(Updated at 6:50 p.m.) There’s skepticism in McLean about a plan to close Beltway access during weekday afternoons, but the McLean Citizens Association may vote to support a pilot phase for the project.
Tomorrow evening, the McLean Citizens Association (MCA) Board of Directors is scheduled to vote whether or not to endorse the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) pilot program for a controversial proposal to close the northbound ramp from Georgetown Pike onto the Beltway during evening rush hour.
The MCA Board of Directors meeting is open to the public and will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the McLean Government Center (1437 Balls Hill Rd).
The logic of the MCA’s resolution is that the four-month inconvenience of testing the closure is better than a more permanent change based on traffic model predictions alone. Among alternatives proposed by the MCA to closing access to the Beltway would be tolling the ramp.
The proposal stems from the heavy amount of cut-through traffic driving through the largely residential McLean streets to avoid traffic jams on the Beltway. The northbound ramp from Route 193 (Georgetown Pike) onto the Beltway in McLean is the last entrance before the American Legion Bridge, a major bottleneck for regional traffic.
The problem has been exacerbated by the rise of apps like Waze and Google Maps, which encourage Maryland commuters to use McLean streets as a shortcut, according to local residents.
VDOT’s proposed pilot program would close the northbound ramp from 1-7 p.m. on weekdays for a four-month trial, during which VDOT would collect data on whether the closure was successful in reducing cut-through traffic.
VDOT has previously held two meetings on the subject, during which most of the feedback was critical of the proposal. Residents in McLean and Great Falls said the proposal would force residents to take a more inconvenient route to access the Beltway.
The MCA’s resolution expresses support for the VDOT proposal on the grounds of testing the proposal rather than relying on traffic models alone. The resolution says that the testing the proposal as a pilot project would show the real-life impact of the change.
Also under consideration is an alternative proposal put forward by one member of the MCA, which calls for VDOT to halt all consideration of the project entirely.
Photo via Virginia Department of Transportation
Tysons may be in a long–running effort to drop the “Corner” from the name, but the Tysons Corner Center mall is still the most iconic location in the area. It’s a corner that has gone through some substantial changes over the years.
The mall celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. The Fairfax County Historic Imagery Viewer, which collects aerial photography of the county over time, shows the mall’s evolution from a grassy field to a sprawling urban center. As we did with development near Tysons Galleria and the Greensboro Metro station, we’re sharing a glimpse of Tysons Corner Center over the years.
The oldest photos date from 1937, when the area was more cows than people. The area was known as Tysons Crossroads, with the main local stores being Crossroads Market and Tysons Corner Market.
In 1976, the aerial photos shows the beginning of substantial changes in the area. The mall, constructed in 1969, had already started spurring some small development across Leesburg Pike. Also new in the 1976 photo is the Capital Beltway east of the mall, which was completed in 1964.
By 1990, the development across Leesburg Pike had continued apace. To the south, development of the Towers Crescent was still nearly ten years away. The mall itself had also undergone expansion in 1988, adding new anchor tenants like Lord & Taylor and Nordstrom.
In 2017, one of the biggest aerial changes to the mall is the addition of the Tysons Corner Metro station located on Chain Bridge Road. The Towers Crescent development south of the mall also filled the space at the corner of the Beltway and Leesburg Pike, including the addition of tech firm MicroStrategy. In the wake of the announcement that MicroStrategy would be expanding its headquarters, the Towers Crescent developers are allegedly looking to sell the property.
In contrast to the hustle and bustle of Tysons, Vienna is known for its small town, closer-to-nature feel.
Tomorrow (Wednesday), the Hunter Mill Tree Forum will help educate Vienna residents on how to care for and maintain that greenery.
The event will start at 7 p.m. in the Vienna Town Hall (127 Center St S). The forum is free and open to the public.
Representatives from the Town of Vienna, the Vienna Community Enhancement Commission, Virginia Department of Forestry, and Fairfax County are all scheduled to speak about the benefits of trees and how they are impacted by increasing development.
The forum will also look at pests and diseases affecting trees in the area.
Photo via Visit Fairfax
While Dominion Square starts to heat up development prospects west of the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons, a series of developments are proposed to transform the area to the north and east of the station.
The most attention-getting of the proposed developments is the 600-foot tall skyscraper “Iconic Tower”, part of a redevelopment of the block south of Tyco Road into a complex called The View. Developer Clemente Development Co. announced in August that the tower would be switching to all-office rather than residential. It is set to break ground next year.
But just to the north across Tyco Road, two developments proposed earlier this year could pick up the residential demand dropped by Iconic Tower.
The Audi Tysons Corner and Tesla dealerships along the north side of Tyco Road are proposed by developer Georgelas LLC to be redeveloped as West Spring Hill Station and North Spring Hill Station respectively.
Like The Adaire located on the southern side of Tyco Road, these developments are proposed to become mixed-use developments with office, retail, hotel and residential areas.
The proposed North Spring Hill Station would replace the existing low-rise Tesla dealership with new high-rise buildings.
One tower is planned to be either a residential tower at 300 feet tall with 385 units or a commercial building with 350,000 square feet of office use and a maximum height of 230 feet.
The two other towers are planned residential, with one being 300 feet tall with 400 residential units and the other being 270 feet tall with 270-360 units.
Meanwhile at West Spring Hill Station, a series of towers are planned to mix residential units with a 170,000 square-foot hotel and retail space, replacing the Audi dealership.
The plans for North and West Spring Hill Station were submitted in September and are scheduled to begin a county staff review in late November. The exact construction timeline after that is unclear.
Professor Frank Shafroth, director of the Center for State and Local Leadership at George Mason University, said that crowding around the other Metro stations in Tysons is driving up real estate values and property taxes, which makes outlying areas like Spring Hill Road Metro station more fiscally attractive to developers.
But some changes won’t be as dramatic and the auto dealerships that define the area today won’t completely disappear.
Crown Tysons Properties has an application under review at the Department of Planning and Zoning for 8600 Leesburg Pike, currently a warehouse and automobile storage facility. This is a rezoning and special exception application to allow the building to be converted into a new automobile dealership just south of Koons Tysons Toyota and Koons Collision Repair Center.
The new dealership is proposed to fall under the same ownership as the Koons dealership to the north, although no changes are proposed for that site.
Photo (2) via Google Maps
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!
Wednesday, Nov. 7
Hunter Mill Tree Forum
Vienna Town Hall (127 Center Street S)
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Representatives from Town of Vienna, Fairfax County and the Virginia Department of Forestry will participate in a discussion on local tree care and forestry. The event is free and open to the public.
Ina Garten’s Cook Like A Pro
Williams Sonoma (2920 District Ave)
Time: 6-7 p.m.
The Williams Sonoma’s Cookbook Club in the Mosaic District will be cooking their way through “Cook Like a Pro,” a new cookbook from Food Network Host Ina Garten. The event is $50 per person, which includes a copy of the book.
Thursday, Nov. 8
Snappy Hour with Santa
Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road)
Time: 5-7 p.m.
The first of many Santa events at Tysons Corner Center this winter, Snappy Hour is a networking event free with the donation of an unwrapped toy to benefit Second Story, a local youth shelter.
McLean CBC Open House
McLean High School Cafeteria (1633 Davidson Road)
Time: 7-9 p.m.
The upcoming meeting will present a draft of a plan to reshape downtown McLean. The focus of the plan is to make the downtown more pedestrian and traffic friendly, as well as more generally to make the area more vibrant.
Saturday, Nov. 10
The Guitar’s Story
Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike)
Time: 2-3 p.m.
Guitarist Kevin Sherwin will host an exploration of the history and traditions of guitar music, from kingly dances to native folk music of South America and Spain. No registration is required for the program.
Sunday, Nov. 11
Outrace Poverty 5k Run/Walk
The Boro (8251 Greensboro Drive)
Time: 7:30-11:30 a.m.
The 5K run through Tysons is scheduled to benefit charities combating poverty, particularly veteran homelessness. Participants 17 or younger can participate in the One Miles Fun Run. Registration is available online.
A new fitness studio is hoping to turn Tysons from a place people work to a place people work out, as well.
F45 Training, an Australian fitness program that specializes in 45-minute workouts, is coming to Tysons. The company announced last Friday that it would be moving into the 2,728 square-foot retail space at 1953 Gallows Road.
According to a press release, F45 Tysons is scheduled to open in early 2019.
The brand is looking to continue expanding across Northern Virginia; F45 already has locations in Alexandria and Arlington, with another on the way. There are also locations — one apiece — in D.C. and suburban Maryland.
Membership prices and plan options vary by studio. At the Pentagon Row studio, a six-month plan costs $199 every four weeks or $179 every four weeks for a twelve-month membership.
According to its Twitter account, F45 Tysons is recruiting for several positions. The location will feature multiple TV screens will display the exercises and heart rate technology for performance tracking.
“We are excited to become a part of the Tysons business community, and are thrilled to help grow the F45 brand alongside our colleagues in the DC region,” said Jeff Harnois, co-owner of F45 Tysons, in a press release. “The D.C. metro region is a huge focus for F45 and we hope to continue our expansion in Northern Virginia. The Gallows Road location will allow us to successfully deliver our functional training programs to a vast range of demographics.”
Changes to the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan, approved by the Board of Supervisors this past Tuesday, should make it easier to find new uses for the county’s vacant storefronts.
The new plan allows for a broader definition of retail and related commercial uses in both repurposing existing buildings and for unbuilt, planned retail spaces. In other words, businesses that are not strictly stores or restaurants will find it easier to move into vacant retail spaces.
The changes add new language throughout the land use portion of the Comprehensive Plan that allows greater flexibility in achieving certain objectives, particularly in cases where the conversion does not significantly impact the building form and footprint.
The plan points to several national trends for options to replace conventional retail:
- Experiential/Entertainment Uses — Retail focused around selling an experience. The Launch Trampoline Park in Herndon, which was converted from a vacant Sears, is cited as a local example.
- Downsizing — Retail formerly occupying a larger space reducing their scale and converting the remaining space to a different use. The former two-story Sears in Fair Oaks Mall was cited as a local example, which was reduced to one floor while the upper floor was converted into an eating area. The Sears was permanently closed in August.
- Lifestyle Retail — Specialty retail with a focus on walkable communities. The Mosaic District is cited as a local example.
- Curated Retail — Stores targeting a niche market. These are often online enterprises starting to establish physical locations like Warby Parker, a glasses retailer with a store in Tysons Corner Center mall.
- Arts and Cultural Uses — Theaters, concert halls and cinemas that can anchor other nearby retail establishments, like the Showplace Icon scheduled to open in The Boro.
- Creative Spaces — These are locations like business incubators and maker places, where individuals can collaborate on projects using shared tools.
- Local Warehousing and Distribution Centers — Retail spaces converted into storage for the distribution of products, a trend increasingly necessary with the rise of online sales.
Outside of conversion to other retail spaces, the changes could allow vacant retail to more easily be converted into uses like medical care facilities, community colleges, or craft breweries.
There are 35.7 million square feet of retail and commercial space in Fairfax, with 75 percent located in hubs with planned future growth like Tysons and Merrifield. Tysons, Merrifield and McLean, fortunately, have fairly low vacancy rates — all below the metro area’s 4 percent rate.
One of the primary victims of the languishing retail market is neighborhood shopping centers, often anchored by a grocery store. In Fairfax, one in five has empty storefronts.
In March, similar changes were approved for transitioning suburban offices into other uses.
Where do federal employees get their news — and how can marketers targeting government agencies reach them?
That will be the topic at an event in Tysons next Thursday (Nov. 8), as marketing execs gather to discuss the latest Federal Media and Marketing Study.
The event — which will look at both current and future trends — will run from 8:30-11:30 a.m. in VALO Park Conference Center (7950 Jones Branch Dr.).
For the past ten years, the study has surveyed the media habits of nearly 3,000 respondents in defense and civilian agencies throughout the region. The survey looks at the social, mobile, print and broadcast media that government employees receive their news from to help federal marketers develop their strategies.
Panel discussions are scheduled to examine the confidence among those surveyed about their sources of information, their sources for breaking news, and concerns over data privacy.
Tickets to the breakfast and briefing are $99, with only 12 remaining as of 2 p.m. Friday.
Photo via Marketing Connections, Inc.
Sundance, an apparel-home decor retail chain owned by actor-director Robert Redford, opened yesterday (Thursday) in the Mosaic District at 2910 District Ave.
The store sells a mix of higher-end men’s and women’s clothing, as well as home accessories from furniture to coasters. The store specializes in maintaining a rotating seasonal inventory.
A portion of the proceeds raised during the opening weekend will go to the McLean Project for the Arts, a non-profit that promotes local artists.
The Mosaic District location is the 15th store for the national chain. Though the business began in 1983, the number of retail locations remained small until the chain opened ten new locations in 2015.
There’s activity in the shuttered Rite Aid at 215 Maple Ave. in Vienna as workers transform the former pharmacy space into a Dollar Tree.
Dollar Tree is a discount store that has been thriving and expanding despite e-commerce outlets like Amazon devastating other retail chains. When the new Vienna store will open is unclear, but today workers were busy renovating the building’s interior.
A pair of folders were taped to the front door for those seeking employment to pick up and drop off applications.
The new store will fill a vacancy at an end of Maple Avenue badly in need of more commercial activity. A few feet west of the new Dollar Tree is the charred husk of the Marco Polo restaurant, which was destroyed in a fire last month, and the A.J.’s Sports Stop, which is likely to be closed within a year.
There are other signs of new life and development at the west end of Maple Avenue. Just two blocks away is the Wolf Trap Hotel, which earlier this week was authorized by the Vienna Town Council to be converted into a new four-story mixed-use development.
Hat tip to Laura Schwartz
