The Tysons branch of The Container Store, a national chain of stores selling all types of storage and organization supplies, is moving across the street this weekend.
The store is relocating from 8508 Leesburg Pike to 8459 Leesburg Pike near the Best Buy on Route 7. While the distance is slight, the new location promises a completely new feeling for the store.
In a press release, the Container Store announced the new store will include a revamped store design with unique interactive technology elements that aim to make shopping for containers more convenient and customized. This store will be the first of a “new generation” of container shopping, following on a prototype store that opened in Dallas in June, the company said
The location opens at 10 a.m. this Saturday (Oct. 20). The opening weekend will include giveaways every hour on the hour, including a $1,000 Elfa custom closet with installation, both Saturday and Sunday.
The Container Store is also hiring new full-time and seasonal employees, with applications available online.
Photo via The Container Store
Painted Benches Coming to Vienna — “In honor of the Vienna Arts Society’s upcoming 50th anniversary in 2019, artists from the group will decorate 41 wooden benches that will be placed around the town for six months next year.” [InsideNova]
Free Lyft Rides for Halloween — “Offered by the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the 2018 Halloween SoberRide program will be in operation beginning at 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27 and continue until 4 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28, as a way to keep local roads safe from impaired drivers during this traditionally high-risk holiday.” [McLean Connection, Washington Regional Alcohol Program]
Macy’s Hiring for Holiday Season — “As the Christmas shopping season approaches, Macy’s will be hiring seasonal staff at the two Tysons Corner locations. Hiring events will be held from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 18.” [Patch]
Fairfax May Legalize Hedgehogs — “Having a chinchilla, hedgehog or hermit crab in Virginia’s Fairfax County makes you a scofflaw, but that could soon change. The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to advertise a public hearing on changes to the definitions of ‘commonly accepted pets’ that can be kept without special, individual permission from zoning authorities.” [WTOP]
VA-TF1 Hurricane Deployment Update — “On October 14th the team was relocated to Jackson County, approximately 40 miles north, northeast of Panama City where they continue to work today. The team is conducting wide-area searches including detailed searches of damaged structures.” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]
(Updated 4:30) — A series of improvements for 1676 International Drive are planned to bring the building more in line with newer developments like the nearby Boro project.
1676 International Drive is currently a 13-story, 300,000-square foot office building. Brandywine Realty Trust, the owner of the property, said the renovations will focus on transforming the interior space into a more popular flexible workspace environment. Renovations begin this month and are expected to be completed next fall.
New outdoor and recreation spaces will include an outdoor fireplace and lounge, an oversized outdoor TV, a bocce court and other relaxation areas. A new penthouse suite will include a 120-person conference center and a luxury fitness center.
Infrastructure enhancements are also planned for the area will also improve the building’s accessibility to Tysons Galleria across International Drive and the Boro, diagonally opposite the property across Greensboro Drive.
Brandywine Realty Trust said in a press release that the added walkways and a new traffic signal planned for Tysons Boulevard will improve accessibility to the building.
Allie Seifert, a spokeswoman for Brandywine, said the redevelopment is part of a broader strategy of reinvesting in existing assets in burgeoning neighborhoods outside D.C., like Tysons and Ballston, and converting them into more modern workspaces.
Brandywine also recently announced a new line of flexible office offerings similar to MakeOffices and WeWork called BEX, with the first location opening at 8260 Greensboro Drive in Tysons.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can make life difficult, but the ADHD Awareness Month Resource Fair this Saturday (Oct. 20) in Tysons aims to make living with the disorder a little easier.
Attendees will have a chance to meet with professionals, school representatives, and nonprofit organizations to access resources for those with mental illness and learning disabilities. The event will run from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at BASIS Independent McLean (8000 Jones Branch Drive).
The keynote speaker will be Kathleen Nadeau, a clinical director in Washington, D.C. specializing in the treatment of ADHD. Sessions and panels throughout the day will focus on building supportive environments for people with ADHD and advice for young adults with ADHD.
General admission is free but a $10 donation to Children and Adults with ADD (CHADD) is suggested.
Photo via CHADD
The following article excerpt is from our content sharing partner, FairfaxNews.com.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this week inched closer to making changes in its pension plans for new county hires, acting on a longtime argument by Supervisor Pat Herrity that Fairfax pension benefits are too generous.
The board voted to authorize a public hearing on November 20, 2018 to consider proposed amendments to the ordinances for Fairfax County’s three retirement systems. The changes would be effective for new employees hired after June 30, 2019.
“Pension costs compete with our ability to provide quality services to our residents and to pay competitive salaries to hire the best and brightest teachers and employees,” Herrity said in an emailed statement. “We cannot continue to ask our residents to work after their retirement to pay significant increases in their taxes so our new County employees can retire as early as age 55 with a pension benefit that is much more generous than surrounding jurisdictions.”
The action has been a long time coming. In 2009, Herrity asked for a review of the county’s pension plans and in 2013, the board made some minor changes. Following additional advocacy for changes to address the plan’s unfunded liability and cost, the board began another review in late 2016.
Read more at FairfaxNews.com
(Updated at 12:20 p.m.) A student at George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church reportedly brandished a fake gun inside the school, prompting a prompting a police investigation and a letter to parents.
John Torre, a public information officer for Fairfax County Public Schools, said that the school was made aware of the video last night (Tuesday).
Torre said police were notified and determined that the weapon the individual was holding was a fake. Fairfax County Police said on Twitter that they did not believe there was a threat to school safety.
We have been investigating since it was reported to us. The gun pictured in the video is a fake and the information we have at this time does not suggest there is a threat to school safety.
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 17, 2018
The video was reportedly circulated on Snapchat. A clip posted on Twitter, purporting to be of the video in question and sent to the school system and a local TV station, shows a young person brandishing what appears to be a gun under the caption “uhh 109% ur f****d if u at marshall.”
The school notified parents early this morning. The FCPS Twitter account said parents should have received the update around 7:30 a.m., but some parents said via Twitter they didn’t receive the update until their children were already on the bus to school.
Yes received after my child would have been on the bus. Some parents didn't get until 9ish. Too little info too late. FCPS needs to do more to inform parents and keep our kids safe.
— Shari Blackburn (@ShariABlackburn) October 17, 2018
Torre said the police contacted the student and family, and that the school would not comment on any disciplinary actions taken.
Photo (top) via Google Maps (bottom) via Twitter
(Updated 10:45 a.m.) — Lieutenant Eddie Payne, a firefighter at Station 1 in McLean, was recognized by the Sons of the American Revolution’s George Washington Chapter on Monday, Oct. 15 with a Fire Safety Award for his role in a dramatic rescue this summer.
On June 20, the Beltway came to a standstill as a tractor-trailer driver crashed into construction vehicles working on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The driver was killed and four of the vehicles caught fire, closing the bridge and clouding the sky with smoke.
Three construction workers were in a bucket under the bridge, attached to a boom truck that was caught in the accident, and were trapped as several local fire departments worked together with boat crews to rescue them.
Payne was off-duty at the time but stepped in to help coordinate the rescue of the workers. Bill Delaney, a public affairs officer for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, said Payne happened to see the chaos and was one of the first to try to get everyone organized.
“He called it in and was in communications with the 911 center to let them know what they were coming into,” said Delaney. “He was helping to coordinate what was going on while he was off-duty.”
Firefighters from Fairfax Station 11 near Alexandria and stations in Washington, D.C. and Prince George’s County also received awards for their efforts.
“He took control of a very chaotic scene and kept a level head,” said the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department in a Facebook post.
Police Release Sketch of Vienna Robbery Suspect — Fairfax County Police have released a sketch of the suspect who robbed a man at gunpoint on Oct. 6 along path to the Vienna Metro station. [Facebook]
Rapid Pace of Tysons Development — The pace of development in Tysons is impressing even seasoned local business people. At a recent Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce breakfast, the gathered crowd was wowed by a slide showing buildings now under construction and approved developments in Tysons. [InsideNova]
Local Firms Place High on Fortune List — From the most recent FCEDA E-Bird: “Hilton and Mars Inc. are among the top three places to work — not just in Fairfax County but in the world according to Fortune.com. San Francisco-based Salesforce, Tysons Corner-based Hilton and McLean-based Mars ranked 1-2-3 based on employee surveys conducted by Fortune partner Great Place to Work around the world. Companies racked up points based on respect, fairness, pride, camaraderie, and trust.” [Fortune]
FCPS Digital Citizenship Week — “This week is Digital Citizenship Week in our county schools and it’s important for parents/guardians to help children become safe, ethical, responsible and respectful digital citizens.” [Fairfax County]
Cvent Makes Big Acquisition — Tysons-based event tech company Cvent has acquired D.C.-based event and venue planning startup Social Tables for, reportedly, more than $100 million. [Washington Business Journal]
Reminder: Social Media Week Fairfax Tomorrow — Social Media Week Fairfax, featuring a number of marquee speakers including Judy Smith of Scandal fame, will be taking place tomorrow (Thursday) from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at Capital One HQ in Tysons. A complete agenda is available here.
Metro ridership in Tysons has been increasing, bucking the transit system’s overall downward trend.
According to a recent county report, from April 2017-2018 ridership increased across Tysons stations by eight percent, from 7,142 to 7,723 riders per weekday.
According to the report, the most active Metrorail station within Tysons is Tysons Corner, which averages over 3,400 passengers per day (total entries) on weekdays and over 2,500 for Saturdays, exceeding the ridership at the other three stations.
The only station to show a decrease in ridership has been the Spring Hill station, which declined from 1,220 riders to 1,188, a three percent decrease.
The same report also showed that morning and evening peak period traffic to and from Tysons in single-occupancy vehicles had decreased after years of mostly trending upward. Morning trips for single-occupancy vehicles decreased over the last year from 106,389 to 99,472, while evening trips decreased from 108,604 to 104,596.
Professor Frank Shafroth, director of the Center for State and Local Leadership at George Mason University, said the two numbers are likely rooted in traffic and tolling along I-66.
“I think the uptick reflects how terrible I-66 traffic is — and, increasingly, how expensive it is,” said Shafroth. “I know when I go out to Tysons, I do not even think of driving, even though it is almost a straight shot, when I can, instead, relax, read, and prep for whatever meeting I am headed to.”
Graph via Fairfax County
The 4th annual DC Sustainability Summit and Green Product Expo (DCSS) is bringing industry leaders to Tysons to discuss sustainability.
The summit will be held in Valo Park (7950 Jones Branch Road) from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. this Thursday.
Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Seth Goldman, CEO of Honest Tea Company, will be the keynote speakers in the day-long discussion of environmental equity issues. Discussions will focus on helping to develop regional solutions to work towards reducing carbon emissions.
The Green Product Expo following the summit will give attendees a chance to ask questions about, and see in action, new green building technology and products.
A full schedule of events is available online.
General registration for the event is $95 and student registration is $45. Breakfast, lunch and happy hour are included in the admission.
The summit is sponsored by DCS Design and the Tysons Partnership.
Photos via Facebook
