(Updated 10/25/19) The City of Falls Church is a 10-minute drive from rapidly expanding Tysons, but members of the Falls Church City Council want to maintain the feeling of a small community while still capitalizing on innovation and growth.

The City of Falls Church operates as an independent entity under the Falls Church City Council while Tysons still has no official governing body of its own, outside that of Fairfax County.

Councilmember Ross Litkenhous said that Falls Church wants to stay unique and its small population and efficient city council allows the city to stay “agile.”

“We are by no means trying to keep up with anybody,” he said.

Tysons Reporter talked to the councilmembers, seeking their input about the future of Falls Church.

“Always Been a Cut-Through”

Several councilmembers said the city is already seeing increased traffic thanks to Tysons’ urban sprawl.

The increase in traffic was brought on by the tolls on I-66 and the increasing popularity of apps like Google Maps, Litkenhous said.

Litkenhous worked in commercial development for 10 years before becoming a councilmember.

Councilmembers were originally told by the Virginia Department of Transportation that the addition of freeways tolls around the area would not impact traffic flow, he said, but people started driving through the city to avoid the tolls.

Now, the city is faced with concerns about pedestrian and bicycle safety that come with more traffic. Litkenhous cited several incidences concerning the safety of residents, especially kids.

There have been a few pedestrian deaths in the last few months in the Falls Church area, which are spurring discussions with officials.

But, Vice Mayor Marybeth Connelly noted that it is important to remember that “Falls Church has always been a cut-through” and a “crossroad” in the Northern Virginia area.

“Mini Tysons”

In August, the city broke ground on a new project that focuses on improving pedestrian access and traffic flow near the upcoming George Mason High School.

The $15 million infrastructure investment will make the area safer and open up accessibility to the future mixed-use retail space, Cindy Mester, the Falls Church Assistant City Manager, said.

The mixed-use retail space is being developed by the same people who built the Wharf in D.C., Mester said, adding there will be a grocery store, a senior living facility, an arts center, restaurants and retail shops in the development.

Mester referred to the upcoming space as Falls Church’s own “Mini Tysons.”

Enticing Techies

When it comes to the evolution within the city’s limits, Litkenhous supports the idea of Falls Church evolving as a tech hub.

“Here in Falls Church, we’ve had a chance to capitalize on the indirect spinoff [of Tysons],” Litkenhous said.

With the new startups and tech companies in Tysons, it allows local high school students to take on fellowships or internships with innovative and entrepreneurial companies, according to Litkenhous, further encouraging students to pursue STEM-related fields.

With the new startups and tech companies in Tysons, it allows local high school students to take on fellowships or internships with innovative and entrepreneurial companies, according to Litkenhous.

Though Litkenhous said he would love to have some of these companies move into Falls Church, he realizes offices are limited and added that a co-working space within city limits would be a solution. “We can’t work in a vacuum here and we recognize that,” he said. 

A Stroll in a New Direction 

Unlike Tysons through, Litkenhous said Falls Church focuses on small businesses and walkability within city limits. “We’ve got Tysons beat on walkability by a mile.” 

Last year, the City Council started the “Live Local Campaign,” sparked by Litkenhous, which encourages people to eat, play and spend money within the city’s limits.

Councilmember Phil Duncan said he keeps tabs on local businesses moving into the city and tries to support them by attending grand openings.

“I think there’s a good mix of big names and more local, family-run businesses,” he said, adding that some businesses that would have previously passed up Falls Church might realize that it is a new market.

“This whole area will become a great American city,” Duncan said.

Coming up in November, the city will host its second “Live Local Campaign” to encourage people to spend money within the community by eating at local restaurants and shopping for holiday gifts from small companies.

Both Litkenhous and Connelly said they want people to follow in their example and take advantage of all the dining and shopping options within the area.

Ultimately, Mester said she thinks the people in Falls Church help to make it special and unique.

“We have a caring and wonderful workforce,” she said. 

Some parts of the design plans for the Vienna Market project are heading back to the drawing table.

Back in the spring, Vienna’s Board of Architectural Review (BAR) called the proposed plans rigid, plain and unbecoming for Maple Avenue and continued working with the developer to tweak the plans.

The project plans to replace the Marco Polo building and other surrounding properties with 44 condominiums and 8,200 square feet of retail space — along with an underground parking garage — to 245  W. Maple Avenue.

The BAR approved the project in chunks, with the final approval on Sept. 19.

Appeal Attempt 

Residents Charles and Laura Anderson sought to get the Board of Architectural Review’s approval of the rear architectural designs and plans for the Vienna Market appealed.

In a letter dated Oct. 1 to the town clerk, the Andersons claimed that the approved plans violate the Maple Avenue general design criteria and the Town Code, saying that the facades of the rear are not consistent with the front and side facades.

“As approved, the rear facades of four of the five townhouse rows along the proposed Vienna Market Lane consist almost entirely of siding material with no brick; whereas the front and side facades consist almost entirely of brick with no siding,” the Andersons wrote.

The Town Council considered the appeal at a meeting on Monday (Oct. 21).

“Since the structures won’t be coming out of the ground, I’m told, until November or December at the very earliest, there’s time to do this and get it right,” Charles Anderson said at the meeting.

Anderson’s concerns seemed to resonate with many residents and some of the councilmembers.

“I’m concerned that [if] I lived back there I would want to be looking at something halfway decent,” Councilmember Howard Springsteen said.

Public’s Input 

The Vienna residents who testified during the public hearing about the project on Monday stressed that all of the sides of the buildings can be clearly seen.

“It’s seen from all sides,” one resident testified. “There is really not a back to this building in my opinion.”

Residents asked that the Church Street facade have the same attractiveness as the Pleasant Street and Maple Street facades.

“This is right across the street from the historic district,” another resident said. “We get one chance to get this right.”

Several residents, including the Andersons, said that town officials might be able to avoid future controversies if residents have more opportunities to provide input.

“The citizens of this town need to brought into these conversations in an earlier stage,” Charles Anderson said.

Motion to Move Forward 

After the public hearing, Councilmember Pasha Majdi suggested a motion to reverse the BAR’s decision on Sept. 19 to approve Vienna Market. Repand to BAR

“I have no interest in cutting a deal tonight or making architectural designs,” Majdi said. “I think that’s a poor way to make decisions way outside my expertise.”

After Majdi presented his motion, the developer proposed a compromise that would wrap brick on the rear of two of the four rows of townhomes.

Nisha Patel said that she would like to see a compromise, but wants to see renderings of the proposal.

“I would be really cautious to undo the entire approval that happened at the Sept. 19 because there were a whole bunch of other things that were approved,” Councilmember Douglas Noble said.

Majdi then amended his motion to modify the BAR’s decisions Sept. 19 and Aug. 15 and to direct the BAR to consult with the Town Council before Town Council’s next scheduled meeting on the project.

When Noble proposed an amendment to Majdi’s motion to keep the modification specific to the four rear facades of the townhomes parallel to the Bank of America property and facing Market Square.

The Town Council approved both Noble’s amendment and Majdi’s motion.

“I do think we should move on this as quickly as possible,” Mayor Laurie DiRocco said.

Renderings via Town of Vienna

The Falls Church Anglican built a new church along Route 50 in the Falls Church area after losing its former sanctuary space.

The new location (6565 Arlington Blvd) is nearly complete and began holding services in September, Zach Kincaid, the church’s spokesperson, said. Now they are looking to finish certain cosmetic projects around the church, including landscaping and interior design. 

The Anglican Church built a new space because they lost their original sanctuary (115 E. Fairfax Street) in a legal battle when they split from the Episcopal Church due to political and religious differences. The Episcopal Church declined to comment.

The new church cost around $16 million, which came from contributions by the congregation and parishioners, Kincaid said.

Before deciding on the Falls Church spot along Route 50, they considered following other parishes that built churches in Loudoun County, where real estate is less expensive, Kincaid. 

“The glue that stuck us to something around here was to be part of this neighborhood still,” he said. “It was a fleeting thought.” 

In total, the new space consists of 16,000 square feet of space divided between two stories, Kincaid said. About 6,000 square feet will be used for a gathering space for children and family, while the remainder will be worship space.

The church has around 900 chairs but typically seats around 1,200 worshipers each Sunday, Kincaid said.

“Lots of people tend to turn their attention to church as Advent comes up,” he said, explaining that membership and attendance tend to increase around Christmas time. 

To engage with the surrounding community, the church invited surrounding neighborhoods to stop by for open houses.

The church shares an office space next door with other professions, such as doctors.

Renovations should be completed soon, Kincaid said, but they currently do not have an exact date. The church is finishing up the permit process with Fairfax County.

Photo courtesy Craig Thoburn

Updated 10/25/19 — “It was a customer-request outage so work could be done on their end,” Peggy Fox, a spokesperson for Dominion Energy told Tysons Reporter. 

More than 230 Dominion Energy customers are without power near the intersection of International and Westpark drives above Tysons Galleria this morning (Thursday).

The outage is affecting 237 customers at the northwest corner of the intersection.

Crews are currently working to restore power, which Dominion expects to be back on between 2-5 p.m., according to the Dominion Energy power outage map.

The cause of the power outage is pending investigation.

Map via Dominion Energy

The team behind Sen Khao has a new quick-service sandwich pop-up open in Tysons Galleria’s Urbanspace.

LaoWich recently opened at the mall, according to Tysons Galleria.

The sandwich pop-up shop is located on the third level next to Saks Fifth Avenue, across from Sen Khao.

“Chef Seng is here to cure your sandwich sads with a unique menu of Laotian eats served on brioche buns, all slathered with her signature sen-sauce,” according to Tysons Galleria.

Diners can find a rotating menu of Asian sweets and drinks from 4-6 p.m. at LaoWich.

Photo via LaoWich/Facebook

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is hiring bus drivers again.

FCPS held two hiring events in July and August to bring onboard new bus drivers. Back in July, FCPS was short-staffed by roughly 100 drivers — primarily in the McLean area, FCPS Director of Transportation Francine Furby said.

Now, FCPS has 80 bus driver openings to fill, according to a press release.

“FCPS is seeking full-time bus drivers to join its force of 1,120 drivers who drive more than 16,000,000 miles each year,” according to FCPS.

The pay is $19.20 per hour and drivers would need to work at least 30 hours per week.

The bus driver fair will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 13, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Gerry Hyland Government Center (8350 Richmond Hwy) in Alexandria.

“In order to qualify to work as a bus driver with FCPS, applicants must be at least 21 years old; have a good driving record; pass a physical exam, drug screening, and background check; complete a five-week training program, take the commercial driver’s license road test, and obtain a commercial driver’s license,” according to FCPS.

Plans to regulate motorized scooters are zooming ahead in Fairfax County ahead of the end of the year deadline for creating regulations.

Staff from the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) and the Department of Cable and Consumer Services presented the proposed ordinance during the Transportation Committee on Tuesday (Oct. 29).

The county has until Jan. 1, 2020 to implement regulations on motorized scooters, skateboards and bicycles. After that date, the scooter companies can zoom around however they please.

Scooters are an increasingly popular alternative transportation option and are already in use in the county. (The City of Falls Church and the Town of Vienna are also in the process of creating their own pilot programs.)

The proposed ordinance would create a new chapter in the code that would exclude Capital Bikeshare. The ordinance would allow for an initial fleet size of 300 shared mobility devices — and up to a maximum of 600 after the company’s meet certain requirements, according to the presentation.

Scooters would be allowed on highways and sidewalks — unless signs say otherwise, according to the presentation.

Rebecca Makely, from the Department of Cable and Consumer Services, said that county staff knocked down the proposed speed limit from 15 to 10 miles per hour.

“We do believe that this is a conservative approach,” Makely said, adding that the county is considering pedestrian safety along with the proposal.

Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, who has expressed concern about a 15 mph speed limit, said that Tysons Partnership wants to see higher speed limits and larger numbers of vehicles allowed.

Next Tuesday (Oct. 29), the Board of Supervisors is set to vote on whether or not to authorize a public hearing about the proposal on Nov. 19.

(Updated 10/26/19) Just a short walk from the Greensboro Metro Station, a meditation center in the heart of Tysons offers free classes for visitors.

The Tysons spot is the second location for Meditation Museum II in the D.C. area — the other is in Silver Spring, Md. Sister Jenna, the founder of the center, said she chose Tysons because it is vibrant, multi-cultural and serves as a convenient place for people in the area.

A few weekends ago, Tysons Reporter attended one of the entry-level sessions.

It’s hard to miss — there’s a giant banner outside an aging building at 1984 Chain Bridge Road, but the museum’s door is a little hard to find. Guests must walk up a set of indoor stairs to reach the repurposed office, which consists of roughly 1,000 square feet of space.

Once inside, people’s shoes get stored in little cubbies before they check-in.

The woman who led the 9:30 a.m. class said she worked as an IT consultant for a cell phone company in Tysons and volunteered at the center in her free time. She seemed very welcoming and willing to answer any questions.

Self-named a “museum,” the location is decorated with informational panels and posters that are supposed to teach visitors about mindfulness and the philosophy of the center, according to the staff member who led the class.

The meditation class turned out to be a very intimate experience with the two people who showed up.

The journey began with a 15-minute pre-recorded guided meditation that repeated mantras such as “You are a child of light” and “Focus your intention.” Participants were asked to gaze at a screen at the front of the room and instructed to “Tell our thoughts to come back later.”

After the time was up and the recording finished, the teacher reemerged and pulled out a whiteboard where she explained to us the difference between our mind, intellect and the physical brain inside our heads.

She also spent a significant amount of time covering the difference between physical needs and well being compared to spiritual wellbeing, along with encouraging participants to share perspectives.

The session ended with yet another pre-recorded mediation session before the hour-long class concluded and attendees could recollect our belongings at the front.

Though it may not have been this reporter’s cup of tea, the center invites anyone from the community to give it a shot.

The philosophy of the center isn’t based on a singular religion but instead aims to help people of all beliefs enhance their lives, according to Sister Jenna.

“When you want to be a better Christian when you leave the door, that will happen,” she said.” If you want to be a better atheist when you leave, that can also happen.”

Anyone wishing to participate in the classes may sign up online. The “Learn to Meditate” classes begin at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturdays and last an hour.

Although classes are free, donations are encouraged since they use the money to pay rent and rely on volunteers so they don’t have to pay overhead, Sister Jenna said.

First photo courtesy Meditation Museum II; second via Google Maps

(Updated 10/24/19) A Mediterranean restaurant and dumpling eatery are some of the newcomers headed to Falls Plaza in the the City of Falls Church — and they are hiring.

Tasty Dumpling and Plaka Grill have “now hiring” signs in their windows at the shopping center at 1200 W. Broad Street.

For Tasty Dumpling, interested people can contact Linda at 703-946-6037 and 703-269-1752. For Plaka Grill, people can send resumes to [email protected] or call 571-484-9446.

Plaka Grill is moving into a roughly 3,500-square-foot space by Giant, while Tasty Dumpling will occupy a 1,400-square-foot space between CVS and Staples, according to the shopping center’s brochure.

Plaka Grill, a locally-owned Greek restaurant, is relocating its Falls Church location from 513 W. Broad Street to Falls Plaza. The restaurant also has a spot in Vienna.

“With the move to the new location in Falls Plaza, the restaurant will be expanding its footprint with additional kitchen space that will allow the restaurant to expand its catering offerings,” according to a press release from the restaurant.

The restaurant is planning to open in November, the press release said.

“We’re thrilled to move to a location with abundant parking to better serve our customers,” Peter Drosos, the restaurant’s owner and chef, said in the press release. “Falls Plaza is ideally situated, and we’re excited for the opportunity to be more accessible to our guests whether they’re choosing to dine in with us or get carry-out, delivery or catering.”

Sandwich chain Jersey Mike’s and Rania’s Love Vegetarian Restaurant also have signs saying they are coming to the shopping center.

A spokesperson for Jersey Mike’s said that the eatery is aiming for a December opening.

People in McLean and Tysons have the chance to help others through a series of upcoming donation drives.

With the holiday season approaching, Toys for Tots has set up a drop-off area for toy donations in Tysons, while Soles4Souls will collect gently used shoes in McLean.

Toys for Tots is organized through the United States Marine Corps to help struggling families afford Christmas gifts for their children. Around 97% of proceeds go to families in need, according to the website. The remaining 3% covers administrative costs.

Anyone wishing to donate toys can bring them to Meineke Car Care Center (1524 Spring Hill Road). The last day for donations to Toys for Tots is Dec. 12.

Soles4Souls is a non-profit based in Nashville that fights poverty, according to its website.

Shoes will be accepted at the Joy Deevy Relator Office (6849 Old Dominion Drive, Suite 400) until Dec. 1.

Photo via Toys4Tots/Facebook