ArtsFairfax wants you to help it keep track of all the public art popping up around Fairfax County.
The county’s designated, nonprofit local arts agency recently launched an online Public Arts Locator to identify and map out murals, sculptures and other installations placed in the community, either permanently or on a temporary basis.
The app currently shows 94 works of art, including a few that fall outside the county’s borders in Arlington and Manassas. It can be searched by location and different categories of art, such as murals or street fixtures.
Monitored by the nonprofit’s staff, the app is free for anyone to use and includes a survey where people can submit the address, images and descriptions of works of art that they’ve seen.
“If the artwork is available in a public setting and accessible day and night, we want it captured in this inventory,” said Lisa Mariam, ArtsFairfax’s senior director of grants and services and project lead for the Public Art Locator.
The locator was developed by ArtsFairfax and the county’s Department of Information Technology using aerial imagery, map layers and other geographic information systems data. It was designed by GIS analyst Chip Galloway, according to a July 13 press release.
ArtsFairfax says the locator was created in conjunction with its ongoing development of a public art master plan, which will serve as a “blueprint” for the county as it evaluates existing works and plans for future ones.
The app’s launch came on the heels of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors accepting a master art plan focused on facilities. Both that plan and the one on public art are being guided by the Fairfax County Arts Committee, which consists of both county staff and volunteers.
“The ArtsFairfax Public Art Locator will be a critical planning tool as we continue work on the County’s Public Art Master Plan,” ArtsFairfax president and CEO Linda Sullivan said. “By crowd-sourcing public art in our community, this inventory will help us identify where there are gaps and greater needs for community enhancement and creative placemaking.”
Virginia Releases New Policies on Transgender Students — “The final model policies…include many of the same guidelines with an emphasis on parents’ rights ‘to make decisions with respect to their children.’ The policies, a version of which each of Virginia’s schools systems would be required to adopt, outline that teachers and other school personnel may not refer to a student by a different name or pronoun unless parents request the switch in writing.” [The Washington Post]
Northern Virginia Center Expansion Gets Support — The Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended approval last week of Virginia Tech’s proposed campus redevelopment near the West Falls Church Metro station. Proponents said the promised affordable housing and more transit-oriented focus are necessary, while some critics feared the new buildings will overshadow existing condominiums. [Gazette Leader]
Republican Challenges Tim Kaine for Senate Seat — “Hung Cao, a retired U.S. Navy captain who entered the political spotlight last year with an unsuccessful bid to unseat Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), announced Tuesday that he will seek the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Tim Kaine (D) in Virginia’s 2024 elections.” [The Washington Post]
Vienna Police Issue Hundreds of Traffic Citations — The Vienna Police Department’s stop sign enforcement campaign in June yielded “220 stop sign citations and a total of 108 citations issued for other various traffic violations.” Vienna Police Chief Jim Morris says traffic safety is one of the department’s “biggest priorities” throughout the year. [Vienna Police press release, Facebook]
Container Store Lands Space at Springfield Plaza — “The Container Store has inked a deal for a new big box location at Springfield Plaza, where it will join a Whole Foods Market scheduled to open this fall at the retail center at 7206 Old Keene Mill Road.” The new store, which will occupy about 15,282 square feet of previously subdivided space, is expected to open in summer 2024. [Washington Business Journal]
Lorton Residents Get Glimpse of Vision for Future — “Lorton’s community center and library were filled with charts and maps Saturday, July 15, which showed the possible evolution over the next several decades of the Lorton area…[A consultant] said most people gave positive feedback on the plan and said they hoped for a Lorton with ‘more there, there.'” [On the MoVe]
Compromise Proposed on National Airport Flights Increase — “The compromise amendment from Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, calls for adding seven round-trip flights at the airport, instead of the 28 that some lawmakers had previously proposed…Virginia and Maryland lawmakers have argued against expanding the number of flights at the airport, saying they would add to delays and frustrations for fliers.” [WTOP]
Virginia NAACP Questions Voting Rights Restoration Process — “Saying Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s new policy echoes Virginia’s racist past, the state conference of the NAACP on Tuesday released a platform of proposed changes to the way the commonwealth restores voting rights to ex-felons.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
It’s Wednesday — Expect isolated showers followed by possible thunderstorms after 11am, partly sunny weather with a high near 88 and a low around 71. The chance of rain is 40%. [Weather.gov]
(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) The long-fought activism of one local resident has culminated in the Fairfax County Police Department changing its approach to publicly identifying where crimes occur.
Arlington-based blogger Dave Statter announced on Wednesday, July 12 that Police Chief Kevin Davis has committed to having FCPD public information officers and social media channels use community names, rather than postal addresses, in public safety announcements, clearing up decades of confusion.
A crash in the Fort Belvoir area, for instance, will no longer be described as happening in Alexandria, when the city’s limits are almost 10 miles away.
(1) NEW: My battle of 40 years is over. 2 weeks ago @ChiefKDavis committed to having @FairfaxCountyPD stop using phrases like “Alexandria/Falls Church section of Fairfax County”. Instead, they’ll use community names within the county. As you can see it has already begun. (more) pic.twitter.com/wCy4tTeTHP
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) July 12, 2023
Known for his coverage of fire, EMS and police issues on Twitter and his blog, Statter argues that relying on postal addresses when informing the public of crime and safety incidents leads news outlets to share “imprecise” reports that associate murders or robberies in the wrong jurisdiction.
He says this issue is most relevant in Falls Church and Alexandria, two independent cities that share often unclear boundaries with Fairfax County.
The frequent conflation of the two cities with Fairfax County stems from the U.S. Postal Service giving a large swath of Fairfax County residents with Falls Church and Alexandria addresses, Statter claims. These addresses are provided to news outlets by PIOs when pinpointing the location of a crime, giving “people the impression that more crime was occurring in Alexandria [and Falls Church] than what was actually occurring,” Statter told FFXnow.
“The postal service created these artificial boundaries that don’t align with the real political boundaries that are on the map,” Statter said. “And you will often find a national story that says something that occurred in a town somewhere, but it really didn’t occur in that town — it was outside that town in a different jurisdiction. So it’s a problem that people have ignored for many years. I’m trying not to let them ignore it.”
The “general confusion” around city and county limits has also left many residents scratching their heads over where they really live and generated constant citizen inquiries to local governing bodies, Falls Church Communication Director Susan Finarelli says.
“People try to pay taxes to the city of Falls Church when, in fact, they live in Fairfax County,” Finarelli said. “…It is something that City of Falls Church government employees deal with all the time. I even copy and paste a statement of, ‘Oh, thank you so much for your email. Your address is actually in the Fairfax County part of Falls Church. Here’s how you can contact Fairfax County for that service.’”
To remedy this issue, which he says is not only endemic to Northern Virginia but the entire country, Statter has spent 41 long years advocating for PIOs and news outlets to instead use community and neighborhood names, such as Bailey’s Crossroads or Mount Vernon. Read More
Three people arrested for recently attempting to shoplift from Saks Fifth Avenue in Tysons Galleria were part of an “organized retail theft crew” based in Philadelphia, Fairfax County police say.
The three individuals — one man and two women — were seen picking up “multiple high-end handbags and other luxury merchandise” at the store on July 13, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Officers with the department’s Tysons Urban Team (TUT) had tracked the trio to the store after getting a tip from Sak’s Fifth Avenue’s regional loss prevention team that their vehicle — a gold Chevrolet Impala with Pennsylvania tags — had just left the company’s Chevy Chase store.
“With this information, TUT officers utilized [license plate reader] technology and learned that the vehicle had entered Virginia and was in the immediate vicinity,” the FCPD said. “The vehicle was located and observed by TUT units heading in the direction of Saks Fifth Avenue in McLean.”
After taking merchandise at Saks in Tysons, officers saw the individuals start toward the store’s exit without paying, according to police:
The vehicle’s occupants were observed by the TUT team entering the store. Once in the store, they selected multiple high-end handbags and other luxury merchandise and headed toward the exit without paying. When approached by the store’s Loss Prevention team, the two suspects ran. TUT units were already in the area and were able to take one suspect into custody. The other suspect was found in a nearby dumpster after a brief search of the area. The driver of the vehicle was soon located and taken into custody, as well.
The FCPD says approximately $15,000 worth of merchandise has been recovered. Some may be from another retail store that reported a theft by one of the suspects.
All three individuals face charges of grand larceny, larceny with intent to sell or distribute, conspiracy to commit larceny and organized retail theft.
A 26-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man, both from Philadelphia, have also been charged with resisting arrest. A 32-year-old woman faces additional charges of drug possession and eluding police by disregarding a law enforcement officer’s signal to stop.
They were all transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center and initially held without bond. Fairfax County General District Court records indicate that the man has been released on recognizance, while both women remain in custody.
The women had bond hearings this morning (Tuesday). A preliminary hearing in the case has been scheduled for Sept. 27.
The FCPD has said that organized retail theft — where large quantities of merchandise are taken through theft or fraud with the intent of reselling the goods — has significantly increased over the past year. Police attributed a drop in incidents last month to enhanced enforcement and education efforts as part of a summer crime prevention initiative.
The Madison Warhawks have a new award to add to their ever-growing collection of championship trophies.
James Madison High School’s athletic program ranked as the best among Northern Virginia public schools for the 2022-2023 academic year, The Washington Post has decreed based on a scoring system that the paper describes as “well-considered — if unscientific.”
Boasting strong performances from individual athletes and teams across sports, the Vienna school edged out rival Langley High School for the top spot, even though the Saxons actually won five state titles to Madison’s three.
“The Madison Warhawks, long a consistent Class 6 power, top our rankings for the best public program in the Northern Virginia suburbs,” the Post said. “The Warhawks were boosted by their success in several sports. They finished with three state championships (baseball, boys’ lacrosse, girls’ basketball), and six of their programs finished their respective seasons in our top 10 or top 20 rankings.”
Securing its sixth state championship ever and second in three years in June, Madison’s baseball team grabbed the national spotlight last week when star pitcher and slugger Bryce Eldridge got drafted by the San Francisco Giants.
Eldridge was named player of the year by the Washington Post, one of 26 Warhawks to make the paper’s annual All-Met teams recognizing the top student-athletes in the D.C. area — another factor considered in the new best program awards, along with title wins and end-of-season rankings.
The boys’ lacrosse team concluded 13-game winning streak on June 9 with its second consecutive state title, while the girls’ basketball team took the court in March for its ninth title game — the most in Class 6 history — and emerged with a fourth straight championship.
Ranking second on the Post’s list of Northern Virginia’s best high school athletic programs, Langley High School in McLean landed state championships in golf, both boys and girls’ tennis, boys’ swim and dive, and girls’ track and field in the 2022-2023 season.
The Saxons also had 27 All-Mets selections, including coach of the year for girls’ tennis head coach Ellie Wallace, but only one of its teams ended its season in the Post’s top 10 or 20 rankings.
Fairfax, Robinson and West Springfield high school also made the Post’s list of the best public school sports programs in Northern Virginia, landing at no. 7, 8 and 10, respectively.
To come up with its lists, which also honored the top public and private school programs in D.C. and Maryland, the Post’s high school sports staff developed a scoring system that awarded points based on state champion and runner-up status, All-Met selections, and its end-of-season rankings.
While a championship and no. 1 rank were worth 20 points, the most of any factor, a player or coach of the year award garnered more points (10) than an All-Met first-team selection (5) or honorable mention (1), for example.
The full lists and further explanation of the points system can be found in the Post’s story.
Canadian Wildfires Affect Local Air Quality Again — “The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has issued a Code ORANGE Air Quality Alert Tuesday for Northern Virginia. A Code Orange Air Quality Alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups.” [NWS]
Fairfax City Water Rescuers Assist Vermont After Floods — “The Arlington County Fire Department announced Sunday morning, that just the night before, they had teamed up with the City of Fairfax Fire Department to deploy eight swift water rescuers to Vermont to assist the state.” As of Friday (July 14), the storms that hit Vermont last week have been tied two deaths due to flooding. [WUSA9]
Republican Challenges State Sen. Adam Ebbin — “Sophia Moshasha, a technology advocate, will run as a Republican challenger to state Sen. Adam Ebbin in the heavily Democratic 39th District this fall. Moshasha officially announced her candidacy Monday. The 39th District consists of the city of Alexandria, the Crystal City area of Arlington and the Bailey’s Crossroads area” [Inside NoVA]
Chick-fil-A Might Be Coming to Lorton — The fast food company has “filed a sign permit application for a ‘new Chick-fil-A build’ at 9405 Lorton Market St. in Lorton, on an undeveloped portion of Regency Centers’ Lorton Marketplace.” A public relations firm said Chick-fil-A would “very much like to have more restaurants in Fairfax County” but has “no new locations to confirm at this time.” [Washington Business Journal]
Longtime Arlington Tattoo Parlor Relocates to Bailey’s Crossroads — “Rick’s Tattoo on Langston Blvd is moving at the end of the month. The long-time Arlington tattoo parlor, self-described as the oldest in Virginia, was established in 1980 at 4818 Langston Blvd…The shop is moving just over the county line to Bailey’s Crossroads.” [ARLnow]
Marshall HS Grad Goes Pro in Pickleball — “What started as a curiosity for [Alix] Truong became a healthy addiction, to the point where she gave up tennis and a typical high school life to play pickleball full time. She is embarking on a tour, playing competitions across the country and could be blazing a path for young players to pursue a career in pickleball.” [The Washington Post]
Reston Library Hosts Plant Swap This Thursday — “Thinking of starting a flower/vegetable/herbs garden? Stop by the Reston Library to pick up a plant! If you have any extra plants, please bring them along to share with the community. Registration is not required, but much appreciated.” [Fairfax County Public Library]
Blood Drive Coming to McLean — “As blood supplies in Northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C., area remain low, the McLean Volunteer Fire Department is teaming up with Inova Blood Donor Services again to hold a blood drive on July 28. The Inova bloodmobile will be located in the fire department’s lower parking lot, at 1455 Laughlin Avenue” [Patch]
It’s Tuesday — There’s a possibility of showers and thunderstorms primarily after 5pm today with widespread haze clearing before noon. The day will mostly be sunny with temperatures hovering around 92, dropping to a low of nearly 71 at night. The chance of rainfall is 30%. [Weather.gov]
While new buildings continue to transform the Tysons skyline further east, the Spring Hill Metro station area has yet to see the same frenzy of development.
Developer American Real Estate Partners hopes to change that with City House, pitching the high-rise apartments to the Fairfax County Planning Commission last week as a way to revitalize its Highline at Greensboro District office complex at 8401 Greensboro Drive.
“As we all know, office is not feasible in many locations, and not in this location either,” Walsh Colucci land use lawyer Lynne Strobel told the commission on July 12, reporting double-digit vacancy rates at the development’s two existing office buildings. “…I appreciate that that is the state of the market right now, but we think this conversion might help revitalize this corner of Tysons.”
Recommending approval of the application, the commissioners agreed that housing seems like a more promising match for the 2.65-acre site than the 20-story office building anticipated by a development plan the county greenlit in 2013.
City House will feature up to 410 multifamily rental units and three publicly accessible parks:
- A 4,009-square-foot Highline Plaza outside its main entrance, with benches, landscaping and an art installation
- A 6,708-square-foot pocket park dubbed Highline Square with seating
- A 32,778-square foot urban park with recreational amenities on top of the existing, 1,500-space parking garage that City House will share with the offices
It’s just one piece of the 31.5-acre Spring Hill Station demonstration project, which was approved in 2011 and envisioned 7.5 million square feet of mixed-use, transit-oriented development north of the Spring Hill Road and Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) intersection.
The Spring Hill project was supposed to be at the forefront of the county’s efforts to turn Tysons into a vibrant downtown, but construction in Tysons West as a whole has largely ground to a halt since the Adaire apartments opened in 2016.
Bounded by Spring Hill Road, Greensboro Drive and Broad Street, the Highline portion will have five buildings, including the two office towers and City House. A possible residential or hotel building and a residential building with retail are approved but unbuilt.
“When you come around from Route 7 onto Spring Hill Road and look at the site right now, I mean it’s eh,” Dranesville District Planning Commissioner John Ulfelder said. “It really does need something, and it needs something that ties it back to the rest of Tysons and looks like the new Tysons, the modern Tysons. I think this is a good step in that direction.”
While hopeful that the building will be “a catalyst for redevelopment,” Providence District Commissioner Phil Niedzielski-Eichner raised concerns about its accessibility to residents, workers and members of the surrounding community, stressing the need to make clear that the parks are there and open to the public.
The developer will provide signage, pedestrian walkways and landscaping “thoughtfully designed to draw people into these spaces,” Strobel said. The elevated park will have a stage that’s visible from the ground, and access will be provided with an ADA-complaint ramp, an elevator and staircases.
American Real Estate Partners has also committed improving the streetscape with mostly 8-foot-wide sidewalks, landscape amenity panels , streetlights, benches, bicycle racks and trash cans.
On Spring Hill Road, the developer will add a raised median featuring two travel lanes, a designated left turn lane into the Spring Hill Business Center, a 5-foot-wide bicycle lane and a parking lane in place of an existing right-turn lane.
It will also reconfigure Broad Street from Spring Hill to the intersection with a future Logan Street, adding bicycle lanes up to West Street and a crosswalk near East Street. However, the road will still have just two travel lanes for cars, rather than the four it’s slated to get when fully built out.
In search of congestion relief, residents of the nearby Rotonda Condominiums have become anxious to see Broad Street extended to Westpark Drive, as dictated by the Tysons Grid of Streets.
“It’s an important part of the grid system, and it would give an alternate route for traffic to get from Spring Hill to Westpark and not have to use Greensboro,” William Lawson Jr., representing the Rotunda Condominiums Association board, said at the public hearing.
In response to Lawson’s request that the county consider monitoring the situation and potentially helping fund the road’s construction, Niedzielski-Eichner said City House could help attract the “continued investment” in Spring Hill necessary to fill out the street grid.
“As the development continues to evolve in this area, it will provide the incentive and resources for the construction in its totality of Broad Street,” he said. “If the county were the last investor needed to make it happen, I suspect a case will be made for that.”
The application will go to the Board of Supervisors for a public hearing and final vote on July 25.
Late night drinks ended in a round of fisticuffs at Vienna’s Pazzo Pomodoro last Wednesday (July 12).
Officers were called to the Italian restaurant at 118 Branch Road SE around 1:30 a.m. after getting a report of a fight, the Vienna Police Department said in a summary of notable incidents from the week of July 7-13.
According to the report, bystanders told police that the conflict began when a man made “comments about a couple” at the restaurant’s bar, which is open until 1 a.m. on Sundays through Thursdays.
“One of the other patrons was offended by the comments and asked the man to stop,” the VPD said. “When the man continued with the comments, a fight ensued between the man, the patron, and the patron’s adult son.”
Other customers and employees were able to break up the fight before the police arrived and advised those involved of the process for pursuing charges, should they opt to go that route, according to the VPD.
In a separate, belatedly documented incident, police went to the 200 block of Harmony Drive SW on June 2 to settle a dispute between a resident and a group of teen boys.
Officers received two calls about the incident: one from the resident and another from a caller who claimed the resident had brandished a handgun.
The resident advised she heard a loud banging at her front door and she observed several teenage boys standing by the curb. The resident yelled at the boys, swearing and using racial slurs. When the boys began cursing back she called the police. The boys advised they left the local pool and were waiting for a ride when an unknown boy ran up to the resident’s door, knocked, and ran away. The resident then began yelling at them and emerged with a gun.
The resident told officers that she was holding her phone to call the police, not a gun — an assertion confirmed by a cell phone video that the boys recorded of the encounter, the VPD said.
Also in the department’s latest round-up, a traffic stop on June 30 led to the driver — a 30-year-old Herndon man — getting charged with carrying a concealed firearm without a permit, and a resident reported on July 13 that her dog got sick from ingesting rat poison while in her backyard.
“It is not known how the poison could have gotten into the resident’s yard,” police said.
At the Westwood Country Club on July 7, a “disgruntled” employee was trespassed after “breaking several plates, shoving the manager, and placing several employees in fear.”
In addition, a resident in the 1100 block of Moorefield Hill Court SW called police on July 10 to report that his dog walker had seen another woman who claimed to be a dog walker enter his home around noon that day:
At 7:30 p.m., a resident reported an incident from earlier in the day when his dog walker observed a woman walk through the carport and into his home. The woman immediately left saying she had the wrong house. The dog walker provided the resident with the woman’s description and the tag number from her vehicle. Officers went to the woman’s home and she advised them that she is a dog walker and accidentally walked into a home thinking it was her client’s address then quickly realized she was at the wrong house.
Photo via Google Maps
Man in Custody After Shots Fired Call — “Officers responded to the 13600 blk of Lee Jackson Mem Hwy in Chantilly for a shots fired call. Preliminary, there are no injuries, and all parties are accounted for. There is no apparent threat to the public at this time…Officers have one adult male in custody.” [FCPD/Twitter]
Eggs Rescued From Dumpster Result in Chicks — “More than 20 chicks have found homes with veterinary staff after being rescued from a dumpster in Fairfax County, Virginia. Late last week, Fairfax County Animal Protection Police were called to a shopping center in West Falls Church, where over 1,000 eggs had been abandoned in a dumpster.” [WTOP]
Ceiling Collapses on Springfield Family — “A few members of the Porter family watched part of their ceiling collapse from inside their Springfield home. The moment, captured on video, was posted on TikTok and viewed more than 65 million times. Nobody was hurt, and the family is still able to occupy the home and have a plastic sheet blocking off the impacted room.” [DC News Now]
Marijuana Sales in Virginia Unlikely Under Youngkin — The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services commissioner said not to expect “any further moves towards legalization of adult recreational-use marijuana” during Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s term. While Maryland launched a recreational cannabis market just days earlier, the possibility of sales in Virginia has “been in political limbo for years to detrimental effects.” [The Washington Post]
Police Share Tips for Ride-Share Safety — “Every year, major rideshare companies document the number of sexual assault incidents reported to their company. Although Fairfax County does not have as many reported incidents as other major metropolitan areas, since the beginning of 2023 FCPD has had three separate ride-share incidents reported in our communities.” [FCPD]
Tysons Venture Capital Firm Launches With $50 Million — “Tysons-based Flintlock Capital was founded by Seda Goff and Joe Shamess, general partners who are planning to invest in early-stage companies across the country within financial technology, what they refer to as ‘frontier’ technologies — artificial intelligence, robotics and space — and in companies that are looking to bring tech into aging industries.” [Washington Business Journal]
Herndon Tech Company Relocates HQ to Reston — “Seerist Inc., which works in threat and risk intelligence, has signed a lease for 8,395 square feet at 11440 Commerce Park Drive, landlord Comstock Holding Companies Inc. (Nasdaq: CHCI) announced. Seerist is moving from 13221 Woodland Park Road in Herndon.” [WBJ]
Gardens at Former Nike Site Get Grand Opening — “The Fairfax County Park Authority is pleased to announce the official ribbon-cutting for the Laurel Hill Community Garden Plots. Join Supervisor Dan Storck, Park Authority Board Member Linwood Gorham and others at the official opening of the new facility located in Lorton.” [FCPA]
It’s Monday — During the day, it’ll be sunny with a high temperature around 92. In the evening, expect a slight possibility of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, with about a 20% chance of rainfall. The night will be partly cloudy and temperatures will drop to approximately 72. [Weather.gov]
A new housing option has opened up in Tysons — at least for those who can spare $1.7 million.
Developer Renaissance Centro recently celebrated the grand opening of Monarch, a 20-story, 94-unit condominium high-rise in the Arbor Row neighborhood.
“The opening of Monarch brings a human dimension, new technology and open spaces which enriches Tysons,” Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, who participated in a ribbon-cutting at the ceremony, said. “I am simply delighted and excited for the community, and for my district.”
Located at 7887 Jones Branch Drive, Monarch’s condos range in size from 880 to 4,100 square feet and have sold for up to $4.1 million. There are 18 units still available after the developer touted strong pre-sales at record-high prices for Tysons.
Prices for the remaining five model types average around $1.7 million, according to Renaissance Centro President David Mayhood.
Designed by WDG Architecture and built by Hoar Construction, the 202,200-square-foot building has 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Resident amenities include 24-hour concierge service, a fitness center, a garden terrace with a swimming pool, co-working space, a pet wash station, and a private dining room.
The grand opening included open house tours of the development’s “grand spaces,” according to a press release shared by Renaissance Centro yesterday (Thursday).
Guests toured the grand spaces of Monarch, furnished by the French luxury home brand Roche Bobois in a style that matches well with Monarch’s soft lighting, bronze fixtures and colorful art. Walls of glass twenty feet high flood the lobby with light, and an expansive third floor entertainment space connects to a lushly landscaped roof deck. In the outside garden, residents will enjoy arbors, leisure seating, grilling stations and a pool, offering fresh air and quiet corners for reading and reflection. Glass-railed balconies extend living spaces, and some residents can take private elevators that open directly into their units.
The opening came slightly later than anticipated after a four-year-long construction process. When it broke ground, Monarch was expected to open in late 2020, but a change in building contractors stalled work for months.
Approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors back in 2012, the Arbor Row master plan calls for eight new buildings totaling 2.6 million square feet on 19.4 acres in office-heavy central Tysons. Other completed pieces of the development include The Nouvelle apartments and Arbor Row Stream Valley Park.
Still to come is a pair of senior living apartment buildings dubbed The Mather that topped off in January and is expected to open next year. In addition, Arbor Row developer Cityline Partners submitted a pitch to the county last fall to replace an approved office building with another residential high-rise.
That application is still under county review with no scheduled public hearings yet.
“This community is still emerging,” Renaissance Centro president and founder Albert Small Jr. said. “Really, we’re building a new town, adding a lot of rooftops. You will soon see walkers, joggers, cyclists and maybe even strollers energizing this corner of Tysons.”
