The Town of Vienna is moving forward with its plan to add public parking with Patrick Henry Library’s upcoming renovation.
The town is partnering with Fairfax County so that the town can have public parking spots when the county rebuilds the library (101 E. Maple Avenue).
The town is looking to incorporate public parking into a three-story parking garage, according to the Capital Improvement Plan.
Director of Finance Marion Serfass told the Town Council that the town would have 188 spaces, while the library would have 125 — a total of 313 parking spaces.
The parking garage is expected to cost $6.3 million, and the town is seeking a grant from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.
The Vienna Town Council approved the 2020-2036 Capital Improvement Plan at their meeting on Monday (Oct. 21).
Image via Town of Vienna
Work is underway to get flood-damaged Kirby Road in McLean reopened before the end of the year.
At a meeting hosted last night (Thursday) by Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, officials from the Virginia Department of Transportation told attendees about the process behind reopening Swinks Mill Road and about the work done on Kirby Road.
The 1300 block of Kirby Road and Swinks Mill Road by Scott’s Runclosed due to severe storm damage from July 8 flash flooding. Swinks Mill Road reopened last week.
Kirby Road was damaged in two places from the storm — the roadway and the bridge. For about 12 hours after the storm, 21 homes were landlocked.
VDOT was able to restore access to the homes by 2 a.m. on July 9, VDOT official Denise Cantwell said.
After some delays with the bidding process, Martins Construction Corporation was awarded the $2.1 million emergency contract for repairs, Cantwell said.
The roadway work is expected to done by mid-November and then the crews will switch over to the bridge to get that done by mid-December. The date to get everything back open is Dec. 15.
To get the work done as soon as possible, VDOT has incentivized the contractor by offering up to $2,000 for every day completed early — capped at $120,000. And if the contractor goes past the Dec. 15 deadline, they will then have to pay $2,000 for every day the project is late.
Cantwell said that work cannot be done simultaneously on the bridge and roadway because then access would be cut off to the 21 homes again.
Work to add surface asphalt and striping is expected to be completed by May 2020. The work is dependent on the weather, Cantwell said.
As the Nationals compete in the World Series, Fairfax County police want people to be careful about where they get their tickets for the games.
“Detectives are investigating an increasing number of online and phone scams involving the sale of World Series tickets,” according to a press release.
The police department has tips for people to avoid scams, including being cautious when buying tickets from sources other than Major League Baseball or authorized dealers.
“Be sure to research the vendor and review their security protocols before providing personal information or payment,” FCPD noted.
Anyone who wants to report a scam can file a report online with the Financial Crimes Section or call 703-691-2131.
Additional tips are available on the Fairfax County Consumer Affairs’ Shopping Online resource page.
The Nats have a game against the Astros tomorrow (Friday).
File photo
Some parts of the design plans for the Vienna Market project are heading back to the drawing table.
Back in the spring, Vienna’s Board of Architectural Review (BAR) called the proposed plans rigid, plain and unbecoming for Maple Avenue and continued working with the developer to tweak the plans.
The project plans to replace the Marco Polo building and other surrounding properties with 44 condominiums and 8,200 square feet of retail space — along with an underground parking garage — to 245 W. Maple Avenue.
The BAR approved the project in chunks, with the final approval on Sept. 19.
Appeal Attempt
Residents Charles and Laura Anderson sought to get the Board of Architectural Review’s approval of the rear architectural designs and plans for the Vienna Market appealed.
In a letter dated Oct. 1 to the town clerk, the Andersons claimed that the approved plans violate the Maple Avenue general design criteria and the Town Code, saying that the facades of the rear are not consistent with the front and side facades.
“As approved, the rear facades of four of the five townhouse rows along the proposed Vienna Market Lane consist almost entirely of siding material with no brick; whereas the front and side facades consist almost entirely of brick with no siding,” the Andersons wrote.
The Town Council considered the appeal at a meeting on Monday (Oct. 21).
“Since the structures won’t be coming out of the ground, I’m told, until November or December at the very earliest, there’s time to do this and get it right,” Charles Anderson said at the meeting.
Anderson’s concerns seemed to resonate with many residents and some of the councilmembers.
“I’m concerned that [if] I lived back there I would want to be looking at something halfway decent,” Councilmember Howard Springsteen said.
Public’s Input
The Vienna residents who testified during the public hearing about the project on Monday stressed that all of the sides of the buildings can be clearly seen.
“It’s seen from all sides,” one resident testified. “There is really not a back to this building in my opinion.”
Residents asked that the Church Street facade have the same attractiveness as the Pleasant Street and Maple Street facades.
“This is right across the street from the historic district,” another resident said. “We get one chance to get this right.”
Several residents, including the Andersons, said that town officials might be able to avoid future controversies if residents have more opportunities to provide input.
“The citizens of this town need to brought into these conversations in an earlier stage,” Charles Anderson said.
Motion to Move Forward
After the public hearing, Councilmember Pasha Majdi suggested a motion to reverse the BAR’s decision on Sept. 19 to approve Vienna Market. Repand to BAR
“I have no interest in cutting a deal tonight or making architectural designs,” Majdi said. “I think that’s a poor way to make decisions way outside my expertise.”
After Majdi presented his motion, the developer proposed a compromise that would wrap brick on the rear of two of the four rows of townhomes.
Nisha Patel said that she would like to see a compromise, but wants to see renderings of the proposal.
“I would be really cautious to undo the entire approval that happened at the Sept. 19 because there were a whole bunch of other things that were approved,” Councilmember Douglas Noble said.
Majdi then amended his motion to modify the BAR’s decisions Sept. 19 and Aug. 15 and to direct the BAR to consult with the Town Council before Town Council’s next scheduled meeting on the project.
When Noble proposed an amendment to Majdi’s motion to keep the modification specific to the four rear facades of the townhomes parallel to the Bank of America property and facing Market Square.
The Town Council approved both Noble’s amendment and Majdi’s motion.
“I do think we should move on this as quickly as possible,” Mayor Laurie DiRocco said.
Renderings via Town of Vienna
Updated 10/25/19 — “It was a customer-request outage so work could be done on their end,” Peggy Fox, a spokesperson for Dominion Energy told Tysons Reporter.
More than 230 Dominion Energy customers are without power near the intersection of International and Westpark drives above Tysons Galleria this morning (Thursday).
The outage is affecting 237 customers at the northwest corner of the intersection.
Crews are currently working to restore power, which Dominion expects to be back on between 2-5 p.m., according to the Dominion Energy power outage map.
The cause of the power outage is pending investigation.
Map via Dominion Energy
The team behind Sen Khao has a new quick-service sandwich pop-up open in Tysons Galleria’s Urbanspace.
LaoWich recently opened at the mall, according to Tysons Galleria.
The sandwich pop-up shop is located on the third level next to Saks Fifth Avenue, across from Sen Khao.
“Chef Seng is here to cure your sandwich sads with a unique menu of Laotian eats served on brioche buns, all slathered with her signature sen-sauce,” according to Tysons Galleria.
Diners can find a rotating menu of Asian sweets and drinks from 4-6 p.m. at LaoWich.
Photo via LaoWich/Facebook
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is hiring bus drivers again.
FCPS held two hiring events in July and August to bring onboard new bus drivers. Back in July, FCPS was short-staffed by roughly 100 drivers — primarily in the McLean area, FCPS Director of Transportation Francine Furby said.
Now, FCPS has 80 bus driver openings to fill, according to a press release.
“FCPS is seeking full-time bus drivers to join its force of 1,120 drivers who drive more than 16,000,000 miles each year,” according to FCPS.
The pay is $19.20 per hour and drivers would need to work at least 30 hours per week.
The bus driver fair will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 13, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Gerry Hyland Government Center (8350 Richmond Hwy) in Alexandria.
“In order to qualify to work as a bus driver with FCPS, applicants must be at least 21 years old; have a good driving record; pass a physical exam, drug screening, and background check; complete a five-week training program, take the commercial driver’s license road test, and obtain a commercial driver’s license,” according to FCPS.
Plans to regulate motorized scooters are zooming ahead in Fairfax County ahead of the end of the year deadline for creating regulations.
Staff from the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) and the Department of Cable and Consumer Services presented the proposed ordinance during the Transportation Committee on Tuesday (Oct. 29).
The county has until Jan. 1, 2020 to implement regulations on motorized scooters, skateboards and bicycles. After that date, the scooter companies can zoom around however they please.
Scooters are an increasingly popular alternative transportation option and are already in use in the county. (The City of Falls Church and the Town of Vienna are also in the process of creating their own pilot programs.)
The proposed ordinance would create a new chapter in the code that would exclude Capital Bikeshare. The ordinance would allow for an initial fleet size of 300 shared mobility devices — and up to a maximum of 600 after the company’s meet certain requirements, according to the presentation.
Scooters would be allowed on highways and sidewalks — unless signs say otherwise, according to the presentation.
Rebecca Makely, from the Department of Cable and Consumer Services, said that county staff knocked down the proposed speed limit from 15 to 10 miles per hour.
“We do believe that this is a conservative approach,” Makely said, adding that the county is considering pedestrian safety along with the proposal.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, who has expressed concern about a 15 mph speed limit, said that Tysons Partnership wants to see higher speed limits and larger numbers of vehicles allowed.
Next Tuesday (Oct. 29), the Board of Supervisors is set to vote on whether or not to authorize a public hearing about the proposal on Nov. 19.
(Updated 10/24/19) A Mediterranean restaurant and dumpling eatery are some of the newcomers headed to Falls Plaza in the the City of Falls Church — and they are hiring.
Tasty Dumpling and Plaka Grill have “now hiring” signs in their windows at the shopping center at 1200 W. Broad Street.
For Tasty Dumpling, interested people can contact Linda at 703-946-6037 and 703-269-1752. For Plaka Grill, people can send resumes to [email protected] or call 571-484-9446.
Plaka Grill is moving into a roughly 3,500-square-foot space by Giant, while Tasty Dumpling will occupy a 1,400-square-foot space between CVS and Staples, according to the shopping center’s brochure.
Plaka Grill, a locally-owned Greek restaurant, is relocating its Falls Church location from 513 W. Broad Street to Falls Plaza. The restaurant also has a spot in Vienna.
“With the move to the new location in Falls Plaza, the restaurant will be expanding its footprint with additional kitchen space that will allow the restaurant to expand its catering offerings,” according to a press release from the restaurant.
The restaurant is planning to open in November, the press release said.
“We’re thrilled to move to a location with abundant parking to better serve our customers,” Peter Drosos, the restaurant’s owner and chef, said in the press release. “Falls Plaza is ideally situated, and we’re excited for the opportunity to be more accessible to our guests whether they’re choosing to dine in with us or get carry-out, delivery or catering.”
Sandwich chain Jersey Mike’s and Rania’s Love Vegetarian Restaurant also have signs saying they are coming to the shopping center.
A spokesperson for Jersey Mike’s said that the eatery is aiming for a December opening.
People interested in brainstorming ideas for how to make Lee Hwy (Route 29) safer can attend a meeting tomorrow (Thursday) night.
Local businesses and Virginia Tech planning students are planning to share ideas for improvements along the highway from Graham Road to Tinner Hill Road.
The meeting is set to take place from 6:30-8 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School (601 S Oak Street).
Nearby, a study is underway to consider changes to Route 50.
Map via Google Maps
