Fairfax County police say a Special Weapons and Tactics Team officer shot a suspect “brandishing an assault-style weapon” last night in Falls Church.
The incident happened around 10 p.m. on Tuesday (Jan. 28) in a house in the 7600 block of Lee Landing Drive.
Police said the SWAT officers were serving a narcotics search warrant and related arrest warrants when the armed suspect confronted them in the house.
“A SWAT officer discharged his weapon striking the man,” according to the press release from the police department. “Officers immediately rendered medical aid to the man who then was transported to a hospital where he was treated and released.”
The Major Crimes Bureau is conducting a criminal investigation into the use of force and Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. has directed the Internal Affairs Bureau to conduct an administrative investigation, along with an independent review by the Police Auditor, according to the press release.
“The name of the officer will be released by Chief Roessler within 10 days,” the press release said.
More from FCPD:
David Vo, 24, of Falls Church, was charged with felony distribution of marijuana and felony failure to appear. Vo is being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. Additional charges will be forthcoming.
The involved officer is a 16-year veteran of the Fairfax County Police Department and is assigned to the Special Operations Division. As per department policy, the officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal and administrative investigation…
All information provided in this release is based on preliminary investigative findings and may be subject to revision as the investigation progresses.
We are on scene of an officer involved shooting in the 7600 block of Lee Landing Drive. The suspect has been transported to a local hospital with injuries that are not life threatening and the officer was not injured. Updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/GnwSaXbxGG
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) January 29, 2020
Map via Google Maps
A nail salon in Vienna will soon move into a new home.
Cindy Nail Spa is currently located at 338 Maple Avenue W. and plans to relocate to an adjacent building that houses Burke & Herbert Bank, according to a Town of Vienna employee.
Thi Thai, the location’s owner, told Tysons Reporter that staff hopes to have the new salon up and running within two weeks.
The nail salon applied to install signs at the new location 302 Maple Avenue W., replacing Mathnasium.
The salon of nail services — from manicures to pedicures to gel fills — along with waxing for men and women, according to the salon’s website.
Image via Town of Vienna
Vienna Town Councilmember Pasha Majdi announced that he is joining the race for the mayor’s seat in the spring election.
Majdi was first elected to the council in 2014 after serving on the Town Business Liaison Committee, according to his town bio.
So far, Majdi is competing against councilmembers Linda Colbert and Howard Springsteen, who announced their campaigns at the first Town Council meeting of the year.
“I’m running for mayor because Vienna is my hometown and I want to keep it a small town,” Majdi said in a statement. “Vienna should be an independent, green oasis that is a sharp contrast to Tysons, not a housing district for Tysons.”
More from the statement:
My vision for the next 10 years is to protect residential neighborhoods and streets to keep Vienna the best place to raise a family in Northern Virginia, apply smart growth principles for Maple Avenue that control and mitigate traffic, and build a Town square around Church Street and the W&OD trail.
The terms for both Majdi and Colbert expire in June this year, while Springsteen’s term expires in June 2021.
Laurie DiRocco, who has been the town’s mayor since 2014, announced in December that she will not seek re-election.
The Vienna election is May 5.
Image courtesy Pasha Majdi
Concerns about a proposed boundary change impacting high school students in McLean dominated the public hearing last night on the Capital Improvement Program for Fairfax County Public Schools.
The draft CIP says that McLean High School is currently at 118% capacity, with projections showing the population increasing to 122% capacity in the 2024-2025 school year.
“For years, we have cobbled together a bandaid patchwork of solutions that were never meant to be permanent,” Kimberly Adams, from the Fairfax Education Association, told the school board about the trailers at McLean High School.
Adams said that the school board needs to ask for more funding to pay for additional improvements that will add more school space.
One idea that county officials are pursuing would shift students from McLean High School to nearby Langley High School, which has a current capacity of 83%.
Meetings in the fall solicited community input on the proposed boundary change that could impact the schools for this upcoming 2020-2021 school year.
More than a dozen parents, students and locals urged the school board to renovate McLean High School, add a modular brick-and-mortar addition, add IB classes at Langley High School or allow McLean families the option to enroll their kids at Langley High School.
Two McLean high school students, who spoke together, said that they don’t support the boundary change and would prefer to see a modular instead.
Jennifer Colman, a McLean High School parent, told the school board that the CIP has “good options” for the school, but that the boundary change is not one of them.
“Take the boundary change off the table,” Colman said.
And if a boundary change does happen, several parents, like John Callanan, urged that the change happens for the lower grades, like with students in elementary school, rather than at the high school level and that the boundary change not split up families.
“If we must consider boundary changes do it from elementary to middle to high school,” Callanan said. “Do not begin at the end.”
All of the testimony wasn’t about McLean High School overcrowding — several students urged for support of solar polar legislation and building schools that are equipped with solar and geothermal systems so that they can be net-zero energy.
Some parents urged for the school board to address overcrowding at Shrevewood and Kent Garden elementary schools. Other people said that the schools need to have more support for twice-exceptional autistic students.
Image via FCPS/YouTube
(Updated 1/29/2020) Several new stores and eateries plan to expand the offerings at Tysons Corner Center.
Cotton On, B8TA, Teriyaki Way and China Kitchen will all open within the following months, a mall spokesperson said. (Tysons Reporter previously reported that Cotton On and B8TA plan to open stores in the mall.)
The Australian brand Cotton On, which offers clothing and stationery brands, will be located across from Oakley and Abercrombie & Fitch, the press release said.
Meanwhile, B8TA will be located on level 1 by Kids Foot Locker and Abercrombie Kids, according to the press release, and allow shoppers to “try on the latest and innovative products out of the box from home, technology, to health-related and lifestyle focused items.”
China Kitchen will be located on level three in the food court, and Teriyaki Way will be next to California Pizza Kitchen.
Opening dates have not been announced yet for any of the upcoming locations.
Sunglass Hut, which already has a location in the mall near now-closed Lord and Taylor, will add a second location just a few steps away near Macy’s, according to a sign outside the location.
Renovations will be finished in March, the sign said.
A kiosk with mini doughnuts from Doughnuttery is coming to the mall’s second level near Barnes and Noble, according to the mall’s website.
Along with the upcoming openings, a few stores plan to say goodbye or have already closed.
With all of its stores closing nationwide, a store employee said Papyrus will likely stay open for a few more weeks at the mall.
Tradition d’Afrique has closed in BrandBox on the first level by Barnes and Noble. Brio, an Italian restaurant chain, recently closed its location near BrandBox.
American Tandoor was still closed yesterday (Monday). The Indian restaurant has signs saying it’s “temporarily closed until further notice.”
“The closings of Brio and American Tandoor are for different circumstances and has no correlation to the vitality of Tysons Corner Center,” a spokesperson for Tysons Corner Center told Tysons Reporter on Jan. 29.
The Vienna Town Council voted last night (Monday) to back plans to turn a previously approved mixed-use development along Maple Avenue into a Sunrise Senior Living Facility.
Sunrise is looking to open an 85-unit assisted living facility at 380 Maple Avenue — the site of an approved redevelopment for multi-family condos. The facility would have 950 square feet of restaurant and cafe space, structured parking and public art.
The Vienna Town Council killed plans last year for a Sunrise facility farther up Maple Avenue. Dennis Rice, the owner and developer at 380 Maple Avenue, has said that having the assisted living facility on his site could address neighbors’ concerns about the condos.
“I think this might be a win-win for the town and the residents,” Councilmember Howard Springsteen said last night.
Residents who testified at the public hearing mostly agreed that the new plans are a better fit for the neighborhood, with one calling it a “better building.”
However, most of the 10 people who testified did have some sort of concern, like worries about light pollution from the proposed acorn lights, size and pedestrian safety along Wade Hampton Drive SW and Glen Avenue SW.
“I support this project even though it remains too big,” resident C. John Pott said.
“We hope to pretend the building isn’t even there and those lights will destroy our illusions,” one resident said about the lights.
Several councilmembers said they are open to residents’ pleas to close — or place cut-thru signs at — Wade Hampton Drive or look into adding sidewalks along Glen Avenue and Wade Hampton Drive.
“If this project goes forward, it would be nice to put sidewalks on Glen [Avenue] and try to close Wade Hampton [Drive],” Springsteen said. “We can close Wade Hampton [Drive] very quickly at very little cost.”
Most of the people who testified praised Sunrise for having representatives listen to neighbors’ feedback on the proposal.
The Vienna Town Council approved Sunrise’s amended proffers and modification requests after the hearing.
(Updated 1/29/2020) Brio is closed in Tysons Corner Center, but the restaurant chain has not officially announced why.
The location closed Friday, according to an employee from the Fair Oaks Location (11750 Fair Oaks Mall). The employee was not able to provide specifics on why the restaurant closed.
A sign on the restaurant’s door said that guests are welcome to dine at the Fair Oaks location, which will remain open.
People could previously enjoy an array of Italian fare and kinds of pasta at the Tysons location, according to the chain’s website.
A server at an adjacent restaurant in Tysons Corner Center told Tysons Reporter that Brio closed because the restaurant was unable to renew its lease at the location.
“The closings of Brio and American Tandoor are for different circumstances and has no correlation to the vitality of Tysons Corner Center,” a spokesperson for Tysons Corner Center told Tysons Reporter on Jan. 29.
Tysons Reporter reached out to Brio’s headquarters and is awaiting comment on why the location closed.
Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:
McLean Estate Breaks Real Estate Records — “The 3.2-acre McLean estate that belonged to Jim Kimsey, the late co-founder of AOL, sold for $45 million on Friday… The sale price is significantly less than the $62.95 million the Chain Bridge Road home initially listed for in 2018, but it still marks the most expensive home sale ever for the region.” [Washington Business Journal]
Vision for Tysons — “Fairfax County is 10 years into transforming the Tysons area from a suburban office park to a multi-use area with park space. The county’s vision was to coincide with the Tysons Metro station, which opened in 2014.” [Local DMV]
Fitness Franchise Fundraises For Fires — “F45 Training Tysons, which opened at The Boro mixed-use development, is part of a fitness franchise based in Australia. Hillcrest Health, LLC, which operated the Tysons location along with the F45 Training Ashburn location, matched donations to raise a total of $1,810 for the franchise’s massive GoFundMe campaign.” [Patch]
Kids’ Entertainer Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Charges — “Steven Rossi, who used the stage name Mr. Knick Knack, was arrested last spring after officials found he had illegal images of children… For more than a decade, Rossi played songs for children at birthday parties and at Reston Town Center, Tysons Corner and Market Common in Clarendon. [NBC4]
The Mysterious Case of the Dying Oaks — “With native oak trees appearing unseasonably ill and eventually dying off, speculation that a disease spreading throughout the region could be infiltrating Falls Church abounded. But despite a troubling eye test from residents, local experts have yet to reach the same conclusion.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Sneak Peek: New year and new stores for Tysons Corner Center — the mall has had some recent closures, but it’s filling up vacant spaces with newcomers. Later this morning, we’ll have more details for you.
Have a great Tuesday and look out for Morning Notes again on Friday.
Memorial Day is more than four months away, but the City of Falls Church wants people to start thinking about their floats for the annual parade.
The city’s 39th annual Memorial Day Parade (Monday, May 25) will have a Community Float Challenge — the winner will get a party hosted by the Recreation and Parks Department.
More from the city:
Who can participate: Floats can be made with neighbors down the street or in your apartment/condo complex, your family, or just a group of friends. This year, we’re opening the challenge up to community groups, such as school clubs, church groups, book clubs, knitting circles, or your favorite Falls Church Meetup group!
What should the float be about: Memorial Day is about remembering our nation’s fallen heroes. Create a float that shows your patriotism. Floats don’t have to be elaborate: they can be simple, with materials you already have.
The parade is set to start at 2 p.m. and will travel down Park Ave between West and Little Falls streets.
The deadline for float applications is Friday, March 27. People should send their applications to Scarlett Williams at [email protected].
The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.
We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!
Tuesday (Jan. 28)
- Happy Hour and Pre-Valentines Soiree — 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Greenhouse Bistro (2070 Chain Bridge Road) — People can gather and make connections over a cocktail or snack. This event is free and hosted by the Savvy Business Network.
- Mark’s Pub Open Mic Night — 8 to 10 p.m. at Mark’s Pub (2190 Pimmit Drive) — Settle in for a night of standup comedy. People can enjoy half-priced burgers and beer specials, according to the event site. People can email event organizers if they want to perform.
Wednesday (Jan. 29)
- Cooking with Chef: Sushi — 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Tower Club (8000 Towers Crescent Drive) — For $30 people can learn how to make sushi rolls and enjoy an evening of culinary delights. RSVP is required.
- Startup Social: Funding Your Startup Panel & Pitch — 6 to 9 p.m. at Office Evolution (8609 Westwood Center Drive) — Entrepreneurs from around Tysons are invited to come network, hear from successful founders and meet people within their networks. Tickets are $10.
Thursday (Jan. 30)
- International Guitar Night — 8 to 11 p.m. at The Barns at Wolf Trap (1635 Trap Road) — Music lovers are invited for an evening of live music featuring several performers. Tickets are $32-$37 and all ages are welcome. Doors open at 6:30 so people can settle in.
Saturday (Feb. 1)
- Tea Party — 3 to 6 p.m. at VABCinfo (8000 Westpark Drive) — The Vietnamese-American Business Council invites community members to gather and celebrate connections with dinner and drinks. RSVP is required.
- The Great Zucchini Magic Show — 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Ecofunplay (8387 Leesburg Pike) — This interactive show allows young kids to experience magic and wonder while spending some free time in the gym. Tickets are $20.
Photo via Wolf Trap/Facebook
