Wawa hosted a celebration in Vienna this morning (Sept. 24) to mark the company’s new location opening in April.

Dozens of people showed up to the event, which featured a virtual reality tour of the upcoming location, food and drink samples and speeches from and other local politicians. 

At the event, a company spokesperson said that the company is planning a grand opening party on April 10 at 465 W. Maple Avenue. The 6,200-square-foot convenience store plans to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This will be the first location that features a partnership with Tesla, John Poplawski, Wawa’s director of site acquisition and development, said. Instead of a traditional gas station, the Vienna location will feature eight charging stations for electric cars.

“The Vienna store will be Wawa’s first retrofit store, and the first non-fuel store in Virginia in 20 years,” a press release said, “Wawa hopes to have 40 new stores in the Northern Virginia market over the next 15 years.”

The expansion plans will bring more than 2,000 new jobs to the Northern Virginia area, according to a company spokesperson at the event.

Del. Mark Keam (D-35th District) spoke at the Wawa event this morning and said that these new jobs will help draw young people to the city and boost economic development in the area.

“We are very excited to have you coming into town,” Mayor Laurie DiRocco addressed the crowd before the “coming soon” sign reveal. “We hope you’ll be a good neighbor.”

Within the last few months, Wawa instituted a catering option, spokesperson Alyson Mucha said, adding that many locations also offer freshly baked goods and customers can expect the same thing at the new locations in northern Virginia.

To continue Wawa’s philanthropic work across the country, the company pledged at the event $30,000 to support the Law Enforcement Torch Run in Northern Virginia, which raises funds and awareness for the Special Olympics.

Wawa executives at the event said they hope the new location in Vienna becomes a gathering space for the community.

“This is a space that was looking to be revitalized,” Poplawski said. “This is an opportunity to bring everything Wawa offers to the Town of Vienna.”

(Updated at 2:35 p.m.) Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved today (Tuesday) $4 million to begin implementation of police body worn cameras.

The Fairfax County Police Department is set to receive 1,210 body-worn cameras that would be phased in over three years with a five-year contract for equipment, licensing and storage.

Before the vote, Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity shared concerns about the fiscal impact of the proposal, including that the funding approval is happening outside of the budget cycle, Chairman Sharon Bulova said it’s necessary to have the funding before the budget decisions in May.

The $4.3 million approved by the board today comes from the Reserve for Ad-Hoc Police Practices Review Commission.

“This amount will cover the initial cost of equipment, infrastructure enhancements and will allow for the immediate recruitment and hiring of personnel to ensure a seamless implementation on or about May 1,” according to county documents.

Herrity also said that he has concerns about the funding coming from the reserve — a one-time fund — and that body worn cameras are getting prioritized over increases in police officers’ pay.

“This is going to set our public safety budget back by millions of dollars,” Herrity said, adding that he wants information on extra costs for the Public Defenders’ Office.

In response to Herrity’s concerns that the program is meant to address national issues with police, Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said that the program is not trying to address criticism of police outside of Fairfax County.

“The overwhelming support in the community for doing this is important. We know our community pretty well and we know the respect the community has for the Fairfax County Police Department,” Foust said. “We have the tech to do it, and we should move forward.”

After the vote, Braddock District Supervisor John Cook requested that the county executive work with the Public Defenders’ Office to determine an increase in the office’s budget that the board can consider in May.

Cook said that the body worn cameras will generate “significant legal work needed to review [the footage],” noting that most of the defense attorneys are from the Public Defenders’ Office.

The full implementation of the body worn cameras is expected to take three years. The cameras would come to the McLean District during the second year of the program.

“This is about transparency. This is about the community feeling confident in our police department,” Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay. “We know that they do.”

Image via FCPD

The number of stolen tires reported in the Tysons area has now reached two dozen this year.

Tysons Reporter has been keeping an eye on where wheels have been reported stolen — dubbing the thief(s) the “Tysons Tire Bandit(s).”

The 24 reports span from Merrifield and the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro station area up to Tysons, according to the Fairfax County Police Department’s daily crime recaps. (Fairfax County’s weekday police recaps are not comprehensive lists of every incident and the addresses are approximate.)

Some of the areas had multiple reports, including:

• four reports in the 1500 block of Westbranch Drive
• three reports in the 7900 block of Jones Branch Drive
• two reports in the 9400 block of Lee Hwy
• two reports in the 1500 block of Lincoln Way

A few of the incidents also include stolen rims.

The robberies have mostly occurred in the residential areas of rapidly urbanizing Tysons and Merrifield.

FCPD recaps noted between one to five stolen tire reports per month this year. The most recent incident was noted in the Monday (Sept. 23) recap.

Falls Church residents may have noticed that work has started on several projects to minimize flooding damage and better manage stormwater.

City Manager Wyatt Shields gave the City Council an update on stormwater management projects at Monday (Sept. 23) night’s meeting.

Smaller ones, like drainage issues between Laura and Poplar drives and flooding issues at 913 and 915 blocks of Lincoln Avenue, will be handled in-house and paid for by the current stormwater operating budget, he said.

Residents can expect work to finish on those by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the city has reached out to GKY about five larger watersheds, including:

• the area by W. Columbia Street and Shadow Walk
• the Hillwood Avenue area
• the Sherrow Avenue area
• E. Columbia Street and Harrison Branch Tributary
• Ellison Branch Stream near new homes on Lincoln Avenue

“Ultimately, we will get the options and get the costs and we will need to work together to prioritize our resources for where they can do the most good for the buck,” Shields said.

The timeframe will be determined during budget discussions in the winter, and work won’t begin on those larger projects until July, he said.

“People have been seeing us out in the field doing the initial walkthroughs with the engineers,” he said, adding that city staff is waiting to get a cost estimate from GKY before alerting the residents.

“It sounds like we’re making a lot of progress, I think if we can communicate better to those residents and let them know that work is happening, that would be very reassuring to people,” Councilmember Letty Hardi said.

The city has also been working to update its stormwater management plan after suffering severe damage from major flash flooding in July.

Shields also said that the wing wall on Tripps Run has been completed, eliminating a flooding risk to residents on Sherrow Avenue.

“It’s good to get that resolved,” he said.

A new education center opened in the Mosaic District earlier this month.

Kumon (2980 District Avenue) began enrollment in late August and now offers young students extra help in subjects like math and reading to supplement their education, Tanya Khandpur, the location’s owner and main educator, said.

The center works with kids from the early stages of reading and math all the way through calculus and reading comprehension, according to the location’s website.

Khandpur said that business has been excellent since they opened and that the center has met its enrollment goals.

She employs several assistants to help teach the kids at the center in small groups. “For students qualifying into our early learning program we work two students to one assistant and for our main classroom, we work four students to one assistant,” Khandpur said.

Parents who are interested in the company’s programs can sign up online or attend an orientation session. The center is open from 3-  p.m. Monday-Thursday.

Kumon also has locations in Vienna (525 W. Maple Avenue), Falls Church (7115 Leesburg Pike) and McLean (1320 Old Chain Bridge Road).

Once a Kumon student herself, she said she personally believes in the center’s mission.

“I feel very strongly that the Kumon program can serve beyond academics and build a strong bond between parents and children, especially when implemented correctly.”

(Updated at 4:45 p.m.) One person has been taken to the hospital after a car ended up on its side in the front yard of a McLean home.

Fairfax County police received a call about a sedan in a ditch at Kirby and Birch roads shortly after 3 p.m. today (Monday), spokesman Sgt. Greg Bedor told Tysons Reporter.

Bedor said that rescue personnel responded, and one person was taken to the hospital with minor, non-life threatening injuries.

The crash caused a “brief road closure” of Birch Road “to get the car out safely,” Bedor said.

When Tysons Reporter showed up around 3:50 p.m., the car was lying on its side atop utility lines with the roof ripped off — though the roof might have been removed by rescuers trying to free the vehicle’s occupant.

Utility crews are checking the tension wire to the utility pole, Bedor said, adding that the crash is under investigation.

Map via Google Maps. Jay Westcott contributed to this story.

Langley High School delayed students from leaving this afternoon while Fairfax County police responded to a report of a “suspicious man” in a nearby yard.

Sgt. James Curry, a police spokesman, told Tysons Reporter that police received a call at 2:16 p.m. about a man in someone’s yard in the 900 block of Ridge Drive.

Curry said that the man ran away when police arrived and has not been found.

The incident was not related to the school and does not appear to pose any threat to the school, Curry said.

The school was secured — which is different from a lockdown — because of the increased police activity in the area, Curry said.

Principal Kimberly Greer said in a letter to families that the school was secured around 2:50 p.m. “At this time, students (and buses) have been released,” Greer wrote.

More from Greer:

This letter is to inform you of an incident that occurred today. At approximately 2:50 p.m. the school was notified that there was an incident in the surrounding neighborhood with police involement. At that time we went into “Secure the Building” status. This means that all exterior doors are locked and students are to remain inside. Staff reacted swifty and appropriately, and our students behaved in an exemplary manner. At no time was anyone on school property.

Upon advisement from the Fairfax County Police Department, we ae no longer in “Secure the Building” status. At this time, students (and buses) have been released.

Map via Google Maps

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 (Sept. 24)

• Ribbon Cutting: Zenola — 6-7 p.m. at Zenola (132 Branch Road SE) — Newly opened Zenola is hosting their grand opening in partnership with the Vienna Business Associaton and the Town of Vienna.
• Laughs In The Lobby Bar — 8 p.m. at Jammin Java (227 E. Maple Avenue) — This free event lets people gather for an evening of comedy featuring a variety of experience levels. All ages are welcome. Those wishing to get on stage should show up at 7 p.m.
• Happy Hour Mixer in Falls Church — 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Hilton Garden Inn (706 W. Broad Street) — The Greater Merrifield Business Association and the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce are hosting a joint event with food, drinks and networking.

Wednesday (Sept. 25)

• Community Conversation: Shaping the Future of Fairfax County Together — 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Marshall High School (7731 Leesburg Pike) — Fairfax County wants feedback from citizens about what they want their community to look like in 10-20 years. This is an opportunity for people to gather and give input at an open forum.

Thursday (Sept. 26)

• Alya Salon Grand Opening Party — 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Ayla Salon (139 Park Street SE) — This new hair salon will celebrate its grand opening with food, drinks, music, various product samples and a mini-fashion show.

Friday (Sept. 27)

• Friday Night Live — 8-11 p.m. at Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street) — Each week, this free event invites community members to gather for live music.

Saturday (Sept. 28)

• Merrifield Fall Festival — 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Mosaic District (2910 District Avenue) — This festival gives attendees the opportunity to enjoy some fall weather while listening to live music, enjoying brews from Caboose Brewing in Strawberry Park and shop at the local farmers market and on-site craft fair. This event is free to attend.

Sunday (Sept. 29)

• Plant Swap — 11 a.m.-noon at Botanologica (817 W. Broad Street) –– This free event gives community members the chance to trade plants or clippings. Organizers ask that participants bring only healthy plants, label the species and provide written care instructions for the next owner.
• Pimmit Hills Day — 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Olney Park (1840 Olney Road) — This festival invites community members to check out live music and various vendors offering live music, food and drinks. All ages are welcome to this free event. There will also be activities for kids.

Photo via Facebook

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is set to move forward two projects aiming to make Tysons and Vienna more walkable and bikeable.

At Tuesday’s meeting (Sept. 24), the board is slated to approve an extra $3 million for a project that will add a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over I-495, connecting the east side of Tysons to Tysons One Place.

“The project will provide for the design and construction of a 10-foot shared-use path along Old Meadow Road beginning at the intersection of Route 123 and Provincial Drive, and terminating at Tysons One Place near the intersection with Fashion Boulevard,” according to county documents.

Construction is slated to start on the project in spring 2021 and finish in spring 2022, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

“The project area has a mix of retail, business, and residential communities with no bicycle and pedestrian access across I-495,” the document says.

Previously, the project was fully funded, but changing right-of-way estimates and construction costs increased the costs, according to the county.

The board is also set to authorize the director of the county’s transportation department to work with VDOT on improving bike access to the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro station.

The project includes:

• construction of a new shared-use path along the south side of Virginia Center Blvd
• removing the existing sidewalk on the west side of Sutton Road
• construction of a two-way cycle track and sidewalk along the south side of Country Creek Road
• adding bike wayfinding signage and shared lane markings

The work on the trails is part of the I-66 project, according to county documents.

Map via VDOT

How do you bike from Tysons to Reston? One person took to Twitter to ask that very question on Friday (Sept. 20).

While most of the tweets said the Washington and Old Dominion Trail is the way to go to, several people shared different routes for getting to the trail.

One person recommended that cyclists head from Leesburg Pike (Route 7) to Gallows Road down to the W&OD Trail. The trail follows Piney Branch Stream from Vienna to Difficult Run River, before heading north to Plaza America and Reston Town Center in Reston.

For cyclists who don’t want to head that far south, another person recommended a route behind Walmart (1500 B Cornerside Blvd) by the Spring Hill Metro station that connects to the W&OD Trail.

Another person suggested the new Vesper Trail, which runs through the Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley Park as another way to get to the W&OD Trail.

Get to Route 7 and Gallows and take Gallows down all the way to the W&OD trail; most of Gallows will have an unprotected bike lane, which definitely helps. You then take the trail all the way to downtown Reston. Not sure if I would do a CaBi for this ride, but to each his own.

— Jofi Joseph, CPA (@Jofi_Joseph_99) September 20, 2019

https://twitter.com/jtedc/status/1175385848843575296?s=20

@bikeshare Springhill #wmata station 👉 Vesper Trail 👉 Pine Valley Dr 👉 Fairway Dr 👉 Creek Crossing 👉 Glyndon Park 👉 Ayr Hill and 👏👏 your a block from the @WODTrail where it crosses Church St in Vienna. All relatively quiet neighborhood streets.

— Chris French (@chrislfrench) September 20, 2019

Tysons has some changes underway aiming to make the area more bikeable and walkable.

The Route 7 Corridor Improvements Project plans to add paths between Reston and Tysons. Meanwhile in Tysons, the Jones Branch Connector is slated to open this fall, connecting the Tysons East and North Central neighborhoods.

For cyclists looking to rent bikes, Capital Bikeshare has brought more than a dozen bike-share docks to Tysons.