Now that Fairfax County has started to ease some COVID-19 restrictions, new activity at the Mosaic District suggests that the shopping center may return to its pre-pandemic popularity.
Tysons Reporter’s staff photographer Jay Westcott ventured out to the Mosaic District last week right before the first part of Gov. Ralph Northam’s multi-phase reopening strategy started in the county.
Westcott spotted at least a dozen people milling around the green outside the Angelika Film Center, walking dogs, getting takeout from local eateries and sitting outside 6 feet apart from other people.
Deka Lash and Mom and Pop have now reopened, while Anthropologie is offering curbside pick-up, according to the Mosaic District Facebook page. Meanwhile, home goods store Great Gatherings re-reopened in its new location, the posts said.
In addition to the businesses opening their doors again after temporary closures, people can also spot signs for upcoming businesses, like Sephora, Gyu Shige and Urban Hot Pot.
Tables and chairs — with a sign warning people against moving them — are set up outside West Elm. Some of the stores and restaurants have placards on the ground to remind people to social distance.
“Practice social distancing. Wash your hands often. Wear a mask when appropriate,” the sign said.
For that last point, many of the people Westcott captured in his photos did have face coverings.
Fairfax County Police arrested a man for allegedly trying to buy a Maserati in Tysons using fake IDs and stolen credit cards.
The incident happened Thursday (May 28) morning at the Imperial Highline of Tysons (8201 Leesburg Pike).
Police said that the 27-year-old man who lives in D.C. had stolen credit cards and fictitious identifications.
Police charged him with five counts of credit card larceny, possession of a fictitious driver’s license, falsely identify self to law enforcement and obscure/alter a vehicle identification number.
Photo by Thomas Allsop on Unsplash
Four people are displaced following a fire at their home in the Idylwood area last week.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said that the fire started around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday (May 27) in the 7100 block of Shreve Road.
“Units arrived on the scene of a two-story, single-family home with smoke showing from the roof,” the fire department said. “Crews located a fire on the first floor and quickly extinguished.”
The four people at the house reported the fire after smelling smoke and seeing flames in the laundry room, the fire department said.
The people accepted Red Cross assistance after being displaced because of the fire, which caused roughly $37,500 worth of damages, the fire department said.
The fire department is still investigating what started the fire in the first-floor laundry room, adding that no injuries to civilians nor firefighters have been reported.
Photo courtesy of M. Clarke
Parking lots and restrooms are reopening along the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
The National Park Service recently announced that the parking areas and restrooms will be available by Wednesday (June 3). People were able to access some of them starting Friday (May 29).
“The National Park Service (NPS) is working with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis,” according to NPS.
The parking areas include Fort Marcy in McLean, along with several parks in Alexandria and Arlington. “Parking areas at Great Falls Park have already reopened and will be open at 50 percent capacity,” NPS said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has guidelines for how people can enjoy parks and recreational facilities with reduced risk of spreading COVID-19.
Image via Google Maps
Tysons DMV Has Reopened — Starting today, the location at 1968 Gallows Road will be open by appointment only from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. [Patch]
More Outdoor Areas Open at Public Schools — “In accordance with Fairfax County’s Phase 1 reopening guidelines, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is reopening additional outdoor areas on school grounds to the community, effective Friday, May 29. Reopening on May 29 will be athletic fields (for walking and recreational use from 8 a.m. to sundown) and gardens.” [FCPS]
Art Aid — “ARTSFAIRFAX [Thursday] announced $100,000 in available funding through the newly created Emergency Relief and Recovery Grant Program. Funding will provide critical support to Fairfax County and the Cities of Fairfax and Falls Church arts organizations and Fairfax County individual artists most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The online grant application… closes on June 29, 2020.” [Patch]
Public Hearing on Controversial Zoning Code Tonight — “The Vienna Town Council plans to hold a public hearing on Monday about what to do about the contentious Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone.” [Tysons Reporter]
Phase 2 May Start Soon — “Gov. Ralph Northam said Thursday that more of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions could be lifted as soon as June 5… Northern Virginia leaders said earlier this week they’d be interested in moving to Phase Two at the same time as the rest of the state.” [Inside NoVa]
Booze Delivery? — “At some point in the near future, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority is hoping to execute the first home liquor delivery in its 86-year history.” [Inside NoVa]
Nightlife is zilch in Tysons at the moment due to the pandemic. After a brief hiatus, the “Tysons After Dark” series is back to highlight different online and at-home activities from local organizations, along with offerings from eateries that keep people busy once the sun goes down.
A Falls Church comic book and game store is keeping people entertained at home with supplies for creating and customizing miniature figures.
Shoppers at Victory Comics can find paints, primers, brushes and a wide variety of miniatures, Gareth Hoskins, the store manager, told Tysons Reporter.
“It’s a lot easier than most people think. A lot of people get worried about how a complex model will work,” Hoskins said. “There are easier techniques that will make details pop without doing a lot of work.”
Before the pandemic, the store had “Paint and Take” events — painting classes capped at 12 people Hoskins would teach participants how to paint different miniatures.
When COVID-19 restrictions on businesses and the stay-at-home order hit Virginia, Hoskins said that the store saw an upsurge in the number of people who hadn’t tried the hobby before.
So Hoskins created a Google Doc guide as the “one-stop for any kind of miniature work.” The guide covers tools, brushes, glue, color theory, assembly, painting and techniques to create effects.
“We get a lot of people asking us, ‘Where do we even begin?’ and having something to point them towards seemed like a good idea,” he said. “We found ourselves answering the same questions over and over.”
Basic supplies usually cost around $20-$25, Hoskins said. Some of the store’s miniatures require assembly, while others either need to get primed before they are painted or are sold pre-primed.
For novices, Hoskins recommends that they buy a handful of paint pods, one or two brushes and a pre-primed miniature.
Hoskins said that he’s been painting miniatures — mostly Warhammer and D&D minis — for more than 10 years, noting that his Death army has lots of vampires and skeletons.
“I tend to like minis that have a lot of detail to them,” he said, adding that most of the miniatures on the market are large enough so that people won’t need a magnifying glass or specific brushes to paint tiny details.
While Hoskins said that people have been playing D&D virtually over Zoom and using websites like Roll20, “those only go so far for customization,” he said. The store’s offerings help entertain people who aren’t playing D&D in person at the moment and have extra time on their hands to customize miniatures for their game setups.
The great part about miniatures is that people can paint them exactly how they envision the characters, he said, adding that monsters are a popular choice.
The store (586 S. Washington Street) is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day and except for Saturdays, when it opens at 10 a.m., Hoskins said. Shoppers are required to wear masks inside the store.
The store also delivers within a 10-mile radius and offers curbside delivery. People can place orders by contacting the store via Facebook, email or phone.
Image via Victory Comics/Facebook
The Vienna Town Council plans to hold a public hearing on Monday about what to do about the contentious Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone.
The hearing will solicit feedback from community members on whether to extend a moratorium on the zoning guidelines until June 30, 2022 or rescind it altogether.
The MAC zoning code was adopted in October 2014 and then suspended four years. The moratorium on the zoning code has been in place since September 2018.
While several members of the town’s Planning Commission called the zone “dead” during their meeting earlier this month, the commissioners disagreed on what should happen.
The Vienna Town Council meeting is set to start at 8 p.m. People will be able to watch a live stream of the meeting.
Sen. Tim Kaine Receives Positive Antibody Test — “Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said Thursday he and his wife, Anne, tested positive for coronavirus antibodies earlier this month after experiencing symptoms of the respiratory disease in March and April.” [Patch]
How’s the Local Real Estate Market Faring? — Patch compiled local numbers for homes that came on the market, ones that went under contract and closed sales. [Tysons Corner Patch, McLean Patch, Vienna Patch]
Expanded Contact Tracing — “The Fairfax County Health Department is pleased to partner with the Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHI) to hire and train staff for COVID-19 contact tracing efforts… To meet the need for large-scale contact tracing efforts, IPHI will hire and train contact tracing staff, community health workers, and other staff as needed.” [Fairfax County]
No Fourth of July Festivities — “The Fairfax County Park Authority’s Summer Entertainment Series will be canceled through July due to public safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Fourth of July events have been canceled, too.” [Fairfax County]
Photo courtesy Jae
As the Louise Archer Elementary School gears up for a renovation, the Vienna Planning Commission supports keeping temporary facilities at the school for a few more years.
Currently, there are two trailers and one 66-foot by 180-foot modular at the public school (324 Nutley Street NW).
The permits for the facilities are expected to expire later this year unless town officials grant an extension. Last night’s votes were a step in the direction for the temporary facilities to stay in place for the short-term.
The school used to have eight trailers before the modular replaced five of them.
“[The modular] provides additional capacity to alleviate the overcrowding at the school,” according to town documents, adding that the modular houses 10 classrooms, restrooms and storage and maintenance space.
The school is now poised for a renovation that will get rid of the two trailers and modular entirely.
John McGranahan, a lawyer representing Fairfax County Public Schools, told the Planning Commission last night that the planning and design for the renovation are in progress.
Permitting is slated to begin in 2021, followed by three years of construction from 2022-2025, McGranahan said, noting that the school will remain open while the work is underway and that most of the construction will happen during the summers.
The renovation is expected to be completed by August 2025. The trailers and modular would get removed once the work is finished, McGranahan said.
The Planning Commission voted in support of permits continuing the use of the modular for five years and the trailers for two years.
Image via Town of Vienna
Don’t expect the traditional grand opening celebrations when Wegmans debuts its brand new store next to Capital One’s headquarters this fall, the grocery chain says.
Due to COVID-19 concerns, Wegmans announced yesterday (Tuesday) that grand opening events are a no-go for its upcoming stores this year, including the Tysons one.
“As we keep the safety of our employees and customers a top priority, we’ve had to rethink how we open these stores,” according to a press release. “While we love the excitement of opening morning, with customers anxiously awaiting to see their new Wegmans, we know this isn’t possible as the need to maintain social distancing remains.”
Instead, the grocer plans to share a “targeted timeframe” for when each store will open.
Once customers are allowed inside, shoppers can expect a line to enter, along with limitations on how many people can be in the store at a given time, the press release said.
Additionally, Wegmans said that its three stores opening this year will all have online ordering via curbside pickup and delivery: “We encourage customers to take advantage of these services.”
The 80,000-square-foot store (1835 S. Capital One Drive) is expected to employ roughly 480 people and will include a Market Café with indoor and outdoor seating and The Burger Bar.
The building that the store will be in also plans to include residential units, parking and a 1.2-acre rooftop park atop the building.
Photo courtesy Wegmans
