The Fiore Montessori School in northern Vienna is seeking Fairfax County approval to increase the school enrollment and expand into a nearby vacant building.

The property is spread across 4.5 acres across from the Meadowlark Gardens Regional Park on Beulah Road. The site has been used as a private school since 1985 and in 2010 won approval to operate a childcare center and nursery school. In 2013, the school was accredited as a Montessori facility.

The vacant building was once part of the school, but has been unused since 2000.

According to the application, the increase is necessitated by demand from new Tysons residents. The school primarily serves families in Vienna and Tysons.

“Since 2010, significant growth has been occurring around the school, particularly in [Tysons],” the applicant said. “New families moving into the area especially value the quiet neighborhood, educational methodology and green and natural surroundings that the school offers for childcare, nursery school and elementary school.”

The vacant building would be remodeled without increasing the size of the building but would increase the school’s enrollment capacity. The application notes that the school is also considering expanding the school’s age range to care for students younger than 3 years old.

A Planning Commission hearing for the project is scheduled for June 12.

Photo via Facebook

Tysons is larger than many people realize.

The triangular area under Fairfax County’s Tysons Comprehensive Plan extends from Magarity Road in the east to Raglan Road Park in the west, with its southern tip just north of Marshall High School. That’s about 3.3 square miles or 2,100 acres — larger than the area between the Lincoln Memorial, Union Station, and the Wharf in D.C.

It’s difficult to even talk about such a large area, much less plan for it, as a single entity. D.C. has its famous quadrant system, Paris has its twenty arrondissements, and Tysons has eight districts.

Fairfax’s award-winning 2010 comprehensive plan for Tysons is clear that “the transformed Tysons will be organized around eight districts, each with a mix of land uses.” That is to say, these aren’t zones that each exclusively focus on one activity — rather, each district will include residences, workplaces, shopping, recreation, and civic centers. Ultimately, the vision is for eight neighborhoods, each one supplying everything needed for daily life.

The planning for these districts also envisions specialities for each one, emphasizing different ways they can contribute to Tysons’ urban mix. No neighborhood will be a single-use zone, but they will nonetheless have certain specialties.

Visually, the districts are simultaneously continuous and distinct. Although there are clear boundaries on a map, those boundaries won’t be apparent in reality.

“Each district will be connected to the others,” the plan says. “Boundaries between the districts will be blurred as people move seamlessly from one place to the next.”

These eight districts have their own identities. The comprehensive plan “encourage[s] design elements that highlight the distinct character of each district,” largely through parks, plazas, and other public spaces but also through streetscape design, architecture, and land uses. In the same way that Capitol Hill and the Washington Navy Yard feel clearly different, planners hope that each neighborhood of Tysons will be unique.

It’s worth noting that, although Fairfax has provided provisional names to the neighborhoods, they’re not always the most user-friendly — and the county “may consider modifying the district names” as identity formation progresses.

In a series of upcoming articles, linked as they become available, we’ll examine each of the districts in detail. For now, we’ll leave you with a quick overview.

Transit-Oriented Districts

The first four of the districts each correspond to a station on the Silver Line. These districts, combined, are expected to account for 75 percent of future development and “will resemble intense and busy downtowns.”

• Tysons West and the Spring Hill Metro station will welcome those arriving from Reston and beyond. It is “an optimal location for an arts and entertainment district, including restaurants and entertainment options that stay open after the workday ends.”
• Tysons Central 7 and the Greensboro Metro are envisioned as business-focused, with a high concentration of office space, but also “a civic center with a mix of public, residential and commercial uses.”
• Tysons Central 123, with two malls and the Tysons Corner station, is and will remain “the region’s signature shopping destination.”
• Tysons East and the McLean Metro station will be the eastern gateway of Tysons, defined by Scott’s Run, which is “envisioned to transform into a great urban park surrounded by mixed use development.”

Non-Transit-Oriented Districts

The four remaining districts are farther from Metro stations and are envisioned as transition zones leading into the nearby neighborhoods. They contain some “areas that should maintain their existing characters, uses, and intensities.” However, just because they’ll be less dense than the preceding four doesn’t mean they won’t be urban — most of these areas are already as dense as much of D.C. and most lie within a 10-15 minute walk of Metro.

• The West Side will continue to be a primarily residential neighborhood, with natural amenities and close proximity to the Metro corridor.
• Old Courthouse, in the southwestern part of Tysons, is expected to develop a wider range of neighborhood-serving retail and restaurant options while it functions as a transition zone between the core of Tysons Central 123 and the surrounding residential areas.
• North Central, sandwiched between the Dulles Airport Access Road and the center of Tysons, is expected to see the continuing development of urban neighborhoods like The Mile.
• The East Side, with investments in connectivity like a pedestrian bridge over the Beltway, will form a primarily residential community smoothly connecting Tysons to Pimmit Hills. These residences will be supported by local retail and live-work opportunities.

The Fairfax Library Foundation is hosting a 25th Anniversary Jubilee look at the foundation’s past they hope will help fund its future.

The foundation is scheduled for Saturday, April 6 from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike).

The event will include cocktails, a silent auction, and a “wall of donuts.” Attendees will have a chance to network with foundation staff and its Board of Directors.

“All net proceeds benefit the Fairfax County Public Library,” the foundation says.

Tickets are $45 per person or $80 for a pair of tickets. A local librarian’s ticket can also be sponsored for $40.

“Libraries are a great equalizer,” Lisa Bryant, executive director of the Fairfax Library Foundation, said in a promotional video. “Individuals can come and expand their mind on any level of things. It’s important that as a foundation we are driving the funds that continue to move the innovation and the library forward so the next generations can continue to enjoy all that we have to offer.”

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The redevelopment of 380 Maple Avenue is set for a Vienna Planning Commission review tomorrow, but whether the project will get the extra story it’s requesting remains to be determined.

The project faced pushback from members of the Vienna Town Council earlier this year when it and another Maple Avenue development seemed to be pushing the limits on what was acceptable under the town’s height limits.

The Maple Avenue Commercial zoning rules dictate that the height of buildings on Maple Avenue is limited to four stories. According to the staff report, the applicants — Red Investment LLC and MJW Maple LLC — are requesting a modification with an additional story of above-ground parking.

The application also includes a modification request for a nine-foot awning, which encroaches three feet into the front yard setback.

“Staff finds that the application meets the requirements of… the Town Code, with the exception of the requested modifications of requirements,” staff said in the report.

During work sessions with the Planning Commission and Town Council, options with the extra story and without the extra story were both presented. According to the applicants, the new parking deck would significantly increase the number of available parking spaces for retail tenants.

Photo via Town of Vienna Department of Planning and Zoning

Thriveworks, a nationwide counseling service, is planning to open a new office in McLean sometime within the next few weeks.

The new offices will be located at 1311 Dolley Madison Blvd, at the northern end of McLean’s downtown.

Mike Reffner, executive director of franchise development, said the lease is secured and the space is built out. The company is working on the final few touches before they roll in and open up, he said.

Reffner said Thriveworks sets itself apart from other counseling services by offering quick access.

“If you call today, you can get an appointment within the week,” Reffner said. “If you’re in a situation where you really need to see somebody, in many cases you can get same-day interviews.”

Reffner also said one of the goals of Thriveworks is to work with insurance plans to keep counseling prices affordable.

Thriveworks has more locations in Virginia than any other state, and Reffner said he saw McLean as the perfect opportunity for expansion.

“McLean is a great area,” Reffner said. “It’s a place where people are doing well, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need mental health supports. Everyone should have access to a mental health provider.”

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The National Park Service is once again putting together plans for Claude Moore Colonial Farm in McLean.

Details are still vague on what the park service plans to do with the location. A public comment period and an open house planned for Thursday, April 25 is the first news about future plans for the location since the site was closed late last year.

“The National Park Service is preparing for the next chapter of the Claude Moore farm area of Turkey Run Park, and you are invited to help shape the park’s future,” NPS said on its website. “On April 25, the NPS will launch a public planning effort and invite the public, community, and former farm volunteers to share their vision for the park’s future.”

Since the early 1980s, a private group — the Friends of Claude Moore Colonial Farm — had maintained the park as a working exhibition on life in an 18th-century farm.

But sparring between NPS and the Friends of Claude Moore Colonial Farm over the last few years on issues related to how much oversight and control NPS should have over the property led to the farm’s closure in December and the ongoing removal of antique farming equipment.

NPS has stated that the land will not be commercially redeveloped.

The Weekly Planner is a roundup of the most 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 (March 26)

• Dining for Dollars at Chipotle — 5-9 p.m. at Chipotle Mexican Grill in Vienna (213 Maple Ave E) — Dining at Chipotle tomorrow can help raise money for the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. Showing the cashier a flyer for the event — or just mentioning the fundraiser — will send 33 percent of the meal’s proceeds to the department.

Thursday (March 28)

• Black Politics: Beyond Northam — 7-9 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Vienna (450 Orchard Street) — The Fairfax County NAACP is hosting a meeting to discuss the state of the Democratic Party and how it handled the concerns of the African American community in Virginia in the wake of Ralph Northam’s blackface scandal. Tickets are free but RSVP is required.

Friday (March 29)

• LUSH Cosmetics 30-Year Birthday — 10 a.m. at LUSH Cosmetics in Tysons Corner Center — To celebrate the company’s 30th birthday, the Tysons location is hosting a weekend of activities starting with a raffle and bath-bomb giveaway on Friday.
• MAC Community Workshops — 6 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center (120 Cherry St) — The Town of Vienna is offering the public two opportunities this weekend to get a hands-on feel for the changes to the town’s controversial Maple Avenue Commercial zoning. The first workshop will be on Friday, with a second workshop on Saturday (March 30) at 11 a.m.

Saturday (March 30)

• DC Bulldog Playdate — 11 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Vienna Dog Park (700 Courthouse Road) — A regional bulldog meetup will be held in Vienna this weekend, giving dogs and humans a chance to play and mingle. The event listing notes that the bulldogs typically tire after 45 minutes, so those looking for the “full bulldog experience” should arrive right around 11 a.m. The meetup is free but RSVP is requested.
• Rise Against Hunger Food Packing — 1-3 p.m. at Andrew Chapel United Methodist Church (1301 Trap Road) — The Andrew Chapel United Methodist Church in Vienna is hosting a meal packing event to put together nutritious meals for school feeding programs and crisis relief. The packaged meals transport quickly and has a shelf-life of two years.

Sunday (March 31)

• Tysons Galleria Fur Protest — 12 p.m. at Tysons Galleria (2001 International Drive) — A local group called the Help Our Animals and Planet Foundation is hosting a protest outside Tysons Galleria to advocate for banning the sale of fur in Fairfax County.
• Discussion with Local Thriller Writers — 2-3 p.m. at Bards Alley (110 Church Street SW) — Alma Katsu, author of The Hunter, and Greer Macallister, author of Woman 99, will be in Vienna’s Bards Alley bookstore this Sunday for a discussion and Q&A about their books, followed by signings by the authors. The event is free to attend, but RSVP is requested.
• Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” — 2-4:30 p.m. at the Alden Theatre (1234 Ingleside Ave.) — The Alden Theatre in McLean will host a performance of Shakespearian tragicomedy The Winter’s Tale by the American Shakespeare Center. Tickets are $110 or $80 for McLean residents.

Photo via Facebook

If last week’s surprise rainstorm was any indication, the Tysons area is in for a wet spring and some extensive flooding.

Last year was the rainiest on record for the region, which has not only taken a toll on local roads but also hit the area with flooding that has frequently closed streets.

A map put together by the Federal Emergency Management Agency showed the regional flood hazard areas, which unsurprisingly mostly follow local creeks.

Most of the flood hazards around Tysons itself are on the periphery. Old Courthouse Spring Branch just west of the Spring Hill Metro station is vulnerable to flooding, as is Scott’s Run, which runs through Tysons East.

In Vienna, the main flooding hazard is Wolftrap Creek, which runs along the Tysons-Vienna border. There are several low roads through the area, like Old Courthouse Road, which are subject to being washed out during flooding. The area north of Vienna along Piney Branch is also susceptible to flooding.

A 2016 study found that the sewer system along Maple Avenue in Vienna would be unable to handle significant rainfall, but sewer renovations remain unfunded.

In McLean, Dead Run Stream and Pimmit Run are both flood hazard areas, though Dead Run Stream has recently completed a series of revitalization projects whose aim was partially reducing the amount of flooding in the park.

Vienna police arrested a Herndon resident after they say he was caught placing posters for a white nationalist group around the town, our sister site Reston Now first reported.

Last Saturday afternoon, a caller told police that two men were placing posters on light posts at a shopping center at 180 Maple Avenue, according to Vienna police.

Officers responded and reportedly observed one of the men placing a Patriot Front poster on a Town of Vienna utility box in the area of Nutley Street and Maple Avenue.

Patriot Front is identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified as a “white nationalist hate group.” It was described as a “political activist organization” in Vienna’s weekly crime report; an inquiry from Reston Now confirmed that Patriot Front was the group behind the posts.

Police issued a summons to a 21-year-old man from Longleaf Lane in Herndon for destruction of property, and the man was released on his signature, the report says. The Vienna Police Department does not release the names of criminal suspects in its crime report.

Earlier this year, Patriot Front tweeted that its “activists” put up the posters around Herndon and Reston in January and then in Reston again in February and March. Posters were also recently placed around Vienna and Arlington, according to the group’s social media account.

The posters include slogans like “reclaim America” and “better dead than red.” According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Patriot Front broke off from the alt-right group Vanguard America in the aftermath of the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va.

Photo via Facebook

Cyclebar, a premium indoor cycling studio, is planning to come to Tysons Galleria later this year as part of a series of transformations for the north end of the mall.

Macy’s, one of the mall’s anchor tenants, is mid-closure and Tysons Galleria is already in plans to replace the store with a selection of smaller venues like an Apple Store and iPic theater.

Don Brazelton, the owner of the Tysons franchise location, said the location is part of a stretch of wellness-oriented outlets planned inside the former Legal Sea Foods that closed in September. Brazelton said other fitness locations, like a yoga studio, could join the cycling studio.

“We’ve been trying to get one in the Tysons area for a while,” Brazelton said. “We were talking to the Boro and a couple of other places, but the economics given to us at the Galleria made it impossible to turn down. When you take into consideration some of the short term and long term plans — that mall is going to be entirely different. It’s going to have a different energy. We wanted to be a part of that, and they wanted us to be a part of that.”

The chain already has locations in Falls Church and on Arlington’s Columbia Pike. Brazelton said the “premium aspect” of Cyclebar fits well with the Galleria, which is noted for its higher-end, luxury retailers.

Among the amenities, Brazelton noted that the location will have heated tile floors and top-rated cycles.

Despite this, Brazelton said he’s committed to keeping the studio affordable.

“Typically, prices at cycling studios range from $110-130 per month depending on who it is,” Brazelton said. “I’m going to let people in my studio for $89 a month for unlimited rides.”

It’s hard to say where this fits in with other cycling studio subscriptions, as prices at cycling studios can vary significantly.

Brazelton said the Tysons location is targeting an August 2019 opening.

Photo courtesy Don Brazelton