list servs. To get involved, send an email to Mark Illich at milich@mkdevelopmentllc.com. You also can contact the Lyon Park Board of Governors at LPCCGovernors@gmail.com, if you have questions.
If you were not able to visit the playground renovation informational tent at the egg hunt, you will have at least two more opportunities to learn about the plans.
Representatives of the Playground Committee will present at the LPCA meeting on Wednesday 5/13 at 7:00 pm.
An informational tent and people who can answer your questions will also be in Lyon Park during the Spring Fair on Saturday, May 16th.
It was Tuesday, March 24, 2026, exactly 68 years after Elvis Presley was inducted into the US Army, that five women, including four principal players from the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and a guest artist, performed at the Lyon Park Community Center in the “Music by Women in honor of Women’s History Month” concert. For 90 minutes, a full-house audience was transported, by flute, harp, violin, and cello, to a world where everything was beautiful. The LPCC Board of Governors worked with long-time neighbor, friend, and LPCC supporter, Susan Robinson, the harpist, to bring the performance to the community, but it was the Musical Performance Trust Fund and the American Federation of Musicians Local 161-710, which made it possible for the concert to be offered free of charge. The concert was a reminder of how important it is to support the musicians who perform at the Kennedy Center, including the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, the National Symphony Orchestra.
An evening out with my young neighbors at Pho & Banh Mi Eatery Café was a hit. Before we even get to the food, 10-year-old Harrison and 7-year-old Brayden asked me to mention the friendly staff. April opened the Café a year and a half ago with her husband, Chris, as the primary “chef, husband, father, and worker.” The couple have three children, ages 12-22 and each family member is represented by a cartoon character on the fun mural featured on one of the restaurant’s walls. Presumedly because of his role as parent, Chris was extremely accommodating to Harrison and Brayden’s special requests (He asked repeatedly, ‘Are you sure you only want plain shrimp on a plain taco shell’ for Harrison. We were.)
Surprisingly, the winning dish of the evening was neither the Pho nor the Banh Mi for which the restaurant is named. The birria soft taco was awarded “15 out of 10 points” by my companions (“The meat has lots of juice” reported Brayden). Of course, we tried both of the namesake dishes, with chicken and with shrimp. For anyone unfamiliar, Pho (pronounced “fuh” (rhymes with “duh”) is a Vietnamese noodle soup whose signature broth is simmered for hours and is the heart of the dish. It’s definitely a distinct flavor, which some people will appreciate and others less so (hence the request for shrimps in a taco shell). Banh Mi (“bon me”) is a sandwich on a light airy baguette (interestingly, AI informed me the origin of using a baguette is the French Colonial period of Vietnamese history) filled with seasoned meat, pickled daikon, carrot, cucumber, cilantro, etc. It’s considered one of the great street foods of the world. The flavor of the banh mi was delicious. Just watch out for some very spicy peppers (or ask for them to be omitted)!
The menu also features poke bowls and drinks. Lots of drinks – Milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies, slushes, and fresh fruit lemonade, all with about a dozen options for toppings (from honey boba to mango star jelly or Oreo). We tried the brown sugar milk tea, strawberry slushies, and strawberry lemonade (“If you like a sour/sweet combination that’s mostly sweet, then you’ll love this,” says Harrison). The boys intend to return for refreshing, delicious slushies as the weather heats up.
Chris used to sell healthy and vegetarian foods from a food truck in Clarendon. When the location for a restaurant became available, they took the opportunity to open a business here right away. The couple live in Woodbridge and drive the two hours round-trip each day because this is a great neighborhood and a great location. The Eatery employs 3 additional cooks and about 6 cashiers.
Give Pho & Banh Mi Eatery Café a try. And, if you mention you read about it here, the owners will give you 20% off.
Pho & Banh Mi Eatery Cafe (3000 Washington Blvd): Hours of operation 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Sunday. Phone number: 703–489–8212. Visit https://eaterycafeva.com for additional information.
lyonpark.org 