The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently made a $51 million investment in Tysons-area roads, but improvements to a troubled McLean road didn’t make the cut.

Balls Hill Road runs parallel to the Beltway through much of McLean up to Georgetown Pike, turning the two-lane residential street into a preferred get-around for Beltway traffic on navigation apps.

During rush hour, the intersection of Balls Hill Road and Georgetown Pike (Route 193) is frequently a backed up, apocalyptic free-for-all. Solutions to alleviate the congestion — including a controversial plan to close Georgetown Pike off from the Beltway entirely — have been proposed.

One plan involving intersection improvements was considered at meetings last fall, but the proposed improvement was not included in the Board of Supervisors’ budget.

“The Balls Hill and 193 improvements were not included in the Board’s $51 million [budget],” said Robin Geiger, head of communications for the Fairfax County Department of Transportation.

Potential intersection improvements included short-term solutions like widening shoulders to allow for increased traffic enforcement and painted boxes to stop drivers from stopping in the intersection and blocking traffic.

Longer term solutions focused on coordinated efforts to improve the American Legion Bridge and the nearby Beltway to reduce backups onto Georgetown Pike.

Meanwhile, another project to improve another troublesome intersection on Balls Hill Road is moving forward. The Balls Hill Road and Old Dominion Drive intersection is notoriously crash-prone with 29 crashes in a five-year span, due in part to poor sight-line conditions.

Geiger said in December, the Board of Supervisors approved the T-intersection proposal for the site and the project is currently in a preliminary engineering design phase. Funding for that project is approximately $21.5 million with construction scheduled to start in spring 2023.

Image 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!

Thursday (June 13)

• Teacher End of School Year Happy Hour Party — 3-7 p.m. at Blackfinn Ameripub-Merrifield (2750 Gallows Road) — Blackfinn is hosting a celebration of teachers at the end of the school year with complimentary appetizers for teachers, prizes and giveaways, and drink specials. The event is free, but seating is limited.

Friday (June 14)

• DevFest DC 2019 — 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at Capital One Center (1680 Capital One Drive) — The 8th annual DevFest DC — a meeting of developers throughout the region — returns this Friday. Industry expert speakers from technology companies and various coding sessions are planned throughout the day. Tickets are $70 for a regular pass if purchased before Thursday, or $100 if purchased on the day of the event.
• National Flip Flop Day 2019 — 2-7 p.m. at Tropical Smoothie Cafe (2672 Avenir Place) — As part of “National Flip Flop Day,” anyone stopping in at the Tysons Tropical Smoothie can get a free 16 ounce Sunshine Smoothie.

Saturday (June 15)

• Family Father’s Day Stroller Strides Class — 8:45-10:30 a.m. at Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road) — The FIT4MOM group usually hosts exercise programs for mothers with babies, but the group is holding a special fathers-focused class. Tickets are available online.
• Summer Concerts on the Green: Nowhere Men — 6:30-8 p.m. at Vienna Town Green (144 E. Maple Avenue) — Vienna’s free summer concert lineup starts with an acoustic Beatles tribute band, Nowhere Men. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs, but to leave their pets at home.

Sunday (June 16)

• Bike Chains and Derailleurs Workshop — 9-11 a.m. at REI (8209 Watson Street) — A workshop at REI will help cyclists learn how to tune their bikes to avoid grinding gears, rubbing derailleurs and squeaky chains. Attendees can bring their own bike or practice on one at the store. Tickets are $40 for members or $60 for non-members.
• Father’s Day Brunch and Dinner — 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at Inca Social (2670 Avenir Place) — Fathers get their first beer for $1 for a brunch and dinner special at INCA Social. Kids 6 and younger eat for free.
• Dad Jokes on Father’s Day — 5-7 p.m. at Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike) — The Tysons Biergarten is hosting a comedy night specifically for the best — or worst — original dad jokes from several local comedians. Tickets to the comedy show are free.

Photo via Town of Vienna/Facebook

Chef Geoff’s will soon say goodbye to its Tysons spot in less than two weeks.

Geoff Tracy, who runs the Tysons location and almost a dozen other restaurants, told Tysons Reporter that the restaurant will close on Friday, June 21, after 10 years at 8045 Leesburg Pike.

Tracy said that the decision not to renew the lease prompted the upcoming closure — something that he said he’s known about for a while. “It would require a massive investment [to stay],” he said.

Tracy said he’s open to looking at locations with “plenty of parking and inexpensive rent” for another Tysons restaurant. Most of the Tysons staff have been placed in the other restaurants he manages, he said.

In an email to customers, Geoff reminisced on memorable events at the Tysons spot — kicking off the restaurant with a fundraiser for Children’s Hospital in June 2009, winning a RAMMY for Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene and achieving a “legal victory over the state of Virginia’s happy hour restrictions.”

The original Chef Geoff’s is in northwest D.C. at 3201 New Mexico Avenue. Tracy also co-owns Cafe Deluxe, which has a location in Tysons at 1800 International Drive.

“It was a nice run in Tysons for the last 10 years,” Tracy said.

Image via Google Maps

EcoPlay, a new children’s playspace in Tysons, is planning to open in early July.

The indoor play area is currently under construction in Pike 7 Plaza, replacing the Performance Bicycle Shop that closed in January.

A store representative said the location had been hoping to open in June, but is more likely eyeing early-to-mid July.

According to the company’s website:

When you enter EcoPlay, your children’s eyes will light up as they encounter our beautiful indoor play space. We believe in play that encourages exploration, learning and imagination.  We provide children with a space to explore new abilities through a wide variety of interactive games, learning events and educational toys. Every inch of EcoPlay was hand-selected to promote healthy and safe play.

Two-hour open playtime supervised by a parent or other responsible adult costs $20 per child, or a child can be dropped off for supervised play for $30.

The facility will also offers private or semi-private party spaces for up to 25 children for three hours.

Image via EcoPlay/Facebook

An 82-year-old man from Falls Church died after he was struck on I-495 near Tysons on Saturday (June 8).

Barrington Holt was driving his 2014 Honda Accord northbound on I-495 when he ran off the right side of the interstate and struck a concrete barrier and a guard rail, Corinne Geller, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, said.

Holt got out of his car and tried to cross the northbound lanes of I-495 when he walked in front of a northbound tractor-trailer.

“The tractor-trailer tried to avoid Holt by braking suddenly, but was unable to avoid striking the man,” Geller said. “The tractor-trailer was then rear-ended by a northbound tractor-trailer.”

The fatal crash occurred less than a mile south of Route 7 around 12:30 a.m.

Holt died at the scene, Geller said. The tractor-trailer drivers, who were both wearing seat belts, were not injured.

Virginia State Police Trooper L. Vajglova is investigating a fatal crash in Fairfax County, Geller said.

Map via Google Maps

Vienna police have recently been called for reports of people banging on a resident’s door in the 400 block of Onondio Circle SW.

A resident reported Friday, May 31, that a stranger banged on his front door and window around 12:30 a.m. before fleeing.

“This incident has occurred multiple times in the past few weeks,” the police report said.

The resident also reported to the police Friday, May 24, that he thought that one of the people in a car that drove past his house before 9 p.m. resembled the person from the night before (May 23) who banged loudly on the front door of the home, possibly trying to gain entry around midnight.

Police said the resident opened the door, and the person ran off.

“The resident believed there may have also been two other individuals in the yard,” according to the police report. “All three fled from the area in an unknown vehicle.”

The resident told police that two other similar incidents happened during the late night and early morning hours in the past two weeks.

Photo via Facebook

Fairfax County Voters Receive Mass Political Texts — “An unknown number of Northern Virginia residents have received anonymous, unsolicited text messages linking to WAMU’s coverage of an ethics complaint filed against a top candidate for chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors… The texts were not sent by WAMU.” [WAMU]

New Bike Trail Needs a Name — The Fairfax County Department of Transportation wants the public’s help with naming a new bike and pedestrian trail along the I-66 corridor. The online survey is open until June 30. [FCDOT]

Man Struck and Killed on I-495 Near Tysons — “Around 12:33 a.m. [on Saturday, June 8], a sedan traveling north on I-495 near Route 7 in Fairfax County when the car ran off the right side of the interstate and struck a concrete barrier and then the guard rail. The sedan’s driver, an adult male, exited his vehicle and was attempting to cross the northbound lanes of I-495 when he crossed in front of a northbound tractor-trailer.” [Inside NoVa]

Fires Erupted Around Vienna — Firefighters got a two-story house fire in the 9000 block of Edgepark Road under control yesterday (June 9). On Saturday, firefighters extinguished a deck fire in 8500 block of Pepperdine Drive. [Twitter, Twitter]

Local Students Win National Merit Scholarships — Students from James Madison and McLean high schools were among the 26 Fairfax County Public Schools students who won 2019 Merit Scholarship awards by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. [FCPS]

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.

With a sweet and salty menu, Teas’n You offers bubble tea fans a spot to hang out long after work ends.

Right along Leesburg Pike behind Tysons Corner Center, the fusion tea house serves up milk tea, slush teas, Thai tea and coffee with salty snacks — basil popcorn chicken and garlic parmesan fries. It might sound like a limited menu, but this Tysons Reporter editor found the basil popcorn chicken filling paired with a regular sized drink.

Macarons are also on the menu. A single signature flavor costs $2.90, while a season one is $3.25. Customers can also get a box of five ($13.75) or 10 ($25.95).

According to the Teas’n You website, the baked goods are made fresh daily in-house.

Unlike some tea spots, Teas’n You has a roomy yet cozy feeling interior with ample seating, with some tables just meant for one person and others for four customers.

Teas’n You is open until 9 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. On Sundays, the shop closes at 8 p.m.

Fairfax County police said that generators were stolen from a Merrifield business.

The incident occurred in the 2800 block of Merrilee Drive.

Map via Google Maps

Vienna’s Board of Architectural Review (BAR) decried plans for the Vienna Market project as rigid, plain and unbecoming for Maple Avenue.

At a work session on May 24, the BAR met with the developers of the project set to replace the Marco Polo building and other surrounding properties. The proposed project would add 44 condominiums and 8,200 square feet of retail space — along with a 32-space underground parking garage — to 245  W. Maple Avenue.

While the project’s architects discussed adding “rustification” and more brick to the building, BAR members expressed frustration with how bland the project appeared.

“My main concern here is the overall feel has gone [away] from all four sides offering something of interest and unique in the town,” Laine Hyde, the vice chair of the BAR, said. “I look at all four sides and I see flat. I’m not seeing the detail and mix of materials. I’m not seeing the variety of individual buildings; just sameness on all sides.”

Paul Layer, the chair of the BAR, said that earlier towers and variance to the rooftop gave the building some prestige on the Maple Avenue side.

“I think Maple Avenue deserves more than this building next door,” Layer said.

But the designers of the building noted that the project is trapped between ambitions from the BAR and a community that regularly rallies against projects that don’t fit with existing buildings on the street.

“We are trying to keep the building grand,” Bill Foliaco, a representative from Lessard Design, said. “It’s going to be large. But we wanted the storefront to feel like more than standard suburban town center. We want this to feel like it’s been here a while, not brand new. My concern is not financial, but in the current world we live in, I’m afraid it won’t come out the way we imagine it.”

The BAR concluded that another work session will need to be held at an unspecified date for it and the developer to continue working together to find something that will not only satisfy both parties but is likely to be approved by a Vienna Town Council with a new, decidedly anti-outsized development bent.

Image via Vienna Board of Architectural Review