(Updated 2:35 p.m.) It’s been a month of meetings and votes for the state legislature, but it hasn’t brought much in the way of success for Tysons’ representatives in Richmond.
Most of the local legislative delegation’s high profile bills, like a plastic bag tax and new gun control legislation, were killed in committees.
Sen. Barbara Favola’s (D-31st District) bill prohibiting prospective employers from requiring employees disclose their wage or salary history, or attempting to obtain wage and salary histories, was defeated on Jan. 14 in the Commerce and Labor committee on a 4-10 vote.
Another bill from Favola authorized people licensed to practice medicine to provide care to patients inside Virginia via telemedicine services. The bill was incorporated on Jan. 24 into a separate bill, which cleared the Finance committee yesterday (Tuesday).
Sen. Chap Petersen’s (D-34th District) bill that would have imposed a five-cent per bag tax on plastic bags to support the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan was defeated in the Finance committee on a 5-11 vote.
But Petersen’s bill requiring public higher education institutions to gather public comments before raising tuition or imposing mandatory fees is doing well. The bill was unanimously approved in the Education and Health committee and incorporated five other bills before being referred to the Finance committee.
Petersen’s bill prohibiting any political candidates from soliciting or accepting contributions from public service corporations and a bill prohibiting individuals from making contributions over $10,000 to any state election were both killed in the Privileges and Elections committee.
Sen. Janet Howell’s (D-32nd District) bill authorizing evidence of prior statements that are inconsistent with later court testimony was passed by indefinitely — which almost always means it was killed — in the Courts of Justice committee on Jan. 23.
So far, three of Del. Mark Keam’s (D-35th District) bills of 15 drafted have passed the House and are awaiting Senate action. One would prohibit auto insurance companies from refusing to issue or renew a policy based on the foster care status of the policyholder or their family.
Little progress was made on gun control measures by local legislators.
Del. Rip Sullivan (D-48th District) had introduced a bill allowing police or prosecutors to request a two-week ban on buying or owning a gun if they believe there is a “substantial risk of injury to himself or others.” The bill was passed by indefinitely by a Militia, Police and Public Safety subcommittee on a 4-2, party line vote.
Del. Marcus Simon (D-53rd District) had proposed a bill that would have made it a Class 5 felony to manufacture, import, tell, transfer or possess a firearm not detectable by devices like X-ray machines. This bill was also passed by indefinitely in the same subcommittee.
Photo via Town of Vienna
Months after a fire destroyed the Marco Polo restaurant in Vienna, town officials hope they could soon tear the building down.
A fire at the restaurant in October left the building completely destroyed. Two teens were ultimately charged with arson.
Today, the restaurant remains a burned husk and the Vienna Town Council has initiated “blight proceedings” to try and have the building destroyed, an effort that seems to be bearing fruit.
“We are making progress,” said Town Manager Mercury Payton at a Town Council meeting on Monday (Jan. 28). “We are rather close to having what we need for the demolition permit. We don’t have the demolition permit authorized at this point.”
According to Cindy Petkac, director of planning and zoning for the Town of Vienna, discussion on the demolition of the burned building has been proceeding quickly over the last few weeks.
Petkac said staff met with the building’s owner and staff is currently reviewing a demolition permit with revised erosion and sediment control. Water and sewer access to the building has been capped.
“It was well over a month ago that we started blight proceedings,” said Vienna Town Council Member Howard Springsteen. “I’m getting a lot of complaints that this is an eyesore.”
Petkac said demolition at the building is expected within a month.
“The sooner that building gets cleared, the safer it will be,” said Mayor Laurie DiRocco.
Another fire occurred last week, when a large tree fell onto power lines behind the 123-year-old Bouton Hall at the corner of Church and Mill Streets. The building is owned by the Masonic organization, Concord Lodge 307, and contains the Pennywise Thrift Shop.
According to town staff, the damage from the fire is still being assessed. Payton said how the damage will affect planned renovations to the building is too premature to say.
A Falls Church man has been arrested and charged with drunkenly trying to rob a rideshare driver, then beating him with his own windshield wiper.
The alleged incident happened around 1:45 a.m. Tuesday. Fairfax County Police say 30-year-old William Paneque and another man were being driven from Tysons Corner Center to the 2900 block of Monticello Drive, in the West Falls Church area.
“Once they arrived, one of the men grabbed the victim’s jacket and demanded money,” FCPD said in a crime report. “The victim told the suspect he did not have any money.”
“The suspect broke a windshield wiper off the car and hit the victim with it, causing minor injury,” the crime report continues. “Officers arrested William Paneque, 30, of Falls Church, as he tried to leave the scene. Paneque was charged with attempted robbery, destruction of property and drunk in public.”
Photo courtesy Fairfax County Police Department
VDOT: Slow Down, Beware of Slick Spots — “[VDOT] crews worked overnight to treat roads and will continue to do so today, as needed. If you can delay travel until the sun comes up, great. If not, please assume that all surfaces are icy. Your commute *will* take longer today. Reduce speeds, no heavy braking, and use your headlights!” [Twitter]
Fairfax County Government Open on Time — “Fairfax County Government offices are open on Wednesday, Jan. 30, however employees have been granted unscheduled leave. Employees are reminded that they should notify their supervisor if they elect to use unscheduled leave. Emergency service personnel should report as scheduled.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]
Fairfax Connector Running Extra Service — “To accommodate passengers who are reporting to work later than usual this morning due to inclement weather, Fairfax Connector will operate extra service on the following routes today: 394, 395, 599, 698, 699.” [Twitter]
Wind and Wind Chill Warnings — Fairfax County is under a Wind Advisory through 6 p.m. tonight; wind gusts of up to 50 mph could result in downed trees and power lines. A Wind Chill Advisory will go into effect at 9 p.m., as whipping winds and falling temperatures cause wind chills to dip to -5 to -10 degrees. [Weather.gov, Weather.gov]
Prison Sentence for Fraudster — “A woman was sentenced in Alexandria federal court to 15 years in prison for defrauding over 50 victims out of more than $5.4 million. Among the victims was a 71-year-old McLean woman with cancer.” [Patch]
Update at 8:20 p.m. — Fairfax County Public Schools will be closed Wednesday.
Falling temperatures are expected to create hazardous travel conditions overnight and tomorrow, especially on secondary roads in various parts of the county. As a result, all Fairfax County public schools and offices will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019 (Cond. 1).
— Fairfax Schools 🌟 (@fcpsnews) January 30, 2019
Snow accumulation is expected to lessen overnight and the temperature is going to drop. Ice will form on the roadways making driving conditions dangerous. Avoid driving if possible. If you do drive, reduce speeds and stay alert! Ice is difficult to spot. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/PZV6cOTkA8
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) January 30, 2019
Earlier: A snow “grand finale” is sweeping across the Tysons area, after an afternoon that saw schools and some government facilities close early amid weather worries.
Rain, sleet and snow fell, with the latter whitening the ground and untreated roads. Nearly 1.5 inches of snow had fallen on Vienna as of 4:45 p.m., the National Weather Service reported, and 2.3 inches had fallen by the time the flakes tapered off.
The early dismissal for the federal government and others led to an early evening rush hour. As of 5:30 p.m. traffic on the outer loop of the Beltway in the Tysons area was still heavy.
The snow also led to some slippery spots on local roads, and a few reported crashes, though serious weather-related traffic jams were largely avoided. With the snow ending, the concern now turns to falling temperatures and potentially icy conditions overnight.
More snowy images from around the area, and advisories from local governments, below.
Snowy afternoon in Vienna, Va. pic.twitter.com/dDQr1Vu2OG
— Patrick Seitz (@PatrickSeitz) January 29, 2019
Heavy snow and wet roads on 123 in McLean. pic.twitter.com/rkweC92pIB
— Darcy Spencer (@darcyspencer) January 29, 2019
Our officers are responding to a number of weather related crashes. If you must drive, please complete a pre-trip inspection including removing all snow and ice from your car, accelerate and decelerate slowly, and increase following distance. Stay alert and use caution. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/vqc1tbxYDb
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) January 29, 2019
Good advice! Please drive with care and caution. #FCFRD firefighters/paramedics don't want to meet you by (preventable) "accident" today! RT @fairfaxcounty: Take it slow! pic.twitter.com/INtMSQTFrp
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) January 29, 2019
— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) January 29, 2019
SNOW UPDATES AT 4:30PM ON 1/29 :: Rec&Parks activities cancelled. Library closes 5pm, Community Center at 5:30pm. Announcement made by 6am Wednesday about Gov Operating Status, and hopefully we've heard by then about Trash/Recycling/Compost Collection. pic.twitter.com/XAB754l94z
— City of Falls Church (@FallsChurchGov) January 29, 2019
On the eve of a snowstorm sweeping across the region, it was the cybersphere that took a surprising hit.
Around 1 p.m., the City of Falls Church and the Town of Vienna both announced on Twitter that their websites had crashed and were inaccessible.
Sorry for the inconvenience folks, the Town's website is currently down. Our provider is having issues across all services. Will update as work is being done to resolve. pic.twitter.com/JBPGegtwNG
— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) January 29, 2019
Both localities use CivicPlus, a web development business that manages over 2,500 local government websites.
An employee at CivicPlus said the service is “experiencing technical disturbances” while staff at Vienna said the website provider’s datacenter faced an outage.
By 2:40 p.m., the Town of Vienna reported that their website was functional again. The City of Falls Church site is also currently online.
Photo via Town of Vienna
The Fairfax County School Board approved the FY 2020-2024 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) on Jan. 24, and the much talked about boundary adjustment to relieve the overcrowded McLean High School didn’t make the cut.
The CIP shows that McLean High School is currently at 114 percent of its capacity, with projections showing the population increasing to 127 percent by 2022. Meanwhile, the nearby Langley High School sits at 82 percent capacity following an extensive renovation.
Jane Strauss, the Dranesville District representative on the School Board, had been spearheading the effort to make the boundary adjustments but faced pushback from other School Board members. Strauss confirmed that the boundary adjustment wasn’t docketed in the CIP and the boundary change won’t happen until the 2022-2023 school year at the earliest, and that’s assuming the item is successfully added to next year’s CIP.
Strauss said the growth of Tysons is going to continue fueling expansion in nearby schools, and the schools are caught between the urgency of that growth and taking time to start the shifts as early as possible to keep school groups together.
“The tall high-rises are not producing kids, but existing housing stock is,” said Strauss, nothing that committed workforce affordable housing included in some of the new developments will likely mean an increase in students as well. “Drive around the greater Tysons area and there are other apartment complexes now because of the Silver Line. As job opportunities grow, the whole region will be a better place to live.”
Other school board members said they were uncomfortable approving a spot-boundary change before the School Board conducts a broader boundary examination on Feb. 25.
“I do have concerns about doing a limited boundary change in one area without taking a more holistic analysis and approach,” said Tamara Derenak Kaufax, a representative from the Lee District, at a Jan. 14 work session. “We’re going to have to do what staff has been advocating, doing a holistic approach to [the] system and looking at the impacts.”
Some McLean High School parents were unenthusiastic about the School Board’s decision.
“Sadly, no concrete proposals to address [McLean High School] crowding were added with the final revisions,” said Susan Garrahan, a parent to a McLean High School sophomore. “Some other Board members countered that the McLean-Langley boundary adjustment study should be rolled into a countywide boundary project set to start in late February, and that is what happened. Perhaps this will lead to a remedy for MHS on the same timetable as if it were just a McLean-Langley boundary adjustment project, but if it takes longer as part of a countywide project — and I think that is likely — it will be the students and staff who pay the price of overcrowding every additional day that it takes.”
Strauss also noted that this boundary is a more specific adjustment between neighboring schools than what is usually covered in the broader boundary changes.
“In some cases, boundary changes cast a wide net across multiple schools,” said Strauss. “Looking at the CIP, it shows that Langley High School has room.”
Furthermore, if Langley High School remains below its capacity, Strauss said its class choices might be more limited than other high schools.
“When schools are under-enrolled, you start to have staffing concerns,” said Strauss. “If you’re under-enrolled and yet still have a desire to offer certain languages or electives, you have to hire teachers [for those classes]. But if you’re under-enrolled, you’re not automatically considered for hiring new teachers. There is a benefit [of the boundary change] for an under-enrolled school.”
Though the boundary changes aren’t on the table for short-term changes, Strauss said new modular additions are still possible for the school.
“We can take those out where they are no longer needed and move them,” said Strauss. “There’s always enough funding in the CIP for that.”
Whether or not the School Board is involved in official plans to make boundary changes, Strauss said she is still planning on meeting with the community to develop solutions.
A McLean High School Parent Teacher Student Association meeting on overcrowding is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7 p.m. at McLean High School, though as happened earlier this month, icy conditions could postpone the meeting. Strauss said she plans to meet with Langley High School parents for a similar discussion in March.
Photo via McLean High School PTSA
Don Pollo, a Peruvian chicken chain with several locations in Maryland, just opened its first restaurant in Virginia at in the Vienna Shopping Center (146 Maple Ave).
The restaurant features Peruvian cuisine, like fried rice with shrimp or the eponymous chicken. Sides include South American staples like yuca.
Meals range from $8 to a whole chicken and two sides for $20.
According to Milton Escobar, manager of the Vienna location, the store opened on Jan. 19 and has seen steady growth as word of mouth spreads.
“Every day, we’ve been having about 15-20 percent more people,” said Escobar. “We had 50 customers on Saturday, then 75 on Sunday. So it’s a little more every day.”
Escobar said he’s hoping things really kick off with the restaurant’s Super Bowl special. Don Pollo will be running a special deal where any purchase of a “fiesta-sized” family platter will come with a whole chicken for free. The deal is available on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
According to Escobar, the restaurant fills a niche for diverse food on Maple Street at an affordable price. Many of the patrons at the restaurant around noon yesterday were dressed in construction gear and came from nearby projects.
“This town doesn’t really have anything for Spanish cuisine,” said Escobar. “People have been saying that it’s about time for real Peruvian cuisine in Vienna… Our journey is just about to get started.”
The I-495 Express Lanes are pushing north to the American Legion Bridge.
As part of a suite of new agreements signed between Virginia officials and Transurban, the private company that operates the express lanes. According to an announcement today from Gov. Ralph Northam’s office:
Four general purpose (GP) lanes and two new Express Lanes will run in each direction of the Capital Beltway starting from the current terminus near the Dulles Access Road and ending at the American Legion Bridge. With no public funding by the Commonwealth, the Express Lanes network will be extended to the Maryland border, helping address one of the worst bottlenecks in the region and reduce cut-through traffic in local McLean neighborhoods.
The express lanes have tolls that range from 20 cents per mile to $1.25 per mile during rush hour with no official cap. Cars with three or more people do not have to pay the toll.
The announcement follows Maryland’s $9 billion investment announced in 2017 that included toll lanes on the northern side of the bridge.
The area of McLean on the Virginia side of the American Legion Bridge has long been an infamous congestion hotspot. An average of 239,000 people use the bridge every workday, and Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust warned that the bridge is “grossly over capacity” and in dire need of expansion.
“I am delighted that Governor Northam and his team have found a way to expand capacity on I-495, heading up to the American Legion Bridge,” State Sen. Barbara Favola (D-31st District) said in a press release. “This improvement demonstrates Virginia’s commitment to easing traffic throughout the region and provides further incentives for Maryland to help address congestion on the Bridge.”
As part of the deal, Transurban agreed to construct a new southbound lane on I-95 near the Occoquan Bridge in the Woodbridge area, another infamous bottleneck for regional traffic.
One year ago, there was excitement over a Vienna Town Council’s plan to purchase one floor of a four-story commercial building on Church Street and use it as a public parking garage.
But yesterday (Monday), the Town of Vienna announced that the agreement — which would have made it easier to park in the town’s central business district — had been dissolved.
“Recently, during the project study period, Mill Street Development One notified the Town that its original proposal was not economically feasible and proposed changes to the project, including removing the retail component, reducing the number of public parking spaces, and changing the building’s architectural features,” town staff said in a press release. “The town and Mill Street Development One remain in discussions regarding an alternative parking layout and revised purchase price, but no new substantive proposal has been presented or formalized.”
The initial plan had involved paying $4.6 million to the developer for the 45,000 square-foot second floor of the building.
Plans called for parking to initially be free, but with the option to later charge for parking if needed. According to the press release, town staff are still looking for alternative public parking solutions.
“I was contacted two months ago about the status of the contract and components about the agreement,” Town Manager Mercury Payton at Monday’s Town Council meeting. “The contract is no longer in place. The terms that were agreed upon, the developer wanted to alter a number of those components and the alterations were not in line with what the town is satisfied with.”
“The town remains committed to public parking, whether with this developer or any other developer. We are currently in discussions with entities about that,” Payton added. “The Town remains committed to providing additional public parking in our commercial core in order to make the area a more convenient and accessible destination.”
