After an “unexpected delay,” the Virginia Tire and Auto state at 141 Maple Ave in Vienna is scheduled to open early next year.
The Virginia Tire and Auto was originally scheduled to open in October, but a delay pushed the grand opening back. An employee at Virginia Tire and Auto confirmed that the new opening was scheduled for early January but could not comment on what had caused the delay.
The dealership has been expanding recently, with two new locations opening in Richmond and Herndon. The new locations will bring the total number of dealership locations to 16.
The location had previously operated for 30 years as Merchant’s Tire & Auto Center, but had been renovated with new equipment like new in-ground lifts. The Vienna Virginia Tire and Auto will have nine bays available for mechanical work.
The new Virginia Tire and Auto is near the center of Maple Avenue, located between the newly opened Nothing Bundt Cakes and Maple Ave Restaurant, recently featured as one of Northern Virginia’s Top 50 restaurants.
FCPD Reports Increase in Hate Crimes — “County police have documented 77 crimes and incidents motivated by racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, and other kinds of bias in 2018 so far. With one month remaining in the year, Fairfax County seems to be on pace to end 2018 roughly in line with 2017, which saw 87 hate crimes and incidents, a two-thirds increase from 2016.” [Fairfax Times]
Fairfax Flags at Half-Mast for Bush — “The U. S., Virginia and Fairfax County flags are lowered in respect and memory of President George H.W. Bush. The flags will remain at half-staff until sunset 30 days from the day of his death on Nov. 30.” [Twitter]
Candle Caution Urged for Hanukkah Celebrations — “While the use of open-flame candles can add ambiance to a holiday and provide ‘warmth’ to a home, battery-powered candles are a safer alternative and one our firefighters and paramedics highly recommend you use.” [Fairfax County Fire & Rescue]
Santa Snapper Sells Spiffy Shoes — Andrea Smith’s current job is taking photos of children with Santa Claus at the Tysons Corner Center mall, but her passion is beautifying old and unwanted sneakers and boots. [Washington Post]
High Student Debt Hurts Regional Home Sales — “Prospective buyers in the local region could afford to purchase 71 percent of homes in the market if they do not carry student debt, but only 62 percent if they carry an average level of debt.” [InsideNova]
Looking for a way to kick off the last month of 2018 in style?
There are plenty of holiday and nightlife events around Tysons this weekend, including McLean’s annual WinterFest and an auction featuring a Star Wars Episode IV movie poster signed by the original cast.
Tomorrow (Dec. 1)
22nd Annual ReinDog Parade (8-9:30 p.m.) — In exchange for two cans of dog food, the community is invited to bring their dogs and costumes to a dog parade at the Langley Shopping Center (1398 Chain Bridge Road). The parade, hosted by the McLean Animal Hospital, will include gift bags, hot chocolate, and donuts.
Sensation Saturday Grand Opening (6 p.m.-2 a.m.) — The Palladium (1524 Spring Hill Road), Tysons’ newest club, is hosting its first “Sensation Saturday.” The event will be DJed by Jeff Carr and DJ Pootie.
Wilder vs. Fury Live at Tysons’ Biergarten (7 p.m.-1 a.m.) — The Tysons Biergarten will host a cover-free viewing of the boxing match between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. Sound will be on for the event. Registration is required.
Merry & Bright Bash (8 p.m.-11 p.m.) — The Junior League of Northern Virginia, a women’s organization devoted to voluntarism, is hosting a gala in the Sheraton Tysons Hotel (8661 Leesburg Pike). The event will feature an open bar, a DJ, and an exclusive auction and raffle. Items at the raffle include the aforementioned Star Wars Episode IV poster, as well as an NHL hockey puck signed by Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and an autographed Taylor Swift album. The event is black tie optional and tickets are $90, with proceeds going towards the Junior League’s community and leadership development programs.
Sunday (Dec. 2)
Santa Breakfast (8-10 a.m.) — Tysons Corner Center is hosting its 2018 Santa Breakfast. Guests can bring their own camera to get a picture with Santa or have professional photographs taken. Those attending are encouraged to bring unwrapped toys for the mall’s Help Through Holiday Giving program. The breakfast is first-come, first-serve at 8 a.m. and Santa is scheduled to leave promptly at 10 a.m.
After Thanksgiving Healthful Hike (1-2:30 p.m.) — The Friends of Wolf Trap are hosting a group hiking tour through the forests and trails around Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. The event is free, but attendees can bring canned or non-perishable food items for humans, dogs or cats to be donated to local food pantries and animal rescues. The group will meet at the Ranger Station to the left of the Filene Center Box office for an easy-moderately paced three-mile hike.
McLean WinterFest Parade (3:30 p.m.) — McLean’s annual parade starts at the Langley Shopping Center, with pre-parade entertainment beginning at 2:30 p.m. before the parade’s start at 3:30 p.m. Be aware, there may be road closures along Old Chain Bridge Road as a result of the parade from 2-5 p.m.
Also this weekend, Santa will be traveling McLean via fire truck, courtesy the McLean Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD). Tomorrow he will be in the Kings Manor/Dolley Madison Library area and on Sunday he will be at Churchill Road in the McLean Central Park area. The MVFD’s Santa Tracker will allow locals keep track of where they can find Santa.
Tysons East has been in the spotlight a lot lately.
Apple is eyeing Scotts Run, a development in Tysons East, as a potential new office location. Greater Greater Washington just profiled the neighborhood, calling it a “glitzy, suburban” area that may someday be a haven for “creative class” professionals.
Like we did with Tysons Corner Center mall and Maple Avenue in Vienna, we’re using Fairfax County’s aerial photography maps to explore the history of the still-expanding Tysons East.
The earliest photography in 1937 shows the area as plots of farmland. The first development at the site was Pimmit Hills, built in the 1950s as a home for veterans of World War II and the Korean War. The photography from 1953 shows the neighborhood still in development, and by 1960 it had taken the general shape it still exists in today.
From there, the story of Tysons East’s development moves north. In the 16 years between 1960 and the photography from 1976, the area north of the Pimmit Hills exploded with new development. The construction of the Capital Beltway in 1964 and the construction of the Tysons Corner Center mall in 1969 helped spur new development in the area.
The aerial photography from 1990 shows continued growth in the area. In 1985, the Dulles Toll Road was extended from the Beltway to I-66, completely surrounding Pimmit Hills and the Tysons East development with major highways.
The largest change between 1990 and 2017 is the redevelopment of the smaller office buildings into major corporate campuses. Photography from 2017 shows areas of the Capital One complex, like the Capital One Tower, still under construction. Professor Stephen Fuller, Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University, said the complex is likely to be an anchor for new development in Tysons East.
Photo (7) via Google Earth
The reindeer are getting the day off: Santa Claus is coming to Vienna on a fire truck.
From Dec. 12-19, the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department (VVFD) will be escorting Santa around the town in a 1946 Maxim fire engine.
“Look for Santa as he drives around the town’s residential streets,” said the VVFD in a press release. “When you hear the sirens and music and see the flashing lights, please come outside to see Jolly Old Saint Nick and to receive a candy cane from one of his honorary elves.”
According to the VVFD, Santa will be making the rounds to most Vienna neighborhoods, stopping at 5 p.m. in various parts of the town.
- Dec 12: Southwest Vienna between Park Street and Hillcrest Drive
- Dec 13: Northwest Vienna between Lawyers Road and W&OD trail
- Dec 14: Northeast Vienna between W&OD and Beulah Road
- Dec 15: Southwest Vienna west of Hillcrest Drive. Note: this will be the only scheduled Santa stop at 1 p.m. rather than 5 p.m.
- Dec 15: Northwest Vienna west of Madison High School and Lawyers Road
- Dec 18: Southeast Vienna east of Center
- Dec 19: Northeast Vienna east of Beulah Road
Santa will also make an appearance at a Holiday Pancake Breakfast on Dec. 15. The doors open at 8 a.m. and Santa will be available between 9:30-11 a.m.
Tickets to the breakfast are $8 for adults or &7 for seniors. Children ages 5-12 are $6 and those under 4 are free. All proceeds will benefit the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department.
Photo via Facebook
Wawa is still coming to Vienna, but not to the former BP station site at Maple Ave and Park Street in Vienna, as reported earlier.
“I apologize for confirming the Maple Ave and Park Street address,” a Wawa spokeswoman said via email. “This was incorrect and is not a location we are considering. We are still actively looking for new locations in Vienna and look forward to sharing confirms plans and locations as they take shape.”
The convenience store and gas station chain has been expanding throughout the Washington, D.C. area with plans to add 30-50 stores in the region.
News of Wawa’s plan to come to Vienna was greeted with jubilation on social media from the chain’s fervent fans.
“As a Philly native, I am thrilled to hear this!” said a reader on the Tysons Reporter Facebook page.
“Our new go-to lunch spot,” wrote another.
Tysons Reporter initially asked Wawa about plans for the site after hearing from a tipster and, subsequently, two local business owners that they heard that the company would be opening a new store there. It is unclear where else in Vienna Wawa may now be looking.
Markus Williams, the musical director for the upcoming A Civil War Christmas production at 1st Stage Theater, passed away one week before his play at Tysons’ 1st Stage Theater Company was scheduled to premier.
“I am very sorry to share the news that Markus Williams, the musical director for A Civil War Christmas, passed away suddenly in his home last week,” said Alex Levy, 1st Stage Artistic Director, in a press release. “Markus was a brilliant musician and leader whose passion for his work was contagious. Our entire company mourns this loss.”
The press release noted that the show, which is scheduled to open tonight, has added Walter McCoy and Leigh Delano to the show’s musical directon team.
Unless there’s ice on the ground, if you drive past Ken Lawrence Park (8008 Jones Branch Drive) just north of Tysons Galleria on a weekday around lunchtime, expect to see a soccer game in progress
Even with near-freezing temperatures and gusty winds Wednesday, the only changes on the field were bulkier cold weather gear — for some — and the normal net goal replaced with two cones. A few players wore shorts.
Nearly every weekday for two decades, the unofficial group has gathered in one place or another around Tysons to play during work breaks.
“It’s good soccer here,” said Daniel Duran, carefully watching for the ball to make its way across the field to him as he spoke. “It’s very high level. Everybody here has been playing soccer for years. It’s a passion.”
For most of the group’s 20 years, the playing field was in Spring Hill, but Duran said when the Ken Lawrence Park opened four years ago the group moved there.
Players come to the game from throughout the region. Some are there during a mid-day break, leaving after a while to head back to their 9-5 job. Others like Duran, who works as an Uber driver in the Bethesda area, come to the games before starting work.
Duran said there are roughly 60 players in the group, but only 22 people can play at any given time. Show up after the 22 mark and you’re out of luck and have to play on another field.
Carlos Terejos has been playing with the group for seven years. He said that winter weather typically results in a reduction in active players, but the games still go on.
“In winter time, most people take off,” said Terejos. “But it keeps me in shape.”
The Vienna Shopping Center, already a popular local lunch destination with fast-casual spots like Cava and Mod Pizza, is about to add Don Pollo to the local casual food offerings.
The charbroiled chicken eatery is scheduled to open at 146 Maple Ave. W sometime in December, according to its website. The Vienna location will be the sixth for the chain and the first outside of Maryland.
Don Pollo features Peruvian cuisine, from its namesake chicken dishes to steak and seafood. Sides include South American staples like yuca and chaufa (Peruvian fried rice).
A new Ben & Jerry’s also opened in the Vienna Shopping Center on Sept. 21.
Hat tip to “Vienna J.”
Plans are in the works for Fairfax street lights to be converted into more energy-efficient LEDs, but it could be five years before LED light touches streets in some parts of the county.
In August, Fairfax County signed an agreement with Dominion Energy to convert its streetlights to LED technology, but Matthew Kaiser, information officer for the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, said the plans are still in a very preliminary stage with no timetable established for which areas will be converted first. Kaiser said the conversion process is expected to be a five year program.
The current street lights are high-pressure sodium, metal halide and mercury vapor. LEDs, electric lights which draw their name from the light-emitting diode, often have a higher installation cost than traditional lights but are longer lasting and more energy efficient.
Under the new agreement, Dominion will charge $130 to convert an existing streetlight, though streetlight fixtures that fail will be converted at no cost. Previously, Dominion charged $12 in electricity distribution for basic LED streetlights based on last year’s utility rates, but under the new agreement maintaining LED light costs would be reduced to $7.
Fairfax County has also begun working on installing LEDs inside County facilities. Over 2,277 LED bulbs have been installed since the program began last July.
Kaiser said Dominion Energy informed the County that the earliest they could begin conversions would be sometime after February 2019. Funding for the conversions has been requested to be included in the FY 2020 budget.
Currently, Dominion installs, owns, operates and maintains most of the 58,000 streetlights in Fairfax County, though who owns the lights after Fairfax contributes to the conversion still remains in discussion.
“We anticipate information/recommendations regarding LED streetlight conversions/installations will be presented at a future Board committee meeting in early 2019,” Kaiser said via email. “Whether the lights remain Dominion owned or convert to some percentage county owned, additional funding would still be required to go to LED.”
Photo via Fairfax County
