Plans are officially in for the mixed-use project that will transform the West Falls Church Metro station area.

Developers EYA, Hoffman & Associates, and Rushmark Properties has proposed replacing parking lots by the Metro station with over 1 million square feet of new construction, including residential buildings and townhomes, an office building, up to 10,000 square feet of retail, and 2.1 acres of parks.

After signing an agreement in August with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which owns the land, the group — collectively known as FGCP-Metro LLC — submitted a rezoning application and final development plans to Fairfax County on Dec. 17.

The project will create four new streets, potentially 90 townhouses, and up to 810 multifamily dwellings across three new buildings in Idylwood around an existing six-story WMATA parking garage.

“The Applicant’s proposal, in addition to redevelopment of the adjacent West Falls Site and Virginia Tech Site, presents an exciting inter-jurisdictional planning opportunity entirely unique in Virginia,” Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh attorney Andrew Painter said in the application. “When constructed, this approximately 60-acre district will function as one larger transit-oriented neighborhood.”

The plan calls for a six-story multifamily building by Falls Church Drive and the existing WMATA parking garage.

The building’s first floor would have retail, resident amenities, and an outdoor terrace. The complex would also have an interior courtyard, and a nearby woonerf would encourage pedestrian traffic.

Parking for the new structure, which is slated to be developed by Rushmark, would be concentrated in an underground garage.

The proposal also includes three blocks of townhomes. The first two would be three stories tall, with one set having up to 17 units and the other, located by The Pavillion and Village condos, having up to 42 townhomes. The third block would consist of four-story residences with up to 27 units.

Of the for-sale homes, 15% will be considered affordable, and 10% of the rental units would meet other affordability criteria for workforce dwelling units, the proposal states.

Additional multifamily buildings with up to 280 units and 210 units would be allowed sometime in the future.

“Together with the surrounding community and Metro, EYA, Hoffman & Associates and Rushmark Properties, have created a thoughtful design,” WMATA said when it announced the development agreement. “The project is the result of a multi-year effort between Metro, the development team, and Fairfax County…to enhance an underutilized asset.”

The outdoor spaces would include a 20,600 square-foot park, a 33,300 square-foot transit plaza, and an approximately 8,100 square-foot nature area with benches and bicycle racks.

Additionally, a 19,500 square-foot, fenced dog park could be created at the northwest corner of Haycock Road and the Metro access road. According to Painter, the area would also feature horseshoe games, disc golf practice baskets, and picnic tables.

Fairfax County made way for the proposed construction in July, when the Board of Supervisors approved a comprehensive plan amendment permitting mixed-use development in the West Falls Church Transit Station Area.

The amended plan also allows for a redevelopment of Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center campus on Haycock Road, though the university killed its proposed expansion in March and has not announced any replacement projects since.

With the new development expected to bring more residents and traffic, the county initiated an effort on Dec. 13 to study options for improving the area’s transportation network, which community members have said is already unsafe and inadequate for the anticipated new demand.

WMATA has previously said that construction on its redevelopment project will begin in 2023.

A popular empanadas food truck has launched a dining space in Tysons Galleria.

Empanadas De Mendoza owners Gabi and Tyler Steelman opened up the new brick-and-mortar venue on the third floor of the mall on Thursday (Dec. 16). The restaurant offers meat and vegetarian options for the handheld pastries with light, flaky crusts.

The move brings the couple full circle to when they started selling their empanadas out of a food truck to Tysons offices over five years ago, eventually expanding their operations throughout Northern Virginia.

The made-to-order empanadas (from the Spanish word empanar, meaning “to bread”) feature a variety of fillings: traditional and spicy beef, honey barbecue pork, pineapple chicken, spinach ricotta, and three cheese. Churros and sides are available, along with pastry desserts known as alfajores, featuring coconut shavings.

Gabi Steelman said Saturday (Dec. 18) that they’ve had customers trickling in, many of them regulars who follow the business’ social media channels, and an electronic menu said January dates are coming soon.

Gabi Steelman started the business in 2013 at a local farmers market in Fairfax out of a desire to share her culture and how much empanadas mean family, friends, and fun in her hometown of Mendoza, Argentina.

She soon married Tyler Steelman, and the couple quit their full-time jobs to pursue Empanadas De Mendoza.

In 2020, the couple got a storefront with a production kitchen in Lorton, where they also host parties, and a second food truck.

The new store’s special hours for the rest of this month are today (Dec. 23) and next Tuesday through Thursday (Dec. 28-30) from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

(Updated Dec. 29) A case involving a 34-year-old McLean man who allegedly had digital child pornography is scheduled to go to trial in June 2022.

Following an investigation by the national Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, Herndon police arrested Stefan J. Koza over a year ago near Wolf Trap, according to a December 2020 crime report. The town is part of the task force, and a Herndon detective led the investigation.

The case went through the Fairfax County General District Court before moving to the county’s Circuit Court, where a grand jury  indictment advanced eight charges of possession of child pornography — a felony.

When authorities conducted a search warrant at a family home last year, officers tried to get a resident to open the door, and Koza called 911, initially saying people were banging on the door, according to a court document.

“After being instructed to open the front door for police, Koza removed internal components of his desktop tower computer, ran out of the basement exit, ran through some yards, ran to the edge of a wooded lot…where he threw computer component(s),” authorities said.

He reportedly ran back toward the residence, and when authorities questioned him, he said he “panicked when he realized that police were at the door” and removed the components to “hide any trace of his child pornography downloads on the BitTorrent network,” according to a court document.

Koza told authorities he was sorry and admitted to having been arrested in Japan after hiding a GoPro camera in a dressing or changing room at an elementary school as part of an exchange program.

According to a LinkedIn page bearing Koza’s information, he served as an assistant language teacher for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme from August 2009 to July 2014.

A Japanese news outlet reported in July 2014 that Koza, who was working at the school, admitted it was his camera but said he lost it about a month before the incident.

Koza told authorities in the U.S. that he was arrested, given three years probation, removed from Japan, and ordered back to the U.S., according to a court document.

Tysons Reporter contacted Koza’s attorney for comment but didn’t receive a response by press time.

Comic and anime websites have described Koza as a manga translator.

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, Dec. 20

• Winter Break Trip: UNO’s Pizza Making & Movie — 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. day trip to Union Station in D.C. and AMC theatres — Students ages 10 through 14 can learn how to make deep-dish pizza at UNO’s and then enjoy a movie afterward, thanks to the Old Firehouse Teen Center in McLean. Cost is $65 for residents.
• Holiday Yarn Trees — 3-5 p.m. at Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike) — Library staff will provide all the supplies needed to craft winter-themed tree decor in this activity for people aged 8 to 18. With room capacity limited to 40 people, advance registration is required, and masks remain mandatory in all Fairfax County facilities.

Tuesday, Dec. 21

• Jammin Java Songwriters Circle — 8 p.m. at Jammin Java (227 Maple Ave. East) — Local singers and songwriters share stories and music. Cost is $16. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 22

• Needlecraft Circles — 1-2 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Library (7415 Arlington Boulevard) — Join other older adults to learn a new needlecraft. Supplies provided.

Thursday, Dec. 23

• Handel’s Messiah — 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Hall (7750 Capital One Tower Road) — The National Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorale performs George Frideric Handel’s classic oratorio, which was originally conceived for Easter but is now a Christmas season staple. Tickets start at $45, and proof of vaccination is required.
• Todd Wright’s NINETEENTH Annual Santa Clauster-f@%! Christmas Spectacular — 8 p.m. at Jammin Java (227 Maple Ave. East) — An event that showcases numerous musicians playing holiday music returns for two nights of in-person performances. Cost is $20. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 24

• Photos with Santa — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. at Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road) — It’s your last chance to ask Old Saint Nick what you want for Christmas. He will accept walk-in visits on Dec. 23 and 24 after hearing from good boys and girls daily by reservation since Nov. 12.

Saturday, Dec. 25

• Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights — 5-10 p.m. at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court) in Wolf Trap — Enjoy lights and holiday scenes in this annual transformation, which goes through Jan. 2. The tickets for those ages 2 and over are $18 each.

Sunday, Dec. 26

• “Traveling While Black” — noon-6 p.m. at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave.) — A virtual reality movie shows participants’ part in the struggle for racial justice. One-hour appointments are available for the exhibit, which runs through Feb. 12.

The former Amphora Restaurant building in Vienna could soon reawaken as another eatery.

Plans are currently going through the Town of Vienna and Fairfax County to get it approved as a new restaurant dubbed The Maple Room, according to town spokesperson Karen Thayer.

Amphora closed in January after four decades in Vienna in response to the challenges of running a restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Sterling-based real estate developer, Christos Sarantis, acquired the property for $4.875 million on Dec. 29, 2020, according to county and state records.

Sarantis didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

A county permitting database says the property at 377 Maple Ave. West is looking to renovate the building’s exterior, upgrading its facade, roof, handicap access and other features.

Town staff have been reviewing the site plan, according to a development activity map.

The Cholakis and Bilidas families opened Amphora in 1977. The restaurant was known for its 24/7 service, comfort food, and all-day breakfast.

Amphora Group, the company founded by the families, has shifted its focus to its Herndon operations. It has Amphora Diner Deluxe and catering businesses on Elden Street, and Amphora Bakery operates in the Sunset Business Park.

Parking meters are coming to Tysons streets.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors expressed support yesterday (Tuesday) for staff’s recommendation that the county introduce managed on-street parking to the Tysons core, potentially paving the way for the practice to expand to other areas later.

“I definitely support this,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said at the transportation committee meeting. “I think this is an important step towards managed public parking, which I think will have a role in the future in Tysons and other places, I’m sure, around the county.”

Currently, the county doesn’t charge for on-street parking, allowing drivers to leave vehicles for unlimited amounts of time.

That has become a particular problem in Tysons, according to a two-year review that the Fairfax County Department of Transportation concluded in December 2020. The study found that commercial vehicles often take up spots for days, even weeks at a time, in addition to low parking turnover near Metro stops and other issues.

The review also examined Reston, but staff said they aren’t recommending any changes there at this time, citing the limited amount of public, curbside parking available in the area. FCDOT did not return Tysons Reporter’s request for further clarification by press time.

Paid parking isn’t new to the Tysons area, but it exists mostly on private streets and property, such as Avenir Place near the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority also has a metered surface parking lot at that station.

The Mosaic District in Merrifield has limits on how long people can park on the street and in some garage spaces, but parking remains free.

FCDOT senior transportation planner Henri McCartney said that, after examining jurisdictions that have parking programs in place, county staff found an average rate of $1.50 per hour.

The county could secure a third party to install and manage parking meters, conduct enforcement, process citation fines and schedule appeals.

“We do need to move forward with this,” Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said, adding that it would make sense to work with a third party that drivers might already use when parking elsewhere in the D.C. region.

The vendor would be responsible for implementing the plan, overseeing day-to-day operations, and collecting revenue from the meters and parking citations that will go to the county, according to FCDOT staff.

Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust noted that the Tysons area also runs into problems with the limited amount of parking around its four Metro stops, none of which have dedicated, public garages. McCartney said the county is looking at ways to have longer term parking available so Metro riders could park nearby.

As part of the possible changes, McCartney suggested that the parking program include payment kiosks, signage limiting how long a vehicle could park in a spot, and a variety of ways for people to pay, from an app to text messaging or calling a number.

To develop the program, FCDOT will request one-time funding of $100,000 in the county’s next budget to hire a traffic design consultant, who would help determine what streets will be affected, possible hours of operations, and other factors.

“Since this is the very first implementation of managed parking in the county, we believe that we need the expertise of a consultant to…help us get it right,” McCartney said.

Anticipated recurring costs include $120,000 annually for a new transportation planner, with additional positions potentially needed if the program expands, and $250,000 annually for the parking services vendor. Staff hope that the parking revenue will eventually cover the program’s costs.

Any changes are still years away. The county’s tentative timeline for implementation has staff bringing a full managed parking plan, including meter rates, to the Board of Supervisors for its endorsement in the fall of 2023.

Photo via Google Maps

A 68-year-old woman who was struck by a vehicle around 11 a.m. Monday (Dec. 13) died later that evening, Fairfax County Police Department reported today (Wednesday).

Nguyet Ly, of Falls Church, was walking east in the westbound travel lane of Leesburg Pike near the shoulder when a 2018 Subaru Impreza making a right turn out of a business struck her in the roadway, according to FCPD.

It happened in Bailey’s Crossroads in the 5900 block of Route 7 where there’s no sidewalk, police said.

She was taken to the hospital, where she later died.

The investigation is active and police are providing details to the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for review.

Police put out the following request for information:

Anyone with information about this crash is asked to contact our Crash Reconstruction Unit at 703-280-0543. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone -1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), by text – Type “FCCS” plus tip to 847411, and by web – Click HERE. Download our Mobile tip411 App “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers”. Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1000 dollars if their information leads to an arrest. Please leave contact information if you wish for a detective to contact you.

Ly is the 13th pedestrian to be killed in a vehicle crash in Fairfax County this year.

The upcoming pedestrian bridge over I-495 in Tysons has seen its estimated costs rise to $13.4 million as landowners lock in easements and right of ways needed for the connector.

The Virginia Department of Transportation says it has been working with private parties to secure deals, one of which involved a $698,920 payment agreement to the condominium Encore of McLean.

Until the bicycle/pedestrian bridge is created, residents east of the Capital Beltway have to use an interstate underpass at Route 123 or Route 7 overpass to get to Tysons Corner Center, essentially requiring vehicular trips to the mall.

When construction activities began in August, the project cost was estimated at $12.3 million. The $1.1 million increase is due to right-of-way costs, VDOT said.

Crews are developing a staging area where a drilling machine will be used to create the foundation for the pedestrians.

“Over the next several months, crews will continue installing a retaining wall off of Old Meadow Road behind the Dolley Madison Apartments and will begin installing the bicycle and pedestrian bridge foundations and piers on both sides of I-495 and in the median of the 495 Express Lanes,” VDOT spokesperson Mike Murphy said in an email.

Focused on building the bridge and part of a shared-use path on Old Meadow Road, the first phase of project is scheduled for completion in summer 2022.

“Construction of the second phase of the project, the section of the shared-use path along Old Meadow Road from Provincial Drive to Route 123, will begin once additional funding is identified,” Murphy also wrote.

According to VDOT, the rapid growth of the Tysons area has resulted in a significantly higher cost for acquiring the easements.

Among a handful of other right-of-way or easements transactions secured, Tysons Corner Property Holdings, the limited-liability company used by Southern California-based Tysons Corner Center owner Macerich, received no financial award.

The condominium Regency at McLean obtained a $35,500 agreement, and Dolley Madison finalized a settlement on Nov. 9, details of which could be released in early January, according to VDOT.

VDOT said the increased costs were part of the scope of the contract.

A mixed-use project approved nearly a decade ago near the McLean Metro station is making a comeback, expanding the amount of retail sought and potentially bringing a long-desired athletic field.

The Washington Business Journal reported Friday (Dec. 10) that developer LCOR is revising its 21-acre McLean Crossing project, increasing its retail component from the 50,000 square feet approved in 2013 to potentially three times that amount.

“LCOR anticipates that we will be able to advance our next phase of projects in late 2023,” LCOR senior vice president Josh White said in an email to Tysons Reporter, stating that the “renewed vision” includes a variety of uses to “establish a genuine neighborhood atmosphere in a submarket seeking an identity, of which retail is a major component.”

Located along Anderson Road at the Chain Bridge Road intersection, the project was envisioned in 2013 as a redevelopment of the Commons of McLean apartments, but only one of the seven planned buildings has been constructed so far: the Kingston luxury apartment high rise, which was completed in 2018.

The plan called for buildings ranging from six to 22 stories tall with 2,571 residential units, along with retail and two blocks devoted to parks.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the project on June 4, 2013, provided that the developer create a proposed athletic field by Dec. 31, 2035 near the McLean Metro station, which opened in 2014.

At that time, the field was a primary point of contention between LCOR and the county, with Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust calling the anticipated timing of its delivery bad.

The McLean Citizens Association gave its support to the proposed redevelopment, but with the condition that the athletic field be built by the end of 2025 and that more retail space be provided. Mark Zetts, then the MCA planning committee co-chair, was the only speaker at the public hearing.

“We were very reluctant to agree to the 2035 date,” G. Evan Pritchard, an attorney for the developer, told the board, citing market conditions and other factors, from building demolitions to street grid additions.

Now, the developer says it believes the previous plan should be revised. A new concept plan could end up before the county next year, according to the WBJ.

“As Kingston, LCOR’s first residential development at McLean Crossing, was delivering, LCOR reevaluated Tysons/McLean market conditions, examined other successful mixed-use projects within the region and ultimately concluded it was necessary to revise the 2013 master plan in order to create a sense of place,” White wrote.

LCOR is also bringing a new business partner onboard, “Monarch Communities, which will built a 210-unit senior housing tower in the development,” the Washington Business Journal reported.

Per the article:

About 120 of the senior units will be independent living apartments, about with another 60 assisted living and 30 memory care units, which all vary greatly in size from studios to one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.

“McLean Crossing will not only create a neighborhood center for Tysons East, but also a new downtown for McLean, given its proximity and accessibility,” White said. “The retail within McLean Crossing will be neighborhood serving and is envisioned to be a thoughtful mix of food and beverage, soft goods, etc.”

A female pedestrian was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after a crash today (Monday).

The vehicle crash occurred in Bailey’s Crossroads in the 5900 block of Leesburg Pike, Fairfax County Police Department reported this afternoon.

“The pedestrian, a woman, was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said. “Driver remained at scene.”

Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives continued to investigate the crash, police said later, noting the woman was still hospitalized.

The crash closed Route 7 for a period, but the road has now reopened.

Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives continue to investigate this crash. The pedestrian remains hospitalized. Leesburg Pike is now open. Follow our blog, https://t.co/lhGv3NlUzS, for any updates. https://t.co/BMYGKWku8U

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 13, 2021