Happy Friday! Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:
Tysons-Based TV Company May Be Acquired — “Signaling ongoing consolidation of the broadcast business, Gray Television has made an $8.5 billion bid for larger rival Tegna, according to Reuters, sending Tegna stock up by more than 30% in premarket trading Friday in what looks set to be an otherwise down market.” [Deadline]
New Coffee Spot Eying Tysons — “[The owner] says For Five is also planning to open a location in Tysons within the next three to four months.” [ARLnow]
Founders Row 2.0 Planned in Falls Church — “The Economic Development Committee of the Falls Church City Council got the news at its meeting last Thursday… that the 4.3 acre Founders Row mixed-use project now coming out of the ground at West Broad and N. West Streets may be augmented with a two-acre “phase two” right across the street.” [Falls Church News-Press]
McLean Student Finalist in National Portrait Contest — “McLean High sophomore Libby Eick, a Photography 2 student, was one of 15 finalists nationwide in the National Portrait Gallery’s 2020 National Teen Portrait Competition. Eick’s work was selected from among 629 entries around the U.S. Her artist statement is below.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
New Store in The Boro — The Shade Store is now open in The Boro. [The Boro/Instagram]
Construction on a development with a 600-foot-tall tower can start now that land purchases have been finalized near the Spring Hill Metro station.
The Washington Business Journal reported today (Thursday) that Tysons Development LLC, which is made up of Clemente Development Company and Saudi Arabian businessman Khaled Juffali, bought three properties around the Spring Hill Metro station in early February, per county records.
“The developers acquired the land, currently home to a series of car dealerships and auto shops, from the Cherner Family for a total price of about $123 million, according to the records,” The Washington Business Journal reported.
“The joint venture previously closed on the purchase of another piece of land along Leesburg Pike accounting for roughly a quarter of the total View property in February 2018. BP Realty sold about 1.3 acres for $26 million,” according to the news story.
Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors approved The View in October.
Clemente’s project will add six buildings, including the “Iconic Tower,” which will reach higher than Capital One’s headquarters. The View also plans to include a black box theater, art walk and open-air theater.
Image via Fairfax County
People who stop by Ledo Pizza in Tysons Station next week can help raise money for Freedom Hill Elementary School.
The upcoming fundraiser is a part of the parent-teacher association’s plans to raise at least $10,000 in donations this year.
A member of the school’s PTA told Tysons Reporter that the “family dinner out” at Ledo Pizza will be next Tuesday-Wednesday (March 10-11) at 7510 Leesburg Pike. The restaurant will donate part of the money from the two nights to the PTA.
The school’s PTA is also hosting a read-a-thon through tomorrow (March 6) to encourage students to read. The PTA is seeking donations.
More from the event page:
This year, Read-a-thon’s proceeds will go towards classroom libraries, school reading materials, and to help replace aging projectors.
This year we hope to beat last year’s reading totals (202,000 minutes read), and exceed our fundraising goal of $10,000. If we reach our fundraising goal, Asst. Principal Kopacz will get a pie in the face and Principal Zapadka will be duct-taped to the wall!!
Image via Google Maps
County officials celebrated the completion of the Jones Branch Connector today, calling it a vital new link to improve connectivity in Tysons.
The Virginia Department of Transporation (VDOT) and Fairfax County officials held a ribbon-cutting this morning (March 5) at the corner of Scotts Crossing Road and Capitol One Drive in Tysons.
The new half-mile roadway, called Scotts Crossing Road, runs between Jones Branch Drive and Route 123 over the Beltway and includes two lanes of traffic, a bicycle lane and an illuminated sidewalk for pedestrians in each direction, according to a VDOT press release.
“A wide, raised median is also reserved to accommodate future transit,” the press release said.
Though the $60 million price tag for such a short stretch of the road may seem high, Bill Cutler, the district construction engineer for VDOT, said that “it speaks to the complexity of the project.”
In the future, if Fairfax County decides that the overpass no longer makes sense for vehicle and pedestrian traffic, it is designed in such a way that construction crews will be able to strip the concrete and repurpose the project, for example, to become a trolley way, Cutler said.
For now though, “the project is expected to relieve traffic along Route 123, at the Route 123/I-495 interchange and other locations,” the press release said, adding that more than 32,000 vehicles are expected to use Scotts Crossing Road per day by 2040.
Speakers and guests at this morning’s ceremony included Dalia Palchik and Jeff McKay from the Board of Supervisors.
“This is part of our economic success plan,” Palchik, who represents the Providence District, said. “We know that if we don’t have connectivity [and] mobility, it will make things harder and harder for people to get around enjoy coming and going to work.”
Following up on Palchik’s statement, Cutler said that this new connection will allow people using different modes of transportation to more easily move between the communities and neighborhoods in Tysons.
The project, which was approved by the county in 2010, is the first one to be completed from the Tysons Comprehensive Plan Amendment, according to the press release.
Work on the project started in 2017, and in late 2018, one traffic lane opened in each direction. By January, all four travel lanes were open.
“Final detail work” is expected this month, but shouldn’t impact traffic, according to the press release.
“The completion of the Jones Branch Connector marks a milestone in our collaborative efforts to improve our transportation network to support the growth of Tysons,” McKay said. “This project helps us move more people more efficiently and continues to build upon a grid of streets that encourages the use of multi-modal transportation alternatives.”
We’re in #Tysons with our partners @fairfaxcounty @tysonspartners @vaexpresslanes to celebrate the Jones Branch Connector, a crucial new link for those traveling around Tysons 🚇🏃🚲🚗! Learn more: https://t.co/JEiy2ZYF79 pic.twitter.com/9AhlAQDEIH
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) March 5, 2020
Fire investigators say an accidental “electrical event” sparked a McLean house fire earlier this week, resulting in millions of dollars worth of damage and displacing seven people.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said today that the fire started in the basement and was discovered after one of the people in the house heard a crackling noise.
“The fire was caused by an electrical event with the wiring to the air handler,” according to the fire department. “This then spread to ordinary combustibles in close proximity.”
The three-alarm fire in the 800 block of Dolley Madison Blvd prompted Route 123 to temporarily close on Monday (March 2).
Damage from the fire is worth approximately $3,523,850, and seven people, who declined Red Cross assistance, were displaced, the fire department said.
More from the fire department:
Units arrived on the scene of a large two and a half story, single-family home with smoke showing. Crews located fire between first and second floor that was extending upward. A second alarm was requested which included two units from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.
Firefighters continued with an interior fire attack but were faced with numerous remodeled areas in home with void and inaccessible spaces. Fire continued up into the attic and began to extend through the roof. A third alarm was requested.
Units evacuated the home and master streams and handlines were used to continue extinguishment from outside. One civilian was transported to a hospital for evaluation. No firefighter injuries were reported.
Seven occupants were home at the time of the fire. The fire was discovered when one of the occupants heard a loud noise described as crackling. She then saw smoke coming from the light switch and outlets on the top floor.
Smoke alarms sounded after the fire was discovered. Another occupant noted fire in the basement and attempted to extinguish it unsuccessfully. All occupants self-evacuated prior to fire department arrival.
Photo via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter
(Updated 3/10/2020) The annual NoVa TEEN Book Festival has been canceled due to the recent spread of the coronavirus in the D.C. area.
The free festival was originally set to feature 35 bestselling and new young adult authors, like Alechia Dow and Kristen Simmons, and Brigid Kemmerer, the author of “A Heart So Fierce and Broken,” will provide as the keynote speaker on Pi Day (March 14).
The NoVa TEEN Book Festival Committee said in a statement today (Tuesday) that the festival will return to Marshall High School on March 20, 2021.
“With the recent spread of COVID-19 to the Northern Virginia, Maryland and DC Metro areas, we are unable to ensure that all of our authors, volunteers, exhibitors, staff and attendees will be safe at the festival this weekend,” the statement said.
The committee said that the cancellation of this year’s festival will “have a significant impact on all of our amazing authors” and urged people to connect with authors online and “share their books as widely as you can.”
The committee also encouraged people to buy books from Arlington-based One More Page Books, which was set to sell signed books at the festival.
“The NoVa TEEN book festival ordering pages will stay up to help you to discover new authors and explore their fantastic books,” the statement said. “One More Page will be giving away free [advance reading copies] and swag with NoVa TEEN orders as long as supplies last!”
Photo via Kimberly Farmer/Unsplash
A truck filled with Hello Kitty merchandise is coming back to Tysons Corner Center.
Sanrio fans can find the truck at The Plaza from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday (March 21). “Supercute treats and merch” will be available while supplies last, according to the Facebook page.
The food and drinks menu online lists mini cakes, cookies, macarons, bottled water and giant chef cookies. Meanwhile, the list of merchandise includes a t-shirt, mug, keychain, canvas totes, thermal bottles and more.
The mobile truck launched in 2014 and now two trucks travel across the country, according to the website.
As part of the Town of Vienna’s efforts to boost economic development, the town recently partnered with a state agency to offer free counseling sessions for small businesses.
The town announced the Small Business and Supplier Diversity program yesterday.
“This is an opportunity for Vienna small businesses to learn about and take advantage of state programs and certifications that may help them do just that,” Economic Development Manager Natalie Monkou said in a press release. “This is a free service provided to current and future business owners and is an easy partnership that benefits businesses, the town and the state.”
The one-on-one, one-hour counseling sessions will be coordinated by Chris Ley, the NoVa business services manager at the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, according to the press release.
“Ley will discuss with small business owners and managers state certification programs and purchasing opportunities that may open them to new opportunities,” according to the press release. “She’ll also have information about regional events that help connect businesses and marketing opportunities.”
The first meeting is set to take place from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, March 20, in the second-floor conference room at Town Hall and will be held the third Friday of every month. The town requests that businesses schedule an appointment by emailing [email protected].
Realty company KW Metro Center is planning to open a new location in Vienna.
Signs are up at 144 Church Street NW, saying that the business is “coming soon.”
Keller Williams Realty, Inc. is a real estate franchise company. It currently lists locations in Arlington, Alexandria and Tysons on its website.
While the Vienna Business Association recently announced that KW Metro Center joined as a new member, it is unclear when the Vienna location will open.
Updated 3/5/2020 — Corrects date in second graph.
The new annual report from Tysons Partnership expects Tysons to surpass 110 million square feet of development by 2050.
Tysons Partnership, which is made up of organizations and major employers in the area that want to boost Tysons’ prominence in Northern Virginia, unveiled its new report at an event today to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the region’s Comprehensive Plan.
Barry Mark, the vice president of workplace solutions at Capital One, kicked off the event by saying that Tysons is becoming a vibrant, urban center.
“Tysons is become a hub for top talent, especially in tech and continually provides us with the skilled workforce that we need to succeed,” he said.
Since 2012, 8.9 million square feet of new development and 4,500 new residential units have been added in Tysons, the report notes.
Wit major projects underway, like Capital One’s campus and Scotts Run, Tysons is projected to have roughly 113 million square feet of development by 2050.
“We have over 40 million square feet of approved unbuilt construction still left in the pipeline,” Jeff Tarae, the chair of the Tysons Partnership Board of Directors, said at the event.
What Tysons will be like several decades from now has dominated several recent events.
Tysons is expected to quadruple its population from 27,000 to 100,000 and boost its employment by 80,000 jobs when 2050 arrives, the annual report and Comprehensive Plan note.
To prepare for 2050, Tarae said that the Tysons Partnership board teamed up with Fairfax County for an “exploratory process” over the next few years that aims to “elevate the Partnership to a more robust, sustainable organization.”
Tysons Partnership has also been working closely with the county on a rebranding effort for the area and also on finding a different business model.
Calling Tysons the “economic engine of the county,” Jeff McKay, the chair of the county’s Board of Supervisors, said at the event that the county approaches Tysons with a focus on long-term results.
“When you make a commitment to do what we’ve done, you can’t stop midway,” McKay said, adding that “scattered high-density, no sense of place” is his worst case scenario for Tysons.
McKay also pointed to concerns that Fairfax County is working to address: the “affordable housing crisis,” climate change, timing infrastructure work with developments and trying to get young people to move to Tysons.
“We’re in this for the long haul,” McKay said. “We’ve stuck to the long term vision, and ultimately we’re in this now to complete it.”
This story was reported by Catherine Douglas Moran and Ashley Hopko.
