Fairfax County Police say two employees at an unnamed business near the Spring Hill Metro station were threatened at gunpoint, and one was robbed.
The report says the robbery took place on the 8400 block of Broad Street — the block behind The Ascent residential building — around 2 p.m. on Tuesday (April 23), according to the police report.
According to the report:
Two employees overheard a commotion in the stairwell and saw two men walking away. The employees were then approached by the men and one of them displayed a black handgun. One employee ran away while the second was assaulted and his property was taken. The men left the area in a black sedan. They are described as black, about 6′ and wearing dark clothing.
File photo
This Saturday, the 8th annual Taste of Vienna will offer bites of food from various local restaurants and chains.
More than a dozen restaurants are signed up for the event, including:
- Taco Bamba
- Kay’s Smoothies
- Viet Aroma
- Pure Pasty
- Ledo’s Pizza
- Nothing Bundt Cakes
Food trucks will also serve up food and drink, from desserts by Captain Cookie and The Milkman to Thai food by Tuk Tuk.
Admission to the festival is free, and guests can purchase food and drink there or via a variety of ticket packages that include tokens for drinks and a commemorative pint glass. Discount drink and food packages will be on sale until midnight tomorrow (April 25).
The event helps raise money for the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department (VVFD), which hosts the event.
Rain or shine, Taste of Vienna will take place from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. at the VVFD parking lot at 400 Center Street S.
Photo via Facebook
The Providence District Democratic Committee has voted to endorse Karl Frisch to represent the Providence District on the Fairfax County School Board.
The incumbent Providence District School Board Member Dalia Palchik is currently embroiled in her own heated race for the Board of Supervisors, leaving the School Board seat open to a competitive election.
Frisch is a Democratic strategist and the executive director of Allied Progress, a non-profit issue advocacy organization in D.C.
The committee voted 127 in favor of Frisch and 79 for the other candidate, Jung Byun.
Thank you Providence District Democratic Committee! I am honored to be the Democratic candidate for Fairfax County School Board in Providence District this November and incredibly grateful for the help and support of so many people that made tonight possible — especially Evan. pic.twitter.com/Tz6TljLQS9
— Karl Frisch (@KarlFrisch) April 24, 2019
The centerpiece of Frisch’s campaign was applying the principals of the Green New Deal to Fairfax schools, making the schools operate in a more environmentally friendly way. Frisch’s proposals include adding more solar panels to school buildings and converting to electric school buses.
Byun congratulated Frisch on Twitter after the race and encouraged her supporters to back Frisch in the general election on Nov. 5.
Photo via Facebook
City Works Eatery and Pour House set an opening date that is right around the corner for its upcoming Tysons location at the Capital One Headquarters.
The restaurant announced today (April 24) that it plans to open at 1640 Capital One Drive North on Tuesday, May 28.
Focused on classic American cuisine, the menu will have gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options, along with more than 90 draft beers and eight wines, according to the press release.
Here’s a sampling of items on the menu:
- Kung Pao cauliflower
- smoked chicken wings
- duck nachos
- an assortment of tacos
- filet mignon sliders with caramelized onion and horseradish cream on a pretzel roll
- fried chicken sandwich with spicy bread, butter pickles and Carolina mustard barbecue sauce
- “City Works Burger” made with a short rib and brisket blend, topped with aged white cheddar, shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato, red onion and a dill pickle on a toasted brioche bun
Roughly 30 percent of the draft selection is sourced from breweries around the Virginia area, including Parkway Brewing Co., Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co., Midnight Brewery and Union Craft Brewing, the press release says.
The restaurant will seat up to about 175 people on the first floor, which will have 12 high-definition televisions. The patio will have about 50 seats and feature an outdoor container bar, three televisions and a canopy, the press release says. Additionally, the restaurants will have two private event dining rooms — also with televisions.
The Tysons location will be the first one for City Works in Virginia.
The restaurant is currently hiring servers, bartenders, hosts, line cooks, prep cooks, brushers, runners and dishwashers.
Photo via Facebook
A pop-up art store in Tysons is set to showcase art from international artists at a show on Saturday (April 27).
The Dara Global Arts Gallery is planning a reception from 2-6 p.m. in their pop-up store at 7501 Leesburg Pike, which opened in February. The artwork on display ranges from oils and acrylics to ceramic artwork, and the event on Saturday will feature an opera performance.
The gallery is typically open by appointment only, but the event will throw open the doors to the public.
Dara Global Arts Gallery is part of a budding art scene in Tysons. The gallery’s stated objective is “bringing harmony and peace through art,” reflected in the gallery’s emphasis on diversity both in artists and in the type of art displayed.
The artwork will be on display from April 27 through May 13.
The gallery is also planning an event for Mother’s Day on May 5 with special artwork and a jewelry gallery.
A small parcel of forest along Prosperity Avenue leading into the Dunn Loring Metro parking garage is likely going to be replaced by a new substation to power the Metro.
The green space is a casualty of plans to expand I-66, which would displace an existing substation along the route.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is currently seeking permission to relocate the substation.
“The relocation will affect the existing open space for the entire 15.383 acres of the WMATA Property and will diminish it approximately 5,778 square feet,” WMATA said in the application.
But the substation isn’t the only thing that could be relocated. Last fall, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced plans that some residents along I-66 could be relocated to make way for the construction.
A Fairfax County Planning Commission hearing scheduled for June 26 will consider the plan.
Photo via Google Maps
An event tomorrow (Thursday) evening will launch the National Park Service’s effort to engage the local community on the future of Claude Moore Colonial Farm in McLean.
Claude Moore Farm closed in December after a year of battling between the park service and a private group called the Friends of Claude Moore Colonial Farm, which had maintained the park as a working exhibition since the early 1980s, over control of the farm.
Now, the park service will kick-off its public planning effort tomorrow, by inviting people to share their vision for the park’s future.
A public comment period and an open house from 6-8 p.m. at classroom 7 in the Madison Community Center (3829 N. Stafford Street) are planned for tomorrow. People also can provide feedback online or via mail.
“After gathering information and hearing from the public, the NPS will develop a range of concepts for future use and enjoyment of the Claude Moore farm area of Turkey Run Park,” NPS says on its website. “The concepts will be shared with the public and there will be additional opportunities to provide feedback.”
NPS notes that any options for consideration will likely require environmental and historic preservation compliance prior to implementation.
“The public engagement process will help determine what happens next and when,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust wrote in an email to constituents earlier in April.
A planned Tysons development may soon have new owners, which could result in changes to the previously approved project.
Two years ago, Fairfax County approved a redevelopment project near the corner of Leesburg Pike and Gallows Road in the Old Courthouse district. Shortly afterward, the developer filed for bankruptcy. Now, the property is poised to shift hands, but it’s unclear whether the soon-to-be new owner will still follow the approved plans.
The plans for International Place, which were submitted by a limited liability company as a project of the Stafford-based Garrett Cos., follow a typical pattern for post-Metro development in Tysons. They call for one main new building and five secondary structures, ranging from 85 to 400 feet in height, to house a mixture of office, residential and retail uses.
The current plan includes 385 new apartments, 129,000 square feet of retail space, two new public parks and one new public street, which would connect Leesburg Pike to Boone Blvd. The plans would follow urban design guidelines for human-focused sidewalks.
After an extensive process of planning, design, submission and county review, Fairfax planners approved the design for International Place, authorizing construction to begin. It was to be the first major redevelopment in the Old Courthouse district.
When the LLC filed for bankruptcy last February, though, the development was put on hold. Now, a Middle Eastern real estate developer who chairs the United Arab Emirates-based Nobles Properties has signed a purchase agreement to buy the property at 8201 Leesburg Pike for $18 million, the Washington Business Journal reported. That purchase isn’t final yet — the LLC has a hearing set for May 7 to seek permission to sell the property.
It is unclear whether the developer would seek to implement the plans that have been approved for International Place, propose an alternate design or continue to use the site as it is. These approved plans, though, would certainly be valuable to the new owners, and in all likelihood, this purchase will be a significant step toward redevelopment of the location.
First and second images via Fairfax County, last image via Google Maps
(Updated 4 p.m.) Fairfax County wants to make it easier for locals to garden and for farmers markets to operate.
As the county gets denser, residents are finding new ways to get in touch with their green thumb. A series of zoning changes planned for discussion at tomorrow’s (Wednesday) Planning Commission meeting would loosen restrictions around gardening and farmers markets.
The proposals would create a new “community garden” use in the zoning code. These gardens could be located on either the ground floor or rooftop and could be considered common open space by right, meaning no additional zoning requirements would be required for approval.
According to the staff report on the amendment:
By expanding the definition of open space to include community gardens, homeowners or condominium associations will be able to establish community gardens subject to the proposed use standards… Similarly, the proposed amendment permits non-residential developments, such as places of worship, office, and other commercial and industrial developments, schools, et cetera to establish community gardens by right as accessory uses in open space, subject to the proposed use standards.
Analysis of community gardens by Fairfax County showed that most occupy less than two acres of land, but gardens proposed above two acres could still be approved with a special permit from the Board of Zoning Appeals.
The changes also remove a restriction that only allows gardens on side or rear yards of single-family residential lots. Gardens could be allowed in front yards, provided they are no closer than 15 feet to the front of the lot and limited to 10 feet squared in area.
The zoning changes would also loosen up restrictions on farmers markets. Currently, farmers markets are a temporary special permit with what the report calls “significant restrictions.” They are currently only permitted to sell seasonal or perishable produce between April and November and only on lots that front arterial streets.
But the report recognizes that farmers markets have evolved substantially since those regulations were written and have expanded the to food beyond just produce.
The new regulations would permit farmers markets for two-year periods and allow year-round operation. The markets would also be allowed to operate away from major roads, a rule that the staff report said half of the existing markets ignore anyway.
The only restriction on merchandise at farmers markets would be that items for sale must be farm products or products derived from a farm, like salsa using ingredients from a farm.
The changes are planned to go to the Board of Supervisors on June 25, and if approved, could take effect by 12:01 a.m. the day after adoption.
“Staff believes that this amendment provides a balanced approach to providing easier access to fresh, healthy food to residents in all areas of the County,” staff said in the report, “while ensuring that the uses of community gardens, farmers markets, and residential gardening are established to be good neighbors.”
Photo via @claire_brunette/Instagram
Funding for two positions to help alleviate two very different crises in Vienna was salvaged by last-minute savings.
Digging around the proverbial sofa to find extra funds for previously unfunded priorities is a time-honored local budget tradition. In Vienna, that took the form of $400,000 recovered from transferring repaving to a cheaper system and changes in the town’s health insurance structure.
In response, Town Manager Mercury Payton proposed $383,000 worth of items that were not funded in the budget that could be financed by the found-funds in the final budget.
The largest item among the unfunded priorities was $144,600 for an economic development manager — a long-discussed idea in Vienna.
Despite more businesses opening than closing in the town, Vienna is still struggling with rampant closures from small businesses. The manager would help assess problems facing local business and develop strategies to help keep businesses in town. Vienna is currently the only locality in Northern Virginia without a person working specifically in an economic development role.
The list of unfunded priorities also includes $50,000 for an economic development and market study.
The other crisis addressed in the list of priorities is handling the town’s massive wave of tree deaths. Over the last few years, every ash tree in Vienna has been killed by the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive parasite that’s devastated North America’s ash tree population.
But the town is also dealing with the still-unsolved mystery of what is killing the town’s Norway maples. The death tally reached 30 earlier this year, and Town Arborist Gary Lawrence said the killings were so similar to the Emerald Ash Borer deaths that at first the deaths were mistaken for that infestation.
The list of unfunded priorities includes $69,364 for an assistant arborist and $20,000 to help handle tree maintenance.
A public hearing on the tax rate is planned for April 29 and adoption of the budget is scheduled for May 13.
File photo
