Grass may soon be passé at Linway Terrace Park in McLean.
McLean Little League (MLL) has offered to fund a conversion of the park’s baseball diamond from grass to synthetic turf, the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) announced Wednesday (Dec. 7).
Located off of Kirby Road in eastern McLean, the 10-acre park at 6246 Linway Terrace already has artificial turf soccer and lacrosse fields, along with tennis and basketball courts and a playground.
MLL board member Bryan Orme says converting the baseball diamond into synthetic turf “will offer countless benefits to the community”:
Regardless of weather, children will be able to play ball and exercise together, while reducing upkeep and allowing broader access to the park for the community. We’ve seen this successful approach work just steps away on the soccer and lacrosse field. Linway Park is a special place and doing this for the children today will benefit generations to come. McLean Little League is proud of the close relationship we have with Fairfax County and the thousands of families who are brought together each year to enjoy Little League baseball and softball and we look forward to working together on this project.
The park authority and Dranesville District supervisor’s office will host a virtual meeting next month on Thursday, Jan. 12 to discuss the project in more detail. The meeting will launch a 30-day public comment period ending Feb. 10.
The FCPA board will then vote on whether to move forward with the conversion.
The park authority told FFXnow that it’s too early in the process to determine how much the project would cost and what McLean Little League will contribute.
“We are very early in the process, and the public meeting scheduled on January 12, 2023, will be the first step in gaining community input that will guide the partnership between McLean Little League and the Park Authority,” FCPA spokesperson Benjamin Boxer said by email. “As such, it is premature to speculate about potential contribution amounts or timeframes.”
McLean Little League was founded in 1955 and supports both baseball and softball teams, according to its website.
One of the league’s coaches, Ramón Santiago, got an honorable mention at the Little League World Series in August for his continued support of players despite a cancer diagnosis. The 51-year-old died in October, just as his favorite baseball team — the Philadelphia Phillies — was making a run for the World Series, FOX29 reported.
Lego Discovery Center Breaks Ground — “It was an honor today to participate in the LEGO Discovery Center groundbreaking at Springfield Town Center This ultimate Lego playground will be the first in the Greater Washington area and is a fun and exciting addition to our community!” [Jeff McKay/Facebook]
FCPD Releases Video From In-Custody Death — “Fairfax County police have released body camera video after a man died in custody last month, and say the man behaved erratically before suffering from a medical emergency. On Nov. 11, Fairfax County police said they received calls about a man running in traffic on Amherst Avenue in Springfield.” [NBC4]
Residents See Plans for Bowman Towne Court Redevelopment — Reston Town Center Apartments residents will be relocated to temporary housing when construction on a new 350-unit affordable housing project begins, county staff said. When work is done, they would be offered one of the new units in the development, which could be colocated with a new Reston Regional Library. [Patch]
Deli Opens in Former Vienna Bakery — “Italian restaurant Pazzo Pomodoro opened a new delicatessen Monday two doors down from its Vienna location called Nozzo Pazzo…The space was formerly home to Cenan’s Bakery, a beloved bakery that closed in 2018 after 26 years in business.” [Patch]
Fairfax County Prosecutors Win Appeal — “The Virginia Court of Appeals ruled this week that hearsay evidence involving children who are otherwise not competent to testify can still be used, as long as it helps tie a case together.” The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office appealed the abuse case after the defense argued that the statements made by the victim, a 13-year-old girl with autism, shouldn’t be considered credible. [WTOP]
Vienna Coffee Shop Expanding to Alexandria — “Lily’s Chocolate and Coffee is coming to 631 King Street at the intersection with S. Washington Street. The site was previously Francesca’s until it closed in 2020. The shop first opened on Vienna’s Maple Avenue in 2021 and specializes in a pastry called lokma.” [ALXnow]
Local Uyghur Restaurants Keep Culture Alive — “Food is one of the most important parts of Uyghur culture, according to Faruk Dilshat, the owner of Mim’s Food in Fairfax…Dilshat grew up in Xinjiang’s city of Ghulja and moved to the D.C. area in 2000 at the age of 13. Some of his distant relatives still live in his home region, but he can barely talk to them for safety reasons.” [DCist]
Annandale Company Helps Seniors Find Assistance — “Naborforce, a company that matches seniors who need a hand with errands or household chores with someone who can help, just became available in Annandale last week. The program is similar to the village concept underway in some communities, such as Lake Barcroft, which recruits volunteers to help their older neighbors — except Naborforce is monetized and operates through an app, like Uber.” [Annandale Today]
Madison Warhawks Reach State Football Finals — “After defeating the Fairfax Lions, 31-21, Dec. 3 in a Virginia High School League Class 6D football semifinal, Madison High School’s football team on Dec. 10 will vie for the state crown as the Warkhawks face the Freedom-Woodbridge Eagles at Old Dominion University.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s Friday — Clear throughout the day. High of 49 and low of 38. Sunrise at 7:17 am and sunset at 4:48 pm. [Weather.gov]
The Mosaic District has been declared a rousing success by Fairfax County, but between that mixed-use neighborhood and the Dunn Loring Metro station to the north, vestiges of Merrifield’s more industrial past remain.
A trio of new redevelopment pitches promise to further the county’s efforts to revitalize Merrifield by replacing older properties with housing that’s more closely integrated with retail, offices and other commercial activities.
Advanced by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (Dec. 6) as part the Site-Specific Plan Amendment process, which considers land use changes to the county comprehensive plan for individual properties, the proposals could collectively pave the way for some 4.7 million square feet of development, most of it residential.
Prosperity Business Campus
Calling for up to 2.7 million million square feet of development, property owner Link Logistics‘ proposed transformation of the 41-acre block of warehouses and offices along Prosperity Avenue between I-66 and Hilltop Road is the largest of the nominations.
The amendment would allow five mid-rise, multifamily residential buildings and two blocks of townhouses, though the southernmost building could be left as office.
The residences would be supported by ground-floor retail and private amenities, parking garages and nearly 12.9 acres of publicly accessible park space, including a central park across Prosperity Avenue and the retention of Long Branch stream valley to the west.
Under the name B9 Sequoia Prosperity Owner LLC, Link Logistics has proposed extending Merrifield Avenue through the site to Prosperity and adding two new local streets as well as a service alley.
“The proposed street grid and public park space will allow for the transformation of the existing office park into a porous and inviting community offering new pedestrian connections for the existing adjacent communities to the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metrorail Station,” the application says.
Merrifield at Dunn Loring Station
Built in 1968, the existing 706-unit apartment community at 8130 Prescott Drive could be replaced by 1.5 square feet of mixed-use development over eight blocks, including four low to mid-rise residential buildings and two residential high-rises ranging from 10 to 14 stories tall.
The other blocks consist of two-over-two stacked townhomes back up to the existing Providence Park townhouses and an up-to-five-story building that could have housing, a hotel, or office space with ground-floor retail.
Site owner and developer Malkin Properties says it would create a 2-acre urban park by expanding on the Fairfax County Park Authority’s planned Hartland Green Park, which has been scoped out but not yet constructed.
A ring road shown in the Merrifield Suburban Center comprehensive plan would be built as a connection between Pleasantdale/Hartland Road and Park Tower Drive. Intended to help neighborhood traffic reach Gallows Road and Route 29, the road would have transit lanes and on-street parking to accommodate public transit, such as the Relay shuttle, and ridesharing.
“The Merrifield at Dunn Loring Station SSPA proposal complements the attractive and successful development at the Dunn Loring -Merrifield Metrorail Station at a compatible scale to surrounding residential uses, and furthers Fairfax County’s goals of creating vibrant, transit-oriented communities that include a diversity of housing stock,” the application says.
Alliance Center Condominium
Compared to the redevelopments proposed above, the owners of this commercial lot at 2929 Eskridge Road is requesting a more limited amendment that would enable housing on the property without having to consolidate it with a larger project.
Built in the early 1970s, the Alliance Center houses the Fairfax Cable Access Corporation, the beer distributor Ferment Nation, a swimming pool contractor, and a couple of martial arts centers, among other tenants.
“Regretfully, after fifty years, the Center is now a tired reminder of Fairfax County past,” Steve Teets, an agent representing the Alliance Center, wrote in the application, noting that the land surrounding the 3.2-acre parcel was largely redeveloped with the Mosaic District.
Instead of the large-scale development currently envisioned by the comprehensive plan, the property owners have proposed two multifamily buildings with up to seven stories on top of a two-level parking garage. Each floor would be about 30,000 square feet, resulting in a maximum gross floor area of 420,000 square feet.
The application says the buildings would be designed to complement the housing in the Mosaic District.
“We should always encourage old and tired properties that abut key Urban centers to maximize their potential, with the understanding they need to ‘blend’ into their surroundings,” Teets wrote. “This proposal makes the future Alliance Center look like just another Town Center parcel. It passes the eye test. It blends.”
When the Board of Supervisors adopted its list of accepted SSPA nominations, Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith noted that the Alliance Center’s application was incomplete, since it still needed signatures from four out of its 24 condo owners.
However, the nomination was still among the nine in the Providence District advanced to a screening phase, where the applications will be reviewed by county staff and opened up for initial public comments.
“The bulldozers are not coming down the street because someone has put in an SSPA,” Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross said. “I think we need to be able to calm folks down about that. They don’t need to be that anxious about these, because this is just the first step in what will be a long process.”
This sponsored column is written by the team at Arrowine & Cheese (4508 Cherry Hill Road in Arlington). Sign up for the email newsletter and receive exclusive discounts and offers. Experience Arrowine’s Tastings & Events. Have a question? Email [email protected].
Welcome to the final installment of the “so you want to make wine series” or “what was I thinkin?” So today, we will finish with the maturation process of red wine. And, of course, a delicious suggestion for your table.
Any winemaker worth his salt vinifies every parcel and varietal separately. That allows you to dial in and elevate the quality of every Cuvee you make.
Some parcels are better than others or different. The easiest way to create several wines at several price points is to declassify some. The “Grand Vin,” or first wine, is the best of the best. Take Chateau Latour. Only the very best barrels go into “Chateau Latour.” The second wine, “Les Forts de Latour” is the next best and, finally, a wine they call “Pauillac.” All are good, and some barrels and parcels are less complex. You can kill two birds with one stone, elevate your “Prestige” wine and offer a slightly less complex wine for less money or create something just as good but different.
To get the wine in the bottle, you first must homogenize all the components into one cohesive unit. But there are still more decisions to make before bottling.
The use of sulfur and how much to use can get complicated and controversial. There is a misguided movement to reduce added sulfur to ridiculously low levels. But you can’t make wine “stable” without a reasonable level. Wine without sulfur is a crapshoot. The slightest residual sugar can spontaneously referment, bottles explode, cork pop, or if it gets here in one piece, it’s fizzy. Winemakers compensate for reducing sulfur by increasing the inert gas they add at bottling, and it’s the wrong approach.
It’s table wine, and it shouldn’t be petulant. Decanting a “still wine” to air is okay, but de-gassing one is nonsense. I’ve opened many a bottle, and it’s bubbling like a Coke! Then you must put your hand over the top, shake the hell out of it, release your grip, and hear the POP! It can take several tries to get rid of all the gas. That’s not great for table service, nor is it sensible. And it reduces the aging potential.
Next, what closure will you use? Natural cork (my choice), composite cork (crushed cork glued together), synthetic cork, or a “screw-cap.” Each kind of closure has benefits and problems. I’m a traditionalist. I will always choose a traditional good-quality cork. I know how it performs, and I’m happy to accept the minuscule failure rate. It’s part of the game.
This week’s star is a “Real Eye Opener.”
If you want to see just how far Virginia wines have come, look no further. The Washington Posts Dave McIntyre proclaimed: the 2020 Chatham Vineyards Church Creek Chardonnay ‘Steel’, “a great value” and “…an outstanding Virginia Chardonnay that’s worth seeking out.” And Dave got it right!
Here is a Chardonnay that kicks butt, a game-changer! And it’s from VIRGINIA! Be proud, people! Support your state.
This wine floored me. And it is nothing like any California Chardonnay anywhere near its price! It is the spitting image of a Village-level Chablis, dry, with excellent palate-cleansing acidity, delicious lemon butter and sea-shell flavors, and a stone-dust mineral finish. Try finding anything this good from anywhere in the U.S. at its price of $22.99. You can’t!
Hat’s off to Jon and Mills Wehner for making such an outstanding and affordable Chardonnay. Jump on this one — the wine disappeared after the Washington Post review hit. Jon was kind enough to save me his last 30 cases, as we had supported it long before the Washington Post discovered it.
Cheers,
Doug
Photo (top) by Elisha Terada on Unsplash
The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
The Vienna Courts offices will officially be replaced with residential condominiums.
The Vienna Town Council voted Monday (Dec. 5) to approve a rezoning and site plans that would allow 12 two-story condo duplexes with two units each at 127-133 Park Street — a more modest project than the 30 units that developer BFR Construction originally proposed.
“This has been a long time coming, and in my opinion, this meets one of our biggest challenges going forward, which is to find lower-cost housing for Vienna,” said Councilmember Chuck Anderson. “We don’t have a whole lot of spaces for that, but this happens to be, I think, a very good space for it.”
Officials on the council — and the town’s planning commission before it — had pushed to scale back the project plans to create more open space on the 1.66-acre lot.
BFR President Steve Bukont had argued that the site’s long, narrow shape would make it difficult to meet that demand while also maintaining his vision of the development as an alternative to traditional single-family houses and townhomes for residents looking to age in place.
After initially requesting an allowance for 70%, the developer was able to get the lot coverage down to 61.5% by removing another building, slightly reducing the size of the remaining buildings and taking away three of the 19 proposed visitor parking spots.
The complex will now have a total of 64 parking spaces, including 48 garage spaces, 16 guest spaces and two Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant spaces.
The added space also came at the expense of a commitment to install solar panels and geothermal heating and air conditioning systems. The developer now says it reserves the right to install geothermal HVAC systems and will design the building roofs to support future solar panels, but the utilities aren’t guaranteed.
BFR will still install 5-foot-wide brick sidewalks and street lights and underground power lines along Park Street, according to a final proffer statement. The developer has also agreed to construct a privacy wall between its property and the adjacent house at 135 Park Street at the homeowner’s request.
The Vienna Courts redevelopment is the second duplex project that the council has approved in as many years, as Vienna seeks to provide a greater variety of housing.
Alexandria Motel Demolished — “The Alexandria Motel at 6411 Richmond Highway was officially demolished in late November to make way for a future stormwater management facility for the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. During its heyday in the mid-twentieth century, the motel was a 27-room property advertising its private showers, televisions, central heating and cross-ventilation.” [On the MoVe]
McLean Residents Object to Loss of Trees — “VDOT contractors have cut down hundreds of trees just outside the Beltway near the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Georgetown Pike. They’re extending Virginia’s High Occupancy Toll lanes to the Potomac and perhaps into Maryland. At the outer loop exit onto the G.W., neighbors compare the damage to a strip mine.” [WUSA9]
County Prosecutors Sued Over Child Molestation Case — “A new lawsuit claims Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and his office mishandled a child molestation case by missing a key deadline and then offering a plea deal that upset the family of the victim.” [WTOP]
Fairfax City Unveils New Logos — “Fairfax City held a ceremony unveiling the new city seal, city flag, City of Fairfax Fire Department badge and patch, and City of Fairfax Police Department department badge and patch. All will be implemented by the new year. Police and Fire honor guards assisted with the flag replacement and seal reveal.” [City of Fairfax/Facebook]
Tysons Still Working to Get Beyond Offices — “Tysons is the largest office submarket in Northern Virginia…But with the office market becoming more mature and underlying fundamentals for the sector weakening, developers are hoping a focus on other uses and amenities for the community will help Tysons become a city with its own identity” [Bisnow]
Documentary Delves Into Lorton Prison History — “The emotionally raw scene is part of a stage play from the ’70s, produced and performed by inmates of Lorton Reformatory, the notorious D.C.-area prison that closed in 2001. Preserved on an old VHS tape, it is one of many gems unearthed by Karim Mowatt, director of the new documentary ‘Lorton: Prison of Terror.'” [Washington Post Magazine]
Reston Consulting Firm Bought by IBM — “IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) is acquiring Reston federal IT contractor Octo Consulting Group Inc. from Chevy Chase private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners LLC…The move will add Octo’s approximately 1,500 employees to IBM’s consulting subsidiary.” [Washington Business Journal]
Falls Church Resident to Appear on “Jeopardy” — “A Falls Church resident is set to compete on Jeopardy! this week. You can watch Sriram Krishnan, of Falls Church, compete on the famous game show, airing Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m.” [ABC7]
It’s Thursday — Possible drizzle overnight. High of 55 and low of 46. Sunrise at 7:16 am and sunset at 4:48 pm. [Weather.gov]
Fairfax County will introduce speed cameras to school and construction zones early next year.
At a meeting last night (Tuesday), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved amending the county code to establish a pilot program that will install 10 automated photo speed cameras in school and construction zones around the county.
The program is intended to “increase safety for some of our most vulnerable road users, that’s school children and roadway construction workers,” Fairfax County Police Department Traffic Division Commander Alan Hanson told the board.
The cameras will “hopefully” be installed in nine school zones and one construction zone by Feb. 1, staying in place for six months, Hanson said. Enforcement will begin when drivers go 10 miles over the speed limit with fines escalating to a maximum of $100.
Signage identifying speed camera locations will be placed within 1,000 feet of each camera, per state code, with the locations also being posted on the county’s website.
“We’re not trying to trap people,” Hanson said in the county press release.
It’s not immediately clear where exactly the cameras will be installed.
Each camera will cost about $3,000 per month, according to the press release. Adding in associated signage and other equipment, the total cost for the pilot program is around $180,000.
Speeding has become a huge concern, particularly around schools after a teen allegedly driving 81 mph struck and killed two Oakton High School students on Blake Lane in June. A third student was seriously injured. Residents had been seeking safety improvements, including speed cameras, in that area for years.
A pilot work group found that almost 95% of drivers in the school zone at Springfield’s Irving Middle School were driving 10 mph or more above the speed limit during a morning sampling period done last year.
“In the five school zones surveyed, hundreds and sometimes thousands of drivers exceeded the speed limit by more than 10 mph during the sample period,” the county said.
There have been at least 25 pedestrian fatalities in Fairfax County this year, per state data, making 2022 the deadliest year in more than a decade.
During the public hearing portion of yesterday’s meeting, Chris French from Fairfax Families for Safe Streets shared that four pedestrians have been killed since October, most recently near Graham Park Plaza on Sunday (Dec. 4).
Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said the goal of the speed camera pilot is to change behaviors.
“There is one reason we are doing this and that is to save lives, and to do that, we [need] to change people’s attitudes and behavior, around schools and around work zones,” he said. “And, hopefully, the program will be successful, not because we collected revenue [from fines], but because people have changed their driving habits.”
The two residents who spoke during the public hearing supported the addition of speed cameras but brought up several concerns.
One is that by levying fines only when a driver exceeds the speed limit by 10 miles, it effectively turns a 25-mph speed limit into 35 mph. The advocates asked for the school zone speed limits to be lowered to 15 mph.
Additionally, they urged the county to consider the locations of the cameras and to alter the fine structure so it won’t more heavily impact communities of color.
However, supervisors noted there are considerable limits on the county’s authority. The state code only allows speed cameras to be placed in school and work zones, and the Virginia Department of Transportation limits when and how localities can change speed limits around schools.
“We don’t have the authority right now, today, to lower the [school zone] speed limit to 15 mph,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said. “We thought we had it. The legislation on its face says we have it, but as our attorneys point out very accurately, there’s a caveat in there that VDOT is hiding behind.”
The board adopted a legislative program on Tuesday for the Virginia General Assembly’s 2023 session that calls on state lawmakers to give localities the authority to lower speed limits and generally structure the speed camera program as the county sees fit.
If the pilot program is successful, speed cameras will expand throughout the county. A first phase scheduled for implementation in the fiscal year 2024 — which starts July 1, 2023 — would add 50 cameras, while a second phase could add 30 more cameras in school zones starting in 2025.
Full implementation of the speed camera program would require four additional positions within the police department and is estimated to cost nearly $4 million annually.
Speed enforcement cameras have already been introduced in Fairfax City, and they’re on the way to Alexandria City and Arlington County.
The pedestrian and bicycle network around the West Falls Church Metro station in Idylwood is uncomfortable to use in some places and nonexistent in many others, a newly released report found.
The West Falls Church Active Transportation Study confirms community complaints that local roads are unsafe and inadequate for current residents, let alone the influx of newcomers anticipated with 1.8 million square feet of new development planned in the transit station area (TSA).
Faced with transportation infrastructure often designed to move drivers at the expense of other road users like pedestrians and bicyclists, the report proposes an array of potential improvements, from new sidewalks to a road diet on Haycock Road.
“Providing active transportation accommodations in a built-environment can be challenging and costly, but it is vital, especially for areas that are focused on transit-oriented development,” the report said. “Safe and comfortable sidewalks and bicycle facilities may encourage transit usage as they can provide access to more people within transit station areas.”
Developed by Fairfax County staff and an advisory group of residents and road safety advocates, the study launched last December after the Board of Supervisors set the stage for redevelopments of the Metro station and Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center campus, raising concerns that the added density will exacerbate safety and congestion issues in the area.
With major construction already underway on the former George Mason High School campus in Falls Church City, the report states that the new developments will “likely result in an increase in traffic on the area’s roadways.”
For example, on Route 7 (Leesburg Pike), where the majority of crashes in the TSA over the past five years are concentrated, daily traffic volumes are projected to rise from about 30,000 vehicles prior to the pandemic in 2010 to over 50,000 vehicles in 2045.
Projects recommended by the report include sidewalks, shared-use paths and paved trails on several roads. It also proposes safety measures at key intersections, such as flashing beacons for the Washington & Old Dominion Trail crossing at Virginia Lane and a pedestrian refuge on Idylwood Road near Lemon Road Elementary School.
Some of the recommended high-visibility crosswalks on Leesburg Pike at the Idylwood, I-66 and Pimmit Drive intersections have already been added, as of October, according to footnotes in the report.
The report also suggests considering road design or operational changes, including road diets, one-way streets near the Metro station, and “slow streets” with lower speed limits, traffic barriers and limited access.
Road diets repurpose existing travel lanes for bicycle lanes, transit, parking or other uses, though the Virginia Department of Transportation typically uses them to create center left-turn lanes. The report proposes Haycock Road between Turner Avenue and Falls Church City, and Great Falls Street on the I-66 overpass as possible candidates.
Slow streets would be a new concept for Fairfax County, but D.C. experimented with them during the first year of the pandemic, and some cities, particularly in California, are adopting them permanently.
The report suggests testing the idea with one or two local streets, such as Chestnut and Gordons Road between Dale Drive and Shreve Road or Highland Avenue between Haycock and North West Street.
“As with road diets, slow street projects would require an assessment of the potential traffic impacts and must be closely coordinated with VDOT and affected members of the community,” the report says.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors formally accepted the report yesterday, directing county staff to incorporate the recommendations into the countywide active transporation plan and identify possible funding sources.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, who represents the TSA, along with Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, said he’s “absolutely confident” that the report accurately reflects the needs and priorities of the community.
“I frequently walk those areas personally, and I believe this study does a good job of describing existing pedestrian and bicycle conditions and needed improvements in the area and of prioritizing safety and access improvements that are needed,” he said.
A new sushi restaurant has opened in Tysons.
Kusshi Ko started welcoming customers at 8365 Leesburg Pike in Pike 7 Plaza with a soft opening on Friday (Dec. 2).
Co-owner Tony Chow says operations will ramp up slowly to avoid overwhelming the new staff, so no grand opening has been scheduled yet. However, as an initial promotion, those who visit the restaurant’s Instagram page can fill out a form to get a discount code.
No decision has been made yet about how long the discount will be offered, Chow told FFXnow.
This is the first Fairfax County location for Kusshi, which started at Pike & Rose in Bethesda in 2018. The business also has a restaurant in Arlington and opened one in Silver Spring in October.
At 1,500 square feet in size, the Tysons location is smaller than the other venues, as reflected by the diminutive “ko” added to its name. The restaurant doesn’t have a full bar, but it provides two levels of seating with the addition of a loft.
The menu is also slightly more limited. In addition to a variety of sushi rolls, sashimi and nigiri, it features donburi (rice bowls), ramen and other noodle dishes, and tempura.
“We’re looking forward to bringing the same quality sushi as the full-service restaurants,” Chow said.
Located at the end of the shopping center next to Orvis, Kusshi Ko’s arrival at Pike 7 Plaza was preceded by Ingle Korean Steakhouse, a Korean barbecue joint that opened in November. The property also added Ulta Beauty and Grill Kabob this year.
Still to come is a Lidl in the former Staples. The grocery store is currently under construction and on track to open next year, according to a Lidl spokesperson.
Pike 7 Plaza owner Federal Realty also got Fairfax County’s approval this spring to build a drive-thru restaurant for Shake Shack. A permit application for the new commercial building was submitted to the county in May, but construction has not yet begun.
Residents served by Haulin’ Trash, the now-bankrupt private trash collector, will be allowed to use Fairfax County’s waste disposal facilities at no charge for the next month.
The Board of Supervisors moved yesterday to suspend charges for affected individuals who drop off their household trash and recycling at the county’s I-66 Transfer Station (4618 West Ox Road) and I-95 Landfill Complex (9850 Furnace Road).
“I think everyone was caught off guard completely by this, and it has been difficult for many of the people affected to get a new contract in place,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said when introducing the board matter at yesterday’s meeting.
The facilities open at 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, though there are scheduled closures on Jan. 1 for New Year’s Day.
While most recyclable materials are accepted for free, they have fees for trash based on the type of material, volume, weight and number of bags used.
The fee waivers went into effect today and will continue until Jan. 1. A past bill from Haulin’ Trash must be presented for verification by on-site staff to get the discount.
Started in 2017 and based in Leesburg, Haulin’ Trash announced last week that it would permanently close on Dec. 1 after financial and staffing challenges reportedly resulted in lagging and missed collections.
Shared just hours following an earlier email that suggested the company was still trying to find a solution to its service issues, the news forced approximately 3,000 county residents to find a new hauler with essentially no warning.
The fee suspension is intended to hold over residents as they search for a new provider. Many community members had reported overflowing trash cans after Haulin’ Trash missed multiple pickups, the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services said.
A list of haulers licensed to operate in Fairfax County can be found on the DPWES website. Questions and complaints can be submitted to the county’s Consumer Affairs Branch by phone at 703-222-8435 or online.
“We are encouraging customers affected by this to sign up as quickly as possible with an alternate carrier in the area,” McKay said.
With trash collection issues proving to be an ongoing headache, county officials have started considering alternative approaches to providing services, which is handled by private companies for 90% of residents.
The Board of Supervisors adopted a legislative program for the General Assembly’s 2023 session calling for the state to give localities “additional authority to manage solid waste collection” and remove “onerous requirements” that limit the county’s ability to develop a different model.
Photo via Google Maps
