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. 17

Free Movie Screening: Bumblebee
AMC Tysons Corner (7850 Tysons Corner)
Time: 6:30-9 p.m.

ThingstodoDC.com is hosting a free screening of the new movie Bumblebee, the latest in the long-running Transformers series. Reviews have been surprisingly positive so far.

Final Meeting – Mclean MRC
Longfellow Middle (2000 Westmoreland St)
Time: 7-9 p.m.

This will be the final vision plan presentation discussing plans to renovate downtown McLean, which currently include turning a street into a pedestrian avenue and adding a new roundabout.

Tuesday, Dec. 18

In the Mix: NOVA Holiday Mixer
Tower Club (8000 Towers Crescent Drive)
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.

A networking event at the Tower Club in Tysons aims to bring Northern Virginia community members together to form new career and business connections to start 2019 with. Tickets are complimentary for Tower Club members or $10 for guests.

Cheesetique Trivia Night
Cheesetique (2985 District Ave)
Time: 7-9 p.m.

A trivia night in the Mosaic District held alongside an extended happy hour running until 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 19

Ugly Christmas Sweater Workout
CrossFit Route 7 (8504 Tyco Road)
Time: 6 a.m.-9 p.m.

The Tysons CrossFit studio is hosting an all-day ugliest Christmas sweater or t-shirt contest, culminating with a class photo to commemorate a day of bad taste.

Second Story Toy Drive
Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike)
Time: 4-6 p.m.

The Biergarten will host its third annual toy drive for Second Story, a nonprofit youth shelter in Vienna. New or gently used toys can be brought to the Biergarten at a donation bin near the front door.

Thursday, Dec. 20

Devils Backbone Tap Takeover
Blackfinn Ameripub – Merrifield (2750 Gallows Rd)
Time: 5-7 p.m.

The Virginia-based Devils Backbone Brewing Company will take over the bar with the beers like their Vienna Lager or Gran-cose available on tap.

Merrifield has always been anchored by its movie theater. While Fairfax County’s aerial photography shows the site’s growth from fields to an urban center, the theater has been there since some of the earliest photos.

In photography from before 1960, Merrifield is mostly fields and farmland. But in 1954, the Washington area’s largest drive-in theater, the Lee Highway Drive-In, opened at the site. That’s the cone-shaped development in the middle of the aerial photography.

The theater featured a 50×120′ CinemaScope screen and a rotunda-style dining area. At its capacity in 1983, the drive-in could fit 1,353 cars.

The drive-in is still visible in the 1976 photography, with other development sprouting up nearby. In 1984, however, the drive-in was closed and replaced with a multiplex theater nearby. Like the drive-in at its heyday, the new theaters that opened were state-of-the-art.

But by the mid-2000s, the once modern multiplex was showing its age, like the drive-in had before it. The site gained some notoriety in 2005 after a man leaving the theater was attacked by several assailants, one of whom wielded a machete and cut three fingers off the man’s hand.

In 2009 the site’s owner, National Amusements, sold the site and plans began to emerge for a more pedestrian-friendly urban center today known as the Mosaic District. Photography from 2011 shows the area mid-development; in 2012 the Mosaic District opened with a mix of handpicked local boutiques and national retailers.

Prior to that, Rep. Gerry Connolly described Merrifield as a “waste” in a New York Times article on the emerging development.

Mr. Connolly… is familiar with Merrifield’s past and present. He remembers thinking to himself, “What a waste of land,” after being elected in 1995 to the Fairfax County board of supervisors. “We have this aging movie theater that’s surrounded by acres of surface parking,” Mr. Connolly said.

In fall 2012, the Angelika Film Center opened an 8-screen theater in Mosaic District, continuing Merrifield’s movie legacy established more than half a century earlier.

Past and Present is a Tysons Reporter series looking at locations in our area as they’ve changed over the last century. Check out our articles for Tysons Corner Mall,  Tysons Galleria/Leesburg Pike, Tysons East, and Maple Avenue.

Nine months after morning prayer service was cancelled, the McLean Islamic Center (MIC) won approval from the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals last week for extended hours and the cap on worshippers was removed.

Originally, the MIC was restricted to ten worshippers in attendance at prayers before 9 a.m. An anonymous complaint earlier this year led to an inspection that found the facility in violation of that cap.

The changing regulations now base attendance on the the 92 parking spaces available in the lot, which were not completed when the first regulations were implemented. The center can also offer morning prayers between 4-9 a.m.

“We were very excited that the county was able to come to the decision that they were on Wednesday,” said Sultan Chaudhry, president of the MIC Board of Directors. “This was something that our congregation had been looking forward to for more than nine months now. We’re happy that they were able to look at all of the data and analysis from county staff and come to a decision that allows us to freely practice our religion in Fairfax County.”

Chaudhry said MIC is committed to being respectful and courteous to the neighboring Carrington subdivision, who during the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting reiterated concerns about early morning noise from the center, particularly from cars locking and unlocking in early hours.

According to Chaudhry, morning prayer service resumed the day after approval was granted.

“It was great,” said Chaudhry. “We had about 20 vehicles come and about the same number of worshippers. There was a feeling of energy and relief, and there was a feeling of gratefulness to god, to the county, and to our interfaith partners and supporters that stood with us.”

Photo via Facebook

As we reported last week, senior housing can be hard to come by in Tysons.

Where it is available, outside of public-private partnerships like the recently opened The Fallstead, most of that housing is expensive. But there are senior living options around Tysons and planned for the area, and a few of them are on the affordable side of the spectrum.

One of the largest projects on the horizon is The Mather, a senior living facility projected to open in 2022 at 7901 Westpark Drive in Tysons. The Mather is a proposed facility from Mather LifeWays, a Chicago-based organization. The Mather would feature large floor-plans with one and two bedroom options, with pricing starting at $650,000.

Priority reservations are currently being accepted for the facility, with early reservations allowing priority in selecting apartments and securing pre-construction prices at the cost of a refundable $1,000 deposit.

The senior living units, meanwhile, are part of the larger Arbor Row development east of the Spring Hill Metro station approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2012.

On the more affordable side, there are a few options in the Tysons area with options for lower-income residents.

• Chesterbrook Residences — A not-for-profit senior living facility founded by three local religious communities. Chesterbrook Residences offers housing based on a sliding income scale, and residents who can no longer cover the cost of their housing are eligible to receive support from the Chesterbrook Continuing Care Fund. Apartment types vary in size and include apartments adapted for residents with disabilities.
• The Fallstead — A senior living facility recently opened at Lewinsville Center. The facility was built as a partnership between Fairfax County, affordable housing developer Wesley Housing Development Corporation and Hamel Builders.
• Vinson Hall Retirement Community — A retirement community offering independent living, assisted living, long term care and memory care options. Vinson Hall is open to commissioned military officers of all branches of service or their immediate families, or federal employees with intelligence of national security related departments rated GS-14 or above. A non-profit organization supporting the facility offers financial support for residents.

There are also a variety of more conventional for-profit senior facilities. Most of the housing prices are not available online and dependent on the level of care required.

• Larmax Homes McLean — Assisted living homes in McLean with services benefitting residents with dementia, Parkinson’s, and other chronic ailments. Larmax operates three homes along Lewinsville Road in McLean.
• Sunrise of McLean — An international senior living operator based out of McLean. Sunrise of McLean offers assisted living, memory care, hospice, and short-term care options.
• Tysons Towers Apartments — A senior living facility with apartments. The facility is full but a waiting list is available online.
• Tysons Woods — Assisted living homes with private bedrooms with shared bathrooms and common areas. Tysons Woods includes medical care like on-call nurses, therapy, and care specializing in dementia.
• Vienna Manor Assisted Living — Three assisted living facilities throughout the Vienna area, these are facilities with private bedrooms and shared common areas.

McKay Running for BoS Chair — “Shortly after current Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova revealed in her monthly newsletter that she will not seek reelection, Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay announced on Dec. 6 that he is running to succeed her… ‘This campaign is about the future of our community,’ McKay said in explaining why he has decided to run for board chairman. ‘In this time of hateful rhetoric and divisiveness, we need to fight for all families and communities across Fairfax County.'” [Fairfax Times]

Linda Smyth Looks to Final Year on Board — “After nearly two decades of handling some of Fairfax County’s largest and most nettlesome land-use cases, Supervisor Linda Smyth (D-Providence) is ready to let someone else handle the burden. Smyth announced at the board’s Dec. 4 meeting that she would not seek another term next year… Smyth will spend her final year in office tying up a bunch of land-use cases.” [InsideNova]

Stanley Cup Visits McLean Private School — “Students at The Langley School recently ‘Rocked the Red’ when the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup trophy made a stop at the school as part of its victory tour celebrating the Washington Capitals’ 2018 championship win… The experience was made possible by Roger Mody, a Langley parent and co-owner for Monumental Sports & Entertainment, who arranged for the trophy to spend several hours at the school.” [Fairfax Times]

It’s mid-December and the Holiday events season is in full swing around Tysons.

In Vienna, the Volunteer Fire Department will host its annual All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast tomorrow, Saturday, at 400 Center St. S. From 8 a.m.-12 p.m., the department will be serving pancakes, sausage, bacon, juice, and coffee. At 9:30 a.m., Santa Claus will arrive to green children or adults at the breakfast, and is scheduled to stay until 11 a.m.

The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office will be on hand to provide a free photo of your child and take a set of fingerprints using clean, inkless technology to help authorities in missing child situations.

Tours of the fire equipment at the station will be held at 9, 10, and 11 a.m.

But for the pancake averse, there’s plenty more to do across Tysons, including a live Christmas event featuring Chewie the camel.

Tonight (Dec. 14)

• 70’s Disco & Funk Holiday Party (8 p.m.) — Jammin Java at 227 Maple Ave E. in Vienna is hosting a 70’s themed party with hits from James Brown, Donna Summer, the Jackson Five and more. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for dinner and drinks, with prizes awarded for best 70’s holiday-inspired outfit. The dance party starts at 8 p.m.
• 80’s Christmas Party (8 p.m.-2 a.m.) — The Palladium’s weekly 80’s party turned holiday themed tonight at 1524 Spring Hill Road. Attendees must be 21 to enter, but tickets reserved in advance are cover-free.

Tomorrow (Dec. 15)

• Holiday Jam at Records and Rarities (2-8 p.m.) — The record shop in the Tysons Corner Center mall is hosting a holiday themed party featuring a lineup of live DJs.
• 2nd Annual Festivus Celebration (8 p.m.-2 a.m.) — The Tysons Biergarten at 8346 Leesburg Pike is throwing a Festivus celebration. The party includes a “re-gifting” table, where unwanted gifts can be dropped off and donated to charity.

Sunday (Dec. 16)

• Live Nativity (8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) — The McLean Presbyterian Church at 1020 Balls Hill Road is hosting a live nativity scene featuring real animals, like Chewie the camel, that children can pet.
• Orangetheory Fitness Tysons Grand Opening (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) — Tysons’ newest workout studio will host a grand opening celebration at its 1430 Spring Hill Road location. The event will include food, drinks, music, and a raffle.

Photo via Facebook

A proposal to restore late-night Metro hours, cut three years ago to allow for more evening maintenance, was delayed last night (Thursday) at the end of a rough week for the Silver Line.

Prior to 2016, Metro closed at midnight on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends, but in 2016 the evening hours were reduced as part of the “SafeTrack” maintenance project to an 11:30 p.m. closing time Monday-Thursday, 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 p.m. on Sundays. But those changes had only been scheduled to last one year, and in 2017 the reduced service hours were renewed for another two years.

While there had been talk of restoring the earlier service hours, the Metro Board of Directors deferred a vote over restoring late hours until early 2019 to allow for greater study on how the hours would impact track maintenance.

Track maintenance is a particularly pertinent issue for those who live along the Silver Line. On Tuesday, service on the Silver Line was reduced from the Wiehle station to Ballston after a cracked rail forced trains to single-track in the middle of the afternoon rush.

PSA to Silver Line riders: it's a rough one tonight. https://t.co/BhxotiQqvd

— Tysons Partnership (@tysonspartners) December 11, 2018

D.C. Council members have repeatedly stated concerns that the lack of late-night Metro service left hospitality and restaurant workers without a means of getting home.

Frank Shafroth, the director of the Center for State and Local Leadership at George Mason University, said ensuring reliability is currently a higher priority for the Metro than restoring late night hours.

“The difficult challenge is the recognition that the growth of Uber et al has created pricing challenges for Metro, so Metro’s key issue in order to remain fiscally fit is to ensure riders of its reliability,” said Shafroth in an email. “Currently, whenever I go to [the George Washington University Hospital], it is 15 minutes by walking and Metro: there is no way I could do that, find parking competitively. [The Board] is focused precisely on the critical issue of making reliability its priority. Once that is certain, then it can build on that to restore late night hours.”

In other Silver Line news, the already behind-schedule expansion project also faces further delays as hundreds of rail ties installed along the second phase of the project were discovered to be flawed.

A man who faked records to hide faulty Silver Line concrete panels was convicted, and sentenced to one year in prison and required to pay $700,567.11 in restitution.

Despite this, Metro ridership is still on the rise in Tysons despite downward trends for the rest of the system.

(Updated at 5 p.m.) The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved new zoning rules to try and make building elderly care facilities easier.

At its Dec. 4 meeting, the board approved a new zoning district and land use category for continuing care facilities.

The change creates a special set of zoning requirements for retirement communities and nursing facilities. Such facilities frequently combine residential and medical care operations, which were previously not allowed under Fairfax zoning code.

The McLean Citizens Association (MCA) expressed support for the new zoning regulations, but also noted that there were concerns that the new proposals could create development incompatible with low density residential neighborhoods.

We recognize the need for more senior housing and related facilities in an aging county, but also insist on rules that reasonably protect the character of low-density residential neighborhoods,” MCA said in a press release press release.

The MCA resolution called for limits on waivers granted to projects with regards to issues like open space and sufficient parking.

The MCA wasn’t alone in its concerns about the added density. The zoning ordinance includes a maximum building height of 75 to 100 feet tall. Clyde Miller, President of the Holmes Run Valley Citizens Association, spoke at the Board of Supervisors meeting to express concern that the density bonuses granted to for-profit senior living facilities were originally intended to be used by nonprofits.

“The proposal jeopardizes single family residential districts with crowding, overall buildings, bulk and congestion,” said Miller. “Proposed density bonuses should be eliminated.”

Continuing care for elderly residents is an issue of particular importance to McLean, where 30 percent of the population is age 55 or older. McLean’s older population is disproportionately large compared to the rest of Fairfax County, where the median age is under 40.

The county has made some progress in providing senior living recently. In October, new affordable senior living complex The Fallstead opened in McLean after a decade of planning and funding challenges.

But McLean also has a history of struggling with the scale of elderly care facilities. In 2017, the Board of Supervisors rejected a proposal by Sunrise Senior Living to build a 73-room facility on a 3.79 acre lot in McLean after three years of arguments from local citizens that the facility would add to local traffic in an area already overburdened by schools, houses or worship and other senior centers.

At the Board of Supervisors meeting, McLean District Supervisor John Foust praised the MCA resolution and said he shared their concerns about waivers for parking.

“I ran some numbers, and it looks like it can work so I’m comfortable enough to vote for this,” said Foust, “but I understand we’re taking another look at all of this as part of a parking zoning ordinance amendment. This will be reviewed and we will look in great detail at this.”

Foust also noted that, depending on public transportation access, the Board of Supervisors can require additional parking for developments.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the zoning change.

It’s a new week with a new crop of job opportunities opening up in Tysons, with management positions available in everything from cybersecurity to opera.

The Taste of UrbanSpace food hall that opened last week in the Tysons Galleria is searching for an assistant food hall manager. According to the job posting:

We are looking for passionate and operations-savvy Assistant Manager to oversee A Taste of Urbanspace. You will be the [general manager’s] right hand, liaising with vendors and the rest of the in-house team to ensure a superior guest experience through smooth daily operation and quality facilities maintenance.

Applicants should have experience in food management, but most of the other requirements are along the lines of “a strong instinct for hospitality” and “a strong communicator and team player.”

For those looking for a different sort of management position, Capital One is looking for a manager in the Transformation and Optimization Team. This work would primarily involve handling security operations, engaging vendors, and working closely with the intelligence and security operations teams.

Applicants should have experience working in cybersecurity technology with either a bachelor’s degree or military experience and several years of experience in various IT or system analysis fields. An MBA or Master’s degree are preferred.

For those looking for a more artistic type of management, the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts is looking for an assistant director for artistic operations, particularly for opera and classical programming. The assistant director would help manage classical programming activities at the Filene Center as well as managing the opera operations, from auditions to managing artistic housing.

There’s several job openings related to animal care. PETCO in Vienna is looking for a dog trainer or dog trainer apprentice for those interested in enhancing communication and teamwork between dogs and their owners. An aquatics specialist is also needed to provide care and aquatic life education to prospective owners and to care for the animals.

Meanwhile Dogtopia in Tysons is looking for a general manager, a front desk coordinator, sales manager and canine coach. Among the job benefits are that dogs are always allowed to come to work.

Other jobs around the area this week include:

• Babysitter — A sitter is needed for morning work in Vienna from 6-9:15 a.m., Monday through Friday with every other Friday off. The job would include getting a 2 and 8 year old dressed and ready for school, making breakfast, cleaning dishes, light room cleaning and driving the children to school. The job would pay $15 per hour and starts in early January.
• Pilates Coordinator — Equinox is looking for applicants to help manage pilates sessions at their studio in Tysons Corner. Applicants must be certified in Pilates training and have experience in customer service.
• After School Chess Instructor — Chess Wizards in Vienna is looking for tutors to teach elementary school students the fundamentals of the game. The work is part time, paying $60-65 per hour with between 1-5 one-hour classes per week. Instructors will need experience in maintaining an organized and ordered classroom and an ability to make chess fun.
• After School Minecraft Instructor — Fairfax Collegiate is offering courses teaching students basic engineering and programming, either through Lego robotics or Minecraft. Instructors in these classes should have at least one year of college experience, experience in the course material, and ideally experience in handling younger students. The job is part-time and pays $45-50 per hour.

Additionally, several of the Alarm.com jobs from last week remain open to applicants.

After featuring Art Garfunkel in November, The Barns at Wolf Trap continues its string of one-half of classic rock duos with John Oates in January. If you’ve wanted to hear at least half of 70’s-80’s pop duo Hall and Oates performed live, here’s your chance to make your dreams come true.

Oates will be performing a mix of earlier hits and songs from his recent roots-focused solo project Arkansas, with The Good Road Band.  Performances will be at 8 p.m. on Jan. 17 and 18. Tickets range from $42 for side balcony or rear orchestra, or $47 for prime balcony.

The Verve Pipe, alternative rock band with chat-topping 1996 hit “The Freshmen”, will also be performing at The Barns at Wolf Trap on Jan. 12 at 8 p.m.

Toots & The Maytals, the band whose 1968 single “Do the Reggae” is credited with popularizing the term reggae, is also scheduled to hold an “intimate acoustic set” on Jan. 16. Tickets are $55 for prime seats or $50 for rear orchestra or side balcony.

The list of Wolf Trap events in January:

• Jan. 11: Chamber Music at The Barns
• Jan. 12: The Verve Pipe
• Jan. 16: Toots and The Maytals
• Jan. 17, 18: John Oates with The Good Road Band
• Jan. 19: Evening of Indian Dance
• Jan. 25: Linda Eder
• Jan. 26: Bumper Jacksons
• Jan. 30, 31: International Guitar Night

The full Wolf Trap schedule is available online.

Photo via Wolf Trap