Updated at 12:55 p.m. on 4/14/2023 — The National Park Service has delayed the GW Parkway changes due to forecasts calling for inclement weather over the weekend. The lane shift is now expected to begin around April 21-24.
Earlier: Drivers will soon have to get accustomed to a brand-new traffic pattern on the McLean section of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
Starting Saturday, April 15, the existing southbound lanes will close between the Capital Beltway (I-495) and Route 123 (Dolley Madison Blvd and Chain Bridge Road) so crews can begin rehabilitating that portion of the roadway.
All traffic will shift to the northbound lanes, which have been expanded with the addition of a third, temporary lane in the median. The new lane will change directions based on where rush-hour traffic is headed.
“This temporary lane will serve as a reversible lane, which provides flexibility to change direction for morning and evening rush hours,” the National Park Service said in a news release yesterday (Monday). “This traffic pattern allows the project contractor greater access to the roadway, which will reduce the time needed to complete the project.”
If there’s inclement weather on April 15, the new traffic pattern will commence on Saturday, April 22 instead.
On April 15, the NPS will implement a new, temporary traffic pattern on George Washington Memorial Parkway between I-495 and Route 123 for the next phase of the North Parkway Rehabilitation Project: https://t.co/3yjIWOU0hL pic.twitter.com/PFFBTyoNQ0
— National Parks of Greater Washington, DC (@NPSNewsDC) April 3, 2023
According to the NPS, here is the daily schedule for the reversible lane:
Weekday morning rush hour (5:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.)
- Two lanes southbound (toward Washington, DC).
- Drivers who need to exit at Route 123 or CIA Headquarters must use the right lane.
- One lane northbound (toward Maryland/Virginia).
Weekday evening rush hour (2:45 p.m.-7:15 p.m.)
- Two lanes northbound (toward Maryland/Virginia).
- Drivers who need to exit at Route 123 or CIA Headquarters must use the right lane.
- One lane southbound (toward Washington, DC).
Weekdays (9:30 a.m.-2:45 p.m.) and weekends
- One lane southbound (toward Washington, DC).
- One lane northbound (toward Maryland/Virginia).
The park service advises drivers to pay attention to traffic signs, adhere to the roadway’s 40 mph speed limit, and prepare for potential delays.
“To increase safety, small physical barriers will divide the narrow, 10-foot-wide lanes,” the NPS said, noting that vehicles that weigh over 10,000 pounds will still be barred from the parkway.
Federal officials broke ground on the north GW Parkway rehabilitation in July 2022. The approximately $161 million project will update the parkway’s northern section — from the Beltway to Sprout Run in Arlington — for the first time since it was originally completed in 1962.
Funded by the Great American Outdoors Act, which was passed in 2020 to support infrastructure and recreational improvements on public lands, the project will install new pavement, redesign the Route 123 interchange, repair stormwater facilities, lengthen some entrance and exit lanes, and more.
The NPS anticipates the three-lane pattern remaining in place throughout the rest of construction, which is projected to finish in December 2025.
Inova Ends Mask Requirement — “Effective April 3, masking will be optional at Inova care sites. Exceptions will include high-risk clinical spaces and for anyone interacting with patients identified by their provider as immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease from COVID-19” [Inova Health/Twitter]
Rose Hill Redevelopment Proposal Recommended for Deferral — “The inclusion of the Rose Hill Plaza development plan in the work program, approved on March 29 by the planning commission, came with a condition: the proposal will remain a ‘deferred item’ until the owner of the shopping center, Combined Properties Inc., conducts ‘further community outreach.'” [Patch]
Fairfax Man Arrested for Allegedly Choking Woman — City of Fairfax Police arrested a 48-year-old man for allegedly choking the passenger of another car during a “traffic altercation” on Sunday (April 2) near Fairfax Blvd and Pickett Road. According to police, the man “left his vehicle, put his hands around the neck of a passenger sitting in the second vehicle, and began to choke her.” He also threw a ginger ale can. [Patch]
PNC Bank Set to Close Several Local Branches — PNC Financial Services Group Inc will shutter 11 Northern Virginia branches as part of a nationwide reduction in its footprint, particularly in grocery stores. The Oakton branch at 2964 Chain Bridge Road is the only standalone location targeted, but this round also includes Giant Food store branches in Oakton, Fairfax, Centreville, Herndon, Clifton and the Falls Church area. [Washington Business Journal]
Annandale Gets New Ethiopian Restaurant — “JD Bar & Restaurant is located at 6669 Little River Turnpike in the same building that housed two previous Ethiopian places, Monarch, and before that, Damas. JD features traditional Ethiopian cuisine with injera, including geba weta, doro wat, lamb wot, kifto, tibs, and fish dulet.” [Annandale Today]
Republican Enters Virginia Senate Race — “An ex-adviser to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced Monday he will seek the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in 2024, the first contender to emerge after Kaine committed in January to seeking a third term.” [The Washington Post]
GMU Works to Preserve Civil War-Era Graffiti — “While many see graffiti as an eyesore, students and staff at George Mason University are trying to digitally preserve 160-year-old wall art…[Mills] Kelly told WTOP that the graffiti left on the plaster walls at the Graffiti House in Brandywine Station and Historic Blenheim show a different side of history than what most usually see.” [WTOP]
Region Sees Increase in Older Population — “A new report found that Northern Virginia is one of the country’s fastest-growing populations of older adults, but more must be done to accommodate that age group. The number of adults 65 and older living in Northern Virginia increased by 61 percent since 2010, with approximately 310,000 living in the region as of 2020.” [Inside NoVA]
It’s Tuesday — Partly cloudy. Warm. High of 77 and low of 55. Sunrise at 6:48 am and sunset at 7:34 pm. [Weather.gov]
Easter will be a decidedly secular affair at Capital One Center this year.
The Tysons development will host an Easter at The Perch celebration in the skypark atop Capital One Hall (1805 Capital One Drive) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday (April 8), a day before the religious holiday is observed.
The highlight of the event is an egg hunt, which will begin at 10 a.m. with a 9:30 a.m. check-in time. Kids are required to have tickets to participate. The $20 price tag covers admission and a goodie bag, though it doesn’t include a $3.18 processing fee or the sales tax.
The rest of the festivities are open to the general public, according to a media advisory.
Post-egg hunt activities will include:
- Live entertainment featuring Captain Seawalker and his Yacht Rock EGGS’travaganza
- A petting zoo with alpacas, bunnies, and other animals from My Pet Alpaca
- Easter k’EGG Roll
- Easter-themed arts and crafts station
- Easter-themed sack races
- Temporary tattoo stations
- An Instagram photo booth station
- Meet and Greet with the Easter Bunny
Capital One Center also recently reopened its Perch Putt mini golf course after a winter hiatus. Players during Easter at The Perch will get music, giveaways and prizes from the hosts of the radio show Toby and Chilli in the Morning on WASH FM 97.1.
Raffle prizes will also be offered from Capital One Hall and The Watermark Hotel.
For those looking to celebrate spring without the Easter tie-in, Capital One Center’s now-biannual Perchfest is scheduled to return the weekend of May 19-21, per the media advisory.
The plan to redevelop Merrifield’s Pan Am Shopping Center has evolved since property owner Federal Realty submitted an initial proposal to Fairfax County last spring.
Perhaps the biggest change is the removal of up to 34 four-story townhomes previously shown on the southwest corner of the 25-acre strip mall at 3089 Nutley Street SW. The attached houses had accompanied three apartment buildings totaling 516 units.
After talking with county staff, Federal Realty agreed to eliminate the townhouses in favor of providing more park space, Director of Development Mark Hendrickson said at a community meeting on the project in the former Pet Valu store on Thursday (March 30).
In an illustrative plan presented at the meeting, the park space appeared as a green patch with trees and a path connecting the shopping center’s parking lot to the neighboring Providence Hall Apartments.
That corner will also be occupied by one of the three multifamily buildings, which will collectively have 585 units — all rental apartments.
“Townhomes are very land-consumptive,” county planner Aaron Klibaner said. “…It made more sense to do a smaller apartment building on that corner.”
Conversations between the county and Federal Realty have also reduced the residential buildings from seven to five stories, making them “more compatible” with Providence Hall, Klibaner said. They could still be up to 90 feet tall, but will “taper down” in height closer to the existing apartments.
The plan for rental units came as a surprise to Troy and Jackie Sponaugle, who have lived less than a mile away on Route 29 for almost 42 years. The couple said they had been told before that the units would be condominiums, though Hendrickson said condos were never considered for this project.
“Rental units are not as stable as owner units. We’re concerned that might impact the stability of the neighborhood,” Troy said.
Housing would support retail, developer says
The county’s Department of Planning and Development organized last week’s meeting to get feedback on whether its comprehensive plan should be amended to allow mixed-use development on the currently all-retail site.
Authorized by the Board of Supervisors in December 2021, the plan amendment study represents “the very, very beginning of the development process,” county staff stressed.
However, the question-and-answer portion of the meeting suggested some residents are already anxious about what the redevelopment could mean for Pan Am and the overall community.
At the forefront of many minds was the future of the current retailers, especially Michaels and Micro Center. One resident’s impassioned plea for the necessity of retaining the computer store drew claps from her fellow attendees, who easily exceeded 50 people.
While Federal Realty has confirmed that Safeway will stay as the main anchor, it’s still “trying to figure out” where the other retailers will go, Hendrickson said. The illustrative plan shows an expanded retail space.
Noting that the retail market has been moving away from big box stores, Hendrickson explained that the housing and other amenities, like parks and pedestrian paths, would support the shopping center’s businesses by creating a sense of community.
While there is “plenty of community” in the area, the developer heard during Zoom calls with local homeowners’ associations that there “was nowhere in Pan Am” that makes residents want to stay for extended periods of time.
“The focus has been on connectivity. This is not trying to be Mosaic [District],” he said, calling Fairfax Corner a closer analogue to Federal Realty’s vision.
Community fears public infrastructure insufficient
Connectivity is also a priority for Meg Gisonda, who doesn’t drive, though her husband does. She welcomes the prospect of Pan Am’s large, “sad” parking lot getting partially replaced by housing — with the hope that Federal Realty goes beyond the county’s 8% requirement for workforce units.
However, she’s not convinced the on-site paths and Nutley Street bicycle lanes that the developer has offered to provide will address the actual challenges faced by pedestrians, bicyclists and anyone else traveling outside a car.
For instance, Fairfax Connector has a bus stop right in front of Gisonda’s house on Route 29, but buses only come once an hour, and there isn’t a direct route to destinations like the Mosaic District. The timing also isn’t synced with Metro’s trains, so she typically has to walk back home from the Vienna station.
“So much of this is reliant on the county because it’s public infrastructure,” Gisonda said. “There’s not terribly much that this development company can really do about things that the community really needs, like more crosswalks or more buses with varied routes that come quickly, that go places where people need to go.”
With new housing approved at MetroWest near the Vienna Metro station and increased density proposed on nearby Swanee Lane, many community members raised concerns about the influx of new residents taxing the area’s roads and schools.
One resident observed that it already takes three signal cycles for drivers to get through the Nutley Street and Route 29 intersection, while another opined that the roundabout configuration at I-66 made an “already horrible” situation “worse.”
In addition to foreseeing traffic problems at Nutley/Route 29, Troy Sponaugle says Fairhill Elementary School, which his granddaughter attends, doesn’t have room for another 100 students.
“The land owner’s only concerned about Pan Am, but we have to be concerned about more than that, or else the quality of life in our area here will go down,” Troy said.
A county staff report on the proposed plan amendment is expected to be finalized in the month or two, according to Klibaner. A public hearing before the Fairfax County Planning Commission will likely come 30 days after the report’s release.
Plan via Dalia Palchik/Twitter
A plan to convert Fairfax County’s streetlights into LED lights is well underway.
At a Board of Supervisors’ safety and security committee meeting on March 22, Aileen Santiago of the county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) said the program is expected to generate roughly $1.4 million in yearly savings when completed.
Board Chairman Jeff McKay lauded the conversion program’s work, which he called an investment with a significant return.
“It’s a really good news story in term of the environmental savings standpoint, and it shows the investment we made on the environmental front is paying itself back in a massive way,” McKay said.
The program kicked off in 2018 after the county reached a regional agreement with Dominion Energy to transition into more energy-efficient bulbs.
In Dominion Energy‘s service area — which accounts for 96% of the county’s 60,000 existing streetlights — the conversion process will be completed in fiscal year 2024 using roughly $9 million allocated for five years.
But Northern Virginia Electrical Cooperative (NOVEC) — which is responsible for the remaining 4% of the county’s lights — is largely not accelerating the conversion process for customers in its area, Santiago said.
“Currently, they’re not invested in accelerating and providing reduced rates similar to Dominion,” Santiago told the committee. So far, NOVEC has largely been converting street-facing lights into LEDs, and that inventory is overall limited.
Supervisors expressed disappointment on NOVEC’s progress thus far. Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith noted that the organization’s service area impacts her constituents significantly.
“It’s not right that NOVEC is not doing the conversions there,” she said.
The conversion program went into effect after the board made amendments to require new and existing streetlights be converted into LEDs with specific color temperatures.
Other board members focused on the need to conduct a more holistic study of lighting needs throughout the county. Currently, the supervisors push streetlight petition requests to county staff.
Referencing a similar board matter passed years ago, Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk stated that the county needs to develop long-term strategies to fund streetlights that are being requested by individuals.
“My concern is that we really don’t have enough focus on what we’re gonna do with regard to the new streetlight requests,” Lusk said.
A programmatic process would require additional funding beyond the county’s current petition program, DPWES Director Chris Herrington said.
Man Pulled From Mud in Mount Vernon — “Units on scene of a rescue in the 5200 block of Burke Drive in the Woodlawn area. One adult male in the water 30 feet from the shore stuck in mud. Firefighters have successfully extricated the person. No reported injuries at this time.” [FCFRD/Twitter]
Nearby: Suspect ID’d in Dulles Town Center Shooting — “Loudoun County police have identified the suspect in Sunday morning’s shooting inside the Dulles Town Center shopping mall that left one person in serious condition…The mall has been closed for the remainder of the day.” [WTOP]
Shooting Threat Found in John Lewis HS Restroom — “In response to the threatening graffiti found at John R. Lewis High School, a letter from Fairfax County Public Schools was sent home to parents and guardians. Officials say out of an abundance of caution, there will be an increased security and police presence beginning Monday, April 10 and throughout the week.” [WUSA9]
Driver Crashes Into Annandale ESL School — “An elderly driver rammed into a Fairfax County school Friday afternoon, according to Fairfax County Police Department. The incident happened just before 4 p.m. at what appears to be the Evergreen Academy — a language school in Annandale.” At least one person in the building was injured. [ABC7]
Trader Joe’s Taking Over West Springfield Whole Foods — “Trader Joe’s, a longtime tenant of…Springfield Plaza on Old Keene Mill Road, has executed a lease to replace Whole Foods Market at Federal Realty Investment Trust’s Old Keene Mill Center three miles to the west.” Whole Foods will move “toward the end of 2023 for a much larger space at Springfield Plaza.” [Washington Business Journal]
Fairfax County Lost Residents in 2022 — “While some counties in Northern Virginia regained some of the population they lost during the first years of the pandemic, a Census Bureau report released Thursday shows Fairfax County’s population continued to drop.” [Patch]
Summer Camps Offered for Lower-Income Families — “NCS is partnering with the Fairfax County Park Authority to offer affordable summer camps to families with a household income of less than $132,500. Eligible families will pay reduced rates for children to participate in popular Park Authority summer camps offered at Sully Community Center.” [Neighborhood and Community Services]
Sidewalk Construction Begins in Vienna — “Beginning…Monday, April 3 and lasting through the week, sidewalk, curb and gutter construction will occur at the corner of Courthouse Rd and Locust St, SW, from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Flaggers will be present. To avoid delays, consider an alternate route.” [Town of Vienna/Twitter]
It’s Monday — Broken clouds. Mild. High of 69 and low of 39. Sunrise at 6:50 am and sunset at 7:33 pm. [Weather.gov]
The time to get any patio furniture and other loose, outdoor objects inside is now.
At 2:29 p.m. today (Friday), the National Weather Service issued a High Wind Warning for the D.C. area, including Fairfax County, in anticipation of an encroaching storm.
Set to take effect from noon tomorrow (Saturday) until midnight, the alert warns of wind gusts that could reach up to 60 mph, raising the potential for power outages and travel difficulties.
…HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON SATURDAY TO MIDNIGHT EDT SATURDAY NIGHT…
* WHAT…Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph Saturday afternoon, becoming northwest 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph Saturday evening.
* WHERE…Portions of central and northern Maryland, The District of Columbia, and northern Virginia.
* WHEN…From noon Saturday to midnight EDT Saturday night. The strongest winds are expected Saturday evening.
* IMPACTS…Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.
“People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches,” the NWS said. “If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive.”
The storm has been moving east after slamming California with heavy winds, rain and snow earlier this week. Nearly 90 million people across 21 states are under a hazardous weather alert, as the Midwest and some Southern states face the risk of tornadoes just a week after one killed at least 26 people in Mississippi and Alabama.
[3/31 at 2:55 PM] The @NWS_BaltWash has upgraded the High Wind Watch to a Warning tomorrow (April 1). Sustained 20-30 mph winds can be expected, w/ gusts up to 50 mph Saturday afternoon. By the evening, sustained winds are expected to be 25-35 mph w/ gusts up to 60 mph. #VaWx pic.twitter.com/QKAzOkXvXU
— Ready Fairfax (@ReadyFairfax) March 31, 2023
The final touches on the first phase of the Silver Line project that brought Metro into Tysons are falling into place, almost a decade after the five new rail stations in Fairfax County opened.
Construction on the shoulder of the Dulles Connector Road — which links the Dulles Toll Road in Tysons to the I-66 interchange in Idylwood — has been completed, according to a presentation that the Fairfax County Department of Transportation gave to the Board of Supervisors’ Phase 1 Dulles Rail Transportation Improvement District Commission on Tuesday (March 28).
The shoulder reconstruction, which began in April 2022, and some manhole repairs were the last “outstanding” items in the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project’s first phase, FCDOT Special Projects Division Chief Martha Coello told the commission.
Some lane closures were in place this week for the shoulder construction. A spokesperson for Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority didn’t respond by press time on whether that was the last round of closures.
With a total cost of $2.98 billion, the first phase expanded Metro to Tysons and Reston, launching passenger service in July 2014.
To continue paying off debt from the project, the commission approved a flat tax rate of nine cents per $100 of assessed value for commercial and industrial properties in the special tax district created to fund the Silver Line.
Fairfax County Department of Management and Budget Deputy Director Joe LaHait recommended continuing the current tax rate into fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1, “since coverage in the prior fiscal year (FY2022) cannot be maintained at or above the 1.4x threshold,” an advisory board reported to the commission.
The tax district’s policy, adopted in 2013, dictates that the tax rate should be set at a level that would cover 1.4 times the amount of debt owed each year. The rate can be lowered by up to two cents if that level of coverage has been maintained for two consecutive years.
Though coverage is projected to exceed 1.4 in 2023 and 2024, it dipped below that target to 1.36 for the first time ever last year, according to county staff.
Since it took effect in 2005, the Phase 1 tax district has generated approximately $428.5 million, including $15.5 million in the current fiscal year 2023, as of February — enough to cover the $400 million that Fairfax County was tasked with giving to the MWAA for the project.
“All debt has been issued for this tax district and reached the $400 million cap paid to the Airports Authority,” the advisory board’s minutes from its March 15 meeting said. “The funds were collected via cash contribution and bonds.”
With the county’s obligation covered, the tax district revenue will now be used to pay off debts. As of June 30, it had about $125 million in outstanding debt.
At its Tuesday meeting, the commission also approved a tax rate of 18 cents per $100 of assessed value for the special tax district for the Silver Line’s second phase, which extended Metro from Reston to Ashburn in Loudoun County.
The approved rate represents a two-cent reduction from the current fiscal year 2023 rate, which staff said in March 2022 couldn’t be lowered.
Per a staff presentation, the Dulles Airport and Ashburn stations remain the busiest of the new stations since they opened in November. New Fairfax Connector bus routes supporting the stations in Reston and Herndon are carrying 579 passenger trips per day.
The tax rates for both the Phase 1 and Phase 2 districts will be formally adopted when the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approves a budget for FY 2024 on May 9.
Fairfax County could be putting a little more money into a program that aims to make paying taxes in the county easier.
At a budget committee meeting on Tuesday (March 28), the Board of Supervisors got a briefing on the fiscal year 2023 third quarter review, looking over how staff are proposing to use a net $51.2 million in available funding.
Most of that new funding comes from interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve to rein in inflation. That resulted in an additional $37.58 million for the county, which also saw an increase of $11.23 million in revenue from personal property taxes.
The lion’s share of that funding is going to capital projects, like courtroom renovations, but county staff have proposed using $18.96 million for information technology (IT) improvements that could, in part, go into effect by the end of the year.
The one most residents will likely notice is an upgrade to the county’s tax payment systems. While a precise timeline for what will be a multi-year overhaul is still being worked out, staff said the $4 million proposed in the FY 2023 third quarter review would give the program a substantial boost.
“This gives us a good downpayment to get the work started,” said Jay Doshi, director of the Department of Tax Administration. “[The IT Department] has been not only partnering with us, but reaching out to vendors who will offer services to get us to where we’d like to be.”
IT staff said the plan is to have some improvements in place by this fall for residents filing property taxes.
“We’ve relied for a long time on people mailing in checks, paying an exorbitant fee with their credit card, or standing right outside this hallway,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said. “I think this is a short-term improvement but will have long-term benefits…I’m glad to hear at least the beginning parts to this, some of the pieces our citizens will experience, will be forthcoming as soon as this fall.”
Other notable allocations in the third-quarter review include $400,000 to help the Fairfax County Park Authority clear running bamboo, $4.1 million to cover increased overtime costs for Fire and Rescue personnel, and a total of $1.75 million for road and parks signage related to the Route 29 and 50 renamings.
The removal of the names Lee Highway and Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway has to be voted on by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which has the authority to name state roads, Fairfax County Department of Transportation spokesperson Robin Geiger confirmed.
The board met earlier this week, but the topic wasn’t on its agenda.
“The allocation of funds is in preparation of the approval of the name changes,” Geiger said.
The growing restaurant empire forged by Chinese chef Peter Chang may soon expand to McLean.
Chang’s team has applied for a building permit from Fairfax County to take over the former House of Fortune space at 6715 Lowell Avenue, as the Washington Business Journal first reported on Tuesday (March 28).
An employee at Q by Peter Chang, the chef’s Bethesda restaurant, confirmed to FFXnow that a McLean location is in the works, but the exact concept is still being finalized. No opening date has been set, he said.
A semifinalist for “Outstanding Chef” at the 2022 James Beard Awards, Chang focuses on Szechuan cuisine after growing up in nearby Hubei province. He trained at a culinary school in Wuhan, China, before moving to the U.S. in 2001 to work as a chef at the Chinese Embassy in D.C.
Known as much for migratory habits and devoted fan base as for his food, Chang cooked for spots in Fairfax, Alexandria, Georgia and Tennessee before launching his first self-titled venture in Charlottesville and expanding to Arlington in 2015.
With wife and fellow chef Lydia and their daughter Lisa, who manages the business, also on board, the Chang family has established more than a dozen restaurants. In addition to the eight Peter Chang restaurants and Q by Peter Chang, the team is behind Chang Chang in D.C., NiHao in Baltimore, and Fairfax City’s Mama Chang and Lu Wei by Peter Zhang.
A second NiHao — which serves dim sum, Peking duck and “contemporary” takes on classic Szechuan dishes — is slated to open in Crystal City near Amazon’s second headquarters by early 2024.
Assuming that location opens first, the McLean restaurant could be the family’s 16th.
