The cost of living in Tysons is high — most of the new residential developments around Tysons advertise their new living units as “luxury” — and there’s a good reason why.

And as developers fight over the last few pieces of prime real estate near Metro stations, some are admitting that the cost of setting up shop in Tysons is unlikely to go down anytime soon.

At Bisnow’s Tysons State of the Market event yesterday (Thursday) at 1600 Tysons Boulevard, developers met to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the region over the next few years.

“Costs have risen,” said Gary Block, chief investment officer for the Meridian Group, developers of The Boro. “It’s tough to underwrite new residential development today. Rents have to be very high to justify development.”

One of the biggest drivers of cost in Tysons is also one of the biggest draws: nearly unlimited density. Speakers at the State of the Market event said a high capacity for density means developers are looking to get more out of each plot of land, which means building up, and that means using more expensive steel frames rather than wooden frames.

“Wood frame is an option,” said Jim Policaro, senior vice president of Lerner. “But you’re giving up potential density. You’re going to have more noise issues with wood frame construction, but the net effect is rent that might be slightly lower. If you’re willing to give up some density and sacrifice the height you can get, it’s definitely a viable option.”

But the market for residential development in Tysons is focused on areas near Metro, areas where density is king.

“Residential coming into the market is driven by density, “said Mark Carrol, executive vice president of Skanska Commercial Development. “These locations are within walking distance of the Metro.”

Developers said a boosted demand for higher-end residential development will likely be one of the main impacts of the new Amazon headquarters in Arlington.

“Not everyone can live in Arlington, or wants to,” said Policaro. “Employees who are married with children might see Tysons as a laudable option for residential.”

Carrol added that from a cost perspective, developers have seen an escalation of almost 7 percent in this market. If there are residential developments that are more affordable than the new luxury developments, they will have to be in places further away from Metro access.

“Those further away from the Metro are going to have to make certain changes and accept the fact that their rent streams are going to be significantly lower,” said Brian Tucker, managing director for JLL.

As for who is moving into these high-end residential developments, Bob Kettler, founder and CEO of Kettler, said half of the people moving into condominiums in the area are “empty nesters” — older couples whose children have left their home. The other half is split between professional couples and affluent single professionals.

Kettler also noted that the demand is still very present for high-end residential, with prices on units moving up three times over the last four months.

Those traveling on I-66 should be forewarned: removal of the overhead gantry signs will mean three lanes in each direction will be closed from 9 p.m.-9 a.m.

The closures will take place between Route 123 and Gallows Road tonight (Friday). On Saturday, the closures will occur between Blake Lane and I-495.

The closures mean only one lane of traffic in each direction will be open.

According to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the closures will include periodic traffic stoppages of up to 20 minutes between midnight and 5 a.m. in both directions on I-66.

Michelle Holland, a spokesperson for VDOT, said the closures are necessary for the sign removal, as the crews are unable to work on parts of the gantry while traffic is continuing on the street below.

Daytime lane closures are expected on Sunday (Jan. 27) for lane striping work on I-66 between Gainesville and I-495. Two lanes will be closed on eastbound and westbound I-66 as crews refresh pavement markings between 12-4 p.m.

Photos via Google Maps

Tysons Seminary Gets Board’s OK — “Reformed Theological Seminary on Jan. 22 received a special exception from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to operate a college out of an existing office building in Tysons. The three-story, approximately 32,400-square-foot edifice is located on 1.54 acres at 8227 Old Courthouse Road.” [InsideNova]

Applications Open for Rent Subsidies — “Low-income residents in Fairfax County, Va., have an opportunity to apply for a Housing Choice Voucher for the first time in more than a decade.” [Washington Post]

Praise for Local Student Newspaper — “The McLean High School newsmagazine – the Highlander – is quite good. So are some other student publications across the region, but the Highlander really stands out.” [Sun Gazette]

Nothing Bundt Cakes has been baking in 129 Maple Ave W. in Vienna for two months, but a ribbon cutting on Tuesday (Jan. 29) and celebrations this weekend mark the official grand opening for the bakery.

Tomorrow (Friday), 20 percent of sales at the store will go to Amy’s Army, a non-profit dedicated to cancer research.

From 5-7 p.m., the store will also host a wine and cake tasting. Nothing Bundt Cakes’ most popular flavors will be specially paired with selections from Vienna Vintner.

On Saturday, the first 50 guests will receive free bundtlets — small bundt cakes — for a year. This offer is limited to one bundtlet cake per month for 12 months. The store opens at 10 a.m.

From 12-2 p.m., Nothing Bundt Cakes will host a “Cake-A-Palooza,” with a variety of free samples of various types of cakes.

Photo via Facebook

Tune up the bike and break out the spandex, the Tour de Tysons is returning for its fifth annual competition this March.

On Feb. 20 at 12:15 a.m., registration is scheduled to open for the 2019 race around the Tysons area. The entry fee is $35 for men and women’s races and $15 for younger ages.

The event is hosted by the Tysons Partnership and the National Capital Velo Club.

Races vary from 30 minutes to one hour in length. The race starts on Westpark Drive, then turns onto Jones Branch Drive and Westbranch Drive.

Cyclists who are not registered with the Mid-Atlantic Bicycle Racing Association will be required to purchase a one-day license with cash at the race.

The event, featuring 10 races from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., has drawn 300 competitors in previous years.

Photo via Facebook

(Updated at 4 p.m.) Happy hour at Chef Geoff’s in Tysons runs from 3-7 p.m., and if legislation passed yesterday (Wednesday) in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate is signed by Gov. Ralph Northam, the specials during that happy hour may even become public knowledge.

As it is written, current legislation forbids Chef Geoff Tracy and other Virginia restaurateurs from advertising happy hours outside the restaurant. Two-for-one drink specials are illegal and happy hours are not allowed to occur after 9 p.m. Last year, Tracy filed a lawsuit against the state, saying the regulations were a violation of his free speech.

The two companion bills introduced in the Virginia House and Senate to loosen those restrictions passed on a 90-4 and a 40-0 vote. According to the new legislation, restaurant owners would be able to advertise the prices featured for alcoholic beverages and market happy hours “provided those techniques do not tend to induce over-consumption or consumption by minors.”

“From our perspective, the legislation would give us everything we’re asking for,” said Anastasia Boden, a lawyer with the Pacific Legal Foundation, which is representing Geoff in the case. “It would give restaurants the ability to advertise happy hours.”

Boden said she’s pleased by the legislation, but they want to make sure the bills become law before officially dropping their lawsuit. The arguments for the case have finished, and Boden says the firm is waiting to hear back from a decision for the judge.

“Nothing is certain in the legislature,” said Boden. “We’ve had an argument on the merits, now we’re waiting for a decision, so we just have to see what happens first. [If the legislation passes] at that point, there would be nothing left for us to pursue.”

Like Boden, Tracy says he’s happy with what he’s seen in the legislature.

“The ability to tell people the price of a pint will be a victory,” said Tracy. “I think it’s a big win. It’s great for Chef Geoff, it’s great for Virginia restauranteers, great for Virginia happy hour customers.”

But Tracy also noted that he’s frustrated the arguments over happy hours came to this point in the first place.

“It’s a strange process that we went through. I think it’s interesting that while fighting me and running me ragged all over the place to come up with 50,000 pages of documents while I’m running a restaurant that simultaneously the Virginia ABC was working on legislation to do what I proposed earlier,” he said.

“It’s a weird thing that went down in terms of the process,” Tracy continued. “It’s a big victory for us, but a big loss for Virginia taxpayers, because they footed the bill of this lawsuit while Virginia ABC basically didn’t believe what they were fighting about. It’s a bit of a weird thing, but I’m happy with the result.”

Photo via Facebook

Urgent.ly, a Tysons-based startup that connects drivers in distress with nearby roadside assistance providers, announced yesterday (Wednesday) that it has secured $21 million in funding.

New investors in the project include car manufacturers BMW and Jaguar.

“Global automotive and new mobility companies are increasingly designing and marketing more transportation options with varying tasks, sizes and complexity,” the company said in a press release. “This level of innovation will render traditional roadside assistance obsolete, evolving into mobility assistance that can service today’s vehicles as well as fleets of the future that will include electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, micro-mobility vehicles, drones, robotic delivery and more.”

The company is headquartered at 8609 Westwood Center Drive, just off Leesburg Pike and west of the Dominion Square development.

Urgent.ly’s platform aims to make linking a driver to a roadside assistance program seamless and accessible. The company claims its product can provide a 50 percent reduction in response times and offers real-time tracking for both the driver in the crash and the roadside assistance company.

The BMW Group also selected Urgent.ly as a partner for further work with the manufacturer’s in-house roadside assistance system.

“We are truly gratified by the support of our investors, including some of the world’s top global automotive brands, as we work to define the future of mobility and roadside assistance and deliver experience customers demand and deserve,” Chris Spanos, CEO and co-founder of Urgent.ly, said in the press release.

Photo via Facebook

For a while, Dead Run Stream lived up to its gloomy name. But after six years of stream restoration work, the creek running through the heart of McLean should be healthy again this March.

In total, 2,300 linear feet of the stream will be re-greened. Project staff said the restoration could mean better conditions for wildlife in the area, birds in particular.

“Stream restoration is one of our best tools for managing stormwater to restore the local health of our streams,” Matt Meyers, branch chief for Watershed Projects Implementation, said in a video put together by Fairfax County. “Ultimately, our goal is to improve water quality of stream and biological health to make a better habitat for critters, bugs and fish that live in the stream.”

Six years ago, the stream was facing significant erosion. Meyers said the banks of the stream were vertical, over eight feet deep in some locations. The erosion was ultimately beginning to have a negative impact on the habitat of the stream and the quality of life.

The aim of the restoration is to create a vegetation canopy to close in around the stream and establish new roots to hold the banks in place and stall further erosion.

“Stream restoration stabilizes the land, makes the stream valley more accessible, and over time [we] should see more birds and different species with different plants and food sources,” said Meyers. “For us, it’s all about water quality and stream health, not just local streams, but the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.”

The project to restore the stream was broken into three phases. Phase III is located in McLean Central Park and started in 2016.

The total project cost is $2.3 funded through the county Stormwater Service District.

“Early on, there was a lot of concern expressed,” said Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust. “[There were concerns] about tree loss, people were afraid the project would impact their homes, loss of access to trails. It became obvious that there were enough issues and concerns that we needed to focus on it as a community.”

Car Keys Stolen from Hotel Room — “8125 Gatehouse Road (Residence Inn), 01/22/2019, 10:36 a.m. A guest left their room unlocked and someone entered the room and took keys to a car belonging to the guest. When the guest went to look for their car, they noticed it was missing. The car is a black 2014 Honda Accord.” [FCPD]

Va. Minimum Wage Bill Defeated — “A local legislator’s efforts to give Virginia’s 133 cities and counties the power to set their own minimum wage has gone down, probably predictably, to defeat in Richmond.” [InsideNova]

Hedgehogs Now Legal in Fairfax County — “Despite strong opposition to hedgehogs as suitable pets, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved adding them to the list of commonly accepted pets, along with chinchillas and hermit crabs.” [Reston Now]

New Local Bank Launching in Tysons — “VisionBank aims to be Greater Washington’s next community bank — and it’s gathered a group of longtime bankers with plans to launch in Tysons later this year.” [Washington Business Journal]

One month into the government shutdown, Fairfax County is starting to feel the squeeze.

Accordingly, state and local governments have started enacting measures to try to give relief to furloughed workers. On Jan. 14, Virginia’s Department of Social Services announced that SNAP (food stamp) recipients will receive the February food benefits in January.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is also hosting its third hiring event tonight (Wednesday) to give furloughed workers a chance to work as substitute teachers. The event is set to run from 5-7:30 p.m. at the FCPS administration building in Merrifield (8115 Gatehouse Road).

“We always have a need for substitute teachers,” said John Torre, public information officer for FCPS. “On average, we hire 900 to 1,100 subs every day. For furloughed workers, we are expediting the hiring process and many of those who attended the first two events have already been placed in schools as substitute teachers.”

At yesterday’s (Tuesday) meeting, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors even considered delaying the Feb. 15 deadline for car tax payments.

But Professor Frank Shafroth, director of the Center for State and Local Leadership at George Mason University, warned that delays in payment collection could have a ripple effect on county services. According to Shafroth:

“There will be significant and hard issues in a county affected by thousands of residents abruptly working without pay — issues such as the county’s needs to try and fill in the gaps in emergency services (inability to pay utility bills, purchase enough food, get a child to the doctor, etc.). I know the county has already considering steps to delay some car tax payments — sort of a double whammy, because it would reduce revenues to the county, even as it is providing desperately needed services over and beyond its adopted budget. The impact will be disproportionate in Fairfax county, because that is the home to nearly 20% of all federal workers in our region.”

Shafroth said there are roughly 5,000 families that rent in Fairfax, and there are concerns inside the county government that those families could be evicted if they’re unable to pay rent or unable to access work, pharmacies or groceries if they’re not able to continue making car payments. In providing relief for these vital services, Shafroth says the county government will have to do triage on the services at risk for families of federal employees and work with providers to continue those services.

“That is, without any uncertainty how long the President’s shut down will last, the county is under pressure to put health and safety of its citizens first,” said Shafroth. “That will impose hard choices on the county’s leaders: in effect, the White House is shifting a fiscal burden to the county: will that mean the county will have to consider higher fees and taxes? What will it cost to help an estimated 5,000 families at risk of losing rental assistance?”

Among the services at risk, Shafroth said free and reduced-price meals at public schools could eventually be on the chopping block and other necessities for low-income residents.

“Because there is a disproportionate number of families who either work directly or by contract for the federal government, the county is projecting the potential hole in housing assistance payments could total as much as $5 million a month — in this bitter weather, that is hardly an option,” said Shafroth. “Fairfax County will find itself not only overwhelmed by demands for public service — especially those involving lives at risk — but all coming even as revenues will be depleted from receiving less in sales and use taxes, and other revenues: the candle will be burned at both ends.”

The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority has also compiled a list of services provided for employees affected by the shutdown:

• Hotline available for assistance: Individuals in need can contact Fairfax County’s Coordinated Services Planning staff at 703-222-0880 (TTY 711) for assistance in connecting to resources. This service is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The multilingual staff can assist callers in multiple foreign languages.
• Unemployment benefits: Federal government employees who have been separated from their job due to the shutdown and have questions about benefits should contact the Virginia Employment Commission. The phone number for the Customer Contact Center is 866-832-2263.
• Free lunch program: FCPS announced on Jan. 8 that meals for breakfast and lunch will be provided to all students regardless of their ability to pay, and unpaid balances will be allowed to build up without immediate repercussions for the duration of the shutdown.
• Northern Virginia Community College: NOVA’s Workforce and Economic Development Office is offering a free (non-credit) class to furloughed federal employees and contractors. Employees can choose from select Business & Management, IT & Computer Skills, and Professional Development classes. Some classes have prerequisites and proof of federal employment is required. Call 703-878-5770 or visit the web site for further information.
• George Mason University’s School of Business will hold career skills workshops — free to furloughed workers and government contractor employees affected by the shutdown — on Jan. 31 at its Arlington campus.
• Child Care Assistance and Referral Program: For families in the CCAR program with a 12-month eligibility, those without income can request that child care co-payments be lowered. CCAR staff are available discuss their ongoing child care needs. Call 703-449-8484 or email [email protected].
• School Age Child Care: Families impacted by the federal government shutdown may continue to use services and apply for a reduced fee and/or develop a payment plan. Alternatively, families may request temporary inactive status, which allows families to maintain a child’s enrollment in SACC. Call 703-449-8989 or email saccregistration@fairfaxcounty.gov.
• Free Connector Bus Rides: Fairfax Connector will provide free rides system-wide for federal government employees affected by the government shutdown who are still required to report for work. Eligible riders must present a federal photo ID to the bus operator. For schedules and route information, estimated arrival times, and more, sign up for email and/or text alerts through Fairfax Connector BusTracker.
• Reston Community Center is waiving summer camp fees for children of families affected by the shutdown.
• Pet Supplies: The county Animal Shelter has pet food and a limited amount of other supplies available for furloughed federal employees. The supplies are available during shelter business hours and no is appointment needed. For information, call 703-830-1100 or email animalshelter@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Photo via FCPS