Fairfax County will ease up on its parking requirements for the planned redevelopment of the West Falls Church Metro station.
However, the 29% reduction in spaces that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved yesterday (Tuesday) was lower than the 34% reduction requested by developers EYA, Rushmark Properties, and Hoffman & Associates, known as FGCP-Metro LLC.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, whose district includes the 24-acre site, said FGCP-Metro appeared “receptive” to an agreement with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority allowing the development to use up to 120 parking spaces in the Metro parking garage.
“There is…a lot of capacity of parking in a Metro parking lot at this site, and the parking study suggested that that was a justification for reducing the parking factor even more,” Foust told the board. “…I think there is going to be an opportunity to use that to some extent, but to finalize and make this permanent, I asked that the applicant enter into an agreement with Metro for parking spaces, if they are to get the reduction they initially sought.”
Approved by the Board of Supervisors on June 27, the project will replace parking lots at the Metro station in Idylwood with over 1 million square feet of mixed-use development, including 810 multifamily residential units, 85 single-family townhouses, 110,000 square feet of office and up to 10,000 square feet of retail.
That will reduce the station’s park-and-ride capacity from 2,009 to 1,350 spots, including an existing 1,200-space garage, according to a staff report accepted by WMATA’s board of directors in March.
FGCP-Metro proposed providing 1,052 spaces in the development — 34% fewer than the 1,598 spaces required under the county’s zoning ordinance. A parking study from the development team posited that the site’s proximity to transit and planned pedestrian and bicycle improvements will make future residents less reliant on cars.
While some community members have objected to the loss of parking, county staff generally supported the study’s argument that the demand for parking is partly driven by its availability.
“When walkable locales are provided, behavioral changes occur that support use of non-auto travel modes such as walking and micromobility devices,” staff said in a memo to the Board of Supervisors. “…Reducing incentives to drive because parking is freely available reduces emissions, which is the primary source of pollution in our region.”
According to the parking study, the existing neighborhoods adjacent to the property generally restrict parking to residents, and Metro “indicated it was open to sharing arrangements” with the development.
Under the reduction approved by the Board of Supervisors, the developers will provide 1,140 spaces. The additional spaces come from an increased minimum rate of 0.9 spaces per unit, or 522 spaces total, for 579 one-bedroom apartments, which were previously set at a rate of 0.75 spaces per unit.
If WMATA agrees to share part of its garage, those spaces could be counted toward the total, reducing the amount of new parking that the developers need to build, according to Foust.
A representative for FGCP-Metro didn’t return a request for comment by press time.
The county is revamping its off-street parking policies for the first time since 1988. Set for a planning commission public hearing on July 26, Parking Reimagined would create a tiered system for parking requirements based on density, among other changes.
Overnight Traffic Stops Coming to I-495 — The southbound I-495 collector-distributor road near Georgetown Pike (exit 44) in McLean will be closed in 30-minute increments between midnight to 5 a.m. today (Wednesday) through Friday (July 14). “Following each stoppage, one lane will reopen to clear traffic before the next stoppage is implemented…These traffic stoppages are necessary for crews to remove overhead roadway signs.” [VDOT]
Youngkin Pushes Early Voting for Republicans — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) on Tuesday rolled out a web portal aimed at encouraging Republicans to register for absentee ballots and vote early in this fall’s legislative elections, embracing many of the voter-access policies enacted by Democrats in the past few years.” [The Washington Post]
Fare Discount Ends for Reston-to-Pentagon Bus — “Beginning Aug. 1, Route 599 will return to the regular fare of $7.50 per trip. Connector was able to offer Route 599 passengers a discounted rate of $4.25 per trip thanks to a grant from @NoVaTransit. We will exhaust all grant funding for the reduced fare on 8/1.” [Fairfax Connector/Twitter]
Annandale Is Getting Sub and Wings Eateries — “Jersey Mike’s Subs is expected to open in Annandale in early September. It’s located between the future Wingstop and Moby Dick House of Kabob in the new retail center at John Marr Drive and Little River Turnpike. Wingstop has set an opening date of July 30.” [Annandale Today]
Beverage Truck Launches in Mount Vernon — “For just over a month, entrepreneur Eric Danish has been serving up hot and cold beverages from his ‘Caffeine Machine VA’ food truck at The Garden Plot.” Danish previously drove the “full-service coffee and beverage trailer to events in various locations in the Manassas area” until he got Garden Plot’s offer of a permanent site. [On the MoVe]
County Adds Drop-Off Site for Latex Paint — “Due to the volume of LATEX PAINT we receive and current staffing shortages, a temporary disposal location for LATEX PAINT is open at the I-95 Landfill Complex. Please review the location and hours for dropping off at our facilities.” [Department of Public Works and Environmental Services/Twitter]
Library Short Story Contest Underway — “Fairfax County Public Library and the Fairfax Library Foundation invite adults (18+) to participate in our first annual ‘The World We Write’ short story writing contest. Use one of the prompts to write a 250-word story.” The contest will run through July 31, with winners getting notified by August 21. [FCPL]
Local Opera Company Brings Shakespeare to McLean — Shakespeare Opera Theatre founder Dr. Lori Lind’s vision of combining opera and Shakespeare initially confounded participants, but now, “her double dream has become a thriving reality at churches in Northern Virginia.” The company will perform “Much Ado About Nothing” at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in McLean this weekend. [WTOP]
It’s Wednesday — Sunny, with a high near 93. Light and variable wind becoming west around 6 mph in the morning. At night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 7 mph. [Weather.gov]
The Fairfax County Park Authority is asking people to stop fighting with kites.
Last week, the park authority issued a warning about the dangers and harm caused by kite fighting, which is prohibited at county parks.
Kite fighting is an old tradition that has seen its popularity rise in recent years, partly due to the book and movie “The Kite Runner.” It’s particularly practiced in South America and a number of Asian countries, including India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Korea, and Vietnam. The main objective is to cut an opponent’s kite line before they cut yours.
But kite fighting can also be dangerous, since the already-sharp strings are sometimes coated with pieces of glass mixed with glue. Strings prepared this way can cause severe injury or, even, death. Earlier this year, sharp strings killed three children at a festival in India.
The FCPA says visitors could be banned from county parks if they repeatedly violate the kite fighting prohibition.
“The Fairfax County Park Authority has prohibited kite fighting at Fairfax County Parks, citing increasing reports of harm to wildlife, vegetation, maintenance equipment and the inherent risks to public safety,” the agency said in a press release. “Individuals observed to be kite fighting will be asked to stop. Individuals who refuse or repeatedly violate this rule may potentially be banned from park use.”
FCPA spokesperson Ben Boxer told FFXnow that kite fighting has been prohibited in county parks for “well over a year.”
However, the authority decided to issue a warning after getting complaints from community members and reports from volunteers and maintenance crews who are consistently “removing kite string/wire and debris from trees, trails and from our maintenance equipment.”
The county has received a dozen complaints from the community and volunteers in 2023, Boxer said. It also has led to increased maintenance costs with strings getting caught in mowers and other equipment.
“We’ve begun to encounter these hazards at more of our parks within the last 12 months, so this is not an isolated issue,” he said, noting that the issue isn’t confined to a specific park or area of the county.
The park authority has “seen evidence of kite fighting and received concerns from several locations,” Boxer told FFXnow.
Beyond presenting a potential danger to humans, the sharp lines can get caught on treetops and low-lying brush or end up in the water, which can be fatal to wildlife.
“Often, the kite debris and attached string are not recovered and disposed of, leaving a potentially near-invisible hazard for animals and people,” the park authority said. “Park patrons, wildlife managers and Park Authority staff are regularly documenting potential harm to birds, reptiles and other wildlife caught in kite line.”
Fairfax County residents don’t have to cross the Potomac to taste some of the best cuisine that the D.C. area has to offer, as decreed by the 2023 RAMMY awards.
Announced at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. on Sunday (July 9), the annual honors from the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) feted four restaurants with ties to the Fairfax area — including three in Merrifield’s Mosaic District.
Kirby Club owner Rose Previte was named Restaurateur of the Year by the association, which represents and advocates for the region’s food service industry.
Previte launched Kirby Club (2911 District Avenue) with co-founders Mike Schuster and Mayu Horie last December. Since then, the Mediterreanean restaurant has drawn praise for its atmosphere and flexible portions, landing a spot among the top newcomers in the Washington Post’s spring dining guide.
In addition to Kirby Club, Previte is a co-owner of D.C.’s Maydān, which also focuses on Mediterranean cuisine, and Compass Rose, which serves food from around the world. All three restaurants are part of No White Plates, a collective she co-founded that aims to showcase the culture and stories behind each meal.
“I’m still in shock about this incredible win,” Previte said. “It’s been nearly 10 years since I was working around the clock to open Compass Rose and as anyone in hospitality can tell you it takes a village to run a restaurant, let alone three. Opening Kirby Club was a new level of learning and every day I am grateful for the team that makes every day possible.”
This year’s RAMMY winners also include the fast-casual Indian chain RASA, which was chosen as the region’s Favorite Fast Bite in one of five categories determined by a public vote.
Started by two friends in D.C. who wanted to introduce the area to the diversity of flavors in Indian cuisine, Rasa opened its first Fairfax County location at the Mosaic District (2905 District Avenue, Suite 160) on July 30, 2022. Its menu includes salads and rice and noodle bowls, with chef-created and build-your-own options.
“We are absolutely humbled and thrilled to win the Favorite Fast Bites RAMMY this year,” Rasa co-founder Rahul Vinod said. “Our team works tirelessly day-in and day-out so it is amazing for them to be recognized by the community. We are excited to continue sharing our food and culture with more people!
In addition to the main awards, the RAMMYs bestowed honorary awards on several area restaurants that reached notable milestones, including Artie’s — which has been in Fairfax City for 45 years now — and Four Sisters.
For the latter, the recognition of its 30th anniversary was no doubt bittersweet. Started at Falls Church’s Eden Center in 1993, the family-run Vietnamese restaurant relocated to Merrifield in 2008, but it closed up shop at the Mosaic District in May.
The Lai family is still operating Four Sisters Grill in Clarendon and the 4 Sisters Snack Bar in Ashburn.
Determined by the public or a panel of anonymous judges, depending on the specific category, the RAMMY awards are intended to celebrate the accomplishments of the D.C. area’s food service industry. Last year, the only winner with local ties was Annandale’s A&J Restaurant, which won the Best Brunch category.
For many, a cake on their birthday is a given. However, for others, it’s a quiet luxury that they are unable to attain.
Recognizing this unfortunate reality, Cake4Kids — a national organization with a Fairfax County chapter founded by Mary Campbell in 2019 — seeks to make birthday cakes accessible for all.
According to Campbell, her Cake4Kids chapter makes and delivers free custom cakes for major celebratory events, including birthdays, graduations, adoptions, and academic achievements, to people aged 1-24 throughout Northern Virginia. Popular cake themes include Disney, Minecraft and Fortnite.
“We’re helping families because some of them don’t have the resources, and it may be a choice between paying a bill and getting a cake,” Campbell said. “We want to remove that burden for them and be able to provide the cake that they want for their child. In other cases, it strengthens the bonds between a case worker and a child.”
Campbell’s branch of Cake4Kids is currently partnered with 117 organizations across the county, such as Fairfax County Public Schools, community centers, affordable housing nonprofits, immigration clinics and homeless and domestic violence shelters.
The collaborations help the chapter increase its reach and make a positive impact on as many families and children as possible — an impact that Campbell finds “hard to quantify.”
“I hear stories about the impact [Cake4Kids] has on families and children,” Campbell said. “I hear from schools how students are brought to tears when they realize they’ve just received a cake — families that are so relieved that they were able to give their child a cake that they too are brought to tears.”
Celebrating its four-year anniversary in May by delivering its 4,000th cake to a 14-year-old girl in Fairfax County, Campbell’s chapter has grown tremendously since its inception as a one-woman operation.
After baking 163 cakes in its first year, the chapter now has a hearty team of 750 volunteer bakers who successfully made 2,000 cakes in 2022. Its success relies on the dedication of a team of “heroes” who spend their free time baking and delivering cakes all across the county, Campbell says.
In many instances, the bakers never meet the children they baked a cake for, instead dropping the cake off with the organization, case worker or family who requested it. Campbell says this allows the child to build trust in and bond with their loved one without Cake4Kids imposing.
Even without the gratification of seeing in real time the often emotional reactions of those receiving the free cakes, her team of bakers continues to eagerly monitor their online portal for cake requests and get right to work when one comes through, according to Campbell.
“I can’t stress enough how many wonderful people we have in our chapter who work tirelessly to help us grow and get the word out there and help find more bakers and more agencies and raise funds,” Campbell said.
Campbell’s family has even joined her in the cause, she says, with her children and husband traveling all across Northern Virginia to handle many requests.
“It truly is a team effort. In fact, my son is on his way to Alexandria right now delivering cupcakes for me because I’m on crutches,” Campbell laughed.
Though she initially launched Cake4Kids in Fairfax County as a way to fill the free time she gained from her kids getting older and becoming more independent, Campbell’s charitable passion has turned into a full-time career. Several years ago, Campbell was promoted to a paid position running day-to-day operations at the nationwide level, which she does in addition to volunteering as a Northern Virginia ambassador, she says.
While the promotion means she focuses more on logistics and less on baking, Campbell still remains inspired by the creative ingenuity taken by her bakers after they receive a cake request. She says her favorite cake ever made featured “Spider-Man riding a unicorn.”
“I love it when a theme like that comes in because I can’t wait to see how these creative bakers are going to interpret that and put it on a cake,” Campbell said.
Looking ahead, Campbell hopes to continue spreading the word about Cake4Kids so the chapter can build more partnerships and more effectively “reach every child and family that wants to place a cake request with us,” she says.
“We’re always growing, we’re always looking for more bakers,” Campbell said. “We’re always looking for more families to help.”
A plan to bring pickleball to a warehouse near the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons is starting to take more concrete shape.
The Pickleball Club of Tysons is seeking a special permit from Fairfax County to build an indoor pickleball facility with six courts at 8520 Tyco Road, an office and warehouse park just across the street from the Adaire apartments.
“There is a growing demand for high quality dedicated indoor pickleball courts in Fairfax County,” the club said in a statement of justification. “The Pickleball Club of Tysons will meet the growing demand as one of the only dedicated indoor pickleball facilities in Fairfax County.”
The number of pickleball facilities in the county has grown in recent years to 76 courts, as of June, according to the Fairfax County Park Authority. But indoor options remain limited almost three years after Pickleballerz in Chantilly became Northern Virginia’s first indoor, pickleball-only facility.
Tarlika Amin and Marc Greenberg, a pair of local pickleball players, decided to develop the Pickleball Club of Tysons after getting frustrated with the difficulties of finding open courts, they told WJLA.
They anticipate opening the new facility by spring 2024, assuming the permitting and construction processes go smoothly, according to WJLA.
Located toward the back of the 90,000-square-foot property, the facility will feature six 20-by-44-foot courts that can each accommodate two to four players at a time. The club envisions allowing drop-in play, competitive leagues, private lessons, tournaments and special events.
There will also be a reception or check-in area, a lounge, bathrooms, a water fountain and a management office, according to the application.
The proposed operating hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Just five total employees are expected, including a full-time manager and four part-time workers.
Estimating a maximum of 36 players at any given time and five total employees, including a full-time manager and four part-time workers, the club says it doesn’t “anticipate any meaningful traffic impact” as a result of the proposal.
“The site is walking distance to the Silver Line Metro, and we expect a large portion of patrons to come on-site via Metro,” the application said. “At any one time a maximum of 36 cars could conceivably drive onto the site. And again, this would be highly unlikely that 36 patrons with cars would be on-site at the same time.”
According to the application, property owner Cambridge has agreed to provide up to 50 parking spots at the site, which will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
While the property is zoned for an industrial district, Fairfax County allows commercial recreational uses are allowed with a special permit. The application notes that there are already a number of recreational facilities in the area, including the sports complex Perfect Performance NOVA and the Tysons Playground Fitness & Performance Center.
The application was submitted to the county last week but hasn’t been officially accepted for review yet.
The possibility of a new pickleball facility in the area will no doubt come as a relief to the Town of Vienna, which has been seeking alternatives to reduce noise-related conflicts between players and neighbors at its Glyndon Park courts.
Thefts at retail businesses in Fairfax County dropped sharply in June after spiking this spring, local police say.
The Fairfax County Police Department reported on Thursday (July 6) that there were 573 shoplifting offenses last month, down from 642 offenses in May and 603 in April. The department attributes the decline to its increased focus on retail thefts as part of a 2023 summer crime prevention initiative.
Before that, shoplifting had dipped down to 577 incidents in March after over 600 were recorded in both January and February.
“The summer months, particularly June, are notoriously the highest for shoplifting crime in Fairfax County,” the FCPD said. “However, with our efforts this month, we were able to achieve a significant decrease in this crime across the county.”
For the summer initiative, the department says officers increased patrols and community engagement in areas where there are frequent calls for service related to shoplifting and retail theft. Police also met with affected busineseses “to discuss the crimes occurring and offered tips about how they can keep their businesses safe.”
Notable incidents included an arrest of two people who allegedly stole over $10,000 worth of merchandise from a retailer in Tysons and an arrest on July 1 at Springfield Town Center that led to the recovery of $37,000 of allegedly stolen merchandise.
An officer assigned to the Springfield mall recognized two men who were wanted on felony charges for a previous theft, according to the FCPD.
“Upon seeing officers converging on them, the two men fled on foot but were quickly taken into custody,” police said. “Officers completed search warrants on their vehicle and hotel room which resulted in the recovery of security tag removal devices and over 15 large bags of stolen merchandise.”
The merchandise came from incidents in both Fairfax County and a neighboring jurisdiction, according to police.
The summer crime prevention initiative is focusing on different issues each month based on data trends, the FCPD says. For July, teams of officers from each district station are working with the DUI squad to crack down on drivers who are under the influence or otherwise present a danger on the roads.
“Officers will be strictly enforcing traffic laws associated with impaired driving and educating the public about the importance of safe driving habits,” the FCPD announced on June 30.
Third Week of Traffic Safety Campaign Underway — “Road Shark is a high-visibility and coordinated enforcement and education effort to deter aggressive driving, reduce crashes, and change driving behavior…Last campaign, officers along with our Virginia State Police partners issued over 5,000 citations and warnings.” [FCPD]
Old Commanders Facility in Herndon Sold — “The Washington Commanders’ former Herndon practice facility, which the team left 31 years ago for Ashburn, has sold to the owner of a planned data center campus across the street.” The property at 13832 Redskin Drive was purchased for $25 million by “an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group, which in 2021 earned Fairfax County’s OK to develop a 2.2 million-square-foot, four-building data center campus on adjacent…land.” [Washington Business Journal]
Truck Hits Reston Parkway Ramp to Toll Road — “A truck traveling southbound on Reston Parkway to the eastbound entrance ramp to the Dulles Toll Road in Reston struck the bridge on Monday morning.” Reston Parkway’s left, southbound lane was closed while crews inspected the damage. [Patch]
Change to Spring Hill Development Gets McLean Group’s Support — “The McLean Citizens Association (MCA) board of directors passed a resolution July 5 supporting a proposed office-to-residential conversion in Tysons, but reiterated its concern that such projects adversely could impact school enrollment and demand for public services.” [Gazette Leader]
New Left Turn Lane Added at Fairfax Intersection — “The City of Fairfax announced Saturday that the second left turn lane at the Chain Bridge Road and Eaton Place intersection is now accessible.” The new lane is part of a larger overhaul of the congested intersection that the city anticipates “will be finished within the next 18 to 24 months.” [WTOP]
Latino Grocery Store Coming to Annandale — “Construction is underway on a Megamart Supermarket at 4415 John Marr Drive in Annandale. It’s going into a storefront that’s been vacant since Party Co. closed in March 2020. Megamart is a regional grocery chain specializing in Hispanic items with 11 stores in Virginia and Maryland.” [Annandale Today]
Great Falls Restaurant Recognized for Outdoor Dining — L’Auberge Chez Francois, a family-owned French restaurant at 3211 Springvale Road, was among three Northern Virginia restaurants to make the reservation system OpenTable’s 2023 list of the “100 Most Popular Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in America.” The list was determined by the site’s reviewers. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Metro Considers Blue Line Loop — “Late this year, Metro’s board will decide whether to embark on its biggest rail expansion since the Silver Line. Metro has long been studying solutions to capacity issues in the Rosslyn Tunnel under the Potomac River, and they include everything from just adding more buses to creating a dozen or more new stations and a new rail line in the next 20-plus years.” [DCist]
It’s Tuesday — Sunny, with a high near 90. Northwest wind around 6 mph. At night: Mostly clear, with a low around 70. South wind 3 to 5 mph. [Weather.gov]
Fairfax County Public Schools went 2-for-2 in Major League Baseball’s 2023 draft last night (Sunday), as a pair of its standout players snagged coveted first-round slots.
Ranked as the 23rd top prospect in the country by MLB, James Madison High School graduate Bryce Eldridge was selected by the San Francisco Giants as the 16th overall pick of the draft, thanks to his formidable skills as both a hitter and a pitcher.
According to Inside NoVA, Eldridge got the news at Bear Branch Tavern, surrounded by family and friends whose cheers and hugs stood in contrast to the boos that accompanied MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred throughout the televised draft.
With the 16th pick in the @MLBDraft, the #SFGiants have selected two-way player, Bryce Eldridge, out of James Madison HS (VA) pic.twitter.com/hK5PtO75KG
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 10, 2023
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 10, 2023
An 18-year-old who bats left-handed and throws right-handed, Eldridge has been hyped as the best two-way player in this year’s draft class, even drawing comparisons to Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani.
In June, he helped lead the Madison Warhawks to its second state championship in three seasons with a victory over Chantilly’s Westfield High School — coincidentally the team of Jonny Farmelo, who got drafted in the first round yesterday by the Seattle Mariners.
Named “Player of the Year” for the D.C. area by the Washington Post, Eldridge also won a gold medal last fall in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Under-18 Baseball World Cup. His performance in that tournament cemented his reputation as someone to watch on the mound and at the plate, according to Baseball America writer Carlos Collazo.
“He entered the summer probably as a pitcher for most scouts, but that performance at Team USA, he showed some of the best raw power in the high school class,” Collazo said on MLB Network after the Giants’ pick was announced. “The fact that he was selected as a two-way player is fascinating, because I think he can legitimately do it both, and if they’re going to let him try it in pro ball, I think that’s super exciting.”
Congrats to #SFGiants first-round pick, Bryce Eldridge pic.twitter.com/iKFlJxo6zE
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 10, 2023
The Mariners selected Farmelo as the draft’s 29th overall pick, highlighting his impressive 48-game tenure with the Bulldogs. He finished with a .385 batting average, a .546 on-base percentage and a .773 slugging percentage, striking out just 25 times and walking 41 times.
“He is a powerful athlete who possesses the rare combination of speed and power,” Mariners Director of Amateur Scouting Scott Hunter said. “We see Jonny developing into a middle-of-the-order bat that will hit for both average and power, as well as make things happen with his elite speed.”
Farmelo’s selection was greeted with cheers by Mariners fans attending the draft ceremony, which was held at Lumen Field in Seattle as part of this year’s All Star Game festivities. Ranked as the country’s 39th top prospect by MLB, Farmelo is a “very well-rounded player” with “really no hole in his game,” Collazo said.
Jonny Farmelo reached base at a .546 clip over 48 career games with Westfield High School (Chantilly, VA).
Read: https://t.co/Gs7A04tyUm https://t.co/uwFjnN35m2
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) July 10, 2023
.@JonnyFarmelo can swing it. #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/jUJ4F1TPuc
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 10, 2023
Both Eldridge and Farmelo will have a couple of examples to follow, if they pursue the major leagues.
Nine other Madison graduates have been drafted by MLB since the 1960s, two of them reaching the majors. Westfield is the alma mater of former MLB players Brandon Snyder — now a bullpen catcher for the Washington Nationals — and Justin Bour, who is pursuing a degree from George Mason University after announcing his retirement in February.
It remains to be seen whether either the Giants or Mariners officially sign their picks, as both 18-year-olds have other options if negotiations don’t pan out. Eldridge has been committed to the University of Alabama since 2020, while Farmelo’s commitment to the University of Virginia was cited as “the biggest question facing teams” by MLB in its prospect rankings.
(Updated at 2:30 p.m. on 7/18/2023) A restaurant with a name inspired by New Orleans street medians is coming to McLean.
Neutral Ground Bar + Kitchen from Arlington chef David Guas is set to open early next year at 6641 Old Dominion Drive, moving into the former Assaggi Osteria & Pizzeria space.
In business for more than a decade, that upscale Italian restaurant closed in December 2021 after lease negotiations with McLean Square Shopping Center’s landlord failed.
A native of New Orleans, Guas has lived in Northern Virginia for over 20 years and owned Bayou Bakery in Arlington for almost 13 years. He says he has been “waiting for the right space” for a restaurant in McLean.
“I’ve been listening to McLean friends and family for a long time, who ask me why won’t you open a restaurant here?” Guas said. “Their increased desire for a place to fill a void in downtown McLean, catapulted me to take a vested interest this year and move forward.”
As first reported by Arlington Magazine, Neutral Ground will serve American cuisine intended to celebrate “small farmers, heritage growers, and fisherman” from the mid-Atlantic region and Gulf Coast.
Planned dishes include a wood-fired, double-cut pork chop; fire-roasted, half-shell oysters with garlic butter, parmesan and bread; and a burger featuring a smashed double patty, American cheese, shaved sweet onions, ketchup, mustard and crispy fries.
In a nod to Guas’s Big Easy ties, the restaurant takes its name from “neutral grounds,” the New Orleans term for green street medians where community residents can gather for parades and other events.
The phrase can be traced back to an 1806 military agreement between the U.S. and Spanish colonials in Mexico that turned a disputed territory into officially neutral space, according to the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ 64 Parishes project.
Neutral grounds later became associated with the sometimes uneasy relationship between Creole municipalities within New Orleans, evolving to refer specifically to street medians after a newspaper article griped about rains soaking the one on Canal Street.
Located in between jurisdictions, neutral grounds offered “pastoral” spaces where people from different neighborhoods and cultures mixed — an ideal that will be reflected in the new restaurant’s philosophy and design, which is being developed by //3877 and Guas’s wife, Simone Rathlé, according to a press release.
The tranquil, spacious dining room is meant to feel like a shared, comfortable space with a fresh, casual appeal. Enhancing the approachable ambiance is a backdrop of saw palmetto, striped wall coverings made of grass cloth, fanning across the room in mossy accents. Above are decorative floating, rattan textured shades, transforming the industrial ceiling into an art form. Warm whites, sandy beach tints, light-colored woods will be hues that define the landscape of tables and chairs, with pops of color – from warm oranges to garden greens. Anchoring the rear of the restaurant is the inviting bar – spanning the back section. It’s designed with a mixture of light brown tones, warm textures, and natural materials. The aesthetic is balanced by cocktails grounded in American classics and a curated list of wine and beer, focused on regional favorites. Open air dining will sprawl the exterior with an expanded patio, naturally enclosed by foliage in boxed planters – as colorful umbrellas paint a bright, cheerful sweep across the entire front.
In addition to Bayou Bakery, which serves Louisiana-inspired coffee and pastries, Guas has appeared regularly on TV news and food shows, including a stint as a guest judge on “Chopped.” He’s also known for philanthropic efforts, such as a collaboration with World Central Kitchen last year to support Ukrainian refugees.
Neutral Ground will be his first full-service restaurant. Initially, it will only be open for dinner on Tuesdays through Saturdays.
“I am incredibly excited to be opening in McLean and have my newest venture only 15 minutes away from my Arlington gathering spot, a community I take pride in being a part of daily,” Guas said.
