Firefighter Training in McLean Home — “[Fairfax County Fire and Rescue] units have been conducting ladder truck training exercises at a donated home, in the McLean area, that is slated for demolition.” [Twitter]
New Store Opening in Tysons Galleria — “Lafayette 148 New York has ventured into the nation’s capital, opening its first Greater Washington location this week in the Tysons Galleria shopping center. Its first freestanding boutique in the Mid-Atlantic region, the new Lafayette 148 shop measures 2,500 square feet.” [Washington Business Journal]
Silver Line Test Train Doesn’t Get Far — “The first test train on Metro’s Silver Line extension to Dulles Airport made it only 1,000 feet out of the Wiehle-Reston East station before running into trouble, sources told News4.” [NBC Washington]
Falls Church Development Includes Micro Units — “If approved by the F.C. City Council going forward [the new West End development will] include an extra 150,000 square feet in residential density, including 50,000 square feet for senior housing and 100,000 square feet for 40 or so of the first new condominiums built in the City in over a decade, and even more notable, some 150-175 ‘micro unit’ rentals.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Turmoil in Richmond, Leaders’ Future Uncertain — Under fire for each of their own controversies, resignations by Virginia’s Democratic governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general could end up triggering a special election or even elevating a Republican state lawmaker into one of the top jobs. Meanwhile, the chaos in Richmond was the lead story on the national evening news this week — twice — and made the cover of this morning’s New York Post, with the headline “Virginia is for Losers.” [Politico, Twitter]
The Walmart near the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons is going through a lot of changes, but if there’s a source of stability in the store, it’s Dambar and Subhdra.
The couple was featured on the store’s weekly “Meet the Team Tuesday”post on Facebook, which said that the couple is one month away from celebrating their 53rd anniversary.
According to the Walmart 5936 page:
Dambar joined our team in January 2014 and is a proud hardlines sales associate. Subhdra joined in April 2015 as an apparel associate. They are both into food and will be celebrating 53 years of marriage this March!
The Walmart also recently hosted a “Stuff the Bus” event to benefit the Committee for Helping Others in Vienna.
Photo via Facebook
Bebe Gol Market, a new store offering goods from countries ranging from Iran to Turkey to Greece, is now open in McLean.
The store offers everything from canned goods to freshly made pastries.
If Jamileh Ardebily, one of two women who own the new market at 1349 Chain Bridge Rd, looks familiar, that’s likely because she spent the last several years working at the nearby Sun Trust Bank. But two years ago, Ardebily said she decided she wanted to leave the bank and make something for herself.
As she looked around, she said the location felt like a natural fit for a store offering a diverse selection of international goods.
“Vienna has stuff like this, but not McLean,” Ardebily said, “and I love the people in McLean. Everyone here is so supportive.”
The name, Bebe Gol, means “ladies’ flower”, reflecting that store is owned by a woman.
Ardebily said many of the people she’s seen stopping in the store have been people she knew from when she worked at the bank. Her husband owns Red Tomato Pizzeria less than a block away, which was how Ardebily found the empty location and knew the property owners.
The official grand opening was in mid-January, and Ardebily emphasized that all of the locals who have come by the shop have made the store feel like a part of the community.
Agora, the Mediterranean restaurant planned for a 26-story apartment complex behind Tysons Galleria, has on a sign on the building proclaiming “opening 2018” — these days, while the restaurant is still opening, there’s a strip of tape covering the 2018 part.
It isn’t the first delay for the restaurant, which last year was forced to push the planned opening back to December. Ismail Uslu, owner of Agora, said the restaurant has struggled with a slow permitting process currently entering its 11th month.
“We’re planning on opening sometime in March,” said Uslu. “We’re building a mezzanine, which is more of a challenge [for permits].”
Inside, the building is designed with split levels, and while it’s still under construction the bare bones visible, Uslu said he hopes to bring in decorations from Turkey.
When the restaurant does eventually open, the menu will feature small plates and cocktails similar to its trendy Dupont Circle location.
After years of petitioning and planning, it looks like Wolftrap Elementary will finally be getting some long-requested sidewalk upgrades.
The school was included on a list of transportation alternatives project submissions from the county to receive state grants. The Wolftrap Elementary School Crosswalk Improvement Project was awarded a $200,000 grant, with a local cash match of $50,000 approved at yesterday’s (Tuesday) Board of Supervisors meeting.
According to the staff report:
The extreme width of the roadway encourages illegal passing of vehicles stopped for children in the crosswalk, whether manned by the School Crossing Guard or not. The project consists of 7-foot to 15-foot bump outs and an 8-foot median refuge for the crosswalk (including evaluation for potential pedestrian beacon device), and creation of a channelized southbound right turn lane, on-road bike lanes, and transitional median striping as road diet treatments.
Wolftrap Elementary is at the heart of the residential network between Vienna and its namesake Wolf Trap National Park to the north, but despite this prime location for walkability, the school can be a challenge.
There is currently only one crosswalk to the school across the busy Beulah Road and only one narrow, cracked sidewalk. The other side of the road drops off into a ditch or undergrowth.
According to the school’s Parent-Teacher Association website, traffic on Beulah Road has increased over the last few years as GPS applications have increasingly directed drivers onto the once-quiet street into a shortcut from the Dulles Toll Road to Route 123 as part of an unofficial mini-beltway around Tysons. As county staff stated in their report, the PTA website indicates local parents witnessed the same issue.
“It is safest to cross if our crossing guard is present, but unsafe before and after her approximately 15-20 minute shift in the mornings and afternoons,” the PTA said. “Some drivers even ignore her, driving through the crosswalk when she directs cars to stop.”
The PTA website also indicated that cars frequently speed around the site, empowered by unclear speed limit signage.
“Cars are driving very fast, and the speed limit is ambiguous, either 25 or 35 mph,” the PTA said. “The speed limit is only definitively 25 mph when the lights are flashing around the time of morning arrival and afternoon dismissal from school.”
The PTA said the heavy traffic and unsafe crossing conditions currently confines traffic across the intersection to the few hours where it is monitored by a crossing guard.
Under the agreement, the county will manage the construction and maintenance of the improvements.
Photo via Google Maps
Lee Highway Blocked — Updated at 9:05 a.m. — “Lee Highway is shut down in both directions at Kalmia Lee Court in Falls Church due to utility wires across the roadway. Please use an alternate route as you travel this morning.” [Twitter]
Longtime Local Firefighter Retires — “Today Master Technician George Hood from Station 13, Dunn Loring, B-Shift is serving the residents of Fairfax County one last time. He will be retiring after 34 years of dedicated service at the end of this shift.” [Facebook]
McLean Girl’s Struggle with Arthritis — “Last August, 2-year-old Reese Sheers began waking up, saying she was stuck and couldn’t move her arms. Then it started happening every two hours, and she couldn’t roll over or sit up in her crib. She would get better as the day went on, but the pain would become frequent enough that the family would seek medical help.” [Patch]
Author Signing Books in Tysons Tonight — Columnist Michael Tomasky will be signing copies of his new book “If We Can Keep It: How the Republic Collapsed and How it Might Be Saved,” at the Tysons Barnes & Noble store tonight. [Instagram]
Discussion of the Gender Pay Gap — “The Women of Temple Rodef Shalom (2100 Westmoreland St., Falls Church) will be hosting a comprehensive forum titled, ‘Gender Pay Gap and You’ as a part of the fifth annual Women’s Empowerment Program on Sunday, Feb. 10.” [Falls Church News-Press]
At a work session this Friday (Feb. 8), Vienna’s Board of Architectural Review (BAR) is going to take another crack at the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone design guidelines.
The exact nature of the BAR’s review is a bit unclear. Details are scarce in the agenda, but the BAR is the second stage of a six-step process for new developments along Vienna’s main boulevard, following a staff review.
In September, the Town Council voted to impose a moratorium on new developments filed under the MAC ordinance. The moratorium took effect on Sept. 30 and is scheduled to last until June 17. As part of the moratorium, the BAR was tasked with drawing up new guidelines for public review of projects.
Scale and massing for new Maple Avenue developments has been the largest topic of debate in Vienna over the last year. The MAC ordinance, originally approved in 2014, was aimed at providing a new mechanism for developers to convert outdated and often vacant properties along Maple Avenue into mixed-use developments.
But to make these projects cost-effective for developers, many are significantly larger in scale than the buildings they’re replacing.
The tensions between developers, the Town Council and local residents came to a head last fall over the redevelopment of the Vienna Wolf Trap Hotel. During heated arguments on the Town Council over the four-story development in October, Councilmember Howard Springsteen called the projects that would ultimately be approved the “most divisive project to hit the town in 20 years.”
Photo via Vienna Vienna Development Associates LLC
Get those smoke alarms checked, because if you’re a Vienna resident that could get you a free pizza on Thursday.
Domino’s Pizza is partnering with the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department for Fire Night. On Feb. 7, anyone ordering at the Vienna Domino’s from 5-8 p.m. may have their pizza delivered in a fire engine.
According to the event description, once the delivery arrives, the firefighters will come inside and inspect the smoke detectors throughout the house. If all the smoke detectors are working, the order is free.
If any of the smoke detectors are not working, the firefighters will replace them for free, but the person who called in will be charged for the pizza.
Participation in the event is not required and is only eligible for deliveries.
Card payments are taken in advance and canceled if the order is free. Cash payment will be required if card information is not provided while placing your order if smoke detectors are not working.
Photo via Facebook
A group is meeting and planning out strategies to handle increased growth in downtown McLean — but, in the meantime, some of that transformation is already underway.
A new building at 6707 Old Dominion Drive was approved by the Board of Supervisors in October. The building is planned to replace a surface parking lot behind the current retail properties with a 44-unit mixed-use residential building.
During the planning process, some nearby McLean residents expressed concerns that the site could have a detrimental impact on local parking and traffic. Today, the property is a frequently crowded parking lot behind a retail complex on Old Dominion Drive.
The building will have 112 parking spaces for existing uses, replacing those taken by the new development, at surface lots to the south and west of the new building.
The plans show four levels of parking structure with 173 spaces located under six floors of residential units. The staff report indicates that the occupants of the 44 new condominium units are unlikely to have a substantial impact on nearby streets.
Because the development contains less than 50 units, none are required to serve as affordable housing, though a contribution to the county’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund is included in the development plans as a condition of approval.
According to the application:
“The benefits of a residential/office/commercial mix of uses has been proven many-fold in the County. This property, located adjacent to what is considered the “South Village” area will hopefully serve to catalyze other redevelopment efforts within the [downtown area].”
Merrifield Oriental Rug, located in Tysons for seven years and in the area for the last 30, is closing within the next three months.
As the store prepares to close, it will be offering oriental rugs at steep discounts, some at below their cost to the store.
“We’re lowering prices to 50 percent,” said Merrifield Oriental Rug’s owner Sayeed Hasanzadah. “Often adding a 20 percent additional discount, some are as low as 80 percent.”
Hasanzadah says the store will be open for three months at most and says he plans to shut down by the end of April at the latest. After that, Hasanzadah says he will take a month to put the rest of their inventory into storage.
In the back of the store, Hasanzadah shows off a series of handmade rugs rolled against the wall. One, a four-foot by six-foot rug, is selling for $76. A three-foot by five-foot rug is selling for $49.
If you feel bad about taking advantage of the steep sales for the closing business, don’t.
“It’s a happy reason,” said Hasanzadah. “I’ve been working in wholesale [for years]. I want to travel. Life is too short.”
Although Hasanzadah did note that declining sales helped push him towards retirement.
“The last 10 years, the economy has not been cooperating,” said Hasanzadah. “Fifteen years ago business was booming. But after 2007, things started going down. So now is the time that I should retire.”
