The Falls Church City Council clashed over whether or not to allow motorized scooters on city sidewalks.
Councilmembers voted unanimously on Tuesday (Nov. 12) to continue working on the plan that would allow motorized scooter companies to take a test drive in Falls Church. But the vote was split 4-3 when it came to banning people from using such mobility devices on sidewalks, with the exception of Routes 29 and 7.
The safety of scooter riders and pedestrians was the top concern for city councilmembers as they discussed the implications of banning scooter riders on sidewalks.
Councilmember Phil Duncan, who voted in favor of banning scooters from sidewalks, said that cars should be mindful of scooters on the road and that riders should use bike lanes whenever possible.
Duncan noted a finding from the staff report, which claimed that scooter riders ranked sidewalks as their least favorite place to ride.
The city council decided to allow exceptions on Routes 29 and 7 based on safety findings from a staff report.
Councilmembers Letty Hardi, Ross Litkenhous and Marybeth Connelly voted against the ordinance to ban scooters on sidewalks.
“Preventing people from riding where they feel safe would just make this mode of transportation a non-starter. It would make this pilot pointless,” Hardi said.
Councilmember Connelly echoed Hardi’s concerns, but pushed for a compromise.
“We are assuming we are protecting the walkers on the sidewalks by saying ‘no scooters,’ but not protecting the scooter riders, who are also our neighbors, by saying they must ride always in the street,” she said.
Instead, she suggested adding another ordinance into the plan that would require scooter riders to give pedestrians the right of way on sidewalks. The city attorney present at the meeting noted that this was a viable idea but would require further discussion.
The city attorney suggested staff could work on a more efficient plan that would take her concerns into consideration.
“We have to have some assumption that the people in Falls Church who are using the scooters are not idiots,” Connelly said. “We have to rely on the judgment of the people using the scooters.”
The Falls Church City Council will review a second reading of the ordinance at their upcoming meeting on Dec. 9.
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The City of Falls Church is looking for volunteers to help with habitat restoration at Crossman Park.
The city needs people to help install native plants between 10 a.m.-noon next Saturday (Nov. 23). People are encouraged to enter the park adjacent to 501 Van Buren Street and follow the gravel path into the park.
“Tools, gloves, water and snacks will be provided,” according to the city. “No need to register unless your group is five or more people… This is appropriate for children, but direct parental supervision is required.”
Located at 535 N. Van Buren Street, the park is heavily wooded and has a stream running through it.
People interested in helping out can contact Green Space Manager Jeremy Edwards at [email protected] and can register for the event by calling 571-238-5178.
Image via Google Maps
As of today (Thursday), Tysons West has a new fast food option by the Spring Hill Metro station.
B. GOOD (1495 Cornerside Blvd, Suite 118) opened its doors this morning at 10:30 a.m. and now offers customers a variety of smoothies, burgers, bowls, sandwiches, salads, sides and “Flexitarian” options, for those who are vegan or environmentally conscious. To celebrate, the location is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony today followed by giveaways, samples and live music by a local acoustic guitar player.
Tysons Reporter attended a sneak-peak preview of the new location yesterday along with people who volunteered to test out the food.
“It gives us an opportunity to work out the kinks and is a training opportunity,” Lizzy Jenkins, a company spokesperson.
Around 11 a.m. yesterday, people started to trickle through the doors — some were curious about the new restaurant while others wanted to inquire about job opportunities. Many of the customers so far were families or young professionals from out of town, Jenkins said.
The eatery is decorated in a comfortable yet clean style with wooden tabletops, lantern-like hanging lights and Virginia-themed art scattered throughout the restaurant.
When it came time to sample the fare offered by B.GOOD, Jenkins ordered her favorite dishes which included the “Sweet Heat Flex Burger,” the “Spicy Avacado Lime Bowl” and “Chicken Avacado Sandwich,” which was accompanied by sweet potato fries and pink lemonade.
The “Sweet Heat Flex Burger” is a vegan burger made from beets and pineapple, topped with heaping caramelized onions, spicy slaw and beet hummus. The burgers on B.GOOD’s menu rage in price from $7.50 to $9.50.
The “Spicy Avacado and Lime Bowl” consists of kale and quinoa base and is topped with sauteed veggies, tomato, cilantro, black bean and corn salsa, accompanied by a side of chipotle vinaigrette. The bowl is one of the most popular items on the menu, Jenkins said. Prices for bowls range from $10 to $11.50.
The “Chicken Avacado Sandwich” is a simple dish that is exactly what it appears to be — chicken breast with slices of avocado, lettuce and tomato. Sandwiches start at $7.
Smoothie prices range from $6.50 to $7, while salads run from $9 to $10.
When it came to menu design, B.GOOD made a distinctive choice not to follow suit with vegan options like the Impossible Burger. Instead, the company created other vegan-friendly sandwich options, which they call “Flexitarian.”
“We are from the land, not the lab,” Jenkins said, who added that they recognize people decide to be vegan for a variety of reasons. Some of their Flexitarian burgers are vegan, while others contain eco-friendly meat options, like turkey.
The location will be open from 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sundays. The eatery is running a promotion where guests can enjoy a variety of sides for $2 from 2-5 p.m. until the end of the year.
The company also designed a rewards app that allows regulars to rack up points for free drinks and food. For every $1 someone spends, they will receive one point. At 50 points, people will earn a soft drink, at 75 points a smoothie or breakfast item and at 100 points, they will receive a free entre.
The City of Falls Church is moving ahead on several efforts to address flooding issues.
City Manager Wyatt Shields told the City Council on Tuesday (Nov. 12) that 16 people have applied for the stormwater task force that the council approved back in October.
“We have had a very strong response to that,” Shields said about the advertisement for the task force, which can have up to seven members.
The deadline to apply is this Friday (Nov. 15), Shields said.
“We are looking for geographical diversity on this panel and the ability to have a city-wide perspective,” Shields said.
In response to residents’ comments that the task force should include sanitary sewer, Shields said that the rationale for not including that is because it is a different engineering problem, skillset and solution.
“To keep this work focused on stormwater was by decision,” Shields said.
When the task force is ready, Shields said that there will be an organizational meeting about the scope of the group.
Shields also pointed out some “big improvements” recently with stormwater management, including work on the washed-out flood wall at Tripps Run.
He added that work is underway to add water-tight man-hole covers in areas where water pools in the streets.
The city may also implement a program — similar to the one in Alexandria — to help homeowners considering a backflow device in their homes, Shields said.
“That would be a targetted program for areas where we have documented backflow where we can provide that assistance,” Shields said.
The program would need approval from the City Council, Shields said.
“That’s not the solution, but it does provide some additional resilience for homeowners,” Shields said, adding that he hopes the program will be available by the end of the calendar
Families may have noticed that the playground at Tysons Pimmit Park isn’t open.
Located in Pimmit Hills just off of Leesburg Pike, the temporary closure at 7584 Leesburg Pike will allow for the replacement of the existing picnic shelter, according to Fairfax County.
“Work on the installation of a picnic shelter with new metal roofing is scheduled to begin Nov. 7 and continue through Feb. 28, 2020,” according to the county.
The project costs $120,000 and is being funded by the 2019 Park Bond, according to the county.
Drivers heading on Chain Bridge Road (Route 123) could face significant delays in the Vienna area due to a crash.
Chain Bridge Road by Flint Hill Road just outside of the Town of Vienna is currently closed.
Fairfax County police tweeted about the closure at 4:43 p.m. “Crews will be on scene repairing a utility pole for an extended period,” the tweet said. “Please avoid the area and use an alternate route.”
“The north left lane, center lane, and right lane are closed,” according to Virginia 511. “The south left lane, center lane, and right lane are closed.”
Google Maps shows traffic severely backed up along Chain Bridge Road and surrounding roads.
Map via Google Maps
After several weeks of being closed, the new Burlington store along Leesburg Pike is preparing to reopen.
A sign on the door says that the store is reopening on Friday (Nov. 15).
“Our team is working hard to present the best shopping experience for our customers,” the sign says. “Thank you for your patience.”
The store opened at 8355 Leesburg Pike in September and then closed after smoke entered the store from a trash compactor fire on Oct. 4.
Jay Westcott contributed to this story.
After much anticipation from the Merrifield community, the new Popeyes is finally serving up the infamous chicken sandwiches alongside other menu items.
The location (2835 Gallows Road) opened last week. Nader Saleh, the location’s owner, said that business is booming and has been steady so far.
As of 12:05 p.m. today (Wednesday), the lunch rush line wrapped around the restaurant. Saleh stood behind the counter, yelling out names for pickup and assisting his staff to keep up with the rush.
The employees seemed to struggle to keep up with the orders, not to mention other duties like answering the phones.
Omar Nedjar, a Popeyes regular who said he eats there about two times per week, said he gets annoyed by the crowds that come with the infamous chicken sandwich.
“I’m not here for the sandwich. I’m here for the drumsticks,” he told Tysons Reporter.
The location is open until 11 p.m. every day.
Chick-fil-A is preparing to open along Maple Avenue.
The chicken chain announced on Facebook that the new location is set to hold a grand opening next Thursday (Nov. 21).
Franchise owner Jeff Hubley previously said that he is looking to hire up to 100 people for full- and part-time positions, including leadership development, hospitality and training, according to a press release. Employees can expect to have Sundays off and scholarship opportunities for continuing education.
“We still have several positions available for our Daytime Front of House team (breakfast and lunch hours), which has a full-time offering of $15/hour,” according to the Facebook post.
The restaurant will be on the ground floor of a building that will also house a Flagship Carwash on the second floor at 540 W. Maple Avenue.
Image via Town of Vienna
