The new year will mean a fresh look for Capital Grille near Tysons Corner Center.
The restaurant plans to expand at 1861 International Drive and relocate outdoor seating with a patio fence, according to a building permit.
The restaurant will also get a renovated vestibule area and demolish the “existing bank canopy” — possibly referring to the Presidential Bank branch next door.
Since the permit was processed yesterday (Dec. 26), it’s unclear when the work would start.
Image via Google Maps
Lamar Jackson, a quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, was spotted doing some shopping ahead of the holidays at Tysons Corner Center.
Jackson went to the mall on Monday (Dec. 23), CBS reported.
He gifted his teammates with Rolex watches for Christmas, CNN reported, although it’s unclear if he bought those at Tysons or somewhere else.
Several people tweeted about spotting Jackson at the mall.
https://twitter.com/BillyM_91/status/1209307805490040832?s=20
As #Baltimore Ravens' #QB #LamarJackson left #Blessed in #Tysons Corner Mall tonight he was flanked by fans waiting for nearly an hour for a glimpse or autograph of the rising #star. Fans followed shouting #MVP! #MVP! as he whisked through a side door and into a waiting vehicle. pic.twitter.com/ojrsBjgf3c
— DC UrbanSports (@dcurbansports) December 24, 2019
How overcrowded could McLean High School be four years from now? The proposed Capital Improvement Program for Fairfax County Public Schools has an idea.
The draft CIP says that McLean High School is currently at 118% capacity, with projections showing the population increasing to 122% capacity in the 2024-2025 school year.
While the new projections are lower than previous ones — the last CIP expected McLean High School to reach 127% capacity by 2022 — the overcrowding has sparked vigorous debate on how to get students out of the trailers.
One idea that county officials are pursuing would shift students from McLean High School to nearby Langley High School.
Langley High School has a current capacity of 83%, which is projected to drop to 78% by 2024, according to the draft CIP.
Meetings in the fall solicited community input on the proposed boundary change and are expected to continue next year.
FCPS staff have said they want to implement a decision so that the change can impact the 2020-2021 school year.
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Fire investigators say a dishwasher caused a townhouse fire in the Tysons area yesterday morning.
The fire in the 2000 block of Meadow Springs Drive displaced two residents and killed one family dog.
“No occupants were home at the time of the fire,” Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said in an update today (Tuesday). “The fire was discovered by a neighbor who saw smoke coming from the house.”
The fire department said that the residents accepted Red Cross assistance.
The fire started by accident in the kitchen and involved an unattended operating dishwasher, according to the fire department.
The fire resulted in approximately $187,500 worth of damage.
Image via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) unveiled its proposed fiscal year 2021-25 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) last week.
In November, Fairfax County voters approved a $360 million school bond referendum that includes $2 million in planning funds for a new “Silver Line elementary school,” along with other construction and renovation projects.
For the new Silver Line elementary school, permitting would happen in FY 2022, with permitting in FY 2023 and construction from FY 2024-2026, according to the CIP draft.
The revised budget estimates the Silver Line elementary school will cost $39.5 million.
“Anticipation of the completion of the Silver Line Metro has already spurred higher density residential growth along that corridor which may result in an increase in students within FCPS,” according to the CIP draft.
Along with the Silver Line school, the 10-year CIP forecast expects permitting to start on a new elementary school in Tysons in FY 2027.
Here is information on school renovations in the Tysons area in the proposed CIP:
- Falls Church High School, costing $141.9 million
- Cooper Middle School, costing $52 million
- Dranesville Elementary School, costing $38 million
- Louis Archer Elementary School, costing $29 million
A public hearing will be held on the CIP on Jan. 7 at 6 p.m. at Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Road), followed by a school board work session on it on Jan. 13. A vote on the CIP is scheduled to take place on Jan. 23.
Would you play a version of Monopoly based on Tysons? Yes — it does exist.
The Walmart by the Spring Hill Metro station used to carry “Tysons Corner Opoly” — what appears to be a local version of the popular board game. (Hat tip to Tysons Reporter’s former editor Vernon Miles, who spotted this on reddit.)
Tysons Reporter — along with the help of four store employees — hunted through the store yesterday (Monday) for the game to no avail. An assistant store manager said that the game was selling very well recently and now appears to be sold out.
The store manager said he does not know if or when the item will be back in stock.
It’s unclear how many of the comments on reddit are jokes versus actual information about the game. Here are a few of the 90+ comments:
“‘Tyson’s corner opoly’ the game of traffic congestion and looking for a parking spot.”
“Toilet Bowl Building” is spot on. We all know immediately what it refers to, even without a pic.
“Walk light is too short and you only made it halfway across Route 7. Lose a turn.”
Sound like something you’d choose for game night? Let Tysons Reporter know if you would play Tysons Corner Opoly.
And if someone reading this has a version and is willing to let the Tysons Reporter team borrow it for game night, our email is [email protected].
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
(Updated 12/28/19) Come Jan. 1, the Fairfax County School Board will have a lot of new faces.
The 12-member board will see eight newcomers in 2020.
Half of the school board’s incumbents decided not to seek reelection, including: Ilryong Moon, Ryan McElveen, Jane Strauss, Pat Hynes, Sandy Evans and Dalia Palchik. The two Republican incumbents — Elizabeth Schultz and Thomas Wilson — lost their reelection bids.
At-Large Member Karen Keys-Gamarra won reelection, along with:
- Braddock District Representative Megan McLaughlin
- Lee District Representative Tamara Derenak Kaufax
- Mount Vernon District Representative Karen Corbett Sanders
Here is information on the new incoming members, who took their oaths of office on Thursday (Dec. 12) at Jackson Middle School.
At-Large Members Abrar Omeish and Rachna Sizemore Heizer
Omeish and Heizer, along with incumbent Karen Keys-Gamarra, beat three opponents for the At-Large seats.
Heizer has worked as a college professor, disability justice advocate and lawyer, according to her campaign website. Omeish is the co-founder of Give, a youth-led nonprofit and led the county-wide campaign for an anti-bullying campaign, according to her campaign website.
Hunter Mill District: Melanie Meren
Meren, a former U.S. Department of Education employee, beat her opponent, Laura Ramirez Drain. Meren is a parent and small business owner who has lived in Fairfax County for more than 15 years, according to Reston Now.
Dranesville District: Elaine Tholen
Tholen beat three opponents. A resident of Fairfax County for 25 years, Tholen most recently served as the director and treasurer for the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, according to her campaign website.
Mason District: Ricardy Anderson
Anderson beat opponent Tom Pafford. She has been a community volunteer, a veteran of the National Guard Army Reserve and lived in Annandale for more than 10 years, according to her campaign website.
Providence District: Karl Frisch
Frisch beat opponent Andrea Bayer in the election. Frisch has served as the executive director of consumer watchdog Allied Progress, was a small business owner and worked as a staffer for the Committee on Rules in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to his campaign website.
Springfield District: Laura Jane Cohen
Cohen beat two opponents, including Republican incumbent Elizabeth Schultz. Cohen has been a resident in the county for nearly 20 years and is a former preschool teacher, according to her campaign website.
Sully District: Stella Pekarsky
Pekarsky beat Republican incumbent Tom Wilson. She was previously an FCPS ESOL teacher, small business co-owner and trustee on the Fairfax County Board.
Come 2020, the school board seats will all be filled by Democrats.
“Corbett Sanders will remain chair of the School Board and Derenak Kaufax will remain as vice-chair,” according to FCPS. “School Board officers are elected at the first meeting in July of each year.”
The board also includes a non-voting student representative who is selected by the Student Advisory Council.
Photo via Facebook
Vienna police say that a man said his credit card was charged for a larger amount than what he ordered at Hunan Delight.
The man got food delivery from the restaurant at 276 Cedar Lane SE on Dec. 11, police said. “He paid for the food with a credit card and gave the delivery driver a cash tip,” according to the report.
More from the police report:
A few days later he noticed the total for the order on his credit account was higher than what he had authorized. The restaurant provided the citizen with a copy of the receipt. The citizen advised that the receipt was not the same receipt that he had signed and that his signature was forged on the receipt they had.
Image via Google Maps
(Updated at 11:55 a.m.) Firefighters have extinguished a fire in a townhouse in the Tysons area today (Monday) that killed one family dog.
Firefighters were on the scene of the blaze in the 2000 block of Meadow Springs Drive shortly before 11 a.m, according to a Fairfax County Fire and Rescue tweet.
“First arriving reports three-story middle of the row townhouse with smoke showing from the attic,” the tweet said.
In an update about 45 minutes later, the fire department tweeted that the fire was extinguished.
“No reported injuries at this time,” the tweet said. “Sadly one family dog found deceased.”
Units on scene of townhouse fire in the 2000 block of Meadow Springs Drive in Tysons area. First arriving reports 3-story middle of the row townhouse with smoke showing from the attic. Crews working to extinguish fire. #FCFRD #FairfaxCounty pic.twitter.com/w74vHHrg20
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) December 23, 2019
Map via Google Maps, photo via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter
