In a newsletter to constituents today, Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said a meeting in March will solicit community input on the American Legion Bridge.

Currently, the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension project — a.k.a. 495 NEXT — would extend the 495 Express Lanes north from the I-495 and Dulles Access Road interchange up to the American Legion Bridge and add two new tolled express lanes in each direction.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is set to present the results of the 495 NEXT environmental study and traffic analysis on Thursday, March 12.

Foust’s newsletter said that “one of the biggest transportation challenges in the McLean area is the congestion caused by inadequate capacity on the American Legion Bridge and the Maryland side of the Beltway.”

More from the newsletter:

In early 2019, VDOT signed a nonbinding Development Framework Agreement with Transurban. Delivering the project through this public private partnership would mean that no public funding by the Commonwealth is needed to extend the Express Lanes network. If approved, the project will replace Live Oak Drive, Georgetown Pike, and Old Dominion Drive Bridges and allow for the installation of pedestrian/bike facilities along the corridor. Construction could begin as early as 2021.

Virginia officials have been cautious about moving forward with the project because without replacing the American Legion Bridge, bottlenecks and congestion will only be relocated, not resolved.

A major development occurred late last year when Virginia Governor Northam and Maryland Governor Hogan announced “The Capital Beltway Accord.” The agreement is a commitment to work together to create a new, unified Capital Beltway and replace the aging American Legion Bridge. The cost of the bridge project is expected to be $1 billion and both states will contribute to the cost through public-private partnerships. The private entity will pay the upfront costs in exchange for future toll revenue meaning toll payers rather than taxpayers will foot the bill.

The new bridge will have four express toll lanes, in addition to eight free lanes, as on the current span. The tolls will fluctuate based on congestion, rising to keep traffic flowing freely. Construction could begin in 2022 and would likely take five or six years.

The next key piece of the puzzle is ensuring that the widening of I-495 just over the bridge in Maryland is done in coordination with the bridge project. Governor Hogan recently obtained a key vote to advance a plan to widen the Beltway from the American Legion Bridge to the Interstate 270 spur, and along the lower part of I-270 between the Beltway and Interstate 370.

“I am excited that we are making progress on addressing congestion issues that have plagued our communities, but I want to be sure that the project is done in a way that actually addresses our problems, rather than just moving them,” Foust said in the newsletter.

At the March 12 meeting, attendees will be able to provide input during a public hearing.

The meeting is set to run from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Langley High School in McLean (6520 Georgetown Pike).

How young people live, work and play in Tysons dominated two panels at a Bisnow event earlier today.

The Bisnow event was held at Boro Tower, bringing together real estate professionals to talk about the future of Tysons. When thinking about what will make Tysons appealing now and several years from now, developers and real estate investors said they want to make decisions that will encourage young professionals to come to the area and stay.

The first panel kicked off a discussion of office space, with panelists lamenting that people who come to work in Tysons leave in the late afternoon and don’t stick around.

“Millennials do not want to be in a nondescript office building that is hard to get to,” Mukang Cho, the CEO of Morning Calm Management, said.

As far as nightlife goes, Gary Block, the chief investment officer of The Meridian Group — the developers of The Boro, said that innovative concepts with bars and restaurants can bring people together when the sun goes down.

“You wouldn’t think the second story of a grocery store would be a destination for a bar,” Block said, referring to the popular High Point bar in The Boro’s Whole Foods.

Block said that people who live, work or arrive at The Boro can expect activities in public spaces throughout the week.

The combination of walkability, entertainment options, shopping, apartments, office spaces and fitness opportunities make The Boro a neighborhood, Block said. Or, as a sign on a window in the Boro Tower said, “Tysons’ First Neighborhood.”

Deirdre Johnson, the vice president of Federal Realty, agreed, calling The Boro the “new Tysons downtown.”

While Tysons’ identity has long rested on its malls — especially Tysons Corner Center, Johnson said that residents are moving away from being “mall-centric.”

Outside The Boro, Block said that Eddie V’s Prime Seafood (7900 Tysons One Place) is “packed” on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Juliann Clemente, the president of Clemente Development, said that the new members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recognize that Tysons will appeal to millennials.

Clemente urged the audience to reach out to the new board and share their dreams, desires and concerns about how to improve Tysons.

Christopher Auth, the divisional vice president of PS Business Parks, said that walkability and green space help attract people. Thinking big, Auth said that he would like to see a university in Tysons — an idea that several other panelists agreed with.

While walkability might sound like simply an infrastructure issue, Johnson said that planners “have to give someone a reason to walk across the street.”

The panelists mentioned how a new grid of streets in Tysons facilitate walkability and connect communities.

“When little neighborhoods pop up, it creates a sense of place,” Cho said.

For people looking to get to D.C. for the 2020 Women’s March, event organizers created an option for attendees to ride together and save the hassle of driving or commuting by themselves.

The Rally Ride option allows people to gather at various locations in a 270-mile-radius of downtown D.C, including Falls Church on Saturday (Jan. 18) and catch a bus that will take them to and from the event, according to the event page.

Round trip tickets cost $20.20 and are subsidized from donors, according to the event page.

The Falls Church bus will pick passengers up at 6751 Wilson Blvd, near the Eden Center and PB Station around 8:25 a.m.

At one point, there was also a bus from McLean, but it was canceled without explanation.

Each bus will consist of roughly 40 passengers and drop guests off at Independence Ave SW & 3rd Street SW at the location of the march, according to Rally Ride’s website.

Passengers are encouraged to book their tickets quickly because busses with less than 40 passengers will be canceled. People who pre-registered for busses that did not meet minimum demand will receive a notification and will not be charged for the trip, according to the event page.

Image via Women’s March/Facebook

Updated 3 p.m. — Includes information from FCPS about the school buses.

Eight electric school buses are set to roll into Fairfax County before the end of the year.

Dominion Energy announced today (Thursday) that Thomas Built Buses was selected in December as the vendor for the 50 buses for the first phase of the project.

Last year, Dominion Energy unveiled its initiative to bring 50 school buses to 16 counties and cities to replace diesel-powered buses by the end of 2020.

Fairfax County will be a part of the first batch of electric school buses Dominion Energy is working to add across Virginia.

“This is an innovative, sustainable solution that will help the environment, protect children’s health, make the electric grid stronger, and free up money for our schools,” Dominion Energy Chairman, President and CEO Thomas Farrell, II, said in the press release.

Fairfax County, which currently has a fleet of 1,625 diesel-fueled buses, will get eight electric ones, with Dominion Energy covering the difference in cost between the electric and diesel buses, according to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).

“Dominion will also subsidize the cost of [the] necessary charging infrastructure,” FCPS said.

More from the press release:

The buses also provide environmental and health benefits through reduced emissions and reduce operation and maintenance costs for schools by up to 60 percent.

Phase two of the project, with state approval, would expand the program to bring at least 1,000 additional electric school buses online by 2025. Once phase two is fully implemented, the buses’ batteries could provide enough energy to power more than 10,000 homes.

Phase three would set the goal to have 50 percent of all diesel bus replacements in Dominion Energy’s footprint be electric by 2025 and 100 percent by 2030.

“Adding electric school buses in our fleet is consistent with the environmental focus of Fairfax County and the school division,” FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand said in the FCPS press release. “Before this new partnership, the availability of electric school buses was very limited and cost was prohibitive for school divisions. This exciting new Dominion Energy initiative is moving us forward and is making electric school buses a reality.”

When Solace Brewing opens a new location in Falls Church, people can expect a casual spot to grab beers.

Called Solace Outpost, the new pub will take over the spot previously filled by Max Fox Brewing and include food from BlackFinn and Freebyrd Chicken, according to a press release.

Co-founder Jon Humerick said Solace decided to partner with H2 Collective and Pub Partners, which runs BlackFinn and Freebyrd, because the agreement allows each vendor to play to their strengths and best serve future customers of Solace Outpost.

“We’re the beer guys, we know brewing. We don’t know restaurants,” he told Tysons Reporter.

While Mad Fox Brewing had more of a sit-down, formal atmosphere, according to Humerick, he said he plans for Solace Outpost to be causal. “It’s going to be similar to what we have here in Sterling.”

The location will feature both indoor and outdoor seating and have “rustic-industrial” decorations — including wood accents and a concrete bar, he said.

Solace Outpost will be the company’s second brewing location, and Humerick said the location will produce a “significant volume” of beer.

“The new brewery will feature experimental IPAs and other beers and methods, such as kettle sours and smaller batches but will keep a core quartet of Solace favorites — Sun’s Out Hops Out, Lucy Juicy, Partly Cloudy and Crazy Pils — permanently on tap,” according to a press release.

Going forward, Humerick added that they are still working with Solace’s partners to work out the details and he will have more details within the coming months.

Photo via Solace Brewing/Facebook

The “coming soon” sign has been outside Chi Mc for a few months, but diners may have to wait a little longer for the eatery to open in Vienna.

Tysons Reporter first learned of the Korean eatery’s plans to come to Vienna via a permit to serve wine and beer in June 5.

In November, Tysons Reporter saw “coming soon” and the “Chi Mc Korean Friend Chicken” signs at the spot in Danor Plaza (126 Branch Road SE).

Jon Weiss, the vice president of leasing for Rosenthal Properties, told Tysons Reporter that he believes the eatery has faced some permitting delays — “nothing unusual.”

Chi Mc might open at the end of January, Weiss said.

Chi Mc, which means “chicken and beer” in Korean, currently has locations in Annandale, Alexandria and Chantilly, according to its website.

Del. Mark Keam (D-35th) has introduced a House bill that would let the Town of Vienna require developers to meet tree requirements 10 years sooner than other jurisdictions.

His proposal, which was filed last Monday (Jan. 6), comes months after Wawa received backlash from residents for chopping down trees it wasn’t supposed to in the Town of Vienna.

Vienna officials are currently working on a plan to prevent anything similar from happening again.

The bill would allow:

the Town of Vienna, by ordinance, to require that a subdivision or development provide for the preservation or replacement of trees on the development site such that the minimum tree canopy 10 years after development is projected to meet specified coverage criteria.”

Currently, the criteria apply to coverage 20 years after development.

The measure has been referred to the Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns.

As Tysons grows, so do the opportunities for tourism around the area.

Visit Fairfax, a non-profit organization that works to encourage tourism around Fairfax County, plans to promote a series of new initiatives to boost visitation in 2020, according to President and CEO Barry Biggar.

Among the upcoming changes, the organization plans to capitalize on student and international markets and expand capabilities to host large conferences in Tysons, Biggar told Tysons Reporter.

Biggar brought up how many locals see the constant construction in Tysons as a negative thing, but said perception changes depending on who he asks. For example, he said many international travelers see it as a sign of prosperity within a community.

As someone in charge of oversight for the marketing, sales and visitor services for Visit Fairfax, Biggar monitors larger trends across the county.

Fairfax County made over $3.2 billion in 2018 from tourism, according to Visit Fairfax’s website, which also noted that the county brings in the second most money for tourism in Virginia.

Though there are not yet statistics available for Tysons specifically, Biggar said he hopes to break down the numbers within the next year.

“When I think of Tysons, I think immediately of the opportunities we have for business travel,” he said. 

A large reason for the uptick in corporate and business events being held in Tysons, according to Biggar, is partially thanks to the expansion of the Silver Line to Tysons in 2014 and its upcoming expansion to the Dulles International Airport.

“Come 2020 we will have Silver Line service all the way to Dulles. Having that access all the way to Tysons or Reston will be significant in growing the business travel market,” Biggar said.  

Currently, the Sheraton Tysons ranks as the largest venue for conferences and events in the entire county, according to Biggar. But, Biggar hinted that this may soon change as the skyline view keeps shifting and making way for new developments like the Capital One Hall, which promises space to host not only corporate events but also theatrical productions.

Around Fairfax County as a whole, Biggar said Visit Fairfax is currently in the process of writing proposals to host an upcoming National Senior Games, which is a bi-yearly event under the United States Olympic Committee to bring together senior citizens from across the U.S. to compete in athletic challenges.

He said that Visit Fairfax wants to host more reunions for members of the military and armed services, because of Fairfax County’s proximity to Arlington Cemetery and the upcoming National Army Museum in Fort Belvoir.

Now, Visit Fairfax is working with the Tysons Partnership, an organization that promotes social and economic development of Tysons, to coordinate marketing efforts and help one another.

“We know them very, very well and will assist them with any information or intelligence that they may need,” Biggar said. 

One of the major gaps around Tysons, Biggar said, is the lack of live entertainment and nightlife. He said that the Capital One Center and other upcoming businesses are already planning to fill this niche market.

“If we look at Tysons Plaza or even Merrifield to see how they use their central green space to bring in performers, all of the development that is happening in Tysons should look at incorporating that,” he said.

“It brings about energy and creates an ongoing desire to go back and see what else is happening.”

(Updated 1/16/20) After several delays, The Casual Pint is now open in Falls Church.

The bar offers dozens of locally sourced brews to customers and a spokesperson told Tysons Reporter that the grand opening will take place next Friday (Jan. 24) at 4 p.m.

Throughout the evening of the grand opening, The Casual Pint will be giving prizes away along with free growlers to the first 50 customers, according to owner Darren McClure.

“We are getting to know everyone in the neighborhood and people’s reaction to the spot have been very positive,” McClure said.

The location is open from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday and from 11 a.m. until 12 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays at 6410 Arlington Blvd, Suite E.

Employees are currently running through the systems, trying to work out the final kinks, according to a spokesperson.

At the grand opening next Friday, The Casual Pint will offer free growlers to the first 50 customers and drink specials all day, according McClure.

Demolition is expected to happen soon on the house on city-owned property that will soon be a park in Falls Church.

City Manager Wyatt Shields told the Falls Church City Council on Monday (Jan. 13) that the city is in the process of finalizing the agreement to tear down the house on the 2-acre property at 604 S. Oak Street.

Known as the Fellows Property, the site is located near the Thomas Jefferson Elementary School.

City officials say the recent purchase will preserve the property as open space and possibly serve as a future school use.

The property is set to become usable park space, according to the city’s 2019-2024 Capital Improvements Program.

More from the CIP:

Until a Master Park Plan is developed, the funding needs are unknown. However, there has been preliminary thought of open natural space for family use to include amenities such as a walking trail, picnic area, a disc golf course and the possibility of a much needed community garden plot. The funding needs listed is similar to the cost of the project at West End Park as they will likely have a similar scope.

“It is a site with wonderful old trees, tulip, oak, magnolia, cherry,” Shields said about the site. “The home is not protected by the historic preservation ordinance, as it misses the cut off age by a few years.”

The demolition costs are accounted for in the budget requests and the work is set to start this month or February, Shields said.

Image via Google Maps, image via City of Falls Church