Did you know that we have an Instagram?

Recently, we started posting on Instagram about dishes from local restaurants, Tysons scenery, sneak peeks at new stores and more.

Come check us out on the ‘gram (@tysonsreporter).

Thank you to everyone who has liked, followed and bookmarked us already!

City of Falls Church residents can now have chinchillas, hedgehogs, turtles, hermit crabs and tortoises as pets.

The City Council approved adding the five animals to its list of allowed pets on Monday (June 24) — about five months after Fairfax County legalized pet hedgehogs, chinchillas and hermit crabs.

After a robust discussion last week — focused mainly around hedgehogs — about health and safety concerns, several of the councilmembers, including two who admitted to owning hermit crabs illegally, expressed support for the change.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals that require space, exercise and room temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure they do not start hibernating, according to the Hedgehog Welfare Society. Along with cats, dogs, frogs, hamsters and many other animals, hedgehogs can spread salmonella, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Before voting on Monday night, Mayor David Tarter and several councilmembers praised student activist Isabel D., a junior at George Mason High School, for her civic engagement and efforts pushing for the city to legalize hedgehogs as pets.

The motion passed 5-2, with the mayor and Councilmember Dan Sze voting no.

Photo by Hans-Olof Andersson on Unsplash

The fairly routine annual approval of taxicab certificates at yesterday’s (June 25) Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting instead marked the end of an era as the county approved no certificates.

Every odd-numbered year, Fairfax County government reviews taxicab applications and gives out new permits based on assessed need. But this year, staff found that there was a decline in demand by nearly 25 percent, meaning no new certificates would be needed.

“I was not at all surprised by the number of taxicab certificates,” said Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross. “This is so different than years ago.”

“There was always competition,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova agreed.

Staff noted in a memo last April that the taxicab market was experiencing a sudden decline.

According to staff:

The County’s taxicab market was experiencing a period of unprecedented contraction due to widespread customer acceptance of transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft… The memorandum noted that as of April 2018, the County’s fleet size had dropped from 654 to 453 taxicabs due to operators’ relinquishment of 201 taxicab certificates. Since that April 2018 memorandum, operators have relinquished an additional 85 certificates, bringing the current Fairfax County taxicab fleet to 368 vehicles.

While taxi cab numbers fell, the memo noted that TNC registrations skyrocketed with 16,000 active registrations in Fairfax in 2016 compared to 654 taxicabs. But in 2017, the requirement for Uber and Lyft drivers to register with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles was repealed, so the current number of TNCs active in Fairfax County is unknown.

Observing the taxicab industry’s decline, the Board of Supervisors also expressed concerns over the impact on accessible rides for persons with disabilities. By code, wheelchair accessible vehicles must number 4 percent of the overall taxicab fleet, but declining numbers of taxis meant a declining requirement for accessible cabs.

“What is the effect on accessible cabs available?” Gross asked. “This board spent a lot of time years ago to ensure that the holders of certificates had a percentage of accessible taxis available. This seems like it throws it all into a cocked hat.”

Staff said that the current requirement was for 15 total wheelchair-accessible cabs, but there are currently 28 in service in Fairfax. Staff noted that Uber and Lyft both have accessible cab options, but that there was no authority to regulate their requirement in the transportation network. Bulova directed staff to work with consumer protection to examine how to mitigate the impact of the decline of taxis on transportation accessibility.

File photo

(Updated at 10 a.m. 07/01/2019) A fire broke out at in the attic of a McLean home earlier this morning.

Firefighters from the Arlington County Fire Department and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responded to the fire at a home in the 6500 block of W. Langley Lane shortly after 7 a.m., according to a Fairfax County Fire and Rescue tweet.

Firefighters had the fire out by around 9 a.m. “Crews [are] working on removing insulation from [the] attic area,” the Fairfax County fire department tweeted.

All of the occupants of the house evacuated, and no injuries have been reported.

More from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue:

On Thursday, June 27 at approximately 7:28 a.m., units from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and the Arlington County Fire Department responded to a report of a fire alarm activation in the 6500 block of West Langley Lane in the McLean area of Fairfax County.

Units arrived on scene of a two-story, single family house with smoke coming from the roof. The incident was immediately upgraded to a house fire. Crews quickly advanced a fire hose line to the second floor and extinguished a fire that had spread to the attic. There were no civilian or firefighter injuries.

No occupants were home at the time of the fire. A monitored smoke alarm system activated prompting the alarm company to call Fairfax County 9-1-1.

Fire Investigators determined that the fire was accidental in nature and started in the second-floor hallway bathroom. The fire was caused by an electrical malfunction within the electrical wiring supplying the bathroom canister lights.

No occupants were displaced because of the fire. Red Cross assistance was not needed. Damages as a result of the fire were approximately $37,500.

UPDATE house fire in 6500 block of W Langley Lane in McLean. Fire in attic is out. No extension. Crews working on removing insulation from attic area. Thanks @ArlingtonVaFD for assistance. #FCFRD #FairfaxCounty pic.twitter.com/nPxXYZvEB1

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) June 27, 2019

Map via Google Maps

It’s no secret that traffic is a problem for major roadways around Tysons.

Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is pushing sluglines as one solution.

Earlier this month, the NVTC unveiled that a campaign to encourage slugging along I-66 is one of its approved projects for the fiscal year 2020. One of the four commuter lots that NVTC wants to highlight in its campaign is the Park and Ride at the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro Station.

Sluglines — also known as “casual carpooling” — allow a driver to pick up non-paying passengers at designated spots in order to use an HOV lane or get a toll reduction.

Let us know if slugging is something you would do.

The Tysons branch of Huntington Learning Center (HLC) — in the spotlight after the arrest and death of the franchise owner — has permanently closed.

The trouble for the school started in April when Jeffrey Cummins, the owner of the HLC franchise in Tysons, was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting two of his former students. The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) said the abuse took place in Cummins’ Annandale home, not at the school.

But after the arrest, more assault charges were added. Cummins was out on a bond but didn’t turn himself into the Fairfax County jail as ordered. Last Wednesday, June 19, Cummins was found dead near Warsaw, Virginia.

The Tysons HLC at 8290 Old Courthouse Road briefly closed after the arrest was announced, though it reopened a few weeks later in early May.

Now, the facility has been permanently closed. A representative for HLC said students at the program have been offered the opportunity to transfer to other locations.

The media contact for HLC said parents interested in continuing instruction can call Huntington Learning Center in Fairfax at 571-310-0180 and all parents have “received communication” about obtaining a refund from the franchise.

Tysons is now set to get a new senior living facility in two towers behind the Tysons Galleria.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the senior living complex known as The Mather during the board’s meeting yesterday (Tuesday).

The Mather is a part of Cityline Partners LLC’s Arbor Row project near Tysons Galleria, which includes the completed Nouvelle residential building and The Monarch, and plans to transform the back of Tysons Galleria along Westpark Drive into a suite of mixed-use buildings.

Slated to open in 2023, The Mather plans to seek a LEED Gold designation for the building and will be the first Life Plan Community in Tysons, according to a press release from Mather LifeWays, an organization that creates senior living programs and places.

“The Mather will offer apartment homes with SMART home technology, amenity-rich community spaces and luxury of a different kind for those who wish to plan ahead to live life to the fullest,” Mary Leary, the president and chief executive officer of Mather LifeWays, said in a press release.

The one- and two-bedroom room apartments in The Mather will start at $650,000, according to the press release.

Image via Fairfax County Planning Commission 

Updated at 2:30 p.m. — The crash was cleared at 2:26 p.m., 511 Northern Virginia tweeted. 

Earlier: A crash on I-495 in McLean is causing travel delays for drivers headed toward the American Legion Bridge.

The crash is located just south of the Georgetown Pike. Around 2:05 p.m., a nearby traffic camera showed a car on a tow truck.

The north left lane is currently closed, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Drivers can expect delays, according to VDOT. As of 2:10 p.m., northbound traffic is slowly moving from Route 738 to the bridge.

Cleared: Accident: NB on I-495 at MM44 in Fairfax Co.2:26PM

— 511 Northern VA (@511northernva) June 26, 2019

Accident: NB on I-495 at MM44 in Fairfax Co. 1 NB travel lane closed.1:42PM

— 511 Northern VA (@511northernva) June 26, 2019

Image via Google Maps

Virginia is for lovers, but the “LOVE” letters currently in Merrifield are for boosting sales.

The sign is a traveling display making its way around Fairfax County after launching last month at Tysons Corner Center.

The letters are currently on display outside of Caboose Commons (2918 Eskridge Road), a Merrifield location for the Vienna brewery that opened last fall. The letters are positioned between the main building and the outdoor dining section.

Staff at Caboose Commons said the sign’s reaction has been positive so far.

“A few people have stopped by to get pictures with the sign,” the staff person said. “It’s boosted our visits so far.”

The sign is scheduled to remain at Caboose Commons until July 1, after which it will move to George Washington’s Distillery & Gristmill near Mount Vernon, but it will return back to the area on July 12 for a stay at Wolf Trap.

Two sites poised for redevelopment in Tysons now have new owners.

Thallium LLC acquired 8133 Leesburg Pike for a little more than $30 million, while McLean-based Tepe & Hisar LLC paid $19.5 million for 8201 Leesburg Pike — a total of about $50 million for the redevelopment sites, the Washington Business Journal reported.

Two years ago, Fairfax County approved the sites for a redevelopment project called International Place. Shortly afterward, the developer filed for bankruptcy.

It’s unclear what will happen to the two sites next.

“Dogan Savasman, identified in court records as chief executive manager for Tepe & Hisar, could not be reached for comment. He said in a previous interview he intends to redevelop 8201 Leesburg but those plans could change from what Garrett had proposed,” according to the Washington Business Journal.

Image via Fairfax County