Train service will be back at the Vienna and Dunn Loring Metro stations, starting Monday (July 17).
The two stations at the western end of the Orange Line have out of commission since June 3 so Metro crews could replace a 40-year-old rail and install fiber-optics cables. The project also affected the West and East Falls Church stations, which reopened on June 26.
“Replacing this section of rail was critical to ensuring the Orange Line is safe and reliable for years to come,” Metro Chief of Infrastructure Andy Off said, announcing the project’s completion. “We appreciate our customers’ patience while we completed this important work to improve our system.”
The rail between the Vienna and Ballston stations was some of the oldest in the Metro system and needed to be replaced “to improve safety and reliability,” according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
During the second phase of the project, workers replaced nearly 25 miles of rail and removed over 97,000 linear feet of vegetation around the Vienna and Dunn Loring stations. Another 15.5 miles of rail and 42,000 linear feet of vegetation was addressed during the first phase focused on the Falls Church stations.
“Overgrown plants and brush…could cause an obstruction during a storm,” Metro said in its press release.
After the Orange Line stations reopen, the transit agency will shift its construction efforts east to the Green Line between Fort Totten in D.C. and Greenbelt, Maryland:
Summer construction will now move to the Green Line beginning July 22, when Metro will install fiber-optic cable, replace platform edge lighting, and replace power cables and switch machines. Upgrading the switch machines and installation of the new cables will ensure reliable service for years to come.
Green Line stations between Fort Totten and Greenbelt will be closed from Saturday, July 22, to Monday, September 4. Green Line service at Fort Totten will be unavailable July 22 and July 23. Red Line service will remain available at Ft. Totten. Frequent free shuttle buses will replace trains between the affected stations. Customers are advised to allow extra time for their travel. In addition to prominent signage and announcements in the stations and on trains, additional Metro staff will be available to assist customers at the affected stations.
Metro’s train service runs from 5 a.m. to midnight on Monday through Thursday, 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday, and 7 a.m. to midnight on Sunday.
This weekend, free local shuttles between the Vienna, Dunn Loring and West Falls Church stations will continue to be available during those hours, along with express service between Vienna and West Falls Church.
Dunn Loring riders won’t be entirely free of construction next week. Work to replace two escalators at the station has been underway since mid-March and is expected to continue until the end of October.
Reston Parkway Bridge Repairs Continue — “Motorists can expect delays on Reston Parkway/Route 602 at Sunset Hills Road/Route-675E to continue until Monday afternoon due to emergency bridge work, according to VDOT. A truck traveling southbound on Reston Parkway to the eastbound entrance ramp to the Dulles Toll Road in Reston struck the bridge on Monday morning” [Patch]
Opening Date Set for Lorton Lidl — “The long-awaited Lidl supermarket in Lorton will officially open July 26 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening celebration…The 30,000 square-foot Lidl will soon be joined by several neighboring retail businesses and a childcare center that are slated to open this fall or winter.” [On the MoVe]
Park Authority Wants Your Selfies — “Grab your friends and your camera and celebrate National Park and Recreation Month! The Fairfax County Park Authority is holding a selfie photo contest from July 24 through July 28 to commemorate this year’s theme ‘Where Community Grows.'” [FCPA]
Vienna OKs Parking Restriction — “Vexed by construction parking near the new Sunrise Senior Living building at 380 Maple Ave., W., and apprehensive about vehicular spillover once that facility opens, residents on Millwood Court, S.E., have pressed Vienna officials for years to impose permit parking on their cul-de-sac. The Vienna Town Council voted 6-1 July 10 to grant them their wish” [Gazette Leader]
Local Students and Seniors Design Cane for Navigating Crosswalks — “Five students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Alexandria were named finalists in the Conrad Innovation Challenge for the walking cane they designed with the help of visually impaired people from the Herndon Senior Center.” [Patch]
Herndon Satellite Company Gets Funding Boost — “HawkEye 360, a commercial operator of remote-sensing satellites, announced July 13 it has raised $58 million in new funding. Based in Herndon, Virginia, the company uses radio-frequency data collected by satellites to geolocate electronic emissions and draw insights.” [Space News]
Owner Sought for Annandale Office Building — “A four-story office building at 7023 Little River Turnpike in Annandale is for sale, according to a listing on LoopNet. Known as the Annandale Professional Building, it has 41,944 square feet. It was built in 1973. The listing doesn’t include a sales price.” [Annandale Today]
County Library Hits E-book Milestone — “Fairfax County Public Library celebrated it’s 20 millionth digital checkout last week when one cardholder borrowed ‘Crying In H Mart’ by @Jbrekkie! We are so excited to reach this milestone and are thankful to everyone who helped us get there by supporting us!” [FCPL/Twitter]
It’s Friday — A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 2pm and 5pm, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Chance of precipitation is 70%. [Weather.gov]
The water tower in central Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Fairfax County formalized its partnership with the Tysons Community Alliance earlier this week with a new agreement outlining the community improvement organization’s mission and structure.
Under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (July 11), the TCA will turn to the county as a primary funding source going forward, even though it will operate independently as a nonprofit.
Tasked with promoting and advocating for Tysons as a community, the alliance will request funding through the county’s annual budget process, but the county has no obligation to fulfill the requests.
The group will also seek supplemental support from grants and “alternative revenue streams,” according to the agreement.
The unique financing model will require the TCA “to show our continued value” not only to Tysons, but also the county as a whole, CEO Katie Cristol told FFXnow in a recent interview. She assumed her position as the organization’s first permanent CEO on July 5.
“There are a lot of competing interests and needs throughout the county,” Cristol said. “…In literal dollars and cents terms, it’s a reinvestment back in Tysons so Tysons can keep delivering even more revenue for the good of the county, but it also, we hope, is going to generate some of these lessons learned that others will benefit from.”
Established last fall with $2.5 million in county funding, the TCA is responsible for implementing the county’s vision for Tysons as a downtown community where people live and work, not just a collection of offices and malls.
As outlined in the MOU, the group’s priorities will be communications and marketing, placemaking, research and business support, and transportation and mobility, including support for infrastructure improvements.
Some of that work is already underway, from community events to an ongoing strategic planning effort. Later this month, the TCA is expected to release an economic market study with data that could help it make the case that Tysons is a worthy investment for the county.
At a Board of Supervisors economic initiatives committee meeting last month, TCA Board of Directors Chair Josh White reported that Tysons brings in 8% of the county’s tax revenue.
“Can we take a small, small share of that and reinvest it back into the Tysons to support that overall growth?” Cristol said. “So, that was part of the idea, and the [TCA] governance is built around really giving government a strong voice.”
Cristol says the local government’s closer involvement separates TCA from similar nonprofit organizations that are typically supported by property or business owners, such Arlington’s business improvement districts.
In addition to potentially providing funding and having representatives on the TCA’s board of directors, the county will require annual reports from the alliance and collaborate on initiatives like public space enhancements, according to Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, who represents much of Tysons.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, whose district includes a western portion of Tysons, said he had hoped to see the TCA integrated with the existing Tysons Transportation Service District when it comes to funding road, sidewalk and other transportation projects.
“There’s still some work to be done to integrate those two concurrent activities,” he said at the board meeting.
The service district, which is funded by an annual tax on property owners, could complement the TCA’s funding for those projects, but the money won’t necessarily go directly to the alliance, according to Cristol.
Scott Sizer, a division manager in the county’s Department of Economic Initiatives, said the MOU was “written broadly to accommodate any future changes.”
“We hope it is a pilot that will be successful and will lead to other pilots in the county, but there is always a possibility to amend and to terminate,” Palchik said. “An MOU is a legal document, but I think it’s important that we be able to monitor [the TCA’s activities] and continue to ensure and hopefully see success.”
People walk and bike on a bridge at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
The Fairfax County Park Authority wants feedback on a draft plan to make county parks more equitable and accessible.
County staff is collecting input on its Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Access (PROSA) Strategy through an online survey and two virtual workshops scheduled this month. The second round of community engagement comes as the FCPA prepares to finalize the strategy later this year.
FCPA Director Jai Cole said the strategy will guide the park authority toward improved accessibility, park equity, and a “stronger balance of park experiences countywide.”
“The cutting-edge research which we’ve undertaken, coupled with the valuable insights we’ve received by way of community input, will be invaluable tools in our work to ensure equitable access to our park system,” Cole said.
According to the county, top priorities of the draft PROSA report include:
- Ensuring all community members have access to FCPA parks within a 10-minute walk
- Enhancing access to “complete park experiences”
- Enriching habitat connectivity between environmental corridors
- Analyzing and prioritizing recreation needs and projects with an equity lens, as required by the county’s One Fairfax policy
According to the report, approximately 52% of residents have access to a county park within a 10-minute walk from their home.
Emphasizing its vision of ensuring residents can get to a park without driving, the report states that barriers can include the presence of large roadways with limited pedestrian crossings, a lack of sidewalks, remote park entryways and natural features, such as a stream or forested area.
“Opportunities to remove barriers and improve park access range from adding a trailhead or a new park entrance where feasible, to partnering with an agency to add a crosswalk, or acquiring parkland,” the PROSA report says.
Enhancing accessibility is also about improving the access visitors have to active, “passive,” social and natural or cultural recreation, according to the report, which proposes that the park authority develop parks with limited activities, acquire parkland, and collaborate with other public agencies to achieve its goal.
The objective of enriching habitat connectivity is centered on preserving and enhancing the county’s current and future natural environment.
“Improving habitat connectivity is a critical strategy for addressing habitat loss and fragmentation, a top threat to biodiversity,” the report reads.
The FCPA will identify sites where habitat health could improve, plant trees to bolster area with lower tree canopy, and consider opportunities to improve habitat connectivity when acquiring parkland.
The report commits the park authority to considering “racial and social equity and population density when prioritizing park and recreation needs and projects in order to diminish racial and social inequities within our community.”
The first round of community engagement on the PROSA strategy wrapped up last fall. The virtual workshop for the second round of community engagement is scheduled for July 18 and July 25. Comments through the online survey will be accepted through Aug. 6.
Registration for the online survey and workshops is available on the PROSA webpage.
An expanding hair salon chain from Maryland has chosen to set up its first Virginia location in the Town of Vienna.
Later this year, Symmetry Salon Studios will open a 3,925-square-foot space (262 Cedar Lane, Suite N) at the Cedar Park Shopping Center, which is also getting the gym Starfit Studio.
Started in Bethesda in 2012, Symmetry advertises itself as an “elevated” experience for “elite stylists,” per its tagline.
“Vienna doesn’t have that today,” Symmetry CEO and founder Tom Ruder said. “We’ve done our research and there’s nobody in the marketplace that can kind of provide that. And [when] we say Vienna, it’s not only Vienna, but it’s also Tysons and Merrifield, the Mosaic District.”
Deviating from the commission-based approach of traditional hair salons, Symmetry is stylist-owned and operated, according to Ruder. It provides rental studios for individual stylists, while the company handles the business operations, including landlord discussions and facility maintenance.
That gives each stylist flexibility over the services they provide, the ambience and their working hours, since they will have around-the-clock access to their studio, Ruder said.
“They get to decide…what works for them,” he said. “So, someone might have a wedding and they’re going to come in early on a Saturday morning and do the wedding party, would just be one example, or someone’s got a client who’s out of town and they can only visit at 11 o’clock at night or 2 in the morning. They could come in and provide a service at that time.”
Leasing is already underway for the Vienna location, which will have 23 studios for 26 stylists.
The front desk will be staffed for about 80 hours each week during the busiest times of the day, and there will be a beverage bar with coffee, tea, soda and water for patrons waiting for an appointment, which Ruder says is intended to create a “luxurious feel.”
That emphasis on comfort extends to how Symmetry’s locations are constructed, Ruder told FFXnow, highlighting the use of wide hallways and concrete floors “padded” with tile.
“The stylists stand on their feet all day long and it’s really bad for their feet,” he said. “It’s bad for their posture, and it’s uncomfortable. So, we focused on that and spent a tremendous amount of research and time to get the floors so they’re comfortable.”
The company is in the process of obtaining permits from Fairfax County and Vienna. Once that is complete, Ruder anticipates the build-out will take another 12 to 14 weeks for a potential opening this fall.
The Vienna location will be Symmetry’s fifth, joining sites in Bethesda, Rockville, Annapolis and Gaithersburg.
Comparing the expansion plans to Morton’s The Steakhouse, rather than McDonald’s, Ruder says the company is seeking to add one to three locations a year. Though he couldn’t give details about ongoing negotiations with landlords, Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington, Manassas and Woodbridge are “all in play,” along with D.C.
“We’ve looked for years to try to make it into Virginia and we’re thrilled with our opportunity in Vienna,” Ruder said.
Visitors to Fairfax County’s website may have noticed that it recently got a digitized makeover.
Going live on Monday, June 3, the website update offers a range of upgraded services, including a bilingual virtual assistant with added Spanish language features and a “more readily available” language translation tool. Plans for the update were announced late last year.
Users can now also access a new email newsletter subscription management platform, giving “County agencies the ability to share more visually compelling content via email and text” and expand their “electronic outreach,” a county spokesperson told FFXnow.
The website’s homepage also got a facelift, focusing more heavily on the county’s Strategic Plan, One Fairfax and data analytics. The updated homepage further strives to foster more community involvement through an Engage Fairfax County portal.
Direct links to popular County services, such as real estate assessments, the PLUS land use and permit database, library access and park classes, continue to feature prominently on the homepage, the county says.
While information, links, site structure and department content remain the same, the county strove to update the visual presentation of the website’s information through “a new color palette and more modern elements,” the county said.
These costless changes were largely driven by feedback acquired from a 2022 public survey, which was used to create a draft design that the county says “received accolades from employees and the community.”
However, since the update launch, some website users have reported experiencing technical difficulties. For some, navigating the website prompted error messages that denied them further access to certain webpages.
“As with the launch of any new design of a website, the traffic to view and use the new site increases, which might have caused users to experience some challenges,” the county spokesperson told FFXnow. “We apologize to our customers that experienced any problems. We will continue to monitor and optimize performance.”
Army Acquisition of Mason Neck Land Halted — The Army had recommended a transfer of 50 acres of public land in the Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area “for long-term usage” by horses in its Caisson Platoon, which supports military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. Congress dropped the language from its draft defense budget after an outcry from the community. [On the MoVe]
Overhaul of Virginia Education Funding Recommended — “Virginia’s complicated formula for funding K-12 schools needs an overhaul in order for the state to adequately fund public education, according to the results of a major legislative study presented Monday…School divisions receive 14% less funding from the state than the 50-state average, JLARC found, equal to about $1,900 less per student.” [Virginia Mercury]
Nonprofit Documents Black History of Bailey’s Crossroads — “The Springdale neighborhood in Bailey’s Crossroads has long been the center of a flourishing Black community…Julius Smith, who grew up in the neighborhood, is working on documenting that history for a nonprofit he founded called the Black American Registry of Bailey’s Crossroads.” [Annandale Today]
Housing Prices Elevated as Sales Decline — “The Fairfax County real-estate market stayed above the billion-dollar mark in June, according to new data, as the average sales price among single-family homes remained above $1 million.” As of July 11, sales were down 18% from last year, continuing a trend fueled by “a combination of affordability and availability issues.” [Gazette Leader]
County Board Honors Title-Winning Madison Baseball Team — “On Tuesday, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors honored the Madison High School baseball team for winning the Virginia Class 6 state title over Westfield High School. Coach Mark ‘Pudge’ Gjormand and the team were present to accept the board’s resolution.” [Patch]
GMU Adds Pickleball Courts at Fairfax Campus — “Join us Tuesday, July 18 for the Grand Opening of the Mason Recreation Pickleball courts! The event will include learn-to-play sessions, drills, and open play until 9:30 pm. The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will take place at 12:45 pm by Pam Patterson.” [GMU]
Winning Lottery Ticket Bought in Vienna — “Typically, [George Katan] plays the $50 and $30 tickets, but this time, he decided to buy a $20 Multiplier Mania ticket. That decision paid off in a big way because Katan won the $1 million top prize with the ticket purchased his ticket at the 7-Eleven at 1931 Old Gallows Road in Vienna.” [Daily Voice]
Northern Virginia Businesses Celebrate Bastille Day — Restaurants in Reston and Great Falls are among the local businesses commemorating Bastille Day, the French national holiday marking the fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 and the beginning of the French Revolution. “In France, Bastille Day on July 14 is often honored with parades, dancing, and fireworks.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
It’s Thursday — Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. South wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. At night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. South wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. [Weather.gov]
Tysons Galleria may be closer to fully realizing its visions of luxury than ever before after a reportedly successful redevelopment of its former Macy’s store.
Created by subdividing the 260,000-square-foot department store, which closed in January 2019, the new wing is “effectively 100% leased” and has helped expand the mall’s offerings, particularly when it comes to home decor and entertainment, according to owner and developer Brookfield Properties.
“I think the Macy’s redevelopment is a great example of what Brookfield does,” Joe Hope, Brookfield’s senior vice president of leasing, said. “We took a 30-plus-year-old department store and reimagined that into a collection of categories and uses that we felt would be an additive to our merchandizing mix.”
Over the past couple of years, Tysons Galleria has doubled down on the high-end retailers that have cemented its reputation as the upscale cousin to its neighbor across Route 123, Tysons Corner Center.
Recent additions have ranged from fashion brands like Dior and Balenciaga to a slew of furniture stores, including Arhaus and a combined Crate & Barrel and CB2. The renovated wing also hosts Bowlero, the dine-in movie theater CMX CinéBistro and the restaurants, Yard House and Jiwa Singapura.
Though Brookfield didn’t provide specific numbers, Hope says that, so far, the sales performance of those newcomers “has exceeded our and their expectations,” noting that some tenants like Crate & Barrel had relocated from other sites in the area.
“A number of those brands existed in the trade area and just repositioned from prior locations to Tysons Galleria,” he told FFXnow. “Those stores, they’ve reported to us are generating significantly higher sales. So, it really proves the mix of the environment that we created in that wing is working for them.”
Far from being an obstacle, Tysons Galleria’s commitment to luxury retail buoyed it through the economic turmoil spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Hope and Brookfield Senior Director of Leasing Elizabeth Ryan.
In general, luxury brands have been relatively insulated from the impacts of inflation and other financial challenges, with research indicating customer demand across income levels, Retail Dive reported in February.
Whether that continues remains to be seen, as some companies reported slowing sales in late 2022, and a survey by the consulting firm PwC found that 53% of consumers plan to reduce spending on premium and designer products.
Like other malls in urban metro areas, Tysons Galleria took some hits when businesses shut down and office workers shifted to their homes early in the pandemic, but there hasn’t been any “sustained negative impact,” Hope says.
According to Ryan, the mall still sees its heaviest traffic on weekends, but working from home has afforded many customers more flexibility with their schedules, resulting in “some really nice pops” on weekdays.
The mall’s expansion into entertainment has also been “a wonderful addition,” she said, citing some families who have ventured to Tysons from downtown D.C. for kids’ parties at Bowlero.
“It’s really been an interesting and very exciting phenomenon and being able to offer these entertainment options that just didn’t exist before,” Ryan said. “I think there’s also been some anecdotal evidence that suggests the guests at the Ritz Carlton also enjoy the options that we are providing…That is a broadly international customer that the Ritz brings to Tysons Galleria.”
The Galleria has experienced some bumps. The departure of Urbanspace earlier this year, for example, turned the third-floor food hall into a void, with Andy’s Pizza, Empanadas De Mendoza and Twelve Twenty Coffee as the only remaining vendors.
However, Ryan says Brookfield has “very exciting plans” for that third level.
“I think you can safely say it’ll be in the next 12 to 18 months,” Hope said on when details about those plans will be announced. “…There’s a runway of time needed to exit a strategy before you can kick off the replacement strategy, so we’re well underway with that as we speak.”
Upcoming tenants that the property owner can confirm include the fashion brands Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, St. John, Rhone and Indochino, along with an Alo Yoga studio. All of them are expected to open in time for the winter holiday shopping season, which typically kicks off around Thanksgiving.
With luxury retail “enjoying some really, really strong tailwinds,” the pandemic hasn’t altered Brookfield’s vision for Tysons Galleria, Ryan says.
“We will continue to curate the best in class, high-performing luxury retail,” she said. “That will also be alongside…really exciting food and beverage concepts, up-market entertainment options and high-quality local and regional businesses.”
Fairfax County will ease up on its parking requirements for the planned redevelopment of the West Falls Church Metro station.
However, the 29% reduction in spaces that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved yesterday (Tuesday) was lower than the 34% reduction requested by developers EYA, Rushmark Properties, and Hoffman & Associates, known as FGCP-Metro LLC.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, whose district includes the 24-acre site, said FGCP-Metro appeared “receptive” to an agreement with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority allowing the development to use up to 120 parking spaces in the Metro parking garage.
“There is…a lot of capacity of parking in a Metro parking lot at this site, and the parking study suggested that that was a justification for reducing the parking factor even more,” Foust told the board. “…I think there is going to be an opportunity to use that to some extent, but to finalize and make this permanent, I asked that the applicant enter into an agreement with Metro for parking spaces, if they are to get the reduction they initially sought.”
Approved by the Board of Supervisors on June 27, the project will replace parking lots at the Metro station in Idylwood with over 1 million square feet of mixed-use development, including 810 multifamily residential units, 85 single-family townhouses, 110,000 square feet of office and up to 10,000 square feet of retail.
That will reduce the station’s park-and-ride capacity from 2,009 to 1,350 spots, including an existing 1,200-space garage, according to a staff report accepted by WMATA’s board of directors in March.
FGCP-Metro proposed providing 1,052 spaces in the development — 34% fewer than the 1,598 spaces required under the county’s zoning ordinance. A parking study from the development team posited that the site’s proximity to transit and planned pedestrian and bicycle improvements will make future residents less reliant on cars.
While some community members have objected to the loss of parking, county staff generally supported the study’s argument that the demand for parking is partly driven by its availability.
“When walkable locales are provided, behavioral changes occur that support use of non-auto travel modes such as walking and micromobility devices,” staff said in a memo to the Board of Supervisors. “…Reducing incentives to drive because parking is freely available reduces emissions, which is the primary source of pollution in our region.”
According to the parking study, the existing neighborhoods adjacent to the property generally restrict parking to residents, and Metro “indicated it was open to sharing arrangements” with the development.
Under the reduction approved by the Board of Supervisors, the developers will provide 1,140 spaces. The additional spaces come from an increased minimum rate of 0.9 spaces per unit, or 522 spaces total, for 579 one-bedroom apartments, which were previously set at a rate of 0.75 spaces per unit.
If WMATA agrees to share part of its garage, those spaces could be counted toward the total, reducing the amount of new parking that the developers need to build, according to Foust.
A representative for FGCP-Metro didn’t return a request for comment by press time.
The county is revamping its off-street parking policies for the first time since 1988. Set for a planning commission public hearing on July 26, Parking Reimagined would create a tiered system for parking requirements based on density, among other changes.
Overnight Traffic Stops Coming to I-495 — The southbound I-495 collector-distributor road near Georgetown Pike (exit 44) in McLean will be closed in 30-minute increments between midnight to 5 a.m. today (Wednesday) through Friday (July 14). “Following each stoppage, one lane will reopen to clear traffic before the next stoppage is implemented…These traffic stoppages are necessary for crews to remove overhead roadway signs.” [VDOT]
Youngkin Pushes Early Voting for Republicans — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) on Tuesday rolled out a web portal aimed at encouraging Republicans to register for absentee ballots and vote early in this fall’s legislative elections, embracing many of the voter-access policies enacted by Democrats in the past few years.” [The Washington Post]
Fare Discount Ends for Reston-to-Pentagon Bus — “Beginning Aug. 1, Route 599 will return to the regular fare of $7.50 per trip. Connector was able to offer Route 599 passengers a discounted rate of $4.25 per trip thanks to a grant from @NoVaTransit. We will exhaust all grant funding for the reduced fare on 8/1.” [Fairfax Connector/Twitter]
Annandale Is Getting Sub and Wings Eateries — “Jersey Mike’s Subs is expected to open in Annandale in early September. It’s located between the future Wingstop and Moby Dick House of Kabob in the new retail center at John Marr Drive and Little River Turnpike. Wingstop has set an opening date of July 30.” [Annandale Today]
Beverage Truck Launches in Mount Vernon — “For just over a month, entrepreneur Eric Danish has been serving up hot and cold beverages from his ‘Caffeine Machine VA’ food truck at The Garden Plot.” Danish previously drove the “full-service coffee and beverage trailer to events in various locations in the Manassas area” until he got Garden Plot’s offer of a permanent site. [On the MoVe]
County Adds Drop-Off Site for Latex Paint — “Due to the volume of LATEX PAINT we receive and current staffing shortages, a temporary disposal location for LATEX PAINT is open at the I-95 Landfill Complex. Please review the location and hours for dropping off at our facilities.” [Department of Public Works and Environmental Services/Twitter]
Library Short Story Contest Underway — “Fairfax County Public Library and the Fairfax Library Foundation invite adults (18+) to participate in our first annual ‘The World We Write’ short story writing contest. Use one of the prompts to write a 250-word story.” The contest will run through July 31, with winners getting notified by August 21. [FCPL]
Local Opera Company Brings Shakespeare to McLean — Shakespeare Opera Theatre founder Dr. Lori Lind’s vision of combining opera and Shakespeare initially confounded participants, but now, “her double dream has become a thriving reality at churches in Northern Virginia.” The company will perform “Much Ado About Nothing” at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in McLean this weekend. [WTOP]
It’s Wednesday — Sunny, with a high near 93. Light and variable wind becoming west around 6 mph in the morning. At night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 7 mph. [Weather.gov]
