(Updated 5:20 p.m.) As Tysons grows, it’s sucking up a lot of juice.
According to Dominion Energy, by 2022 the existing load on power lines from the Tysons and McLean areas is expected to exceed 300 megawatts, which means the energy provider needs to build an additional power source to avoid violating mandatory standards.
The Idylwood-Tysons 230 kilovolt (kV) Project would add a new 4.3 mile transmission line underground, right through the heart of Tysons.
The project was approved by the State Corporation Commission in September. Now, Dominion spokesman Charles Penn said the company is engaged in the engineering phase. Penn said an open house for the project is planned for sometime this summer.
Construction on the project is tentatively scheduled for this fall, with completion planned sometime in 2022.
(Updated 11:30 a.m.) The busy intersection of Idylwood Road and Cedar Lane is about to get a little less scary.
A new traffic light is under construction at the intersection. A manager at the construction site said the concrete base was poured yesterday (Wednesday) and will be putting up the pole once the concrete sets. The manager said he expects construction to be finished sometime within the month.
In the meantime, the sidewalk on the southeast side of Cedar Lane is closed and there are periodic lane closures, reducing traffic along the busy street to one lane.
Neighbors stood at the street corner and watched the construction. One woman who lived nearby said the street is often backed up during rush hour.
“It’s a difficult intersection,” she said. “It’s a bad angle. It can be hard to see around.”
The woman said that construction crews had been in the area in late 2018 installing equipment in the area for the new light. She said while most of the neighbors were happy and excited for the new light, some were concerned that, when combined with the other light north, it could make traffic in the area even worse.
Like the nearby Agora in Tysons, Archontiko had ambitious plans to bring Mediterranian cuisine to the area around mid-November last year.
And like the nearby Agora in Tysons, trouble with permitting means the restaurant won’t be opening until March.
Archontiko will be a Greek restaurant focusing on modern cuisine from restaurateur Theodoros “Ted” Theodorou, who owns Delia’s Pizzeria and Mediterranean Grille in Alexandria and restaurants in Sterling and Springfield.
The restaurant is under renovation at 1313 Old Chain Bridge Road at what was once the Evo Bistro.
Theodorou said when the restaurant was applying for permits and received inspections from Fairfax County, there were problems with the building design left over from previous tenants that will require additional time to fix.
As a result, Theodorou said he’s had to push back the opening of the restaurant to opening at the end of March, if construction continues as scheduled.
(Updated at 10:50 a.m.) The McLean Citizens Association is one of the most active civic groups in the area, but it’s an organization largely unknown to many of the residents they represent.
At last night’s (Wednesday) Board of Directors meeting in the newly reopened McLean Community Center, President Dale Stein said the organization’s reliance on local print publications to get the word out about events and the ongoing priorities of the organization is insufficient. Local papers have been growing thinner and delivery has been inconsistent, resulting in less visibility for the association’s announcements, he said.
Stein said the organization is going to need to join the 21st organization and find new electronic methods of communication.
“It starts with electronics, but we may need to get more ambitious,” said Stein. “We’re already sponsoring community-oriented events, like the I Love McLean Party. It doesn’t address planning and zoning issues, it’s a feel-good event. But is there something else we can be doing?”
In the absence of a local government, the MCA is one of the most prominent local voices on McLean issues. Over the last few months, the group has spoken out on issues from the color of local streetlights to the shooting of a local resident by the U.S. Park Police.
But Stein said there have been several occasions where he’s been at public events around McLean where local residents had never heard of the organization. Other members of the Board of Directors shared similar experiences, where those the organization represents had no idea of its existence.
“We’re missing opportunities,” said member Linda Walsh. “We don’t provide conduits for people to know us and get concerns to us.”
The organization does have a Facebook presence, but only has some 330 “likes.” Its website, meanwhile, is rudimentary and not optimized for viewing on mobile devices.
Stein said part of the solution will involve forming closer partnerships with other local organizations. According to Stein, the group was approached recently by the McLean Project for the Arts about setting up a table at this weekend’s I Love McLean party. Stein and other board members said they would be inclined to allow the organization to set up — provided the MCA gets to set up a table at the hugely popular annual MPAartfest in October.
Also discussed: more external outreach via members with public relations experience.
The board voted to put together a small short term committee tasked with putting together a plan to improve communications with the community at-large.
While local representatives were quick to call for Gov. Ralph Northam’s resignation over a blackface controversy, the public response has been slower to controversies involving Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring.
Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-10th District), who made headlines last year when she unseated Republican Barbara Comstock, expressed unequivocal support for Vanessa Tyson, who accused Fairfax of sexually assaulting her in 2004.
I believe Dr. Vanessa Tyson.
— Rep. Jennifer Wexton (@RepWexton) February 6, 2019
Congressional Reps. Don Beyer (D-8th District) and Gerry Connolly (D-11th District) have been silent so far on the accusations against Fairfax.
Other local representatives, like State Sen. Barbara Favola (D-31st District), shared a neutral statement from VA Senate Democrats but have made no other public comment.
@VASenateDems & @VAHouseDems statement in regards to allegations against Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax:
"The facts here are still being determined. Every individual deserves the opportunity to be heard, and we respect anyone who comes forward to share their story."
— Virginia Senate Democrats (@VASenateDems) February 5, 2019
The National Organization for Women, however, did call for Fairfax’s resignation Wednesday.
Photo via Facebook
Firefighter Training in McLean Home — “[Fairfax County Fire and Rescue] units have been conducting ladder truck training exercises at a donated home, in the McLean area, that is slated for demolition.” [Twitter]
New Store Opening in Tysons Galleria — “Lafayette 148 New York has ventured into the nation’s capital, opening its first Greater Washington location this week in the Tysons Galleria shopping center. Its first freestanding boutique in the Mid-Atlantic region, the new Lafayette 148 shop measures 2,500 square feet.” [Washington Business Journal]
Silver Line Test Train Doesn’t Get Far — “The first test train on Metro’s Silver Line extension to Dulles Airport made it only 1,000 feet out of the Wiehle-Reston East station before running into trouble, sources told News4.” [NBC Washington]
Falls Church Development Includes Micro Units — “If approved by the F.C. City Council going forward [the new West End development will] include an extra 150,000 square feet in residential density, including 50,000 square feet for senior housing and 100,000 square feet for 40 or so of the first new condominiums built in the City in over a decade, and even more notable, some 150-175 ‘micro unit’ rentals.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Turmoil in Richmond, Leaders’ Future Uncertain — Under fire for each of their own controversies, resignations by Virginia’s Democratic governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general could end up triggering a special election or even elevating a Republican state lawmaker into one of the top jobs. Meanwhile, the chaos in Richmond was the lead story on the national evening news this week — twice — and made the cover of this morning’s New York Post, with the headline “Virginia is for Losers.” [Politico, Twitter]
When Brian Truitt, USA TODAY’s film critic, is putting together interviews for the pop-culture podcast The Mothership, there’s one reaction he says he gets more frequently than others:
“You’re located where?”
The Mothership is one of several podcasts run through USA TODAY at their headquarters Valo Park, a sprawling state-of-the-art complex tucked away in Tysons’ northeast corner.
It’s no secret that media companies, including USA TODAY owner Gannett, are struggling to find a way to stay afloat. The company recently resisted a hostile takeover. But Shannon Green, senior podcasts producer for USA TODAY and co-host of I Tell My Husband the News, said podcasts have been at the forefront of the company finding new ways to tell stories.
USA TODAY podcasts range from Accused, a several-season true crime podcast put together by a team at The Cincinnati Enquirer, to the sports-themed For the Win.
The Mothership is hosted by Truitt, technology reporter Brett Molina and TV critic Kelly Lawler, and has been running weekly for four years. While Tysons has not traditionally been considered one of the country’s entertainment hubs, Molina said there are some distinct advantages to working outside of Washington D.C.
“One of the cool things about having this outlet in the suburbs is that we can live here,” Molina said. “People tend to think we work in New York or Los Angeles.”
But the non-traditional location means the podcasts work with an eclectic group of guests, like novelist Brad Meltzer or “Batman” writer and Arlington resident Tom King.
“Being out here means we have to catch whoever is in the area,” said Truitt.
New episodes of The Mothership air every Friday. This week’s episode is a discussion of romantic comedies. Molina noted that the group narrowly avoided making a “Tribute to Liam Neeson” episode, quickly scrapped after the actor made some troubling confessions.
Green said she was approached to run the podcasting at USA TODAY shortly after Serial brought podcasting into the mainstream in 2014 and the company leadership began to see podcasting’s potential. Green said investigative stories are unique suited for podcasts, using voices to convey ideas and emotions that can’t be conveyed in text.
Not all of the podcasts garner enough downloads to have advertising, but Green said enough do to bring in revenue and help fund more experiments with the medium.
One investigative podcast, The City, profiled the rise of a massive illegal dump in Chicago, including an augmented reality component that helped demonstrate the story of how the empty lot evolved over time. Green said the augmented reality technology helps bring a new visual level to a traditionally auditory form of storytelling.
Green also said bringing in new talent from nearby schools has been part of bridging the generational gap. Kate Gardner, a student at the Madeira School in McLean, interns at USA TODAY but also uses the equipment to help put together an audiodrama: The Ark of Light.
Green said working with Gardner that she’s learned a whole new side of audio production involving Foley sound effects and other methods.
Green said podcasting, audio dramas, and other types of audio-entertainment have become such a hit, primarily due to the intimate connection they offer listeners to the story.
“Spoken storytelling is extremely intimate and emotional,” said Green.
The Walmart near the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons is going through a lot of changes, but if there’s a source of stability in the store, it’s Dambar and Subhdra.
The couple was featured on the store’s weekly “Meet the Team Tuesday”post on Facebook, which said that the couple is one month away from celebrating their 53rd anniversary.
According to the Walmart 5936 page:
Dambar joined our team in January 2014 and is a proud hardlines sales associate. Subhdra joined in April 2015 as an apparel associate. They are both into food and will be celebrating 53 years of marriage this March!
The Walmart also recently hosted a “Stuff the Bus” event to benefit the Committee for Helping Others in Vienna.
Photo via Facebook
Bebe Gol Market, a new store offering goods from countries ranging from Iran to Turkey to Greece, is now open in McLean.
The store offers everything from canned goods to freshly made pastries.
If Jamileh Ardebily, one of two women who own the new market at 1349 Chain Bridge Rd, looks familiar, that’s likely because she spent the last several years working at the nearby Sun Trust Bank. But two years ago, Ardebily said she decided she wanted to leave the bank and make something for herself.
As she looked around, she said the location felt like a natural fit for a store offering a diverse selection of international goods.
“Vienna has stuff like this, but not McLean,” Ardebily said, “and I love the people in McLean. Everyone here is so supportive.”
The name, Bebe Gol, means “ladies’ flower”, reflecting that store is owned by a woman.
Ardebily said many of the people she’s seen stopping in the store have been people she knew from when she worked at the bank. Her husband owns Red Tomato Pizzeria less than a block away, which was how Ardebily found the empty location and knew the property owners.
The official grand opening was in mid-January, and Ardebily emphasized that all of the locals who have come by the shop have made the store feel like a part of the community.
Agora, the Mediterranean restaurant planned for a 26-story apartment complex behind Tysons Galleria, has on a sign on the building proclaiming “opening 2018” — these days, while the restaurant is still opening, there’s a strip of tape covering the 2018 part.
It isn’t the first delay for the restaurant, which last year was forced to push the planned opening back to December. Ismail Uslu, owner of Agora, said the restaurant has struggled with a slow permitting process currently entering its 11th month.
“We’re planning on opening sometime in March,” said Uslu. “We’re building a mezzanine, which is more of a challenge [for permits].”
Inside, the building is designed with split levels, and while it’s still under construction the bare bones visible, Uslu said he hopes to bring in decorations from Turkey.
When the restaurant does eventually open, the menu will feature small plates and cocktails similar to its trendy Dupont Circle location.
