As the Tysons plan reaches its 10-year anniversary, Supervisors John Foust and Dalia Palchik spoke candidly to the McLean Citizens Association last night (Wednesday) about some of the challenges facing the Tysons plan today.
While many of the issues were Tysons-specific, they are also challenges the entire region faces as Northern Virginia becomes more urbanized:
- Walkability
- Schools
- Affordable Housing
For some of these, the recent pandemic has both brought the issues into focus and helped present new opportunities.
“One of my favorite topics is walkability,” Palchik said. “[We’re] looking now at how we make Tysons more walkable.”
Palchik pointed to a recent success in temporarily closing a section of Tysons Blvd to allow for more cycling and walking. Palchik pointed to it as a step in the right direction, but said it also took a lot of work to make it happen.
“It took a month to get Fairfax and the Department of Transportation to agree on a location,” Palchik said. “I hope to see more flexibility to create a sense of place.”
Palchik pointed to the planned pedestrian and bike bridge going over the beltway as another upcoming walkability success. Tysons is also slated for more investments to connect the blooming city’s street grid.
“Sometimes, new streets can feel in conflict with existing conditions, but [we’re] trying to make it more walkable,” Palchik said. “Change can be hard, but we’re looking at the upsides and really listening.”
Palchik and Foust both repeatedly praised the foundation of the Tysons plan, but said there are things that need tweaking.
“One issue that continues to bother me is the fact that we don’t have a plan for delivering school facilities in Tysons yet,” Foust said. “We have gotten a proffer of land for an elementary school. That’s an issue that’s going to head up, going forward.”
Palchik said the county needs to be more flexible on how schools are built, for example, building smaller schools with less grade levels than traditional elementary, middle, and high school models.
“We’ve been working on proffers, because the county can’t buy land,” Palchik said. “We’re looking at being more flexible, knowing this area is urbanizing. Can we get five acres? Can portions of development be dedicated to classrooms?”
Foust said another issue that’s really been prevalent during the pandemic is the lack of affordable housing in the area.
“Our challenge is delivering housing for 80% below and 60% below [Area Median Income],” Foust said. “We’re working on that challenge to increase the amount of housing that is truly affordable.”
COVID-19, Foust said, has hopefully helped to highlight the role essential workers play.
“COVID, if nothing else, has opened up our eyes to who is truly our essential workers, and they’re not the people making the income that can put you in a luxury apartment in Tysons,” Foust said. “They’re the kind of people working in the department stores and grocery stores, the service providers, and they deserve to live in the community where they work.”
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
There’s been some progress on plans to start an autonomous shuttle service between the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station and the Mosaic District, but a large percentage of Americans still have concerns about autonomous vehicles.
The shuttle, operated in a partnership between Fairfax County and Dominion Energy, would be the first driverless public transportation in the region and the first state-funded autonomous transportation project in Virginia. The shuttle would be free to ride.
“The shuttle travel between the Dunn Loring Metrorail station and Mosaic in Merrifield,” Fairfax County said on the project website. “Signage has been installed along the testing route. At the conclusion of testing, the route should remain the same.”
The shuttle started testing in July and word on the grapevine is a new announcement about the shuttle is incoming within the next week.
While autonomous vehicles are generally safe, the few incidents of crashes have been high profile cases.
Update at 4 p.m. — Leesburg Pike appears to be clear to traffic again
Earlier: A car crash at the intersection of Leesburg Pike and Pimmit Drive has resulted in two injuries, though police said neither appear to be life-threatening.
The crash occurred around 3 p.m. One person was taken to the hospital. The road appeared partially closed as emergency personnel responded to the scene, though police said it was unlikely to remain blocked for long.
The busy intersection is near the Idylwood Plaza shopping center.
Image via VDOT, map via Google Maps
Tysons development Circle Towers is rebranding to Trillium Apartments (9401 Lee Highway) as it finishes up a series of extensive renovations.
“The Applicant is in the midst of renovations to Trillium Apartments, including a rebranding from the complex’s former name, Circle Towers,” the property owner said in a report.
The property owner is currently seeking a permit from Fairfax County to reflect that change, though social media accounts for the complex have referred to it as “Trillium Apartments” since at least January.
The website indicates that the apartment complex is available for tours.
The website says units at the facility range from $1,399 for a one bedroom-one bathroom unit to $2,468 for a three bedroom-2.5-bathroom unit, and features amenities like a fitness center and study spaces.
Image via Trillium Apartments
In an update to the McLean Citizens Association, School Board members Elaine Tholen and Karen Keys-Gamarra outlined some changes coming up as Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) begins to take a look at long-term planning again.
One of the biggest topics in the area before the pandemic was a proposed realignment of McLean’s high school boundaries.
According to FCPS:
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is considering a boundary adjustment to provide capacity relief to McLean High School. Currently, McLean HS has more than 2,350 students in a building with design capacity of 1,993 students. Enrollment at McLean HS is projected to increase in the next five years.
Langley High School, which is close in proximity to McLean HS, recently completed a renovation that increased its design capacity to 2,370 students. Current enrollment at Langley is 1,972. Enrollment at Langley HS is projected to remain the same or decrease in the next five years. FCPS is not planning to recommend moving students out of Langley HS as part of this boundary adjustment.
Those plans got put on the back burner as FCPS dealt with the response to the pandemic, but Tholen said those plans are starting to come back.
“We don’t have specific dates around the McLean/Langley boundary change,” Tholen said. “That’s something that we had started working on at the end of last year and through community comments have incorporated Cooper [Middle School] and Longfellow [Middle School] into that process. We anticipate that we will be moving forward with that so we can have something in place for next fall.”
School Board members also said that the Board had told Superintendent Scott Brabrand that the proposal to change admissions the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology needed more data.
“the goal is to make sure those students who rise to the top will not be overlooked while giving oppurtunities to those schools that have previously not participated,” Keys-Gamarra said.
The McLean Citizens Association had previously criticized FCPS for the speed with which it introduced the merit lottery proposal, saying that the process needs more transparency and community engagement.
NOVA Parks is planning to host a dedication of a new greenhouse entrance to Vienna’s Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in a small ceremony next week.
The new greenhouse will be dedicated as the Volgenau Conservator, named after the Volgenau Foundation that has funded the programs at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.
According to NOVA Parks:
This beautiful greenhouse is the first main feature people will see as they enter the gardens from the Visitor Center. Overlooking the two lakes at the renowned public garden, the Conservatory was funded by a generous gift from the Volgenau Foundation. Meadowlark has grown into the premier garden of Northern Virginia. Its annual Winter Walk of Lights that normally sees over 70,000 visitors, opens early this year on November 11. With staggered online tickets, this show is expected to be more popular than ever this year as a safe outdoor attraction for the whole family.
The ceremony to dedicate the new greenhouse is scheduled for next Tuesday, Oct. 20, though in an effort to keep groups small the dedication will not be open to the public.
Photo via Meadowlark Botanical Gardens/Facebook
In 2010, a plan was approved to help turn Tysons into a fully fledged city. Now, the McLean Citizens Association is planing to talk to County leadership and learn about how those plans have progressed.
The MCA is hosting a conversation tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7:30 p.m. with Fairfax County Supervisors John Foust and Dalia Palchik on how Tysons has changed over the last ten years since the new Comprehensive Plan was adopted.
“The session, moderated by MCA President Rob Jackson, will be in person at the McLean Community Center and live-streamed on our Facebook Page,” the MCA said in a press release. “Prior reservations are required for admission to the in-person session, and all county COVID-19 guidelines, including the wearing of masks at all times, and social distancing will be enforced.”
Each supervisor is scheduled to share their thoughts on how Tysons has changed, followed by a question and answer session and some closing remarks.
Attendance of the in-person event is for MCA members only, though anyone can view the Facebook livestream. No more than 50 people will be allowed in-person, including speakers and support personnel. Registration for the in-person portion can be made online.
Questions should be sent in advance of the session to [email protected].
Image via Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
Please stop leaving bags of vomit outside Emmaus United Church of Christ (900 Maple Avenue E).
This week’s Vienna Police Report notes that, between Aug. 18 and Oct. 3, on three separate occasions an employee at the church has found bags of vomit left in the parking lot:
An employee at the Church reported that on three separate occasions someone had left bags filled with vomit in the parking lot near the playground area.
Another littered puke balloon was reported later in the police report, sometime between 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 6 and 8 a.m. on Oct. 7.
Other tales of crime and mischief in this week’s report included vandalism of political signs and a man suspected of stealing chestnuts from a neighbor’s tree:
A resident reported that he observed an elderly man in his backyard. When the resident confronted
the man, he began walking toward Marshall Road. The resident believes the man may have been
stealing chestnuts from the tree in his yard.
Photo via Google Maps
A consultant hired by Fairfax County has rounded up some thoughts from regional government, business and non-profit leaders on what was hit most by the pandemic and where the most help is needed.
The feedback is one of the first steps on HR&A’s task of building an Economic Recovery Framework, a recovery strategy commissioned by Fairfax County and the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.
“This strategy will guide the County through stabilization and outline recommendations for fostering an equitable, inclusive recovery,” HR&A said in a report on the preliminary findings of their study.
In the initial findings, county and civic leaders highlighted the disproportionate impact of the virus on Latino and immigrant populations in Fairfax. The pandemic has also affected access to housing, with lost jobs leaving families without the ability to pay rent.
“Continue to invest in programs that support economic mobility and enrich residents’ lives (job training, continuing education, disability support resources) despite budget shortfalls,” said one unnamed County leader sourced in the findings.
Meanwhile, non-profit and health service providers said their capacity has been under-strain and expect further fundraising challenges in the upcoming year. Suggested solutions mainly involved streamlining services and trying to find efficiencies.
Major employers in the region, meanwhile, said decisions about real estate investments are being deferred until more certainty can be stablished, balanced only by hopes for a more efficient permitting process and a doubling down on tourism and leisure investments.
Smaller employers said they are still struggling with a lack of consumer confidence in returning to businesses and negative impacts have rippled along the supply chain. Many small businesses in the area are still focused on survival. Proposed solutions included more clear safety guidelines, streamlined online permitting, and rent deferment for small businesses.
More analysis of potential recovery scenarios is currently in the works, with a final report being drafted after that.
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
School Board Votes Unanimously to Rename Mosby Woods Elementary School — The Fairfax County School Board unanimously approved a name change for Mosby Woods Elementary School during its regular meeting on Thursday (Oct. 8). Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand will present recommendations for possible new names to the board on Oct. 22. [Fairfax County Public Schools]
IT Company Paradyme Management Opens Tysons Office — “To support this growth and also serve as a hub for its growing IT lab, the company opened a new Tysons office at 8255 Greensboro Drive in McLean, Virginia, with close to 4,000 square feet of space.” [Herald-Mail Media]
McLean Area Pumpkin Patch Guide — “If your family has a visit planned to a local pumpkin patch in McLean or Fairfax County, we have a list of stands open in the area.” [Patch]
Staff photo by Michelle Goldchain
