Columbia Baptist Church is ironing out parking and height issues linked to its expansion plans in the City of Falls Church.
The church wants to add a one-story, 33,000 square-foot building addition, along with a new sanctuary space with 1,192 seats, expanded paved surface parking and relocation of the parking lot and driveway along N. Maple Avenue.
The church (103 W. Columbia Street) is also seeking a variance that would allow the steeple to go 55 feet above the maximum height of 70 height to help bolster’s the church’s presence as a gateway to the city. The church argued that other churches have steeples above the maximum 70 feet.
Most of the discussion at the city’s Planning Commission meeting last night (Tuesday) focused on concerns that the church would have problems updating one of its ramps to make it ADA-compliant.
“On W. Columbia, both curb ramps at the midblock crosswalk need to be replaced,” according to the staff report.
“Since there are offsite parking agreements, all infrastructure that is being utilized in the right of way is required to be brought into current ADA standards.”
Facing the possibility of the proposal getting deferred because of the ramp, the team behind the church’s expansion said that they will figure out a way to meet the requirements for ADA-accessible ramps.
To address previous concerns about parking, the applicant added an extra 10 feet between the planned area for the parking spaces and nearby homes. The parking lot at the church was also redesigned to move the landscaping buffer between the parking lot and historic structures.
The Planning Commission approved the site plans and variance recommended.
The Board of Zoning Appeals will take up the church plans — decide if the church’s claims for the higher steeple will be allowed — at their meeting on Thursday, Oct. 17.
“Overall, I think it’s improved,” Andrew Rankin, the vice-chair of the city’s Planning Commission, said.
Image via Google Maps
Fairfax County police said a McLean resident grabbed his gun and shot at the suspected thieves driving out of his garage in his car.
Around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday (Oct.6 ), two men entered a garage in the 1400 block of Woodhurst Blvd near Wolf Trap and stole a 2006 Audi A6, police said.
The homeowner heard the garage door open, armed himself and went to investigate.
“He saw the car driving away and discharged one round from his firearm toward the car,” police said.
In a separate incident later that same day, a man allegedly stole two women’s purses when they were getting into their car after shopping in the 2000 block of International Drive.
“A man opened the back door and tried to steal their purses,” police said. “The victim grabbed a hold of her purse and a struggle ensued.”
The man got away with the purse. The woman wasn’t injured.
Some students at the overcrowded McLean High School may end up moving over to nearby Langley High School.
The Fairfax County School Board approved an amendment to its Capital Improvement Program that kicks off a boundary study about moving some students from McLean High School to Langley High School.
McLean High School is projected to go up to 127 percent capacity by the 2022 school year, according to the CIP.
Other possible ideas outlined in the CIP to address overcrowding at McLean High School include temporary classrooms and modular additions.
Jane Strauss, a school board member for the Dranesville District, said at the meeting that — if no changes are made — McLean High School will be the most overenrolled school by 2023.
While Strauss said that McLean High School is not the only overenrolled school in the county, she said that the other schools have a plan to address their crowding, while McLean High School does not.
“This fall, more trailers came into McLean which indicates that the overcrowding situation is continuing,” Strauss said.
The trailers are starting to get cramped on the constrained site, Strauss said. “Trailer villages — as we’ve all agreed — is not the solution.”
Langley, which was recently renovated, has extra space to accommodate the students.
“It’s unusual to have this much capacity in a neighboring school,” Strauss said about Langley.
A few school board members, including Elizabeth Schultz, who represents the Springfield District, and Thomas Wilson, who represents the Sully District, criticized the amendment, saying it lets McLean High School leapfrog more severely overcrowded schools in the county.
The school board voted 9-1 on the amendment — Wilson voted “no” while Schultz abstained — during the Sept. 26 meeting. Staff is expected to begin the scoping process this fall.
Strauss said that community members from Langley and McLean high schools will help decide the future decisions around the possible boundary change.
“It’s overdue for the McLean community,” Pat Hynes, the Hunter Mill District representative on the school board said.
To better fit in with nearby urbanization, the owners of Valo Park want to open the office complex to the public — and add restaurants, a 9/11 memorial and a bocce court.
The roughly 785,000 square-foot office park is currently home to the headquarters of the newspaper giant Gannett and cloud computing company Appian. The building currently has a fitness center, conference facilities, a 300-seat auditorium and lots of open space.
London-based Tamares acquired 7950 Jones Branch Drive for $270 million four years ago.
The private investment group is now looking to redesign roughly 19,000 square feet of the ground floor space and some areas of the garage to accommodate new retail and restaurants, according to the applications submitted to Fairfax County.
The developers are considering repurposing two corner areas of the building into restaurants — one would take 7,000 square feet of front corner space and the second would occupy 12,000 square feet of rear corner space. Meanwhile, 5,000 square feet of the garage’s rooftop would get converted into a craft beverage production establishment or restaurant.
The plans also include an outdoor gaming area with a bocce court, horseshoes, cornhole and a fire pit. The public would be able to use a 20,000-square-foot health club, along with a possible rock climbing facility.
“A 9/11 memorial is currently under construction on the property for further activation of open space,” according to the application.
The office park is located in the North Central neighborhood of Tysons, which has a luxurious four-building residential project at Park Crest, office space at Tysons Overlook and the residential Highgate. A massive mixed-use development called The Mile was approved earlier this year for the area.
“The underlying objectives for the proposed applications is to better incorporate Valo Park into the surrounding neighborhood fabric and better align the site with the goals of the Tysons Plan,” according to the application.
More from Tamares about how the changes fit the comprehensive plan for Tysons:
The proposed applications would render the site more compatible with the Comprehensive Plan’s goals for the North Central District to redevelop as a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood with local-serving retail. The proposed restaurants and site modifications would create a more outward facing development that is more accessible to the surrounding community.
A public hearing for the Planning Commission has not been announced yet.
Photo via Valo Park
Expensive parkas and jackets — many costing upwards of $1,000 — will soon be sold at a new pop-up store from Canada Goose in Tysons Galleria.
The Canadian outerwear store for men and women is “coming soon” to the Tysons mall. A spokesperson said that the store will arrive this fall and declined to say how long the store will be open for.
Canada Goose is known for its parkas and winter wear that often runs in the $800-$1,200 range. The luxury apparel brand announced plans earlier this year to open six stores this fall — two in Europe, one in the U.S. and three in Canada.
The store won’t be the only Canadian outerwear store in the mall — Mackage, a Canadian brand known for its jackets, coats and leather goods, opened a pop-up shop that will be open until April.
Tysons Galleria also recently welcomed international clothing brand Ba&sh on level one by Saks Fifth Avenue.
Photos via Canada Goose/Facebook
A refugee chef is planning to serve up traditional Afghan cuisine at Harth as part of a pop-up event series later this month in Tysons.
Hilton McLean Tysons Corner (7920 Jones Branch Drive) teamed up with Tables Without Borders on the limited dinner series featuring dishes by Chef Nejat Ahmadollah, which diners can experience with the tasting menu or a la carte, the Hilton press release said.
Some of the menu items will include:
- Kabuli — braised rice with lamb topped with raisins and slivered carrots
- Kadoo — baked pumpkin with yogurt sauce, garlic and mint
- Chicken kabob with an Afghan spice blend and cilantro chutney
Ahmadollah, an asylum-seeker from Afghanistan, came to the U.S. with his wife and kids in 2015.
“I’m looking forward to sharing my passion and love for cooking and Afghan cuisine with guests at Hilton McLean,” Ahmadollah said in a press release.
To prepare for the pop-up event, Ahmadollah plans to work with Harth’s Executive Chef Philip Thompson to create a menu that will focus on locally-sourced and traditional Afghan ingredients, the press release said.
Hilton is promoting the event as part of its “Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals” — the hotel chain’s strategy of encouraging sustainable, global travel.
“By 2030, we plan to double our social impact investment and cut our environmental footprint by half,” the press release said. “We track, analyze and report our environmental and social impact at each of Hilton’s nearly 5,900 hotels.”
The dinners will take place from 5-10 p.m. on three Fridays — Oct. 18, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1.
Part of the proceeds from the dinners will benefit HIAS, a nonprofit focused on refugee resettlement and advocacy.
“Tables Without Borders enables me to showcase authentic dishes representative of my country’s history and timeless traditions while adding a modern twist,” Ahmadollah said.
Photo courtesy Hilton McLean Tysons Corner
New shops and restaurants are planning to open in Mosaic District.
Shoppers at the mixed-use development in Merrifield can expect a Sephora and Drybar to arrive.
As for food, a Connecticut-based eatery called The Granola Bar is the latest of half of a dozen eateries planning to open, including Neapolitan pizza chain Pupatella and Urban Hot Pot.
Pick your favorite below and tell us in the comments which other ones you are ready for.
Car Tax Due Today — Fairfax County “mailed more than 800,000 annual bills to vehicle owners, and because Oct. 5 falls on a Saturday, this year’s deadline to pay [the] bill is Monday, Oct. 7.” [Fairfax County]
Expect Metro Delays Today — The Orange, Silver and Blue lines will be impacted today due to an overnight rear-end train collision outside Farragut West. [WMATA]
CaliBurger Coming to The Boro — “Locally, the West Coast-styled company’s fries and burgers are served out of a teal-toned NoMa food truck at Wunder Garten. Under a newly inked deal, Caliburger will open next spring in the splashy Boro Development coming together in the heart of Tysons.” [Eater DC]
Art Around Tysons Metro Stations — “Public art not only adds beauty to a place, it can also help people orient themselves and find their way around. Tysons is no exception… Let’s take a look at four public art pieces at Metro stations in Tysons.” [Greater Greater Washington]
Mystery Set at Tysons Mall — “Like [Ellen] Butler’s first two Karina Cardinal mysteries, the setting of the book is local, starting with a mystery criminal absconding with diamonds from a Tysons Corner jewelry store.” [Patch]
The Grass is Greener — “New artificial turf has been installed at Larry Graves Park, replacing the natural grass field where bad weather contributed to game delays and cancellations. City officials hope the revamped surface will be more durable to the climate as well as to its users, but the installation wasn’t well received by all.” [Falls Church News-Press]
County Chair on Explosive Growth — “Sharon Bulova first won political office in Fairfax County 31 years ago on a slow-growth platform. She’ll leave the stage in January having presided over perhaps the most explosive period of growth in the county’s history. It’s a contradiction that Bulova fully acknowledges, and embraces.” [Washington Business Journal]
An upcoming meeting at the end of October will provide an update to locals about work to repair two flood-damaged roads in McLean.
The 1300 block of Kirby Road and Swinks Mill Road by Scott’s Run closed due to severe storm damage from flash flooding in July.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust will host the meeting with county staff and representatives from the Virginia Department of Transporation (VDOT) on Thursday, Oct. 24.
“This meeting will still provide residents with the opportunity to learn more and speak directly with VDOT and county staff regarding specific questions,” Foust said in an email to constituents.
VDOT expects Kirby Road to reopen in mid-December. While VDOT has said it planned to have work on Swinks Mill Road done by the end of September, Foust said in an email to constituents that it is now slated to finish in early October.
The meeting is set to take place at 7 p.m. at Chesterbrook Elementary School (1753 Kirby Road).
Attendees will have the chance to ask officials questions about the progress of the repairs.
Photo courtesy VDOT
Vienna police received a report of a man allegedly taking pictures of women sneakily at Caffe Amouri last week.
The incident occurred between 10 a.m.-noon last Thursday, Sept. 26.
A person at the cafe reported to police on Friday, Sept. 27, that she saw a man taking pictures of women in and around the cafe and would hide the camera if anyone seemed to notice him, according to the police report.
“The citizen reported the man to employees,” police said. “The owner of the café was alerted to the man’s behavior; he watched the man and confirmed the citizen’s account.”
The man left after the owner told him that he could not take pictures inside the cafe, police said.
Inside a separate incident, Vienna police are looking for the three men who allegedly stole money from the Subway at 222 W. Maple Avenue last Friday night.
“On September 28, the manager reported that on the previous day, three men entered the restaurant, distracted the employee and took US currency,” police said.
Photo via Facebook
