A meeting Thursday (May 30) will seek community input on revamping aging bridges at a highway intersection in the heart of Tysons.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) plans to rehabilitate the intersection of Leesburg Pike (Route 7) and Route 123 in Tysons. The project will focus on the northbound and southbound bridges where Route 123 passes over Leesburg Pike. Built more than 50 years ago in 1965, the bridges are beginning to show their age.
This rehabilitation will restore the bridge to a like-new condition and will cost approximately $2.5 million. The project is part of VDOT’s routine “State of Good Repair” program, which keeps infrastructure across the Commonwealth well-maintained and safe.
Fairfax County has bigger plans for the intersection. Fairfax transportation planners hope to one day tear down those bridges and build an efficient, modern “continuous flow intersection” at the junction of the two highways. That design would enable a high capacity of automobile throughput, but would also let the county build an elevated park over the intersection.
As it stands, the highways sever those communities from one another and separate Old Courthouse from the Metro stations, but an elevated park would stitch them together.
If the project proceeds as planned, construction would begin in early 2020 and finish by the end of the year. VDOT did not provide any information about possible traffic impacts.
The public has an opportunity for in-person comment on VDOT’s rehab plan at a public information meeting Thursday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Freedom Hill Elementary School (1945 Lord Fairfax Road).
People can also provide feedback on the project by emailing Gang Zhang at [email protected].
Vienna: Provide input on Rt 123 over Rt 7 bridge rehabilitation Thu 5/30, 6:30-8:30PM at Freedom Hill ES. A presentation will begin at 7PM. More info: https://t.co/hntL5Ey4ib pic.twitter.com/3zOqUxykSL
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) May 24, 2019
Image via Google Maps
As Tysons gets taller, it’s become the scene of a hardcore — and illegal in this case — extreme sport: BASE jumping.
Last year, police investigated a series of incidents where people would trespass into the under-construction, 32-story Lumen building, climb to the top, and jump off with a parachute.
Videos from the jumper’s point of view were sent to FOX 5 in March.
“A total of six jumps are being investigated,” Fairfax County Police Lt. John Lieb told Tysons Reporter. “We believe we have identified one of the suspects, but confirming the date and location of the jump to make sure the elements of trespassing are met. We would encourage anyone else who has information to let us know.”
Lieb said that while the jumpers could be charged with a separate act of trespassing each time they cross over the property line, police believe differences in time of day and weather conditions in videos taken by the jumpers would indicate that the jumps took place on several different occasions.
Catherine Moran and Vernon Miles worked on this story.
Two more bidders are now vying for a Tysons property poised for redevelopment and new owners.
McLean-based Tepe & Hisar LLC submitted a bid earlier this month to buy the property for $19.5 million, while Virginia Beach-based Cobalt Real Estate Solutions LLC offered to pay $30.4 million for an adjacent office building, the Washington Business Journal reported.
Shortly after Fairfax County OK’d the redevelopment project near the corner of Leesburg Pike and Gallows Road in the Old Courthouse district two years, the developer filed for bankruptcy.
The approved plans for International Place (8201 Leesburg Pike), which were submitted by a limited liability company as a project of the Stafford-based Garrett Cos., would add one main new building and five secondary mixed-use structures.
The Washington Business Journal previously reported that the LLC arranged a May 7 hearing to seek permission to sell the property to a Middle Eastern real estate developer who chairs the United Arab Emirates-based Nobles Properties.
While neither of the new deals is final, a bankruptcy judge authorized the new purchase agreements on May 10, the article notes.
Now, the stalled development may face a decision on new ownership at an upcoming June 4 hearing.
“Representatives for the debtor filed a motion with the court seeking authorization to reject an earlier purchase agreement stuck with Thallium so the office building at 8133 Leesburg can instead be sold to Cobalt,” the Washington Business Journal reported.
Image via Fairfax County
A body has been found along Leesburg Pike near the Spring Hill Metro station, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
The deceased man was found in the 8500 block of Leesburg Pike, which spans from the Audi dealership to an office building just north of the Maserati and Alfa Romeo dealerships in Tysons.
Detectives have started an investigation into the man’s death, the police department tweeted.
“At this point there appears to be no threat to public safety,” the tweet said. “Please avoid the area.”
Detectives are currently investigating a man found dead in the 8500 block of Leesburg Pike in Tysons. At this point there appears to be no threat to public safety. Please avoid the area. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/CBxVClYktc
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) May 13, 2019
Map via Google Maps
The Westin hotel at 7801 Leesburg Pike in Tysons is undergoing extensive remodeling, according to new permits filed with Fairfax County.
According to the permits, interior alterations include conversion of meeting rooms and office space into a new fitness center.
Interior alterations are also underway to remodel the public spaces to include:
- a new entry vestibule
- lobby lounge
- public restrooms
- ballrooms
- meeting rooms
- marketing rooms
- the Starbucks in the hotel
- the hotel bar/restaurant
The permits were processed on May 7. After repeated attempts to contact management, no one was available to answer specifics about the planned renovations.
Renovations for the hotel’s common areas have been in the works since 2018 when the property was purchased by a trio of investors.
Ten acres of vacant St. Paul’s Lutheran Church property at the intersection of Leesburg Pike and Idylwood Road could soon be redeveloped into a residential neighborhood.
A zoning application to the Fairfax County Board from developer Toll Mid-Atlantic LP Company requests permission to build 67 residential units — a mix of 39 single-family and 28 multi-family units.
St. Paul’s facilities at the site were built between 1954 and 1967, but have been vacant since Lutheran Social Services moved to the primary St. Paul’s building.
The church property sits at one corner of a busy intersection, requiring transportation improvements in the project application. Approval of the homes would require frontage improvements to Idylwood Road, a dedicated right-of-way along Leesburg Pike for a future right turn lane and a few other local road connections.
“Collectively, these road improvements will mitigate the impact of the vehicle trips generated by St. Paul’s and the Proposed Development, and will provide greater benefit than the previous commitments,” the developer said in the application. “The applicant proposes an eight-foot asphalt trail along Leesburg Pike, an eight-foot concrete sidewalk along Idylwood Road, and a bus shelter at the corner of Idylwood Road and Leesburg Pike.
The deal would allow St. Paul’s to finance a long-planned family life center. The facility would increase the overall size of the church from 17,196 square feet to 27,928 square feet.
According to the application:
The purpose of the approved expansion is to create a new family life center for use by the congregation and the community. Since the approval of the family life center… in 2005, however, St. Paul’s has been unable to construct the building due to financial constraints and the significant cost of the project. As a result, St. Paul’s has entered into an agreement with the Applicant to sell a portion of the property… which will provide the funding necessary for St. Paul’s to achieve its long-term goal of developing the family life center.
The project is tentatively planned for a Planning Commission hearing on Sept. 25, with a Board of Supervisors hearing to be determined.
For-profit school University of the Potomac opened a new 15,000-square-foot campus in Tysons.
The new campus is inside the building at 7799 Leesburg Pike — an office building in the southeast corner of the Leesburg Pike-Beltway interchange — with 15 new classrooms and areas for relaxation or studying. Classes at the new facility started on May 4.
The school is a for-profit business offering associate’s degrees to master’s degrees, as well as professional certificates, though it touts affordability with a $350 per month payment plan.
“The higher education space is going through a lot of changes, as prospective students look for convenience and affordability,” said Rick Murphree, the president of the University of the Potomac, in a press release. “We met the affordability challenge by lowering our tuition by nearly 40 percent. The addition of this new campus shows our commitment to students’ demand for convenience.”
Second photo via Instagram
A pop-up art store in Tysons is set to showcase art from international artists at a show on Saturday (April 27).
The Dara Global Arts Gallery is planning a reception from 2-6 p.m. in their pop-up store at 7501 Leesburg Pike, which opened in February. The artwork on display ranges from oils and acrylics to ceramic artwork, and the event on Saturday will feature an opera performance.
The gallery is typically open by appointment only, but the event will throw open the doors to the public.
Dara Global Arts Gallery is part of a budding art scene in Tysons. The gallery’s stated objective is “bringing harmony and peace through art,” reflected in the gallery’s emphasis on diversity both in artists and in the type of art displayed.
The artwork will be on display from April 27 through May 13.
The gallery is also planning an event for Mother’s Day on May 5 with special artwork and a jewelry gallery.
A planned Tysons development may soon have new owners, which could result in changes to the previously approved project.
Two years ago, Fairfax County approved a redevelopment project near the corner of Leesburg Pike and Gallows Road in the Old Courthouse district. Shortly afterward, the developer filed for bankruptcy. Now, the property is poised to shift hands, but it’s unclear whether the soon-to-be new owner will still follow the approved plans.
The plans for International Place, which were submitted by a limited liability company as a project of the Stafford-based Garrett Cos., follow a typical pattern for post-Metro development in Tysons. They call for one main new building and five secondary structures, ranging from 85 to 400 feet in height, to house a mixture of office, residential and retail uses.
The current plan includes 385 new apartments, 129,000 square feet of retail space, two new public parks and one new public street, which would connect Leesburg Pike to Boone Blvd. The plans would follow urban design guidelines for human-focused sidewalks.
After an extensive process of planning, design, submission and county review, Fairfax planners approved the design for International Place, authorizing construction to begin. It was to be the first major redevelopment in the Old Courthouse district.
When the LLC filed for bankruptcy last February, though, the development was put on hold. Now, a Middle Eastern real estate developer who chairs the United Arab Emirates-based Nobles Properties has signed a purchase agreement to buy the property at 8201 Leesburg Pike for $18 million, the Washington Business Journal reported. That purchase isn’t final yet — the LLC has a hearing set for May 7 to seek permission to sell the property.
It is unclear whether the developer would seek to implement the plans that have been approved for International Place, propose an alternate design or continue to use the site as it is. These approved plans, though, would certainly be valuable to the new owners, and in all likelihood, this purchase will be a significant step toward redevelopment of the location.
First and second images via Fairfax County, last image via Google Maps
MOD Pizza — a pizza restaurant chain — is coming to the Pike 7 Plaza shopping center in Tysons.
The new restaurant is under construction at 8405 Leesburg Pike, between the Cava and the Honeygrow that both opened last fall.
The new MOD Pizza location isn’t the first in the area — there’s another at 168 Maple Avenue W. in Vienna that opened in 2016 — but the chain has been undergoing a widespread growth in the D.C. region.
It is unknown when the location plans to open, but the company is currently looking for a general manager for the Tysons location with a base salary of $68,100.
Construction is also ongoing at an enclosed JP Morgan Chase kiosk between MOD Pizza and Honeygrow.
