Elected County Officials Sworn In — “Family, friends and area leaders all came together to mark new terms of office for our Board of Supervisors, constitutional officers and Soil and Water Conservation District directors. The inauguration ceremony was held at the Government Center on Dec. 13 for these local officials, who will guide the county for the next four years.” [Fairfax County Government]
Fairfax Delegate Proposes Discrimination Protections for Ethnicity — “With the recent spike in reports of antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias, lawmakers will soon consider whether to add ethnicity to Virginia’s hate crimes and discrimination law. Del. Dan Helmer…introduced a bill — HB 18 — that would expand the groups protected against unlawful discrimination.” [WTOP]
Fairfax City Restaurant in Fire Station Gets Ribbon-Cutting — “Join us on December 15th at 3:00 pm as we celebrate the ribbon cutting of The Old Firestation #3. They will be serving soda, water, iced tea, and various appetizers. This no-frills restaurant and bar, located in an old fire station, is the perfect place to hang out and enjoy Greek, American, and Italian dishes.” [Fairfax City Economic Development/Instagram]
Survivors of Hamas Attack Share Stories — “Survivors of the terror attack that sparked the war in Israel are visiting Northern Virginia and sharing their stories. A Jewish Community Center in Fairfax hosted ‘Heroines and Heroes of Light.’ News4’s Walter Morris reports.” [NBC4]
County Seeks Funding for Bus and Bicycle Services — “Fairfax County supervisors on Dec. 5 authorized the county’s transportation director to apply for nearly $8.9 million in regional funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC).” The money would support Fairfax Connector bus routes and an expansion of the Capital Bikeshare system around the Vienna and Dunn Loring Metro stations. [Gazette Leader]
Comfort Food Restaurant in Groveton Closed — “The Boston Market restaurant, a longtime fixture at Beacon Center, no longer seems to be in operation. The darkened storefront has a ‘closed’ sign on the front door and leasing information in the window…The pad site is located at 6650 Richmond Highway between Bank of America and TGI Fridays.” [On the MoVe]
Increases in Park Authority Fees Approved — “The Fairfax County Park Authority Board approved the proposed adjustments to the 2024 Park Authority Fee Schedule at its Dec. 13 meeting. All fee adjustments are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.” Affected services include the golf courses, recreation center admission, park amusements and more. [FCPA]
Meteor Shower Caught on Video — “Video sent in by a FOX 5 viewer shows several fiery streaks of light moving across the sky over Fairfax County. The Geminids shower is one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers, according to NASA.” The shower was scheduled to peak yesterday (Thursday), but meteors may be visible as late as Dec. 17. [FOX5]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies and a high of around 55 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 6 to 8 mph. Friday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures reaching a low of about 34 degrees and a steady west wind of around 6 mph. [Weather.gov]
Dark smoke was seen wafting over Route 7 near the Tysons Commerce Center office building (8219 Leesburg Pike) earlier this afternoon.
Alan Henney, a local crime and public safety watcher, reported hearing an “explosion [that] sounded like a transformer with fire” in the 8200 block of Leesburg Pike around 12:30 p.m. Photos and videos of the scene showed black smoke billowing up from near the office building, which is across the street from PetSmart.
While the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department didn’t receive any calls for a fire in the area, Dominion Energy spokesperson Peggy Fox confirmed that the utility had an equipment failure, sparking a fire on an electrical pole and causing a power outage that affected 1,572 customers.
“All but three customers were restored between 10 minutes and 39 minutes,” Fox told FFXnow. “Those remaining three will be out while repairs are made.”
Per Dominion Energy’s outage map, power is expected to be restored for those three customers around 4-7 p.m.
8200 block of Leesburg Pike in Tysons. Explosion sounded like a transformer with fire. @ffxfirerescue @ffxnow any more info? pic.twitter.com/lS3NBT6wDJ
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) December 14, 2023
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) December 14, 2023
Mattel is ready to hit the gas pedal on its new Hot Wheels Champion Experience in Tysons.
The interactive exhibit will open to patrons at Tysons Corner Center at 9 a.m. tomorrow (Friday), a week later than previously anticipated. It’s located on the mall’s second floor in the former Old Navy space next to Barnes and Noble.
The temporary, 16,000-square-foot pop-up will combine physical and virtual environments to enable visitors to design, drive and race Hot Wheels vehicles “without headsets, goggles, or other equipment,” according to a press release.
To bring Hot Wheels to life, Mattel partnered with SEE Touring Exhibitions Inc., a themed entertainment provider that also brought a Sistine Chapel exhibit to Tysons in 2021. The companies say the concept responds to a demand for interactive events in retail as an alternative to “passive consumption.”
“We recognize the importance of spending quality time together during the holidays,” Mattel and SEE Touring Exhibitions said. “Hot Wheels Champion Experience provides an opportunity for families to come together, regardless of their age, to enjoy a shared, nostalgic, and thrilling experience.”
Attractions include augmented reality rooms, a monster truck competition, a game where participants can defend Hot Wheels City from monsters, and Hot Wheels Central, where patrons can track how they’re performing on the various challenges and collect digital memorabilia.
Some exclusive clothes, toys and other merchandise will also be available.
Tickets for 90-minute time slots are currently on sale, starting at $32 for teens and adults and $25 for children. An end date for the experience hasn’t been announced yet, but the ticket vendor currently shows available dates through Feb. 25.
Hot Wheels is rolling into Tysons Corner Center one week after the arrival of CAMP, a toy and entertainment retailer whose new, permanent store is currently accompanied by an interactive, “Encanto”-themed experience. Disney Encanto X Camp opened on Friday, Dec. 8 and appears to be sold out for the rest of this year.
(Updated at 9:25 a.m. on 12/15/2023) The long-running effort to bring bus rapid transit (BRT) service to Route 7 is about to enter a new stage of planning, but for some Fairfax County leaders, the milestone doubles as a reminder of how much more still needs to be done to turn Northern Virginia’s vision into a reality.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement at its Dec. 5 meeting to help fund an engineering study and environmental analysis required to implement the bus system, which will serve the corridor from the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons to the Mark Center in Alexandria.
Though they voted 9-1 in support of the agreement, some board members raised concerns about a lack of clarity on the project timeline from the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, the regional organization that’s managing the planning process.
“I sit on NVTC, and I don’t have a comfort level yet that they have their hands wrapped around this,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said. “Constantly, I’m asking for schedules — when is this going to happen? — and they never provide them.”
Foust — whose district includes the West Falls Church Metro area at the southern end of the BRT’s future Tysons segment — called NVTC a “great organization” and voted for the agreement, which was only opposed by Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity.
But Foust urged county and NVTC staff to provide a thorough breakdown of the long-range plan for the project known as Envision Route 7, including an estimate of when it would be completed “if everything goes as anticipated.”
“That would be very helpful, I think, in evaluating each step as we go forward,” he said.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay concurred, adding that the county doesn’t need specific dates but would find it “helpful” to get a more detailed timeline of key milestones to expect going forward.
He noted that NVTC has already been working on the dedicated Route 7 bus system for years, dating back to a transit study commissioned in 2013.
“The number one question I’ve had about this is, ‘What has been taking so long to get to this point and what does the future look like?'” McKay said. “What we do know is this will be a long-term project, but we need to have a reasonable understanding of what that means in terms of years.”
Fairfax County Department of Transportation acting director Gregg Steverson confirmed the request was “something we can provide to you.”
(Correction: This story initially misidentified Gregg Steverson as the NVTC acting director.) Read More
Mixed Reactions to N. Va. Move for Wizards and Capitals — “Officials announced plans to bring the Washington Capitals and the Washington Wizards to a new arena in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood. The new $2 billion arena, leased to Monumental Sports & Entertainment, is scheduled to break ground in 2025 and open sometime in late 2028.” [ALXnow]
Fundraiser Supports Family of McLean Man Found in House Fire — “The fire broke out Monday morning at a home on the 4000 block of Ridgeview Circle in McLean…A GoFundMe campaign for his family was launched Tuesday and has already raised more than $10,000.” [ARLnow]
School Board Plans Vote on New Grading Policy — “This Thursday, December 14, the School Board will determine whether to adopt as policy the use of the 100-point scale, with 50% as the lowest passing grade for submitted assignments, for all high school credit-bearing classes.” Calling inconsistent grading is one of the top frustrations she hears from families, Hunter Mill District Representative Melanie Meren says more time is needed for a thorough review. [Melanie Meren]
Richmond Highway Study Seeks to Create Sense of Place — With major construction still years away, the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development’s Community Revitalization Section and the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation (SFDC) will hold “a two-day workshop in late January in which panelists will create a placemaking strategy for a four-mile section of the corridor” in the near-term. [On the MoVe]
Nearby: Prince William Approves Data Center Projects — “After a 27-hour meeting, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors on Wednesday approved the PW Digital Gateway, allowing construction of what’s expected to become the largest data center corridor in the world.” [Inside NoVA]
Virginia Gets Funding for Wildlife Crossings — “To reduce the risk of car-creature collisions, earlier this year the Virginia Department of Transportation released the state’s first-ever Wildlife Corridor Action Plan; how long the wait will be until parts of the plan are implemented, however, will depend on funding.” Initial funds came this fall in the form of two federal grants totaling more than $1 million. [Virginia Mercury]
WaPo Profiles McLean Neighborhood — “The entrances of McLean Hamlet at Falstaff Road and Titania Lane have afforded many appreciative chuckles to passersby who remember their high school Shakespeare classes…But talk to residents about what makes the neighborhood special, and literary theming is the last thing they mention.” [Washington Post]
Free “Sober Rides” Available for Holidays — “Those who may have had too much to drink this holiday season will again be able to avail themselves of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program’s “SoberRide” service, conducted in conjunction with Lyft. The 2023 program will be in operation nightly from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. each night from Dec. 15 to Jan. 1.” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Thursday — Expect a sunny day with temperatures reaching a high of around 45 and a gentle northwest wind blowing at 3 to 5 mph. As night approaches, the sky will remain clear and the temperature will drop to a low of about 29. [Weather.gov]
The owner of 8221 Old Courthouse Road has received the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s support for its plan to convert the 1980s-era Tysons office building into multi-family housing.
The proposal filed by 8221 Old Courthouse Road LC — an affiliate of residential developer Dittmar Company — seeks to repurpose the existing, three-story building as one and two-bedroom rental apartments. Up to 55 units are planned, including six workforce dwelling units.
While the conversion won’t alter the building’s exterior, it will replace approximately 90 surface parking spaces with a publicly accessible, 7,840 square-foot pocket park along Old Courthouse Road and a private, 8,400-square-foot outdoor amenity space for residents on the property’s eastern side, which abuts an Extended Stay America hotel.
The developer has also agreed to update Old Courthouse and Lord Fairfax Road to the west with expanded sidewalks and landscaping panels, along with high-visibility crosswalks and new curb ramps at the intersection.
“The applicant — again the long-term owner of this building — is very excited to be looking forward, turning the page, turning to the next chapter in this building’s life cycle,” said Robert Brandt, the applicant’s representative at the planning commission’s Dec. 6 public hearing. “We think this is an excellent opportunity to convert it and add some additional housing here on this site and in Tysons.”
The elimination of more than half of the 2-acre site’s parking took center stage at the hearing, which concluded with the commission unanimously recommending that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approve the application.
Though no public speakers attended the hearing, several community members sent written comments to express concern that the project will create parking and traffic issues, particularly for Freedom Hill Elementary School to the south, according to Providence District Commissioner Jeremy Hancock.
Reserved for residents and their guests, the 66 parking spots that will be provided meet the county’s current minimum requirements for the Planned Tysons Corner (PTC) Urban District, which the developer has opted into, Brandt told the commission. New, generally reduced off-street parking standards that the Board of Supervisors adopted in September won’t take effect until Jan. 1.
“We are not requesting a parking reduction, and the applicant and staff, I believe, are comfortable with the amount of parking that we are providing,” Brandt said.
He noted that the property owner intends to deliver the 66 parking spaces even if the number of apartment units decreases as the design gets refined. An additional eight spots will be added off-site through striping on Lord Fairfax Road.
According to Brandt, converting the office building into housing will decrease traffic around the site by 207 daily trips on average. Parents will also no longer have to compete with commuting workers when driving their kids to and from school.
Hancock, however, suggested more could be done to try to mitigate traffic during those pick-up and drop-off times, especially while the apartment building is under construction.
“There really is only that one entrance there [to Freedom Hill Elementary],” he said. “I hope it’s acceptable to you that we continue to work on that and maybe address some of the concerns that were raised so we’re increasing the impact on those particular times in school.”
Brandt agreed that there’s “an opportunity to continue that discussion” before the application goes before the Board of Supervisors, which doesn’t have a public hearing scheduled yet.
Planning Commission Chairman Phil Niedzielski-Eichner, an at-large member who previously represented Providence District, called the application “a remarkable improvement” over what the developer initially brought to the county in February.
“The reduction in the impervious surface and expansion of the open space, particularly along the roadway…will add to the value of the neighborhood,” Niedzielski-Eichner said, “because it’s an amenity that will likely be replicated if other buildings in the area have the same ability to be converted. I suspect that’s going to happen, and I think that can only benefit the area.”
The District dominates Washingtonian’s 2023 survey of its readers’ favorite restaurants, but a couple of the highlighted establishments can be found right in Fairfax County.
Looking at eateries that came out on top in the poll’s 21 categories, readers picked Andy’s Pizza as their favorite place for pizza in the D.C. area and Call Your Mother as their favorite spot for breakfast.
A bagel shop and deli with a flagship location in D.C.’s Petsworth neighborhood Call Your Mother is expected to open a brick-and-mortar location at Chesterbrook Shopping Center in McLean next year after launching a mobile truck there in May.
In its survey, Washingtonian lauds Andy’s Pizza for serving the “best New York–style slices and pies you’ll find in these parts.”
The pizzeria has eight locations across the region, including ones in Tysons and Old Town Alexandria. After five years, the Tysons Galleria location still seems to be going strong, the one constant in a food hall that has otherwise struggled to take off.
Speaking of food halls, The Block was voted no. 3 in the region by Washingtonian readers, behind Union Market and The Roost in D.C.
Claiming to be Northern Virginia’s first food hall, The Block launched at 4221 John Marr Drive in Annandale in 2016 and expanded to Bethesda in 2019. Focused on Asian cuisine and snacks, its current Annandale tenants are Bold Dumpling, Balo Kitchen, Pokeworks Co. and SnoCream Company.
“These Asian food halls pack a lot into their smaller spaces, including stops for bubble tea, hibachi, and dumplings,” Washingtonian said.
Other restaurants with Fairfax County ties that showed up in Washingtonian’s poll include:
- Tatte Bakery & Cafe (no. 3 for Favorite Breakfast) recently opened a Reston Town Center location
- Han Palace (no. 3 for Favorite Chinese Restaurant) debuted in Tysons in 2020
- Kogiya (no. 3 for Favorite Korean Restaurant) “grills up quality beef and pork” at 4220-A Annandale Road
Voters also recognized Ellie Bird and Rice Paper in nearby Falls Church City among the best new and Vietnamese restaurants, respectively. Ruthie’s All Day in Arlington, Thompson Italian in Falls Church and Alexandria, and The Inn at Little Washington were voted as Virginia’s top three restaurants.
Published on Monday (Dec. 11), this was the 46th iteration of Washingtonian’s annual reader poll.
Metro Would Slash Service in Proposed Budget — “Metro proposed a budget Tuesday with service cuts officials say would make the transit system ‘unrecognizable’ and have a devastating economic impact on the region. On the table are across-the-board service cuts, including the closure of 10 Metro stations, earlier station closing times, the elimination of nearly half of all current Metrobus routes, fare hikes, layoffs, and salary and hiring freezes.” [DCist]
Federal Officials Grilled on FBI HQ Choice — “Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), chairman of a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee with oversight of public buildings, called the hearing to examine why a GSA official selected Greenbelt despite a three-member panel’s unanimous recommendation to put the FBI headquarters in Springfield.” [Washington Post]
Electric Vehicle Service Center Proposed — “Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: RIVN), the producer of Amazon.com Inc.’s electric delivery fleet, is eyeing Fairfax County for its first Northern Virginia service center…A location is not identified in the letter, though an earlier, temporary version of the letter, since superseded, filed last month suggested somewhere in Tysons.” [Washington Business Journal]
New Fire Station Approved for West Annandale — “The Fairfax County Planning Commission approved a project to replace the West Annandale Fire Station and to use a vacant commercial building nearby as a temporary fire station during construction.” Built at 8914 Little River Turnpike, the new station “will better accommodate modern equipment and provide improved living space, including space for female staff.” [Annandale Today]
County Gets Funding for Richmond Highway BRT — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently authorized the acceptance of “just over $22.5 million in grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the purchase of right of way (ROW) related to the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. That amount will be matched with around $5.6 million in local dollars from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.” [On the MoVe]
Fairfax County Home Sales Declining — “Northern Virginia’s five largest jurisdictions in November mostly posted relatively small drop-offs in sales from a year before, according to new data, although Fairfax County’s decline was more steep than most.” The county saw a 13.7% drop to 734 closings last month compared to November 2022. [Gazette Leader]
Dominion Energy Plan Gets Thumbs Down From Regulator — “A utility regulator with the State Corporation Commission is recommending the body reject Dominion Energy’s most recent long-term plan because of its inclusion of new natural gas plants…Because of a projected increase in data center development in Northern Virginia, as well as expected upticks in electric vehicle use, Dominion’s plans call for the addition of four natural gas combustion turbines to provide energy that can be quickly turned on during times of peak demand.” [Virginia Mercury]
Retiring Reston Farmers Market Manager to Be Honored — “Fairfax County Chair Jeff McKay introduced a measure at [the Dec. 5] board of supervisors meeting to invite John Lovaas to an upcoming meeting and honor him for his 26 years as the founder and manager of the Reston Farmers Market. The board voted unanimously to adopt the measure.” [Patch]
It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 45 degrees today, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 7 to 10 mph. As for tonight, the skies will remain clear, with temperatures dropping to a low of around 27 degrees. [Weather.gov]
Democrats are again pushing for legislation that would allow local governments to hold referenda on increasing their sales and use tax to pay for school capital projects such as construction and renovations.
The party hopes the effort, which has been tried twice before but defeated by Republicans, will be successful now that Democrats are set to control both the House of Delegates and the Senate following the November elections.
“We think with the change in the dynamics in the House that this bill has a very good chance,” said Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William, adding that a similar version of the bill passed with bipartisan support last year in the Democratic-controlled Senate before dying in the House.
Under current law, only nine localities can impose a 1% sales tax to fund school construction and renovation projects. They are the counties of Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick and Pittsylvania and the city of Danville.
Local governments have control over adjustments to their property tax rates — but aren’t allowed to change the sales tax rate without explicit permission from the General Assembly.
In 2021, Virginia invested nearly $1.3 billion into programs distributing grants and loans for school construction after a survey found over half of Virginia’s schools are more than 50 years old, with replacement costs for each in the millions.
“It’s really about empowering localities to make their own decisions about how they want to fund schools, and this is a new tool in the toolbox,” McPike said.
Lawmakers have already set a “precedent of permitting localities to impose a sales tax increase for school capital projects through the referendum process,” he said, “but what the bill would do is essentially allow all localities to make that choice and figure out if that’s the right fit for their community and their community needs.”
Former Republican Del. James Edmunds, R-Halifax, introduced a bill last session to add Prince Edward County to the list of localities allowed to impose a 1% sales tax for school capital projects. However, a House Finance subcommittee failed to hear the proposal.
In 2019, Edmunds successfully carried legislation to add Halifax County to the list of permitted localities.
Republicans have been reluctant to support changes to the law that could allow the raising of taxes, outgoing Sen. Tommy Norment, R-Williamsburg, told the Mercury last session.
If the legislation can make it out of both chambers, the bills will still require approval by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who could sign them into law, veto them or suggest changes.
This article was reported and written by the Virginia Mercury, and has been reprinted under a Creative Commons license.
A growing, Florida-based Asian street food chain has its sights set on Merrifield.
Hawkers is planning to open a restaurant in the Mosaic District next year, an employee at the company’s Arlington location confirmed to FFXnow.
According to Fairfax County’s permit database, the 5,312-square-foot eatery will be located at 8190 Strawberry Lane, Suite 1 — the space occupied by the Vietnamese restaurant Four Sisters until it closed on May 14, concluding 30 years of business in Fairfax County.
Hawkers was created in 2011 by four friends who wanted “to bring the bold flavors of Asian street food to the streets of Orlando,” according to its website. The company has since expanded to 15 locations across seven states, breaking into the D.C. area with a Bethesda restaurant in 2020 and a Ballston one that opened last year.
Drawing from a mix of East Asian cuisines, the menu features dim sum, meat and shrimp skewers, noodles, fried rice, green papaya salad, a Po Po Lo’s curry based on a family recipe and more. The beverage menu includes cocktails, sake, wine, beer and Japanese whisky.
Oath Pizza has closed
In other Mosaic District news, Oath Pizza appears to have closed, but it’s not entirely clear whether the shutdown is temporary or permanent. A sign posted to the restaurant’s door since late November states that it “will be pausing pizza operations for a short period of time.”
“We look forward to fulfilling your delicious pizza needs again soon,” says the notice signed by the Oath Pizza team. “Thank you all for your ongoing support and we look forward to serving you our brand of Feel Good Pizza again soon.”
However, the company’s website no longer functions, and other locations have also reportedly closed, including in D.C. and its home state of Massachusetts. According to the Nantucket Current, the slew of closures might stem from a lawsuit filed by investors in May that accused Oath Pizza CEO Andrew Kellogg of self-dealing.
Even with the lawsuit, though, Oath Pizza has continued adding franchises, including its first California location, which opened in early August. The Mosaic District restaurant (2920 District Avenue, Suite 150) opened in October 2017 as the chain’s first expansion outside the Boston area.
Oath Pizza didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Just a couple of doors away, interior renovations have begun on a store from the Beaufort Bonnet Company, which sells baby and children’s clothes. The shop will be 1,344 square feet in size and located at 2920 District Avenue, Suite 143.
Signs posted to the storefront indicate that the shop is “coming soon.” The company didn’t respond to inquiries from FFXnow by press time.
Hat tip to Adam Rubinstein
