Real Estate Company Relocates Tysons Office — After nearly a decade in its current space at 1850 Towers Crescent Plaza, the real estate firm JLL will move its Northern Virginia office to 1800 Tysons Boulevard in the first quarter of this year. The new office will occupy 26,500 square feet in the Lerner-owned, 12-story-tall tower. [Commercial Observer]
Spring Hill Rec Center Pool Closed This Morning — “The Spring Hill Rec Center pool will be closed through at least midday Tuesday (February 8, 2022) due to mechanical issues. The rest of the facility remains open.” [FCPA/Twitter]
Lane Shift Coming for Route 7 in McLean — “Starting on or about Thursday, Feb. 10, drivers on westbound Route 7 will experience a lane shift to the south (towards the median) between Laurel Hill Road and Lewinsville Road as crews perform utility work under Route 7. All residences, businesses and other public facilities will remain accessible.” [VDOT]
McLean Teen Makes Science Competition Finals — Ben Choi, a senior at the Potomac School, is among 40 finalists in the nationwide 2022 Regeneron Science Talent Search, a prestigious science and math competition. For his project, Choi designed a “low-cost 3D prosthetic arm that can be controlled by a brainwave-detecting headband worn on the forehead.” [Patch]
McLean Coding School Has Global Reach — “When she helped start Codefy in 2019, [Lucy] Chen was a 17-year-old junior at Langley High School in McLean. Now 19 and a student at Columbia University, Chen helps oversee an online coding school that has grown exponentially and has taught thousands of students — all for free.” [Inside NoVA]
Deadline to Update Metro Fare Card Looms — “Starting March 1, fare cards issued before 2012 will not function throughout the transit system because Metro upgraded fare gates at most stations that don’t sync with older cards. The transit agency for nearly a year has tried to notify owners of the older cards, but few have switched as ridership hovers at historically low levels.” [The Washington Post]
Tysons Corner Center Celebrates Lunar New Year — The mall partnered with the Asian American Chamber of Commerce to host a Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday (Feb. 5). Traditional musical and dance performances by local groups ushered in the year of the tiger, which began on Feb. 1. [WDVM]
Stolen Vehicle Found in McLean — A 19-year-old Maryland resident was arrested for grand larceny on Jan. 28 after a Fairfax County police officer stopped his 2021 Toyota Corolla on the George Washington Parkway at I-495 around 2:03 p.m. The vehicle had been reported stolen from a nearby jurisdiction. [FCPD]
Fairfax County Introduces Hope Cards — “Fairfax County has joined more than five dozen jurisdictions in Virginia in offering the Hope Card program — a way to enforce a civil protective order and a handy resource for victims of family abuse. A Hope Card is an easy to read and carry laminated, wallet-sized card that contains all the essential information of an existing, permanent civil protection order.” [Fairfax County Government]
Vienna Opens Registration for Spring Classes — “Spring Class registration begins Monday for Town residents and Feb. 14 for people who live outside the Vienna town limits. Check out the Vienna Parks and Recreation program guide now.” [Town of Vienna/Twitter]
The weekend is almost here. Before you start your Jedi training or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit news from the Tysons area that you might’ve missed.
These were the most-read stories on Tysons Reporter this week:
- Famed D.C. chef ventures into Vienna with upcoming Italian restaurant
- DEVELOPING: I-495 North in McLean shut down by tractor-trailer crash
- EXCLUSIVE: Revolving sushi bar to open in Tysons
- Metro rider hospitalized after possible drug overdose at Greensboro station
- Police: Group smashed displays and stole eyeglasses in McLean, adding to area spree
Ideas for stories we should cover can be sent to [email protected] or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the community are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.
You can find previous rundowns of top stories on the site.
The family behind YamaChen’s Sushi House would’ve preferred to open their new Vienna location sooner, but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, later will have to do.
As noted by Patch in December, the Japanese restaurant is moving into 320 Maple Avenue West, taking over a 1,500 square-foot space at Vienna Plaza Shopping Center previously filled by Jersey Mike’s Subs.
YamaChen owner Si Chen told Tysons Reporter last week that they were supposed to open in December, but construction has taken longer than anticipated, as the pandemic continues to disrupt global supply chains.
“The pandemic has definitely slowed down the process a lot,” she said, adding that she hopes to open around the end of February.
Primarily based in Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads, YamaChen began in 2003 as a “hole in the wall” with just four tables but is now looking to expand nationwide, its website says.
The Vienna site will be the chain’s 14th restaurant overall and its third in Northern Virginia after one opened in Fairfax City in October 2020. A Sterling location is also still in the works.
“It’s a very pretty, little town,” Chen said when asked about the team’s interest in Vienna.
YamaChen will join the town’s growing array of options for Japanese cuisine, including Sushi Yoshi on Church Street, Sweet Ginger in Danor Plaza, and Sushi Yama, which is located in the adjacent shopping center. The most recent addition, Sushi Koji, opened at Cedar Park Shopping Center in December.
Chen says her family’s restaurants are distinguished by the special sushi recipes they use, developed by chef Andy Chen.
YamaChen emphasizes freshness with its seafood providers and a welcoming atmosphere for diners, according to its website. The chain also makes its own sauces in house.
Johns Hopkins Medicine’s McLean Office Now Open — Johns Hopkins Community Physicians (JHCP) announced yesterday (Thursday) that its new primary care office in McLean Gateway (6849 Old Dominion Drive) is now open. The group’s first in Virginia, the practice operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. [JHCP]
Founders Row Secures Movie Theater — Developer Mill Creek told the Falls Church City Council’s Economic Development Committee that a letter of intent has been signed for an eight-screen movie theater planned for the 4.3-acre mixed-use project on Broad and West streets. The name was not revealed, but the company is reportedly headquartered in the D.C. area. [Falls Church News-Press]
Fairfax County Adds Spanish Closed-Captioning — All public meetings and live events that air on Fairfax County’s cable channel will have Spanish closed captions available, starting Tuesday (Feb. 8). This includes Board of Supervisors and planning commission meetings as well as budget town halls and public safety press conferences. [Channel 16]
Metro Appoints New Police Chief — “Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Wiedefeld today announced that Interim Chief Michael L. Anzallo will serve as Metro Transit Police Department’s new chief. Anzallo was asked to lead MTPD in August 2021 and helped steer the department through pandemic-related challenges with an emphasis on community policing throughout the region.” [WMATA]
More office space is coming to the Tysons Galleria area.
A new 21-story, 490,000 square-foot office building will be constructed at 1725 Tysons Boulevard, Lerner Enterprises, the developer behind the 11-acre mixed-use district known as Tysons II, announced today (Thursday).
The tower will fill a currently vacant lot across the street from the mall and adjacent to 1775 Tysons, the office building whose tenants include WeWork, QOMPLX, Inc., and Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse.
“As we continue growing Tysons II and Tysons III, we are thrilled to introduce 1725 Tysons Boulevard,” Lerner principal Mark D. Lerner said in a statement. “…This market defining project will be innovative and a truly unique workplace, offering unrivaled convenience, access and connectivity to the vast array of walkable amenities including Metro.”
Here is more on the project from the press release:
The innovative project by the Washington, D.C. office of international Gensler (Gensler.com) is designed to achieve LEED® Platinum; the industry’s highest designation for air quality, energy efficiency and sustainability. The building will feature space for a fine dining restaurant, a reflecting pool at the motorcourt, lobby level outdoor terrace, state-of-the-art tenant only conference center, fitness center, rooftop skydeck, as well as social, business and gaming lounges. The 1725 fitness center will include a yoga studio and wellness room. Just steps away from the main entrance of the property will be an outdoor garden amphitheater that will provide entertainment space and feature local performances and concerts; the first of its kind in Tysons, Virginia.
With 360⁰ views, 1725 Tysons Boulevard is the newest world-class, sustainably designed trophy office tower in The Corporate Office Centre at Tysons II.
Also in the works at Tysons II are a 21-story, 483,000 square-foot office tower at 8000 Galleria Drive and The Residences at Tysons II, a pair of 31-story, high-rise condominium towers, according to the development’s website.
Tysons II has been planned and approved for a total of approximately 6.8 million square feet of mixed-use development in Fairfax County’s Tysons Comprehensive Plan.
Lerner also intends to build out the area to the immediate south of Tysons Galleria as Tysons III, adding 2 million square feet of development right by the Tysons Metro station.
Emergency responders from Fairfax and Arlington counties worked together to put out a house fire in McLean this morning (Thursday).
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reported just before 10:30 a.m. that units were on the scene at 1512 Spring Vale Avenue, just north of Chain Bridge Road.
Smoke was visible from the back of the single-family house, but the blaze was extinguished shortly after it was publicly reported. The department says there have been no reported injuries, and the fire did not extend to any other properties.
Most units are now returning to service.
UPDATE – fire is out. No extension. No reported injuries at this time. Majority of units are returning to service. #FCFRD https://t.co/ocmNCIMXKd
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) February 3, 2022
FCPS Mask Requirement Still in Effect — Masks are still required in Fairfax County Public Schools after a hearing in the lawsuit that seven Virginia school boards filed to prevent Gov. Glenn Youngkin from enforcing his optional masks executive order. An Arlington Circuit Court judge did not make a decision in the case yesterday (Wednesday) but said one will be made soon. [FCPS]
Dulles Toll Road Changes Anticipated — With Phase 2 of Metro’s Silver Line expected to open this spring, transportation officials said earlier this week that fares on the Dulles Toll Road will likely rise in 2023 to offset the project’s cost. The road could also switch to an electronic, cash-less system this year, where drivers will pay using their license plate, an EZPass, or a phone app. [Inside NoVA]
No Charges in FCPD Officer Shooting — A Fairfax County police officer who shot and injured a man in Chantilly on Jan. 4 will not face criminal charges, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced yesterday (Wednesday). The prosecutor said the officer “was reasonable” to fear serious injury or death, due to evidence that the resident was wielding a compound bow and arrows. [Patch]
Local Students Speak in Support of Transgender Inclusivity — Some Fairfax County Public Schools students testified in support of policies protecting transgender and gender non-conforming students from discrimination at a General Assembly hearing on Tuesday (Feb. 1). However, a House education subcommittee passed the debated bill, which seeks to halt a requirement that local school boards adopt those policies. [WUSA9]
Registration Begins for Park Authority Classes — “The Fairfax County Park Authority just opened registration for spring classes. Despite an enormous number of available classes to choose from, there are limited spaces available in our facilities, so timely registration via Parktakes Online is recommended to reserve your spot.” [FCPA]
The Town of Vienna is laying some ground rules for residents eager to get busy with their birds and bees.
The keeping of chickens, honey bees, and domestic animals is among the many activities that the town is considering adding to its zoning code, which is undergoing its first major update since 1969.
Other proposed new uses range from community gardens and shared kitchens to electric vehicle chargers and independent living facilities, according to a draft that the Vienna Town Council will discuss in a conference session tonight (Wednesday).
Many of these activities can already be found in Vienna, but explicitly putting them in the zoning code will enable the town to impose regulations, including on where they can be located.
“New uses were based mostly on market demand and uses that are not currently clearly stated in our code and require standards, such as keeping of chickens, honey bees and domestic animals,” Michael D’Orazio, the town’s acting planning and zoning director, and acting deputy director Kelly O’Brien said by email.
Working with consultant ZoneCo, which was hired to assist with the Code Create Vienna project in the summer of 2020, town staff also looked at nearby jurisdictions to see what new uses should be added.
Public hearings on the revised zoning code are expected to start this fall, but town staff say they have been discussing a proposed update to the timeline with the town council.
Here are some of the major changes proposed in the latest draft, which was released in November:
Exterior Lighting
Vienna’s zoning ordinance currently doesn’t address outdoor lighting in residential neighborhoods and has few rules for lighting in commercial areas, according to town staff.
Newly proposed residential standards require controlled beams for exterior lights used to illuminate signs, flags, statues, and other objects as well as architecture or landscaping, so drivers and pedestrians are shielded from the glare.
Outdoor search lights, lasers, and strobe lights will be prohibited.
“The residential standards are in response to concerns from some residents about a lack of lighting standards as well as to addresses potential safety issues such as preventing glare for pedestrians and motorists,” staff said. Read More
Medics and Metro transit police responded to the Greensboro station shortly before 11 p.m. last night (Tuesday) after two passengers were reportedly found passed out on a train.
One rider was found “in serious condition from a possible drug overdose,” Metro spokesperson Sherri Ly said. The other rider was later said to be “conscious and alert.”
Both passengers were taken to the hospital.
Metro limited trains to one track between the Tysons and Spring Hill stations during the emergency response.
Silver Line Alert: Trains are single tracking between Tysons Corner and Spring Hill due to a medical emergency at Greensboro. Expect delays in both directions.
— Metrorail Info (@Metrorailinfo) February 2, 2022
Alan Henney contributed to this report
