Update 10/28 — The new parking district will relieve overparked residential streets near the Scotts Run Nature Preserve, not the Scotts Run development in Tysons East. According to Robin Geiger:
As you can see from the area of impact shown on the map above, this permit district is not in the Tysons East district and will have no impact on multi-family development. The permit district will instead provide relief to residents of communities adjacent to Scotts Run Nature Preserve, whose streets have been heavily impacted by the increased number of visitors to the park. You also indicated that guests could receive temporary passes for no more than two weeks. That also is not true. Permits and visitor passes are available only to residents of the permit district.
Earlier: Be careful where you park near Scotts Run, because some of those spots could soon become residents only.
New residential developments are coming in to Tysons East even as other developments, like the Capital One complex, are expanding or being added. To stem off future conflicts, the Board of Supervisors is set to review this afternoon whether to implement (public hearing item for 4:30 p.m.) a parking district for the Scotts Run District.
Residential parking districts can be a mixed bag, with residents secure in their parking but adding difficulty to finding parking for guests — back in a time when people could have friends over at their house. The Scotts Run Residential Permit Parking District document noted that guests could receive temporary passes for no more than two weeks.
The new district will be designated District 48 and would not be available to residents of new multi-family developments.
“One transferable visitor pass per address shall be issued in the name of a bona fide resident of said address,” the document said. “However, visitor passes shall not be issued to multifamily or townhouse addresses, which have off-street parking provided.”
Image via Fairfax County
With COVID-19 on the upswing again in Fairfax, many traditional Halloween events are cancelled, but the Old Firehouse Center (1440 Chain Bridge Road) in McLean is planning a pair of events this Saturday to help keep the holiday alive.
The first will be House of Terror, the Old Firehouse Center’s first haunted house experience.
“OFC’s House of Terror will transform the teen center into the best Halloween experience in McLean,” the group said in a Facebook event listing. “Please note: OFC’s House of Terror is recommended for participants 10 years of age and older.”
As an alternative for younger — or less spooky-inclined — attendees, the Trunk or Treat will help recreate the trick-or-treat experience at a series of vehicles.
“The OFC’s Trunk or Treat will have themed vehicles with Halloween candy at each location to share (while supplies last),” the center said. “Trunk or Treat is a great safe alternative to trick or treating. We would love to see you dressed in your Halloween best. We look forward to seeing you there to give you the scare of your life.”
The program is scheduled to run from 6-9 p.m. and admission is $2. Preregistration is required and all attendees are required to wear a mask and will have a temperature screening prior to entry.
Photo via Google Maps
When Andy’s Pizza had to close, along with dozens of other restaurants and stores in Tysons Galleria, co-owner Emily Brown figured it would be around three to six weeks before they reopened. Seven months later, the restaurant has reopened, but the local pizza spot that had a steadily growing business at the start of the year is now fighting for survival.
“We worked really hard to build what was starting to take off,” Brown said.
Brown said shutting down was the right decision, but it was still hard on small businesses. Even with Andy’s Pizza officially reopening around two weeks ago, Brown said the office lunch crowd that was a mainstay of the business has all but disappeared.
“90% of our business was lunch, and the happy hour was starting to take off, all from offices,” Brown said.
Andy’s Pizza was one of the restaurants that helped launch Taste of Urbanspace in Tysons Galleria in 2018, a replacement to quick collapse of Isabella Eatery that put together smaller outlets of beloved restaurants and food vendors throughout the region.
Throughout late 2018 and 2019, restaurants like Stomping Ground, Donburi and Andy’s Pizza built a community on the upper floors of the mall and established a dedicated local following. Andy’s Pizza even launched a pop-up with Stomping Ground’s Del Ray location. But that community is now in jeopardy as the local hospitality and office markets remain devastated as a result of the pandemic. Read More
Barry Biggar, President and CEO of Visit Fairfax, has a somewhat frank assessment of the state of the hospitality industry in Fairfax: not great.
“There’s one particular industry that’s been devastated, and that’s travel and tourism,” Biggar said, “and when people aren’t travelling, there are many elements that are affected.”
Biggar isn’t alone in that assessment. In an Economic Advisory Commission meeting, local hospitality industry leaders spoke with Biggar and members of the Board of Supervisors about the impact the pandemic has had on hotels and other hospitality services.
“This has perhaps been the most heart-rending experience of my entire career,” said Mark Carrier, representing DoubleTree Hotel in Tysons. “Many hotels are paying to stay open. In Fairfax, all hotels combined had an occupancy of just 32 percent over last three months, less than half a year ago. Same period in 2019 was 76 percent. Revenue has declined by 73 percent across the entire county. Cash flow has evaporated basically, operators fighting to sustain their business. Frankly, the sustained nature of the crisis has been a source of stress.”
Biggar told Tysons Reporter that the D.C. area, including Fairfax, is one of four regions in the country seeing occupancy below 50%.
“From middle of March to end of August, hotel revenue (generated here in our county) has seen a loss of $278,987,000, just between mid-March and August,” Biggar said. “May is generally a good month. In May of 2018, the hotel revenue in Fairfax County was $70 million. This May, that figure was $9.1 million.”
Biggar noted that those figures are just based on revenue from occupancy and don’t include the total loss from related services, like food and beverage or catering.
“When you add those up, it’s significant,” Biggar said.
Ketamine and Wellness Facility Opening in McLean — “Avesta Ketamine and Wellness is excited to announce the opening of their second location in McLean Virginia November 2020.” [Benzinga]
Cloud Networking Service in McLean Wins $2.15 Billion Sale — “McLean, Virginia-based telecommunications, internet and cloud services provider GTT Communications has signed an agreement to sell its infrastructure business to I Squared Capital, a Miami-based infrastructure investment company, for $2.15 billion.” [WTOP]
Vienna Community Center Selling Halloween Goodie Bags — “Those interested may come to the community center 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 am-6 pm Saturdays. Each bag is $20 and comes with two pie-sized pumpkins.” [Vienna Happenings]
OmniRide Cancels Woodbridge-Tysons Route — “Last week, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, which operates the bus service, announced a host of changes to reduce expenses that will take effect Nov. 2. Three commuter routes – Dale City to Mark Center, Lake Ridge to Mark Center and Woodbridge VRE to Tysons Corner – will be suspended until further notice.” [WTOP]
According to a police report, two acquaintances were robbed at gunpoint earlier this week at Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road).
The police said the incident happened on Tuesday, Oct. 13, around 8:11 p.m. According to the report:
Two acquaintances reported they were returning to their car when they were approached by three men. The men displayed firearms, demanded their money and merchandise, and ran away. No injuries were reported.
Other crimes around the McLean district this week included a carjacking at gunpoint on Saturday, Oct. 10. The incident reportedly happened at the Residence Inn at 8400 Old Courthouse Road. According to the report:
A man reported that he was in a parking lot when a man approached him, displayed a gun and demanded his car keys. The man drove away in the victim’s 2018 Mercedes sedan after taking cash and personal property. No injuries were reported.
Staff photo by Michelle Goldchain
After months of delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Falls Church is starting to get back to work on implementing traffic calming measures across the city to reduce speeds.
The report included plans for new curb extensions and sidewalks along Great Falls Road, at the intersections with Little Falls Street and Maple Street — a busy set of intersections that run parallel to W. Broad Street.
Several new speed limit signs, and flashing warnings, would be installed in neighborhood streets around Falls Church.
An update listed eight traffic calming projects that had been underway in Falls Church, three of which have been completed. Completed projects include:
- Annandale Road and Gundry Drive — heavy traffic calming measures at this intersection were completed in May
- W.Jefferson Street — light traffic calming was completed in late September
- Lincoln, Phase I — a restriping project completed in late September
Four other projects throughout the city are underway, with Falls Church staff saying work is starting to resume on moving projects through the bureaucracy. According to a report:
Response to COVID-19 pandemic did result in a March/April slow down as we converted to remote work sites, reduced crews to emergency and priority field work, cancelled in-person community meetings pending legal authority to conduct under the emergency declaration and adapted to virtual formats. Staff adapted quickly to the virtual environment and continued to work through the queued projects in order of petitions. With Zak Bradley’s promotion to Interim Public Works Director, we have made staff reassignments to ensure that the program moves forward.
The report also included a recommendation that $350,000 dedicated to the traffic calming that had been put on hold earlier in the pandemic be released.
Image via City of Falls Church
The announcement of more delays for the Silver Line have led to concerns from Supervisors Dalia Palchik and John Foust that Metro isn’t giving the communities around the Tysons area a fair shake.
Metro was one of several topics the supervisors spoke to the McLean Citizens Association about earlier this week.
“They are currently talking about reducing Metrorail service across the system to 80%,” Foust said. “Except that they’re saying they don’t have the funds to commence service on Phase II of the Silver Line.”
While Foust said the second phase of the Silver Line expansion isn’t quite ready for opening, it will be soon, and Foust said it deserved to be treated like any other wing of the Silver Line. Foust was particularly vexed by arguments from WMATA that Metro lines that had been operational before the shutdowns will be prioritized for service.
“If they get 80%, we should get 80%,” Foust said. “We’ve invested $6 billion into the Silver Line… I’m advocating for opening Phase 2 of the Silver Line as soon as possible.”
Palchik said these issues have been exacerbated by lack of communication between WMATA and Fairfax County.
“We found out, maybe hours before the public, that the Orange and Silver lines were being shut down,” Palchik said. “The lack of communication between our boards and the WMATA boards is frustrating beyond compare. [We] need to ensure we’re not seen as the wicked stepchild of the metro system.”
Staff photo by Michelle Goldchain
Halmar International Moving from Tysons to Baltimore — “Several of the current employees from Tysons Corner are expected to move into the positions in Baltimore.” [Baltimore Business Journal]
Fairfax Firefighters Host Virtual “Fill the Boot” — “Join #Providence @SupvPalchik in supporting the virtual #FairfaxCounty #FillTheBoot benefiting @MDAorg by donating here” [Twitter]
W&OD Trail Section in Falls Church Closed — “As of today, the section of trail from Little Falls St to Great Falls St is closed for work related to the dual trails project.” [Twitter]
Local Suicide Prevention Program Launched Fall Fundraiser Tonight — “Spring into fall with PRS by virtually joining us for our rescheduled annual signature benefit, Springtopia – A Season of Hope” [PRSinc.org]
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
Fairfax County is putting together a survey to direct funding for the Consolidated Community Funding Pool — which goes to help local nonprofits and organizations. The County is looking for public input on where the biggest needs are.
The goal of the fund is supplement the county’s ability to fill human services needs.
“To determine how these funds should be allocated, Fairfax County, with significant community input, establishes categories that are reflective of the needs residents feel are most important in their communities,” the County said in a press release. “In preparation for the next funding cycle, the county seeking your insight on our current category areas”
The categories are:
- Financial Stability
- Food and Nutrition
- Health
- Housing
- Literacy/Educational Development/Attainment
- Positive Behaviors and Healthy Relationships
- Support/Community/Social Networks
A survey for prioritizing needs is available online, and responses are welcome until Friday, Oct. 30. All responses will be kept anonymous.
