The local Korean eatery Mixing Bowl and the local branch of the organic salad chain Sweet Leaf Cafe are both closed in Tysons Corner Center.

Since 2012, Mixing Bowl served Korean-style tacos, wraps and bibimbap in the first-floor food court. The restaurant offered a variety of vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes for less than $10.

A wrap around the front of the store shows that the restaurant is soon to be replaced by a new Falafel Inc. — a D.C. based restaurant that donates a percentage of its profits to support refugees.

But just around the corner, there are no signs for what’s coming next for Sweet Leaf Cafe. The windows still tell visitors to sign up for the app, and the woodwork above the doorframe still faintly shows where the restaurant sign had been hanging.

In the meantime, there’s also Sweet Leaf Cafes at 262 Maple Avenue E. in Vienna and 1359 Chain Bridge Road in McLean. For anyone else looking for vegan or vegetarian options, here is a by-no-means-comprehensive list.

Updated at 11:30 a.m. on May 9 — The Planning Commission decided to defer the decision to May 16. A description of The Monarch was corrected. 

A proposed senior living facility in Tysons is headed to the Fairfax County Planning Commission for a vote tonight (May 8) that may result in a recommended denial.

Fairfax County planners took issue with the height, design and open space planned for the two-tower senior living complex called The Mather and have recommended denial of the application, the Washington Business Journal reported in late April.

According to the staff report in WBJ’s story:

Staff does not object to the concept of a continuing care facility as a use, and in fact, recognizes the services provided by such a facility are both necessary and desirable within Tysons. However, the continuing care facility has been designed in a way that reflects the unique needs of the applicant’s specific business model, and does not reflect the urban design recommendations of both the Comprehensive Plan and the Tysons Urban Design Guidelines.

The project includes 18- and 27-story tall towers with a podium connecting the towers on the lower levels and 300 independent living units, 78 assisted living units and 18,000 square feet of retail and restaurants on the lower floors.

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

The proposal is scheduled for a decision at the Planning Commission’s meeting tonight.

Vienna residents elected three candidates concerned about the scale of new developments planned for Maple Avenue to the Town Council.

Yesterday’s election saw six candidates — two incumbents face off against four challengers — vie for three council seats.

According to a press release, the unofficial results of the election are:

• Nisha Patel: 1,523
• Howard Springsteen: 1,475
• Steve Potter: 1,470
• Julie Hays: 985
• Tara Bloch: 775
• Time Strike: 415

Incumbent Howard Springsteen has been a leading voice in opposition to new larger Maple Avenue developments, saying that the town’s commercial zones need managed growth with low-density residential zoning and modest, appropriate developments.

Local small business owner Nisha Patel has expressed concerns about the impact of high-density mixed-use developments on traffic and schools. Steve Potter is a founding member of the Vienna Citizens for Responsible Development, a group that has pushed for developments that preserve the “small-town character” on Maple Avenue.

Patel, Potter and Springsteen were all endorsed by the Vienna Citizens for Responsible Development.

Incumbent Tara Bloch, who had the second to the lowest number of votes, did not win reelection. Bloch touted the increased number of sidewalks and bike routes, as well as new commercial redevelopments, and she ran a campaign focused on pushing for a pedestrian-friendly business corridor.

Julie Hays, who ran a campaign focused on pedestrian and bicycle safety and protecting residential neighborhoods, and Tim Strike, who expressed opposition to the medium-high density developments and supported more public parking, also lost.

Vienna residents cast a total of 2,411 ballots, according to the press release.

Photos [1, 2, 3] in collage via Facebook

McEnearney Associates, a family-owned real estate firm, recently arrived in Vienna.

Vienna Mayor Laurie DiRocco celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week. While new to the brick-and-mortar spot, McEnearney Associates is no stranger to Vienna — the real estate firm has conducted business in the town for 35 years, according to a press release.

“We felt that we wanted a stronger presence in the Town of Vienna to increase our client support and community outreach,” Jon Wolford, the managing broker of McLean/Vienna McEnearney Associates, said. “Many of our Associates are involved in the Vienna community whether through events, schools or non­profit organizations.”

Located at 374 Maple Avenue E., the spot is right by the Peet’s Coffee and newly opened Starbucks. It is the 11th location for McEnearney Associates in the D.C.-area, according to the press release.

“There is something incredibly unique and special about the Town of Vienna, and we felt it was a perfect fit for our firm,” Wolford said.

Earlier this week the Town Business Liaison Committee welcomed McEnearney Associates to Town. They are a local and family-owned real estate firm with over 350 associates. Cheers! #local #business pic.twitter.com/7KCqy0Vhoa

— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) May 3, 2019

Updated at 5:05 p.m. — Tysons Reporter interviewed FCDOT Director Tom Biesiadny, who provided more information about the driver shortage and advice for bus riders.

The Fairfax Connector currently doesn’t have enough bus drivers.

A service operation alert on the Fairfax Connector BusTracker website today (May 7) says that the shortage is affecting the entire bus system. The alert says:

The Fairfax Connector bus operations contractor is experiencing a shortage of bus drivers which is impacting service delivery. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate our passengers’ patience as the contractor is working diligently to recruit drivers and add staffing, when possible, to minimize further impacts.

Tom Biesiadny, the director of Fairfax County’s transportation department, told Tysons Reporter that work is underway with MV Transportation, the current bus system’s operator, on the shortage.

“We are working with the contractor to make sure we have the staff that is needed to operate the bus system on a daily basis,” he said.

In addition to the contractor hiring more drivers — something that Biesiadny said has always been a challenge in the area, FCDOT is working to figure out which routes will be least impacted by missed or delayed buses.

“What we’re trying to do is to ensure that if there are trips that are going to be missed that we make sure that it’s not affecting the same route all of the time,” he said.

He said that the driver shortage varies day by day, with Fridays tending to be more problematic. “This is a relatively recent problem to the extent it is affecting all of our trips,” he said.

The shortages began about a week after the announcement that Fairfax County awarded a five-year contract to Transdev North America to operate the Fairfax Connector starting July 1.

Biesiadny said that the contractor switch may be one of the causes behind the shortage.

“Anytime you’re transitioning from one contractor to another contractor there are uncertainties in the workforce,” he said. “I wouldn’t discount that. I wouldn’t say that’s the entire reason.”

Some people took to Twitter to share delayed buses — or ones that never showed up at all — have caused transportation headaches.

https://twitter.com/noitsbekki/status/1124003976712785927

https://twitter.com/rnmair121/status/1124287275100246017

461 and 466 not running? People need to get to work but we've spent the last hour waiting for buses that area not coming @ffxconnector????? No communication unless someone calls to complain? We need another provider of public transportation… So frustrating!!!!!!!!!

— Young J Kim (@YoungJ91) May 3, 2019

@fairfaxcounty Fairfax connector bus scheduled for 7.55am to Vienna metro has not showed up for the past 2 days. #FairfaxCounty #FAIL

— narayana sundaram (@narayanais) May 2, 2019

One person noted that the same driver shortage alert popped up earlier this month on Friday, May 3.

Fairfax Connector alert: buses might be late because MV Transportation doesn't have enough bus drivers.

(Is this a short-term thing, just today? Long-term? What are the impacts? I have several questions?) pic.twitter.com/CHp0KPl7Xv

— @[email protected] (@srepetsk) May 3, 2019

The reader who tipped Tysons Reporter off about the shortage also expressed concern for people using alternative transportation in the Tysons-area tomorrow (May 8) — the same day that some Uber and Lyft drivers plan to strike.

Biesiadny stressed the importance of planning trips and using resources like Twitter, Facebook, BusTracker, texting stop IDs to 414-11 and the customer service number as a way for people to find out the bus schedules.

“We’re trying to reach out to passengers but also we also want passengers to reach out to us,” he said.

Photo via Facebook

The Tysons branch of an educational service centers chain had a short-lived closure after the franchise owner was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting two students.

A spokeswoman for the Huntington Learning Centers said its branches in Tysons and Springfield both reopened on April 26, one week after they closed.

“They were reopened after we could be assured that the Springfield and Tysons centers were not involved in the incidents alleged,” the spokeswoman said.

Franchise owner Jeffrey Cummins faces eight felony counts of indecent liberties by a custodian against children, and the abuse allegedly occurred inside Cummins’ home in Annandale.

Eileen Huntington, the chief executive officer of the Huntington Learning Centers, said in a statement:

“Our focus has always been to provide a safe and supportive environment for students. Upon learning of the situation reported, the centers were immediately closed until we could be assured that the Springfield and Tysons centers were not involved in the incidents alleged, that all students were safe, and that they will continue to be in the future. After confirmation, both centers reopened. We look forward to continuing our mission to provide every student with the best education possible.”

The Tysons facility operates in the Centennial Plaza shopping center at 8290 Old Courthouse Road. According to the company’s website, the facility has been open for 23 years.

The spokeswoman did not respond to questions from Tysons Reporter about how many kids were affected by the closure.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney said that because the victims in the case are under the age of 18, the case is first going to the juvenile domestic court for a preliminary hearing scheduled for August 22.

After the preliminary hearing, depending on the judge’s determination, the case could be sent to the circuit court.

The Town of Vienna will continue seeking locals’ input on public parking following a returned push to make it easier to park in the town’s central business district.

The meeting set for this Thursday (May 9) will follow up on a March brainstorming session hosted by the Town Business Liaison Committee and Mayor Laurie DiRocco.

About 35 business owners and people helped problem-solve and come up with more than two dozen ideas, including short-, mid- and long-term options, like:

• create a comprehensive parking and marketing plan for Vienna and its business community
• develop clear and improved Town-branded parking signage
• actively enforce two-hour parking on Church Street and for designated short-term parking
• consider financial or property improvement incentives for property owners
• research feasibility of connecting Vienna Metro, Town Green, Tysons Metro (and residential areas) with a trolley

The upcoming meeting will seek locals’ input on the ideas and any new ideas and possible implementation strategies.

The meetings come on the heels of the town’s decision in January to dissolve an agreement to use a four-story commercial building on Church Street as a public parking garage.

Anyone interested in going can head to the Town Hall (127 S. Center Street) at 6 p.m.

(Updated 11:20 p.m.) Tomorrow (Wednesday), Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is planning the 8th annual “Bike to School Day” to help foster healthy habits in local students.

The activity is part of a series of events throughout the area focused around promoting bicycling.

Students are encouraged to bike or walk to school and work, with parents encouraged to accompany their children to school and organize bike trains or walking groups.

FCPS also has a list of safe routes to and from each school in the county.

Tysons area schools with Bike to School Day activities include:

• Churchhill Road Elementary
• Colvin Run Elementary
• Cunningham Park Elementary
• Fairhill Elementary
• Graham Road Elementary
• Haycock Elementary
• Kilmer Middle
• Lemon Road Elementary
• Marshall Road Elementary
• Spring Hill Elementary
• Timber Lane Elementary
• Vienna Elementary
• Westbriar Elementary
• Wolf Trap Elementary

For those without kids in the schools, Bike to Work Day is May 17. Locals are encouraged to bike to work, even if it’s just for one day, to try out the healthy commute.

Participants in Bike to Work Day can register online to access 115 pit stops throughout the region and link up to commuter convoys.

Photo via Facebook

A pet store chain recently opened its doors in the Mosaic District.

In March, storefront signs said Kriser’s Natural Pet, a pet store chain featuring natural food, treats and supplies, would open in a spot (2905 District Avenue, Suite 180) between Sweetgreen and Nordine Salon and Day Spa.

The Mosaic District pet store held a grand opening on Saturday (May 4), but with a new name. Recently, Kriser’s East Coast stores rebranded as “Loyal Companion.”

Other nearby locations are in Vienna at 144 Maple Avenue W. and in Tysons at 7505 Leesburg Pike inside the Whole Foods shopping center.

Mysteries and film noir classics will come to the silver screen every week this month at the Mosaic District.

Moviegoers at the Angelika Film Center (2911 District Avenue, Suite 200) can watch a different film every Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. Tickets cost $14.50.

The movie options are:

• May 8: “Mildred Pierce” — A woman struggles to support her spoiled daughter after divorcing her husband and starting a successful restaurant business
• May 15: “The Maltese Falcon” — A private detective seeks out his partner’s killer and becomes involved in a search for a priceless 16th-century statuette
• May 22: “Double Indemnity” — A woman seduces an insurance agent into murdering her husband, but then they get suspicious of each other’s motives
• May 29: “The Lady From Shanghai”– A seaman gets implicated in a murder after he starts working on a yacht

From the Mosaic District’s website:

Join us Wednesdays in May for murder, femme fatales and a hard-boiled detective with a hat.  With breathtaking cinematography, these Film Noir classics mark an error of smoky landscapes, towering shadows and stupendous mystery.

The self-described “boutique cinema” in the heart of the Mosaic District typically shows independent and specialty films.

Photo via Facebook