If you’re driving along the highways in Northern Virginia, do you usually hop into an express lane or do you prefer to tough it out in the normal lanes with the rest of the proletariat?
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced last week that the new I-66 Express Lanes running from the Beltway down to Centreville are set to fully open today (Tuesday).
“[VDOT and partners] announced today that the westbound direction of the new 66 Express Lanes from I-495 (Capital Beltway) to Route 28 in Centreville remains on schedule to open on or about this Saturday, Nov. 19,” VDOT said in a release. “The eastbound direction of this same 13-mile section of express lanes is expected to open by the end of November and could open as early as next Tuesday, Nov. 22, depending on weather and other factors.”
Along with the expansion, this month marks the 10-year anniversary of the express lanes opened on I-495. Since Express Lanes started being added to the highways around Northern Virginia, they’ve become largely ubiquitous along I-495, I-95 and I-395.
Intended to allow faster travel, the lanes charge vehicles based on demand, which can lead to eye-popping tolls. In two weeks, drivers will need to have at least two passengers to use the I-66 lanes for free, an increase from the current HOV-2 requirement.
I-66 Express Lanes Fully Open Today — “The eastbound direction of the new 66 Express Lanes from Route 28 in Centreville to I-495 (Capital Beltway) is on track to open on Tuesday, Nov. 22…When this final section opens, the entire 22.5-mile 66 Express Lanes corridor from Route 29 in Gainesville to I-495 will be open with tolling and HOV-2+ rules in effect.” [VDOT]
Mini Satellite Built by TJ Students Going to Space — “On Tuesday, November 22, at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, NASA is scheduled to launch the TJ REVERB CubeSat as part of the SpaceX-26 Commercial Resupply Service Mission en route to the International Space Station…Led by Robotics lab director Kristen Kucko, many students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology have had a hand in this historic launch.” [FCPS]
Supreme Court Passes on FCPS Sexual Assault Lawsuit — “On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a motion by the Fairfax County School Board to take up a case involving a lawsuit filed by a former high school student over the school system’s response to a sexual harassment incident that occurred while on a school trip.” [Patch]
Fire at Springfield TGI Fridays Under Investigation — “Building fire on 11/17 at 8:27 PM, in 6700 block of Frontier Drive, Springfield. Fire in kitchen of restaurant. Fire was contained under commercial hood system. No civilian injuries. One firefighter sustained minor injury. Damages: $30K.” [FCFRD/Twitter]
Hollin Hills Parks Reopen — “Dozens of community members gathered Nov. 19 to celebrate the reopening of Brickelmaier and Charles Goodman Parks in the Hollin Hills neighborhood of Alexandria. The parks were closed to the public in spring 2021 for a stream restoration project led by Fairfax County’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services.” [On the MoVe]
Deaf Student Thrives on Woodson Marching Band — “Michael Gouin, 17, spends his days proving people wrong after he became the first deaf drummer to join the Woodson High School Cavaliers marching band two years ago. On Friday night, as the marching band geared up for their final home game of the year, Gouin is proud of how far he has come.” [ABC7]
Retired Nats Star Lowers Price on Great Falls House — “Attention, bargain shoppers — Black Friday has started early. You can now buy Ryan Zimmerman’s Great Falls estate for the discounted price of…$7.495 million. That’s right, the former Nationals player dropped the price on his 13,232-square-foot home by $400,000.” [Washingtonian]
Pancake Breakfast Planned at Turner Farm — “The Turner Farmhouse Foundation (TFF) is hosting its third-annual pancake breakfast and open house on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Parking is available on site, with volunteers able to assist. The event is open to the public at no cost.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]
Police Give Away Anti-Theft Devices for Vehicles — The Crime Prevention Unit from the Fairfax County Police Department’s Sully District Station has partnered with G&C Tire and Auto Service to offer free CATETCH/CATGUARD Anti-Theft Labels for catalytic converters. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 10 at G&C’s shop at 14008 Willard Road in Chantilly. [FCPD/Facebook]
It’s Tuesday — Clear throughout the day. High of 53 and low of 31. Sunrise at 7:00 am and sunset at 4:52 pm. [Weather.gov]
Fairfax County’s teacher unions expressed relief after new state-proposed history standards were rejected by a governor-appointed board late last week.
On Thursday evening (Nov. 17), Virginia’s Board of Education voted unanimously to again delay approving new history standards drafted by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).
The proposed standards had numerous admitted mistakes, errors and typos, and was radically changed from a 400-page working draft first publicly released over the summer.
The new document was also significantly shorter. A longer “framework” document which will include information on how to teach the material will be released next summer, per the Washington Post.
“We are pleased to see that the Board of Education has heard the voices of teachers, students, parents, and community activists,” Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT) President David Walrod said. “The draft of standards presented [Thursday] was hastily assembled, with multiple new versions being released in a matter of days.”
Among the most discussed changes in the draft standards were omissions of both Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth as holidays. They also described Virginia’s indigenous peoples as America’s “first immigrants,”
The draft also eliminated racism in America as a central theme to be taught in many grades, while removing instances of teaching students about culture and government outside Europe and the U.S.
The board’s rejection came after a four-hour public hearing where a number of speakers, including Walrod, called the new standards a “whitewashing” of history.
Union President @dpwalrod tells Virginia Board of Education Members NO to the whitewashing of our social studies standards! pic.twitter.com/aemiGGVnzY
— Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (@FCFTcares) November 18, 2022
The VDOE first released this draft less than a week before the board was scheduled to vote on it, leading members to complain about the short timeframe for reviewing such large changes.
The approval had already been postponed from August after a previous draft was similarly riddled with mistakes and errors. That draft was also about 400 pages long, compared to the 57-page document this time around.
Composed of appointees from the last three governor administrations, creating a bipartisan group, the board directed VDOE last week to rework its draft to fix mistakes and incorporate more of the August draft. When approved, the standards will be implemented for the 2024-2025 school year.
State Superintendent Jillian Balow apologized for some of the errors and a few had been corrected before last week’s meeting, but citing the significant changes and short timeframe, Board President Daniel Gecker said approving the draft now would be “disrespectful” and not result in “the Board’s best product.”
Board member Anne Holton called the new draft a “disaster.”
“I have defended the administration’s handling of this matter, both publicly and privately,” she said. “I have told people who thought that this was an attempt to whitewash…to calm down. We are really just trying to get it right. I no longer have that confidence and can no longer say that to those folks.”
Prior to the hearing, FCFT and the Fairfax Education Association (FEA), a union representing 4,000 county public school employees, said the new draft standards are “loaded with political bias” and “only teach one view of history,” potentially setting “the state of Virginia back decades” if approved.
The Fairfax County branch of the NAACP called them “racist” and “factually incorrect.”
FCFT President @dpwalrod has released the following statement on the proposed changes to the History and Social Studies standards pic.twitter.com/57OY8ihGtl
— Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (@FCFTcares) November 15, 2022
Virginia Board of Education proposed History and Social Science Standards of Learning will set the state of Virginia back decades. #WeAreFEA #UnionStrong #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/bOQCMFQlcz
— Fairfax Education Association (@FEA_Fairfax) November 16, 2022
Although public testimony is set for today, this fight is not over. Call your representatives. Flood their inboxes. Our advocacy will not stop until our children learn a complete and truthful history of the nation and the world! pic.twitter.com/5UMa6DLiOc
— Fairfax County NAACP (@FairfaxNAACP) November 17, 2022
As a former third-grade teacher, Walrod was distressed to see the social studies standards for that grade, which are “typically an introduction to world history including Mali, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome, had been reduced to a Eurocentric curriculum focusing only on Greece and Rome.”
“We hope the next draft of the standards will look closer to the version presented in August, which has been assembled with input from historians, educators, educational leaders, pedagogical experts, families, and community leaders,” he said after the vote to delay. “We hope the next draft will not be created by people and groups that Superintendent Balow refused to even name.”
The FEA said it was “happy” the state education board “listened to the citizens of Virginia and delayed action on the new draft document.”
The new draft was riddled with inaccuracies, but most importantly it omitted parts of history that did not align with Governor Youngkin’s political and controlled narrative. If our students are at the center of what is being done; if we are truly looking out for their best interest then we owe it to them to teach the truth (the good, the bad, and the ugly) about American History and Virginia History.
A Fairfax County Public Schools spokesperson said the district won’t be commenting. School Board Chair Rachna Sizemore Heizer didn’t respond to FFXnow’s inquiry by publication time.
When asked to respond to the board’s postponement and criticism of the draft from the local unions, among others, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office referred FFXnow to public comments he made on Friday (Nov. 18).
Expressing disappointment in the draft’s “omissions and mistakes,” Youngkin suggested some of the pushback stems from confusion over the absence of a framework or curriculum in the new document. He asked folks “to be patient.”
A revised draft is expected to come back to the board in early 2023.
Virginia reviews its standard history curriculum for students every seven years, making this the first review since 2015. This year’s process has been particularly fraught after Youngkin issued an executive order banning “critical race theory” in schools.
Only a week after finalizing vote tallies from its last election, Fairfax County is gearing up to welcome back voters from several precincts for its next election.
Early voting will begin Wednesday (Nov. 23) to select a successor to Mark Keam, who resigned as delegate of Virginia’s 35th House District in September. A special election will be held Jan. 10, the day before the General Assembly convenes for its 2023 session.
The district encompasses Vienna, Oakton, Dunn Loring, most of Tysons, and Fair Oaks. Since Keam’s term doesn’t end until January 2024, this election will use the boundaries that existed prior to last year’s redistricting, which split the area into districts 11 and 12.
Eligible voters in 20 precincts will decide between BRAWS President Holly Seibold — who won the Democratic nomination in a caucus last month — and Oakton resident Monique Baroudi, who became the Republican nominee after another candidate withdrew before a scheduled canvass.
Starting Wednesday, early voting will be available on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Office of Elections in the Fairfax County Government Center (12000 Government Center Parkway). The county will also begin mailing ballots to voters who’ve requested that permanently.
The deadline to apply for a mail absentee ballot in this election is Dec. 30. Requests can be submitted through the state’s online portal or in person at the county elections office.
“To return your cast ballot, you may hand deliver it to the Office of Elections or put it in the 24/7, secure drop box outside the Fairfax County Government Center,” the county’s news release said. “If returned by mail, ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, Jan. 10 and received by the Office of Elections by noon on Friday, Jan. 13.”
In-person early voting will also be available at the Providence Community Center on two Saturdays (Dec. 31 and Jan. 7) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The government center site will be closed on county holidays, including this Thursday and Friday (Nov. 24-25) for Thanksgiving. That means early voting will only be available for one day this week.
Other holiday closures include after noon on Dec. 23 and all day on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2.
Early voting will conclude at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7.
Firefighters, medics and other Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department employees will have a union represent them in the county’s first collective bargaining negotiations for public workers in over 40 years.
Over 800 FCFRD workers participated in a 13-day election last month to determine whether to have union representation for contract talks with the county government, which will establish pay, benefits and other working conditions.
The only union in contention, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 2068 won with a decisive 797 votes, or 95.2%. The only other option on the ballot was to have no representation, which received 40 votes, the union announced Friday (Nov. 18).
With 1,533 members, Local 2068 represents firefighters, fire marshals, mechanics, medics and emergency dispatchers employed by Fairfax County. 837 eligible voters — 54.6% — cast a ballot in the election from Oct. 12-31.
“This is a monumental day for the members of our department,” IAFF 2068 President Robert Young said in a news release. “But it’s also a monumental day for all Fairfax County employees, and all of the residents of our community. We’ve shown that when Fairfax County workers come together…we have the power to have a say in the decisions that impact our lives and the lives of the communities we serve.”
Last week our Election for Bargaining Representation was officially certified – Local 2068 won with over 95% of the vote (!!!)
Huge shoutout to the members of our department who voted – we look forward to negotiating/working w/ the County – Full media adv. attached#UnionStrong pic.twitter.com/MYwts1QdEd
— Fairfax Firefighters (@IAFF2068) November 20, 2022
After Virginia ended a 44-year ban on collective bargaining for public sector workers in May 2021, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance on Oct. 19, 2021 granting employees the right to organize, elect union representatives and participate in union activities.
Under the ordinance, the county will recognize separate bargaining units for the fire department, police and other county workers. Elections haven’t been held yet for the police and general government units.
With negotiations expected to begin in early 2023, Local 2068 says one priority will be addressing the staffing shortages that have affected the fire department and other county agencies, from police to the park authority and public library system.
Local 2068 says first responders have been forced to work mandatory overtime, adding 12 to 24 hours on top of their standard 24-hour shift “sometimes with little to no notice.” The union says its members have performed over 80,000 hours of “holdovers” — equal to 3,333 24-hour days.
“Having members work such excessive mandatory overtime isn’t just bad for their health, but it’s a potential hazard for the community members we serve,” Young said. “We look forward to addressing this issue at the bargaining table.”
Collective bargaining negotiations will last up to November 2023. A resulting agreement won’t take effect until July 1, 2024, when the county’s fiscal year 2025 begins.
Some issues could be addressed earlier as part of the upcoming fiscal year 2024 budget process, which will begin in earnest when County Executive Bryan Hill presents his proposed plan on Feb. 21.
Young said Local 2068 will advocate for merit and cost of living pay increases as well as funding for automated ambulance loaders — stretchers where the legs automatically fold up as the device is rolled into a vehicle.
“We’re the only jurisdiction in the region that doesn’t have access to these tools, tools that not only help prevent members from being injured, but also help us deliver faster and safer service to the community,” Young said.
A growing fast-casual, Mediterranean restaurant chain that started in New York City will open a location in Pimmit Hills next year.
Taïm Mediterranean Kitchen will bring its lauded falafels to Virginia for the first time with a 1,849-square-foot restaurant in the Tysons Station shopping center at 7502 Leesburg Pike. The company anticipates opening the new location this coming spring, possibly April.
“People are craving better, more flavorful meal options and we knew this busy area serving residential and office communities would be a perfect fit,” Untamed Brands founder Phil Petrilli said. “…Whether guests are heading out for a quick lunch or looking for a family-friendly dinner option, taïm is versatile and unique.”
A former Chipotle regional manager, Petrilli created Untamed Brands with fellow veterans of the fast-casual scene to support restaurants seeking to grow long term. The company partnered with Taïm in 2018 as the eatery embarked on an expansion.
Run by chef Einat Anthony and her husband, Taïm launched as a modest, all-vegetarian storefront focused on Israeli street food in New York City’s West Village in 2005. It gained a following for its falafel, adding more locations and a food truck in the Big Apple, and was named the eighth best restaurant in the West Village by GrubHub in 2018.
The company expanded outside of New York for the first time in 2019 with a restaurant in Georgetown. That location closed this year, but D.C. still has a branch in Dupont Circle.
With a New Jersey restaurant that opened in June, Taïm now has a total of eight locations and is planning to double that this year with added sites in New York, New Jersey and Maryland, according to QSR Magazine.
The Pimmit Hills Taïm will be adjacent to China King in a newly subdivided space that once housed Pet Supplies Plus. Two other suites created out of the former pet supply store — one with 1,518 square feet of gross floor area and one that’s 2,130 square feet — are still available, according to property manager Federal Realty’s site plan.
Petrilli says the menu of build-your-own pita and rice bowls will complement the existing tenants at Tysons Station, which is anchored by Trader Joe’s, and retailers like Whole Foods in Idylwood Plaza across the street.
Outdoor seating will be provided, according to Petrilli.
In addition to falafel, the menu includes chicken and cauliflower shawarma — a fan favorite, Petrilli says — as well as crispy eggplant, roasted meatballs, vegan kebabs, and a variety of sides, such as fries. Dishes come as rice bowls, pitas and salads.
“We introduce new menu items, seasonal dishes, and toppings or sauces around three times per year,” Petrilli said. “We just introduced sweet potato fries with whipped garlic. There are family meal options and menu items for kids.
According to Petrilli, all dishes are made from scratch with ingredients “sourced from the best growing regions in the world,” including 18 herbs and spices that are all imported and pita sourced from a baker.
“There are few options in America like taïm where craveability meets better for you with high quality, scratch-made menu items served quickly at an affordable price,” he said. “We offer the rare intersection of what people want and what’s good for them and the first bite always leaves customers raving about the quality.”
If you plan on driving the newly extended I-66 Express Lanes next month, make sure there are at least two other people in the car to avoid paying a toll.
The entire length of the I-66 toll lanes will shift from HOV2 to HOV3 in early December, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) recently announced.
Starting Dec. 5, only those with traveling with three or more people will be able to use the lanes for free. This is a change from the previous standard of two or more passengers.
Single riders or those traveling with just two passengers will have to pay a toll, with the price varying based on traffic volumes (known as “dynamic tolling”).
The change will apply to the entire 32-mile length of the I-66 Express Lanes, including the existing 9-mile section inside the Beltway (I-495) from Dunn Loring to Route 29 in Rosslyn. A new Beltway ramp to I-66 just opened this week.
That portion of I-66 operates as HOV on weekdays during peak hours and in peak directions. Otherwise, the express lanes are free and have no occupancy requirement.
VDOT also notes that, in order to use the lanes during rush hour, drivers need an E-ZPass transponder.
The state transportation agency said in a press release that the new requirements are “consistent with HOV requirements on the other express lanes in Northern Virginia.”
In a statement to FFXnow, a VDOT spokesperson said consistency and federal environmental standards were the biggest reasons for the change:
This change supports the National Capital Region’s Transportation Planning Board’s policy to change HOV-2 to HOV-3 throughout the region in order to move more people with fewer vehicles and comply with the federal Clean Air Act Amendment. This change is also consistent with the other express lanes in Northern Virginia on I-95, I-395, and I-495, and is aligned with Virginia’s policy that HOV-3 be the requirement for toll-free travel on all privately-operated express lanes in Virginia. This rule applies to I-66 Express Lanes Outside the Beltway, which are operated by I-66 Express Mobility Partners under a public-private partnership with the Commonwealth.
The switch from HOV2 to HOV3 was first approved in 2016 by Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board.
The portion of the express lanes inside the Beltway opened five years ago, accompanied by a good amount of griping about the high toll prices.
The 22-mile section outside of the Beltway is almost fully operational after about six years of work. A 9-mile stretch from Route 28 in Centreville to Route 29 in Gainesville opened in early September, and the westbound lanes from I-495 in Dunn Loring to Route 28 became operational yesterday.
The eastbound lanes could open as early as tomorrow, a few weeks ahead of schedule, VDOT says. Work in the corridor will continue through mid-2023 on other elements of the Transform 66 project, including new interchanges and a parallel shared-use path.
A version of this story appeared earlier on FFXnow’s sister site, ARLnow.
County Chair Reacts to Club Q Mass Shooting — “I want to be unequivocal: I stand with our LGBTQIA+ community. The repugnant violence we saw in Colorado Springs has no place in society. We will never give in to the forces of hate or oppression. My heart breaks for the victims and their families.” [Jeff McKay/Twitter]
Developer Hopes to Obtain Land for Housing at Innovation Station — “While the details haven’t been hammered out, Peterson hopes the county would sell or ground lease its parcel for some nominal price, Taylor Chess, Peterson’s president of development, said in an interview. Such a deal would help to make the project economically viable over the long haul” [Washington Business Journal]
Falls Church Man Spends Record Number of Days in Space — “Today, the Falls Church-born [Mark] Vande Hei isn’t just an astronaut, but a record-setting one. When he returned from 355 consecutive days in space this past March, he set an all-time record for Americans.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Virginia Celebrates First Kimchi Day — “On Saturday, in recognition of the milestone, the Korean American Women’s Association hosted a kimchi festival at Good Shepherd Evangelical Church in Springfield, reenacting a familial ritual…Virginia’s Kimchi Day was established when Irene Shin (D)…proposed a resolution to make it official in January.” [The Washington Post]
Old Courthouse Road Gets Sidewalk — “Remember that old pedestrian path along Old Courthouse Road between Battery Park Street and Pine Valley Drive? Well, it’s a thing of the past as new ADA-compliant sidewalks, curb and gutter, and drainage improvements have been installed! The project isn’t complete yet, as roadway repaving and resurfacing begins this upcoming Monday, Nov. 21, through Wednesday, Nov. 23.” [Town of Vienna/Facebook]
Staff Shortage Affects Fort Belvoir Gate — “Since Oct. 31, Fort Belvoir’s Walker Gate — which reopened last February following the replacement of Dogue Creek Bridge — has experienced nearly daily schedule changes due to staffing challenges. The shortage of guards available to man the gate is not unique to the local garrison; it’s a problem throughout the National Capital Region (NCR).” [On the MoVe]
Fire Chiefs Organization Relocates HQ to Tysons — “The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Headquarters (HQ) offices will be moving from its current location in Chantilly to the Tyson’s Corner area in Fairfax County, VA in early December…This location will provide better headquarters access for IAFC leadership and members” [Firehouse]
Park Authority Spokesperson Reflects on Career — “In 21 years as Fairfax County Park Authority’s public-information officer, Judy Pedersen visited nearly all of the agency’s 420 sites, hosted countless community meetings about park projects and was the media’s go-to person during natural and human-caused crises.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s Monday — Clear throughout the day. High of 50 and low of 25. Sunrise at 6:59 am and sunset at 4:52 pm. [Weather.gov]
The weekend is almost here. Before you hop on (or lament) the latest addition to the I-66 toll lanes or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.
Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:
- BREAKING: Teen pedestrian killed in crash on Columbia Pike
- With opening day tomorrow, here’s what you need to know about Silver Line Phase II
- Fast-food chain Roy Rogers, named after Hollywood’s cowboy king, was born in Fairfax County
- Herndon house fire displaces eight people, cat rescued
- Redevelopment of former Sheraton Tysons Hotel could bring new public gathering spaces
- After decades of planning, Silver Line Phase II officially opens
- Two killed in separate vehicle crashes in Great Falls and West Springfield
- Fairfax County extends farmers market season into December for three sites
- Nintendo gaming pop-up coming to Tysons Corner Center
- Covid cases stay down, but other respiratory illnesses are surging, N. Va. health leaders say
Ideas for potential stories can be sent to [email protected] or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!
Basic Burger is circling the Tysons area as one potential location for a new, standalone bagel “concept.”
For now, the Arlington-based company will open a New York bagel pop-up in its Tysons West restaurant at 1495 Cornerside Blvd this weekend, Operations Director Jamie Mansy told FFXnow.
The “Basic Bagel” pop-up will sell bagels by themselves and in orders of a dozen or half-dozen. The menu also has fried egg sandwiches with sausage or bacon and different schmears, including butter, jelly, cream cheese and peanut butter.
It will operate only on Saturdays and Sundays for the foreseeable future.
“This is not a New York ‘style’ bagel, but actual bagel BOILED and BAKED fresh in New York City and shipped down to us every Saturday and Sunday,” Mansy said by email. “We have limited supply and when we sell out, we sell out.”
Launched in 2016, Basic Burger offers burgers, chicken and fish sandwiches, hot dogs, a couple of salads and sides.
The bagel pop-up was first introduced at Basic Burger’s Pentagon Row location, where it has seen “tremendous success,” according to Mansy. Prior to that, the company had been developing it as a standalone concept but put that plan on the backburner when COVID-19 arrived in spring 2020.
Mansy says the restaurant is “excited” to bring the pop-up to Tysons as it searches for a site for a standalone store. The first location will be in either the Tysons and McLean area or Arlington County.
“We are shopping spaces to bring the concept full time to northern VA so no exact timing on when it will stop being a pop-up, but we do plan to launch it as a standalone concept from our restaurant group in the future,” Mansy wrote.
Also on the horizon for the Tysons West shopping center is a PetMedic Urgent Care clinic that’s expected to open next year. Plans for housing in the former Sheraton hotel, which is part of the larger development envisioned by JBG Smith, are currently being reviewed by Fairfax County.
