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Fairfax County Officials: Lowered Parking Rates Have ‘No Bearing on Tysons’

Fairfax County officials say that a newly approved parking rate for the county’s largest malls would not adversely affect Tysons malls.

Yesterday (Tuesday), the Board of Supervisors approved the zoning ordinance amendment that will allow lower parking rates at the four largest malls in the county — the two in Tysons, Fair Oaks Mall and Springfield Town Center.

The proposal was based on a review of the parking rates and demand at large regional malls by consulting firm Nelson/Nygaard.

The county’s planners stressed that the focus of the zoning amendment was meant to help Fair Oaks Mall, yet it sparked concern about whether it would create parking problems at Tysons Corner Center and also about the lack of data for the Tysons malls.

Nelson/Nygaard study’s evaluated parking data for Fair Oaks Mall and the Springfield Town Center, but the study did not evaluate the two malls in Tysons.

“It really has no bearing on Tysons,” Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth said yesterday, noting that Tysons Corner Center is a part of the Planned Tysons Corner Urban District’s (PTC) parking rates, which allows for lower parking rates. Tysons Galleria is not a part of the PTC District, but could opt-in.

“There has been concern raised in the community that it would [cause issues in Tysons], but I agree with Supervisor Smyth that the real impact is in Springfield and Fair Oaks, where we need to reduce the parking requirements,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said.

The change now lets shopping centers with 800,000 square feet of gross floor area or more to have a parking rate of 2.5 instead of four spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area.

In addition to the zoning change, the county board also approved directing staff to prioritize review of the parking rates in phase two of the zoning ordinance modernization effort.

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Wild Tacoz Opens in Falls Church, Eyeing Local Expansion

The owner behind a new taco place in Falls Church is looking to expand in Northern Virginia.

Wild Tacoz celebrated its opening at 7167 Lee Hwy — the former home of Milan Bakery and Miss Donuts — two weeks ago on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Wild Tacoz is the first location for Kool Foods, a company that makes snacks and pre-packaged meals with dietary and nutritional supplements.

Owner Teddy Koumarianos grew up in the area to a family that worked in the restaurant business — which he credits for launching his passion for food.

He told Tysons Reporter that he created Kool Foods after nutritional foods improved his diabetes, heart disease and other health issues.

Kool Foods and Wild Tacoz focus on “well-proportioned,” healthy food served in an appetizing way, he said, adding that the food at the eatery is made marinated in a powder made from frozen vegetables.

“People love Mexican food,” he said. “You say the word [tacos], and everybody gets hungry.”

Diners can find taco burgers, design-your-own-salads, a salsa bar, packaged snacks from Kool Foods and taco options including soft and crunchy shells on the menu. For beverages, people can try the beet, tart cherry, honey and spice drinks that are made by Wild Tacoz.

Customers should try the combo deal with the taco burger — taco-flavored meat between two pieces of cornbread — and a Kool Foods meal, Koumarianos said.

He dubbed it “Now and Later” — the idea being that people will eat their taco now and save the pre-packaged Kool Foods meal for later.

Koumarianos hopes that the name “Wild Tacoz” will jump out at people traveling along the busy stretch of Lee Hwy in Falls Church. For people driving to the location, there’s parking in the back parking lot of the building off of Cavalier Trails, according to a Facebook post.

Located in a building built in the late 1940s, the space is a prime spot because of its low rent and close proximity to single-family homes in the Falls Church, Arlington and Merrifield areas, Koumarianos said.

The building’s age did cause delays, though. A sign last June said that it was coming in fall 2018 and then a sign in May said that it planned to open in the summer.

The wood beams holding up the roof had to get reinforced and the building required updates to its plumbing, Koumarianos said, adding that the permit process with Fairfax County took longer than expected.

Now that the Falls Church location is open, Koumarianos aims to make Wild Tacoz a chain. He said he’s hoping to expand to Arlington, Reston, Chantilly and Ashburn.

Photos via Wild Tacoz/Facebook

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Board of Supervisors OKs $50K to Help Vienna Boost Business

Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors approved funding to help the Town of Vienna find economic development solutions.

The Town of Vienna approached the county earlier this year about splitting the cost of an economic development strategy and market study totaling $100,000.

The town set aside its $50,000 half when it approved its fiscal year 2020 budget.

Recently, the town has taken steps recently to work towards boosting its economic development and address vacancies plaguing Maple Avenue.

The town created its first-ever economic development manager position in the summer and hired a business development manager in Arlington County for the role in November.

The town had a 15% vacancy rate with 138 vacant spaces — 68 of which are on Maple Avenue, Scott Sizer from the Department of Economic Initiatives told the Board of Supervisors during a Budget Committee in September.

The new strategy and study — which could take up to a year to complete — are meant to revitalize Maple Avenue, find more efficient use of resources to address the vacancies, discover how to aid business recruitment and create place-making strategies, Sizer said.

“The proposed project is an opportunity to support [the] revitalization of the Town’s Maple Avenue corridor and improve property tax revenues for the county and town,” according to county documents, noting that the new economic development manager will oversee the studies and implement the recommendations.

The board approved the $50,000 yesterday (Tuesday). The funds are coming from the Economic Opportunity Reserve.

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Jersey Mike’s Opens Today in Tysons With Fundraiser for D.C. Hospital

Jersey Mike’s plans to start serving subs with a side of fundraising today near the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons.

Located at 1501C Cornerside Blvd, the sandwich chain is one of several eateries in Tysons West Phase III — a redevelopment that added new retail buildings across from Walmart.

Other options for diners include the newly opened B.GOOD, Smoothie King and Dunkin’ Donuts.

Franchise owner Asha Thakur, the franchise owner, is set to hold a grand opening and free sub fundraiser today (Wednesday) to Sunday (Dec. 8) to support the Children’s National Hospital, according to a press release.

People who live or work in the area might snag one of the 10,000 coupons circulating throughout the community offering a free regular sub for a minimum $2 contribution to the Children’s National Hospital.

Over in Falls Church, the upcoming Jersey Mike’s at the Falls Plaza location (1108-A West Broad Street) is expected to open at a later date, a spokesperson for the company told Tysons Reporter.

The Tysons spot is open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. every day, the press release said.

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Children’s Fitness Center Celebrates Opening in Town of Vienna

A new children’s fitness center held a grand opening ceremony in the Town of Vienna yesterday.

The grand opening for My Gym Vienna took place on Monday, Dec. 2, with a ribbon-cutting by Mayor Laurie DiRocco.

Located at 133 Park Street SE, the new center is a part of My Gym, an international corporation with more than 550 locations across 30 countries, according to its website.

My Gym Vienna serves kids ages six weeks to 10 years old with classes that offer music, dance, relays, games, special rides, gymnastics and sports, according to a press release.

The owner of My Gym Vienna also operates the one in McLean at 6825 Tennyson Drive, Suite A.

“We’re excited to bring My Gym’s Fitness & Fun curriculum to Vienna and hope to help many children grow to enjoy healthy life-styles,” Owner Guillermo Herbozo said in the press release, adding that My Gym “plans to open My Gym in Reston in the next 12 months and in Ashburn shortly after.”

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Fairfax Firefighters Rescue Man Who Fainted at McLean Construction Site

A man fainted while working at a construction site for a new house near downtown McLean, according to the building company.

The incident happened shortly before 11 a.m. today (Tuesday) at 1605 Wrightson Drive. A sign for Reston-based Green Logic Builders was on the lawn of the site.

“A worker just fainted on his own,” Ned Malik, the founder and CEO of Green Logic Builders, told Tysons Reporter.

The worker was inside a trench with four other people when he fainted for about 30 seconds, Malik said, adding that the man was rescued by the Fairfax County firefighters and taken to the hospital.

HBC Group has the six-bedroom house listed at $1,769,000.

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UPDATED: Tractor-Trailer Crash Causes Delays Along NB I-495 in Tysons

Updated at 1:15 p.m. — Shortly after 1 p.m., the lanes reopened, MATOC tweeted. Drivers can expect delays up to 2.5 miles. 

Earlier: Drivers can expect delays from a tractor-trailer crash on I-495, which has caused the closure of several northbound lanes.

The crash is located along the highway north of Leesburg Pike (Route 7), according to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The crash happened shortly after 12:30 p.m., according to a tweet from the Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination Program.

The left, left-center and right-center lanes on northbound I-495 are currently closed, according to VDOT.

As of 1:10 p.m., traffic is backed up from I-66 to the Dulles Access Road along northbound I-495, according to Google Maps.

Map via Google Maps

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TRAFFIC ALERT: Downed Wires Close Georgetown Pike in McLean

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(Updated at 12:15 p.m.) Fairfax County police say Georgetown Pike is closed in McLean due to downed wires.

Georgetown Pike is closed between Bellview and Kimberwicke roads, police tweeted shortly before noon today (Tuesday).

“Officers are on scene to assist with traffic control,” the tweet said. “Please use an alternate route.”

A vehicle crash caused the utility pole to fall down, according to an alert from Fairfax County. Repairs on the pole are expected to take about four to six hours, the county said.

First photo via FCPD/Twitter, map via Google Maps

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Updated: Man Struck By Vehicle Along Old Courthouse Road in Tysons

Updated 12/6/19 — Fairfax County police say that the 60-year-old man who was struck by a vehicle in Tysons on Monday night has died.  

Fairfax County police say a male pedestrian was hospitalized with serious injuries after being struck by a vehicle in Tysons last night (Monday).

The crash happened around 7:15 p.m. last night (Dec. 2) at Old Courthouse and Gallows roads, Sgt. Erica Webb, a police spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter.

Police tweeted about the crash around 8 p.m., saying that the “pedestrian was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.” The crash closed the eastbound lanes of Old Courthouse Road last night, according to a tweet from the police.

The driver of the vehicle remained on scene after the crash, Webb said, adding that the incident is an active investigation and that she was not aware of any charges related to the crash.

Webb was not able to say what kind of vehicle was involved in the crash, the condition of the driver, if other people were in the vehicle and the location of the pedestrian when the crash occurred.

Police are asking that anyone with information about the crash contact Detective Burriss at 703-280-0553.

Image via Google Maps

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Downed Wires Prompt Power Outage, Road Closure in McLean

A crash early this morning led to a power outage and closure of Kirby Road that is still affecting people in McLean.

“A crash took out the pole” near the intersection of Kirby Road and Freedom Lane shortly after 11 p.m. last night (Monday), Sgt. Erica Webb, a Fairfax County police spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter.

The Fairfax County Police Department tweeted about the road closure at that intersection shortly this morning (Tuesday), adding that people can expect the closure to last “for an extended period due to downed wires.”

Police urged people to avoid the area and find another route.

As of 9 a.m., a police spokesperson told Tysons Reporter that the intersection is still closed.

Dominion Energy’s power outage map shows two outages in the area – one affecting 247 customers at the intersection of Kirby Road and Powhatan Street and another one affecting 214 customers spanning from Birch Road to Old Dominion Drive.

Both outages are expected to be resolved before 5 p.m., Peggy Fox, a spokesperson for Dominion Energy, told Tysons Reporter.

Fox said that repairs will include replacing the pole and wires.

Map via Dominion Energy 

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