Furry four-legged friends in the Town of Vienna may get a new animal hospital.
Banfield Pet Hospital, a preventative health care provider for pets with more than 1,000 locations across the country, wants to bring its services to 414 E. Maple Avenue.
“The hospital will primarily service the surrounding community,” according to the staff report.
Built in 1967, the building has two tenant spaces — one space is home to Leslie’s Pool Supplies, while the other one is the vacant spot Banfield wants.
Banfield plans to provide a range of services, according to its application, including:
- full-service veterinarian care
- general surgery
- a pharmacy
- retail pet supply sales
- an internal dog run area
The animal hospital would operate between 7 a.m.-7 p.m. seven days a week. It would not allow pets to stay overnight or provide long-term boarding.
About 20 to 25 pets would visit the animal hospital daily, Aaron Vorasane, the applicant’s representative, told the Planning Commission last night (Wednesday).
As part of the application, the animal hospital wants to install a 4-foot-tall chain link fence to help prevent trash and debris from entering a nearby creek and create a waste pick-up bag station on the grassy area to the side of the building.
Commissioner Sharon Baum raised a concern about dog urine running into the creek. Commissioner Mary McCullough responded by saying that Banfield’s proposed fence and waste area would encourage dog walkers and owners to keep their pets’ waste in a confined area away from the creek.
To limit noise, Banfield wants to install soundproofing in the wall neighboring Leslie’s Pool Supplies.
“Staff believes that the applicant is proposing appropriate mitigation strategies for any potential impacts from the business,” according to the staff report. “The installation of the chain link fence along the rear property line will further mitigate impacts to the abutting creek.”
The Planning Commission voted in favor of the animal hospital. The application now moves onto the Board of Zoning Appeals, which will consider the conditional use permit.
Image via Google Maps
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue wants to educate locals on how to prevent issues with charcoal disposal following a fire in a home in the Wolf Trap area.
Fire investigators say that improper disposal of charcoal briquettes caused the fire on Sunday (June 9) afternoon.
The investigators determined that the fire started by accident on the rear deck in the enclosed covered porch, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue.
Firefighters responded around 2 p.m. and quickly extinguished the fire at a two-story, single family home in the 9000 block of Edgepark Road.
No one was injured by the fire, which caused $11,000 worth of damage, according to the fire department.
In an effort to help stop similar fires from happening, the fire department has several safety tips for how to dispose of charcoal after cooking:
- douse the fire with water and make sure the area is cool to the touch
- empty the coals into a metal container with a tight-fitting lid that is used only to collect coals
- place the container outside and keep away from anything that can burn
- do not empty coals directly into a trash can
- store the charcoal starter fluid away from children and the heat source
The fire department also has a video about grilling safety.
Map via Google Maps
School Board member Dalia Palchik and Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay won their Democratic primary races yesterday, marking the end to an expensive, crowded and contentious primary.
Palchik won the nomination for the Providence District seat on the Board of Supervisors, defeating four challengers and pulling ahead of Fairfax County Planning Commissioner Phillip Niedzielski-Eichner by nearly 1,500 votes.
Meanwhile, McKay beat three challengers to clinch the Democratic nomination for the county board’s chair.
Frank Anderson, the executive director of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee, told Tysons Reporter that he was surprised by how many Democratic candidates flooded the Board of Supervisors races, although the large fundraising sums weren’t unexpected.
“I was surprised by how many candidates decided to jump in,” Anderson said, adding that a race like the one for Providence District supervisor typically has two to three candidates instead of five.
With crowded races, some of the candidates’ clashing resulted in an “acrimonious” primary, Anderson said, adding, “It’s expected to be.”
The race for the board’s chair was particularly divisive — McKay faced an ethics complaint filed by a rival, while the Washington Post endorsement raised concerns about sexism.
On the Democratic Party’s end, Anderson said that the debates “got awkward,” yet the staff focused on staying “as non-partial as we can” and professional.
The primary also turned out to be expensive for several candidates.
Niedzielski-Eichner and Palchik both neared the $100,000 fundraising mark in the race for the Democratic nomination.
Every candidate for the Democratic nomination to the chair position raised over $100,000, with developer Tim Chapman raising $952,109.
Anderson said that the high fundraising amounts serve several purposes. Beyond paying for resources like campaign staff, recorded calls, glossy mailers and advertising, they also help to give the impression that a candidate has the backing of more supporters.
“When you donate to a candidate, you do it because you believe in them,” Anderson said. “You can’t know whether your dollar made the difference.”
Anderson said that potential donors can become enticed to give money if they see how much others have donated — essentially equating money with value.
Some candidates in the race received sizable checks, either from donations to themselves or from a few key supporters, like developer Tim Chapman who raised most of his $952,109 by donating to himself in the chair race and Hunter Mill candidate Maggie Parker, who received support from Comstock Companies, her employer.
“Not many voters have the time to see who is donating to the candidates,” Anderson said.
Gilly Hicks, a lingerie brand by Hollister, may soon arrive in Tysons Corner Center.
Hollister revived Gilly Hicks two years ago when the intimates market started to grow as more brands focused on selling bras and underwear geared toward teen consumers.
Building permits indicate that Gilly Hicks plans to occupy a space within BrandBox, a collection of pop-up stores in the mall, on the lower level near H&M. Hollister is also on the first level by Macy’s.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co., which owns Hollister, is on the second level, directly above the BrandBox spaces.
Korean eatery Chi Mc might be coming to a shopping center in Vienna.
A retail license permit from last Wednesday (June 5) indicates that the eatery is looking to serve wine and beer at a spot in the Danor Plaza (126 Branch Road SE).
Jon Weiss, the vice president of leasing for Rosenthal Properties, said that he could not confirm a new tenant for the space, which the Rosenthal site lists as vacant, because a lease has not been signed yet.
Chi Mc, which means “chicken and beer” in Korean, currently has locations in Annandale, Alexandria and Chantilly, according to its website.
Image via Google Maps
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue is sharing some of its history as it celebrates its 70th anniversary.
Samuel Redmond was the first of the 10 career firefighters hired in 1949, according to a fire department post. Redmond was issued badge #1 and assigned to Station 1 in McLean.
More from the post:
In 1949, the Board of Supervisors approved the hiring of firefighters for each of the volunteer stations. In addition, they approved the installation of a central fire alarm system so Police dispatchers “would dispatch the engines from the department or departments nearest the fire and this would eliminate a great deal of confusion.”
On July 1, 1949, the first 10 career firefighters were hired at an annual salary of $2,500… Career firefighters were called “paid men” and served primarily as daytime apparatus drivers. The various chiefs of the volunteer departments would choose the personnel who would be hired by the County and ultimately work for their departments. This practice would continue for many years. As members of their respective volunteer departments these firefighters responded to “after hours” calls from their homes.
The fire department also shared a video of Sgt. Vincent Guidi, a member of the original “Paid Brigade” hired in 1949, sharing memories from his career at the fire department.
Now 70 years later, FCFRD is the largest fire department in Virginia with approximately 1,400 career firefighters, 170 civilians and 370 operational volunteers, according to the fire department.
First image via Google Maps, second image via FCFRD
Half of the day has gone by for voting in the Democratic primaries.
For Tysons-area residents, upcoming retirements have the Hunter Mill District, Providence District and chairman seats open on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
The voter turnout so far in the Providence District is slightly above 4 percent, while the Hunter Mill District is 4.6 percent — both higher than the county’s district average of roughly 3.4 percent, the county tweeted at 1:02 p.m.
Voting kicked off quietly around Tysons this morning.
“A lot of people vote absentee,” John Shivnen, the chief election officer at the Providence Committee Meeting Room polling place, told Tysons Reporter. By 10:51 a.m., 36 people had voted there (7921 Jones Branch Drive).
While Shivnen said the county is expecting a higher turnout than in previous years, he expected the day to stay slow, except during lunchtime and early evening after people get off of work.
The Democratic candidates for the Board of Supervisors are:
Board of Supervisors chair:
Providence District:
Hunter Mill District:
Tysons-area voters will also determine the Democratic nominees for two Virginia Senate seats and the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Any registered voter can participate in the primaries. Polls are open until 7 p.m.
The polls are now open until 7 p.m. for today's primary election. While it's a Democratic primary, every registered voter can participate because in Virginia you don't register to vote by political party. #vote #votejune11 pic.twitter.com/b93Vqw9fPm
— Fairfax County Votes (@fairfaxvotes) June 11, 2019
People in the Town of Vienna can learn about how future development might change access to the Maple Avenue area at a meeting tomorrow (Wednesday).
The meeting will focus on how “reasonably anticipated” development through 2030 via the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone and by-right projects could change traveling along the Maple Avenue corridor, according to the event description.
The meeting is the second one connected to the town’s Maple Avenue Corridor Multimodal Transportation & Land Use Study, which was commissioned to look at transportation needs along Maple Avenue from James Madison Drive to Follin Lane. The study area also includes Church Street from Lawyers Road to East Street as well as Courthouse Road and Locust Street.
A meeting in April summarized the current transportation conditions in the study’s area.
The third — and final — phase of the study will evaluate possible strategies to improve accessibility challenges along the corridor.
“Transportation recommendations could include changes to vehicular access, geometric and operational modifications to specific intersections or locations, transit service improvements, enhancements to bicycle and pedestrian networks, and transportation demand management policies and strategies,” according to the Town of Vienna.
Recommendations from the study, which is being done by Kimley-Horn, a firm that provides transportation, planning and engineering consulting, are expected later this summer, according to the town.
The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Town Hall Council Chambers (127 S. Center Street) and will include small-group activities and discussion.
People outside Tysons Corner Center might have noticed a farmers market last Sunday (June 9).
Community Foodworks announced on Friday (June 7) that the Tysons Farmers Market relocated from 8400 Westpark Drive to The Plaza.
Community Foodworks, a nonprofit that works to connect food from farmers to underserved populations, operates 15 farmers markets in Northern Virginia and D.C.
Vendors at the Tysons Farmers Market include:
- Chilanga — traditional Mexican food
- District Coffee
- Great Valley Farm — fresh produce from the Shenandoah Valley
- H.T. Krantz Honey Company
- Ignacio’s Produce
- Manaeesh — Mediterranean food from the Middle East
- MJ Pet Bakery
- Pinch — gourmet Chinese dumplings
- Taste of Istanbul — Turkish dishes
- Tyson Farm and Orchard — fruits and vegetables grown in West Virginia
The Tysons Farmers Market runs from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays through November.
Image via @tysonsfoodworks/Instagram
Home goods company Wayfair is planning to open a pop-up store in Tysons Corner Center in August.
The e-commerce company announced in a press release yesterday (June 10) that the “Wayfair Decor & Inspiration Shop” will come to four malls on Aug. 1, including Schaumburg, Ill.; Durham, N.C.; and King of Prussia, Pa.
Shoppers will be able to browse pieces like living room wall art, throw pillows and bed and bath items.
“We are excited to open four new pop-up shop locations across the U.S. this summer,” Courtney Lawrie, the director of brand marketing at Wayfair, said in the press release. “The Wayfair Decor & Inspiration Shop will provide our customers a place to go for home ideas and inspiration as well as the chance to shop over 250 budget-friendly and eclectic decor items to purchase in-shop for the first time ever.”
The pop-ups are set to last for three months.
