Police say a Vienna resident broke into Oakton High School early this morning (Tuesday) and was seen riding a scooter around the hallways while trying to get into classrooms.
Around 1:41 a.m., security at the school reported that they saw someone riding a scooter inside of the school trying to open classroom doors, according to a police report.
The report says police found the man in the parking lot and placed him under arrest for unlawful entry and trespassing.
Photo via Google Maps
Jolie Hair Studio, a new hair and beauty salon, is open for business at 121 Maple Avenue W. in Vienna.
The store officially opened a little over a month ago, on Feb. 21.
The Vienna studio is the second location for Jolie Hair Studio, which also has a salon at 10132 Colvin Run Road in Great Falls.
Services at the store range from haircuts for $30-$35 to waxing for $10-$15, along with more involved blowouts and two-hour bridal make-up sessions for $200.
In addition to hair cuts, the studio offers beauty treatments like varicose vein removal, botox treatment and nail coloring.
A grand opening celebration included a ribbon-cutting with Town of Vienna Mayor Laurie DiRocco.
Photo via Facebook
Arabian Oud, a luxury perfume store chain based in Saudi Arabia, opened in Tysons Corner Center last Sunday (April 7).
Heba Ashraf, the store manager, told Tysons Reporter that the oil based-fragrances stem from oil harvested from the wood of disease-infected trees. The disease — a type of mold — prompts the trees to produce a fragrant oily resin, which is then harvested.
The scents vary depending on where the tree is from and if the tree flowers, Ashraf said.
Most of the fragrances in the store cost several hundred dollars, Ashraf said. The most expensive item is the $1,500 Royal Oud Set, which is described as a Cambodian oud with a blend of roses and musk. Less expensive items include the $50 Disney fragrances for kids, including “Mickey Mouse” with pear, toffee apples and musk and “Cinderella” with pineapple, rose, musk, jasmine and vanilla.
Established in 1982, Arabian Oud has more than 55 branches across the world, including a location in New York City’s Times Square. Ashraf said that she gleaned from the management that the Tysons Corner Center spot is ideal because of the high-end brands in “one of the biggest malls here in the area,” along with the mall’s proximity to D.C. and its diverse demographics.
“I see people from all over the world [come into the store],” Ashraf said.
Longtime Vienna furniture retailer Posh! is departing its longtime Maple Avenue home and offering a farewell warning that the town is on the cusp of losing its small retail.
Posh! started 37 years ago with an interior design focus aimed at filling the need for high-end residential clients. Now, store owner Mary Anne Antonides is closing down the sprawling location in Vienna and says traffic, parking, and the pressures of new developments are all partially to blame.
During early afternoons, Antonides says it can take an hour just to get across town, which deters people from traveling to Vienna.
“In Vienna, we’re losing our independent stores,” Antonides said. “We lost the shops along Church Street.”
It isn’t the first time Vienna traffic has been a problem for Posh! Antonides said the store relocated off of its original Church Street location because there wasn’t enough parking to support local retail.
“When the Mill Street parking deal fell apart, that was it,” said Antonides. “Vienna is struggling with their development, and the impact for business is huge.”
More businesses are opening than closing in Vienna, but local experts warn that smaller retail locations are still being hit hard.
The move isn’t entirely driven by negative local experiences — Antonides also said she’s hoping to shift the brand from traditional retail to a more event-driven system.
With Posh! looking for a new location, Antonides says she’s hoping to reopen with a new warehouse in Merrifield and a studio in McLean where the store can showcase specialty designer items.
Finding a space in McLean that works for Posh! has also proved challenging. Antonides says the store needs a free-standing structure to be able to “create our own destiny.” In practical terms, Antonides says she wants to be able to host events that might involve putting a tent outside or other activities that wouldn’t be possible in a shared space.
But free-standing space in downtown McLean is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity as the town’s new Community Business Center aims to make the primary retail areas part of larger mixed-use developments.
Antonides also noted that many of these new mixed-use developments cater more to larger retail chains than local small businesses. She said that many of the new developments have leasing square footages that can be daunting for small businesses.
“My worry is that we’re losing our identity with artisans and small businesses,” Antonides said. “When they close, we lose connectivity and friendships.”
No specific closing date is planned, but once the Vienna location does close, Antonides says there’s a tenant currently finalizing a lease to take over the front space.
Photo via Facebook
There’s already been a substantial amount of digging and preliminary work at the Monarch, a 20-story condominium tower northeast of Tysons Galleria, but last week the project officially broke ground.
The tower at 7887 Jones Branch Drive is now under construction with an opening scheduled for late 2020.
The site is planned to have 94 residences with a dozen floor plans, from 880 to 3,4000 square feet, meaning the building will have a range of two to six units per floor. Designs show that all residents will have floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor balconies.
Prices range from $600,000 to just over $3 million.
The project is part of the Arbor Row development, a 19-acre stretch of mixed-use buildings along Westpark Drive. The first building of the project, the residential Nouvelle, was completed in 2015 and the next phase, senior living facility The Mather, is going to the Fairfax County Planning Commission next week.
“Arbor Row is the new Tysons’ most livable neighborhood,” Albert H. Small Jr., founder of developer Renaissance, said in a press release. “There already are pedestrian pathways that lead to enticing restaurants and shops, and more green space than you will find anywhere else in Tysons. With both Wegmans and Whole Foods opening soon in the immediate area, Arbor Row will offer extensive options to support a healthy lifestyle.”
While the project is planned to be walkable in the long-run, locals should be aware that construction activity has temporarily closed the sidewalk along Westpark Drive.
Editor’s note: Over the next several weeks, Tysons Reporter is profiling the eight districts of Tysons. This is the fifth article in that series.
Tysons these days has a bit of a reputation as a cultural wasteland. Even today, that’s not quite true, and if the plans for Tysons West come to fruition it won’t be true at all.
The Tysons Comprehensive Plan envisions this area, which is centered on the Spring Hill Metro station, as one of Tysons’ four downtown districts, an “arts and entertainment center.” The plan calls for a high-density diversity of uses, “tree-lined streets”, and “a series of urban park spaces.” Over 18 million square feet of development, including what could be Tysons’ tallest tower, is in the works, and much of it (though not yet the tower) has been approved.
From Car Dealerships to Towers
Today, Tysons West is the least developed of Tysons’ four downtown areas. Much of the land is still covered by car dealerships. But the arrival of a more urban form of transportation — the Silver Line — has sparked intense plans for redevelopment.
These plans, although by a range of different developers, share many elements that characterize projects across Tysons. They’re dense, mixed-use, and are built with an eye for pedestrian accessibility, meaning that residents should be able to fulfill daily and weekly needs without motorized transportation. They’re outward-facing, with most attention and retail activity on the sidewalks of public streets rather than inside buildings or isolated courtyards. And they connect to one another, through a new grid of streets, helping residents of one development enjoy the amenities of another.
Many of these projects also promise to bring sports fields, for example in Dominion Square East, or provide funding for fields nearby.
There’s so much new development slated for this area that I can’t even list it all, but naming a few key projects should give a sense of the scope of the plans.
Dominion Square East, Dominion Square West, and Sunburst will all lie directly west of the Spring Hill Metro, within a five-minute walk. Combined, they will bring us at least 13 new buildings, as many as 3,100 residential units (20% of them to be designated for lower-income residents), over 200,000 square feet of commercial space, and several office towers. The Vesper Trail, which opened recently, passes through this area to connect to the Metro.
Fairfax County police are looking for an armed man who tried to rob a hotel employee but ended up leaving empty-handed.
The incident took place around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 12. A man displayed a gun and tried to take money that an employee was counting at the Quality Inn on Spring Hill Road in Vienna, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
The man left empty-handed after a brief struggle with the employee, who called out for help, police say.
“The suspect is described as black, 6’2″ to 6′ 5″, 180 to 200 pounds, wearing a red and white long sleeve shirt with a collar and a black backpack,” according to FCPD.
Photo 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 (April 16)
- Vesper Trail Ribbon Cutting — 10 a.m. at Higdon Drive — The new Vesper Trail connecting Old Courthouse Road in Vienna to the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons after earlier delays.
- Sugar Mountain: Neil Young Tribute Band — 7:30 p.m. at Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave E) — The Neil Young Tribute Band Sugar Mountain is scheduled to play at Jammin Java tomorrow. Tickets are $20.
Wednesday (April 17)
- Maibock Tapping Party — 6-8 p.m. at Gordon Biersch Brewery (7861 Tysons Corner Center) — The Tysons Corner Center’s Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant is tapping party to raise funds for the Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Department. The event is planned to include tastings, appetizers, live music and more. A quarter will be donated to the department for every pint served, and 15 percent of all restaurant sales during the party.
Thursday (April 18)
- Monty Python’s Life of Brian Screening — 7-9 p.m. at the Angelika Film Center (2911 District Ave.) — The Angelika Film Center in the Mosaic District will host a screening of the controversial satire The Life of Brian. Tickets are $15.
Friday (April 19)
- Earth Day Party — 5-9 p.m. at the Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike) — The Tysons Biergarten is hosting a live music and drinking party to celebrate Earth day, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Rainforest Trust. Bring a printed flyer for the event or a screenshot of the event page and show it to the bartender.
Saturday (April 20)
- Spring Fest — 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave) — The McLean Community Center is hosting a spring festival with a mix of live entertainment and self-guided arts and crafts. The program aims at children ages 3-8. Registration in advance for $5 is required.
Sunday (April 21)
- Early Mornings in the Garden — 6-10 a.m. at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct.) — Photographers, birdwatchers, and other interested parties are invited to a special early morning walk through the gardens. The gardens typically open at 10 a.m., but early visitors will have a chance to see some of the birds in their most active times. Standard garden admission — $3 to $6 — applies.
- Easter Brunch — 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Mad Fox Brewing Company (444 W Broad Street) — The Mad Fox Brewing Company is opening early for a brunch buffet aimed at accommodating entire families. Adults tickets are $28 and kid tickets are $12.
Photo via Facebook
City of Falls Church police are looking for more information regarding a peeping tom seen outside of Saint James Catholic School (830 Park Avenue).
According to a press release, a man was spotted outside of the school on Saturday, April 13, at 7 p.m.
“An unknown subject was observed outside watching parents and children through a window while touching himself inappropriately,” according to the police report. “The suspect ran when confronted.”
The suspect was described as “a Hispanic male, approximately 30 years of age, 5’6” height, medium build, ‘crew-cut’ hairstyle, wearing a white button down shirt with blue jeans.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Falls Church Police at 703-248-5053.
File photo
(Updated 1:50 p.m.) A crash on I-66 is causing substantial delays near Vienna with one lane closed in each direction.
The crash was reported around 1:35 p.m., with one eastbound lane closed, then a westbound lane closed a few minutes later at the same mile marker.
Emergency crews are on-site assisting a vehicle in the median. Traffic is still moving in either direction, but with residual slowdowns in either direction.
Update: Accident: WB on I-66 at MM61 in Fairfax Co. 1 WB travel lane closed.1:40PM
— 511 Virginia (@511statewideva) April 15, 2019
