Fairfax County and the Town of Vienna are moving forward with plans for public parking as part of the redevelopment of Patrick Henry Library.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with the Town of Vienna on Tuesday for a design and construction agreement.
The redevelopment aims to replace the aging library, which is one of the oldest and busiest of the county’s libraries, according to county staff. Meanwhile, Vienna officials are looking to increase public parking along Maple Avenue.
The redevelopment of the library, which is operated by the county and located in the town, will include a public parking structure. Three ideas were proposed for the number of parking spaces.
The chosen option would have two levels of structured parking with 125 spaces for the library and 84 for the town. The county’s fall back option would offer only 90 surface parking spaces, according to county staff.
The project is included in the FY 2021-2025 Capital Improvement Program. County staff said that the partnership between the town and county on the redevelopment will help meet both localities’ needs in a “more cost-effective manner.”
More from the county:
The project design is scheduled to commence in January 2021 with construction completion at the end of 2024, contingent on the approval of the 2020 Library Bond Referendum. The library project will be designed to meet the pending Green Building Policy updates for LEED and energy performance improvements.
The Town’s contribution for the design phase will not exceed 30% (with a cap of $850,000) of the total design costs, which will be paid to the County in a lump sum after appropriation from the Town’s 2020 Bond Referendum, and prior to the start of the design phase. In addition, the Town will be responsible for 19% (with a cap of $4.2 million) of the total construction costs for a 2-level structured parking garage, payable in three equal payments to the County starting in calendar year 2022.
The upcoming fall 2020 Library Bond Referendum includes $23 million in library bond funding for the Patrick Henry Library. This bond amount is sufficient to address the County’s cost share for the design and construction of the library and either Option A or B1 for the parking structure.
Now that the agreement has been approved, the county and town can move forward on figuring out how to jointly fund the project.
Crescendo Studios will soon have drive-in summer concerts in Merrifield.
Located in the former MHz Studio at 8101 Lee Hwy, the studio has partnered with DC Music Review for the series.
For each show, the opening show will play outside from 8:15-8:45 p.m. before the headling act hits the Black Box performance space on Fridays and Saturdays. “The video will be projected onto our 180″ screen outside of our building. Audio will be transmitted via FM transmitter to your car radio,” according to Crescendo Studios.
The line-up for the summer series includes a variety of music genres and local artists. There’s bluegrass, folk-pop, indie rock and even a Phish tribute band.
The concert dates are:
- July 24: Lindsay Collette, Nah.
- July 25: Jahnel Daliya, Carly Harvey
- Aug. 1: The Last Rewind
- Aug. 8: Modell, Soderstorm, and James
- Aug. 14: Annie Stokes, Ashleigh Chevalier Band
- Aug. 15: Kemi Adegoroye, The NRIs
- Aug. 21: Griefcat, Two Ton Twig
- Aug. 28: S.N.R.G.
People can either stay in their cars or set up chairs outside. Crescendo Studios is asking that audience goers socially distance. Face coverings will be required if people want to purchase food or use the bathroom at the studio.
Tickets went on sale yesterday. An individual ticket with a parking pass is $20, a single passenger ticket is $20 and the “full car” (four tickets plus the parking pass) is $70.
Crescendo Studios notes that the rules are subject to change.
The studio, which opened last year, offers private lessons, a band for kids and camps.
Photo via Crescendo Studios/Facebook
A virtual town hall next week will tackle systemic racism and equity issues that students face in public schools.
Fairfax County NAACP and Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand are hosting the event.
“From academic achievement, enrollment at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, to the School Resource Officer program and the school-to-prison pipeline, systemic racism affects our children’s lives every day,” the event description says, noting the town hall will focus on students’ experiences.
Previously, FCPS officials and Fairfax NAACP hosted an event in May, where Brabrand said he is committed to seeing the school system work faster to address racism within the public schools, WUSA9 reported.
FCPS plans to announce a new anti-racism curriculum which could start as soon as this fall, Fox5 reported. A recent petition is asking the school system to improve its Black history curricula.
The upcoming town hall is set to take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21.
People interested in watching via Zoom are asked to RSVP. The town hall will also be available on Facebook Live.
Photo via Sam Balye/Unsplash
Plans can now move forward for a pedestrian and bicycle connection in Tysons East.
Tysons Park Place II, LLC is looking to create the connection from the existing structured parking garage to a sidewalk along the Jones Branch Connector.
The new connection would improve walkability to a future redevelopment.
“This connection would provide pedestrians and bicyclists with a more direct site access to/from the Tysons East area and the McLean Metrorail Station when compared to the existing connections from Jones Branch Drive,” according to county staff.
On Tuesday, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to support a break of the limited access line, which the proposed pedestrian connection would cross.
Prior to the board’s vote, the limited access line was restricting the creation of the new connection, county staff said.
Background Checks on Gun Sales — “A Virginia judge has ruled that most of the state’s new law requiring background checks on all gun sales does not violate constitutional rights, except for a wrinkle that effectively bans people between the ages of 18 and 21 from buying handguns.” [Inside NoVa]
ICYMI: Vienna Wawa Opens Today — “Wawa is encouraging people to watch a celebratory video and take part in an online contest for limited-edition Vienna Wawa t-shirts.” [Tysons Reporter]
No High School Football This Fall — “Football will be either played in the winter or spring or not at all, based on which of three plans the Virginia High School League’s executive committee approves July 27 for the 2020-21 high school sports season. The July 27th meeting convenes at 9 a.m.” [Inside NoVa]
Vienna Event — “A panel held by Town Manager Mercury Payton Tuesday night started a conversation on the Black experience in Vienna. Several Town of Vienna workers and residents who are Black participated in the discussion.” [Vienna Patch]
Photo courtesy Jeremiah Mosteller
Fairfax County officials want to address looming childcare challenges ahead of the upcoming school year.
John Foust and Walter Alcorn, the supervisors for the Dranesville and Hunter Mill districts, presented a joint board matter yesterday to tackle the “unprecedented need” for childcare.
When classes start again this fall, Fairfax County Public Schools is planning to offer two systems: fully online and hybrid learning — a mix of in-person and online instruction. Working parents, especially ones who don’t work from home, now have to figure out childcare options, which have been complicated due to the pandemic.
Alcorn and Foust said that the county may have to expand its role in child care options depending on great the need is.
“For the sake of the children and their families it is essential that good quality child care services be made available,” the board matter said. “It is also critical to advance the county’s efforts to restart our economy that those parents who work but do not normally need childcare when schools are fully open can work and contribute to economic activity.”
County Executive Bryan Hill said that the county has 2,000 childcare providers: “The first thing we want to do is fill them up.”
Chairman Jeff McKay said that childcare providers he’s talked to have said that they are concerned about surviving the pandemic.
“Oddly, their businesses hurt more than most because what they are worried about is a ton of people now teleworking and not needing daycare,” McKay said.
The Board of Supervisors approved the board matter, which directs county staff to work with FCPS and to update the supervisors on how the county can provide additional resources and support.
“Even in the best of times, the infrastructure for childcare in Fairfax County is not adequate,” Foust said yesterday. “And these are far from the best of times.”
Photo by Shirota Yuri on Unsplash
Capital One can now move forward with adding more office space for its employees at the Capital One Campus in Tysons.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the proposal, which swaps a planned hotel with the office building, yesterday.
Gregory Riegle, the lawyer representing Capital One, told the supervisors that replacing the previously approved, but unbuilt, hotel with office space will increase economic development near the Metro.
Riegle said that the hotel had faced challenges prior to the pandemic, which the pandemic exacerbated. Riegle did not specify what the issues were.
While the pandemic’s impact on office use is still undetermined, Riegle said that the hotel-to-office swap will support the long-term vision for the Capital One Campus. Riegle said that Capital One intends to use the new office building just for its employees as the banking giant increases its presence in Tysons.
Riegle added that the new plans will add more retail and enhance street activation.
The campus currently has two office buildings, a conference center, a parking garage and surface-level parking, according to county documents. “Construction activity is on-going on a 31-story office building, an 8-story performing arts center, and a 28-story hotel/residential building,” the documents say.
The proposal did not receive any public comment during the public hearing yesterday.
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said that the change better fits the recommended percentage of office use in the Tysons Comprehensive Plan and that the area has other planned hotels.
As for economic development, Palchik added that the office building will support jobs for construction workers.
Palchik praised the proposal for gaining “widespread community support” in a few months, noting that the Gates of McLean and McLean Citizens Association both support the proposal.
“[It] sets a high standard for future Tysons applications,” Palchik said.
A house fire caused trash delays and road closures today in a Falls Church neighborhood.
The fire in the 1300 block of Robinson Place caused several road closures in the area earlier today, according to press releases from the city. All of the roads except for Robinson Place have not reopened. Trash and recycling collection will be delayed in the area with some possibly waiting until Thursday morning.
Three residents in the house were safely evacuated, according to the latest press release. “The previous news release noted that one occupant was transported to a hospital, but that was a reporting error,” the press release said.
The city’s fire official is investigating the cause of the fire, the press release said.
Before the pandemic hit Northern Virginia, an international ramen restaurant was aiming to open in March in The Boro.
In March, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka pushed its expected opening to April. Now, the restaurant is looking to open in August with limited indoor and outdoor seating, according to a press release. The restaurant will also offer pickup and delivery services.
Jennie Kuperstein, a spokesperson for the restaurant, said that the pandemic delayed the opening at 1636 Boro Place.
The Hokkaido-style ramen chain started in Japan in 1983 and now has more than 60 restaurants in 10 countries, including 16 locations in the U.S., according to the press release.
Food’s Style USA, which has launched four Santouka’s restaurants in the Boston and Seattle areas, will open the Tysons restaurant, according to the press release.
Food’s Style USA’s CEO Jun Yoneda said in a statement that tables will be frequently disinfected, employees will undergo regular health screenings and sanitation training and the restaurant will follow state and CDC guidelines.
The restaurant’s menu includes tonkotsu soup, shio ramen, Japanese karaage-style fried chicken, fried rice and gyoza, the press release said.
“To make our signature tonkotsu broth, we simmer pork bones for about 20 hours over the low heat until it becomes pearly white and then add the vegetables, dried fish, kelp and other savory ingredients to it,” according to the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Once open, the Tysons restaurant’s hours will be 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.
Photo courtesy Santouka
Yesterday, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved creating 14 voter satellite offices.
The voter satellite offices will serve absentee in-person voters.
“The advent of no-excuse absentee voting [in Virginia] for the November 2020 Presidential Election is expected to significantly increase the number of voters choosing to cast absentee ballots in person,” according to county staff.
County staff noted that the expected voter turnout for the upcoming presidential election is why they suggest an increased number of voter satellite offices, adding that the county had nine locations for the 2016 presidential election.
The Tysons-area voter satellite offices will include:
- McLean Governmental Center (1437 Balls Hill Road)
- Providence Community Center (3001 Vaden Drive)
- Providence Community Center (3001 Vaden Drive)
- Thomas Jefferson Library (7415 Arlington Blvd)
- Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike)
The voter satellite offices will be ready for the General Election on Nov. 3 and will be open from Oct. 14-31, according to county documents.
The locations would be open from 1-7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays.
