This week, two public hearings in the Town of Vienna aim to get public input on a proposed motorized scooter program and extending the moratorium on new development applications for Maple Avenue.
The Transportation Safety Commission is set to unveil the proposed shared mobility devices pilot program and solicit feedback from the community on Tuesday (Oct. 29).
People can also email comments to [email protected].
Then on Wednesday, Oct. 30, the town’s Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on extending the suspension of the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone.
The proposal would extend the moratorium to June 30.
The Vienna Town Council first put the moratorium in place last September to allow the town staff time to redesign the town’s guidelines.
Both public hearings are set to start at 8 p.m. at Town Hall (127 S. Center Street).
Some newcomers are heading to Tysons Corner Center.
Beeboy, a plush toy company, is “coming soon” to the former spot of candy store Sugarfina on the first level by Macy’s.
A sign says that the store is currently hiring.
Over at the BrandBox spaces on the first level by Barnes and Noble, Italian design brand Seletti is moving into Chubbies’ former space.
“Ever since it was established in 1964 in Cicognara, Mantova, Italy, the company has pursued its mission of making the most of professionalism, service and above all an endless product research, striving for improvement, innovation and originality,” according to the brand’s website.
Other openings in the mall include Canadian clothing brand Roots on Nov. 7 and Abercrombie Kids in November.
From Shopping Center to Townhomes — “The owner of Graham Park Plaza in Falls Church has scrapped plans for a mixed-use redevelopment of the aging shopping center. Federal Realty Investment Trust instead will sell almost half of the U.S. Route 50 shopping center… to EYA for a new townhouse development.” [Washington Business Journal]
Samuelson’s Diamonds and Estate Buyers Coming to Tysons — “The store at 8300 Boone Boulevard will be by appointment only and will be run by Allan Rosen, a veteran of Philadelphia’s Jewelers’ Row with 30 years of experience in the jewelry business.” [Washington Business Journal]
Little City Stormwater Taskforce Proposed — “Falls Church City Manager proposed at the Monday F.C. City Council work session the creation of a 5-7 member stormwater task force to prioritize projects for the City in the coming six months.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Falls Church Man Arrested Allegedly Robbing DWS — “A Falls Church man is under arrest after police say he threatened an employee of Designer Shoe Warehouse with a box cutter while he was caught trying to steal shoes from the store.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Fire Department Funding — Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department has received grants totaling $406,000 from the State Homeland Security Grant Awards. “FCFRD will utilize the funds to support a wide array of emergency preparedness and security operations, equipment replacement, training, planning and exercise programs.” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]
Talent in the Tysons Area — “Companies these days prefer to locate where talent is – and this poses both a challenge and an opportunity, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority’s new president and CEO told the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce Oct. 17. Victor Hoskins’ idea: Create a pipeline to deliver talent to businesses.” [Inside NoVa]
Morgan Stanley Buys Falls Church Municipal Bonds — “The sale of $126 million in City of Falls Church municipal bonds, the largest in the City’s history, to pay for construction of an all-new high school, renovation of the city library and stormwater improvement was consummated Tuesday at a remarkably low 2.71 percent interest rate.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Tysons may not have the liveliest nightlife at the moment, but that could soon change as more late-night restaurants and places to hang out open. “Tysons After Dark” will highlight a different spot every week.
The Washington Nationals are back in D.C. for the third game tonight in the World Series.
As D.C.’s baseball team prepares face the Houston Astros at 8 p.m., Tysons Reporter has found some places around the Tysons area offering specials or hosting watch parties for the World Series — including new ones since last week’s roundup.
Here’s where to bring the “Natitude” tonight (Friday).
The Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike) plans to have a watch party tonight with $8 food specials. The watering hole was four projectors — two outside and two indoor inside — for people to watch the game, along with 17 TVs.
The Town of Vienna is hosting a “Big Game Watch Party” starting at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Oct. 25) in the main gym at the Vienna Community Center (120 Cherry Street SE). Chairs will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs, blankets, food and non-alcoholic drinks.
Taco Bamba spots in Falls Church (2190 Pimmit Drive) and Vienna (164 W. Maple Avenue) has the “Baby Shark Taco” for $4.50, according to a press release. The taco will include Venezuelan spiced fish “cazón” style with guacamole, green goddess-dressed cilantro and cabbage.
Meanwhile, pizza chain Matchbox will give diners wearing Nats gear on game days food and drinks at happy hour prices. Matchbox has a local spot in the Mosaic District at 2911 District Avenue, Suite 120.
Caboose Tavern (520 Mill Street NE) is offering $2 off of growler fills on game days and plans to hold watch parties from 8-10:30 p.m.
Settle Down Easy Brewing (2822 Fallfax Drive) in the Falls Church area plans to have a watch party with free pizza and $1 pints anytime a Nats player hits a home run. “We will extend our hours until the end of the game,” according to the Facebook event.
#StayintheFight
Photo via Caboose Tavern/Facebook
What will the future hold for Tysons 30 years from now? Developers and business representatives tackled that question at the “Tysons 2050” event last night (Thursday).
Panelists imaged how people might live, work and play in Tysons several decades from now — and what needs to get done to foster a stronger sense of community.
Julie Clemente, the president of Clemente Development, said that one of the most important aspects to community development is cohesion in the planning process.
Clemente told the audience that Tysons lacks parks and community recreation centers. Without these things, she is worried that community members will become lonely and find it hard to break out of “silos.”
“For Tysons to be successful, it needs to be connected,” she said.
She mentioned the Spring Hill Recreation Center (1239 Spring Hill Road) as one of the closest opportunities for people in the Tysons area but said it wasn’t enough to meet the growing demand.
“The Spring Hill Recreation Center is overused and everyone goes there,” she said.
Clemente hopes that The View — a recently approved mixed-use project by the Spring Hill Metro station — will add the city center that she says Tysons lacks.
In addition to adding the tallest building in the region, the development plans to build a black box theater, an art walk, a seasonal ice loop and an open-air theater on the green, along with a Tysons Community Center at a nearby site.
“Tysons doesn’t have it now — a center of growth, a heartbeat — and that’s what we want it to be,” Clemente said about The View.
Deirdre Johnson, the vice president of asset management for Federal Realty Investment Trust and new Tysons resident, echoed Clemente’s concerns about connectivity and a sense of community.
“It’s been hard to find points of natural, authentic and emotional connection,” Johnson said about her time in Tysons. Places like shared green space and cafe seating — as well as art, medical services and religious worship — can help fill that void, she said.
While roughly 100,000 people work in Tysons during the day, only about 20,000 live in the area, Johnson said.
“After 5 [p.m.] is very important because it helps you become who you are,” she said.
She wants to fix this by creating places where people of all ages — but especially seniors and young people — can feel fulfilled in every aspect of their lives, noting that retail options that appeal to a wide age range and incomes is one solution.
Another idea from speaker Linda Sullivan, the president of ARTSFAIRFAX, is to institute an artist in residency or creative spaces pop-up program around Tysons.
Artists would have the opportunity to take advantage of affordable housing opportunities while focusing on their work, she said. She also threw out the idea of flex spaces hosting comedy clubs.
Ultimately, whatever the future holds for Tysons will likely focus on innovation around living, working and playing in the same community.
Paul Siemborski, an architect focused on designing performing arts facilities, said Tysons has the opportunity to “break the mold” and try new things.
“Art and play is not a luxury. It’s a necessity,” Siemborski said.
Vienna police arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly trying to unlawfully enter a Vienna home while “extremely intoxicated.”
The incident occured around 1 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20, in the 100 block of Saint Andrews Drive NE.
More from the police report:
A resident reported that a man attempted to enter their home by pulling on a glass sliding door and telling the homeowner to come outside. The resident refused, and the subject got belligerent and started to yell profanities. The subject left the scene prior to police arrival but was quickly located in the area by an officer. During the interaction with officers, it was obvious that the man was extremely intoxicated.
Police charged the man with being drunk in public and attempted unlawful entry. He was transported him to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
The man was given a $2,000 unsecured bond and remanded into the custody of the Fairfax Deputies, police said.
Photo via Facebook
As Whole Foods prepares to open next week, several new businesses are also planning to open their doors in The Boro throughout November.
At least five new stores and businesses that were aiming to open in late summer or early fall have extended their planned opening dates to November.
Whole Foods is expected to open this upcoming Wednesday (Oct. 30), followed by Tysons Nail Lounge on Friday, Nov. 1.
Coworking company Spaces plans to open its office spaces at The Boro on Monday, Nov. 11, according to Mark Pankowski, a spokesperson for the development.
A new Verizon Wireless store will likely open early in November, while Ethan Allen and F45 are expected to open halfway through the month, Pankowski said.
The stores and restaurants opening in the new development by the Greensboro Metro station may face a slow start at first.
John Beinert, a senior associate with Greystar Development, told Tysons Reporter that he keeps tabs on other regional development groups like Meridian Group, which developed The Boro.
Beinert said that March, April, May, June and July are the best months for a new development to host its grand opening, adding that people tend to move during this time and explore new places in a neighborhood.
Despite an off-season start, he said that the timeline shouldn’t hurt the development.
“You’ve just got to get to the next season,” he said, mentioning that the Whole Foods and other businesses in The Boro will attract people to the area.
Beinert also said that the new businesses will benefit Greystar’s four nearby developments, which include the Adaire Apartments.
“Whole Foods is a game-changer in a neighborhood,” Beinert said.
The Town of Vienna is moving forward with its plan to add public parking with Patrick Henry Library’s upcoming renovation.
The town is partnering with Fairfax County so that the town can have public parking spots when the county rebuilds the library (101 E. Maple Avenue).
The town is looking to incorporate public parking into a three-story parking garage, according to the Capital Improvement Plan.
Director of Finance Marion Serfass told the Town Council that the town would have 188 spaces, while the library would have 125 — a total of 313 parking spaces.
The parking garage is expected to cost $6.3 million, and the town is seeking a grant from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.
The Vienna Town Council approved the 2020-2036 Capital Improvement Plan at their meeting on Monday (Oct. 21).
Image via Town of Vienna
Work is underway to get flood-damaged Kirby Road in McLean reopened before the end of the year.
At a meeting hosted last night (Thursday) by Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, officials from the Virginia Department of Transportation told attendees about the process behind reopening Swinks Mill Road and about the work done on Kirby Road.
The 1300 block of Kirby Road and Swinks Mill Road by Scott’s Runclosed due to severe storm damage from July 8 flash flooding. Swinks Mill Road reopened last week.
Kirby Road was damaged in two places from the storm — the roadway and the bridge. For about 12 hours after the storm, 21 homes were landlocked.
VDOT was able to restore access to the homes by 2 a.m. on July 9, VDOT official Denise Cantwell said.
After some delays with the bidding process, Martins Construction Corporation was awarded the $2.1 million emergency contract for repairs, Cantwell said.
The roadway work is expected to done by mid-November and then the crews will switch over to the bridge to get that done by mid-December. The date to get everything back open is Dec. 15.
To get the work done as soon as possible, VDOT has incentivized the contractor by offering up to $2,000 for every day completed early — capped at $120,000. And if the contractor goes past the Dec. 15 deadline, they will then have to pay $2,000 for every day the project is late.
Cantwell said that work cannot be done simultaneously on the bridge and roadway because then access would be cut off to the 21 homes again.
Work to add surface asphalt and striping is expected to be completed by May 2020. The work is dependent on the weather, Cantwell said.
As the Nationals compete in the World Series, Fairfax County police want people to be careful about where they get their tickets for the games.
“Detectives are investigating an increasing number of online and phone scams involving the sale of World Series tickets,” according to a press release.
The police department has tips for people to avoid scams, including being cautious when buying tickets from sources other than Major League Baseball or authorized dealers.
“Be sure to research the vendor and review their security protocols before providing personal information or payment,” FCPD noted.
Anyone who wants to report a scam can file a report online with the Financial Crimes Section or call 703-691-2131.
Additional tips are available on the Fairfax County Consumer Affairs’ Shopping Online resource page.
The Nats have a game against the Astros tomorrow (Friday).
File photo
