Updated on 12/4/2020 — Five new luxury homes are about to hit the market in McLean.
Scheduled to go up for sale in mid-December, the houses belong to a new luxury neighborhood called Park Grove that is located along Inverness Park Lane near the intersection of Chain Bridge and Davidson Roads.
Park Grove occupies land that was previously owned by former U.S. National Park Service Director George Hartzog, who lived on the property for decades, according to Gulick Group, the Reston-based luxury home builder that constructed the new community.
The new neighborhood consists of eight custom houses and a centrally located private park space inspired by Hartzog’s efforts to expand the National Park System during the nine years when he served as director.
The park, which will be exclusively open to residents, will contain a sculpture designed by Washington, D.C., native artist Chris Tousimis.
“The history of the site inspired the theme for Park Grove,” Gulick Group Vice President of Sales and Marketing Jamie Gulick said. “The community is walkable, backs to a park, offers indoor-outdoor spaces, and we hope will encourage lifestyles connected to nature and broader McLean.”
Gulick Group held a soft opening for Park Grove this past spring, and three of the eight houses have already been purchased.
With price tags in the $2.2 million range, the houses feature open floor plans with tall windows that allow for natural light, up to five bedrooms with en-suite baths, high ceilings, and up to two offices. They can be custom-fitted with elevators and large sliding doors in the family rooms or upper-level terraces.
There are two different available floor plans.
The Parkline 60 model ranges from 5,640-6,400 square feet and costs approximately $2.26 million. It has a studio-style layout with a waterfall island that bridges the kitchen and living room as well as a sunlit breakfast room in the back.
The Parkline 80 model ranges from 5,600-7,270 square feet and costs around $2.33 million. It features a formal dining room and an optional three-car garage or second owner’s suite on the main level.
A furnished Parkline 80 model will be available to view by appointment in January 2021, Gulick Group says.
“We designed Park Grove to be distinctive and inviting,” Gulick said. “…Flatter rooflines with broad, downlit soffits create an urban streetscape, and the colors on the stone and siding evoke nature. Park Grove is exceptional in McLean.”
A labor dispute between janitors who work at George Mason University and their employer – allegedly a subcontractor of the Falls Church-based contractor LT Services – has ended in a settlement, the Service Employees International Union announced on Nov. 30.
The Manassas-based subcontractor, H&E Cleaning Service, Inc., signed a settlement agreement on Nov. 11 saying it would uphold the National Labor Relations Act after the janitors claimed that they had experienced retaliation for engaging in union-related activities.
Though the janitors in the federal complaint are not currently part of the union, 32BJ SEIU filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board on their behalf in June.
32BJ SEIU alleges that, in addition to facing threats and interrogation for potential union activities, the janitors who help clean and disinfect GMU’s hallways, sinks, bathrooms, and floors have been denied extra compensation for the additional work they have been doing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One janitor named Eugenio Gudiel received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis on Nov. 14, though he has since recovered and returned to work this week, according to the union.
“I hope they pay me these weeks that I was away since this affects our economy and puts our families and coworkers at risk,” Gudiel said.
In a statement dated June 8 provided by the SEIU, Gudiel said that H&E President Ean Thouch had started to retaliate against him after she saw him talking to union organizers in October 2019, including by laying him and four coworkers off on May 14. They were rehired on June 8.
32BJ SEIU says that H&E is a subcontractor of LT Services, GMU’s main cleaning contractor. The union alleges that janitors employed by H&E are being illegally classified as independent contractors, receiving wages only once a month and sometimes getting bad checks or checks for less than what they are owed.
Tysons Reporter contacted H&E and its legal representatives as well as LT Services and George Mason University for comment but has not received responses as of publication time.
According to a copy of the settlement agreement, which was approved by the National Labor Relations Board on Nov. 23, H&E is required to send a notice informing current and former employees who worked for the company since June 1 of their rights.
The notice states that the National Labor Relations Act gives workers the right to form a union and engage in union-related activities and to discuss working conditions with other employees. It also says H&E will not infringe those rights by questioning employees or threatening a loss of employment for workers who engage in union activities.
“This victory is critical in protecting the janitors’ rights to the union organizing and bargaining that is often the only way they can access workplace safety protections, including [personal protective equipment] provided by their employer,” 32BJ SEIU said.
Photo via Oliver Hale/Unsplash
Fairfax County residents looking to support their community on Giving Tuesday can start by bringing food to their local library branch. As a bonus, they can reduce any fines they might owe.
Starting today (Tuesday), Fairfax County Public Library patrons can have $1 waived from their library fines for each nonperishable food item they give to FCPL for its Food for Fines donation drive.
The donated food will go to Food for Others, marking the third time that FCPL has partnered with the Merrifield-based nonprofit. The drive will last through Dec. 31.
“We know that many thousands of Fairfax residents are in need this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” FCPL Administrative Services Division Director Ted Kavich said. “[We] are glad our library branches can serve as convenient drop-off points for those who are able to donate.”
Food for Others has seen a significant increase in need since the novel coronavirus hit Fairfax County in March, serving 4,000 households each week on average – double the number served before the pandemic, according to Bridget Snydstrup, the nonprofit’s communications coordinator.
Snydstrup says food insecurity in the county could continue to increase this winter, particularly with statewide restrictions on public gatherings, restaurants, and bars in place as part of Virginia’s efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
“So many families are struggling to afford food as a result of the pandemic,” Snydstrup said. “…Food drives like Food for Fines help us ensure that people who have lost their jobs or had their hours cut due to COVID-19 do not have to go without food.”
Food donations are being accepted at all FCPL branches that are currently operating, except for Access Services.
The most sought-after items include:
- Canned chili
- Canned tomato products (4 ounces-1 pound)
- Canned meat, including chicken, beef, turkey, or seafood (2-15 ounces)
- 16-ounce packages of rice
- Spaghetti sauce, ideally in cans rather than glass containers (14 ounces-1 pound)
- Canned fruit in fruit juice, not syrup (11-20 ounces)
- Dried or canned beans
- Pasta
- 100% fruit juice (32-64 ounces)
Items will not be accepted if they are opened, aren’t labeled, or have been expired for more than three years. FCPL is also not able to accept homemade or cooked food.
Photo via Fairfax County Public Library
People whose employment has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic may now be eligible to receive free job training from the Fairfax County Department of Family Services.
According to a news release published on Nov. 19, DFS will cover up to $1,000 in training costs for individuals who are looking to gain new skills in the high-demand industries of healthcare, information technology, skilled trades, public safety, and early childhood education.
Anyone who lost a job due to the impact of COVID-19 and received unemployment benefits on or after Aug. 1 is eligible to apply, along with anyone who was laid off from a full-time job due to COVID-19 and now earns less than $15 per hour working part-time.
The offer of job training support comes as part of a Re-Employing Virginians (REV) initiative launched by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s office on Oct. 30.
Funded by $30 million from the federal CARES Act, the REV initiative aims to mitigate the long-term economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing one-time $3,000 scholarships for workforce training.
The funds are being administered by the Virginia Community College System and localities in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, which, combined, represented nearly 50 percent of all unemployment claims in the state as of the end of October, according to the governor’s office.
“Investing in programs that help people develop skills in high-demand fields is a win for workers, employers, and our economy,” Northam said. “As we focus on recovering from the impacts of the global pandemic, the new REV initiative will give Virginians the resources they need to get back on their feet and help ensure that our Commonwealth emerges from this public health crisis even stronger than we were before.”
The application deadline for the DFS program is Dec. 8, and training must be completed by Dec. 29.
People interested in applying should contact DFS REV Intake Specialist Ziyoda Crew at 571-536-1979 or email the department at [email protected].
Individuals can also apply for short-term training or certification programs at Northern Virginia Community College by certifying their eligibility for the REV initiative and registering for a training voucher by Dec. 14.
Photo via Bruce Mars/Unsplash
COVID-19 is now more widespread in Fairfax County than it was when the pandemic’s first wave hit in the spring.
Reporting 262 new cases just today (Monday), the Fairfax Health District has recorded a total of 31,388 COVID-19 cases since the novel coronavirus first arrived in March. 2,561 people have been hospitalized, and 638 people have died from the disease.
Fairfax County officially surpassed the spring peak on Nov. 24 when it reported 308.3 cases on average over the previous seven days. The highest seven-day average recorded in the spring was 303 cases on May 31.
The weekly average caseload then hit an all-time high of 352.3 cases on Sunday (Nov. 29) before dipping down to a seven-day average of 324.9 cases today, according to Virginia Department of Health data.
Fairfax County also recorded its highest single-day case count of the pandemic this past weekend when it saw 496 new cases on Nov. 28. The previous record was 493 cases on May 25.
However, Fairfax County’s hospitalization and death rates remain well below where they were in the spring.
Currently, Fairfax County is averaging 7.86 hospitalizations over the past seven days, compared to the peak of 35.57 hospitalizations over seven days recorded on May 4. The county is seeing a seven-day average of 1.29 deaths right now, but the seven-day average was 14 deaths on May 4 after there was a single-day record of 31 deaths on May 3.
The surge in COVID-19 cases that Fairfax County is witnessing right now falls in line with the overall trend for Northern Virginia as a region, which recorded its highest seven-day moving average of 815.7 cases on Nov. 29.
By comparison, the pandemic’s spring surge peaked at a seven-day regional moving average of 685.3 cases on May 31.
The continued upward trajectory of COVID-19’s spread in Fairfax County comes after health officials warned that the traveling, intimate family gatherings, and in-person holiday shopping typically associated with Thanksgiving weekend could exacerbate the pandemic.
Given the lag time between when someone is exposed to the coronavirus and when a new case is actually reported, Fairfax County’s current COVID-19 data suggests the worst may still be on the horizon.
Images via CDC on Unsplash; graphs via Virginia Department of Health, Fairfax County Health Department
Nighttime travel on Interstate 66 might require some extra planning this week due to lane closures necessitated by construction on a new Gallows Road Bridge.
Starting tonight (Monday), I-66 East will be reduced to one travel lane approaching Gallows Road from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. The Virginia Department of Transportation says that, between midnight and 4 a.m., drivers should expect periodic stoppages that could last up to 20 minutes.
In addition, the ramp from the Interstate 495 Express Lanes North to I-66 West will be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Traffic will be detoured onto I-66 East, which will lead to Route 7. Once on Leesburg Pike, vehicles will stay to the left, turn left at the traffic signal, and then follow road signs to I-66 West.
The I-495 express lanes ramp and one-lane I-66 East closures will take place every night through Dec. 3.
On Dec. 2 and 3, VDOT will also reduce I-66 West to one travel lane approaching Gallows Road from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.
“Drivers should expect delays if traveling in this area and are encouraged to use alternate routes,” VDOT says.
Overnight lane closures have been a recurring sight around Gallows Road since mid-November, when VDOT started reconstructing the bridge over I-66 for its Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project, which will add express lanes along 22.5 miles of road from I-495 in Vienna to Gainesville.
According to VDOT, the bridge is being lengthened, widened, raised, and shifted east to align with the new I-66 Express Lanes while making room for future Gallows Road improvements.
The new bridge will also include a five-foot bike lane in both directions, a seven-foot-wide sidewalk on the northbound side of the road, and improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities tied to the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro Station.
The new bridge is being constructed in two phases with an expected completion date of early 2021.
COVID-19 Results in More Subdued Black Friday — “It’s definitely not as busy as last year,” said Todd Putt, a spokesman for Tysons Corner Center in Virginia, one of the country’s busiest shopping malls. “A lot of sales have already been going on for a while so people don’t feel the same pressure to come out and shop on Black Friday.” [The Washington Post]
McLean High School Students Put on Virtual Concerts — “Students formed McLean Youth Harmony Club to put together virtual concerts to send to local hospitals, nursing and retirement homes.” [LocalDVM]
Founders Row Loses Prospective Movie Theater — “The Studio Movie Grill that promised to bring multiple movie theater screens to the project has declared bankruptcy and won’t be filling its much-anticipated role in the center of the Falls Church commercial district.” [Falls Church News-Press]
A flood warning is in effect until noon today (Monday) for central Fairfax County, including Tysons, Vienna, Dunn Loring, and Merrifield.
As of 8:43 a.m., over an inch of rain has fallen in the county since late last night, according to the National Weather Service.
Old Courthouse Road has been closed at Besley Road in Vienna due to high water from Wolftrap Creek, and drivers should expect delays. The NWS says that Beulah Road at Browns Mill Road by Wolftrap Creek could also be prone to flooding.
“Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads,” the NWS says. “Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.”
Here is more from the NWS flood warning alert:
…FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST TODAY FOR CENTRAL
FAIRFAX COUNTY…At 843 AM EST, Over an inch of rain fell in central Fairfax County
late last night and early this morning. This resulted in Old
Courthouse Road in the area of Wolf Trap being closed. Stream gauges
in the area appeared to have crested and only minor additional
rainfall is expected through the remainder of this morning.
Santa will once again grace Falls Church City with his presence this December, but he will have a lighter sleigh in tow.
The City of Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department announced on Nov. 19 that its Santamobile – a fire truck festooned with colorful string lights and other decorations – will not distribute candy canes and safety literature when it tours the area this year due to the health risks presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Due to the current pandemic, our event coordinators have decided that although we will still have Santamobile this year, it will be modified to avoid in-person interaction, in order to protect the safety of our staff and the public,” the FCVFD said.
As in previous years, the Santamobile will first set out on Dec. 15 with stops in each of the city’s neighborhoods over the next four nights before venturing into neighboring Fairfax and Arlington counties. Each night will go from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and the last day of the event will be Dec. 23.
Here is the Santamobile’s current schedule for its tour through Falls Church City:
- Dec. 15: South of W. Broad Street in the St. James Cemetery and Virginia Forest neighborhoods to Seaton Lane and S. Oak Street south of the Tripps Run bridge
- Dec. 16: North of W. Broad Street, including Little Falls Street
- Dec. 17: South of W. Broad Street from the Tyler Gardens and Virginia Forest neighborhoods south of Seaton Lane as well as streets north of the Tripps Run bridge
- Dec. 18: The Little Falls neighborhood and streets east of Washington Street, including the Madison Park and Whittier Park neighborhoods
- Dec. 19: Broadmont neighborhood and streets on the north side of Hillwood east of Cherry Street
A map of the vehicle’s planned routes can be found on the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department’s website at fallschurchfire.org/santamobile.
“Please note that routes are subject to change based on road conditions including parking, traffic, and construction,” the FCVFD says.
Any changes to the Santamobile schedule will be posted to the FCVFD Facebook page, which will have a link to a SantaTracker. The department says questions about the Santamobile should be directed to [email protected], not its fire station.
The FCVFD says that the Santamobile will not be able to respond to requests for private drive-by visits.
In addition to bringing holiday cheer to families around the city, the annual Santamobile serves the function of raising awareness about fire safety, according to the FCVFD.
This year, the department’s public education team is asking community members to fill out an online survey about what safety presentations might be most useful to them. The survey can be found on the FCVFD website at fallschurchfire.org/public-education-survey.
Photo courtesy City of Falls Church
The Women’s Center in Vienna will be able to continue providing critical mental health services for the foreseeable future, thanks to a $50,000 donation from Major League Baseball.
Located on Park Street with a second facility in Washington, D.C., the nonprofit announced today (Wednesday) that it is one of 11 organizations to receive a Healthy Relationships Community Grant from MLB and the MLB Players Association as part of a philanthropic initiative that the professional sports league and players’ union launched at the beginning of 2020.
“We are very grateful to be partnering with MLB and MLBPA for the first time, especially during such a tumultuous time,” The Women’s Center CEO and Executive Director Rachna Singal Krishnan said.
Founded in 1974, The Women’s Center offers mental health counseling, supports for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, clinical training, and education and career services to over 1,600 low-income, uninsured people in the D.C. metropolitan region annually.
On its website, The Center says it relies on philanthropic support in order to provide subsidized and free services to the community. Its mental health services are also partly funded by Fairfax County, and it is a co-founder and member of the Fairfax County Domestic Violence Action Center.
The MLB and MLBPA grant will help The Center make up for revenue lost from other funding areas, Singal Krishnan says.
“This $50,000 award has made it possible for us to continue to operate at full capacity this year and provide life-saving services to people who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic,” The Women’s Center communications specialist Rebecca Ballinger said.
MLB and the players’ association started the Healthy Relationships Community Grants initiative “to address positive relationship health” with a focus on nonprofit programs that address mental health resiliency among vulnerable populations, youth relationship skills, and domestic violence, according to MLB.
For the initiative, MLB and MLBPA have committed to allocating $3 million to U.S. nonprofits and global non-governmental organizations across 2020 and 2021. Grants are given out on a quarterly cycle with a maximum award of $50,000.
So far, the initiative has distributed a total of $1.5 million to 32 organizations around the U.S., according to a press release from The Women’s Center.
The 11 grant recipients for the third quarter of 2020 also includes the Oakton-based Northern Virginia Family Service, which provides assistance with basic needs like housing, food, and healthcare. NVFS specifically received the grant for its multicultural mental health services.
Photo via Google Maps
