Tysons’ newest eatery won’t be found in the usual malls and mixed-use developments. Instead, it has set up base in a cluster of corporate office buildings where Jones Branch Drive curves parallel to the Dulles Toll Road.
Welcomed with a ribbon cutting and prayer, the latter courtesy of Fort Foote Baptist Church Pastor Rev. Joseph Lyles, Mrs. Jo’s Petite Eats celebrated its grand opening Tuesday (June 7) on the ground floor of PenFed Credit Union’s headquarters at 7940 Jones Branch Drive.
The Tysons Partnership isn’t sure what form it will take next, but Fairfax County has some cash on hand to help the nonprofit organization figure that out.
The Board of Supervisors will decide on June 28 whether to allocate $125,000 to establish an “anchor” organization that will assume the partnership’s work advocating for Tysons and overseeing the implementation of Fairfax County’s comprehensive plan.
Annandale Subway Vandalized — “A rowdy group of youths vandalized the Subway on Heritage Drive in Annandale at about 10:15 a.m. this morning [Thursday]…It will cost $2,000 or $3,000 to fix the window, [owner Emil] Ranakusuma says. He plans to file an insurance claim.” [Annandale Today]
General Assembly Dumps Football Stadium Bill — “The state legislator who has led the charge to lure the Washington Commanders to Virginia gave up the fight Thursday…State Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) said comments that Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio made this week about the Jan. 6 insurrection were the last straw for the stadium bill.” [The Washington Post]
Tysons Financial Company to Expand HQ — “Nodal Exchange, a Fairfax County-based derivatives exchange providing price, credit, and liquidity risk management solutions to participants in the North American commodities markets, will increase capacity at its headquarters located at 1921 Gallows Road in Tysons. The expansion will create 37 new jobs.” [Fairfax County EDA]
I-66 West Ramp to Close — “The ramp from I-66 West to Vienna/Fairfax/GMU Metrorail Station (Country Creek Road and Virginia Center Boulevard) is scheduled to close for about three weeks beginning on or about Monday, June 13, for continued construction of the new westbound I-66 express and general-purpose lanes…Drivers will be detoured around the closure via Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) and I-66 East.” [VDOT]
Flooring Store Opens in Tysons — “Floor & Décor, an Atlanta-based retailer of hard-surface flooring, has…signed a 10-year, 11,327-square-foot lease at the Tysons Corner Retail Plaza, a three-building, 22,000-square-foot retail center, and has already opened for business.” [Commercial Observer]
Vienna Approves Covid Relief Funds for Police Cameras — “The Vienna Town Council on June 6 unanimously approved the spending of $128,600 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to replace and upgrade in-car video systems for Vienna Police Department patrol vehicles.” [Sun Gazette]
Friends of Reston Library Officially Makes Donation — “We love our library branches in Fairfax County, but Reston is especially dedicated to the Reston Regional Library! I was honored to join in the celebration last night (6/9) of the Friends of Reston Regional Library donating $200,000 to the library for its book collection.” [Supervisor Walter Alcorn/Facebook]
FCPS Appoints New Ombudsman — Fairfax County Public Schools has named Dawn Clements as its next ombudsman, effective July 1. Currently the assistant ombudsman for special education, Clements will lead the office responsible for addressing student, family, and community questions and complaints. [FCPS]
It’s Friday — Possible drizzle overnight. High of 77 and low of 60. Sunrise at 5:45 am and sunset at 8:35 pm. [Weather.gov]
Now that Holladay Field’s conversion to synthetic turf is complete, McLean Youth Soccer (MYS) has set its sights on a new project to bolster the area’s recreational amenities.
The nonprofit soccer club is collaborating with the Fairfax County Park Authority on plans to build a new, permanent restroom facility for Lewinsville Park, which currently only has port-a-potties.
As new development starts to emerge in Vienna’s commercial corridor, the town wants to make sure it’s staying in the lines when it comes to parking.
The Vienna Town Council approved $115,000 in funding on Monday (June 6) for a parking supply and demand study that will assess the current availability of parking, future needs, and potential strategies for managing parking going forward.
Police Arrest Suspect in Car Part Thefts — “A 33-year-old Alexandria man is being held without bond after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of vehicle parts in residential parking garages in Fairfax County and Fairfax City…The first theft was reported on April 19 in the 5800 block of Trinity Parkway in Centreville.” [ALXnow]
Fairfax Man Charged for Loudoun County Bomb Threat — “An 18-year-old man from Fairfax was arrested on Tuesday and charged in connection with a bomb threat that was emailed to Dominion High School on May 19.” [Patch]
Fairfax County to Study Free Bus Service — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed staff to analyze the pros and cons of making Fairfax Connector buses fare free for all riders, building off of a recently approved program providing 50% discounts to low-income riders. The results will be presented to the board at its transportation committee meeting on Sept. 30. [Patch]
Affordable Housing Units Open for Rent — The Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development was recently notified of potential vacancies in apartments targeted toward lower-income residents. There are currently available units in Oakton’s Dwell Vienna Metro Apartments, the Passport Apartments in Herndon, and The Kingston and Hanover in Tysons. [HCD]
Construction Firm Makes Reston Office Its HQ — “General contracting firm Winmar Construction Inc., one of the largest private companies in Greater Washington, is moving its headquarters from Georgetown to Reston. Rockville commercial real estate firm Edge said Tuesday it represented Winmar in a lease for 7,000 square feet at 2100 Reston Parkway.” [Washington Business Journal]
Vienna Proposes Change to Historic Register Criteria — “At the request of Historic Vienna Inc., the Vienna Town Council on July 11 will hold a public hearing to change the definition of ‘historic’ as ‘at least 100 years old.'” The town currently limits its register of historic sites and places to properties that existed before 1900. [Sun Gazette]
Repaved Wakefield Courts to Reopen — “After months of repairs and conversion of existing courts to pickleball courts, it’s time to officially open the renewed and renovated Wakefield Park tennis and pickleball court complex…Please join us on Saturday, June 25, 2022, at 9 a.m. for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by a demonstration of [pickleball] and light refreshments.” [FCPA]
It’s Thursday — Possible light rain in the morning. High of 75 and low of 66. Sunrise at 5:45 am and sunset at 8:35 pm. [Weather.gov]
Construction to extend the I-495 Express Lanes from Tysons to the George Washington Memorial Parkway is moving full steam ahead, despite continued skepticism from many McLean residents.
The Virginia Department of Transportation shared revised designs for portions of the I-495 Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project at two public meetings earlier this week, one that convened in-person at Langley High School on Monday (June 6) and another held virtually yesterday (Tuesday).
As gas prices continue to rise, cab drivers in Fairfax County may be getting even more help at the pump.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is looking at implementing an emergency $2 fuel surcharge on every trip starting later this month. That would double the current surcharge, which was implemented in April, as gas prices have climbed even compared to two months ago.
Aging Well
This biweekly column is sponsored by The Mather in Tysons, Virginia. You can take specific steps to improve your perceptions on aging, which in turn can bolster your health, according to Mather Institute.
How do you feel about your age?
Your response can have consequences for your health and happiness. That’s because studies have shown that our perceptions of aging can have an impact on our own current and future well-being.
“There is a large body of research that shows positive perceptions of aging — seeing later years as a time of continued growth and enjoyment — is associated with better health and stronger relationships later in life. In other words, our expectations of aging impact our behavior and our future outcomes,” says Jennifer Smith, PhD, director of research at Mather Institute. The Institute is the research arm of Mather, the parent organization of The Mather, a Life Plan Community coming to Tysons. The Institute is an award-winning resource for research and information about wellness, aging, trends in senior living and successful aging service innovations.
As part of its own research, the Institute referenced proven benefits of having a positive perception of aging:
- Longevity: In a 23-year study, older adults who reported more positive self-perceptions of aging lived 7.5 years longer than those with more negative self-perceptions of aging.
- Illness: In a study of 1,286 people (average age of 57), those who indicated that aging is a time of continued learning and development reported decreases (or slower increases) in physical illnesses six years later.
- Functional Health: Older adults with more positive perceptions of aging report better future functional health, such as the ability to do household chores and climb stairs, compared to those with more negative perceptions of aging.
- Brain Health: Compared to people with more positive views of aging, people who endorsed more negative age stereotypes displayed greater signs of risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease when their brains were examined decades later.
- Psychological Well-Being: Older adults with more negative perceptions of aging reported greater increases in depressive symptoms three years later, but high levels of optimism helped protect against this effect.
- Healthy Behaviors: Those with more positive perceptions of aging tend to engage in more preventive health behaviors and physical activity compared to those with more negative perceptions of aging.
Change Your Views
The good news is that, even if you’re not feeling very positive about aging, you can take steps to change your attitude and enjoy the health benefits above. All it takes is consciously focusing on appreciating positive experiences. Dr. Smith led a study in collaboration with Loyola University Chicago that revealed that people who took steps to savor their life lessons — reflecting on events in their past that led to knowledge that they wouldn’t want to give up — specifically “grew” their positive perceptions of aging.
You can try this on your own. Research has shown that practicing savoring, or increasing awareness, intensity, and duration of positive feelings, can boost your happiness and life satisfaction. Focusing this practice on positive reminiscence can affect perceptions of aging specifically.
To savor your life lessons, make time to reflect on a meaningful past experience, then write down what you learned from it. Take time to consider the wisdom you obtained, then identify how that wisdom has had a positive impact on your life. Repeat this exercise with other experiences from any time in your life. You can also tell family members or friends about some of your valuable life lessons, which is another means of savoring.
These research findings confirm that Aging Well can depend on your outlook — and luckily, each of us has the opportunity to control and change our perceptions and attitudes.
The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
Fairfax County could exercise its eminent domain powers to acquire land for a road planned to connect Capital One’s future campus extension with the Dulles Toll Road in Tysons.
The Board of Supervisors agreed yesterday (Tuesday) to set a July 19 public hearing on the proposed acquisition from the Gates of McLean Condominium Unit Owners Association, which represents the 624-unit neighborhood that currently owns the land.
