(Updated at 9:30 a.m.) Despite some dramatic photos, no one was injured in a fiery crash around 5 a.m. this morning (Tuesday) on the 8500 block of Georgetown Pike.

The single-vehicle crash happened just west of the entrance to the Madeira School and south of Great Falls Park. The car involved caught fire shortly after the collision, but its driver — the only person inside — was able to get out.

According to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, units from McLean, Great Falls, and Wolf Trap all responded to the crash and were able to quickly extinguish the fire.

The latest in a series of proposed sidewalks to make McLean more walkable is a pair of quarter-mile long sidewalks along Kirby Road near Chesterbrook.

One project, north of Chesterbrook, is planned to add a roughly 5-6 feet wide sidewalk with a curb and gutter along the south/east side of Kirby Road between Chesterbrook Road and Mori Street. A crude path currently exists along the roadside, though in parts it blends with the right shoulder lane.

A community meeting on the northern extension is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. in the Chesterbrook Elementary School cafeteria. The meeting will feature a presentation of the project’s preliminary design and offer the public a chance to ask questions and provide input.

The new sidewalk improvements will also include a pedestrian crossing and median refuge at the intersection with Mori Street, connecting the sidewalk to the shared use trail on the west side of Kirby Road.

To the south, the sidewalk will connect with an existing path separated from the road that leads into Chesterbrook neighborhood and shopping center along Old Dominion Drive. To the north, the new sidewalk won’t quite reach the Marie Butler Leven Preserve, but the park is accessible from the trail on the west side of the street.

A new sidewalk is also currently planned for Kirby Road on the other side of Chesterbrook, connecting Chesterbrook Elementary School to Halsey Road. Like the northern sidewalk, the southern extension covers a quarter-mile with a proposed 5-6 foot width.

At a Nov. 9 meeting on the southern Kirby Road sidewalk improvements, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation presented a plan that would include new concrete infrastructure improvements along the roadside. The white painted fences along Kirby Road may be removed and replaced during the construction.

The construction schedule for the north project is unknown, but the southern sidewalk extension is scheduled for final design in early 2019 and construction later that year.

Photo via Google Maps

Nothing Bundt Cakes, a franchise specializing in the eponymous circular bundt cakes, is now open in downtown Vienna at 129 Maple Avenue W.

Marge Kelly, one of the co-owners of the store along with her husband, sister, and sister’s husband, said the shop officially opened last week and was immediately inundated with holiday orders.

“It’s been great,” said Kelly. “We were really busy right before Thanksgiving, but it’s been more manageable over the last few days.”

In addition to ten cake flavors and forty unique designs, Nothing Bundt Cakes also offers various cake-themed gifts and decor.

Kelly said the store was originally planning on having a grand opening celebration sometime in the next month but decided to push the grand opening celebration back to January.

Nothing Bundt Cakes is one of several new venues filling vacant storefronts along Maple Avenue this fall.

Interior photos via Facebook

A month after announcing that KPMG was leasing up to seven floors, the Boro Tower is touting another newly-signed tenant.

Law firm Womble Bond Dickinson will be moving into the tower’s 15th floor in mid-2019, developers The Meridian Group and Rockefeller Group announced Tuesday morning.

The under-construction, 20-story office tower, part of the massive Boro development next to the Greensboro Metro station in Tysons, is now 68 percent leased. Other announced tenants include the soon-to-be-relocated headquarters of Tysons-based TV station group TEGNA and the law firm Hogan Lovells.

More from a press release:

The Meridian Group and Rockefeller Group announced today that Womble Bond Dickinson is moving its Tysons office to Boro Tower, a new trophy office tower near completion at The Boro

The law firm will lease 24,239 square feet – the Tower’s entire 15th floor — beginning in mid-2019. The building is now 68 percent preleased ahead of construction completion, with about 135,000 square feet of office space remaining.

“We are excited and proud to welcome this outstanding law firm to Boro Tower,” said David Cheek, President of The Meridian Group, which is developing The Boro.

Today’s announcement continues the momentum for the mixed-use development. “Womble Bond Dickinson joins a premier lineup of firms, companies and organizations that have chosen The Boro for their new location,” said Gary Block, Chief Investment Officer of The Meridian Group.

Womble Bond Dickinson will relocate its Tysons office at 8065 Leesburg Pike about a mile away. Approximately 40 of the firm’s attorneys and staff will work at Boro Tower.

“We’re excited to be moving into Boro Tower, a premiere office building located in The Boro, which we anticipate will be a vibrant complex and a new hub to the Tysons business community. Our new space will provide an ideal location (including easy Metro access) and office environment to serve our existing clients and attract new ones,” said Gary Nunes, the firm’s Tysons Office Managing Partner.  “Our firm is experiencing an exciting period of evolution and growth, and our new space will help fuel that growth, including helping us recruit and retain top talent. Womble Bond Dickinson has called Northern Virginia home for nearly 20 years, and this move ensures that we will remain an active member of the community for many more years to come.”

Meridian and Rockefeller Group are co-developing the Gensler-designed, 437,000-square-foot trophy office tower.

From its vantage on “The Hill” – the highest ground elevation in Fairfax County -Boro Tower offers panoramic views from the Blue Ridge Mountains to downtown Washington, D.C. The 20-story building, designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, features a shimmering glass curtain wall, accented by a modern, white-glazed terra cotta.

The Tower offers 9- to 10-foot finished ceilings and ideally sized, efficient floorplates that minimize columns and maximize daylight and views. The building boasts ample amenities, including a rooftop terrace, fitness center, locker rooms and bicycle storage that perfectly complement the 10,000 SF of lobby level retail space.

CBRE’s Rob Faktorow and Terry Reiley represented The Meridian Group and the Rockefeller Group in the leasing deal. Womble Bond Dickinson was represented by Mike Shuler and Nate Krill at Avison Young.

“Boro Tower continues to generate significant interest from a wide range of prospective tenants,” said Tom Boylan, Vice President of The Meridian Group. “It offers the best of all worlds: a trophy office building in an ideal location, surrounded by numerous dining, shopping and entertainment options.”

Womble Bond Dickinson is the fourth major tenant to select Boro Tower for its offices.

The three others:

• Big Four accounting firm KPMG, which announced last month that it will lease up to seven floors of the Tower.
• Global law firm Hogan Lovells, which will occupy the Tower’s entire 17th floor and the majority of its 16th floor.
• Media company TEGNA, which is moving its headquarters to the top two floors.

Boro Tower is located in the heart of The Boro, Meridian Group’s amenity-rich development. Located within steps of the Greensboro Metro station, The Boro will be the premier Metro-oriented, mixed-use destination in Tysons.

The 15-acre development will consist of a dynamic mix of office, rental and for-sale residential, retail, entertainment and open park space – a walkable urban environment that has long been sought in Tysons.

The Boro’s dramatic 1.7 million-square-foot first phase, on schedule for completion in 2019, will deliver nearly 700 residential units, 260,000 square feet of destination retail and Boro Tower.

“The Boro  is one of the premier developments in the Washington Metro area,” said Hilary Allard Goldfarb, Senior Vice President at Rockefeller Group.  “Tenants are drawn to Boro Tower for its quality, location and amenities, combined with the sense of place that The Boro district uniquely offers.”

Ideally located near Route 7, Route 123 and Greensboro Drive, The Boro is designed to bring people outside — with pedestrian-friendly roadways, attractive open spaces and a variety of restaurants offering outdoor seating.

The Boro has already attracted such best-in-class companies as Whole Foods Market, which is planning a 69,000-square-foot flagship location; and Kerasotes ShowPlace ICON Theatres, which will open a luxurious new cinema with 15 state-of-the-art screens and upscale dining options.

“The Boro will be a vibrant community to live, work, dine and relax,” Boylan said. “It will be a place that sparkles with life both day and night. We have a lot to look forward to here.”

Courtesy photo

Home Prices Up, Building Permits Down — The latest Fairfax County economic indicators show that home prices are up 5.8 percent year-over-year, but single-family building permits are down 25.9 percent. [Fairfax County]

Dental Office Celebrating 15 Year Anniversary — “While The Boro and other developments are in progress nearby, Nicole Van’s dental office has become a mainstay in the community.” [Patch]

Local Teen Performing at Kennedy Center — Fourteen-year-old Falls Church resident Makenzie Hymes “will have the opportunity to perform on the biggest stage of her still-young dancing career so far as Clara in Ballet West’s new production of The Nutcracker, which will have its Washington, D.C., premiere at the Kennedy Center Opera House on Dec. 5.” [Fairfax Times]

The Changing Face of Fairfax County — “We have a greater diversity of racial and ethnic population than we did two decades ago. Compared to 2000, Asian and Pacific Islanders made up the highest increase, from 13.1 to 19.5 percent in 2018.  Our Hispanic population increased from 11 to 16.2 percent.” [Fairfax County]

FCPD Social Media Star Retiring — “In bittersweet news, our beloved K9 Moose is retiring! On more than 250 posts, Moose has earned over 40,000 combined likes across all of our social media platforms.” [Facebook]

Sharp angles and poor line-of-sight make the Balls Hill Road and Old Dominion Drive intersection one of McLean’s worst road hazards.

But after rescheduling due to poor weather conditions, a community meeting will be held later this week to discuss drastic changes to the intersection. The meeting will be held this Wednesday (Nov. 28) at 7:30 p.m. in Cooper Middle School (977 Balls Hill Road).

The intersection is one of the most crash-heavy intersections in McLean, with 29 total crashes around the intersection from 2010-2015. More development planned for the area, including nearby subdivisions Mehr Farms and Summerstone, are likely to make road conditions worse.

But all three of the proposed intersection changes could have a negative impact on either the surrounding developments or other nearby traffic intersections.

According to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, there are several traffic alternatives being considered for the site:

• T-Intersection: This would solve queuing issues at the site while having a relatively small footprint. But this shift could also have an impact at the Balls Hill Road intersection with Dulany Hill Drive nearby.
• Roundabout: This would allow the intersection to maintain the historic look of the intersection and maintain the state standards of design at the lowest cost. But roundabouts have been shown to have a substantial learning curve for drivers. The intersection would also have to undergo significant topographical changes and it would impact three homes currently under construction at the Mehr Farms development.
• Dedicated Left Turn Lanes: This would be lower in cost than the T-Intersection and have a smaller footprint than the roundabout, but the turn onto Old Dominion Drive would be a quasi U-turn. The new turn lanes would also significantly impact the nearby Korean Presbyterian Church and the Mehr Farms development.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation staff will give a formal presentation at 7:45 p.m., followed by a question and answer period. Comments on the project can also be made online.

The planned intersection improvements are part of a broader series of transportation projects planned throughout McLean.

Four women were arrested this past Friday, accused of stealing items from a store at Tysons Corner Center and then leading police on a chase the ended in a multi-vehicle crash.

The incident happened around 10 p.m. on “Black Friday,” one of the biggest shopping days of the year and a time when roads around Tysons are often jammed with traffic.

Three of the women allegedly “ran out of the Zara store with bags of merchandise,” then “got into a car and sped away from the area.” A police pursued ensued, ending “when the driver hit several other cars that were stopped at a red light,” according to Fairfax County Police.

The suspects, all of whom are between the ages of 18 and 20, are alleged to be part of a theft ring that has stolen from several businesses in the area, according to an FCPD crime report, below.

GRAND LARCENY / PURSUIT: 1961 Chain Bridge Road (Zara), 11/23/2018, 10:05 p.m. Three women ran out of the Zara store with bags of merchandise. They got into a car and sped away from the area. Officers attempted to stop the car, but the driver disregarded the officers’ attempts to stop them. The pursuit ended when the driver hit several other cars that were stopped at a red light, and all occupants were arrested.  No one was injured. Caprice Davis, 18, of Capitol Heights, MD, was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Keva Iracks, 19, of Washington, D.C., was charged with two counts of grand larceny, larceny with intent to distribute, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Germaine Johnson, 20, of Gaithersburg, MD, was charged with obstruction of justice, providing false identification to law enforcement, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, grand larceny, and larceny with intent to distribute. Daysha Robinson, 20, of Washington, D.C., was charged with felony child endangerment, grand larceny, and felony speed to elude. The group was responsible for stealing from multiple businesses in the area.

Details are emerging about A Taste of UrbanSpace, a new food hall planned to replace the Isabella Eatery on the third floor of Tysons Galleria.

According to the Washington Post, the new eatery will bring together eight restaurants from across the Washington area. So far, five of the eight new restaurants have been announced. They are:

• Stomping Ground — A coffee shop and bistro in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood.
• Thip Khao — A popular Laotian restaurant in Columbia Heights.
• Donburi — A Japanese rice bowl restaurant with locations in Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle.
• Ice Cream Jubilee — An ice cream location with locations on the Capitol Riverfront and 14th Street NW, with another location soon to open in Ballston Quarter’s food hall.
• Andy’s Pizza — A pizza-by-the-slice shop from the D.C. frozen pizza company Eat Pizza.

The new food hall is scheduled to have a quick turnaround, opening this coming Wednesday (Nov. 28), completely replacing Isabella Eatery and its in-house restaurant brands while maintaining the same kitchen and dining spaces.

UrbanSpace, the company running the new eatery, specializes in food halls and markets that support smaller restaurateurs and entrepreneurs. The company runs Broadway Bites and Mad. Sq. Eats, among other markets in New York City.

The following article excerpt is from our content sharing partner, FairfaxNews.com.

Rain that pelted Fairfax County Saturday left several roads flooded, trapping some motorists in their cars.

Close to an inch and a half of rain was recorded at Dulles Airport in the twenty-four hours ending at 7 a.m. Sunday, most of it falling between noon and 6 p.m. Saturday.

Fairfax County firefighters rescued two people who were trapped in their vehicle, just after midnight Sunday morning, at Browns Mill Rd and Windstone Dr. in Vienna.

Just after midnight this morning (11/25) units responded to Browns Mill Rd/Windstone Dr. in Vienna area for water rescue. 2 people were trapped in car. Station 39, North Point, crew conducted a shallow water crossing to remove the both. Both evaluated by EMS. No injuries. #fcfrd pic.twitter.com/csMy5QqQ1U

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) November 25, 2018

Read more at FairfaxNews.com

A gas line rupture near the Mosaic District has prompted at least one road closure.

Eskridge Road is closed between Lee Highway and Williams Drive, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, after workers struck what is believed to be a two-inch gas line at the intersection of Eskridge and Merrifield Town Center.

Firefighters have established a “safety perimeter” and are checking nearby buildings, including adjacent townhomes.

Drivers are being encouraged to avoid the area.

UPDATE – gas leak on Eskridge Rd at Merrifield Town Center: situation stable and under control. Awaiting arrival of @washingtongas . Some units are going back in service. #fcfrd #news https://t.co/OuiSIBZMlv

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) November 26, 2018

Map via Google Maps