(Updated at 11 a.m.) A moratorium on new development applications for Maple Avenue set to expire in November may get extended again.

The Vienna Town Council is set to request tonight (Sept. 16) that staff schedule a public hearing on Nov. 4 to discuss extending the suspension of the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) Zone to June 2020. The matter would also go to the town’s Planning Commission.

The Town Council first put the moratorium in place last September to allow the town staff time to redesign the town’s guidelines. The moratorium was set to expire in June, but the Town Council voted to extend it to Nov. 15.

So far, the Vienna Town Council has approved four MAC projects:

• a combination Chick-fil-A and Flagship Carwash Center at 540 W. Maple Avenue that has received public backlash
• townhouse-style condominiums with retail at the northeast corner of W. Maple Avenue and Pleasant Street NW
• a much-debated redevelopment that would add ground-floor retail and more than three dozen multi-family residential condominium units to 380 Maple Avenue
• a controversial redevelopment of 430, 440 and 444 W. Maple Avenue into a four-story mixed-use development

The Town Council has also killed a MAC project — a proposed Sunrise Senior Living Facility at the corner of Maple Avenue and Center Street. Sunrise is suing the Town Council for allegedly discriminating against seniors and people with disabilities.

The Town Council meeting tonight will start at 8 p.m.

Mackage, a Canadian brand known for its jackets, coats and leather goods, is set to open a store in Tysons Galleria.

The mall lists the designer outerwear brand as “coming soon” and a building permit indicates that work is underway on the new store.

This will be the first Mackage store to open in the D.C. area. Currently, Mackage has three stores in the U.S. — one in New Jersey and two in New York City.

Mackage aims to “elevate outerwear with a unique balance between fashion and function,” according to the company’s website.

Photo via Mackage/Facebook

The Vienna Police Department is looking for the three women who reportedly stole merchandise from a cosmetics store along Maple Avenue.

An employee at Sally Beauty (329 E. Maple Avenue) reported to the police that three women concealed multiple items of merchandise before fleeing the store, according to a police report.

The incident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. last Tuesday (Sept. 10).

In a separate incident, a Vienna resident in the 900 block of Frederick Street SW reported to the police that “someone intentionally damaged a tree she recently planted” between Friday, Sept. 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7, police said.

The police department also received nine recent reports from people who said their cars had been rummaged through.

Photo via Facebook

Police Identify Tysons East Crash Victim — “Police said Megan E. Bell, 28, of Herndon, was the driver and only occupant of a Honda Civic involved in the single-vehicle crash that occurred at 2:34 a.m. along the Dulles Access Road (Route 267), a quarter-mile west of Route 123 in Tysons, according to Virginia State Police.” [The Washington Post]

Pizza Place Coming to Falls Church — Joel Salamone “is bringing his hometown specialty, along with Buffalo-style pizza, to the Little City when Baddpizza (stylized ‘baddpizza’) opens in the Broadale Village Shopping Center this November.” [Falls Church News-Press]

New Economic Development Alliance — Ten jurisdictions including Fairfax County and the City of Falls Church have teamed up to create the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance. [NOVA EDA]

County Pushing Car-Free Week — Fairfax County, Fairfax Connector “and other regional transportation partners are offering commuters the chance to win great prizes during Try Transit Week (Sept. 16-20, 2019) and Car Free Days (Sept. 21-23, 2019).” [Fairfax County]

Crash in Merrifield This Morning — Firefighters and rescue personnel were on the scene of a two-car crash at Williams Drive and Arlington Boulevard in the Merrifield area around 7:50 a.m. “Minor entrapment of occupants. Crews worked quickly to free. Two minor injuries.” [Twitter]

Site of Closed Falls Church Bookstore Bought — “The former site of Hole in the Wall Books, which shuttered at the end of last month after 40 years of business, was purchased by David Yeakel, Jr., an attorney who owns a practice next door to the former used bookstore on W. Broad St.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Town of Vienna Wants Website Feedback — “Last call for letting our website design team know what you think about the Town’s current site. This survey closes Monday evening.” [Twitter]

Shoppers at Tysons Corner Center will soon be able to get Invisalign at the mall next week.

Northern Virginia Orthodontics offers Invisalign and braces at two locations in Ashburn and one in Reston.

Now an NVO Invisalign Studio is coming to the second level by Nordstrom in Tysons Corner Center.

People interested can make appointments now and ask about the “First 100 Special” by calling 703-574-2174.

The studio is set to open on Monday, Sept. 16, according to an Instagram post.

Photo via Northern Virginia Orthodontics/Facebook

Work to repair one of two flood-damaged McLean roads is taking longer than originally expected.

The 1300 block of Kirby Road and Swinks Mill Road by Scott’s Run are still closed due to severe storm damage from July 8 flash flooding. The Virginia Department of Transporation (VDOT) has said that both roads will stay closed for several months.

In an update yesterday (Thursday), VDOT said that work on Kirby Road is slated to be finished in mid-December instead of late November.

“The road is expected to safely reopen to through traffic in mid-December, and final asphalt and lane striping will continue through May 2020,” VDOT said in an update yesterday (Thursday).

“Martins Construction Corporation has been awarded a $2.1 million emergency contract for repairs, and work is anticipated to begin the week of Sept. 23,” VDOT said.

Meanwhile, work on Swinks Mill Road is expected to be done by the end of this month, VDOT said, adding that crews are currently working on reconstructing the bridge deck and making sub-structure repairs.

VDOT also provided information on the progress this week for both roads:

Swinks Mill Road at Scotts Run

In the last month, crews have:

• Excavated and poured concrete working surfaces on the downstream side on which the footers will be built
• Installed rebar and poured two footers on the downstream side
• Installed rebar and support for the stem wall on the downstream right-side abutment
• Partially installed rebar for stem wall on the downstream left-side abutment

Kirby Road at Pimmit Run 

Martins Construction Corporation’s work includes:

• Relocation of Little Pimmit Run to its previous stream alignment in compliance with federal/state permitting agencies
• Rebuilding the washed-out section of Kirby Road with concrete and rip rap
• Replacement of a more than 50-year-old, 24-inch sanitary sewer line
• Reconstruction of the bridge over Pimmit Run with work on the abutments, wing walls, parapets, bridge deck and approaches

Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust wrote in an email to constituents yesterday that he is working with other elected officials to set up a community meeting “to provide residents with an opportunity to learn more about these emergency repairs and ask questions.”

Photo courtesy VDOT

Several roads will be closed and parking restrictions will be in place in the City of Falls for a race on Sunday (Sept. 15).

Hosted by the Falls Church Education Foundation, the 15th annual Run for Schools race will raise money for the foundation and Fairfax County Public Schools.

Warm-ups start at 7:45 before the 1-mile-long race kicks off at 8 a.m. at 300 Park Avenue.

More than a dozen roads will be closed from 6:30-10:30 a.m. and not permit parking.

“The City of Falls Church Police Department appreciates the public’s cooperation with the road closures, helping to ensure the safety of the race participants and volunteers,” according to a press release from the city.

Map via City of Falls Church

Falls Church and Vienna residents are concerned that proposed changes to urbanize Fairview Park will worsen traffic and put on a strain on overcrowded schools.

Fairfax County is currently considering altering the Merrifield Suburban Center to turn an office park engulfed by I-495, Lee Hwy and Route 50 into a mixed-use development with more office space, multi-family homes, a hotel, retail and recreational uses.

Fairview Park is currently home to offices — including the four-story-tall HIIT Contracting building — and residential communities by a lake.

County staff said in a report that mixed-use developments are more attractive to employees than single-use office parks. Additionally, the plan amendment would encourage developers to include affordable housing dwelling units or workforce dwelling units, along with senior living and student housing options.

Elizabeth Baker, a senior land use planner for Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh, told the Planning Commission that the fact that three of the eight previously planned office buildings have been built points to office parks being out an outdated concept. The offices at Fairview Park had a 29% vacancy rate last year, she said.

At the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s public hearing last night (Wednesday), residents urged the commissioners to scale back the number of housing units proposed for the area and speed up pedestrian and biking improvements, like a pedestrian bridge over Route 50 (Arlington Blvd).

While several residents who testified said they don’t want to see a new building along the man-made peninsula, county staff said that they have language in the plan amendment that would discourage that. If a developer decided to build there, they would be prevented from creating a mixed-use development.

Charlie Hall, who was on the task force that helped evaluate the proposed changes, told the commissioners that schools, park and transportation in the area “are under strain.”

While Hall noted that the Planning Commission is probably eager to repeat the “spectacular” Mosaic District, they are “in danger of choking on its success.”

Hall — and several other people — pointed to New Providence and Yancey drives at Fairview Park Drive as a “unique situation” that would require road work to make it safer — especially if thousands of more people eventually come to the area.

The plan currently proposes up to 1,060 dwelling units. Several of the residents who testified said that they prefer scaling back the number of units to 840.

Hall said that he thinks 840 housing units are “economically viable and will create an attractive community.”

Baker, the land use planner, argued that the extra units could help the housing shortage in the area. “We really do feel the need for the 1,060 [units],” she said.

Several residents also raised concerns about the anticipated 119 students the changes could add to the area, saying that nearby schools — like Falls Church High School — are over capacity.

Magaret Irish, representing the homeowners’ association for Carr at New Providence, said that plan amendment would be “the end of quiet evenings in our neighborhood,” in addition to threatening wildlife and trees in the area.

“When does more become enough?” she asked the commissioners. “We need less traffic. We need better infrastructure… We need schools, not wide roads.”

Kevin Warhurst, a McLean resident and member of the Greater Merrifield Business Association said that — while he is sympathetic to residents’ concerns — the changes “will allow [Fairview Park] to grow and thrive.”

“Having a mixed-use is important,” he said.

Phillip Niedzielski-Eichner, the commissioner for the Providence District, asked the commission to delay the vote on the plan amendment until next Thursday (Sept. 19) to give the Planning Commission time to review the public comments.

The proposal is set to head to the Board of Supervisors for a hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 24.

Images via Fairfax County 

The Town of Vienna Police Department is seeking the public’s help to identify a suspect linked to dirt bike theft along Maple Avenue.

Police tweeted that they are looking for the “subject seen at the Shell gas station (545 W. Maple Avenue) attempting to put a stolen dirt bike into a possible silver 2002 Mercedes CLK320.”

The incident happened around 4 a.m. Wednesday (Sept. 11). Police said the dirt bike was reported stolen from Paris Court SW.

“The subject is a black male, mid 30s, 6’2, slender, short cut beard, bald,” police said. “He was last seen wearing a tan cap, light grey or white shirt and black jeans.”

Image via Google Maps

A woman died after her vehicle ran off of Route 267 in Tysons East and struck two trees early this morning (Thursday).

The fatal crash happened around 2:30 a.m. on westbound Route 267 (Dulles Access Road) just west of Route 123, Corinne Geller, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, said.

“A Honda Civic was traveling west on Route 267 when it ran off the road and struck two trees. The impact of the crash caused the vehicle to roll over the guardrail and back into the westbound lanes of the highway,” Geller said.

The woman, who was the only person in the vehicle, died at the scene, Geller said.

Police are still trying to contact the woman’s next of kin and have not released her name.

The crash remains under investigation.

Map via Google Map