Parking meters are coming to Tysons streets.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors expressed support yesterday (Tuesday) for staff’s recommendation that the county introduce managed on-street parking to the Tysons core, potentially paving the way for the practice to expand to other areas later.
“I definitely support this,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said at the transportation committee meeting. “I think this is an important step towards managed public parking, which I think will have a role in the future in Tysons and other places, I’m sure, around the county.”
Currently, the county doesn’t charge for on-street parking, allowing drivers to leave vehicles for unlimited amounts of time.
That has become a particular problem in Tysons, according to a two-year review that the Fairfax County Department of Transportation concluded in December 2020. The study found that commercial vehicles often take up spots for days, even weeks at a time, in addition to low parking turnover near Metro stops and other issues.
The review also examined Reston, but staff said they aren’t recommending any changes there at this time, citing the limited amount of public, curbside parking available in the area. FCDOT did not return Tysons Reporter’s request for further clarification by press time.
Paid parking isn’t new to the Tysons area, but it exists mostly on private streets and property, such as Avenir Place near the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority also has a metered surface parking lot at that station.
The Mosaic District in Merrifield has limits on how long people can park on the street and in some garage spaces, but parking remains free.
FCDOT senior transportation planner Henri McCartney said that, after examining jurisdictions that have parking programs in place, county staff found an average rate of $1.50 per hour.
The county could secure a third party to install and manage parking meters, conduct enforcement, process citation fines and schedule appeals.
“We do need to move forward with this,” Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said, adding that it would make sense to work with a third party that drivers might already use when parking elsewhere in the D.C. region.
The vendor would be responsible for implementing the plan, overseeing day-to-day operations, and collecting revenue from the meters and parking citations that will go to the county, according to FCDOT staff.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust noted that the Tysons area also runs into problems with the limited amount of parking around its four Metro stops, none of which have dedicated, public garages. McCartney said the county is looking at ways to have longer term parking available so Metro riders could park nearby.
As part of the possible changes, McCartney suggested that the parking program include payment kiosks, signage limiting how long a vehicle could park in a spot, and a variety of ways for people to pay, from an app to text messaging or calling a number.
To develop the program, FCDOT will request one-time funding of $100,000 in the county’s next budget to hire a traffic design consultant, who would help determine what streets will be affected, possible hours of operations, and other factors.
“Since this is the very first implementation of managed parking in the county, we believe that we need the expertise of a consultant to…help us get it right,” McCartney said.
Anticipated recurring costs include $120,000 annually for a new transportation planner, with additional positions potentially needed if the program expands, and $250,000 annually for the parking services vendor. Staff hope that the parking revenue will eventually cover the program’s costs.
Any changes are still years away. The county’s tentative timeline for implementation has staff bringing a full managed parking plan, including meter rates, to the Board of Supervisors for its endorsement in the fall of 2023.
Photo via Google Maps
Nutley Pond will be going dry for the next several months.
The pond, located off Virginia Center Boulevard and Nutley Street in Vienna, will be drained as a part of a dredging project at the site. The project will address clogged low-flow sluice gates, an unsafe riser area, an excessive sediment deposit and invasive plant species around the pond’s periphery.
Sajan Pokharal, a project manager with the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, said at a virtual meeting on Monday (Dec. 13) that the project will take roughly 10 months, starting in January.
The dredging will remove about 10,000 cubic yards of sediment from the pond. The project will also enhance safety by installing a safety rail, fences, and safety benches, while rehabilitating the pond shoreline to provide an aquatic safety bench and native vegetation.
Susie Foster, the project’s landscape architect, said welded wire mesh can be used, as needed, to protect the plant material from wildlife.
A stabilized turf access point will also be installed at the north end of Baronhurst Drive for future maintenance.
The rehabilitation part of the project will include the installation of six cell floating wetlands, with three each at the north and south ends of the pond.
Pokharal said these will benefit the pond by attracting and sustaining insects, which will, in turn, attract song birds. The floating wetlands material and root systems will also provide surface area for beneficial microbes to pull pollutants from the water.
The dredging and restoration processes can overlap with multiple crews, while plantings will occur in spring, fall, or winter seasons, according to Pokharal.
Pokharal assured that the project will follow Fairfax County noise ordinance guidelines, which will allow for work from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends and federal holidays.
However, he said the work “typically” can end around 3 p.m. and by 5 p.m. at the latest each day.
The trail around the pond will be closed throughout the duration of the project, with temporary fencing to identify its limits. Heavy construction equipment will also remain on site throughout the project.
While there will be trucks coming and going, Pokharal said loading and unloading will happen at a staging area on the existing asphalt access road off of Virginia Center Boulevard. Flaggers will direct trucks in and out of the access road.
The mechanical dredging will start by emptying the pond and allowing crews to establish access and staging areas. Diversion channels will then be established within the lake before the dredging begins.
Pokharal said that process will enable crews to remove more sediment per day, potentially lower the project cost, and make it easier to construct other improvements, such as the proposed safety bench.
He did, however, note that the project will be weather dependent, potentially causing delays. He also warned that there could be an odor from the lake bottom being exposed.
A 68-year-old woman who was struck by a vehicle around 11 a.m. Monday (Dec. 13) died later that evening, Fairfax County Police Department reported today (Wednesday).
Nguyet Ly, of Falls Church, was walking east in the westbound travel lane of Leesburg Pike near the shoulder when a 2018 Subaru Impreza making a right turn out of a business struck her in the roadway, according to FCPD.
It happened in Bailey’s Crossroads in the 5900 block of Route 7 where there’s no sidewalk, police said.
She was taken to the hospital, where she later died.
The investigation is active and police are providing details to the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for review.
Police put out the following request for information:
Anyone with information about this crash is asked to contact our Crash Reconstruction Unit at 703-280-0543. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone -1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), by text – Type “FCCS” plus tip to 847411, and by web – Click HERE. Download our Mobile tip411 App “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers”. Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1000 dollars if their information leads to an arrest. Please leave contact information if you wish for a detective to contact you.
Ly is the 13th pedestrian to be killed in a vehicle crash in Fairfax County this year.
Christmas will be a somber day for the owners and patrons of Assaggi Osteria & Pizzeria.
The upscale Italian restaurant will permanently close its doors that day after more than a decade at 6641 Old Dominion Drive in McLean, owners Kenneth and Madge Gazzola said on Monday (Dec. 13) in an email to supporters.
The establishment’s last day of operations will be Dec. 24.
According to Madge Gazzola, the decision to close comes after six months of failed negotiations for a lease extension with their landlord, McLean Square Associates President Georges Tawil.
She says the dealbreaker was Tawil’s insistence on a personal guarantee that they would pay the full lease, even if the business closes. Though Assaggi has grown its customer base over the past couple of years, it would’ve been a huge, risky investment, especially in the uncertain environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I understand it’s something that’s fairly common in real estate leases, commercial leases, but that is something we felt we could not do,” she said. “So, we could not come to an agreement, and we will leave the space instead, sadly.”
McLean Square Associates, which has clashed with tenants before, declined to comment when contacted by Tysons Reporter.
Assaggi arrived at the McLean Square Shopping Center in 2009.
The Gazzolas got involved in 2016 as one of three couples who invested in a renovation planned by the owner at the time. When the owner ran out of capital halfway through, the Gazzolas assumed ownership and completed the project.
Assaggi reopened after eight months of renovations in August 2017 with a more casual pizzeria added next to its fine dining-focused main room.
Specializing in fish and pasta dishes, Assaggi has made Northern Virginia Magazine’s annual list of the region’s 50 best restaurants three times since it reopened, including in 2021.
Gazzola says the team has looked at moving elsewhere in McLean, but they haven’t found an appropriate space and currently have no immediate plans for the future.
Her and her husband’s primary focus right now is finishing the restaurant’s last couple of weeks and supporting their staff. She particularly highlights chef Francesco Pescatore as someone worth watching, noting that he’s only 30 years old and “quite talented.”
“These last two years, we’ve been able to develop a very fine team, and we also have been a neighborhood restaurant that is warm and friendly and welcoming,” Madge Gazzola said. “So, it’s very hard to move on from that and not understand why we can’t come to a reasonable agreement on something that is positive, good for the neighborhood, good for the community.”
Photo via Google Maps
Man Arrested for Tysons BASE Jumping Incidents — A 70-year-old contractor faces trespassing charges after allegedly parachuting off one of the office towers currently under construction at Capital One Center on Oct. 11. Police believe Chuck Moeser has also jumped from other buildings in Tysons, including the Lumen Apartments building and the Capital One building that houses Wegmans. [The Washington Post]
Metro to Start Returning Some Trains to Service — The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission reported “no technical objections” to Metro’s plan to return up to 336 of its 7000-series railcars to passenger service. The transit agency says it will phase these trains in through the end of this year before pausing for 90 days to assess operations. [WMATA]
Taxicab Demand Declines in Fairfax County — “For a variety of factors — from the popularity of ride-sharing services to more housing being built near Metrorail stations to the ongoing COVID pandemic — the overall fleet of taxicabs in Fairfax County has fallen by more than two-thirds in recent years. The Board of Supervisors…voted unanimously Dec. 6 not to issue any additional taxicab certificates this year and keep the limit at the current 654.” [Sun Gazette]
Vienna Invites Families to Daytime New Year’s Eve Party — “Vienna will get its own New Year’s celebration, albeit 12 hours before the countdown to 2022. Noon Year’s Eve will be hosted on Friday, Dec. 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cedar Park Shopping Center parking lot…There will be a live DJ, pop-up artisan market, games, giveaways, crafts, a noon countdown celebration and more.” [Patch]
Fairfax County’s growth has come with deadly and dangerous roads for pedestrians, congestion for drivers, and other consequences that planning leaders hope to reverse.
At a Tysons committee meeting on Thursday (Dec. 9), the Fairfax County Planning Commission cited downtown Falls Church, Merrifield’s Mosaic District, and Reston Town Center as examples of what developers and governments should strive to make: mixed-use communities where people can live, shop, work, and play.
Deputy County Executive Rachel Flynn said the emergence of major thoroughfares, shopping meccas, and other projects have dramatically changed how pedestrians interact with streets, which were increasingly built with the goal of getting vehicles from point A to point B as quickly as possible.
“We shifted how we built…our roads,” she said, noting how 100 years ago, pedestrians shared roads with bicycles, horses, streetcars, and automobiles, and speed limits were about the same pace as pedestrians themselves.
She said streets used to be considered “owned” by everyone, used for everything from a marketplace for businesses to playground for kids.
“Everybody got to use the street equally,” she said.
Is Mixed-Use Development Helping?
Mixed-use projects like Reston Town Center and the Mosaic District present an alternate path forward that more consciously balances the needs of different road users, Flynn said, pointing to The Boro in Tysons, Comstock’s Reston Station, and the upcoming Halley Rise complex in Reston as other examples.
“Whenever you see people just walking in the street, you know you’ve a great street. You know it’s safe,” Flynn said.
Suggesting their walkability is closer to what might be seen in a city, she said these projects have proven successful for developers and the public, creating places where people want to live as well as destinations.
However, with lower parking requirements and other measures aimed at reducing vehicles, such projects haven’t always come with community support. The pending Campus Commons redevelopment caused an uproar over congestion at Wiehle Avenue and ultimately included changes to accommodate concerns.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors also recently approved an expansion of The Boro that some feel lacks sufficient accessibility accommodations and traffic controls, particularly across Westpark and Greensboro drives.
How We Got Here
Fairfax County’s road network is hardly alone in privileging cars, with everyone else as an afterthought.
With the rise of mass-produced vehicles, the automobile industry campaigned to change how streets were used and designed. Lobby groups pushed the term jaywalker to shift blame for crashes onto pedestrians, and the rise of highways and sprawling suburbs in the mid-20th century — not to mention some conspiring by oil and car companies like General Motors and Standard Oil — led to the demise of rail-based transit systems.
As time went on, regions across the country expanded lanes to allow more vehicles to travel, but as the D.C. region knows all too well, those changes can have the opposite effect, accommodating congestion that brings traffic to a stop.
Flynn noted that 71% of people drive alone to work in Fairfax County — a number she says the county should “get down to 50%” by including multimodal improvements in road and development projects.
“We’re not going to widen our way out of this,” she said.
What Could Happen Next
To establish a more comprehensive vision for walking, bicycling, and other non-motorized forms of travel, the county started developing an ActiveFairfax Transportation Plan last year.
Expected to be completed at the end of 2022, the project incorporates a “Complete Streets” concept that emphasizes safety and mobility for all road users and prompted the creation of a Safe Streets for All initiative.
Some options for improving street safety in dense population centers like Tysons and Reston include slowing speeds between 25 to 35 mph, limiting certain roads to six thru-lanes, adding on-street parking, and pursuing other ways to calm traffic, Flynn said.
She wants the county to make “beautiful boulevards,” not “car sewers.” Addressing I-95 congestion and the use of Route 1 in the Lorton area to bypass problems, Flynn suggested the county could rethink how to discourage cut-through traffic.
“We’d be glad to have you,” she said. “You can come here, but it’s going to take you a little longer and this is our main street. This is not our 95 anymore.”
Flynn also said inadequate crosswalks create problems, noting that seniors, people of color, and poorer people are disproportionately among the pedestrians killed in crashes, according to D.C. advocacy group Smart Growth America.
Planning Commission representatives expressed their support for a less car-centered mindset, saying they would like involve the Virginia Department of Transportation and other organizations in discussions.
At-Large Commissioner Timothy Sargeant said the county’s planners have already changed their thinking, embracing seemingly bad grades for traffic efficiency.
With fatal crashes, merchants losing business, and limited space for development, several cities have shifted away from the volume-based metric are highlighting another model: reducing vehicle miles traveled.
Flynn also suggested infrastructure improvements can help create a sense of place and show people “we care about you,” praising the presence and beauty of the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
The upcoming pedestrian bridge over I-495 in Tysons has seen its estimated costs rise to $13.4 million as landowners lock in easements and right of ways needed for the connector.
The Virginia Department of Transportation says it has been working with private parties to secure deals, one of which involved a $698,920 payment agreement to the condominium Encore of McLean.
Until the bicycle/pedestrian bridge is created, residents east of the Capital Beltway have to use an interstate underpass at Route 123 or Route 7 overpass to get to Tysons Corner Center, essentially requiring vehicular trips to the mall.
When construction activities began in August, the project cost was estimated at $12.3 million. The $1.1 million increase is due to right-of-way costs, VDOT said.
Crews are developing a staging area where a drilling machine will be used to create the foundation for the pedestrians.
“Over the next several months, crews will continue installing a retaining wall off of Old Meadow Road behind the Dolley Madison Apartments and will begin installing the bicycle and pedestrian bridge foundations and piers on both sides of I-495 and in the median of the 495 Express Lanes,” VDOT spokesperson Mike Murphy said in an email.
Focused on building the bridge and part of a shared-use path on Old Meadow Road, the first phase of project is scheduled for completion in summer 2022.
“Construction of the second phase of the project, the section of the shared-use path along Old Meadow Road from Provincial Drive to Route 123, will begin once additional funding is identified,” Murphy also wrote.
According to VDOT, the rapid growth of the Tysons area has resulted in a significantly higher cost for acquiring the easements.
Among a handful of other right-of-way or easements transactions secured, Tysons Corner Property Holdings, the limited-liability company used by Southern California-based Tysons Corner Center owner Macerich, received no financial award.
The condominium Regency at McLean obtained a $35,500 agreement, and Dolley Madison finalized a settlement on Nov. 9, details of which could be released in early January, according to VDOT.
VDOT said the increased costs were part of the scope of the contract.
Tysons Partnership is getting a new leader.
Starting on Jan. 1, Richard Bradley will serve as acting executive director of the nonprofit, which is charged with helping Fairfax County fulfill its vision for Tysons, Tysons Partnership said in a news release this morning (Tuesday).
A principal at the consulting firm The Urban Partnership, Bradley has been involved in economic development efforts in D.C., Arlington’s National Landing, and Maryland.
He will succeed Sol Glasner, who has served as the organization’s president and CEO since 2017. He announced in August that he will retire on Dec. 31.
Tysons Partnership says Bradley emerged as an appropriate choice to take over based on the past year that he has spent advising the organization, which has been working on a rebranding and searching for a new, more sustainable business model.
This past summer, Tysons Partnership also received $250,000 in Economic Opportunity Reserve funds from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to support its branding efforts, including the transformation of the former Container Store on Leesburg Pike into a community event venue now called The PARC at Tysons.
“Rich is a seasoned professional with decades of experience as an advocate and champion for livable urban management districts in this region and throughout the world,” Tysons Partnership Board Chair Josh White said in a statement. “He has spearheaded numerous strategic planning efforts and headed up transportation management programs, so really is a perfect fit for the Partnership’s current needs.”
Tysons Partnership also announced that Drew Sunderland, its current communications director, has been promoted to deputy director, putting him in charge of overseeing the organization’s daily operations.
In addition, the partnership’s board of directors has approved a resolution endorsing Fairfax County’s One Fairfax equity policy as a guide that it will use to make Tysons “an inclusive urban community.”
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors thanked Glasner for his Tysons Partnership work last week with the passage of a joint board matter put forward by Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik.
“The County is working closely with Tysons Partnership to determine best practices and the best approach for a transition,” Palchik said in the news release. “Rich is helping to frame the picture and providing guidance through his connections to the International Downtown Association. Both the County and the Partnership benefit from his experience as we work together to define what a future anchor organization for Tysons might look like.”
Here is more on Bradley from the press release:
Rich Bradley is a principal in The Urban Partnership, a consulting firm offering a range of innovative urban planning, development and management solutions.
A few of the region’s most successful economic development growth areas have sought Bradley’s expertise including most recently, the National Landing Business Improvement District (BID), Friendship Heights Business Alliance and the incoming Silver Spring BID, in addition to his work with Congress Heights and DowntownDC BID. He is recognized as an urban management leader in developing or refining strategies for improving the effectiveness of urban management organizations and the vitality of their areas.
Bradley was the founding Executive Director of the DowntownDC BID, where he served for 17 years and oversaw an $11 million program of special services and catalytic planning and place making which helped spark the economic renewal of Washington DC’s downtown core.
Fairfax County police can now temporarily take guns away from people deemed a risk.
The procedures allow law enforcement to intervene before violence occurs, rather then retroactively responding to crimes, according to county leaders, who touted Virginia’s legislative change that went into effect July 1 last year.
Advocates suggested the law can help prevent domestic violence, suicides, and school shootings.
“Help us to prevent another gun tragedy,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said yesterday (Monday) during a news conference at the county’s Public Safety Headquarters.
Previously, law enforcement’s hands were tied, Descano said. Now, people can call or text 911, which initiates a Fairfax County Police Department investigation.
If a court determines with probable cause that a person poses a risk of harming themselves or others with a firearm they have or could get, the court can prohibit them from purchasing, possessing, or transporting those weapons.
In addition to D.C., 18 other states have introduced similar measures, dubbed “red flag laws,” starting with Connecticut in 1999. It has been upheld in courts because it has a due process element, said Paul Friedman, executive director of the Alexandria-based nonprofit Safer Country, which advocates for gun violence prevention.
While critics have argued that red flag laws take away Second Amendment rights, Descano said that those affected are given a full hearing.
Intended as the launch of a new communications campaign to increase awareness of the new law, the press conference took place one day before the nine-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut on Dec. 14, 2012, when 20 children and six educators were killed.
Friedman also noted the 2018 Parkland, Florida, high school shooting that left 14 students and three staff dead, and parent Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was one of the victims, has said he wished the state had a red flag law at the time. Florida later created one.
“We are now living in a world with…a gun violence crisis,” said Friedman, whose organization advocated for the change in Virginia. “We can save lives with this law.”
The law allows a law enforcement officer or the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney to petition a court through an emergency substantial risk order, which can be used to enforce a temporary removal and purchase restrictions on weapons.
The court has to hold a hearing no later than 14 days later, where the affected party has the right to attend and can be represented by counsel. The court then rules on whether the removal should be turned into a substantial risk order for 180-day periods, which can be renewed indefinitely, if a court finds cause to do so.
Belinda Massaro, a mobile crisis unit manager with the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, said family members are often in the best position to know about potential issues, noting that suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S.
She also challenged the harmful narrative that violence stems from mental illness, noting that serious mental illness is only involved 4% of violent acts in the country.
“People with mental illness are more often victims of violence than the cause of violence,” she said. “Studies have shown that people with mental illness are 23 times more likely to be victims of a violent crime than others.”
However, the future of the red flag law is uncertain, as Virginia prepares for a legislature and governor’s office now led by Republicans, who could dismantle the measure amid pressure from the National Rifle Association.
A reversal would remove Fairfax County’s power to use it, Friedman told FFXnow. He said it would survive if Democratic legislators who narrowly hold a majority in the Senate keep their stances the same.
Descano said he wanted the law strengthened, suggesting a 180-day provision could be doubled to provide more comfort to families.
Fairfax County authorities said they’ve used the law for 34 emergency substantial risk orders and 18 substantial risk orders. They encouraged people to speak up if they notice a potential issue.
Joint Statement Released on Settlement of FCPS Disability Lawsuit — As first reported by The Washington Post in late November, Fairfax County Public Schools has settled a lawsuit over its use of restraint and seclusion on students with disabilities. The students and disability advocacy organizations that filed the case say they hope “this resolution will ensure that no other student will ever have to experience such trauma.” [FCPS]
Thousands Donate Child Face Masks to County — “Thank you to the community for coming together to donate child face masks! We have collected 12,065 masks! Thank you to @FairfaxCountyPD for hosting the donations bin and @VolunteerFFX for all your help putting together donations!” [Ready Fairfax/Twitter]
Metro to Testify on Safety Issues in Congress — Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11th) says he will call on Metro’s top leaders to testify at a congressional hearing about the safety issues spotlighted by October’s train derailment, which have kept more than half the transit agency’s fleet out of commission for almost two months now. Connolly, who represents Fairfax County, calls Metro’s failure to report the issues when they were discovered years ago “a mortal sin.” [NBC4]
Fairfax Stands Alone With Court Records Paywall — “While all other Northern Virginia jurisdictions provide free, remote public access to basic docket information for individual criminal and civil cases in circuit court, Fairfax County’s CPAN system costs $150 per quarter, or $600 per year.” [WTOP]
I-495 Lane Closures in Tysons Continue — “Lane closures and ramp closures on I-495 North and I-66 East will be implemented during the overnight hours again this week, December 13-17, as bridge beam installation for a new flyover ramp from I-495 North to I-66 West continues at the I-66/I-495 Interchange as part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project.” [VDOT]
