Thieves have been stealing items from unlocked vehicles in a local gated community, residents say.

Doug Doolittle, the president of the Rotonda Condominium Unit Owners Association in Tysons, said in an email that four professional, hooded thieves rifled through unlocked vehicles last week and stole small items from unlocked cars.

“This is the first time that something like this has happened at the Rotonda and we are, of course, very concerned and are looking at a number of enhancements we can take to prevent this from happening again,” he told Tysons Reporter.

The condo association, which is located at 8352 Greensboro Drive, is reminding residents to lock their vehicles and looking at ways to enhance patrolling, remote video camera, and lighting plans to improve coverage, particularly at night in some of the more remote areas of the residential compound.

Rotonda is also coordinating with Fairfax County police and trying to see if there are any lessons learned from other communities that have experienced similar issues.

The incidents have not yet been reported on Spot Crime, which uses county data to map reported crimes, but it does show that a vehicle tampering incident was reported nearby last month at an office park in the 8200 block of Greensboro Drive.

A female victim reported that after getting off work around 5:50 p.m. on Sept. 28, she began to reverse her vehicle in a second level of a parking garage when her front passenger-side wheel fell off and the rear one became loose and wedged at an angle.

Police later found that all of the lugnuts on her front passenger side wheel had been undone, along with four out of the five lugnuts of her rear passenger side wheel.

“It appeared as though someone was attempting to steal her tires but was scared off by someone or something halfway through the process,” police said in a report.

Police offered to jack up the vehicle and reattach the wheels if the victim had the proper equipment, which she did, but police found there was damage to the undercarriage and the fix wouldn’t be simple.

Police said they stayed on scene until the woman’s husband could arrive.

Photo via Google Maps

Monday (Oct. 11)

• National Coming Out Day Film Festival — 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m. at The Alden (1234 Ingleside Ave.) in McLean — A marathon of films supporting LGBTQ+ individuals will take place to celebrate National Coming Out Day.

Tuesday (Oct. 12)

• Fiber Art Exhibit: Joyce Carrier — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the McLean Textile Gallery (6819 Elm St.) — A quilt artist who draws inspiration from birds and other animals shows her work at a gallery that launched last year. Runs through Nov. 5.
• On Deck with Mercury — 6-7 p.m. at Maggio’s and Scorpio’s Grill (421 Maple Ave. E) — For his monthly community forum, Vienna Town Manager Mercury Payton will be joined by public works staff for a look at what goes into the town’s fall leaf collection and snow removal efforts, per Vienna Happenings.

Wednesday (Oct. 13)

• Pete Davis Author Talk — 7-8 p.m. at Mary Riley Styles Public Library (120 N. Virginia Ave.) in Falls Church — Falls Church writer Pete Davis, who has addressed Harvard grads and authored books, is discussing his newest work.

Thursday (Oct. 14)

• “The Book of Mamaw” — 7:30 p.m. at The Boro (8350 Broad St.) in Tysons — 1st Stage continues performances of a one-man show about an individual’s experiences growing up with his devout Church of Christ grandmother. Performances occur through Sunday.

Friday (Oct. 15)

• After 7 Dance Party — 7-10 p.m. at the Old Firehouse (1440 Chain Bridge Road) in McLean — A themed event brings together catered food, drinks, a DJ playing a range of music from hip-hop to Top 40, and more. Cost is $5.

Saturday (Oct. 16)

• Rodney Crowell at Wolf Trap — 8 p.m. at The Barns (1635 Trap Road) — The two-time Grammy Award winner returns to Wolf Trap. A rescheduled performance for Friday is back to its original date. Tickets start at $42 plus fees. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Sunday (Oct. 17)

• “An Afternoon with violinist Gil Shaham” — 3 p.m. at Capital One Hall (7750 Capital One Tower Road) in Tysons — An encore performance from the National Philharmonic brings the sounds of Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61,” a new piece from composer Henry Dehlinger premiering this year, and more to Capital One’s new venue along with two guest artists. Tickets start at $45 plus fees.

A D.C. restaurant that started as a food truck has chosen Tysons West as the site of its first location in Virginia.

The family-owned Roaming Rooster is slated to open a 2,000-square-foot space this fall in the shopping mall at 1500 Cornerside Boulevard, property management company Rappaport confirmed.

“Roaming Rooster will be a great addition to the line-up of fast-casual dining options in Tysons and we are looking forward to announcing additional retail and services opening at Tysons soon,” Henry Fonvielle, president of Rappaport, said in a statement.

Existing restaurants at Tysons West, which is situated near the Spring Hill Metro station, include the fast-casual District Taco and Moby Dick Kabob. The health food-oriented chain B.Good opened an eatery at the mall in 2019, but it appears to have permanently closed during the pandemic.

According to its website, Roaming Rooster launched in 2015 and quickly expanded from one to three food trucks. It now has four locations in D.C., with an expansion into Maryland also coming this fall.

The company says its restaurants use free-range chickens that aren’t given antibiotics or chemicals.

The menu primarily features different flavors of chicken sandwiches, including fried chicken, buffalo fried, Nashville hot, and honey butter fried. There are also salads, wings, chicken tenders, and various comfort food sides.

Construction crews will soon demolish the Gallows Road bridge over I-66, a process that is expected take 30 to 40 nights, starting on or about next Wednesday (Oct. 13).

The work will involve breaking up the concrete deck with jack hammers, saw cutters and heavy equipment consisting of hoe rams. It’s part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project, which is adding express lanes on the interstate from I-495 in Dunn Loring to Gainesville.

“These are not necessarily 30 to 40 consecutive nights of demolition, and…some demolition activities are less disruptive than others,” said Nancy Smith, a spokesperson for FAM Construction, the design-builder of the project.

The company said at a public information meeting on Monday (Oct. 4) that the demolition will occur after traffic shifts.

Segments over I-66 will be affected overnight — typically 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. — when multiple lanes of the interstate can be closed, Smith said. For work not over I-66, demolition will take place during the daytime.

Information on lane closures and other travel changes will be posted on the project website, which also has provides information via email notifications and traffic alerts.

The demolition timeline extends into the late fall due to weather and other factors, but no demolition work will occur over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Project officials previously expected the demolition work to start in mid-August. VDOT told Tysons Reporter that the slippage in the schedule is not expected to impact the overall project schedule.

The new I-66 express lanes are still slated to open in December 2022.

The Gallows Road bridge is just feet above the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station, requiring coordinating with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

To minimize impacts, crews will haul concrete away to be processed off site, position work area lighting to face toward the roadway and away from residences, implement “dust control measures,” and monitor construction vibrations and noise, Smith said.

At Monday’s information meeting, however, neighbors compared previous construction to an earthquake and reported that vehicles have been running red lights amid “frustration and confusion” as traffic goes over the bridge.

VDOT megaprojects director Susan Shaw said she would coordinate with their team to notify county police about the safety concerns.

Among the traffic adjustments, FAM Construction reported that:

• Northbound bridge traffic will shift to the new bridge starting next week or around that time
• Southbound bridge traffic will shift into a temporary alignment onto the new bridge on or about the week of Oct. 18
• Pedestrian access will remain on the west side of the old bridge until southbound travel lanes shift on or about the week of Oct. 18. Once those southbound lanes shift to the new bridge, pedestrian routes will be on the east side of the bridge
• The shift in travel lanes on Gallows Road does not affect the entrance at Stenwood Elementary School as the changes are south of the school entrance

Updates will be posted to outside.transform66.org/gallowsroad as demolition progresses.

Community members can share questions about construction by calling 703-662-3892 or emailing [email protected] or [email protected].

As one major Falls Church development takes a step toward completion, another is just getting started.

Developer Atlantic Realty Companies, which owns George Mason Square and nearby buildings, hopes to transform the area with a mixed-use complex dubbed One City Center, which will include 246 residential units, office space, retail, and a grocery store.

“This is an area that has long been planned to evolve into a downtown vibrant hub,” Andrew Painter, an attorney representing the developer, said at a Sept. 27 Falls Church City Council meeting.

As part of the project, the company plans to demolish and replace a rear two-story parking garage with a building that’s nine or 10 stories tall, add a park on a vacant corner lot at South Maple Avenue and West Annandale Road, and create a pedestrian-friendly street — a Dutch-inspired woonerf — with a 30-foot by 40-foot exterior screen.

“The Digital Screen may be used to display art, landscapes, movies and theatrical presentations for ‘screen on the green’ events, coverage of live City events and performances (e.g., Watch Night performances, Memorial Day parade, etc.), promotion of the project’s retailers and City services, and related programming,” a voluntary concessions document from June 23 says.

Other buildings to be demolished include the former BB&T Bank and a tailor business building, where a temporary parking lot would be created during construction.

Atlantic Realty unveiled an initial proposal for the project on Feb. 11 and submitted a second version on June 23. The company is working with Falls Church officials as it seeks to get approval from the city council, possibly on Feb. 28 next year.

An agreement calls for designating 6% of the units — up to 15 units — as affordable. Painter said the developer is working with the city to determine what that would entail.

As part of the application, the developer is seeking special exceptions, one of which includes increasing a building height from a maximum of 75 feet to up to 115 feet.

City Looks at Proposed Concessions

The City of Falls Church has been working with the developer on concessions to make the project become a reality.

Among numerous concessions, a proposed agreement calls for:

• A one-time payment of $1.7 million to schools to offset capital costs, provided all 246 units are built
• 30 public parking spaces
• A 3,000 square-foot conference center (about two-thirds the size of a basketball court) that would be available to commercial tenants in the new development and George Mason Square, nonprofits, and the city for meetings

Painter said the conference space could be used by the city and nonprofits at no cost.

The developer and project leads showcased the potential of the site on a walking tour on Wednesday (Sept. 29), making the case that a new bus shelter, bikeshare, pedestrian crossings, and other upgrades would improve transportation.

Read More

The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve searched the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean, and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Tuesday (Oct. 5)

• “UNKNOWN” at Wolf Trap — 7:30 p.m. at The Barns (1635 Trap Road) — The opera company UrbanArias has prepared this collection of songs reflecting on military themes and honoring Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a memorial that turns 100 years old this Veterans Day. Tickets start at $44 plus fees. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Wednesday (Oct. 6)

• “From the Heart: A Transgender Virginia’s Story” — 6:30 p.m. at McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave.) — Ann Murdoch from Equality Virginia’s Transgender Advocacy Speakers Bureau tells her story as a transgender woman and participates in a conversation with the audience. The event is free, but registration is required.
• Jim Messina with Wesley Dean at Wolf Trap — 8 p.m. at The Barns (1635 Trap Road) — The musician from supergroups like Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and Loggins & Messina will perform at the park Wednesday and Thursday, honoring previous purchases from showings that were canceled in January. Tickets start at $47 plus fees. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday (Oct. 7)

• “The Book of Mamaw” — 7:30 p.m. at The Boro (8350 Broad St.) in Tysons — 1st Stage kicks off a one-man show about an individual’s experiences growing up with his devout Church of Christ grandmother. Performances occur throughout October.

Friday (Oct. 8)

• New Legacy Blues: Outdoor Concert — 7 p.m. at Jammin Java (227 Maple Ave. East) in Vienna — This D.C. band covers the greats from Cream to Elvis and more. Tickets are free, but Jammin Java asks guests seated at tables to adhere to its policy of purchasing at least two items.

Saturday (Oct. 9)

• Farm Day — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave.) in Falls Church — Enjoy pony rides, pumpkin painting, live music, and more. Free to attend. Some activities require cash.
• Fairfax Symphony Orchestra presents Saint-Saëns & Beethoven — 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall (7750 Capital One Tower Road) in Tysons — Experience Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Cello Concerto No. 1” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 7” at the FSO’s season-opening concert. Tickets start at $25 plus fee, and seating will be socially distanced.

Sunday

• McLean Pet Fest — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at McLean Central Park (1468 Dolley Madison Blvd.) — Have your pet or pets participate in a parade, check out an agility course and enjoy the other festivities.

A junior tennis tournament series is coming to the nation’s capital this weekend, bearing the name of McLean tennis coach Matt Stevenson, who died at age 32 in 2017.

Launched in San Diego, California, in September, coinciding with National Suicide Awareness Month, the Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Tournament Series takes place in D.C. this Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 2-3) at the Rock Creek Tennis Center, which hosted professional players for the Citi Open in August.

It’s the first and only junior tennis tournament event series to promote the importance of mental health for adolescents, according to the nonprofit U.S. Tennis Association’s Mid-Atlantic Section.

“The inspiration behind the MSJTT Series came from the late Matt Stevenson, a young tennis professional who lived and ran successful junior tennis programs in McLean and the DC region,” USTA Mid-Atlantic said. “Before tragically taking his own life in 2017 at the age of 32, he had written extensively about his own mental health issues and had asked that kids be made aware of the importance of staying mentally healthy and to seek help if they needed it.”

The tournament first started in 2019 in San Diego and expanded to D.C. and New York City last month as a collaboration between the nonprofit ProtoStar Foundation and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

It seeks to “address the national teen depression, anxiety, and suicide crisis by engaging adolescents through a sport they love and promoting dialogue and understanding of these issues,” according to the Sept. 8 press release.

Talking to Tysons Reporter, Judith Stevenson recalled how her son came up with tennis games to entertain kids and teach them the basics of the game.

One game, King of the Court, involved players trying to get the ball past the instructor. When they scored a point against him, they would run around and get on top of him while he did push-ups.

“The fun that they were having was great,” she said. “He loved teaching the sport.”

Stevenson attended high school in Alexandria and college at Marymount University, coached young players and adults at McLean Racquet and Health Club, and served as the tennis director at Langley Club. He chose coaching as his profession.

Matthew Stevenson’s struggles with depression started in his early teens, with bouts of depression beginning in high school, his mother said.

Judith noted that it can be difficult for parents and coaches to figure out how to support a player who is experiencing challenges without becoming intrusive. However, she said it’s important to be willing to listen and to show respect by supporting a young person when they take charge of their own treatment.

She hopes events like the junior tennis tournament can help make talking about mental challenges akin to physical problems, such as sports injuries.

ProtoStar president and founder Gary Poon remarked that Stevenson built tennis programs from the ground up and was well loved in the community.

USTA Mid-Atlantic shared more details on the event, saying:

Mental health awareness among adolescents is crucial today as the youth mental health crisis continues to grow in the U.S., exacerbated most recently by the pandemic. The USTA Mid-Atlantic Section is emphasizing the important of mental health wellness among youth tennis players and has deemed Oct. 2-3 a mental health weekend featuring this and only one other sanctioned tournament that players may participate in the region, or they can choose to have a quiet weekend to rest, reset and focus on mental health. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and National Institute of Mental Health will have practical information available for parents and players in the tournament.

Matt Stevenson also wrote nearly 2,000 articles for the Mad in America (MIA) Foundation, a nonprofit that seeks to rethink and change how the psychiatric community uses medications, particularly over the long term.

Judith Stevenson said her son expressed concerns about the names of mental health disorders as well as the stigma attached to them, taking issue with language describing different conditions that he saw as pejorative.

Following Stevenson’s death by suicide in 2017, the MIA Foundation posted a tribute to his work interviewing experts and writing about mental health issues online, highlighting his efforts to read scientific literature on borderline personality disorder and books criticizing the validity of psychiatric disorders.

“The theme he sounded most often was about the spurious nature of psychiatric diagnoses and the harm such labels could cause,” the organization said.

A 3.5-acre lot near the McLean Metro station that’s currently little more than an expanse of dirt could be transformed into an outdoor gathering space before being taken over by up to two planned highrises.

Cityline Partners, the real estate firm behind the Scotts Run mixed-use development, envisions a “quasi-public” park with farmers markets, food trucks, a movie screen, outdoor trampolines, pop-up retail, or other outdoor amenities.

Dubbed The Block at Scotts Run, the vacant, leveled area at 1616 Anderson Road is bordered by Route 123 (Dolley Madison Boulevard), South Dartford Drive, and Chain Bridge Road.

The Washington Business Journal first reported the news that developers are seeking approval for the interim proposal from Fairfax County while waiting for the right market conditions to build one or both highrises.

The application from New York City-based DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners — operating as Cityline Partners LLC — requests a 20-year term for the interim use, but any retail or restaurant space would not be occupied by the same tenant for the full term, according to a statement of justification from land use attorney David Schneider with the Tysons-based firm Holland & Knight.

“Without this interim activation, this prominent corner at the eastern gateway of Tysons will remain vacant for an unknown amount until the market signals that it is time to move forward with one or both highrise buildings,” he said in the Sept. 16 letter to the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning.

The property is owned by one or two New York City businesses that occupies the 24th floor of a building in the Big Apple: 11 Madison Ave. The businesses are listed as “Van Buren 1616 Anderson LLC” and “Westgate 1600 Anderson Road LLC.”

Per the WBJ, though, Cityline is overseeing the interim proposal as the managing agent and master developer of Scotts Run South, which recently advanced with the opening of Archer Hotel Tysons.

The interim proposal would have a height limitation of 90 feet and occupy 30,000 square feet in gross floor area. Developers say they aren’t looking to build a nine-story building there but instead have room for “trapeze equipment and tents.”

According to Schneider’s letter, The Block is intended to set the stage for a Van Buren Gateway Park that the developers have committed to providing in the property’s ultimate build-out.

Photo via Google Maps

The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve searched the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean, and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Monday (Sept 27)

• Free Movie Mondays — ShowPlace ICON Theatre (1667 Silver Hill Drive) — The movie theater at The Boro continues to offer free movie passes every Monday. Tickets must be reserved in person day of show and are available one hour before showtime.

Tuesday (Sept. 28)

• 123 Andrés — 6-6:50 p.m. at Alden Theatre at McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Avenue) — The Spanish-speaking duo will give a free performance and teach children about rhythm and musical instruments. Registration is required.
• “I Love You More Than Coffee: Essays on Parenthood” — 7-8:30 p.m. at Patrick Henry Library (101 Maple Ave. East) in Vienna — Author Melissa Face describes the rollercoaster of emotions that parents face in her debut collection of essays. Books available for sale and signing.

Friday (Oct. 1)

• Sean McConnell at Wolf Trap — 8 p.m. at The Barns (1635 Trap Road) — He’s crafted songs for Brad Paisley, Christina Aguilera and more, but now, the Nashville insider has some new songs of his own after releasing another album last month that showcased his signature folk and country music. Proof of a vaccination or negative test for COVID-19 is required. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., and tickets start at $27 plus fees.
• An Intimate Evening with Josh Groban at Capital One Hall — 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall (7750 Capital One Tower Road) — Tysons’ newest performance venue, tied to Capital One’s headquarters, hosts the Tony-nominated singer as its first performer. Tickets start at $89 plus fees.
• Sunset Cinema — 7:45-10 p.m. at Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave.) — Falls Church City’s outdoor movie series finishes its one-month fall run with “A League of Their Own.” Visitors are encouraged to grab blankets, bring picnics, and/or enjoy snacks, drinks, and popcorn for sale.

Saturday (Oct. 2)

• McLean 5K Run — 8 a.m. start at McLean Square (6627 Old Dominion Drive)– The annual race for runners of all abilities will span parts of Old Dominion Drive, Chain Bridge Road, and other local streets. Pre-registration is currently $45. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit McLean Community Foundation. Packet pickup is at 1440 Chain Bridge Road.
• Vienna Oktoberfest — 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Church Street — The Town of Vienna’s annual celebration returns after a year off with beer, entertainment, vendors, and kids activities. Free admission.
• Damien Jurado with Okkervil River opening at Wolf Trap — 8 p.m. at The Barns (1635 Trap Road) — The two songwriters make their debut at this intimate venue, giving audiences a taste of their different indie folk styles. Proof of a vaccination or negative test for COVID-19 is required. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., and tickets start at $27 plus fees.

Sunday (Oct. 3)

• MPAartfest — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at McLean Central Park (1468 Dolley Madison Boulevard) — Artists, musicians, and food vendors come together for the McLean Project for the Arts’ 15th annual showcase for visual artists from across the mid-Atlantic region.

Photo via Abby Gillardi/Flickr

An old school Italian-style deli is looking to transform a vacant restaurant space in Tysons previously occupied by Jimmy John’s.

The D.C.-based Capo Deli is moving forward with the planned new location, but the timeline is unclear, spokesperson Natalie Flynn said. It will be located at 8359B Leesburg Pike near the Greensboro Metro station.

“We are opening a spot in Tysons,” she said. “As we look to expand our business, Tysons is a great opportunity.”

Fairfax County began processing an interior alteration permit in July and approved it on Sept. 16. Passersby can see an empty restaurant inside and notices posted on the storefront.

“It’s a vastly populated part of northern Virginia,” Flynn said of the company choosing the Tysons market. “It’s a huge hub for shopping, dining, eating out.”

The company had not yet made hires for the new location as of Thursday (Sept. 23).

Originally started in Florida in 1985, Capo Italian Deli opened in D.C. in June 2017. The eatery is known for its sandwiches, “secret” cocktail bar, and most recently, the “Fauci Pouchy” — a line of pouched cocktails named after National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci that has kept the business afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Per the company’s DC website:

Reminiscent of the old school, traditional Italian deli’s found in NY, Philly and Boston, Capo Italian Deli is opening in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. No gimmicks, no fancy names or unheard of ingredients, just traditional classics found in your hometown deli. Capo will feature our special homemade Italian dressing, freshly made seeded sub rolls, Boar’s Head meats properly sliced in front of you, in-house cooked roast beef, chicken parmigiana, meatball subs, homemade Marinara sauce, Italian combos, pre-made salads and Italian specialties and desserts. We do not compromise on quality and we do not take short cuts.