Updated at 8:50 a.m. — The roads have reopened.

Earlier: Fairfax County police said that two roads in McLean are closed due to a tree blocking each one.

Police said this evening (Wednesday) that 977 Balls Hill Road and Swinks Mill Road at Gelston Circle are the two closures in the McLean District. More than a dozen roads are affected across the county after a storm earlier today.

Police said that the list will be updated.

Map via Google Maps

Roughly 4,000 people in McLean have lost power this evening (Wednesday) right after a storm hit the area.

A Dominion Energy map shows five major power outages. One is west of I-495 above Odricks Corner that is affecting 1,076 customers.

The other four are around Old Dominion Road in the Chesterbrook area — the largest of which was caused by a circuit outage and is impacting 1,237 people, according to the map.

Investigations are pending for the three others ones, which, in total, have left a little more than 2,000 people in the dark.

Dominion Energy does not yet have estimated times for when the power will be restored for the outages.

Several smaller outages affecting 14 people or less are scattered throughout McLean, Vienna, Tysons, Falls Church and Merrifield.

The outages popped up on the map shortly after the National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch, followed by a storm that quickly passed through the Tysons area shortly after 5 p.m.

Map via Dominion Energy 

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors gave The Mile, a proposed mixed-use development in Tysons, their stamp of approval at their meeting Tuesday (July 16).

The massive development aims to transform 38 acres of offices in the North Central neighborhood into 10 mixed-use buildings with residential, retail, office, hotel and storage locations. The project is unique with its six planned parks spanning more than 10 acres.

Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth said that the development’s largest park — a roughly 5-acre park with a large open lawn area, a performance stage, gaming areas, picnic areas, a children’s play area and trails —  will fulfill the county’s plan to have a central park in Tysons.

More from the county about the project:

Five buildings are residential along with supporting retail, and another four buildings include options for either residential, office or hotel uses, plus retail. The 10th building is a 5,000-square-foot retail kiosk planned for The Mile’s Signature Park. The approved plans also allow for an option to include 300,000 square feet in mini-warehouse or storage in one of the residential buildings.

The board also approved final development plans for The Mile’s first building — a seven-story apartment building with ground-floor retail on Westbranch Drive near the intersection with Westpark Drive.

Smyth thanked the developers for “coming up with something I think will be a lasting achievement in Tysons.”

Image via Fairfax County Planning Commission

The National Weather Service has a Heat Advisory in effect for Fairfax County and surrounding areas for much of today (Wednesday).

The advisory will last from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. with heat index values set to hit 110 degrees.

More from NWS:

…HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING…

* HEAT INDEX VALUES…105 to 110 due to temperatures in the mid 90s, and dewpoints in the lower 70s.

* IMPACTS…The heat and humidity may cause heat stress during outdoor exertion or extended exposure.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Heat Advisory means that a period of high temperatures is expected. The combination of high temperatures and high humidity will create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible, reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear light weight and loose fitting clothing when possible and drink plenty of water.

A Heat Advisory has been issued for counties along/east of the I-95 corridor, including DC and Baltimore. Heat index values are expected to reach 105 degrees for areas in the advisory. #DCwx #MDwx #VAwx #WVwx pic.twitter.com/unclowshfB

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) July 17, 2019

Photo by Kent Pilcher on Unsplash

A little more than a week ago, severe flash flooding swept the Tysons area causing widespread damage.

Tysons Reporter reported on a variety of the storm’s impacts from multiple road closures to swift water rescues, from to flooded yards, basements and fields to missing chickens in McLean.

While the recent hot weather dried out the Tysons area, we want to know how much the flooding impacted you.

Let us know in the poll and comment below to tell Tysons Reporter more about your experience.

First photo via @SteveML9022/Twitter

The Tysons area might see fewer panhandlers in the future now that Fairfax County is looking to discourage them on medians and intersections.

On Tuesday (July 16), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a board matter that would prohibit “curb to curb” interaction between drivers and pedestrians.

Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity and Braddock District Supervisor John Cook, who jointly brought forward the board matter, argued that panhandling increased in the last two years county-wide mostly from rings attracted to Fairfax County’s wealthy residents.

“[Panhandling] has become massively greater,” Cook told the board, adding that it is dangerous for both the panhandlers and drivers. “It is a public safety issue.”

Several of fellow supervisors agreed, including Chairman Sharon Bulova.

Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth pointed to examples in Tysons for how panhandling is becoming more frequent along more roads in the county.

“I see it daily at Nutley [Street] and Lee Hwy,” Smith said, adding that panhandlers along major roads undergoing work could pose safety hazards to drivers.

“And this is just another complication to have panhandlers there when people are trying to figure out [how to drive around construction on] Route 7 in Tysons,” she said. “People have complained about the fact that it isn’t safe for [panhandlers] to be out there.”

More from the board matter:

The board has sought to help those panhandlers in need by committing a significant portion of the county budget to providing services for those residents who are down on their luck. The board has encouraged residents to direct panhandlers to these county resources including shelters, food banks, health and job matching services, instead of giving small amounts of money. It is vitally important that we connect those in need with the right services and disincentivize panhandling.

Although homelessness in the county is shrinking, panhandling by roadways is becoming more and more prevalent. In 2017 alone, the Fairfax County Police department received over 2,100 calls related to panhandling and many more have been received by district offices. These calls detailed traffic issues, concerns about panhandler safety, and fears about a suspicious person at an intersection. As a county we devote significant resources to helping our residents in need and to keeping all our residents safe.

This isn’t the first time concerns about panhandling have popped up in Fairfax County. Commenters on a Reddit thread last year bemoaned a seemingly increasing number of panhandlers in Tysons.

Fairfax County Police Department has encouraged people to not give panhandlers money. “While we may get a good feeling by providing money to a panhandler, the reality is that panhandlers who are truly in need require more resources than small amounts of money,” according to the county’s website.

Cook and Herrity also pointed to other nearby jurisdictions, including the City of Winchester and Clarke and Frederick counties, for their “curb to curb” rules that restrict people on medians and intersections interacting with drivers.

The Board of Supervisors approved the board matter, which directs the county staff to create a proposed ordinance that would prohibit “any engagement of pedestrians with cars while on medians or intersections.” It notes that the ordinance would not restrict people’s free speech rights on sidewalks or affect kids’ advertising car washes.

The board will consider the proposal at the Public Safety Committee meeting on Sept. 17.

File photo

A Maryland-based real estate firm recently purchased part of the Arbor Row development in Tysons.

Washington Property Co. announced it bought a 5.2-acre slice of the 2.5-million-square-foot project last week, according to the Washington Business Journal.

“WPC now plans to build about 700 apartments and 8,000 square feet of retail on the site, which is located at the intersection of Westpark Drive and West Branch Drive,” according to WBJ.

Arbor Row’s overarching plan is to transform the back end of Tysons Galleria with a variety of mixed-use buildings. The portion of the project was offered for sale earlier this year after Cityline Partners decided not to follow through on its development plans for the site.

The new owner hopes to start construction within the next two years, WBJ wrote.

Images via CBRE

The Town of Vienna decided to keep working with the developer to tweak a contentious, mixed-use project along Maple Avenue.

In June, the Vienna Town Council approved the redevelopment, which would add a four-floor building with ground-floor retail and more than three dozen multi-family residential condominium units at 380 Maple Avenue.

Then in July, the Vienna Town Council decided to hold a public hearing on possibly rescinding the rezoning application after some councilmembers pointed to the town’s failure to notify the county about the project — along with other issues — as justification to revisit the project.

The joint public hearing last night (Monday) by the Town Council and the town’s Planning Commission started off with a tense conversation between councilmembers about whether a possible rescission would kick the application back to the Planning Commission or result in a repeal.

“We’re not here to kill the application,” Councilmember Pasha Majdi, one of the councilmembers who originally brought up possibly rescinding the project, said. “We’re here to rescind approval and send it back to the Planning Commission to fix some mistakes that have been made.”

Among the handful of “mistakes” brought up about the project during the hearing, several planning commissioners and councilmembers pointed to a debated road narrowing sparking safety concerns.

Planning Commissioner Stephen Kenney noted the council’s desire to keep Wade Hampton Road at 36 feet instead of the project’s approved reduction to 32 feet. “It seems to be a contentious point for at least some of the neighbors and [some councilmembers],” he said.

“If we can figure out a way to go forward if the developer or the town is OK with the 36 feet, I think we would be saving everybody a lot of time in the interest of working together,” Councilmember Nisha Patel said. “Can we just make this happen somehow legally?”

Councilmember Howard Springsteen said that keeping the road at 36 feet could create a “win-win.”

Ultimately, the Vienna Town Council voted to negotiate the project’s proffers with the developer until Aug. 5.

Photo via Town of Vienna Planning and Zoning

(Updated at 11:45 a.m. 7/19/19) Fairfax County declared a local emergency as it seeks federal disaster aid to help with flash flooding damage.

In a board matter approved at the Board of Supervisors meeting today (Tuesday), Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said, “The McLean-Falls Church area was particularly hard hit. Today, more than a week later, there are roads in the county that remain closed with no estimated date for reopening.”

The flooding caused extensive disruption to the area from water rescues to road closures last week.

The region experienced about one month’s worth of rain, making it the heaviest one-hour total rainfall since at least 1936, according to the Washington Post. The City of Falls Church and Arlington County both declared a state of emergency just days after the storm.

More from a copy of the board matter that Tysons Reporter received:

Fortunately, despite the intensity of the storm, no one was severely injured or worse. The Office of Emergency Management and the county’s public safety and public works staffs were great! I commend them for reacting promptly and very professionally to emergencies that occurred throughout the county.

Since the storm, my office has received dozens of emails and phone calls from residents who experienced devastating damage to their property. Many residents had several feet of water and mud in their basements. Others experienced even worse damage. Some residents have estimated the cost to repair the damage will be as high as six figures.

The Office of Emergency Management has asked residents and businesses to file damage reports so that the county can evaluate whether we will pursue federal disaster aid… [Residents] are anxiously inquiring whether Fairfax County will do the same. They also need to know what federal aid might be available to them if a federal disaster is declared.

Residents are also learning that their property insurance may not cover their damages. Some residents believe that a lack of adequate infrastructure to convey some or all the stormwater contributed to the damage they suffered. Some have inquired about filing potential claims against the county and/or the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Now, County Executive Bryan Hill will need to let the board know about the status and timing for determining whether or not the county will receive federal disaster aid after the county retroactively declared a local emergency.

“Many asked why we didn’t do a declaration the day after the storm like Arlington,” Hill said.

Hill said that he had several conversations with Foust about the process and that meetings are scheduled with the county’s stormwater management crew. “We will probably need to change how we do our engineering going forward,” Hill said.

The county’s Emergency Management Coordinator Seamus Mooney is set to update the county in the last week of July, Hill said.

Additionally, Foust’s board matter directed the county to create an informational flyer or brochure about how residents can submit damage claims to the county and the Virginia Department of Transportation, along with a list of county services and resources that could assist residents experiencing storm damage.

Chairman Sharon Bulova said that it’s also important to push information on social media on what people should report and why.

“We will likely have additional storm and water events in the future,” Bulova said, adding, “We’ve gotten really good at snow and not so much with water.”