The Virginia Department of Transportation is gearing up to study Shreve Road in the Falls Church area.
The Shreve Road Community Working Group announced yesterday (Tuesday) that VDOT identified funding for the study.
“VDOT is in the process of scoping a planning study on Shreve Road between Lee Hwy (Route 29) and Leesburg Pike (Route 7),” Jennifer McCord, a VDOT spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter. “This study will follow up on the recently completed speed study, seek community input and identify potential improvements along the corridor.”
The study is expected to start in the spring and take about six to 10 months, McCord said.
“The cost of the study is still being finalized, but these studies typically run between $50,000 and $100,000,” McCord said.
“As part of the project, a traffic engineering consultant from VDOT will review Shreve Road from Route 29 (Lee Highway) to Route 7 (Leesburg Pike), obtain input from local residents, and identify possible safety and traffic solutions,” according to the working group.
The working group has been advocating for efforts to improve the road after a fatal hit and run near the intersection of Shreve Road and Hickory Street in August.
“The Shreve Group has prioritized the need for pedestrian infrastructure so that children can safely access Shrevewood Elementary School, and cyclists and pedestrians can securely approach crossings for the W&OD trail,” according to the group. “The Shreve Group has also highlighted the dangers at multiple 90-degree turns along the road.”
Back in December, the working group held a town hall with elected officials to address safety concerns along the road, which runs through Fairfax County and the City of Falls Church.
Earlier last fall, VDOT reduced the speed limit from 35 to 30 miles per hour from Leesburg Pike (Route 7) to Wieland Place. At the town hall, several attendees called for lowering the speed limit.
Following the town hall, VDOT sent a letter to Del. Marcus Simon (D-53rd) on Jan. 6 saying that Fairfax County’s transportation department received a grant for pedestrian improvements around Shrevewood Elementary School and that VDOT is working with Fairfax County.
“[VDOT is] also in contact with the Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority, regarding their plans to possibly redesign their roadway crossings of the Washington and Old Dominion(W&OD) Trail,” the letter says.
Image via Google Maps
Mad Fox Brewing Company closed in Falls Church back in July. Now, a new brewery is set to open in the vacant space in May.
Solace Outpost — a collaboration between Solace Brewing Company, H2 Collective from The Hilton Brothers and the Blackfinn Ameripub group of Northern Virginia — will occupy 444 W. Broad Street, Suite I, according to a press release from MoKi Media.
“The new brewery will feature experimental IPAs and other beers and methods, such as kettle sours and smaller batches but will keep a core quartet of Solace favorites — Sun’s Out Hops Out, Lucy Juicy, Partly Cloudy and Crazy Pils — permanently on tap,” according to a press release.
People can also expect a yet-to-be-announced independent pizza concept at the brewery.
“The Woodmont Properties owner of the space closed the deal earlier this month,” the Falls Church News-Press reported yesterday (Monday).
The new brewery is set to open in May, the press release said.
Orangetheory Fitness is coming to Idylwood Plaza.
The new tenant will occupy the 3,145-square-foot space that Massage Heights will vacate at the end of January, Emily Gagliardi, the leasing director for Idylwood Plaza, told Tysons Reporter.
The fitness chain is opening a location in Falls Church at 6404D Arlington Blvd.
Orangetheory Fitness offers hour-long workouts where people can choose between walking, jogging, running, biking and other activities. The studios have treadmills, bikes, striders, rowers and weights, according to the company’s website.
Can you believe it’s halfway through the first month of 2020? Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:
New Brews Taking Over Mad Fox Space — “The 5,000 square-foot restaurant space in the 400 block of West Broad in Falls Church that was vacated by the closing of the Mad Fox Brewing Company last July will soon be filled with a new brew operation known as Solace Outpost.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Projects Causing Lane Closures Along Route 123 — “One of the projects, scheduled to start Monday, Jan. 13, will cause disruptions on Route 123 around the McLean Metro station… About a mile west from that spot is where the other Route 123 project is located.” [WTOP]
What To Do About the Flu — The fire department has some resources for people who come down with the flu. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]
Spotlight on Mosaic District — The Washington Post highlighted the Merrifield development for its real estate section. [The Washington Post]
I didn’t realize how tall the new Mason High was going to be pic.twitter.com/fyFNWIRZhM
— Falls Church Views (@fallschurchview) January 7, 2020
Sneak Peek: Tysons Reporter has information on the tenant that will be filling a soon-to-be-vacant spot in Idylwood Plaza, so check back later today to find out what it is.
Have a great Tuesday and look out for Morning Notes again on Friday.
People will have to wait a few more weeks before they can enjoy a beer at The Casual Pint in the Falls Church area.
Owner Darren McClure previously told Tysons Reporter that The Casual Pint (6410 Arlington Blvd) was going to open yesterday with a grand opening party on Jan. 17, but said today (Jan. 10) that the opening has been delayed until later in January.
McClure said the spot is still awaiting inspections before it can open.
Inside The Casual Pint, employees were working on setting up the draft board, which offers guests more than two dozen drafts, which will occasionally rotate. Many of the options that will be available are locally sourced from breweries around Virginia.
McClure decided to open The Casual Pint on Arlington Blvd three years ago and has been working up to the location’s opening since.
People have already been knocking on the door, hoping the bar would be open, an employee told Tysons Reporter.
Once more people move into the Loren apartment complex next door, McClure said he expects the location to become a popular spot.
Just next door, BurgerIM, Jon Smith Subs and Orangetheory Fitness announced upcoming openings with window covers.
Construction crews were busy working outside, but it was unclear when any of the locations will open.
A new toyshop that allows customers to buy, sell and borrow lightly used toys is coming to Falls Church
The Toy Nest (98 N. Washington Street) is a self-proclaimed “toy library” and will offer second-hand toys, a play space and event venue, according to the Facebook page.
“We see a future where kids borrow toys just like books at a library,” according to the website.
There will be drop-in and membership fees associated with the store’s toy borrowing services and play area, according to the location’s owner Lisa Bourven, who added that she wants to keep the fees affordable for community members of all income levels.
As the location prepares to open, staff members are collecting unusual toys for toddlers, kids’ gardening tools, non-electric musical instruments and pretend adult toys like money or cash registers, along with dry erase boards, according to the website.
Bourven said the shop won’t open until February or later because the toyshop is awaiting permits from the City of Falls Church.
People who want to sell a toy can email the store and make an appointment to meet with the owners.
Photo via The Toy Nest/Facebook
Happy Friday! Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:
The Hole Story Behind Doughnut Spot — Arlington Magazine profiled Curiosity Doughnuts inside the new Whole Foods in Tysons. [Arlington Magazine]
Driving Force Behind Road Civility Push — Here’s a profile on the Falls Church resident who is running a “campaign for road civility is rooted in awareness, compassion, and the humanization of drivers.” [Fall Church News-Press]
Tysons Spots Land Best Asian Restaurants List — Northern Virginia Magazine’s roundup of the best restaurants for Asian cuisine included several spots in Tysons like Asian Origin and Elephant Jumps. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Sneak Peek: Tuesday kicks off the first meeting for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (meet the new supervisors here) and Tysons Reporter will be following along.
Weekend Send Off: Let Tysons Reporter know what your plans for the weekend are in the comments section.
Just days before the deadline, Congress passed legislation benefiting small liquor distilleries by extending a tax break that was set to expire on Dec. 31, 2019.
The tax break legislation was first passed in 2017 and only originally guaranteed a decrease through the end of 2019.
But, instead of indefinite decrease that groups like the American Craft Spirits Association were hoping for, the tax decrease was simply extended for another year — until Dec. 31, 2020.
The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act lowered the Federal Excise Taxes (FET) for owners of distilleries from $13.50 to $2.70 per gallon — allowing business owners to reinvest that money by expanding their ventures and hiring more staff.
More than 2,000 distillers across the country — including Falls Church Distillers — benefit from the tax break, according to a press release from the American Craft Spirits Association.
“Though FET permanence is critical to the long-term success of our industry and the peripheral industries we support, including U.S. agriculture and hospitality, today we celebrate a small but critical victory,” Margie Lehrman, the CEO of ACSA, said in the press release.
According to a survey by Forbes of 100 members of the ACSA, half of the respondents said that they would have made staffing cuts if the taxes had risen. Others said that they would have cut production, increased prices or halted expansion to compensate for the tax rise.
Michael Paluzzi, the owner of Falls Church Distillers, said in a previous interview with Tysons Reporter that the tax break allowed him to hire new employees and expand his prospects for growth past NoVA into surrounding areas.
Paluzzi had been working with ACSA since July to push lawmakers for a permanent tax decrease. He originally told Tysons Reporter that though he was hoping that Congress would permanently lower the tax, he was also aware that this outcome was a possibility.
The renewal of the lower tax rate was packaged with other legislation, allowing it to be fast-tracked before it expired.
“Tomorrow, we will again shift gears to focus on permanent tax relief and long-term parity with our friends in craft beer and wine,” Lehrman said.
Photo via Dylan de Jonge/Unsplash
The City of Falls Church is pitching in to help Creative Cauldron launch its “Bold New Voices Musical Theater Festival” later this year.
The festival is set to run from April 27-May 6. “The goal of the festival is aimed at supporting musical theater works by women and women-identifying writers and composers,” according to the website.
Creative Cauldron received $2,500 in city funding with a $2,500 match from the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) for the festival, along with $13,437 in city funding for an operational grant, according to a press release from the city.
Creative Cauldron was one of six local groups that received grants for arts-related activities and support.
“The Falls Church City Council recently approved a recommendation from the Arts and Humanities Grant committee to allocate $45,000 in funding for arts and cultural grants for fiscal year 2019-2020,” the press release said. “An additional $4,500 was funded through a grant from the [VCA].”
Of the 12 total grants, five are operational ones, while seven are for projects, including:
Recipients include Creative Cauldron, Falls Church Arts, The Little City CATCH Foundation, Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, Washington Sinfonietta, and Welcoming Falls Church. Details on their projects and operational needs are listed below:
- Falls Church Arts: $2,016 in city funds with a $500 VCA match to improve event capacity outside the studio
- Falls Church Arts: $2,000 in city funds with a $1,500 VCA match to support increased capacity for studio classes
- The Little City CATCH Foundation: $4,784 in city funds for Watch Night
- Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation: $5,000 in city funds for promoting the 2019 Tinner Hill Blues Festival
- Washington Sinfonietta: $416 in city funds to support a free holiday concert at the Falls Church Episcopal Church
- Welcoming Falls Church: $2,284 in city funds for the Welcoming Week initiative about the contemporary immigrant experience
Currently, Creative Cauldron has a call for submissions through Friday (Jan. 10) for the festival and plans to select three to five new works, along with several finalists.
“One final musical will be chosen by our resident artistic team at the end of the festival to have a fully funded production staged as part of Creative Cauldron’s 2020-2021 season,” according to Creative Cauldron.
Image via Creative Cauldron/Facebook
Today’s snow has prompted the cancellation of events around the Tysons area this evening.
In Falls Church and the Town of Vienna, the recreation and parks departments canceled activities after 4 p.m., according to press releases from the city.
The Falls Church City Hall is set to close at 5 p.m., while the community center will close at 10 p.m. and the library will close at 9 p.m. — their regular hours. In Vienna, the community center and town hall are also expected to remain open.
Residents in the Little City can expect their trash, recycling and compost collection to occur on Wednesday.
In Vienna, the Windover Heights Board of Review meeting set for tonight has been canceled.
The public hearing on the newly proposed Capital Improvement Program set for tonight at Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Road) has been rescheduled to Monday, Jan. 27, at 5:30 p.m., according to a tweet from Fairfax County Public Schools.
Parks and rec programs and classes beginning at 4 pm or later today have been canceled. Community center and Town Hall will remain open until normal closing times. This evening's Windover Heights Board of Review meeting has been canceled. Info: https://t.co/cNIqI0dObA. pic.twitter.com/YrUyd34BXx
— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) January 7, 2020
SNOW UPDATES AT 4:30 PM ON 1/7 :: all previously scheduled Rec & Parks activities after 4PM are cancelled due to weather. City Govt. facilities open tonight with normal hours (@mrsplfc closing at 9PM & Community Center closing at 10PM). pic.twitter.com/2JxhfhTh9A
— City of Falls Church (@FallsChurchGov) January 7, 2020
