If you’re looking for a place to house your servants, watchman and tenant farmers, there’s good news — Fairfax is in the middle of a process to simplify its complex and humorously outdated zoning code.

At a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Development Process Committee meeting yesterday (May 14), the committee reviewed a series of proposed changes to modernize the zoning code — a process dubbed zMOD.

During the meeting, a consultant working on the modernization said Fairfax County’s zoning wasn’t the most labyrinthine he’d seen, but it was close.

Much of the process involves consolidating a wide array of residential classifications — like dormitories, fraternity/sorority houses, rooming/boarding houses, etc. — into a single use, like “residence hall.” Servants quarters and housing for tenant farmers in Fairfax are now grouped together as “caretaker quarters.”

But the regulations also add new zoning uses to the code as well, like electric vehicle charging or solar collection systems.

At the meeting, staff said part of the new zoning would include extensive modifications to accessory dwelling unit (ADU) zoning. These are dwelling units designed as separate from the primary residence.

Currently, all ADUs require a special use permit, but under the new regulations, an administrative approval could be obtained if the unit is located entirely within the main residence — like a basement separate from the main house.

The zMOD process is scheduled to be presented as a consolidated draft to the Board of Supervisors in July. Work is expected to continue on the zMOD process throughout 2019 with public hearings on the final draft in spring and summer 2020.

Photo via Fairfax County Government

Four years after BoConcept closed its doors in Tysons Galleria, the high-end furniture retailer is finally open again.

The store opened on Saturday (May 11) on the second floor of the mall.

Staff at the store said the core concept is “modular design.” If an item is too large or too small, or if the coverings aren’t the color or texture you like, aspects of the furniture are flexible and can be altered by store staff to meet specifications.

Started in Denmark in 1952, BoConcept has nearly 300 stores spanning 60 countries.

The new retailer is part of a broader series of changes planned for the northern wing of the mall, including a new fitness section and the redevelopment of the Macy’s into a series of smaller stores.

The Capital Bikeshare network soon could reach out to even more spots in the Tysons area.

At a Fairfax County Board Transportation Committee meeting today (Tuesday), staff went through plans to add new bike share stations throughout Tysons, Vienna and Merrifield, with potential to add them to McLean.

Currently, 30 Capital Bikeshare stations are located in Fairfax County, with 16 in Reston, 13 in Tysons, and one at the West Falls Church Metro station. The most recent Capital Bikeshare station in Tysons was installed in December at the McLean Metro station. On Friday (May 17) a new station is scheduled to activate at Hilton Headquarters (7930 Jones Branch Drive) on the other side of the Jones Branch Connector.

There are 17 proposed locations for new Capital Bikeshare docks in the Tysons area to be launched next year — including docks along the Route 7 corridor between Tysons and Falls Church and the Gallows Road corridor between Tysons and Merrifield.

In Merrifield, three new stations are planned to activate on May 22 at:

• Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station (2700 Gallows Road)
• Halstead Square Dunn Loring Metro Apartments (2729 Merrilee Drive)
• The Mosaic District (Merrifield Cinema Drive)

Six new stations are planned to launch in the area next spring.

A collaborative study for bike share expansion in Vienna was completed in March, and staff said the study recommended expanding the system throughout Vienna and considering a dockless bike share feature sometime in the future.

Along that route, Fairfax County recommends additional stations at:

• Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station (2700 Gallows Road)
• Vienna Metro station (9550 Saintsbury Drive)
• Gallows Road corridor
• Nottoway Park (9537 Courthouse Road)
• Circle Towers (9335 Lee Highway)

The Capital Bikeshare expansion in the study area is planned to be funded from the I-66 Commuter Choice program.

In the Town of Vienna, new bike share locations are proposed at:

• Town Green (144 Maple Avenue E.)
• Vienna Community Center (120 Cherry Street S.E.)
• Maple Avenue Shopping Center (180 Maple Avenue W.)
• Navy Federal Credit Union (820 Follins Lane)
• 444 Maple Avenue W. (currently a redevelopment project)

Yesterday (Monday), Capital Bikeshare also expanded into Falls Church with 11 stations.

There are few details, but the staff report indicates that future expansion could add the Capital Bikeshare to other areas like McLean.

New legislation could allow Fairfax County to establish exceptions to no-turn restrictions for local residents.

Last year, McLean residents shot down a plan to eliminate cut-through traffic because it would also limit street access for residents, but new legislation could allow a middle-ground option.

At a Fairfax County Board Transportation Committee meeting today (Tuesday), staff discussed a proposal that would give local residents permits to exempt them from cut-through restrictions either currently in place or to be established.

Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said the idea came from a local citizen and was presented by Del. Kathleen Murphy (D-34th District) to the Virginia legislature, who sponsored HB 2033. The legislation allows Fairfax County to “develop a program to issue permits or stickers to residents of a designated area that will allow such residents to make turns into or out of the designated area during certain times of day where such turns would otherwise be restricted.”

Neil Freschman, section chief of traffic engineering at Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT), said the program would be jointly administered by FCDOT and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to specifically handle traffic that has neither origin nor destination on the road in question.

“This is only relevant for cut-through turns,” Freschman said, “not safety restrictions.”

Once a cut-through restriction is put into place, Freschman said a letter would be sent out to local residents letting them know how to file for a permit.

Currently, staff said there are only two areas that have relevant cut-through restrictions: both of them in the Mason District, but Foust noted that there are places in the Dranesville District where this kind of permit could be a solution to transit woes.

“We don’t want to enforce it against residents, but they say it’s all or nothing: we enforce it against everybody or we don’t enforce it against anybody,” Foust said. “[This idea] allows residents to make the turn onto their own streets if there was a cut-through restriction.”

Staff estimated that developing the new ordinance could take six months, followed by seven months of updating agreements with partner agencies and designing the new permits, and a year to work with a contractor to develop new software. Part of that process would be determining permit-eligible areas and determining if a fee should be charged to residents for the permits, which staff currently does not recommend.

Staff also noted that permits would be issued to vehicles registered at permit-eligible addresses and would not be available to visitors, caregivers, service providers, relatives or others. After questioning from the committee, staff said they would look into seeing about easing that limitation.

Enforcement of the policy would be conducted on a complaint basis, staff said, rather than as a daily activity. Difficulties like low-light conditions and potentially confusing factors, such as unclear signage, were also noted in a report on the project.

The committee approved of staff moving forward with the plan to build guidance and to work with Fairfax County Police to ensure the program is enforceable. The project is expected to return for public hearing and consideration in early 2020.

“This is a breakthrough,” said Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Sharon Bulova. “We’ve never been able to use a tool like this, but the state legislation allows us to do that.”

Photo via Flickr/Mike Goad

If you didn’t get your ice cream fill on Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s, you can stop by Häagen-Dazs tomorrow (Tuesday) for more.

The Häagen-Dazs on the second floor of Tysons Corner Center is set to participate in the chain’s Free Cone Day. From 4-8 p.m. tomorrow, one mini-cone per customer will be given away for free, according to the Tysons Corner Center website.

The event also serves as a promotion for the chain’s Häagen-Dazs loves Honey Bees Initiative, a fundraising effort to develop solutions for Colony Collapse Disorder, which is placing the future of the food chain at risk. Donations to the fundraiser can be made online.

Photo via Facebook

The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Tuesday (May 14)

• FCPS Budget Public Hearing — 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Luther Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Road) — The Fairfax County Federation of Teachers is planning a rally at the budget hearing to demand better pay, staffing, professional development support and more. The organization is asking members of the public to speak up and support local teachers.

Thursday (May 16)

• DekaLash Grand Opening — 5-7 p.m. at the Mosaic District (2910 District Avenue) — The eyelash studio opening in the Mosaic District is hosting a grand opening celebration. Door prizes include free lash sets, hand massages, snacks and more.
• Game of Thrones Trivia Night — 5-7:30 p.m. at Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road) — In celebration of the upcoming “Game of Thrones” finale, the Tysons Corner Center is hosting a “Game of Thrones” trivia night in BrandBox. The competition will include “Game of Thrones”-themed prizes for the top two teams and light fare with a cash bar available. Teams are limited to up to four people with a $25 entry fee per team. Space is limited to the first 32 people.
• MPA Spring Benefit — 6-10 p.m. at The Falls — The McLean Project for the Arts’ fundraiser is being hosted in the most expensive home in D.C., which includes a property designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The event will feature food from Windows Catering Company, live painting and more. A raffle will also be held for two pieces of jewelry priced at $2,200.

Saturday (May 18)

• 5th Annual Fundraiser for Colour Bar Studio — 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Colour Bar Studio (8100 Boone Blvd) — The hair salon Colour Bar Studio is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a fundraiser to combat Lyme disease. The event will include product specials, raffles, special treats and prizes.
• McLean Day — 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bridge Road) — The McLean Community Center’s annual McLean Day festival returns with a day of free live entertainment, food trucks, carnival rides and more. The event is set to include laser tag, a rock climbing wall, balloon animals and a free petting zoo. Tickets for carnival rides can be purchased on sight. The event will be held rain or shine.
• Annual Korean Bell Garden Celebration — 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court) — The free festive celebration, sponsored by the Korean American Cultural Committee, features traditional Korean drum performances, music, TaeKwonDo demonstrations and an array of Korean clothing, games and food. The events culminate with the ringing of the 6,000 pound Korean Bell of Peace and Harmony. Admission to the gardens is also free from 10 a.m.-noon
• Beats and Brunch — 12-5 p.m. at Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike) — The Biergarten is hosting a brunch event with a DJ and specials. Rose and Mimosa specials are planned, along with a la carte food and spiked snow cones.

Photo via Facebook

Lane closures are expected around Vienna this week as part of the I-66 Outside the Beltway Project.

According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, crews will continue corridor-wide roadway maintenance this week with multi-lane closures along I-66 including stretches near the Dunn Loring Metro station and the Beltway interchange.

On Friday (May 17), I-66 is expected to have lane closures from the Beltway to Nutley Street in Vienna. Three lanes will be closed on the westbound side from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. to implement long-term lane shifts. At the Nutley Street intersection, repaving work is also planned for the median.

VDOT estimates an extra 20-minutes of stoppages, and slowdowns should be expected.

Photo via VDOT

In yet another week of bizarre Vienna crime reports, someone has been targeting local police vehicles with a laser pointer.

The incident occurred on May 2 around 8:40 p.m at 400 Nutley Street S.W., according to a police report:

An officer was driving northbound on Nutley Street when his vehicle was struck multiple times with a green laser pointer. A Fairfax County Police Officer also advised his vehicles had been struck by the laser pointer that night. A similar incident happened to another officer a few weeks before this incident.

Other local crimes include an argument between an employee at IGS Diamonds (444 Maple Avenue E.) and a customer, where the customer said staff bent the prongs of a ring and swapped out the diamonds. The employee showed police photographs indicating this wasn’t the case.

According to the police report, “both parties were advised this was a civil matter.”

Photo via Facebook

Even after 47 years, Ar-Jon Portable Toilets in Vienna is still “a family-owned business.”

The septic company is based out of 327 Owaissa Road S.E. and offers portable restrooms and sanitation equipment for any type of event that might need them.

“It’s a family thing,” Ben Wood said of the company his father started in 1972. Ben joined the business in 1975. “I’m the only son. My mother still runs the office and she’s helped out by my niece. I have two sons and the younger one works for us.”

Wood said the company has expanded and changed considerably since his father’s time. Over the last few years, there have been new innovations in septic-toilet cleaning.

“He started off with 12 wooden ones he built in the backyard,” Wood said. “Now, we’re at around 2,500.”

Like many businesses, Wood said Ar-Jon was hit hard by the 2008 recession, but the growth of construction in the area — and the subsequent need for portable toilets — has been a boon.

“Vienna is growing,” Wood said. “They’re tearing down all the 1940s homes and putting up big ones.”

For Wood, that means dozens of construction sites, all of which need portable toilets. Wood said that’s a large part of where the company’s business comes from.

“About 90 percent of our sites are construction,” Wood said. “We also do parks and specials events on weekends, that type of thing, especially like ViVa Vienna and Taste of Vienna.”

Photo via Facebook

By the end of the year, clothing brand Abercrombie & Fitch hopes to have a new kids-focused location at the opposite end of the Tysons Corner Center mall.

Staff at the current Abercrombie & Fitch near the Barnes & Noble said the chain is hoping to open a new “Abercrombie Kids” on the first floor by the Bloomingdale’s. Specifically, employees said the plan is to open the new store next to the American Girl doll store.

A manager at the massage parlor next to American Girl said she didn’t know anything about Abercrombie Kids moving into that space, but there are a handful of other vacant storefronts at that end of the mall.

The Abercrombie & Fitch brand dates back to 1892, but Abercrombie Kids started in 1998. The closest Abercrombie Kids store is in Arlington’s Pentagon City neighborhood at 1100 S. Hayes Street.