A meeting tomorrow (Thursday) will look at the current status of some surprisingly controversial efforts to make I-66 more bike and pedestrian friendly.

The meeting will be held by the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling in the Providence District Office (3001 Vaden Dr.) at 7:30 p.m.

Susan Shaw, the VDOT Project Manager for Transform I-66, and Fairfax County Department of Transportation representatives are scheduled to attend and offer an update on the status of the trail.

The planned trail will run from Gallows Road in Vienna, near the Dunn Loring Metro station, to Route 29 in Centreville. Three miles of the trail will be adjacent to the interstate while eight miles will be removed from the interstate.

The section of the trail running alongside I-66 inside the highway’s noise walls drew sharp criticism from cycling advocates, including the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling, who pushed to have all of the trail outside the walls. But neighbors living along the highway refused to have the trail run near their properties, prompting some squabbling between state officials and lawmakers over the project.

The trail is planned to be 10 feet wide with two-food-wide shoulders on each side. Access to the trail is planned to be implemented at every half-mile.

Image via VDOT

As the winter starts to thaw, stands hawking Girl Scout cookies are starting to crop up nationwide.

But rather than randomly stumbling on them, a new app can help Tysonians with a sweet tooth track their dealers.

Here’s a look at some of the spots around the Tysons area to get your cookie fix:

Tysons

• McLean Metro (1824 Dolley Madison Blvd): Thursdays and Fridays: 3:30-7:30 p.m.
• Silver Diner (8101 Fletcher Ave): Friday (March 1) 4:30-6:30 p.m. Saturday (March 2): 9-11 a.m. Sunday (March 3): 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
• Safeway (1688 Anderson Road): Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Ascent Apartment Building (8421 Broad Street): Monday (March 4): 5-7 p.m.
• Marshalls (8353 Leesburg Pike): Friday (March 1): 4:30-6:30 p.m. Saturday (March 2): 9:30-11:30 a.m. Sunday (March 3): 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• TJ Maxx (8389 Leesburg Pike): Fridays, 5-7 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Sundays 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
• 7-Eleven (1931 Old Gallows Road): Saturday (March 2): 1-3 p.m., Sunday (March 3) 12-2 p.m.

Vienna

• OLGC CFF (8601 Wolftrap Road): Saturday (March 2): 8:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
• Vienna-Dunn Loring Metro (2700 Gallows Road): Weekdays, 3:30-7:30 p.m. Saturdays, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
• Advance Auto (311 Maple Ave E): Fridays, 5-8 p.m. Saturdays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
• Dollar Tree (264 Cedar Lane SE): Friday (March 1): 4-6 p.m. Saturday (March 2): 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Sunday (March 3): 12-2 p.m.
• Lacrosse Unlimited of Vienna (209 Maple Ave E): Fridays, 4-7 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Sundays, 10-11:45 a.m.
• Rexall (150 Maple Ave W): Fridays, 5-9 p.m. Saturdays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
• Cocoa Vienna (120 Church Street NE): Saturday (March 2): 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday (March 3) 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Dunkin’ Donuts (2750 Gallows Road E): Saturdays and Sundays, 8-10 a.m.
• Ben and Jerry’s (136 C Maple Ave W): Sunday (March 3): 12-3 p.m.

McLean

• Balducci’s (6655 Old Dominion Dr): Fridays, 5-8 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Giant Food (1454 Chain Bridge Rd): Fridays, 5-8 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Safeway (6244 Old Dominion Drive): Fridays, 4-7 p.m. Saturdays, 1-5 p.m.
• Advance Auto (1449 Chain Bridge Rd): Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Flowers and Plants (1378 Chain Bridge Rd): Saturdays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
• McLean Family Restaurant (1321 Chain Bridge Rd): Saturdays, 9-11:30 a.m.
• Child’s Play (1382 Chain Bridge Rd): Sundays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Photo via Facebook

Last summer, the Washington Business Journal reported that Facebook Inc. was “nearing a deal” for space in 1775 Tysons Blvd., an office building near Tysons Galleria. But any potential agreement now seems to be off the table.

“I can confirm that we are not looking at leasing 1775 Tysons Blvd,” said a representative from Facebook’s corporate communications team.

Facebook is in the middle of an expansion into the D.C. area, including 75,000 square feet in Terrell Place, an office near the Gallery Place.

Facebook representatives would not say if there was other space in Tysons the company was considering.

“We don’t disclose if or where we are looking for offices,” the representative said. “We only share information once a lease has been signed.”

The 476,000-square-foot office complex is home to WeWork, Baird and other corporate offices.

The building is owned by Lerner Enterprises, which did not respond to interview requests.

Photo via Wikipedia

The publisher of VivaTysons Magazine has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

As first reported by the Washington Business Journal, Tysons-based Johnny Hanna & Associates LLC filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this month, citing assets of $100,001-500,000 and debts of $500,001-1,000,000.

Among the biggest creditors are George Stephenson and his Alexandria-based Stephenson Printing, which are collectively owed nearly $400,000. A handful of business lenders are also listed as creditors.

VivaTysons is published every other month. It is mailed to readers and distributed to local businesses in Tysons, McLean, Falls Church, Vienna, Great Falls and Oakton.

Hanna told WBJ that he has struggled to sell ads in the magazine as digital advertising continues to overtake traditional media.

“People have shied away from print for a while,” Hanna is quoted as saying. “Not many people want to immerse themselves in the community.”

A projected budget filed in federal bankruptcy court says Hanna’s company expects revenue of around $120,000 and expenses of around $190,000 over the next 12 weeks. The expenses include more than $75,000 in compensation for employees, writers and graphic designers; $50,000 for printing; and $25,000 for postage.

Hanna told WBJ that he expects to get “back to normal” after the bankruptcy process.

Two developments planned for Maple Avenue are facing some backlash from the Vienna Town Council for trying to slip an extra floor or two into their projects.

At last night’s (Monday) Vienna Town Council meeting, Councilmember Douglas Noble said he had concerns about the mixed-use development at 380 Maple Street and the 80-unit Sunrise Assisted Living facility proposed at the corner of Maple Avenue and Center Street.

For 380 Maple Street, Noble said he was happy to see new parking recently added to the project but was concerned that the building’s height exceeds four-story limits established in the zoning code.

“The applicant has come in with a proposal that has an extra floor… for parking,” said Noble. “It’s a creative solution to add parking. [They] also asked for a site plan modification to add a half-story. I have strong concerns that this is contrary to the intent of Maple Avenue [zoning]. It’s five stories.”

Meanwhile, Noble also said the Sunrise Assisted Living Facility had recently proposed a mezzanine that doesn’t actually fit the town’s definition of one.

“My reading of MAC code and my understanding of how we wrote it was that a mezzanine does not occupy more than 50 percent of the area of the floor below. In our current definition, it says it’s partially open to that floor below. I do not believe plans at Sunrise meet either criterion. I have concerns that these plans are not compliant.”

Town staff said both projects will be discussed in a work session with the Town Council next Monday (March 4).

Photo via Town of Vienna Planning and Zoning

A meeting on Thursday (Feb. 28) will take a look at how the county budget will impact McLean.

The McLean Citizens Association (MCA) is hosting the meeting in the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave.) and put together a list of top issues facing the area. The rundown includes items that are McLean specific and issues like the long-term economic viability of the Metro system.

According to the MCA, questions up for discussion include:

–  Trade-offs between self-imposed county bond limits, county operating expenditures, and local taxes?
–  The impact of development and demographic trends on costs for county-provided services, including schools?
–  Below market salaries for many teachers?
–  Unusually generous pension plans for county and school system employees?
–  Overcrowding at McLean High School and other schools?
–  Metro and other transit maintenance, repairs and expansion, especially in future years?

The budget, which was presented as a draft to the Board of Supervisors earlier this month, highlighted the growth and challenges associated with new development in Tysons and the surrounding localities.

One of the topics of discussion, the overcrowding of McLean High School, has been particularly contentious. The School Board killed a proposal to redistrict McLean High School to send some students to the under-capacity Langley High School.

Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust and County Chief Financial Officer Joe Mondoro are planned to be in attendance to discuss the budget.

Stomping Ground, the go-to coffee and southern-style biscuits eatery in the Tysons Galleria, opened today (Tuesday) with a new mix of cocktails and more to come.

Becca Leisch, general manager for the Tysons location of Stomping Ground, said the eatery currently has both Bloody Marys and Mimosas — in keeping with the brunch vibe — as well as classics like Dark ‘n’ Stormys and a collection of sipping bourbons.

For Leisch, the pride and joy of the new menu is Oban Scotch, a fine single-malt whiskey from a Scottish distillery that dates back to the late 18th century.

Other offerings include a white cranberry hibiscus cocktail with a live flower in the drink and an Earl Grey-egg white cocktail. The bourbons and cocktails average around $10 each.

In addition to the whiskeys and cocktails, Leisch said the location will have a small selection of beer and wine. For Stomping Ground, the focus is going to be on going as weird as possible, with gluten-free options and a collection of pineapple or blood orange ciders, she said.

“Andy’s Pizza has the lock on the craft beer scene,” said Leisch. “We’re going strange.”

Stomping Ground oversees a large seating and sofa section of the Taste of Urbanspace Food Hall, and Leisch said the restaurant is embracing that to cater the menu towards a lounge atmosphere.

“Come sip some bourbon and catch up with friends,” said Leisch. “It’s a reclined atmosphere here, good for dates.”

The restaurant is currently open until 7 p.m. on most nights, or around 8 p.m. on Fridays or Saturdays. Leisch said those hours might creep slightly later, but that the general target for the evening menu is local workers who aren’t quite ready to go home yet or want to avoid rush hour traffic.

Last week, Tysons Reporter examined the importance of sidewalk design as Tysons expands its pedestrian infrastructure network.

But no matter how well-designed a sidewalk might be, what matters most is that it’s in the right place.

There are three guidelines that Tysons can follow to make its pedestrian infrastructure more complete.  The first is simply to find where people are already walking. The second is to connect sidewalks to public transit. The third is to provide cut-throughs in large blocks, connecting up the network.

Find the demand

An old architecture-school anecdote mentions a designer who was hired to lay out paths across a new college campus.

For the first months of the year, she left the entire campus unpaved, and students walked across the grass to their classes.  

After the first snowfall, she took pictures of the quad from the bell tower, and then laid out the paths wherever she saw footprints in the snow.

In just the same way, dead grass and bootprints in Tysons reveals pedestrian activity. These are called “desire paths.”

They’re useful for transportation planners because they can prove, no speculation needed, that there really is demand for a sidewalk in a particular place. Even Tysons Plaza, connecting the mall to the Metro station, shows desire paths.

Desire paths can easily be paved over by the owner of the land, whether that is Fairfax County, the Virginia Department of Transportation, or a private interest. According to VDOT’s Project Cost Estimating System, a sidewalk costs only $25.15 per linear foot to install in Northern Virginia — it’s hard to think of a more affordable investment in transportation.

You can find desire paths all over Tysons at the ground level, especially near transit stations — which leads us to the next guideline.

Follow the transit

Public transportation and walkability have a symbiotic relationship. Unlike cars, buses and trains rarely drop passengers off right at their destination, meaning that they generally have to walk the final fraction of a mile. But in Tysons, that final stroll can be made circuitous, dangerous or uncomfortable by poor or disconnected pedestrian infrastructure.

As Jeff Speck, author of Walkable City, puts it: “while walkability benefits from good transit, good transit relies absolutely on walkability.” Since its opening in 2014, Silver Line ridership has been less than half of what was anticipated — perhaps because of Tysons’ slower-than-expected transformation into the kind of walkable area promised by ongoing development.

Pedestrian infrastructure is just as important to buses as it is to trains, particularly when a large number of bus stops in Tysons — like one pictured above — are located at neither crosswalks nor sidewalks. Crosswalks, including those in the middle of blocks, are essential to safety; according to VDOT, 51 percent of pedestrian injury crashes occurred at mid-block crossing locations and 86 percent of pedestrian fatal crashes occurred at locations without a marked crosswalk.

Mid-block crossings aren’t new to Fairfax, and they’re approved by VDOT and encouraged by the National Association of City Transportation Officials.

Connect the network

There are two main things that can get in the way of someone walking in Tysons, and they both tend to be larger here than in America’s older cities: streets and buildings.

The single block containing Tysons Corner Center measures almost half a mile, equivalent to about half a dozen blocks of downtown D.C. To walk around Tysons’ ‘superblocks’ is a long journey, but if paths are carved through them, these paths multiply the number of five- or ten-minute trips available to pedestrians.

Similarly, bridges and crosswalks also function as multipliers by connecting sidewalk networks. When a pedestrian bridge connected the Towers Crescent office building to Tysons Corner Center, it not only meant that 3,000 employees could walk to a variety of food options for their lunch hour, taking their cars off the road, it connected them to an expanding network of comfortable pedestrian infrastructure reaching beyond the Metro station.

A successful project

When sidewalks opened last month along Leesburg Pike under the Chain Bridge Road overpass, the project was successful because it observed all three of these guidelines.

First, there was demand. As one reader, Ryan, observed in the comments section, “Commuters were walking in the street for a few years, before we had this new sidewalk.”

Second, it was near transit, adjacent to the Greensboro Metro station.

Third, it provided a link between two previously-disconnected sidewalks, meaning that it didn’t only add pedestrian potential but multiplied it.

Updated at 4:45 p.m. — Police identified the pedestrian at 72-year-old Chandra Bhandari, of Falls Church. According to police, Bhandari was found dead at the scene.

“Preliminarily, detectives believe Bhandari was crossing the on-ramp from eastbound Leesburg Pike to southbound I-495 between 6 and 6:30 a.m. and was hit by a vehicle,” police said in a press release. “The motorist did not stop and drove away from the scene. Speed appears to be a factor for the driver. Neither alcohol nor drugs appear to be factors for Bhandari.”

Earlier: Police are investigating after a driver struck and killed a pedestrian at the ramp from eastbound Leesburg Pike onto southbound I-495.

Fairfax County Police believe the crash happened around 7 a.m. this morning (Tuesday).

The vehicle involved fled the scene shortly after the incident, they say.

Police briefly closed a section of the highway to account for the investigation, but most of Leesburg Pike has since reopened to traffic. The eastbound ramp to southbound I-495 remains closed.

Our Crash Reconstruction Unit is investigating after a pedestrian was hit and killed at the ramp from eastbound Leesburg Pike to southbound I495. The vehicle involved left the scene. Eastbound Leesburg Pike remains closed for the investigation. Please avoid the area. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/xvfCAPKdPM

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) February 26, 2019

Photo via VDOT

Falls Church Police are investigating after a teacher at a city elementary school discovered vandalism involving a swastika.

Police say the vandalism took place at Mt. Daniel Elementary School (2328 N. Oak Street). A teacher found a bit of fabric at the school’s playground canopy cut in several places, including one set of cuts in the shape of a swastika.

Investigators believe the playground was defaced sometime between 1:30 p.m. Friday (Feb. 22) and 12:30 p.m. yesterday (Monday). The canopy was removed immediately and the city’s school superintendent notified parents, they added.

“The City of Falls Church takes acts of anti-Semitic vandalism very seriously,” Police Chief Mary Gavin said in a statement. “Our community will not stand for this unacceptable crime of hatred. We urge anyone with information to reach out to us immediately.”

Falls Church Police are asking anyone with information on the incident to contact the department at 703-248-5053.

There have also been other reports of a swastika spray-painted on a drainage tunnel near the intersection of McLearen Road and West Ox Road in Fairfax County, but it’s unclear if the incidents are related in any way.

Photo via Google Maps