New McLean Residential Building Approved — “Hailed as a much-needed infusion of residential space in McLean’s Community Business Center (CBC), Benchmark Associates LP’s proposed 44-unit multi-family building received unanimous support Oct. 16 from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. The structure will be located on 1.43 acres at 6707 Old Dominion Drive and feature six residential floors built atop at 3.5-level parking garage, with a total floor-area ratio of 1.99.” [InsideNova]
‘Gone with the Wind’ Is Fairfax’s Favorite Book — Fairfax County residents have selected the Civil War epic Gone with the Wind as their favorite book, besting runner up To Kill a Mockingbird by a 66 percent to 34 percent margin. [Facebook, Fairfax County]
Vienna Development Proposal Downsized — “With the Vienna Town Council set to decide the fate Oct. 29 of a proposed mixed-use development at 430-444 Maple Ave. W., the developer has offered a raft of changes to make the project more palatable to local residents… [offering] to decrease the project’s gross floor area by about 12,000 square feet and reduce the number of residential units from 160 to 151.” [InsideNova]
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]
What is McLean?
A common theme at last night’s (Thursday) open house for the McLean Community Business Center (CBC) Planning Study is that McLean is a community without a sense of identity. The CBC is as close as McLean has to a downtown, but it’s one whose core has more gas stations than coffee shops.
The CBC Planning Study is an effort to change that and transform downtown McLean into something residents could be proud of and hopefully kickstart economic revitalization in the area. The CBC Plan would act as an update to the 20-year-old Comprehensive Plan for McLean.
Last night was the CBC Planning Study’s first open house and focused on collecting input from citizens.
McLean exists on the periphery of the hustle and bustle of Tysons, feeling more like a village than a city. At the meeting inside the McLean High School cafeteria, the few dozen attendees mostly knew each other and many have been to earlier CBC planning meetings. But unlike other Northern Virginia communities like Arlington or Falls Church, citizens of McLean say there’s no feeling of a central community.
“I would like McLean to have a sense of place,” said local resident Nancy McFalls. “I want to go here and feel like there is a downtown. Nothing crazy big, not a megalopolis, but it would be cool if it felt like a more organic downtown area.”
McFalls, like many other nearby residents, said she wants the area to be more walkable.
“I drive to the Giant, then I get in my car and drive across the street to the Total Wine,” said McFalls. “It’s not far, but I don’t want to be hit by a car crossing the road.”
As McFalls started talking about her vision for a more pedestrian- and park-friendly downtown McLean, friends joined in and referenced the Italian tradition of “la passeggiata,” the art of a social walk in the evenings. McFalls agreed, saying they hope for a more European-style downtown where residents can mingle and enjoy the local park.
“Currently, McLean is a place where you run errands,” said Kim Dorgan, a local resident and chair of the McLean CBC Study Task Force. “I would like McLean to have more of a village feeling, something distinct from the high rises in Tysons.”
Rob Jackson, chair of the McLean Citizens Association’s Planning and Zoning Committee, echoed sentiments from Supervisor John Foust in saying that the area will also have to contend with the ever-swelling plague of traffic coming to and from Tysons through McLean.
Colin Greene, senior director of planning for project consultant Streetsense, said that over the next five years McLean is projected to have 80,000 square feet of retail developed, though much of this would be replacing existing retail locations. Over ten years, Greene said McLean should expect an additional 40,000 square feet of retail to be built in the area.
Greene also noted that residential growth in McLean is expected to rise, with 900 total units projected to be built in the area over the next ten years. Most of these, Greene said, will be apartment buildings.
But Bill Frazer, a local resident, said he was concerned that the plans and projections didn’t take into account the intentions of the people who own much of the land in downtown McLean.
“There are people here who own a significant amount of property,” said Frazer. “So all that talk about new office space and such going in there won’t happen without those property owners.”
Katrina Newtson from the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning said the task force is comprised of several landowners and is working on pulling all of the major stakeholders in McLean into the process.
Input on the CBC Planning Study will be collected until Nov. 15. The next open house will be held on Nov. 8 from 7-9 p.m. in the McLean High School cafeteria.
The CBC Planning Study meets through early spring to draft a plan for downtown McLean. In late 2019 or early 2020, the final vision plan will be sent to the Board of Supervisors for adoption.
Improvements to bicycle routes near the Vienna Metro station may have to wait.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors deferred a vote on an agreement to move forward on the Vienna Metro Bike Connection Improvement Project. The agreement with VDOT was brought forward as an action item at the Sept. 25 Board of Supervisors meeting but was deferred without explanation.
The project aims to enhance bike access to the Vienna Metro station and Metro West Town Center, as well as other roads and bridges in the surrounding area. The project includes bike wayfinding signage and shared lane markings.
The improvements follow a 2016 study of bicycle accessibility to the Vienna Metro station.
The project was first endorsed by the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 24, 2017, as part of a transportation alternatives package. If approved by the board, it will be funded with $800,000 in grants from VDOT, with a local match requirement of $200,000. The funds were identified in the County budget but requires Board of Supervisors approval.
In the era of #MeToo, with advocates seeking to increase the representation of women in positions of power, one local PAC is taking the next step and working to support women running for office.
The Brass Ovaries PAC, founded by Democratic activist Gail Gordon Donegan, is raising money for first-time, female candidates. The PAC is launching with a kick-off fundraiser tomorrow (Friday) evening from 7-10 p.m.
The event will be held in Vienna, with the exact address — a private residence — provided on confirmation at the event’s website.
There’s a variety of donation levels, all of which come with thematic titles.
- $500 – Co-Host
- $300 – Optimal Ovary
- $200 – Vaginal Victor
- $100 – Fallopian Fellow
- $50 – Utopian Uterus
- $25 – Badass
The event will act as a meet and greet for a variety of local candidates, from town and city councils to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Loudoun Chair Phyllis Randall, Del. Jennifer Boysko, Del. Mark Keam, state Sen. Chap Petersen, and Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol are all scheduled to attend as well.
The PAC does not currently endorse candidates, instead focusing on providing seed money for women running for office. How much is distributed is dependent on how much the event raises.
Image via Brass Ovaries PAC
