At an upcoming event, a local business owner is planning to talk about growing up with one of America’s most notorious white supremacists.

On Friday (April 12), the Vienna Business Association (VBA) is planning to host a lunch and discussion with Kelvin Pierce, a local business owner and son of a prominent racist and antisemitic author.

Today, Kelvin Pierce is the co-owner of Commonwealth Home Design, Inc., a Vienna-based residential design and remodeling firm operating since 1986.

Pierce’s father was William Luther Pierce, a neo-Nazi and author of the novels Hunter and The Turner Diaries, which inspired the Oklahoma City bombing.

A description for the event says it will be an uplifting discussion of hardship and recovery.

“Kelvin was profoundly influenced by his father while growing up and tells his story of rampant abuse, mental illness and eventual recovery,” the VBA website said.

The event is scheduled to be held in the Vienna Moose Lodge (9616 Courthouse Road) from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Advance RSVPs are due by 4 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). Tickets for VBA members are $15 or $20 for non-members. Late registrations and walk-ins are $25.

Photo via Commonwealth Home Design

Last August, the future looked uncertain for popular local nightspot Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike). But just a few months later, Biergarten isn’t just staying in place: it’s growing.

The Biergarten had been in-place on a month-to-month basis — a placeholder until the construction nearby extended into the lot. Owner Matt Rofougaran said the Biergarten will remain in place through the end of the year, if not longer.

But the extension doesn’t mean the Biergarten will remain stagnant. This past weekend, the Biergarten opened a new speakeasy-by-day and nightclub-by-night in the basement.

Where there were once German style long tables in the basement, fitting the German beerhall theme of the rest of the establishment, the room has been turned into a club called Room 7.

There are 50 beers available downstairs, both in bottles and cans, with a special table service being offered. The club is over-21 only and has a strict dress code.

During the speakeasy hours, the location is planned to offer “prohibition-type cocktails,” mainly custom house mixes with higher-end whiskey in a more relaxed atmosphere.

“I like the speakeasy trend,” Rofougaran said. “This is a good first-date spot. A lot of places you go are too loud and obnoxious.”

After a pause, Rofougaran added, “But then in the evenings, it’s going to get loud and obnoxious.”

Rofougaran said he’s also looking to get some of the big DJs from D.C. to make the trip across the Potomac to perform at the club. The club is also planned to host a variety of themed nights, like “Persian Night” on Thursdays or “Old School Hip Hop” on Fridays.

“It was time for a renovation,” Rofougaran said.

Rofougaran was frank that he hoped the change would generate sales, but also added that the higher end speakeasy and nightclub vibes were something he felt the Tysons area was lacking.

A grand opening celebration for Room 7 is planned for April 11.

Rofougaran also opened up a little about The Shipyard, a new location for the Biergarten planned for the Scotts Run development in Tysons East.

Early plans indicated that the new location near the McLean Metro station would replace the existing Biergarten, but according to Rofougaran, current plans have The Shipyard and Tysons Biergarten operating concurrently.

The Shipyard is planned to have four shipping containers modified into their own types of mini-restaurant or bar. One will be a branch of the Biergarten. Another will be an egg roll spot called Roll Bär. The other two have not been announced yet.

A Tysons company is helping BMW move into the driverless car market with aims to reduce the time and cost to develop autonomous vehicles.

Tysons-based DXC Technology Co. has signed up to help BMW with the technology to collect, store, and manage vehicle sensor data in autonomous cars, the Washington Business Journal first reported.

“DXC will greatly support our commitment to maximizing innovation, which will benefit our customers,” Alejandro Vukotich, senior vice president at the BMW Group, said in a press release. “With the managed services, we are able to ramp up the solution to support the next stage of the future of BMW Group’s autonomous drive platform.”

The data DXC will be processing can be collected globally to maximize the efficiency of the vehicles and reduce costs. The press release also says the DXC programs are built with online collaboration in mind, meaning engineers in different locations can work together on data analytics for the self-driving cars.

Edward Ho, executive vice president of DXC Technology, said in the press release that the next five years are a pivotal time in the development of autonomous cars to revolutionize the car industry.

“DXC welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with BMW Group to advance autonomous driving development capabilities,” Ho said. “With the platform and tools provided by DXC, BMW engineers are able to significantly accelerate the engineering and testing of autonomous driving algorithms.”

Photo via Facebook

Tysons’ tire bandits have struck again.

Less than one week after the crew stole all of the wheels from a vehicle at the 1500 block of West Branch Drive, a Fairfax County police recap shows that another vehicle at the 7900 block of Jones Branch also had its tires stolen.

The new theft brings the total number of tire larcenies in the area since February up to seven. This is also the third time the thieves have struck at the 7900 block of Jones Branch Drive, which earlier reports indicated was the Highgate at the Mile mixed-use development.

All but one of the thefts has taken place within the Mile, 40-acre stretch of buildings northeast of Tysons Galleria currently under consideration for redevelopment.

Three men were arrested in the Tysons Corner Center mall’s Apple Store last Friday (April 5) and charged with credit card fraud and theft, according to police.

The arrest took place around 1:45 p.m. after staff at the store alerted police officers to a man in the store believed to be a suspect in previous credit card fraud cases, according to a recap from the Fairfax County Police Department.

According to the police report:

Officers determined there were two other men working with the man inside the store. They were using fraudulent identification along with stolen credit cards to make purchases. Officers arrested all three men and found devices in their car used to manufacture fraudulent identification documents and credit cards. Also inside the car was approximately $50,000 worth of property. Madalin Florea, 43, of Connecticut, was charged with three counts of credit card theft, three counts of credit card fraud, three counts of larceny with intent to sell and possession of a fictitious driver’s license. Coja Ion, 60, of no fixed address, was charged with credit card theft, credit card fraud, larceny with intent to sell and possession of a fictitious driver’s license. Gabriel Balam, 29, no fixed address, was charged with credit card theft, credit card fraud, larceny with intent to sell and three counts of possession of a fictitious driver’s license.

Photo via FCPD

The Weekly Planner is a roundup of the most 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! Also, be sure to check out our new event calendar.

Tuesday (April 9)

• Free Cone Day — 12-8 p.m. at Ben & Jerry’s (136 Maple Avenue W) — The Vienna Ben & Jerry’s is hosting a Free Cone Day in partnership with local nonprofit The Committee for Helping Others. Anyone who comes in for free ice cream can donate to the group.
• Solarize Community Forum — 7:30 p.m. at Vienna Town Hall (127 Center Street S) — Local residents and business owners are invited out to a discussion with Solarize NoVa on the economics behind going solar.

Wednesday (April 10)

• Open House Tasting — 5-6 p.m. at Bards Alley (110 Church Street NW) — The Bard’s Alley bookstore in Vienna is hosting an open house testing with local vendors offering a selection of soups, hummus, desserts and more. Drink specials will also be on offer. The event is free to attend with no reservation required.

Thursday (April 11)

• Columbine 20 Years Later — 7:30-9 p.m. at Westbriar Elementary (1741 Pine Valley Drive) — Moms Demand Action’s Virginia chapter is hosting a retrospective on the Columbine shooting. Two women who lived through the experience, a teenager at the school and a local psychologist, are scheduled to discuss their experiences and take a look at what’s changed since then.

Friday (April 12)

• Film Distribution and Finance Seminar — 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Angelika Film Center (2911 District Ave) — The NOVA Fest and Capital Film Market are hosting a seminar for people interested in getting involved in the movie-making business. Agents will be on hand to talk about how people with films or scripts they’re looking to sell can connect with the right producers.  Tickets are $26.
• Family Flashlight Egg Hunt — 7:30 p.m. at Glyndon Park (300 Glyndon Street NE) — Bring a flashlight and a basket for Vienna’s evening egg hunt. The hunt starts at dark, with a visit by the Easter Bunny at 8 p.m. Tickets are $3 per child with a limit of six per family.

Saturday (April 13)

• Record Store Day — 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. at Records and Rarities in Tysons Corner Center — Records and Rarities is hosting “Record Store Day”, a celebration with 10 percent off all used vinyl, free coffee and cinnamon buns, and several prizes and giveaways. The line is planned to start at 7:30 a.m. outside the store.
• Masters’ Putt-Pong Tournament — 12-2 p.m. at Brandbox in Tysons Corner Center — Chubbie’s is hosting a two-on-two putt-pong tournament. The game is a riff on party classic beer-pong, but with golf accouterment. All participants will receive a free cooler bag and $5 off any casual stretch shorts. The tournament is the first of a series of events at the mall’s BrandBox events.
• The Last Bison and Broke Royals — 8 p.m. at Jammin Java (227 Maple Ave E) — Indie folk band The Last Bison is scheduled to perform at Jammin’ Java. Tickets are $15 for general admission or $25 for premier tickets.

Sunday (April 14)

• Sesame Street Sing-a-Long — 11:15 a.m.-12 p.m. at Nordstrom Tysons Corner Center (8075 Tysons Corner Center) — Sesame Street Live — a show coming to the Eagle Bank Arena in Fairfax on May 4 — is hosting a free show at the Tysons Corner Center Nordstrom. Attendees can also save $5 on the main show in May.
• Paint for Pups and Kitties — 12-2:15 p.m. at Muse Paintbar (2920 District Avenue) — A paint and sip event at the Muse Paintbar in the Mosaic District will raise money for City Dogs Rescue and City Cats. Tickets are $45.

Photo via Facebook

A moratorium on new development applications for Maple Avenue was scheduled to expire in June but could be pushed back to October, marking over a full year of no new applications.

On the agenda for tonight’s (Monday) Vienna Town Council meeting is a request to schedule a public hearing for May 13 to discuss extending the suspension of the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) Zone from June 27 to Oct. 31.

Last year, the town was roiled in controversy as citizens and Council members argued back and forth over whether a new mixed-use development replacing the Vienna Wolf Trap Hotel was too large for Maple Avenue.

“If we’re going to have a project there, this one is not ready for primetime,” said Councilmember Howard Springsteen at the August meeting. “I think the developer has done a horrible [public relations] job and has created a firestorm of concerns around town. This is probably one of the most divisive things that has come to this town in 20 years.”

In September 17, the Town Council voted to suspend the MAC Zoning while town staff redesigned the town’s guidelines.  The redesign process has been conducted throughout the winter and into spring. Two community workshops to solicit public feedback were held on March 29 and 30.

But the agenda item notes that staff needs more time to work on putting the suggestions from the public and Vienna officials into new guidelines:

Staff recommends extending the suspension of the MAC Zoning regulations to enable completion of proposed new design guidelines and incorporate potential recommendations from the multimodal transportation study into the amendments to the MAC Zone regulations.

The agenda item notes that a joint meeting of the Town Council, Planning Commission and Board of Architectural Review was held on March 20 but the meeting was continued to May 1.

Additionally, the Town of Vienna also recently commissioned a Maple Avenue Corridor Multimodal Transportation and Land Use Study whose results are expected to be received this summer and could be incorporated into the design guidelines.

File photo

A hotel planned near Leesburg Pike has been nixed by the developers in favor of a new athletic field.

The field is proposed for 8229 Boone Blvd, a street parallel to Leesburg Pike and halfway between Chain Bridge Road and Gallows Road. P.S. Business Parks owns the property.

The athletic field is part of fulfilling requirements associated with the developer’s The Mile project northeast of Tysons Galleria.

The application notes that the field will include synthetic turf, field lighting, bleachers and other equipment. Parking for the field will be located in the Tycon II and Tycon III office buildings next door.

According to the application:

The proposed athletic field will serve the growing needs of the Tysons community. It is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, which calls for developers to provide athletic fields in Tysons… The proposed soccer field will satisfy the field expectation associated with the rezoning and development of The Mile, a residential mixed use development in the North Central District.

It’s a move that will likely be popular with local citizens groups, which have called for more athletic fields to be added throughout Tysons.

Cake chain Nothing Bundt Cakes is hosting a very brief celebration of its 300th store opening.

From 3-3:05 p.m., stores nationwide are planning to give away up to 300 confetti “bundtlets” — little bundt cakes — for 300 seconds. The cakes are limited to one per person.

The Vienna location for Nothing Bundt Cakes opened in November at 129 Maple Avenue W.

Bundt cakes are made in a pan that gives them a distinctive ring shape. In addition to ten cake flavors and forty unique designs, Nothing Bundt Cakes also offers various cake-themed gifts and decor.

This isn’t the first free cake giveaway at the bakery. The first 50 guests at the store’s grand opening January got free bundtlets for one year.

Photo via Facebook

Free Rides to Tysons — The new Fairfax Connector Route 467, which runs from Tysons to Vienna to Dunn Loring, is now operating and is free for the month of April. [Twitter]

Law Firm Finishes Move to The Boro — “Womble Bond Dickinson is excited to announce that it has completed its move to the new Boro Tower effective April 1… [The law firm] will occupy the entire 15th floor of the Boro Tower, consisting of approximately 24,000 square feet of office space.” [CityBizList]

New Falls Church Ice Cream Shop — “Falls Church just got a little sweeter with the opening of Kiln & Custard at Lincoln at Tinner Hill, 455 South Maple Avenue. The business will celebrate its grand opening Sunday, April 7 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.” [Patch]

Vienna Named ‘Tree City’ Again — “Vienna has been certified as a ‘Tree City USA’ by the Arbor Day Foundation for the 18th time, and will host a special event on Friday, April 26 at 5 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center.” [InsideNova]

Mamma Mia! in McLean — “Langley High School concludes its 2018-2019 theater season with an international hit sensation: Mamma Mia!. It will play on April 25-27 at 7 p.m., April 28 at 2 p.m. and May 2-4 at 7 p.m. and May 5 at 2 p.m., 2019 at Saxon Stage Theater at Langley High School.” [McLean Connection]

Falls Church Van Break-ins — “Falls Church Police are seeking two suspects for breaking into the same van three times. Video from the latest break-in shows one suspect inside the van.” [Patch]