Capital One Center has landed another brand-new restaurant concept.
Billed as a “new classic American restaurant,” Ox & Rye signed a lease in mid-December for an 11,000-square-foot, 318-seat space at 7770 Capital One Tower Road in Tysons, the Washington Business Journal reported on Friday (Jan. 13).
Developed by the Arlington-based Wooden Nickel Bar Company, whose existing establishments include Copperwood Tavern and The Pinemoor, the restaurant will focus on “local cuts of beef and unique twists on American classic dishes,” according to a press release.
Per the WBJ, menu items will include oysters, steak, wagyu, and lobster fettuchini. As implied by the name, rye whiskey will be prominently featured on a cocktail menu, along with selections of local beers and regional wines.
“We are excited to bring a new dining option to Tysons and can’t wait for guests to experience the unique flavors and atmosphere of Ox & Rye,” owner Reese Gardner said in the press release.
According to its website, Ox & Rye is anticipating a winter 2023 opening. The restaurant will include a “rye lounge” and private dining room for special events.
The announcement brings the number of restaurants expected to join Capital One Center this year up to five. Previously reported tenants include:
- Sisters Thai, which is opening its fifth and largest venue at 7730 Capital One Tower Road
- Ometeo, a Tex-Mex restaurant from the team behind Ballston’s The Salt Line
- Santi, a new concept from Cranes chef Pepe Moncayo that will focus on “Spanish culinary tradition,” per its website
- Stellina Pizzeria, which is filling the vacated Starbucks space in Capital One’s headquarters tower
A Capital One Center spokesperson says no opening dates have been set for any of the restaurants, but the development is “delighted to grow our retail portfolio with five new restaurants opening here in 2023.”
The budding mixed-use development around Capital One’s headquarters is currently a little light on dining options, though it added food trucks last spring with the opening of the Perch Putt mini-golf course on top of Capital One Center.
Known as The Perch, the elevated park also hosts Starr Hill Biergarten and provides access to Wren, the Japanese restaurant and bar in The Watermark Hotel’s lobby.
Designed to accommodate 6 million square feet of development when fully built, Capital One Center is nearing completion of a new office and retail tower. Bisnow reported last week that Capital One has started moving workers into the high-rise, but the company didn’t confirm that it will be delivered this month.
“We are moving associates into our new tower with a multi-phased approach and continue to offer a flexible work environment,” the Capital One Center spokesperson told FFXnow.
Loose Dog Caught on Beltway Near Alexandria — “#VSP received a call Saturday evening (1/14/23) for a dog running loose on I-495 at Eisenhower Ave in Fairfax Co. Thx to an alert motorist, troopers were able to get an exact location & rescue this sweet daredevil. He made himself right at home in the warmth of Trooper S. Barden’s patrol car, as the troopers waited for Fairfax County Animal Control to arrive on scene.” [Virginia State Police/Facebook]
Ex-Police Chief Accused in Sex Trafficking Lawsuit — “Testifying under the pseudonym ‘Jane Doe’ in an explosive civil trial in Alexandria, Va., the woman claimed that now former Fairfax County police chief Edwin C. Roessler, captain James Baumstark and officers Michael O. Barbazette and Jason J. Mardocco violated federal law by obstructing efforts to investigate and prosecute a madam named Hazel Sanchez” [The Washington Post]
Reward Offered for Unsolved Springfield Murders — “The FBI Washington Field Office, along with our partners from the Fairfax County Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the 1998 murders of Sherry Ann Culp and her unborn child, Kelsey, in Springfield” [FBI]
New Route 1 Bus Station Names Proposed — “At the upcoming Jan. 17 meeting of the Richmond Highway BRT Executive Committee, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) plans to propose name changes for several future BRT stations — including a few that were not among the original three potential renamings discussed …at an open house last October.” [On the MoVe]
Virginia Offers Incentives for FBI HQ — “A key Virginia legislative commission in November quietly approved an incentive package worth more than $10 million for the FBI headquarters project, to be awarded if the federal government chooses Springfield for the agency’s new home.” The package likely involves capital investments such as traffic improvements, not cash. [Washington Business Journal]
Halal Gyro Eatery Nears Opening in Mount Vernon — “Shah’s Halal Food, a New York-based food company that operates restaurants and food trucks and carts throughout the northeastern United States, is opening a restaurant at a small retail plaza at Russell Road and Richmond Highway…The restaurant [is] tentatively scheduled to open within the next week according to franchise manager Atiq Bahrami” [On the MoVe]
Tysons REI Building Changes Hands — “A building occupied by outdoorsy retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) has traded hands in Tysons, Va. Qualified Opportunity Fund LLC has sold 8209 Watson Street, a 32,857-square-foot stand-alone retail building, to an unnamed institutional buyer from Dallas for $20.4 million.” [Commercial Observer]
Cub Run Rec Center Gets New Pool Playground — “Splash in the zero-depth entry and in-water playground offering slides, water jets, cannons and sprays. Older swimmers can slide into fun on either a 30-foot-high slide that exits the building in an enclosed tube or a 20-foot-high slide with an open tube, float in the current channel (lazy river) or spin around in the water vortex.” [FCPA/Facebook]
McLean Chocolate Festival Coming This Month — “The Rotary Club of McLean welcomes the public to attend the 11th annual McLean Chocolate Festival, to be held on Jan. 29 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the McLean Community Center. The event, a fund-raiser for the club, will let attendees taste the sweet offerings of area chocolatiers and enjoy family fun.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s Tuesday — Light rain in the morning and afternoon. High of 50 and low of 36. Sunrise at 7:26 am and sunset at 5:13 pm. [Weather.gov]
The Vienna Town Council is in agreement that it must finish rewriting the town’s zoning code by the end of 2023, but that’s where any unanimity on priorities for the coming year ends.
At its first regular meeting of the year on Monday (Jan. 9), the council voted 4-3 to set four top priorities for 2023: complete Code Create Vienna, develop a parks master plan, review the town’s noise ordinance, and explore ways to improve the local tree canopy.
While everyone agreed those initiatives are important, the town’s first zoning overhaul in 50 years is the only one that all members felt should be at the top of their to-do list.
“I agree with this in concept, but when I look at this list, I do question whether this is representing what the people in town would want as their top four priorities,” Councilmember Nisha Patel said of the proposal from her colleague, Ray Brill.
She called prioritizing Code Create “a no-brainer” but wasn’t sold on tree preservation as a top issue compared to traffic or vehicle break-ins, which get more resident complaints.
A report presented in October found that Vienna has lost approximately 163 acres of tree coverage since 2011.
The council discussed potential priorities for the next year at an almost four-hour-long conference session on Dec. 12, but the need to finish the zoning overhaul after more than two years of work was the only suggestion to get unanimous support, according to Mayor Linda Colbert.
The parks master plan will include a decision on long-term uses for the former Faith Baptist Church property that the town bought in September 2020. The site is temporarily housing the police department, which hasn’t moved into its new station months after the ribbon-cutting.
The town’s noise ordinance was opened up for review in July after years of resident complaints about violations from business and construction activities.
Colbert and Councilmember Ed Somers joined Patel in her wariness of designating top priorities without seeking public input on what exactly they should be.
“I know probably a lot of us support each other’s [suggestions] certainly, even if we didn’t rank them in the top four,” Colbert said. “I don’t think it would be responsible for us to vote on four priorities when we didn’t have that discussion in an open meeting.”
Attempts to postpone a vote until after a public hearing or to only approve Code Create as the council’s top priority failed, as other members countered that setting clear priorities would make the town government more efficient.
Councilmember Steve Potter said that a lack of focus has been a recurring issue for the council since he was first elected in 2019.
“We have public hearings, we have the ability of people to send in their concerns, and that can’t be ignored,” he said. “If we continue down this path, we are going to have the same problem that we’ve had before. We start something and it gets interrupted, we lose it, we go back to it later, and that is no way to run a business or an organization of any kind.”
Brill’s approved motion stressed that the designated quartet of priorities won’t preclude the council from addressing other issues or interfere with time-sensitive business, such as the annual budget cycle.
“We become more efficient rather than sort of kicking the can down the road on some issues that we’ve been dealing with for years,” Brill said. “When we focus, we can get them done, and we open up opportunities to get more done. This is a benefit to the town, to the residents, and we can do things in some ways like we’ve never done before.”
Residents of the Avalon and Halstead Square apartments near the Dunn Loring Metro station will soon have a new way to meet any fitness-related New Year’s resolutions.
Hotworx, a boutique gym that offers workouts in infrared-heated saunas, will open a studio in Suite C of the apartment buildings at 2750 Gallows Road in Merrifield, franchise owner Raja Khan confirmed to FFXnow.
The studio recently launched membership pre-sales and is on track to open in early April, pending the completion of construction and permitting.
“The most I’m looking for is to help the community there, help give them a good option where they can improve their health,” Khan said.
Khan and his wife own an information technology business together, but this is their first venture into the fitness world.
They tried an introductory session to Hotworx last March after a friend recommended it. Khan found that the heated environment makes it easier to get warmed up and can result in an intense workout in just 15 to 30 minutes, he says.
He also liked its emphasis on customization. Led by virtual instructors, the workouts get refreshed every three months and range from lighter options like isometric stretches and yoga to high-intensity interval training.
When he decided to pursue a franchise, Khan saw the Vienna and Merrifield area as an ideal place for the company to expand, since it already has locations to the west in Herndon and Sterling.
“It’s a very prime location,” Khan said. “There are a lot of other different kind of gyms, so people are exercise-oriented there, and it’s kind of central…We offer a lot, which none of the other gyms offer: isometrics, Pilates, Pure Barre kind of exercise, yoga.”
Started by entrepreneur Stephen Smith, who also founded the spa company Planet Beach, the first Hotworx studio opened in 2017 in New Orleans. It has quickly expanded since then to over 400 locations, including its first franchise in New York City.
The Merrifield studio will be between 1,200 and 1,800 square feet in size with eight saunas, which can accommodate up to three people at a time. The saunas will be open 24 hours a day, though the studio won’t always be staffed.
As part of its pre-opening sales push, the studio is offering unlimited sessions for $59 per month with a $5 enrollment fee — a discount compared to the usual $79-per-month dues and $99 enrollment fee.
That offer is available to the first 50 people who sign up. After that, the price will slowly increase until it reaches $79 per month with a $49 fee once the gym opens.
Sheriff’s Office Warns of Scam — “A man claiming to be a Sheriff’s deputy named Lt. Myles is calling community members saying he is collecting fines related to charges against them. This is a scam! The Sheriff’s Office will never call you asking for money. You may report scam calls to the police non-emergency number, 703-691-2131.” [Hunter Mill District News]
Person Pulled Out of Crashed Vehicle — “Thursday afternoon, units were dispatched for a vehicle crash w/a person trapped at Westfields Blvd and Stonecroft Blvd. Rescue Squad 421, Fair Oaks, worked diligently to extricate the patient. Two people were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.” [FCFRD/Twitter]
Demolitions Loom for Richmond Higway Buildings — “Seven of the properties were acquired by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in preparation for the Richmond Highway Corridor Improvements project…The sites anticipated for demolition include a couple of residential buildings and a former convenience store, service station, pet boarding business and auto clinic.” [On the MoVe]
Possible Metro Fare Hike Would Hit Suburbs Hardest — “Transit officials have said the fare increase is modest, with riders seeing a 5 percent hike, on average. But for those who travel the farthest, the increase could add more than $2.50 to a ride, depending on the time of day.” [The Washington Post]
Local Man Arrested for Alexandria Burglary — “A 24-year-old Fairfax County man faces assault and battery charges after allegedly breaking into an apartment near Fort Ward early Monday morning, according to Alexandria Police…The suspect allegedly breached the apartment and assaulted the victim, who did not go to the hospital.” [ALXnow]
Proposed Bill Would Count Fetus as Person for HOV Lanes — “A Virginia bill would deem a pregnant person’s fetus a passenger in a car, thereby allowing the vehicle to use the car pool lane on highways. Reproductive rights activists say the legislation amounts to a thinly veiled attempt by anti-abortion Republican lawmakers to further curtail abortion rights” [NBC News]
Big Tysons Developments Expected This Year — “The Washington, D.C., area may be seeing a slowdown in new construction starts, especially in the office sector, but a series of large-scale developments are slated to reach completion this year.” Those include Capital One’s third office building at its Tysons headquarters campus and Skanska’s Heming apartment high-rise in Scotts Run. [Bisnow]
Park Authority Starts Esports Club — “Do your kids and teens ages 11-17 love to play video games online? The Fairfax County Park Authority is helping to get young gamers off the couch, out of the house and into the community with the new Esports Club at Audrey Moore Rec Center. Drop-in sessions are offered on Friday evenings, Jan. 20 to Feb. 24, 2023 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.” [FCPA]
Fairfax County Dominates Best Korean BBQ List — Washingtonian has a list of the best Korean barbecue joints in the D.C. area, and all of them can be found within Fairfax County limits, though one entry (Meokja Meokja) is in Fairfax City. [Washingtonian]
Frying Pan Park Hosts MLK Service Day — “Introduce your young ones to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day as we gather at the Frying Pan Farm Park Visitor Center to learn about Martin Luther King Jr. and the importance of giving back to our community…The program runs from 10:30 to 11:30 am.” [FCPA]
It’s Friday — Light rain in the morning. High of 63 and low of 40. Sunrise at 7:27 am and sunset at 5:09 pm. [Weather.gov]
Perhaps the second time will be the charm for ramen shops trying to gain a foothold in the Town of Vienna at 234 Maple Avenue East.
Newcomer Akai Tori Ramen and Yakitori is on track to open in the 3,000-square-foot building on Jan. 28, replacing the short-lived Shin Se Kai Ramen, as first reported by Eater DC. A spokesperson emphasized to FFXnow that the date is a soft opening.
“We just tell our followers this winter or around the end of January as we don’t want to be overwhelmed and would like to be able to provide the best customer service and quality food as we can,” they said.
Akai Tori, which translates to “red bird,” confirmed that it’s not affiliated with Shin Se Kai, whose initially temporary closure early in the Covid pandemic became permanent despite its owner’s hopes.
Instead, Akai Tori comes from a face familiar to Vienna diners: chef-owner Mark Liu is behind Sushi Yoshi, the long-standing establishment on Church Street. Restaurateur Cody Zhou, who is opening the Mochinut franchise in Reston, is also a partner.
While the Tysons area has other eateries that specialize in ramen, such as Jinya Ramen Bar in the Mosaic District and Hokkaido Ramen Santouka at The Boro, Akai Tori promises that its noodle soups will stand out.
“Our ramen is definitely the differentiator,” the business said via Instagram. “Our ramen broth is made by hand for hours using our own recipe whereas most of the ramen places in DMV use the pre-made broth purchased from the suppliers (they will mix it with water and other sauces though).”
In addition to ramen, the menu will feature traditional Japanese cuisine like yakitori, donburi and katsu rice bowls, and sushi. Specialties include cheese bomb takoyaki, salmon sashimi katsu, an akai tori sushi roll, and bacon-wrapped mochi rice cakes, according to the spokesperson.
There will also be seasonal options and desserts like tempura ice cream and matcha parfait. Japanese snacks and drinks will be available from a concession stand in the waiting area.
Inspired by Japan’s informal Izakaya bars, the restaurant will serve “a curated range of Japanese beers, sake, and spirits” and hopes to attract “night owls” by staying open a little later than many other Vienna establishments.
The planned operating hours are:
- Monday: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 5-9 p.m.
- Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday and Thursday: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 5-10 p.m.
- Friday: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 5-11 p.m.
- Saturday: 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.
- Sunday: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
The spokesperson notes that the hours “might be changed later on.”
George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, School of Business, and the Carter School of Peace and Conflict Resolution invite prospective students to attend our in-person Arlington Graduate Open House.
This is the perfect opportunity to explore your graduate school options, meet your future professors face-to-face, connect with our admissions team, and find out where a George Mason graduate degree can take you next.
When: Thursday, January 19, 5-7 p.m.
Where: Van Metre Hall Multipurpose Room
3351 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201
This event will be held at Van Metre Hall at Mason Square in Arlington. Hourly parking is available in the Van Metre Hall Garage. The campus is also metro accessible (Virginia Square — Orange or Silver lines).
To learn more about the 40+ graduate programs at George Mason University’s Arlington campus, register for the open house or fill out our inquiry form.
The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
As Fairfax County starts expanding its efforts to curtail cut-through traffic clogging up neighborhood streets, a new corollary could allow local residents to skirt those limits.
Currently, there are three neighborhoods around the county with cut-through mitigation restrictions. Those restrictions involve signs that prohibit turns into those neighborhoods from major transit corridors during the morning and/or evening rush hours.
While the restrictions aim to prevent local streets from getting clogged up by drivers trying to get around traffic on major highways, that also makes it difficult for residents on those streets to legally access their homes.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is considering shifting to a “residential cut-through permit zone,” which would let residents in the affected neighborhoods get permits for their vehicles. Signs that currently prohibit turns during rush hour would be changed to say “resident permit required.”
The draft ordinance would include specifications for eligibility for permits, set rules and permit fees, and provide information on enforcement and penalties for violation.
Fairfax County is also looking to expand its cut-through mitigation project to five neighborhood streets, including preventing cut-through traffic from rocking down to Electric Avenue.
- Dead Run Drive and Carper Street in McLean
- Thomas Avenue in Great Falls
- Electric Avenue/Williams Avenue/Overlook Street in Tysons/Vienna
- Allen Avenue in Falls Church
- Hidden Meadow Drive in Chantilly
The proposal was scheduled for review at the Board of Supervisors transportation committee meeting in December but got pushed back to its next meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 31.
When 2024 comes around, Vienna’s mayor and town council will see a bump up in pay for the first time in years.
In a close 4-3 vote, the council approved 50% salary increases during its meeting on Monday (Jan. 9) that would raise the mayor’s annual pay to $11,250 and pay for town council members to $7,500.
In both cases, the increases are smaller than what town staff had recommended, keeping Vienna’s salaries for the positions below other similarly sized towns and cities in Northern Virginia.
“There’s so many things we want to do, and one of the things this council prides itself on is being fiscally responsible and setting priorities,” said Councilmember Ed Somers, who proposed those numbers. “…We are coming under what our staff was recommending as a total number. I think by doing it with an even percentage for council and for the mayor, that seems fair and understandable to the public.”
Vienna has paid its mayor $7,500 since 2014. The council’s annual salary has stayed flat at $5,000 since 2002.
Town staff suggested last month that the salaries be raised to $15,000 for the mayor and $12,000 for council members. That would bring them closer to the towns of Herndon and Leesburg, which both approved pay raises last year.
At the Dec. 12 conference session, however, some council members seemed hesitant support to significant raises amid an uncertain economic climate, suggesting that Vienna should narrow the gap between the mayor and council salaries.
Councilmembers Nisha Patel, Ray Brill and Howard Springsteen voted against the raises on Monday, though they didn’t provide explanations during the meeting. FFXnow didn’t get responses to requests for comment by press time.
After previously coming in May, Vienna’s elections for mayor and town council will be held on Nov. 7 after the Virginia General Assembly passed a law moving all municipal elections to November.
More than three years into a groundbreaking agreement, this spring should bring solar power to one of Fairfax County’s facilities for the first time ever.
The county had 30 sites lined up for solar panels under a power purchase agreement (PPA) initiative that was touted the biggest ever undertaken by a Virginia locality when it was announced in December 2019.
Then, lease negotiations with the company contracted to install and operate the panels stalled, forcing the county to start from scratch with a different provider in July 2021.
“With the pandemic, there were supply chain issues within the solar industry and the cost of some construction materials went up,” said John Morrill, the county Office of Environment and Energy Coordination’s (OEEC) division manager for innovation and sustainability. “The county negotiated and accepted revised pricing from the vendors. But it’s still challenging, and the size of the system is still important to make the numbers work for both parties.”
Though the PPA initiative remains in place, the county is also pursuing other options to outfit its properties for solar power — specifically, incorporating it into new construction projects or enlisting energy services companies to do energy efficiency upgrades.
The solar project expected to be completed first will come from the general contractor hired to build the Sully Community Center, which opened in the Dulles area on Sept. 17.
The contractor is currently getting permits for the solar photovoltaic panels, putting the installation on track for completion by May, according to the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services.
The general contractor route will also ensure that the new Seven Corners Fire Station has solar panels when it opens in spring 2024. The existing station on Sleepy Hollow Road was demolished last month.
Projects are also in various stages of development for the Woodlawn and Reston fire stations, the Spring Hill Recreation Center in McLean, and the Pender building, which hosts the county’s Housing and Community Development offices.
For those sites, the county will buy solar panels from energy services companies hired to install them along with other efficiency upgrades. The fire stations are in the final design phase with delivery target dates in August, while the Spring Hill project is in engineering design and slated for completion in winter 2024.
The county is targeting October for the Pender building upgrades, which are “a bit more complex,” Morrill says. In addition to a rooftop solar array, the project will retrofit the facility’s lighting and replace some other infrastructure, according to a permit under review.
“This combination of approaches gives the county maximum flexibility, as smaller systems…are not suitable to the PPA model,” Morrill said.
In the PPA model, the county contracts a solar provider to install, operate and maintain solar panels. The county isn’t responsible for any of those upfront costs, but it has to pay the provider and utility for the electricity that the panels produce.
According to Morrill, those agreements are most appealing to vendors for large projects, such as the one planned for the I-95 Landfill Complex in Lorton. That array will occupy 40 acres of land and is expected to generate 5 megawatts of electricity.
In comparison, the Sully Community Center project will generate 180 kilowatts, and Morrill estimates that panels approved for Annandale High School — Fairfax County Public Schools’ first PPA project — will generate about 600 kilowatts.
The landfill project is in the design stage, with construction likely starting in 2024 and finishing in 2025, per the OEEC.
Morrill says the county is planning solar panels at “several other facilities” through either the PPA initiative or energy efficiency upgrades, but it’s too early to estimate any timelines.
Even with these projects in the works, Fairfax County has some catching up to do in the race to transition to clean and renewable energy. While its greenhouse emissions from energy use have decreased since 2019, the county government still has some ways to go to meet its goal of carbon neutrality by 2040.
Meanwhile, neighboring Arlington County announced last week that its operations now run entirely on renewable energy sources.
