Tysons Partnership plans to host a virtual meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) to tackle transportation issues in the area.
The meeting will address recent challenges people face this year — including the Silver and Orange lines shutting down this summer to providing space so pedestrians and cyclists can social distance.
The event will include local employers, retail and office owners and county staff focused on transit and economic development to talk about how to creatively address transportation issues caused or impacted by COVID-19, according to the event’s description.
Panelists will include:
- Hillary Zahm of Macerich
- Jon Griffith of Capital One
- Alex Iams of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority
- Eric Teitelman of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation
- Andrea Ostrodka of Toole Design
- Michael Rodriguez of Smart Growth America
The meeting is open to the public and set to run from 4-5 p.m. People will receive the link to the Zoom webinar after they register for free.
People can provide feedback on Fairfax Connector’s proposed service changes for this fall, which include expanded service from the McLean Metro stop.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is asking people to submit input via an online survey, email ([email protected]), phone (703-339-7200, TTY 703-339-1608) or mail, according to the county’s website.
“FCDOT normally conducts several community input meetings on proposed changes to Fairfax Connector service, but as a result of current public gathering restrictions due to COVID-19, transit staff recorded a presentation which is available online for viewing instead,” the website said.
The proposed service changes include several routes — the existing 334, 340/341 and 721 routes and the new 722, 350 and 351 routes.
More about the proposed changes to the Tysons-area routes:
Route 721: Chain Bridge Road – McLean Metrorail Station – Includes expanded weekday midday service every 30-minutes from the McLean Metrorail Station to the George Bush Center for Intelligence (GBCI) facility in Langley, Virginia. The buses will operate with 30-minute headways.
Route 722: McLean Metrorail Station – GBCI – Includes new weekday express service every 15 minutes during morning and afternoon peak hours between the McLean Metrorail Station and the GBCI facility in Langley.
People can submit comments until Friday, June 5. A presentation on the proposed changes on YouTube, the routes’ draft schedules and a PowerPoint presentation are available online.
FCDOT plans to present the final proposed changes to the county’s Board of Supervisors in July and, if the board approves them, the changes will go into effect by or before Oct. 31, the email said.
Managing the Money — “Fairfax County is taking prudent steps, from budget cutbacks to carefully spending federal stimulus funds, to help the county weather the COVID-19 pandemic, Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay suggested to the McLean Citizen Association (MCA) during the group’s May 21 ‘virtual’ membership meeting.” [Inside NoVa]
NoVa May Reopen Soon — “Elected officials from 10 Northern Virginia jurisdictions sent a letter to Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday saying they’re making preparations to transition the region into phase one of the state’s reopening plan beginning Friday. The officials also asked the governor that Northern Virginia move into the second phase of reopening with the rest of the state.” [Washington Business Journal]
Furloughs at Tysons Software Company — “Cvent Inc. is laying off or furloughing 10% of its global workforce, citing the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on its business with the meetings and hospitality industries… A company spokesman said the move involves about 7% of the company’s staff in Greater Washington.” [Washington Business Journal]
Governor Goes Maskless — “On Friday, Gov. Ralph Northam confirmed he planned to announce a statewide mask policy after the Memorial Day holiday. On Saturday, he was filmed in Virginia Beach, maskless and surrounded by people.” [Inside NoVa]
W&OD Trail Serves as Popular Outdoor Pick — “City officials, park administrators and trail users appear to be balancing the safety needs of the trail’s pedestrian and vehicle users with opportunities to enjoy outdoor exercise and a break from being pent up during the Covid-19 pandemic… With residents longing for outdoor exercise, however, numbers have risen.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Shoppers can now get curbside pick-up from certain stores at Tysons Corner Center.
The mall’s website says that the retail to-go option is available for select retailers and restaurants.
“Contact the store directly to find out merchandise availability, payment options, and to place an order,” the mall’s website says. “Stores with exterior entrances may have their own curbside pickup locations.”
Participating stores include:
Currently, people can find curbside pick-up at the entrances between Macy’s and Pottery Barn, next to Coastal Flats and valet and between California Pizza Kitchen and Panera.
Nearby Tysons Galleria rolled out its curbside pick-up earlier this week.
Tysons Corner Center recently announced that it fully reopened to shoppers. The mall is open from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sundays.
In addition to the retail to-go, Tysons Corner Center also has a list of its restaurants that are offering delivery and take-out and a list of nearly two dozen stores allowing in-person shopping.
“We continue to promote a healthy shopping environment for our guests and employees through intensified cleaning procedures and proper social distancing signs,” according to the mall’s website.
When Metro kicks off its summer work tomorrow (Saturday), drivers can find free parking at three Orange Line stations in the Tysons area.
The free parking will be available at the West Falls Church, Dunn Loring and Vienna stations during the shutdown. The West Falls Church station’s parking will be cut in half, but the other two stations won’t have capacity limits, according to the project’s website.
People who have reserved parking spots will still be billed for their spots, the website said.
The East Falls Church station will be closed for the summer work and won’t offer any parking, although the Kiss & Ride will allow pick-ups and drop-offs.
For cyclists, bike racks and lockers will still be offered at the stations during the summer work, except for at the East Falls Church station where some racks have been moved.
All Orange and Silver line stations west of the Ballston station will be closed starting tomorrow. The work, which is expected to last through the fall, includes platform reconstruction on the Orange Line and the connection of the upcoming stations to the Silver Line.
Image via Google Maps
Vienna police say that a pedestrian was taken to the hospital after being hit by a vehicle on the W&OD Trail in a crosswalk earlier this month.
A man driving eastbound on Church Street hit the pedestrian, who was on heading south on the W&OD Trail, in the crosswalk, according to the town’s crime recap. The incident occurred shortly before 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 7.
“[The pedestrian] was transported to an area hospital by rescue personnel with non-life-threatening injuries,” police said.
Police issued a summons charging the driver with Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian.
Photo via Facebook
The show(s) won’t go on at Wolf Trap this summer.
The performing arts center recently announced the cancellation of its 2020 summer season. Concerns about spreading COVID-19 prompted the decision, Wolf Trap Foundation’s President and CEO Arvind Manocha said in a press release.
“For the first time in nearly 50 years, the Filene Center and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods at Wolf Trap National Park and The Barns at Wolf Trap will not host live performances from May through September,” Manocha said.
Wolf Trap has a list of performances originally scheduled from late May to mid-September that shows whether the show has been canceled or rescheduled.
The summer concert line-up included Pitbull, John Legend and Train among the list of performers.
“The continued health and well-being of the Wolf Trap community of patrons, artists, and staff are of paramount importance to us,” Manocha said. “Concern for the welfare of all makes summer gatherings for performances unfeasible.”
The Wolf Trap Foundation created the Music Moves Us Fund to collect donations for education and community initiatives, along with helping the foundation’s operations and promotion of new artists.
People with tickets for summer shows can donate all or part of their tickets to the fund, exchange them for Wolf Trap gift cards or get refunds, according to the press release.
While in-person shows are canceled, Wolf Trap is pursuing digital opportunities this summer for patrons and artists.
More from the press release:
The foundation will be developing and distributing new content this summer from the Barns and the National Park, bringing music from its iconic locations to audiences and reminding all of the grandeur of its performance spaces.
Wolf Trap Opera’s 2020 residency program has been refashioned to continue to provide training and digital performance opportunities for the very best emerging talent in the field; more information about the re-tooled program can be found here.
Wolf Trap’s education programs also continue to be a valued resource for teachers, parents, caregivers, and children in the DC metro area and throughout the country by providing a variety of services through digital and virtual platforms.
BREAKING: For the first time in Wolf Trap history, summer performances at the Filene Center and Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods are cancelled. More → https://t.co/NQqXvzoLoR pic.twitter.com/XMjptdq3nb
— Wolf Trap (@Wolf_Trap) May 22, 2020
Photo via Wolf Trap/Facebook
(Updated 2:25 p.m.) After a surge of new jobless claims seeking unemployment benefits in April, Fairfax County is seeing a steady decline in initial unemployment claims.
Roughly 5,300 initial unemployment claims were filed in the county for the week of May 16 — a drop from 7,000 during the week of May 2, according to the latest data from the Virginia Employment Commission.
Meanwhile, continued unemployment claims — now at 47,000 for the week of May 16 — are rising less quickly in the county.
The county’s unemployment trends mirror statewide data.
More from the VEC:
For the filing week ending May 16, the figure for seasonally unadjusted initial claims in Virginia was 44,699. The latest claims figure was a decrease of 7,440 claimants from the previous week. The weekly total was the lowest since before the initial spike in unemployment insurance claims during the March 21 filing week.
For the most recent filing week, continued weeks claimed totaled 403,557, up 2.8% from the previous week and 385,380 higher than the 18,177 continued claims from the comparable week last year.
The continued claims total is mainly comprised of those recent initial claimants who continued to file for unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus far, continued claims during the May 16 filing equaled 56% of all initial claims filed during the pandemic. This percentage was a significant drop-off from the previous week.
VEC’s preliminary data indicate that the pandemic has hurt the accommodation and food service industry the most.
Workers in that industry “continued to see the greatest percentage of continued claims for unemployment benefits” for the May 16 filing week, VEC said. “Moreover, claimants in that industry comprised over a quarter of pre-pandemic payroll employment.”
“Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose 7.3 percentage points in April to 10.6 percent, which is 7.7 percentage points above the rate from a year ago,” according to VEC.
Data and image via Virginia Employment Commission
With sunnier and warmer days ahead, a portion of Tysons Blvd is poised to become a space for cyclists and pedestrians looking for more room to social distance.
Robin Geiger, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Transportation Department (FCDOT), mentioned the plans during a town hall with county officials yesterday.
“We’re going to close a portion of Tysons Blvd to allow for safer biking and pedestrian access for exercise, to increase social distancing, so people can get around Tysons,” Geiger said.
The upcoming closure is part of a pilot project with Tysons Partnership, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling, Geiger said. While Geiger did not say when the partial road closure is expected or which portion will be closed, she said that FCDOT will announce more information soon.
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik praised the project, saying that “it does take quite a bit of coordination” for the county and VDOT to work on road projects.
“I’m just thrilled,” Palchik said.
Closing roads to give cyclists and pedestrians more space during the pandemic has been gaining traction around the U.S., WAMU reported.
“I know bikes are being sold quite a bit these days,” Palchik said, adding that “we take this opportunity to improve our bikeability and walkability.”
Image via Google Maps
Weekly Wages in Fairfax County — “The average weekly wage for those working in Fairfax (wherever they may live) stood at $1,735 in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to data reported May 20 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s an increase of 2.1 percent from the same period a year before, below the national growth rate of 3.5 percent (to $1,185).” [Inside NoVa]
Tennis, Anyone? — “Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is following the Fairfax County Park Authority’s phased re-opening process and will be allowing individuals to exercise on high school tracks and tennis courts beginning Friday, May 22.” [FCPS]
Falls Church Gets Federal Help — “Dana Lewis of the City’s Housing and Human Development department reported that $39,095 in federal CARES Act funding has come to the City to buoy its emergency rent assistance program where, so far, 14 requests for help have been received.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Needed: Contact Tracers — “The Virginia Department of Health said Thursday it’s searching for bilingual candidates as it hires 1,300 contact tracers. It says it will deploy tracking software and enforceable quarantine orders alongside these tracers to more aggressively counter the spread of the virus.” [DCist]
Demolition of Cedar Lane bridge over I-66 continues. More: https://t.co/A9NIA1hW1q pic.twitter.com/tzGkiL9NSF
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) May 21, 2020
Starting May 23, certain Metrobus routes at Dunn Loring and West Falls Church will be relocated to accommodate the new shuttle service for the shutdown. Signs will be posted to direct people. To learn more about the new shuttle service, check out pic.twitter.com/09UIACRolo
— NVTC (@NoVaTransit) May 21, 2020
