Updated at 2:15 p.m. — Includes new information from Marshall High School.
A smell of burnt material prompted students to evacuate from Marshall High School this afternoon (Wednesday).
Fighterfighters from Fairfax and Arlington counties responded to the Tysons area school (7731 Leesburg Pike) for an “odor of burnt material,” Fairfax County Fire and Rescue tweeted at 1:35 p.m.
“Believed to be an HVAC unit. There is NO fire or smoke,” the tweet said.
All of the students have been evacuated from the school and the “situation is under control,” according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue.
In an email to the “Marshall Family,” Principal Jeffrey Litz said that everyone went back inside the school around 1:50 p.m. after fire department personnel conducted air quality tests.
“The facilities department of Fairfax County Public Schools will continue to investigate the cause of the alarm,” Litz wrote.
Here’s the entire letter:
Dear Marshall Family,
Today, the students and staff of Marshall High School were evacuated from the building at approximately 1:25 PM when the fire alarm rang as a result of some smoke in a classroom from a rooftop air conditioning unit. All students and staff members left the building in an orderly fashion, and everyone was immediately determined to be safe and accounted for.
The fire department responded promptly and determined that there was no fire and no safety risk existed. Fire department personnel conducted air quality tests and subsequently allowed everyone to return to the building. The facilities department of Fairfax County Public Schools will continue to investigate the cause of the alarm.
While the fire department was investigating to determine the cause of the alarm, all students and staff were outside until students were allowed back in their classrooms at approximately 1:50 PM. All of this was done in an organized fashion, and students were always under adult supervision.
Thank you to everyone who cooperated during our dismissal procedures. We are pleased that no real problem was detected, and our emergency plans were effective. We will still hold Back to School Night this evening and look forward to seeing you soon.
Regards,
Jeffrey D. Litz
Principal
The building was evacuated following a fire from an air conditioning unit on the roof that caused smoke to fill certain C200 classrooms. More information to come later. pic.twitter.com/uHJeylEz5W
— rank&file (@GCMranknfile) September 11, 2019
Units on scene 7700 block of Leesburg Pike, Marshall High School, with a odor of burnt material. Believed to be an HVAC unit. There is NO fire or smoke. All students safely evacuated. Crews working to narrow down HVAC unit. Situation under control. @fcpsnews @MStatesmen pic.twitter.com/b7kLSibiez
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) September 11, 2019
The left lane of eastbound Leesburg Pike at Gosnell Road is closed.
A traffic signal outage caused the lane closure, Fairfax County Police Department tweeted at 9:17 a.m.
Police are on scene, according to the tweet.
Drivers can expect delays.
TRAFFIC ALERT: The left lane of EB Leesburg Pike (Rt. 7) at Gosnell Road is closed due to a traffic signal outage. Officers are on-scene. Please use caution and expect delays. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/R9m83u5Rwa
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) August 30, 2019
Map via Google Maps
AT&T no longer has a store along Leesburg Pike by the Greensboro Metro station.
A sign in the storefront window says that the store is permanently closed in Pike 7 Plaza and encourages people to head to the store in Vienna at 211 E. Maple Avenue.
The store closed on July 17, a spokesperson for Federal Realty Properties, told Tysons Reporter.
“We apologize for any inconvenience but this location is currently closed,” the sign said.
A party store just got bigger by the Greensboro Metro station in Tysons.
Party Mania at 8353 Leesburg Pike is undergoing an expansion to double the size of the store.
An employee said that the store has remained open — and will continue to — as the expansion takes place.
Signs on doors outside the store ask customers to “Pardon the mess during expansion” and also are advertising new associate positions that the store is hiring for.
In addition to the store’s growth, the employee said that customers will soon be able to buy more Halloween goodies, with costumes arriving soon.
A new pizza place will join other eateries along Leesburg Pike near the Greensboro Metro station next weekend.
MOD Pizza at Pike 7 Plaza (8350 Leesburg Pike) plans to begin serving customers with a soft opening on Sunday, Aug. 25, and Monday, Aug. 26, according to Phil Singh, the location’s construction manager. The new pizza place is sandwiched between Cava and Honeygrow, which both opened last fall.
This location will feature an array of pizzas, salads, sides and soft drinks along with beer and wine.
During the soft opening, the pizza place will have limited hours from noon-2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m.
During these hours, customers will receive a 50% on all menu items with the exception of alcoholic beverages. All proceeds with go to a charity, but Singh said the company has not decided on one yet.
The eatery will officially open on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
MOD Pizza is currently hiring employees for its new location.
(Updated at 10:35 a.m. 8/12/19) Tysons may not have the liveliest nightlife at the moment, but that could soon change as more late-night restaurants and places to hang out open. “Tysons After Dark” will highlight a different spot every week.
Be sure to take a close look at the paintings if you dine at Randy’s Prime Seafood and Steaks— one of three new restaurants by Great American Restaurants at 8051 Leesburg Pike.
The restaurant’s five paintings not only feature some well-known faces, but also have some Easter eggs and surprising twists.
One shows Michelle Obama hugging former President George W. Bush. Another features “Margaritaville” singer Jimmy Buffet strolling along the beach with billionaire Warren Buffet.
Jack Gable, the painter for all five pieces of art, is no stranger to Great American Restaurants (GAR). Diners can find his art at all but Mike’s American in Springfield and Best Buns — the second option at the Tysons spot.
An architect introduced Gable, a Maine-based gallery painter, to GAR CEO Randy Norton about 20 years ago.
“I’m willing to do different styles,” he said, adding that he’s painted everything from rowing to sports, from historical figures to cars.
While some artists stick to a particular style, Gable said that he enjoys the challenge of different techniques and methods. “The real joy is the physical act of creating the painting,” he said.
Norton said that he and his wife Patsy choose the subjects for the paintings in Randy’s, which include Patsy with her two favorite actresses — Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Norton said he calls that one “The Three Iconic Women.”
Norton said that the painting of Washington Capital’s Captain Alex Ovechkin “was the easiest one to pick.”
“I wanted to convey the message that we do not want the restaurant to be too serious,” Norton said, adding that the paintings are meant to add a lighthearted tone to the green mohair booths and mahogany carving at the restaurant.
The fifth painting shows Bruce Springsteen performing with Clarence Clemons. “It’s not a painting you would normally see in a ‘nice’ restaurant,” Norton said.
Meanwhile at Patsy’s — the final one in the Leesburg Pike trifecta — diners can find two murals by Gable and Christopher Cart that feature about 30 individuals in as slight caricatures in carnival scenes.
Randy’s is open from 4-9 p.m. on Sundays, 4-9 on Saturdays, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. on Fridays.
A new restaurant is coming to a spot in a shopping center in the Pimmit Hills area.
Bing Bao is looking to open at 7505 Leesburg Pike, Suite D, according to a permit.
The spot currently appears vacant and a sign has fainting lettering indicating it used to be the home for Pella Windows and Doors.
No word yet on when Bing Bao will open or what’s on the menu.
What started as a Jewish bagel market in Tysons now serves up bagels and breakfast with a Korean twist.
The family-owned Tysons Bagel Market (8137 Leesburg Pike) began serving customers in 1994. Though ownership switched hands throughout the years, it is currently run by couple Nari Ha and Sang Sun Han, along with their daughter Jisoo.
The family acquired the business back in 2001 after the then-owner decided to sell the market and move onto another venture, according to Jisoo, who took on the role of company spokesperson.
Since then, they’ve incorporated their Korean heritage into their recipes, Jisoo said, adding that they are always trying out new things and making cultural changes to the menu, like their omelets.
Prior to the family’s acquisition of Tysons Bagel Market, her father always wanted to run a business, Jisoo said, but wasn’t sure how.
When they acquired the bagel market, the family “went in without knowing anything about bagels” — they were not even sure how to make a bagel or run a bakery, she said, adding that the previous owner gave them tips and tricks on how to be successful.
Today, Tysons Bagel Market operates seven days a week from 5 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekends. Jisoo said they bake thousands of bagels every week in a variety of flavors — her favorites are the blueberry and jalapeno ones.
The business continues to grow as they now offer wholesale production and see people from “different regions” frequenting their restaurant.
Jisoo said her family wants to continue serving the community with their fresh bagels made with wholesome ingredients.
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
Fairfax County police arrested three people in connection with a burglary at a Maserati dealership in Tysons.
The incident occurred shortly after midnight Thursday (Aug. 1) at 8448 Leesburg Pike.
More from FCPD:
Officers responded to a report of several suspects that were seen inside a dealership. The suspects ran when officers arrived. Two suspects were immediately caught by officers and a third suspect was caught with the assistance of a police K9.
Police arrested and charged an 18-year-old man from D.C. with burglary and destruction of property. “Two juveniles face similar charges,” police said.
In a separate incident, more Infiniti cars were stolen from the Infiniti dealer at 8527 Leesburg Pike around 4 a.m. on Wednesday (July 31).
“Someone broke into the business and stole a 2015 Infinity QX60 and a 2009 Infinity FX35,” according to police.
The dealership also had a 2012 Infiniti QX 56 and a 2008 Infiniti M35 stolen on Thursday, July 25, and a 2011 Infiniti G35 and a 2010 Infiniti FX35 taken in June.
Image via Google Maps
