(Updated at 2 p.m.) Fairfax County Police arrested a man at the Bloomingdales in the Tysons Corner Center mall last Friday (Dec. 21) after officers allegedly discovered stolen merchandise concealed under his clothes.
“Officers were called to the store for a man was concealing merchandise,” FCPD said in a crime report. “Officers found numerous additional items in the man’s jacket, waistband, and backpack. Also found in his backpack were wire cutting tools and drug paraphernalia.
“Quynh Tran, 45, of Maryland, was charged with grand larceny, receiving stolen goods, and possession of burglarious tools,” the crime report continues. “Additional charges are pending.”
It was a busy couple days for FCPD in Tysons Corner Center. The day before, two women were arrested in the mall for credit card theft.
Photo via FCPD
Anyone traveling along I-66 in late evenings or early mornings should expect substantial lane closures over the weekend.
Until New Year’s Eve (Monday), I-66 from Pimmit Hills all the way to stretches of the road near Gainesville is expected to see two lanes closed in each direction between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., as well as shoulder closures, to allow for maintenance work on the road.
The same stretch of road will have two of the four lanes closed in each direction from 12-3:30 p.m. for maintenance. One express lane will also be closed: an eastbound lane from 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and a westbound lane from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Work on express lane expansions and other construction projects has slowed down over the holiday, but is scheduled to resume on Jan. 2
Closest to I-495, lane shifts and clearing are scheduled on I-66 in preparation for major construction work. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, no significant traffic impacts are expected as a result of the lane shifts.
At the interchange with Nutley Street in Vienna, paving is being placed along the median to temporarily allow traffic to be shifted to the left.
Photo via Google Maps
The Hilton Worldwide headquarters in the Park Place II building in Tysons is safe for now, but a developer is looking at demolishing and rebuilding the outdated Park Place I office building next door.
Developer B.F. Saul Co. submitted plans in August to redevelop 7926 Jones Branch Drive, an office building built in the 1970s, into a more modern office building. The proposed development plans show the building’s square footage of office space doubling from 260,000 square feet to 450,000 square feet. The new building is planned to be 18-stories tall.
The case entered the pre-staffing review phase on Dec. 12. Dates for hearings at the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors are still to be determined.
The development is just south of the newly opened Jones Branch Connector and one half-mile from the McLean Metro Station. The application calls the existing building “functionally obsolete.”
The new development plans would rotate the property 90 degrees to face the Beltway and create visual symmetry with Park Place II.
The application plans say new amenities will be added at the ground level, like a small bike park. The park will act as a rest stop for passing cyclists with bicycle tools and parking available.
However, the developer is also requesting an exception for the parking requirement as the new development will exceed current parking limitations at the site. The application says the exception would be temporary pending redevelopment of Park Place II, but the application also says there are no immediate plans for Park Place II’s redevelopment.
Park Place II, which was built in 2008 and contains 311,600 square feet of office space, is currently the Hilton Worldwide headquarters. The application says the current leases for that building limit any redevelopment plans.
Photo via Google Maps
Tysons is getting too big for just one fire station.
The Fairfax Fire and Rescue Department is planning on constructing a new fire station to cover the growing Tysons East neighborhood.
The entire Tysons area is currently covered by Fire Station 29, which has become increasingly overburdened as new development adds new density and new challenges.
Laurie Stone, planning section manager for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, said the station is currently in the design process.
Stone said the fire station is being designed and constructed by Cityline Partners LLC, the company backing the Scotts Run Station South development. Cityline agreed to build the new station in exchange for winning permission to construct the new mixed-use development adjacent to the McLean Metro station.
“The Scotts Run Fire and Rescue Station 44 is proposed to be a two-level, three-bay free standing fire station located on Old Meadow Lane,” Stone wrote in an email. “Cityline will substantially complete the fire station and deliver it to Fairfax County by December 31, 2020.”
According to the staff report, a new athletic field will also be built adjacent to the planned fire station to be opened within three years of the fire station opening.
Tysons Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Tysons area.
We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield and McLean. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!
Today, Dec. 26
Voyages
Torpedo Factory Artists Association Mosaic (2905 District Ave)
Time: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
The Torpedo Factory Artists Association is opening up its newest exhibit in the Mosaic District: Voyages, a new art gallery that will run until Jan. 27.
Saturday, Dec. 29
Lucky Dog Animal Rescue’s Adoption Event
Kriser’s Natural Pet (144 Maple Ave W)
Time: 12-2 p.m.
The Lucky Dog Animal Rescue is hosting an adoption event in Vienna. After filing an adoption application, several dogs will be available for selection with a full list of dogs posted at 6 p.m. the day before.
Acoustic Soul at Caboose Brewing
Caboose Commons (2918 Eskridge Road)
Time: 1-4 p.m.
The new Caboose Commons in Merrifield is hosting a jam session with Acoustic Soul, a local rock, soul and blues cover band.
2nd Annual Holiday Pajama Jam
Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike)
Time: 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
Not quite ready to let the holidays go yet? The Tysons Biergarten’s pajama party is free to attend and the best pajama can win a $100 cash prize if they RSVP ahead of time.
Sunday, Dec. 30
Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church Blood Drive
Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic School (8601 Wolftrap Rd)
Time: 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
A Catholic Church in Vienna is hosting a blood drive, with appointments available online or by calling 1-866-256-6372.
Fresh Pancakes and Hot Chocolate
Once Upon a Dream (527 Maple Ave East)
Time: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
The Once Upon a Dream playspace is hosting a free pancake and hot chocolate breakfast for any children coming in to play this Sunday. Space is limited, so RSVP by emailing [email protected].
Across the next three days, there are three ugly sweater parties planned and two of them will give attendees the chance to win $100.
Tonight (Dec. 21)
- Holiday Potluck (8 p.m.) — The Mosaic Ballroom in Merrifield is hosting a free holiday potluck, with holiday drinks, food and dancing. For those who aren’t feeling festive, the event will include non-holiday songs.
- 2nd Annual Ugliest Sweater Party at Tysons Biergarten (9 p.m.-2 a.m.) — Tysons Biergarten says the harder your sweater is to look at tonight, the more likely you’ll be to walk home with $100 in cash. Participants must register online to win.
- Jingle 2018 (10:30 p.m.) — Greenhouse Bistro is hosting a Christmas party at 2070 Chain Bridge Road in Tysons.
Tomorrow (Dec. 22)
- Ugly Christmas Sweater Party (4-8 p.m.) — Coastal Flats in Tysons Corner Center is hosting a party for least fashionable, with prizes awarded accordingly.
- Open Road Ugly Christmas Sweater Party (7-8:30 p.m.) — Open Road Grill in Merrifield is holding an ugly sweater party with a chance to win a $100 gift card if yours is the ugliest. The Grill also requests attendees to bring a coat to donate.
- Pre-Christmas Party (8 p.m.-2 a.m.) — The Palladium (1424 Spring Hill Road) is hosting its pre-Christmas party featuring local Latin band Nfuzion.
Sunday (Dec. 23)
- Paint Party with Santa (3-5 p.m.) — Kiln & Co at 138 Church St. in Vienna will be hosting an afternoon of ornament painting and hot chocolate. For $10, parents can drop their kids off at the event to be supervised. Proceeds from the event benefit the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department.
Photo via Facebook
A vehicle caught on fire and stopped two lanes of traffic on the Beltway near Tysons this afternoon.
The burning car was stuck in the left lane of the southbound side of the Beltway near the Dulles Toll Road.
The fire occurred around 1 p.m. and was the scene was cleared by 2 p.m. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
#Tysons Outer Loop near Dulles Toll Rd, vehicle fire along the left side #vatraffic #dctraffic pic.twitter.com/X1OcrdU08m
— Jerry Booth (@TrafficBooth) December 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/WTOPtraffic/status/1076180484525297667
Photo via Twitter
A new skincare company is scheduled to open its first Virginia location in Tysons Corner Center mall next month.
Aesop, an Australia-based company, will be moving into the second floor of the mall, between jewelry vendor Swarovski and work accessory store Levenger.
The exact opening date is still to be determined. Greg Mitola, a spokesperson representing Aesop, said the store is planning to launch in early January.
The store offers a variety of cosmetic products, from a $10 hand wash to a $295 skincare kit made from parsley seed.
The author of the press release, credited as Cynthia Leung from Native Agents, wrote a lengthy explanation of how the store’s design is an homage to Virginia’s mountains:
Writing on the Appalachian cultural expression and antimodernist movement of the 1920s and ’30s, the scholar, abolitionist and former Berea College president William Goodell Frost famously referred to mountain people as ‘our contemporary ancestors’. The mountains themselves are, of course, the true ancestors, predating Frost’s writing–and indeed, all human presence–by millions of years. Such was the heat and pressure generated by successive eruptions and sedimentation that the area’s Precambrian crystalline granite contains no trace of fossilized early life-forms.
It was this geological history that informed the design of Aesop’s inaugural signature store in Virginia, situated within the Tysons Corner retail complex. Created by the company’s in-house Design Department, the space assumes a unitary material palette of granite, lent nuance by different finishes: vertical surfaces with rough-textured flamed granite, and horizontal surfaces, including the flooring, ceiling, sales counter, demonstration sink and domed basins, with smoother honed granite. The stone’s unpolished minerality is punctuated only by the matte powder-coated gray metal of the product shelving.
The influence of Virginia’s landscape is also expressed through the space’s monolithic forms. Large granite elements that form the store’s façade effect both a sense of intrigue for passers-by, with glimpses of the demonstration sink and product display, and an impression of seclusion for customers upon entry. Muted lighting complements the interior’s mineral tones to evince a soothing, understated interior.
Clients can explore and select from a complete range of skin, hair and body care products, distinguished by botanical and laboratory-generated ingredients of the highest quality. The store’s trained consultants are able to offer advice about products best suited to individual needs.
Photo courtesy Aesop
BASIS Independent McLean, a private school at 8000 Jones Branch Dr. in Tysons, is planning on opening a brand new program for 2-3-year-olds next year.
Applications are now available for “The Twos Program,” which will begin in fall 2019.
The new program will offer full-day programming focused on physical, social, emotional and language growth. The program will run year-round and aim at preparing toddlers for pre-K courses.
“Through being a part of the ‘Two Program,’ children will learn about themselves and their world, and how to develop positive, constructive relationships with others in it,” Cassie Korik, director of student affairs, said in a press release. “Opportunities to play, collaborate, and investigate together enhance children’s development and learning.”
The classrooms will be led by two teachers focusing on maintaining consistent daily routines of education in everything from science and technology to social-emotional health.
The school is part of an international network of BASIS schools, which educate students from pre-K through 12th grade.
Photo courtesy BASIS Independent McLean
Even with the National Park Service coming to change the locks in a few hours, Anna Eberly can’t resist a few last lessons about colonial life.
She holds up one of the hand-woven baskets before it gets stuffed into a plastic bag. Unlike some of the other baskets woven from grass, Eberly says this one is woven from thin wooden shavings, making it incredibly resilient to everything except being dropped while carrying a heavy load.
After 46 years of volunteering at the farm, lessons like that come naturally to Eberly. But today (Friday) is the last day she’ll teach them at the farm. After one year of battling with the NPS over control of the farm, the Friends of Claude Moore Colonial Farm, which has maintained the farm since 1981, rejected an agreement that would have required greater levels of administrative and financial oversight.
Elliott Curzen, the director of Claude Moore Colonial Farm, said the farm equipment and animals are being moved off-site. Eberly said they are going to her home out in Loudoun County, where there are two acres of pasture.
“It’s disappointing we couldn’t come to a compromise,” said Curzen. “The locks change tomorrow, or tonight, and we have until Jan. 20 to keep moving property off-site.”
There was plenty of finger-pointing to go around throughout the debate over what should happen with the farm. The conflict started with a 2015 report questioning the farm’s financial relationships and demanding more oversight into what is bought and sold at the farm in markets, a mainstay of the farm events. Even a joint letter from Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine to the NPS wasn’t able to stave off the closure.
The NPS says the regulations are the same as would be imposed on any other national park. But Eberly said the new regulations were unfair, given that the park funds itself through the fairs rather than from federal funding.
The NPS says it has no plans to sell or develop the land, but in 2019 there will be community discussions about what should happen to the site next.
On the farm’s last day, there was some bitterness from volunteers helping to pack up. Eberly noted that the cats running around as people worked would be going back to her property.
“Taking care of them is my job,” said one volunteer walking past, before amending, “well, ‘was’ my job.”
“I won’t miss dealing with the National Park Service,” said Eberly. “I’ll miss the volunteers, but this is just a place. It’s a former landfill, with terrible soil. It’s not a very good farm. We have to import everything here from Loudoun.”
But it was also a living history museum to what life was like for the average colonial farmer in the 18th century. Curzen said while it was around, it was a unique look into a piece of local history, and one that will be gone by the end of the day.
