Changes to parking standards and codes could be on the horizon in the Town of Vienna.
The Department of Planning and Zoning is assessing a variety of parking issues through the Code Create Vienna process, a comprehensive effort to review and update the town’s zoning and subdivision codes.
No specific changes have been proposed yet, but the town’s limited availability of public parking, particularly in the commercial corridor around Maple Avenue, has been a topic of discussion for years.
“We are currently still working on residential zoning standards and defining the boundaries of the non-residential districts,” Vienna Deputy Planning Director Mike D’Orazio said in an email. “When we get to parking, our lead consultant ZoneCo, along with Nelson/Nygaard, will be assisting us in the review and potential update of parking standards.”
During a “Lunch & Learn” online discussion on March 5, D’Orazio detailed the parking standards that are under review, including the number of parking spaces required for different types of uses, design standards — such as landscape and lighting standards — and dimensional standards related to parking.
The review of parking space requirements will include examining on-site shared parking, such as multi-tenant or multi-use buildings.
The dimensional standards refer to the minimum dimensions for parking spaces, the width of aisles, and other spatial aspects of parking.
“Even though we updated it recently, it’s worth kind of looking at best standards and what other jurisdictions are doing for their parking,” D’Orazio said during the Lunch & Learn discussion.
Landscaping and lighting will also be considered during the parking portion of Vienna’s zoning code update. Currently, landscaping is required five feet between public street and parking areas.
The town also plans to establish bicycle parking standards for the first time in the new zoning ordinance, along with rules regulating electric vehicle charging stations.
“This is something that’s going to be increasing or trending right now as electric vehicles become more popular and adopted,” D’Orazio said. “There’s shopping centers and public spaces that are adding these EV stations. We don’t really have much in the code right now regulating those. So, that’s something that we’ll really have to look at updating.”
The estimated timeline for the code update as a whole is between 16 and 18 months.
The Department of Planning and Zoning does not have a date for when a complete draft will be ready for public hearings before the planning commission and town council. However, based on the estimated 16-18 month timeline, D’Orazio said the department anticipates that may happen in fall or winter this year.
“The Code Create Vienna process is an iterative process, and we seek community input throughout the project, not just during the public hearings,” D’Orazio said in an email.
Staff photo by Angela Woolsey
Commuters in Merrifield and Vienna should probably avoid traveling on Interstate 66 Friday night (March 19), as multiple lane closures and traffic stoppages are scheduled to accommodate ongoing construction work.
Eastbound I-66 will be reduced to a single travel lane at Gallows Road in Merrifield from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. so that crews can pour concrete for a new Gallows Road Bridge deck.
The Virginia Department of Transportation says that periodic stoppages of up to 20 minutes could occur between midnight and 4 a.m., but all lanes will reopen by 9 a.m. on Saturday.
There will also be lane closures on Gallows Road, which will be reduced to two travel lanes — one in each direction — from 9 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday. Two-way traffic will be directed to the southbound side of Gallows during the closure.
“Drivers should expect delays if traveling in this area and are encouraged to use alternate routes,” VDOT says.
In addition, I-66 East and West will be reduced to one travel lane between Gallows and Nutley Street from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday, when all lanes will reopen. There will be periodic traffic stoppages of up to 20 minutes between midnight and 4 a.m.
According to VDOT, this lane closure is necessary for crews to remove an overhead utility line at Cedar Lane, which will have flaggers to direct traffic into a single lane between midnight and 4 a.m.
At both Gallows Road and Cedar Lane, the construction work is part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project, which will extend the I-66 express lanes 22.5 miles from the I-495 interchange in Dunn Loring to Gainesville.
VDOT notes that “all work is weather dependent and will be rescheduled if inclement conditions occur.”
Maps via Google Maps, VDOT
Falls Church City could be getting a second phase of the Founders Row development project on W. Broad and S. West streets.
Developer Mill Creek Residential Trust is proposing a mixed-use apartment building with 319 units, ground-floor retail, and underground parking with 80 retail and 351 residential spaces. It would replace the vacant Rite Aid and carpet store at 1001 and 1003 W. Broad Street across the street from the first phase of Founders Row.
“It’s meant to complement phase one in the evolving downtown of the City of Falls Church,” Mill Creek representative Joe Muffler said during a Falls Church City Council meeting on Monday (March 15).
Mill Creek submitted an application for Founders Row II to the city in November. The developer anticipates finishing the first phase by next March and hopes to start phase two around that time, Muffler said.
The developer is seeking special exceptions to allow a 30-foot height bonus, which would make the development to 85 feet tall, and to build residential units in a mixed-use area.
Aiming for LEED Gold status, Founders Row II will have electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot and plan for future solar panel installations. The developer also plans to put utilities underground and has committed to making street and sidewalk repairs.
Mill Creek plans to re-time signals and add traffic calming measures at the intersection of S. West and W. Broad streets. The project is projected to produce a net 3-4% increase in cars at peak hours, Muffler said.
A Falls Church City staff analysis says nearly 40 units could be set aside as affordable, which is “in significant excess of the ‘typical’ 6% of all units at 60% AMI.” The proposed contribution includes 6% at 60% AMI and 6% at 80% AMI.
The affordable housing unit contribution compensates for a lack of cash contributions, but the developer is willing to be flexible, Muffler said.
The larger-scale contribution also compensates “for not providing net new commercial square feet,” Becky Witsman, the city’s economic development division chief, said in a letter.
58 units will be restricted to residents 55 and older, bringing the total number of proposed age-restricted units to 134 across both Founders Row developments, Muffler said.
“We wanted to bring a thoughtful, diverse mix that brings new renters into the city, that isn’t just kind of one size fits all,” he said.
On Monday, Councilmember Ross Litkenhous commended Mill Creek for adding green space to the proposed project in response to feedback two weeks ago. He said it will help with connectivity to the neighborhood and the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, which passes the site to the north.
In addition to housing, Founders Row II will have 15,000 square feet of retail, 5,000 square feet of medical or professional offices, and a 5,000 square-foot community co-working space. Muffler envisions less experiential, more necessary retail occupying this space.
“We all know Founders Row phase one has lifestyle- and entertainment-heavy retail,” he said. “One thing that is never going away and gets set aside for ‘sexier’ uses is retail such as convenience marts, pharmacies, and dry cleaners.”
The retail will be recessed to provide outdoor seating that will be appealing in light of the pandemic, Muffler said.
Councilmember Letty Hardi said there was “a lot to like” about Mill Creek’s proposal but cautioned that recessed retail with pavilions does not always work. She also suggested adding a turn lane onto S. West Street, as traffic can back up to Madison Lane.
“I know that this will be a consistent point of feedback, as users have trouble turning onto West right now,” Hardi said.
(Updated at 11:30 a.m.) Fairfax County, Falls Church City, and Fairfax City residents who work in grocery stores, manufacturing, and the food and agriculture sectors can now register for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, starting today (Wednesday).
The Fairfax County Health Department announced this morning that it is expanding eligibility for the vaccine to the next three groups of essential frontline workers included in phase 1b, as defined by the Virginia Department of Health.
“We are opening these categories because our vaccine supply will be increasing over the next few weeks and we will be able to move through our current waitlist at a faster pace,” the health department said in its blog post.
This is the first time that the Fairfax Health District has expanded vaccine eligibility since Jan. 18, when appointments opened up to people 65 and older as well as younger people with medical conditions that put them at high risk of severe illness if they contract the novel coronavirus.
Virginia has been in phase 1b of its COVID-19 vaccination campaign since Jan. 11, but because of the limited availability of the vaccines, Fairfax County had restricted registration based on employment to the top three priority groups: police, fire, and hazmat workers; corrections and homeless shelter workers; and childcare and school teachers and staff.
The pace of vaccinations in Fairfax County has accelerated over the past couple of weeks as the health department has started receiving more doses.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay says the county got more than 43,000 doses this week — a jump up from the 31,590 doses that came in last week, which was itself a significant increase from 19,220 doses in the week before that.
“We have been able to make significant strides in getting through our waiting list,” McKay said in a statement to Tysons Reporter. “Thanks to our Health Department’s efforts to work with our partners, like community groups, private practices, and the opening of a mass vaccination site with Inova, we will continue to prioritize getting shots in arms and vaccinating folks quickly and efficiently.”
This latest phase 1b group focuses on individuals who work in the food, agriculture, and manufacturing industries, including grocery and convenience store workers, food pantry and distribution site workers, veterinarians, and butcher and slaughterhouse workers.
It does not include workers at restaurants and other food and beverage service establishments, who are instead included in phase 1c.
The Fairfax County Health Department notes that newly eligible individuals should be prepared to show “some form of work-related identification or paystub,” since some of the county’s partner vaccine providers require proof of identity.
The Virginia Department of Health announced yesterday that some localities are ready to transition to phase 1c starting this week.
The Fairfax Health District still has five categories of 1b workers — transit workers, mail carriers, government officials, janitors and other cleaning staff, and clergy and faith leaders — who are not yet able to register for appointments.
However, the county health department says it expects to reach phase 1c by mid-April, and by May 1, it plans to open eligibility to phase 2, which will enable anyone over age 16 who lives or works in Virginia to register for a vaccine appointment.
Photo via Fairfax County Health Department
Fairfax County Public School students will attend in-person classes five days a week when the new academic year starts this fall, FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand pledged yesterday (Tuesday) at a school board work session.
The commitment came on the same day that FCPS welcomed third and sixth-grade students back into classrooms. This was the final cohort to be phased into hybrid learning, where students who choose to can receive two days of in-person instruction and two days of virtual instruction.
Since FCPS initiated its Return to School plan on Feb. 16, more than 98,000 students and staff members have resumed in-person classes. That number will exceed 109,000 students when the transition finishes this Thursday (March 19), according to Brabrand.
Brabrand told the school board that a combination of low levels of reported COVID-19 transmission in schools, declining case rates in the county as a whole, accelerating vaccination efforts, and new research on social distancing in schools gave FCPS officials the confidence to plan to begin the upcoming 2021-2022 school year with full-time in-person classes.
“We have shown that we can return our students and staff to our buildings in a way that is safe and steady,” Brabrand said. “We are confident that we can deliver on a five-day return for all students in the fall, knowing that, while we can adapt to any situation, in-person learning really is the best option for our students and staff.”
According to a presentation by FCPS staff, 0.2% of 86,526 students and staff expected to return to in-person classes have tested positive for COVID-19 since Jan. 26, and only 0.02% reported being infected due to transmission in schools.
As of Tuesday, FCPS had recorded 1,107 cases among students, staff, and visitors since Sept. 8.
FCPS Department of Special Services Assistant Superintendent Michelle Boyd reported that the “overwhelming majority” of employees have now been vaccinated, and the school system is working with partners like the Fairfax County Health Department and Inova to get the vaccine to the remaining individuals.
FCPS also anticipates having in-person graduation ceremonies for this year’s high school seniors, though rules for prom, all-night graduation parties, and other social gatherings will likely be more stringent.
Brabrand said Gov. Ralph Northam and the Virginia Department of Health are expected to issue guidance for school districts before April.
With all grade levels now in hybrid learning, FCPS has started to plan for summer school, which will take place in person from late June to early August at all schools for over 40,000 students — 10 times the usual summer school attendance, according to FCPS Chief Academic Officer Sloan Presidio. Read More
First Baptist Church of Vienna to Hold Free COVID-19 Testing Event — The campaign of Virginia lieutenant governor candidate Sean Perryman, who previously served as president of the Fairfax County NAACP, will provide COVID-19 tests at no cost at the First Baptist Church of Vienna from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday (March 20). Eligible individuals can preregister through the provider Inspire Diagnostics. [Patch]
Wolf Trap Fire Station Neighbors Skeptical of Wireless Tower Proposal — “The vast majority of residents who expressed their views at a March 15 online meeting hosted by the Great Falls Citizens Association said the proposed monopole would be an eyesore, offer still-inadequate coverage and potentially harm neighbors’ home values and health.” [Sun Gazette]
Vienna Resident Sentenced to 33 Months for Fake Bomb Threats — “A former Old Dominion University student has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for teaming up with white supremacists in a swatting conspiracy that targeted a Black church, his own university and a Cabinet officer, among others.” [WTOP]
Fairfax County Landlords Can Apply to Provide Rental Assistance — Fairfax County has launched a portal where landlords can access emergency rental assistance funds to help tenants who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The portal is part of the county’s efforts to reduce evictions, which have continued despite state and federal moratoriums. [Fairfax County Health Department]
More than 100 private health care providers in Fairfax County are currently going through the steps to be able to provide COVID-19 vaccines to the public soon, county officials tell Reston Now and Tysons Reporter.
This includes private practices, clinics, and urgent care centers.
The county announced late last week that “a small number of private health care providers” would begin offering vaccinations to their patients in the coming weeks.
“The process to become approved to administer COVID-19 vaccine requires several steps,” a county health department spokesperson said. “That starts with filing an intent form with [the Virginia Department of Health], completing a CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Agreement and completing the Fairfax County Health Department’s compliance check.”
Of those 100-plus private health care providers, approximately 35 are in the process of completing the Fairfax County Health Department’s compliance check. The timeline for completion differs for each provider, the spokesperson notes.
A “handful” of private providers have completed all of the steps and can now offer the COVID-19 vaccine to their patients. Health department officials declined to provide an exact number or the names of the providers.
Providers won’t be able to choose a specific COVID-19 vaccine to offer to their patients, since vaccine availability is dependent on what the county receives from the Commonwealth.
“We know many residents in our community will be excited to hear that their own health care providers may soon offer vaccine,” Fairfax County Health Director Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu wrote in the health department’s blog post. “However, we do encourage residents to be patient while more practices meet the state requirements. Once a provider is able to offer vaccine, they will notify their patients directly.”
The county is also asking residents who have registered with the county health department to remove themselves from the waitlist if they do receive the vaccine from a private provider instead.
In recent weeks, Fairfax County has begun to diversify where residents are able to get their COVID-19 vaccine.
This includes retail pharmacies, including CVS, Walgreens, Safeway, and Harris Teeter. Giant is directly partnering with the county to vaccinate off the health department’s waitlist. However, appointments still remain scarce at the retail pharmacies.
In general, vaccinations in the county are moving at a faster pace than last month.
But the county is still struggling to catch up to demand after being the only jurisdiction to opt out of Virginia’s appointment system. As of 3 p.m. today, 104,000 people were on the waitlist of the 326,000 people who had registered.
So far, the county has administered close to 267,000 doses, about half of them delivered by the health department. 207,499 county residents have gotten at least one dose, and 117,678 people have been fully vaccinated, according to the VDH dashboard.
Appointments are currently being scheduled for those who signed up on January 28 or earlier.
Photo by Karen Bolt/Fairfax County Public Schools
A house fire on Baton Drive in Vienna yesterday afternoon (Monday) might have turned into a tragedy, if not for the intervention of a few quick-thinking, canine-loving neighbors.
The blaze occurred between 4:30 and 5 p.m. on the 1900 block of Baton Drive, according to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Vienna Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Morrison confirmed to Tysons Reporter that units from his department also responded to the incident.
James Madison High School student Peyton Van Stone had just returned home from walking his family’s dog and was chatting outside with Ann Haines, a neighbor from across the street, when they noticed smoke issuing from a house a few doors down the road.
From there, Peyton says he stopped thinking and just acted.
“Me and [Haines] just ran up to the house to check it out and see what was happening, because it looked like there was a fire, or at least there was a lot of black smoke coming out,” he told Tysons Reporter this morning during a break in his online classes.
After another passerby called 9-1-1, Haines called the house’s resident, who is a friend since they often take their dogs on walks around the same time. She learned that no people were home, but their dog — a Rottweiler named Daisy — was inside in a crate.
Upon finding that the front door was locked, Peyton asked the next-door neighbors if they had a key before going around the back of the house and finding a way inside.
The fire had started outside the house near a detached garage, but it was spreading to the main structure by the time Peyton and Haines dashed upstairs to let Daisy out of her crate. Haines had a leash and was able to lead the dog outside, a feat made easier by Daisy’s familiarity with her.
After that, Peyton says fire trucks arrived to put out the blaze, and they later reunited Daisy with her owners.
“I’m glad everyone was okay,” Peyton said. “…I mean, I would hope someone would do the same for my dog, so I was just looking out for another neighbor, because that’s man’s best friend, a dog.”
While Peyton says he was too caught up in the moment to feel scared, his mother, Rebecca Van Stone, describes the ordeal as “surreal” and “very scary” to watch unfold. She recalls that the fire initially looked small, like smoke from a fire pit, before rapidly growing to the point where she worried it would spread to nearby trees and other houses.
“I just had thoughts of California, of these whole neighborhoods going up in smoke, and you could hear the crackling of fire,” Van Stone said.
Van Stone added that she’s proud of her son and Haines for acting quickly to help their neighbors. She was also impressed by the fire department’s response.
“They were very quick and efficient, I have to say, to save this woman’s house,” she said. “If it wasn’t for how quick they responded, the whole house would’ve been up in flames.”
According to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson Ashley Hildebrandt, investigators determined that the fire was accidental in nature, sparked by spontaneous combustion from recently added mulch.
After starting in a mulch bed, the fire spread to the detached garage and the main house but was largely confined to the exterior of the building. It caused $25,000 in damages, but people and animals all got through the incident unscathed.
“We all made sure the owners weren’t home. To know they were safe was the biggest thing,” Haines said. “Then, we knew we could focus on Daisy.”
Photos by Rebecca Van Stone
Thousands of people in Fairfax County are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, but with many of them struggling to get appointments, the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations has stepped up to help.
The federation has started a “Neighborhood COVID-19 Navigators” project to encourage local homeowners’, civic, and community organizations to assist people who are facing challenges in getting a vaccine appointment, from technological or transportation issues to general confusion about the process.
“The Federation believes that its member citizens associations are in a good position to address this gap by providing neighbor-to-neighbor help to those who may be struggling to get vaccination appointments because of technical challenges or because they have limited transportation to vaccination sites,” Fairfax County Federation President William Barfield said in a letter to members.
The Fairfax County Health Department has been working with nonprofits, faith-based groups, and other community organizations since January on a word-of-mouth outreach program to share information about the COVID-19 vaccine campaign.
The county is providing options for people who need transportation to get to a vaccine appointment, including free rides through taxi companies and subsidized taxi vouchers for older adults, people with limited incomes, and individuals with disabilities. Several community organizations, such as the local Shepherd’s Centers, are also offering volunteer transportation to older adults.
However, the county government does not have a systematic way of identifying who needs help without the individual coming forward first, which might not happen if they don’t know where to turn for information.
Fairfax County Federation human services committee co-chair Doug Birnie realized that neighborhood groups could provide that connection between residents and the county. He brought up the idea to his committee co-chair, Mike Perel, and the Neighborhood COVID-19 Navigators initiative was born.
“Neighbors can connect neighbors with the primary County Health Department numbers on our flyer and, where necessary, offer a helping hand in negotiating the vaccination process including offering rides and personal assistance in navigating vaccination sites,” Birnie, Perel, and Barfield said in a joint statement to Tysons Reporter. “A trusted helping hand in difficult times is a valued and effective means for achieving successful outcomes.”
Along with the letter, Barfield sent out a flier with several points of contact at the Fairfax County Health Department so residents can pass along that information to neighbors who are struggling to register for a vaccine.
The flier directs people with questions or in need of transportation assistance to call the Fairfax County Health Department call center at 703-324-7404. They can also email [email protected].
County residents who are eligible to get vaccinated can register for an appointment through the call center or the health department’s website.
Image via Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations
The Town of Vienna is leading the way in Virginia with a newly conceived celebration of four amendments to the U.S. Constitution that enshrined the rights of people of color and women.
The town announced on Friday (March 12) that planning for the inaugural Liberty Amendments Month celebration is officially underway, and community organizations, businesses and individuals are encouraged to help shape the four weeks of festivities.
Liberty Amendments Month is the brainchild of Vienna Town Manager Mercury Payton, and the Vienna Town Council adopted a resolution on Dec. 7 to officially recognize the occasion. It has since been ratified by the Virginia General Assembly as well.
“We all can celebrate these amendments that ensure rights and liberties for each of us,” Payton said.
Patrons of the now-passed bill included Del. Mark Keam (D-Vienna) and state Sen. Mamie Locke (D-Hampton), who was one of Payton’s professors at Hampton University, Inside NOVA reports.
“I’m so proud that the Town of Vienna is leading the way in initiating this holiday and month-long commemoration of these fundamental rights that we all cherish,” Mayor Linda Colbert said. “I’m especially proud that Town Manager Mercury Payton came up with the idea and has worked hard to see it become a reality.”
In the wake of last summer’s racial justice protests, Payton conceived of Liberty Amendments Month as a celebration of the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th Constitutional amendments, which abolished slavery, granted citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the U.S., and extended voting rights to all citizens regardless of race and gender.
Liberty Amendments Month will begin on June 19 — also known as Juneteenth — with an educational event that will “offer a thoughtful reflection on the liberties assured by these four amendments to the U.S. Constitution,” according to the town.
Each of the next four weeks will be dedicated to one of the four liberty amendments with contests, lectures, classes, themed restaurant specials, walks, art exhibits, films, and performances.
The celebration will culminate on July 19 with a multicultural festival featuring food, drinks, crafts, and entertainment from around the world. The Vienna Town Council has designated that day as Liberty Amendments Day, replacing Columbus Day on its list of official holidays.
“There’s lots to celebrate here,” Councilmember Chuck Anderson said. “This is going to be a people’s event just as the Constitution is the people’s document.”
Groups interested in sponsoring, participating in, or hosting events can apply online by April 1.
The town is advising planners to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions and social-distancing guidelines, which could still be in place this summer.
Planning meetings will be held at 5 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Interested organizations can contact [email protected] for a Zoom link to the meetings or more details.
Photo via Town of Vienna
