The Town of Vienna is ready to turn over a new leaf in its commitment to tree plantings and preservation.
In the hopes of reversing a significant decline in canopy coverage over the past decade, staff proposed a tree conservation ordinance to the Vienna Town Council last week that would require developers to preserve existing trees when possible.
An ordinance would put the town in line with Fairfax County, which has had conservation rules since the General Assembly extended that authority to Northern Virginia localities in 1990. Right now, Vienna only requires that developers replace eliminated trees to meet canopy standards.
“This is the kind of thing that’s so big, so impactful that I would like to hear from the community on and…is absolutely worthy of a public hearing. It’s a big idea that could have big results,” Councilmember Ed Somers said after the May 8 presentation.
Current canopy requirements vary across zoning districts, but for the single-family residential lots that dominate most of Vienna, builders must provide enough trees to cover at least 20% of the lot after 20 years.
A conservation ordinance would raise that 20-year standard to 25%, require developers to “make an effort” to preserve any trees likely to survive, and let developers unable to meet their on-site canopy requirement contribute to a fund for trees plantings elsewhere in the town.
“If you can’t meet your tree requirements through tree preservation, you supplement that through tree planting, as opposed to what Vienna has right now, where a builder can cut down all the trees if they want and then just replace them with new trees later,” Brian Land, a Vienna resident and Kirkland & Ellis LLP attorney, explained.
The town hired Kirkland & Ellis and the Ramboll US Corporation, a consulting company, in September 2020 for a pro bono project to analyze its tree program and those of other jurisdictions in Virginia.
In addition to a conservation ordinance, the consultants recommend that Vienna create a tree commission to supplement its Conservation and Sustainability Commission and track and publish plantings data on an annual basis.
Town staff have already started to make progress on the tracking recommendation, thanks to a town-wide tree inventory now underway.
Building off an urban tree canopy assessment released in October, the now-complete first phase of the inventory identified 8,640 sites in town that either have a tree or are suitable for future plantings. Of the 7,224 existing trees, 306 were dead, and 689 others were in poor condition, town staff told the council.
Conducted by consultant PlanIT Geo, the project’s second phase will consist of parks that weren’t already surveyed. A final report is expected to be presented to the town council on June 12.
The inventory data, including the health and species of each tree, is being assembled into a dashboard that staff will be able to update in real time and that will be accessible to the public through the town’s website.
While the inventory will provide valuable information, more staff and money are needed to actually plant and maintain trees, Vienna Park Maintenance Superintendent Jeremy Edwards said.
According to Edwards, the town’s annual tree maintenance budget has jumped from $30,000 just two years ago to $80,000 this year, and the council approved $250,000 in federal Covid relief funds for a street tree replacement project on May 1.
However, Vienna has no staff dedicated to tree maintenance, and with hundreds of trees in need of removal or pruning, those funds start to look pretty paltry.
“If trees are important, which I think they are, we do need to build a staff of competent workers that can not just cut trees, but know how to prune them, how to maintain them so we can manage them much better going forward,” Edwards said. “A lot of people can just cut. That’s what we’ve been doing so far, but knowing the proper cuts, that’s the skilled staff we need right now.”
Police Share Plans for Future DUI Checkpoints — “Throughout the year, our Fairfax County DUI squad will host sobriety checkpoints throughout the County. District stations will also host sobriety checkpoints, between the hours are 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. The focus is to recognize those community members who are impaired and get them off the streets safely.” [FCPD]
Dead Bodies Found in Culmore and Groveton — “Two dead bodies were found in different areas of Fairfax County hours apart Saturday, police said. One body was found behind a business at the 3300 block of Glen Carlyn Drive…Hours later, officers responded to a call about another body found at the 7100 block of Mint Place” [WUSA9]
Cause of Mount Vernon Boat Fire Still Unknown — Fairfax County fire investigators are still working to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a boat in the 4800 block of Tarpon Lane around 7:16 p.m. on May 4. Two people got injured in the fire and were transported to a hospital, while the boat “is considered a total loss.” [FCFRD]
Tysons Office Buildings Up for Sale — Tysons Concourse — a pair of seven-story office buildings at 1593 Spring Hill Road — has been put on the market by owner AG-ARC Tysons Concourse Owner LLC. Built in 1986, the “Class A” offices were renovated in 2017 and “could attract new tenants, or else be redeveloped with ‘at least’ 1.2 million square feet of new uses, ‘including multifamily, townhomes, and/or senior living,'” marketing materials say. [Washington Business Journal]
Less Plastic Bag Litter Seen in First Year of Tax — Fairfax County’s 5-cent tax on plastic bags generated about $2.3 million in revenue over its first year from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022, according to the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination. The executive director of Clean Fairfax says the nonprofit has found “fewer plastic bags…during stream monitoring and litter cleanup events” since the tax began. [Fairfax Times]
McLean Boys’ Rowing Team Wins State Title — “Nate McClafferty, the McLean boys’ rowing coach, and Russell Topp, the Wakefield girls’ coach, both told their rowers to prepare to race in the afternoon. Both teams got their second shot, and as the thunder held off at the Occoquan River at Sandy Run Regional Park in Fairfax County, both the McLean boys (4 minutes 42.6 seconds) and the Wakefield girls (5:21.7) emerged as state champions.” [The Washington Post]
FCPS Music Teachers in Running for Grammy Award — “Alberto Rodriguez (above), orchestra director at Mount Vernon High School, and Ær Queen (below), music teacher at Braddock Elementary School, have been selected as quarterfinalists for the 2024 GRAMMY Music Education Award. They are among 212 teachers from across the country being recognized for having made an significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education.” [FCPS]
Solo Artist Shows Now Open in McLean — “From ironic sculptures skewering modern technology to naturalistic wood sculptures and colorful abstract paintings, the latest solo shows at the McLean Project for the Arts exude variety and challenge viewers…The shows opened April 13 and will run through June 10.” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Monday — Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 75. North wind around 6 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southwest wind around 7 mph. [Weather.gov]
Photo by John Lee/Twitter
Businesses along Whittier Avenue in McLean will soon get some relief from the trucks, trailers and other vehicles hoarding parking spots on the downtown street.
At the request of the business owners, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agreed unanimously at its meeting on Tuesday (May 9) to restrict overnight, on-street parking on two blocks between Old Dominion Drive and Laughlin Avenue.
Under the restrictions, all commercial vehicles, recreational vehicles and trailers will be prohibited from parking on Whittier from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on all seven days of the week, according to county staff, who recommended approval of the measure.
Over the past year, there has been a “significant” increase in commercial vehicles using the two-lane road as overnight parking or a “24/7 parking lot,” said Dr. Andrew Hinkle, who has a dentistry practice in one of the office buildings on Whittier.
“It has caused an extreme limited visibility of our businesses. People being able to see our businesses from the street is paramount to our success,” Hinkle told the board in video testimony. “Additionally, we’ve had limited parking due to the number of spots these large and long vehicles are taking up on Whittier Avenue. Prior to their parking there, those spots were constantly filled every day. Now, our patients and our clients are having difficulty finding parking spots.”
Hinkle said the parking issue has also raised safety concerns, making it difficult for drivers to see oncoming traffic when exiting the parking lot for his office’s building at 6711 Whittier Avenue.
One time, a woman pulling out of the lot got “t-boned” by a driver on the street, he recalled. He has also witnessed or heard about “several” near-collisions.
“Clearly, this is not the intention of what the parking on that street should be. I highly encourage you to pass the parking restrictions so that we can get back to a more safe and business-friendly environment,” Hinkle said before the board’s vote.
Hinkle Dentistry wasn’t the only business to contact the Dranesville District office about a parking restriction on Whittier, though the dentist was the only person to submit testimony at Tuesday’s public hearing.
A review of the affected blocks over a 30-day period by the Fairfax County Department of Transportation confirmed the complaints from the businesses, county transportation planner Henri Stein McCartney said.
“Long-term parking of commercial vehicles is occurring, thereby diminishing the capacity of on-street parking for other uses,” staff said in the board agenda.
Commercial vehicles, as defined by the county’s code, include waste collection vehicles, tractor-trailers, limousines, vehicles carrying food and beverages, vehicles with lawn care or construction equipment, and any vehicle that exceeds 21 feet in length, 8 feet in height, 102 inches in width or 12,000 pounds.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust thanked Hinkle for testifying and working with the county “to address a serious safety issue and a convenience issue in downtown McLean.”
Photo via Google Maps
Fairfax County is continuing to see the number of locals experiencing homelessness over the last year increase — and a new report said inflation and housing costs are partially to blame.
This year’s point-in-time count — an annual count of individuals in shelters, transitional housing, and experiencing unsheltered homelessness — found 1,310 people experiencing homelessness in Fairfax County.
That’s a 10% increase (119 people) over the previous year, when a slight drop was reported. Around 30% of those were adults experiencing chronic homelessness.
The survey found that 87 households said they were fleeing domestic violence and 229 households reported a history of domestic violence, according to Fairfax County.
This year’s count follows a recent trend of homelessness increasing again after years of decline throughout the D.C. region.
“After a steady reduction of people experiencing homelessness on the night of the Point-in-Time Counts between the 2008 and 2017, a decrease of 47 percent (871 people),” the county said on the Point-in-Time report. “The number of people experiencing homelessness identified through the counts increased 27 percent (258 people) between 2017 and 2021 and then decreased 3 percent (31 people) in 2022.”
In particular, the report says there’s been a notable increase in families with children facing homelessness:
The number of people in families with children experiencing homelessness increased by 33 percent (188 people) between the 2022 and 2023 counts. This increase is primarily attributed to the multiple negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on families in terms of health, employment, and inflationary costs, especially for housing. Meanwhile, the number of single adults experiencing homelessness decreased by 11 percent (71 people) during the same time.
As with the previous year, the report noted that people who identify as Black or African American are disproportionately likely to experience homelessness in Fairfax County:
The most significant disparity in the demographics of those experiencing homelessness on the night of the 2023 Point-in-Time Count remains the disproportionate representation of people identifying as Black or African American. While 10.8 percent of the general population in Fairfax County is estimated to identify as Black or African American , 48 percent of people experiencing homelessness on the night of the count identified as Black or African American. The imbalance slightly improved from the 2022 count, when 50 percent of people identified as Black or African.
Dior has arrived at Tysons Galleria.
The French fashion house’s new boutique is now in business on the mall’s second floor near Neiman Marcus. Tysons Galleria announced that the store had opened on April 28 — beating its previously projected timeframe of summer 2023.
Selling clothes, handbags, shoes and accessories, the store is Dior’s first retail location in Virginia, saving local patrons from a trip downtown to the one in CityCenterDC.
The company’s public relations team told FFXnow it was “unable to secure a quote” on why Dior chose Tysons Galleria for its first Virginia location, but given the mall’s wealth of luxury designers, from Prada to Balenciaga, the brand that helped define post-World War II fashion seems like a natural fit.
The 5,188-square-foot store is next-door neighbors with Gucci, and a Versace boutique is just two doors down.
According to its website, other recent arrivals to Tysons Galleria include watch manufacturers Breitling and Omega. The mall also welcomed Swiss watchmaker Panerai, the restaurants Jiwa Singapura and Yard House, and the dine-in theater CMX CinéBistro earlier this year.
Tenants listed as “coming soon” include the Los Angeles-originated studio Alo Yoga, French swimwear brand Vilebrequin, and a Hair Social And Med Spa.
School Board Calls for Review to Address Drug Use — “As part of this review, the Board is asking the Superintendent to consider the merits of various initiatives, including creating a recovery high school, providing students and staff with access to fentanyl testing strips, placing naloxone in all classrooms with appropriately trained classroom-based staff, offering naloxone training to high school students” and more. [Karl Frisch]
Student Sports Officially Coming to Middle Schools — “For the first time, Fairfax County Public Schools is planning to launch an athletics program for middle school students. The program would start with cross country this fall. An outdoor track program would be offered in spring 2024. There would be no cost to students.” [Annandale Today]
New Seafood Restaurant Open in Fairfax — “You won’t find Ned at Ned’s New England Deck, a recent seafood-focused Fairfax arrival…What you will find is terrific food and hospitality at this tribute to the casual fare [co-owner Steve] Forbes and his partner Anthony Gallotto grew up eating and cooking on Boston’s North Shore. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
New Reston Town Center Falcons Get ID Bands — “Wildlife experts at the Reston Town Center worked on Wednesday to put identification bands on peregrine falcons” born to a pair that has frequented the shopping center since 2015. “This year, the mother falcon on Freedom Drive laid three eggs and had three baby daughters.” [WUSA9]
Update Planned for Courts at Bailey’s Crossroads Park — “The Fairfax County Park Authority has initiated the work to resurface the athletic courts at Dowden Terrace Park. The courts will be closed from May 8 through July 17 to complete the project…The project will cost approximately $227,000” [FCPA]
Virginia’s Teacher Licensing Process Delayed — “The Virginia Department of Education took emergency action Thursday to automatically extend teaching licenses after department delays left some teachers at risk of losing their jobs for the 2023-2024 school year.” About 15,500 of more than 20,000 licenses set to expire on June 30 “are renewable and will be extended.” [The Washington Post]
Herndon Theater Launches “In the Heights” — “Herndon’s NextStop Theatre Company will be debuting its production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musical, ‘In The Heights,’ this Friday.” The show will run through June 11. Masks are still required for audience members at the theater on 269 Sunset Park Drive. [Patch]
Free Concerts Return to Meadowlark Gardens — “‘Music in the Gardens,’ a Spring Series of ensemble concerts, will return to Vienna’s Meadowlark Botanical Gardens beginning this Sunday, May 14th, at 3 pm. Performers are principal players from the Virginia Chamber Orchestra. Concerts are free with admission to the park ($3 to $6).” [VCO]
It’s Friday — Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Evening has a chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low around 66. Showers are likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 a.m. Chance of precipitation is 70%. [Weather.gov]
Four Sisters will serve customers at the Mosaic District for the last time this Sunday (May 14).
The family-owned Vietnamese restaurant will permanently close after 30 years of business, about half of them spent anchoring the prominent corner of Strawberry Lane and Yates Way in Merrifield.
With the restaurant’s lease expiring, Four Sisters co-owner Lieu Lai says the family decided the time had come to wrap up their three-decade journey. She wants to spend more time at home with her kids, making Mother’s Day a particularly fitting final day.
In addition, Lai’s sister Le Lai — who has owned the restaurant with her since 2014 — and brother-in-law hope to travel, she told FFXnow.
Four Sisters has been a Merrifield mainstay since 2008, moving to what was then a mostly industrial area before it redeveloped as the Mosaic District in 2012.
Prior to helping jumpstart the mixed-use neighborhood, Four Sisters began life in 1993 as Huong Que at Falls Church’s Eden Center. Lieu and Le’s parents, Thanh Tran and Kim Lai, founded the modest restaurant with money they made selling hot dogs after they immigrated to the U.S. from Bien Hoa, Vietnam, according to the Washington Post, which broke the news of the impending closure.
Huong Que soon became a local favorite, expanding with a second restaurant in the Eden Center to accommodate its growing customer base and even appearing on the late chef Anthony Bourdain’s show “No Reservations” in 2008, according to Viva Tysons.
When the restaurant moved to the Mosaic District, the family renamed it as a nod to Lieu, Le and their two sisters, acknowledging that the original name was too often mispronounced by non-Vietnamese customers.
Since then, the family has extended their reach elsewhere in Northern Virginia, opening the fast-casual Four Sisters Grill in Clarendon and the 4 Sisters Snack Bar in Ashburn. Both of those locations, which are respectively run by oldest sister Ly and youngest son Thuan Lai, will remain open, per the Post.
An eventual return of Four Sisters hasn’t been ruled out either. Lieu says her sister and brother-in-law may open another restaurant in the future after they finish traveling.
“Deep down, I think that potentially I may open another Four Sisters somewhere,” Le told Post food critic Tim Carmen. “That would make my mom and dad really happy, for sure.”
For now, supporters still have a few more days to get in a final order of pho or a vermicelli rice bowl, among other dishes on the menu of Vietnamese staples. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Mondays.
A conceptual illustration of Mars Inc.’s planned headquarters expansion (via Fairfax County)
Though a proposal to expand its headquarters in McLean is still under review, Mars Inc. has apparently gotten a head start on scouting locations to temporarily host employees during construction.
The candy and pet food manufacturer has submitted a bid for construction work on the 10th floor of 1676 International Drive in Tysons, the Washington Business Journal reported yesterday.
The 13-story office building has 36,296 square feet of space available for leasing on its 10th floor, according to the property website. A contract hasn’t been finalized yet, so Mars was unable to confirm any plans beyond what the WBJ reported.
“Since 1984, our headquarters in McLean…has served Mars’ growing business,” the company said in a statement also shared with the WBJ. “It has been an important place for Mars Associates from around the world to connect with our company’s leadership, history and heritage. Given our growth, we’re exploring how we can evolve our office to meet the changing needs of our business and our Associates.”
Mars, whose brands include M&M’s and Iams pet food, submitted a rezoning application to Fairfax County on March 30, 2022, seeking to demolish a neighboring office building at 6867 Elm Street so it can add onto its headquarters (6869 Elm Street).
The expansion will almost double the facility’s square footage from 52,970 to approximately 119,671 and increase its height from 50 to 63 feet, or from two to three stories, according to a revised statement of justification dated March 7.
The company says the expansion will “update the existing interiors and façade…with world-class architecture that will provide a modern vibrant workplace and more natural light.”
Parking will be provided in a garage with up to three above-ground stories, as an existing lot will be replaced with new landscaping and seating. Proposed street improvements include the addition of a 12-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle path along Old Dominion Drive, consolidation of curb cuts to create a single vehicle access point, and a bus stop relocation.
Mars has also proposed moving the existing utilities on Elm Street underground.
The application is currently scheduled to go to the Fairfax County Planning Commission for a public hearing on Oct. 4, followed by a hearing before the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 24.
Fairfax County’s zoning ordinance has officially been modernized — for good this time.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the code overhaul known as zMod on Tuesday (May 9) even after overwhelming opposition at the public hearing. The readoption took effect immediately.
Tuesday’s proceedings echoed the board’s consideration of the same plan in 2021 — a vote that the Virginia Supreme Court voided in March. The court ruled that the approval violated open meeting provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act because it came during a virtual meeting.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said the modernization of the ordinance — which was last updated in 1979 — was long overdue and corrected parts of the document that were discriminatory. McKay said issues that triggered a response in the community will remain on the county’s radar.
“We will continue to monitor those as we have been,” he said.
The board approved a follow-on motion to allow additional opportunity for review at a Fairfax County Planning Commission work session in June — particularly for concerns about allowances for data centers in some areas of the county.
McKay noted earlier in the meeting that zMOD limited where data centers are allowed, banning them from residential districts, but the county has approved nine data centers since the overhaul was first adopted.
Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith said the planning commission will revisit issues raised at Tuesday’s public hearing as part of a zoning ordinance work program.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust conceded that, while the ordinance was not perfect, it should still go through.
“It’s without hesitation that I support adoption,” he said.
Concerns dominating the hearing — losing stable neighborhoods, lack of transparency, detrimental environmental impacts, doubts about county staff’s intentions, and the scope of the overhaul — were similar to criticisms made in 2021.
Some residents revived arguments that eased rules for accessory living units (ALUs) and home-based businesses (HBBs) would destroy the character of stable neighborhoods.
Others said the latest push for zMod was ushered in without transparency and public comment.
Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross said staff “should be celebrated, not castigated” for its work on the zoning revisions, a process that began in 2017.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity abstained from the vote.
“It was supposed to be a reorganization,” Herrity said. “It ended up being more than that.”
County resident Adrienne Whyte argued that the “poorly created ordinance” doesn’t consider the impact of development on the environment.
“Our only saving grace is that this is an election year,” Whyte said.
Jeff Parnes, a representative of the Fairfax National Estates Homeowners Association, took issue with the data center and ALU provisions as well as the expanded use of administrative permits that don’t require public notice or hearings.
“The devil is in the details,” Parnes said.
A minority of individuals testified in support of the plan, which was in place for about two years before the state supreme court struck it down.
Scott Adams, a representative of the National Association for Industrial and Office Parks, said the uncertainty created by the Supreme Court’s ruling has impacted the county’s reputation.
“Through no fault of the county’s, the Supreme Court decision has truly created uncertainty in the zoning process,” he said.
Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk said the uncertainty has left some applications in limbo.
“We’ve had a number of individuals come forward to make a decision to invest in this community, and they had approvals that gave them the ability to do that,” Lusk said. “Those approvals are in jeopardy because of this decision.”
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, who voted against the proposal in 2021, emphasized that some concerns about the policy — including his — were overstated. The changes to ALUs and HBBs were “modest” but require careful monitoring, he said.
“Frankly, the implementation has surprised me. It’s actually gone better than I expected,” Alcorn said.
In response to a request by Reston Association, the commission will reconsider the parameters for when a Planned Residential Community (PRC) plan is required. RA nixed plans for lighting at Barton Hills tennis court after losing an appeal to the county, which argued that a PRC plan — a costly and time-consuming effort — was needed.
Smith reminded the audience that land use is continually evolving. Just as amendments were made to the 1970s version of the document, opportunities may arise for additional changes.
Cats Rescued From Reston House Fire — Two people were displaced by a house fire in the 2300 block of Whitetail Court that started around 12:16 p.m. on April 29 due to an “electrical event involving a power strip” in a second-floor bedroom. Firefighters rescued two cats from the house, which totaled about $50,000 in damages. [FCFRD]
Homelessness Rates Rise Across D.C. Area — “The metropolitan Washington region experienced an 18% increase in homelessness between January 2022 and January 2023, the region’s Council of Governments announced Wednesday.” All nine jurisdictions, including Fairfax County, saw a rise, which is “pretty unprecedented,” COG’s housing program manager said. [DCist]
FCPD Hosts Conference on Auto Thefts — More than 20 law enforcement agencies from around the D.C. region attended the Fairfax County Police Department’s first auto theft symposium yesterday (Wednesday). The FCPD launched an Auto Crimes Enforcement unit in March 2022 that has “recovered 141 stolen vehicles, and helped seize various illegal narcotics and weapons which have led to a total of 402 felony charges.” [FCPD]
West Springfield Girl Wrestlers Recognized — “Three wrestlers from the West Springfield High School girls wrestling team made it to the first-ever Girls’ State Wresting Meet in Manassas in February, with one of the girls winning the state title in her weight class…The Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on Tuesday honoring the school’s ‘trailblazing’ girls wrestling team.” [Patch]
Reston Food Collection Organization Nabs Grant — “A Simple Gesture Reston recently received a $5,000 grant from the Closet of the Greater Herndon area to expand its food collection program in order to keep food pantry shelves across Northern Virginia fully stocked…Currently, more than 1,500 families are donating food [to the nonprofit] every two months.” [Patch]
Vienna Man Hosts Croquet Tournament in Backyard — “Doug Grimsley bought his house in Vienna, Va., 13 years ago specifically because, at 15,000 square feet, the backyard could accommodate a full-size croquet court…He was up at 7 in the morning, mowing it for the second day of the Arizona Closed, an annual four-day tournament that Grimsley, 73, and his wife have hosted since 2016.” [The Washington Post]
McLean Community Center Board Election Day Nears — “Four of the five candidates seeking three adult positions on the McLean Community Center’s Governing Board this year gave presentations at the McLean Citizens Association’s board meeting May 3 as to why voters should choose them.” Absentee ballots must be cast by 5 p.m. on May 17, while in-person voting will be held at McLean Day on May 20. [Gazette Leader]
It’s Thursday — Sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the morning. Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind 3 to 5 mph. [Weather.gov]
