Feedback Sought on Proposed South GW Parkway Changes — The National Park Service is seeking public input on its assessment of how proposed improvements to the southern George Washington Memorial Parkway and Mount Vernon Trail could affect cultural and historic resources. Comments on the project, which could add a road diet and crosswalks, are due Sept. 1. [Patch]
FCPD Mistaken in Saying Teen Died From Overdose — Vilma Gonzalez was shocked when Fairfax County police reported that her 16-year-old son died from a drug overdose in Bailey’s Crossroads on June 25. Almost two months later, detectives told her that initial autopsy results showed he instead “had a lethal level of carbon monoxide in his system.” [NBC4]
Schools Must Follow State Policy on Transgender Students, Miyares Says — “Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s new model policies for the treatment of transgender students are in line with federal and state nondiscrimination laws and school boards must follow their guidance, the state’s attorney general said in a nonbinding legal analysis released Thursday.” [Associated Press/WTOP]
Northern Virginia Sees Spree of Auto Dealership Thefts — Eight vehicles have been stolen from dealerships in Fairfax City since July 21, part of a trend seen across Northern Virginia. The Fairfax cases occurred overnight between Thursday and Monday, and seven of eight targeted Dodge and Chevrolet vehicles, police say. [Fairfax City Police/Twitter]
Bailey’s Crossroads Park to Get New Swings — “The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) is set to begin work on the addition of swings to the playground at Boyd A. and Charlotte M. Hogge Park located in the Mason District. The playground is expected to be closed from Sept. 5 to Sept. 29 for work to be completed. The remainder of the park features…will remain open and accessible to the public.” [FCPA]
Annandale Church Hits Real Estate Market — “A prime church property in Annandale is on the market for $13.5 million. The congregation at Iglesia la Biblia, a bilingual Charismatic Pentecostal church at 5001 Backlick Road, has outgrown the space, so they want to relocate, says Josh Velez, the son of pastor Roger Velez and a real estate agent with Samson Properties.” [Annandale Today]
Great Falls Plans for 9/11 Commemoration — “The annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony will be held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m., honoring the six Great Falls residents and others who lost their lives and suffered in the 2001 attacks and their aftermath.” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Friday — There is a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms in the area, with partly sunny skies and a high temperature near 90 degrees. At night, the chance of precipitation decreases to 30%, mainly before 8pm. The night is expected to be partly cloudy with a low temperature of around 72 degrees. [Weather.gov]
For the next couple of weeks, sunset will provide no relief from construction on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in northern McLean.
Starting tomorrow (Friday), crews will spend the hours between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. each day pouring concrete on the surfaces of the Dead Run and Turkey Run bridges, the National Park Service announced on Tuesday (Aug. 22).
“Nightwork will occur intermittently through early September,” the NPS said in a news alert. “Work will occur on one bridge at a time. One lane of travel will be open in each direction; no additional lane closures are anticipated for this work.”
The agency advises drivers to “observe traffic signs, respect the 40-mph speed limit, and watch for crews working along the parkway,” noting that construction signage and message boards will be placed along the roadway.
“In the event of inclement weather, night work will be postponed to the following night,” the NPS said. “Motorists should anticipate delays and plan for additional travel time or consider taking an alternate route.”
The construction work is part of the GW Parkway rehabilitation project, a $161 million effort to upgrade the aging roadway first built in 1962. The project includes asphalt repaving, a redesign of the Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) interchange, stormwater management system repairs, extensions of some entrance and exit lanes, and improvements to stone walls, roadside barriers and historic overlooks.
Construction began in July 2022 and is expected to continue into December 2025.
Tysons has seen some promising developments in its transportation network in recent years, but many obstacles remain to achieving Fairfax County’s vision of a truly accessible downtown, a market study released earlier this month suggests.
Commissioned by the Tysons Community Alliance, the 2023 Tysons Market Study characterizes the 2,100-acre urban center as “somewhat walkable” — meaning at least some errands can be accomplished on foot — based on its official average Walk Score of 57.
Calculated based on population density, the distance to amenities, block lengths and other factors, the walk score ticked up from the 54 that Tysons got in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began. The area is more walkable than Reston, which has a score of 40, but it falls short of more urban areas in the region, including Crystal City in Arlington (71) and downtown D.C. (98), according to the study.
The most walkable properties are in central Tysons, particularly around the Greensboro Metro station, which is also where multifamily housing has concentrated, TCA CEO Katie Cristol notes.
“That increase in the walk score is a real validation…of how environmentally sustainable, how much better in terms of quality of life the new residential development has been in Tysons,” Cristol said. “It is in the right places, it is in places that are walkable, so more Tysonians live [in places] walkable to Metro and other amenities and can easily reach the necessities of their lives on foot than could before.”
However, properties east of Route 123 — where most for-sale and single-family units are located — tend to be more car-dependent, per the study. Based on 2021 Census data, the percentage of car-free households in Tysons has jumped up to 5.1% — an over 50% increase from 2019 — but 47% of households still own two vehicles.
In addition, the TCA identified 4.6 miles of missing sidewalks, and most of the 24 miles of sidewalk that do exist are just 4 feet wide, which “is not ideal for a growing area seeking to promote walking,” the study says.
The improved Walk Score was also tempered by a lowered Bike Score, which dipped from 49 in 2020 to 43 this year. Categorized as “somewhat bikeable” with “minimal” infrastructure, Tysons trails Reston, which stayed flat at 54 over that time frame.
The study attributes the decline in part to less commuting, with more Tysons residents and non-resident employees working from home in Covid’s wake. But it also says gaps in bicycle infrastructure, a lack of protected bike lanes and busy arterial streets, including routes 123 and 7, “create barriers for safe biking.”
Bruce Wright, president of the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling, says the report’s conclusion that “Tysons is not very bike-friendly” matches his experience, though there have been some welcome improvements in recent years, such as the shared-use bridge over I-495.
“They’re mostly just striped paint next to fast-moving traffic,” he said of the existing bike lanes. “They are bike lanes and we support them, and more experienced riders will feel comfortable in those bike lanes, but we would prefer…that there was some kind of physical separation.”
Wright pointed to Old Courthouse Road to Gosnell Road, Gallows Road across Route 7 to International Drive, and Spring Hill and Tyco roads near the Spring Hill Metro station as “some of the major gaps” in the Tysons bicycle network.
Lamenting the limited amount of information on the TCA’s website about bicycling, beyond a link to a map of Capital Bikeshare stations, he expressed hope that the community improvement organization will work with developers, local employers and Fairfax County to encourage more people to travel by bicycle.
“There needs to be a combination of better facilities and encouraging more people to bike safely, working with employers and with employees,” Wright said.
Transportation demand management — strategies aimed at reducing solo vehicle usage — will be a key focus for the TCA, according to Cristol, who was hired this summer as the group’s first permanent CEO and is currently overseeing the development of a Tysons strategic plan.
In addition to facilitating research and discussions about those strategies, the TCA can help encourage people to get out of their cars by implementing signage, events, landscaping and other features to draw attention to transit, pedestrian and bicycle options and make them more attractive to use.
As an example, Cristol says many people don’t realize that they can walk from Tysons Corner Center to The Boro relatively quickly, because International Drive and Greensboro Drive “don’t necessarily feel like city streets that are welcoming and inviting to you.”
“The Boro itself has done fantastic placemaking. But how do we kind of continue that visual signal all the way down Greensboro Drive that says this is a walkable area?” she said. “That connectivity…it needs to be easy, it needs to be safe. It also needs to be appealing.”
Tysons Media Company Sued for Diversity Efforts — “Gannett Co Inc (GCI.N), the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, is facing a lawsuit claiming its efforts to diversify newsrooms led to discrimination against white workers. The proposed class action was filed in Virginia federal court on Friday by five current and former Gannett employees who say they were fired or passed over for promotions to make room for less-qualified women and minorities.” [Reuters]
FCPD Searches for Reported Robber With Parrots — Fairfax County police are on the lookout for a man who allegedly robbed a victim with a knife at a McDonald’s in Seven Corners on Tuesday (Aug. 22). Police say “surveillance video from a nearby business shows the suspect as wearing a black cowboy hat with two parrots, a patterned shirt, and a third parrot on the shoulder.” [WTOP]
State Lawmakers Hint at Budget Compromise — “A compromise deal on a state budget will likely be reached in the next few days, a bipartisan group of Virginia lawmakers who have been leading this year’s drawn-out negotiations said Wednesday.” Efforts to revise the two-year budget have stalled since the General Assembly session ended in February over whether to use a surplus for tax cuts or to boost government services. [Associated Press/WTOP]
Original Mount Vernon HS Construction Coming Next Spring — “Participants in South County Teen and Senior Center programming at the Original Mount Vernon High School (OMVHS) will be relocated to nearby Fairfax County facilities starting in September as the county prepares to…begin all-out renovations of the building in spring 2024.” [On the MoVe]
Huntington Apartment Building Pitches Pickleball Court — The owner of Huntington Gateway, a nearly 40-year-old multifamily complex at 5982 Richmond Highway, has proposed replacing its two tennis courts with a “multipurpose synthetic turf lawn” that will include a pickleball court and seating. In an application filed with Fairfax County, Air Communities says it wants to “modernize” its amenities. [Washington Business Journal]
N. Va. Leaders Talk Housing, Office Vacancies — Officials, including Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, “assessed the region’s economy and brainstormed how it can be improved through intergovernmental collaboration” at the eighth annual Northern Virginia Regional Elected Leaders Summit. Education and Metro funding were also addressed. [Inside NoVA]
Cash Offered to Low-Income Seniors for Farmers Markets — “The Senior Farmers Market Program enables older adults to access fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs at eligible farmers markets. That includes the Annandale Farmers Market at Mason District Park, the Wakefield Farmers Market at Wakefield Park in Annandale, the FreshFarm market at Mosaic, and many others.” [Annandale Today]
Fairfax Connector Relocates Bus Stop in Reston — “Beginning 8/24, Stop ID# 3818 will be permanently relocated to the near side of Wiehle Avenue & North Shore Drive. This is directly across from Stop ID# 3817. This stop services Routes 552, 558, RIBS 1.” [Fairfax Connector/Facebook]
It’s Thursday — Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms with mostly cloudy skies, a high temperature of about 82 degrees and a 40% chance of precipitation. Night will be mostly cloudy with possible showers and thunderstorms, with temperatures dropping to around 69 degrees. The chance of precipitation will rise to 50%. [Weather.gov]
Fairfax County is envisioning its forthcoming COVID-19 memorial as a space for reflection — something that’s been difficult to come by since the pandemic upended life temporarily for some and more permanently for others.
The concept comes from artists Miriam Gusevich and Salvatore Pirrone, who have been chosen to design and build the memorial, ArtsFairfax announced Monday (Aug. 21).
“We need memorial spaces and artworks to help us appreciate the bonds we share as human beings,” ArtsFairfax President and CEO Linda Sullivan said. “With such artworks, engagement invites us to learn from our pain and redouble our efforts to lift up each other every day, not just in emergencies.”
A nonprofit designated as the county’s official arts agency, ArtsFairfax and the Fairfax County Arts Committee selected Gusevich and Pirrone unanimously after putting out an open call for artists earlier this year.
According to ArtsFairfax, the pair proposed “a tall and slender memorial” called “Circles of Memory” that will “protect a contemplative space” in honor of local residents who have died from COVID-19, along with the health care workers, first responders and others involved in the county’s emergency response.
The memorial will be installed in front of the county’s Public Safety Headquarters and Herrity Building at 12055 Government Center Parkway.
“The monument will be comprised of a 27-foot tall hollow concrete cone, divided by a break in the center and topped with an oculus from which to view the sky. Visitors will be invited to sit inside the structure and on the surrounding benches,” ArtsFairfax said.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed county staff in February 2022 to start planning for a memorial that will symbolize the pandemic’s impact on the local community.
Since then, Covid has ceased to be designated as an official public health emergency both locally and nationally, but the disease continues to spread, albeit at lower levels of severity than in previous years. As of yesterday (Tuesday), the Fairfax Health District had recorded 273,842 cases, 5,403 hospitalizations and 1,794 deaths, according to Virginia Department of Health data.
The county’s memorial will create a communal space for visitors to acknowledge those losses.
“We hope to provide an environment that will bring people together,” Pirrone said. “The memorial strives to be a place of reverence for the lives lost and the people who honor them.”
The design will be finalized after the artists conduct a full site review, according to ArtsFairfax Director of Communications Allison Mui.
The agency says the project will take “several months to complete,” including opportunities for members of the public to meet the artists, discuss the design concepts and “share experiences.”
“Art does not cure, yet it can help us heal. Creativity can offer renewal; through it we can nurture faith in the future,” Gusevich said.
Here’s more on Gusevich and Pirrone from the press release:
Miriam Gusevich is a Cuban American environmental artist, architect, scholar, and educator. She was a Loeb Fellow (1997) at Harvard University and received her bachelor’s degree (1975) and master’s degree (1979) in architecture from Cornell University. Her built memorial projects include the “Jane Addams Memorial” (with Louise Bourgeois) and the “Cancer Survivor’s Garden” in Grant Park (with Julie Gross), both in Chicago. “Remember Sambir,” a Holocaust memorial site in Western Ukraine that she began with Peter Miles, is under construction and on hold because of the war.
Recent international commissions include two memorial masterplans in Kyiv, Ukraine: “Constellations” a memorial for Euro-Maidan (2015) and “Yahrzeit Candles” a memorial for the victims of Babyn – Yar (2016), and the “Zenicka Kilim,” in Bosnia – Herzegovina (2019). She is a Washington, D.C. resident and was a tenured professor at the Catholic University of America from 2000-2020.
Salvatore Pirrone is an American artist, designer, and educator. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree (2007) from Parsons at The New School in New York City, and a master’s degree in architecture (2000) from the University of Florida. He has exhibited regionally at Arlington Arts Center, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Cultural DC’s Mobile Art Gallery, Sandy Spring Museum, Transformer, Arlington Project for Affordable Housing, Maryland Art Place, Hillyer Gallery, and the Dittmar House at Marymount University. He lives and works in Upper Marlboro, Md. and is a tenured associate professor of Design and Art at Marymount University in Arlington, Va.
(Updated at 11:20 a.m.) Time is tick-tick-ticking away to catch The Dr. Seuss Experience before it leaves Tysons Corner Center.
The pop-up attraction where kids can interact with characters and worlds out of Theodor Giesel’s classic picture books will conclude a nearly five-month stop at the mall on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 3), Tysons Corner Center confirmed to FFXnow.
Located on the second floor next to Barnes & Noble, the pop-up launched on April 7 with nine life-sized recreations of scenes from Dr. Seuss books, including “The Cat in the Hat,” “Horton Hears a Who” and the debut of a 1,300-square-foot mirror maze inspired by the short story “The Sneetches.”
Produced by the live entertainment companies Kilburn Live and Fever, The Dr. Seuss Experience was initially slated to continue through Memorial Day, but it has stuck around, along with the “immersive” pop-up Candytopia, which opened in March.
Candytopia will remain “for a couple more months,” a Tysons Corner Center spokesperson said.
Tickets for The Dr. Seuss Experience can still be purchased online. The attraction’s typical operating hours are:
- Wednesday: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Thursday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Sunday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The pop-ups are part of a shift at shopping centers in Tysons toward “experience-based recreation,” which was identified as a gap in the local retail market by a study that the Tysons Community Alliance released on Aug. 4.
A different kind of pop-up will move into Tysons Corner Center on Sept. 1, when the online fashion store Rent the Runway will host a 25-day sample sale with clothing, bags and other items from designer brands.
The Coalition for TJ is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to consider its lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s admissions policy, which was revised in 2020 with the goal of diversifying the student body.
In the petition filed Monday (Aug. 21), the advocacy group argues that the changes approved by the Fairfax County School Board discriminate against Asian students, who saw their share of the magnet school’s incoming classes drop from more than 70% to closer to 60% in the past few years.
The coalition indicated it would take the case to the country’s highest federal court after a Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled 2-1 in the school board’s favor on May 23.
But the fight over TJ’s admissions has grown in significance following the Supreme Court’s June 29 decision to prohibit colleges from considering race in admissions decisions. Where that case tackled policies that explicitly take race into account, the Coalition for TJ contends that race-neutral policies designed to boost underrepresented groups can still violate other students’ equal protection rights.
“The Fourth Circuit’s ruling merits this Court’s review because it presents a question of national importance that the Court has yet to answer directly,” Pacific Legal Foundation attorneys representing the coalition wrote in their petition. “Coming as it does on the heels of last Term’s decision curtailing racial discrimination in higher education admissions, this is one of several ongoing challenges to competitive K-12 admissions criteria that seek to accomplish a racial objective ‘indirectly’ because it ‘cannot be done directly.’”
Spurred by student and alumni activism, the school board overhauled the TJ admissions process after Fairfax County Public Schools reported that fewer than 10 Black students had been accepted in both 2019 and 2020.
In addition to eliminating an application fee and rigorous standardized test, the new policy bumped up the GPA requirement to 3.5, granted eligibility to the top 1.5% of eighth graders at each middle school, introduced a “portrait sheet” where students discuss their skills and write a problem-solving essay, and allows consideration of students’ economic status or involvement in English as a Second Language and special education programs.
The changes were the latest attempt to bring more Black, Hispanic and low-income students to TJ, which is often ranked among the top high schools in the U.S. but has long faced scrutiny for admissions practices that critics argued catered to families who could afford to live in certain neighborhoods and pay for private tutoring and test-preparation services.
Since the revised policy took effect in 2021, FCPS has touted increased racial, geographic and economic diversity in each of the three admitted classes, which have all included students from every Fairfax County middle school — something that hadn’t happened in the prior decade.
FCPS has argued that the changes were race-blind and benefitted all groups, including lower-income Asian students. The appeals court judges who sided with the school board said the Coalition for TJ failed to prove that Asian students were “disparately” affected and “that the Board adopted its race-neutral policy with any discriminatory intent.”
FCPS didn’t return a request for comment by press time.
In a joint statement, a collection of civil rights and community advocacy groups — including the Virginia NAACP, TJ Alumni for Racial Justice, CASA Virginia, Hispanic Federation, Hamkae Center and Asian American Youth Leadership Empowerment and Development (AALEAD) — argued that the Coalition for TJ’s lawsuit would limit, rather than expand, equal access to education.
“In essence, the plaintiff seeks to cement pre-existing inequalities by prohibiting school districts from trying to remedy any unfairness in the admissions process that may change the racial makeup of accepted students,” the groups said.
“Every parent wants to know their child will not be disadvantaged in our public education system no matter their personal wealth or language abilities,” Hamkae Center Director Sookyung Oh said. “It is imperative that students from communities of color, including Asian Americans, will not be disadvantaged by an unfair admissions process and will have the same access…only previously afforded to those with the wealth and privilege to get their children into schools like TJ.”
Dunn Loring diners will soon get a taste of the Southern-style smoked meats that have made Myron Mixon the self-proclaimed “winningest” man in barbecue.
Myron Mixon Pitmaster BBQ is slated to open a new restaurant at 2670 Avenir Place near the Dunn Loring Metro station this fall, its first expansion since launching in Old Town Alexandria in 2016.
“I’ve always found a special home in the DMV area because of the great community here who appreciate good barbeque,” Mixon said in a statement. “It’s very exciting to have the chance to bring even more pitmaster flavor and competition ‘que with this new restaurant in Dunn Loring, and I’m looking forward to welcoming everyone through our doors soon.”
A native of Unadilla, Georgia, where he has served as mayor since 2016, Mixon has earned acclaim on the competitive barbecue circuit with more wins than anyone else in the world, according to his official bio. His accolades have included five world championships and an induction into the Barbecue Hall of Fame in Kansas City.
He has also made TV appearances as a judge on Destination America’s “BBQ Pitmasters” and a competitor on the two-season show “BBQ Pit Wars.”
Even before opening his Alexandria restaurant, Mixon had close ties to the D.C. area as a regular competitor in the District’s annual Giant Barbecue Battle, where he and his team Jack’s Old South won 13 grand championships, according to the Washington Post.
Eric Cohen, a partner on Myron Mixon Pitmaster BBQ, says the business loves “being a part of the Old Town community” and has been eager to expand elsewhere in Northern Virginia “for a while.” When District Barbecue closed earlier this year, they decided it was time to make a move.
“We thought the opportunity was the perfect fit for the brand,” Cohen told FFXnow.
The Dunn Loring restaurant will take a fast-casual approach with counter service, and the bar will be more limited than the one in Alexandria, serving just beer and wine.
However, the food menu — which is still being finalized — is expected to be “very similar” to what’s on offer in Alexandria, a public relations representative said. Offerings include plate and a la carte smoked meats, sandwiches, salads, baby back ribs, chicken wings, and sides like mac and cheese and peach BBQ baked beans.
Cohen credits Mixon’s involvement with distinguishing the business from the “plethora of [other] delicious barbeque options” in the D.C. region.
“He’s incredibly hands on with our menu and team to ensure we serve our guests the best ‘que, worthy of a pitmaster,” Cohen said. “As the winningest man in competition barbeque, Myron is a trusted authority in the barbeque world, and his food reflects the high standards that he sets for each item that leaves the grill.”
An official opening date hasn’t been set, but Cohen says that and details of anticipated grand opening celebrations will be shared “soon.”
The Shops at Avenir Place has recently started to fill vacancies that opened up during the pandemic. The retail center welcomed the tattoo and piercing shop Wicked Goddess this past spring, and the taiyaki pop-up Rice Culture hopes to start serving the Japanese treats out of its first brick-and-mortar store in October.
Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Landlord — “Brian G. Sayrs Jr., now 27, confessed to killing his Lorton, Va., landlord, Emily Lu, who was last seen alive on the night of June 3, 2021, law enforcement officials said.” Sayrs pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and faces up to 32 years in prison. [Washington Post]
FCPS Bus Driver Vacancies Lead to Delays — “A school bus driver shortage is impacting students getting to school on time in Fairfax County. Fairfax County still needs 121 bus drivers to get kids to class for the new school year…In one Lincolnia neighborhood, some said buses were delayed more than 30 minutes.” [WUSA9]
Vienna Nonprofit Plans Move to Tysons — “The Women’s Center is gearing up to move 2 miles east from its longtime Vienna office to Tysons, but will continue to provide its usual offerings, the group’s leader said…The Women’s Center is among several groups being displaced from four Vienna Courts office-condominium buildings…which will be razed to make way for a residential development.” [Gazette Leader]
Stir-Fry and Salad Restaurant Coming to Mount Vernon Plaza — “Honeygrow, a create-your-own stir fry, salad and honeybar eatery, signed a lease with Federal Realty last spring, said a PR representative for the property management company.” The restaurant is expected to open in early 2024 at 7698-B Richmond Highway. [On the MoVe]
County Offers Funds for Human Services Programs — “The 2023 Innovation Fund seeks proposals from businesses and nonprofit organizations to develop creative innovative, sustainable and replicable human service programs. It will provide one-year seed funding to businesses and nonprofits to start a new social impact initiative or enhance a current initiative.” [Fairfax County]
Virginia Is Now Tracking Evictions — “After several years of attention-grabbing reports on high eviction rates in Virginia, the state has begun collecting data on the number and location of evictions that occur over the course of a year. The effort, which is being carried out by the Virginia courts…follows legislation that passed during the last General Assembly session.” [Virginia Mercury]
Metro Reports Drop in Fare Evasions With New Gates — “Higher faregates that Metro installed at several stations have reduced fare evasion by more than 70%, according to data Metro released Tuesday.” The project to retrofit all stations is “expected to take about 15 months and cost between $35 million and $40 million.” [DCist]
FCPS Kids Enjoy Lunch on First Day of School — “After a morning of introductions and instructions, this was lunchtime on the first day of school at Annandale Terrace Elementary in Fairfax County. Maybe second only to recess, lunch is the best part of the day, these kids say — a chance to reconnect with friends, exchange riddles and tell everyone how you learned to swim underwater this summer.” [Washington Post]
It’s Wednesday — The weather forecast predicts a sunny day with a high of 83°F, accompanied by a calm wind in the morning. Wednesday night will witness partly cloudy skies and a low of 66°F, as the south wind maintains a breezy 6 to 9 mph. [Weather.gov]
District Taco’s first franchise location has opened for business.
The Mexican fast-casual chain began serving customers at its new McLean restaurant on Tuesday, Aug. 15, an employee told FFXnow.
The 2,063-square-foot restaurant is located at 1334 Chain Bridge Road in the Lidl shopping center, which added Big Buns Damn Good Burgers and Matchbox Pizza in the spring. Operating hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, according to District Taco’s website.
The launch will be formally celebrated with a grand opening next Wednesday, Aug. 30. District Taco previously announced an Aug. 23 grand opening but later said that would be delayed.
The McLean restaurant is owned by Hicham El Abbassi and Isalmou Boussaa, who signed an agreement in August 2022 to open five franchise locations in Northern Virginia. That includes an upcoming site at Old Keene Mill Shopping Center (8432 Old Keene Mill Road) in West Springfield.
After initially anticipating an Aug. 3 opening for the West Springfield location, District Taco now says it’s “looking to open in the near future.”
According to the Washington Business Journal, El Abbassi and Boussaa both immigrated to the U.S. from Morocco and first encountered District Taco in 2015 through its Alexandria location. They also have experience franchising with Arlington burger chain Five Guys.
“I was truly inspired by the entrepreneurial story of District Taco’s Founder, Osiris Hoil, and his pursuit of the American dream,” Boussaa said in a press release. “Hicham and I are living out our own American dreams by opening our two new District Taco locations and we are so excited to begin serving high-quality meals to the local Springfield and McLean communities.”
Started more than a decade ago as a food cart in Arlington, District Taco has expanded to 16 locations across the D.C. area and Pennsylvania, including the new franchises in McLean and West Springfield. The company hopes to eventually extend its reach further outside the D.C. region — perhaps even to other countries.
Using recipes from Hoil’s family, District Taco serves customizable tacos, burritos, bowls, salads and quesadillas. Vegetarian and vegan options are available.
“Never wanting to compromise quality, District Taco ensures the freshness of its products by preparing its food daily,” the company said. “Chiles and tomatoes are roasted on the premises, grilled meats are marinated with a secret combination of citrus and spices that are indigenous to the Yucatán region, and chips and salsa are made in-house daily.”
