New proposals to address transportation issues in the Town of Vienna will be unveiled and up for community discussion at a meeting next week.
The town commissioned the Maple Avenue Corridor Multimodal Transportation & Land Use Study to look at transportation needs and impacts from development. Kimley-Horn, a consulting firm that focuses on transportation, planning and engineering, started the study in the spring.
The study area spanned Maple Avenue from James Madison Drive to Follin Lane and also along Church Street from Lawyers Road to East Street, as well as Courthouse Road and Locust Street.
The $80,000 study was funded through capital improvement bond funds, according to a press release.
The study was broken into three phases:
- looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the current transportation conditions
- estimating the impact of future development
- brainstorming and evaluating possible strategies
Project Manager David Samba said in a press release that Maple Avenue’s dual functionality as a local street and a regional road in one of the challenges noted in the study.
“When you look at Maple Avenue, the first thing people tell you is that there’s too much traffic,” Samba said. “So some of our recommendations are geared toward finding ways to alleviate traffic congestion and bottlenecks.”
Kimley-Horn will present recommendations from the study at a meeting next Wednesday (Sept. 4).
“Transportation recommendations could include changes to vehicular access, geometric and operational modifications to specific intersections or locations, transit service improvements, enhancements to bicycle and pedestrian networks, and transportation demand management policies and strategies,” according to the Town of Vienna.
Ultimately, the town is looking to implement near- and mid-term solutions for transportation woes — like safety and accessibility — along the corridor.
“The firm received more than 150 responses to a community survey and obtained feedback and insights at two previously held community meetings,” according to the press release.
The community meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall Council Chambers (127 S. Center Street).
Anyone interested in the status of developments around the Town of Vienna is in luck — the town recently created an online development activity map.
The map groups planning and zoning applications by whether they are under review, approved or under construction/completed.
Here’s a breakdown of what those categories mean, according to the town’s website:
Under Review — Staff has received an application for rezoning, conditional use permit, site plan modification, subdivision, etc. and is reviewing for compliance with the Town Code, Comprehensive Plan, and State Code. Depending on the application type, the project also may be subject to review by one or more of the following: Board of Architectural Review, Board of Zoning Appeals, Planning Commission, Town Council.
Approved — Application has received final approval from staff or the appropriate board or commission.
Under Construction/Completed — Approved application is under construction or recently completed.
People can access the map by clicking on “Development Activity” on the town website’s homepage.
The tool lets people find projects by clicking geographic markers on the map or by selecting a project image icon. The map also includes information about upcoming board and commission meetings and links to documents.
Image via Town of Vienna
Community leaders and city officials celebrated the start of an infrastructure project located in the heart of an upcoming mixed-use development in the City of Falls Church.
During a keynote address for the groundbreaking today (Monday) ceremony at George Mason High School, Councilmember David Snyder said that this $15.7 million dollar project will create a safer and more economically successful community around the West Falls Church Metro.
The new improvements, according to the City of Falls Church, include:
- synchronization of four new traffic signals
- a high-intensity, pedestrian-activated crosswalk on Haycock Road
- pedestrian access improvements, such as widening sidewalks
- bus stop enhancements
- bicycle access improvements, including near the newly installed Capital Bikeshare stations near the high school campus
- utility undergrounding and relocation
The money for the project was acquired through the Northern Virginia Department of Transporation.
Infrastructure issues that have been building up over many decades will finally be addressed with this project, Snyder said.
“Twenty years ago this project would not have occurred,” Snyder said. “This is a classic example of the system working.”
The project is still in the “beginning stages,” according to the City of Falls Church website, adding:
The timing of project design and construction will be coordinated with the new High School construction and future Little City Commons development. City staff expects that design, engineering, and environmental work would begin in Fiscal Year 2021, with construction beginning in Fiscal Year 2022.
Lindy Hockenberry, who taught at George Mason High School for 30 years, served for eight years on the Falls Church City Council and spent another 11 years on the city’s Planning Commission before retiring, attended the groundbreaking to show support for the project.
“Its been my life dream to replace George Mason,” she said adding that the school has serious infrastructure problems, like leaky ceilings.
The new high school campus is already under construction and is slated to be completed by early 2021.
Until then, the students will remain in the same building, which will eventually be demolished for a new commercial center, similar to the Mosaic District, Hockenberry said.
“This will be truly multi-modal,” Snyder said, adding that this these updates will allow people easier access to the Metro.
Town of Vienna officials are denying the allegation that the Town Council discriminated against seniors and people with disabilities when rejecting an assisted living facility.
On July 17, Sunrise filed a lawsuit in Fairfax County Circuit Court against the Town Council after it denied Sunrise’s rezoning application for a proposed 82-unit facility downtown.
Sunrise is arguing that the Town Council’s rejection violated the Virginia Fair Housing Law and Sunrise was treated differently from other developers seeking rezoning under the Maple Avenue Commercial Zone.
In the lawsuit, Sunrise also claims that the rezoning application was consistent with the town’s Comprehensive Plan and that some council members’ concerns about parking “were not grounded in empirical evidence, and thus were necessarily arbitrary and capricious.”
Last Wednesday (Aug. 14), the Town Council responded to Sunrise’s allegations, saying “the Virginia Fair Housing Law is inapplicable given the facts asserted in the complaint.”
The Town Council wants Sunrise to file the complete legislative record, which includes the rezoning affidavit, staff reports and audio and minutes from Vienna meetings, hearings and work sessions.
“In order to evaluate Sunrise’s claims, the court necessarily must review and evaluate the legislative record which Council considered, said record being central to the claims brought by Sunrise,” according to the response.
While Sunrise is seeking a jury trial and wants the Town Council to reconsider the rezoning denial and pay Sunrise $30 million in damages, the Town Council asked the court to permanently dismiss the case.
Steven Briglia, the town’s attorney, told Tysons Reporter that the town does not comment on pending on litigation. Briglia said that no date has been set yet for the court to rule on the demurrer from the Town Council and motion.
Image via Town of Vienna
Sunrise Senior Living is suing Town of Vienna officials for $30 million after the Town Council rejected a rezoning application for an assisted living facility downtown.
The Vienna Town Council rejected the rezoning application for the proposed 82-unit facility in June after a long back-and-forth over a myriad of concerns involving parking, retail space and the location at the corner of Maple Avenue and Center Street.
While some councilmembers said that they felt Sunrise’s proposed parking for the facility would be sufficient for residents, guests, employees and shoppers, others said the facility would worsen the town’s parking woes.
On June 17, then-Councilmember Tara Bloch put forward a motion to approve the project, which failed with a 3-4 vote. Bloch, Linda Colbert and outgoing Councilmember Carey Sienicki voted in favor of the project. Mayor Laurie DiRocco, Pasha Majdi, Howard Springsteen and Douglas Noble voted no.
A month later on July 17, Sunrise filed a lawsuit in Fairfax County Circuit Court against Noble, DiRocco and Town Attorney Steve Briglia, according to a copy of the lawsuit, which was first reported by the Sun Gazette.
Sunrise is arguing that the Town Council’s rejection violated the Virginia Fair Housing Law by discriminating against seniors and people with disabilities.
“This case is about the Town Council’s intentional exclusion of the elderly and disable senior from residing in downtown Vienna based upon discriminatory, illegal, and irrational biases and assumptions,” the lawsuit says, adding that the town does not have any senior living facilities.
In the lawsuit, Sunrise claims that the rezoning application was consistent with the town’s Comprehensive Plan and that some council members’ concerns about parking “were not grounded in empirical evidence, and thus were necessarily arbitrary and capricious.”
“Simply put, the elderly and disabled were not types of people that the Council wanted to see front and center downtown,” the lawsuit says, “They did not fit into the downtown vision.”
The lawsuit also alleges that the Town Council treated Sunrise differently from other developers seeking rezoning under the Maple Avenue Commercial Zone.
Briglia, the town’s attorney, told Tysons Reporter that the town does not comment on pending on litigation, although he added that the town disputes the allegation that the council violated the Virginia Fair Housing Law. Briglia said that town filed its response to the lawsuit yesterday (Wednesday).
Sunrise is seeking a jury trial and wants the Town Council to reconsider its denial of the rezoning application and pay Sunrise $30 million in damages, plus legal fees.
Image via Town of Vienna
The Boro in Tysons is one step closer to completion.
Businesses moving into the area are starting to put up signs and advertise apartment rental opportunities — the 70,000 square-foot flagship Whole Foods no longer has its sign saying “Whole Foo.”
Patrons can expect more than a dozen stores and businesses to start opening this fall, Caroline Flax, a spokesperson at The Meridian Group, said. Options for hungry diners include smoothies, Italian cuisine, ramen, poke and Starbucks.
A Tysons Reporter poll recently asked readers which restaurant or grocery store they were most excited for — 59% of participants voted for the new Whole Foods location.
In a different poll asking about upcoming entertainment opportunities, 54% said that they are most excited for ShowPlace ICON to open.
For business owners looking to rent offices or commercial retail space, there are still spots available.
In addition to the new retail, the sprawling development’s two luxury apartment buildings named Rise and Bolden will have one and two-bedroom apartments available for rent starting in September, according to a press release.
Comment below and let Tysons Reporter know if you plan to check out The Boro once construction is finished.
New details have emerged about the “boutique hotel” in the upcoming Scotts Run development in Tysons East.
Archer Hotel recently released more information about the hotel’s design and offerings.
Situated adjacent to the McLean Metro station, the seven-story, 178-room hotel will have a bar and restaurant operated by chef Charlie Palmer, along with rooftop event space, a fitness studio and underground valet parking, the press release said.
The hotel is designed by LK Architecture — the same firm behind the Tysons Walmart and Hyatt House in Merrifield.
The hotel will be a part of the southern portion of the 8 million-square-foot mixed-use development, which is split into Scotts Run North and South.
Scotts Run South includes several apartments and office buildings — including the completed 425-unit apartment complex called The Haden and the 14-story office building Mitre 4 — the Archer Hotel and retail space.
Meanwhile, Scotts Run North proposes a high-density mix of residential and office buildings.
“The Tysons locale boasts megacity attributes and infrastructure, while retaining welcoming touches like tree-lined streets and a lower-stress lifestyle,” the press release said.
The Tysons location will be the seventh Archer Hotel and is slated to open in summer 2021.
Image via Cityline Partners, map via SmithGroup
Work is underway on the new George Mason High School ahead of construction on a mixed-use project in Falls Church.
The City of Falls Church’s Planning Commission greenlighted the first of two phases for constructing the new high school on Monday, Aug. 5.
While preconstruction has already started, the approval of the first phase will now let the developers obtain building permits.
The second phase, which involves a trapezoid area in front of the school, parking and stormwater management, is expected to go before the Planning Commission later this summer or fall.
The new high school’s location will be right next to the current school, which will get converted into an approved mixed-use development known as Little City Commons.
The 1.3 million-square-foot development will occupy nearly 10 acres at the current George Mason High School location at 7124 Leesburg Pike. The development of Little City Commons will defray costs for the new school.
The school will serve grades 6-12 and have consolidated athletic fields and a “good neighbor zone,” according to city staff.
“As far as the Planning Commission is concerned, this is a momentous day,” Russell Wodiska, the chair of the Planning Commission, said at the meeting. “It’s a really exciting thing.”
Work on Little City Commons is slated to start in 2021 after work on the George Mason High School is finished.
Images via City of Falls Church
Jim Koons Automotive is expanding its car dealership near the Spring Hill Metro station.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the expansion plans on Tuesday (July 30) on the north side of Leesburg Pike right below the Dulles Toll Road.
The two-phase development would convert a 73,000-square-foot warehouse into vehicle storage and offices for the dealership, reconfigure a parking lot and allow for a second dealership franchise.
“The warehouse was once showroom space for an Ourisman dealership on the site, but Koons acquired the property in a $19.4 million land deal in 2016, according to county records,” the Washington Business Journal reported.
Koons is one of the D.C. area’s largest car dealers and has two other Tysons locations in addition to the Koons Tysons Toyota at the 8600 block of Leesburg Pike, WBJ noted.
According to the county’s staff report:
Auto sales and retail uses are the predominant land uses along Leesburg Pike, along with one high-rise office building. This area is developed and planned for auto sales and retail uses, as well as portions developed and planned for office use with support [from existing] retail and service uses.
“This proposal will improve the appearance and repurpose an aged building that is located along Leesburg Pike in Tysons with minimal site disturbance,” Lynne Strobel, an attorney representing Koons, told the board.
Image via Fairfax County
House Fire in Falls Church — On Sunday (July 28), firefighters “quickly extinguished” a fire in the garage of home in the 6700 block of Osborn Street in the Falls Church area. There are no reported firefighter or civilian injuries. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter]
Town of Vienna Readying for Clean-Up Day — “The next Vienna Town Clean-Up Day will be held on Saturday, Aug. 3 from 9 a.m. to noon. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to help town-government staff pick up trash, remove invasive plants and give the town a general polish.” [Inside NoVa]
Micro Units Coming to Falls Church Development — “The massive new mixed-use development planned for the City of Falls Church’s west end, recently dubbed the “Little City Commons,” will feature a living space favored by big cities throughout the country when it introduces micro units upon completion in 2022.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Upcoming Bicycle Donation, Festival in McLean — “The annual Old Firehouse Teen Center Block Party will be held on Saturday, Aug. 10 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the teen center, 1440 Chain Bridge Road in McLean. Admission is free. As part of the festivities, Bands for Bikes will be collecting donations of bicycles and funds for the ‘Wheels to Africa’ initiative.” [Inside NoVa]
Falls Church’s “Founding Father” Dies — “Lou Olom, a venerable founding father of the City of Falls Church and especially its world-renowned school system, has died at age 102… Two years ago, on July 10, 2017, the Falls Church community celebrated Olom’s 100th birthday with a formal proclamation declaring his birthday as “Lou Olom Day.” [Falls Church News-Press]
