Hair salons keep popping up in the Town of Vienna.
Along Maple Avenue, there are around two dozen hair salons and various types of beauty parlors offering personal care services.
While nearby Falls Church and McLean also have a plethora of salons, the ones in Vienna are concentrated mainly along Maple Avenue, with many hair salons working in close proximity to their competitors.
Along Maple Avenue by Nutley Street SW, the Village Green Shopping Center at one point housed three hair studios — Village Green Hair Salon, Avivo Salon and Day Spa and Dogan and John Hair Salon. (Avivo relocated to Tysons earlier this year.)
Tysons Reporter asked Lynne Coan, the town spokesperson, what might draw the appeal for owners to open up shop in this particular area.
“I did check with our planning department, and we really don’t have an explanation for why there are so many hair salons in Vienna,” Coan said. “There are no unique or ‘encouraging’ ordinances.”
Salon O Tony (130 W. Maple Avenue) has been open for 12 years because of its customer service and good reputation, Mustafa Demir, the shop’s spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter. When asked about competition among all the various hair salons, he said salon management doesn’t think it is an issue, but didn’t expand on why.
In 2019, at least three new salons and beauty relators arrived in the area — each one of them offering a variety of hair cuts and spa treatments.
Alya Salon and Spa (139 Park Street) and Jolie Hair Studio (121 W. Maple Avenue) both opened in February.
Hair studio Sundown and Rise Up moved into the former space of Maple Avenue Market (128 E. Maple Avenue) this summer.
These openings come at a time when the Town of Vienna said that more businesses have opened than closed recently, despite vacancies and increasing rents around town.
“It seems that, for whatever reasons, each community has a proliferation of some kind of business, be it pizza shops or nail salons or hair salons,” Coan said. For the Town of Vienna, it appears to be hair salons.
Photo 3 via Facebook, photo 4 via Facebook, map via Google Maps
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
A woman reported a man masturbating in public by Wildwood Park to the Vienna Police Department.
The incident took place shortly after 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, by Alma Street SE and Delano Drive SE.
From from the Vienna Police Department:
A resident reported that she observed a suspicious man on the bike path. The resident decided to follow
the man and saw him near a metal bridge. The subject had his pants to his ankles and was masturbating in public. The resident quickly left the area and called the police.
Police said that they searched the surrounding areas but couldn’t find the man.
In a separate incident, an employee reported that another employee embezzled money in the last few months from Patron Insurance Services (301 W. Maple Avenue), police said. The case is being investigated.
Photo via Facebook
Another bubble tea shop is now open along Maple Avenue in Vienna.
TeaDM Mini recently opened a new location at 142 W. Maple Avenue — the former spot of E.G. Comics. The shop combines bubble tea with electronic dance music.
A grand opening celebration took place on June 30 — about a month after Gem Tea opened at 155 W. Maple Avenue.
The two bubble tea shops are less than 300 feet from each other, facing each other across Maple Avenue, according to Google Maps.
Photo via TeaDM Mini/Facebook
The new Wawa in Vienna may not be a gas station, but it will have a bank of electric car chargers.
The Wawa will be located at 465 Maple Ave W, formerly a Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage that’s sat vacant for over a year.
The store will include eight 250 kilowatt Tesla charging posts and two 430 kilowatt Tesla charging cabinets, according to permits filed with Fairfax County.
The chargers will be the first Tesla chargers in Vienna. There are currently three in Tysons with a fourth listed as opening somewhere near the Greensboro Metro station sometime in 2019.
Wawa also received permits for new signage around the building.
The new location is part of a new series of Wawas throughout the D.C. area, including locations in Columbia Heights, Tenlytown and Adams Morgan.
The Town of Vienna decided to keep working with the developer to tweak a contentious, mixed-use project along Maple Avenue.
In June, the Vienna Town Council approved the redevelopment, which would add a four-floor building with ground-floor retail and more than three dozen multi-family residential condominium units at 380 Maple Avenue.
Then in July, the Vienna Town Council decided to hold a public hearing on possibly rescinding the rezoning application after some councilmembers pointed to the town’s failure to notify the county about the project — along with other issues — as justification to revisit the project.
The joint public hearing last night (Monday) by the Town Council and the town’s Planning Commission started off with a tense conversation between councilmembers about whether a possible rescission would kick the application back to the Planning Commission or result in a repeal.
“We’re not here to kill the application,” Councilmember Pasha Majdi, one of the councilmembers who originally brought up possibly rescinding the project, said. “We’re here to rescind approval and send it back to the Planning Commission to fix some mistakes that have been made.”
Among the handful of “mistakes” brought up about the project during the hearing, several planning commissioners and councilmembers pointed to a debated road narrowing sparking safety concerns.
Planning Commissioner Stephen Kenney noted the council’s desire to keep Wade Hampton Road at 36 feet instead of the project’s approved reduction to 32 feet. “It seems to be a contentious point for at least some of the neighbors and [some councilmembers],” he said.
“If we can figure out a way to go forward if the developer or the town is OK with the 36 feet, I think we would be saving everybody a lot of time in the interest of working together,” Councilmember Nisha Patel said. “Can we just make this happen somehow legally?”
Councilmember Howard Springsteen said that keeping the road at 36 feet could create a “win-win.”
Ultimately, the Vienna Town Council voted to negotiate the project’s proffers with the developer until Aug. 5.
Photo via Town of Vienna Planning and Zoning
The Vienna Inn has plans to celebrate National Hot Day Day on Wednesday (July 17).
Neary 60 years old, the Vienna Inn (120 E. Maple Avenue) is known for its hot dogs.
“We have many customers that have been coming in since they were kids and now, they come in with their children and even grandchildren, it’s become a rite of passage,” Owner Marty Volk said in a press release.
The restaurant will serve up $1.99 hot dogs and $2.29 chili dogs, which normally cost between $2.20-$2.60, the press release said. Diners can get their hot dogs plain or with cheese, chili, mustard or onions.
National Hot Dog Day is an annual event during National Hot Dog Month in July.
“The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council created National Hot Dog Day. The day was established in 1991 to coincide with a hot dog lunch on Capitol Hill every year on a Wednesday in July,” according to National Calendar Day.
Photo 1 via Vienna Inn/Twitter, photo 2 courtesy Vienna Inn
A public hearing tonight (Monday) will determine the fate of a contentious, mixed-use development previously approved by the Vienna Town Council.
The proposed redevelopment would add a mixed-use, four-floor building with ground-floor retail and more than three dozen multi-family residential condominium units to 380 Maple Avenue.
After a long series of delays, the Town Council approved the development in June. A few weeks later, the new Town Council decided to hold a public hearing on possibly rescinding the project’s rezoning application, pointing to the town’s failure to notify the county about the project, along with other issues.
Now, the project faces a joint public hearing by the Town Council and the town’s Planning Commission tonight that will allow community members to give their opinions on possibly adjusting or rescinding the proposal. The event starts at 8 p.m. in the Vienna Town Hall (127 S. Center Street).
The Vienna Business Association will speak out at the meeting against the proposition to revoke the license.
According to a press release from the Vienna Business Association:
The question on July 15th is not whether we support the 380 Maple Avenue development, it’s whether we want to create in our Town the climate and reputation that will ensue from a rescinding vote.
- The rescind motion also raises many questions:
- Can businesses and developers be assured that the town is negotiating in good faith, or will negotiations suffer from a concern of “will they rescind this too?”
- Do businesses and commercial property owners need to take proactive steps to keep their rights from being infringed by adjacent residents?
- What legal liability does the Town create for itself by rescinding? Is the liability limited to the developer’s costs to date, or to the loss of future potential revenue from the development?
A joint public hearing of Town Council and the Planning Commission has been added to the Town calendar for 8 pm this Monday, July 15. The public hearing relates to a motion to rescind and repeal the June 17 rezoning of 374-380 Maple Avenue W to the MAC zone.
— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) July 10, 2019
Image via Town of Vienna
Updated at 9 a.m. on 7/9/19 — Updates FCPD list of road closures below. Only Kirby Road is still closed.
Updated at 5:45 p.m. — Fairfax County police said that the 1300 block of Kirby Road will be closed “for significant time” while the damage is assessed.
The 1300 block of Kirby Road in McLean suffered extensive damage due to today's storm. It will be closed for significant time until the damage can be assessed and repaired. #FCPD #FairfaxCounty #TurnAroundDontDrown pic.twitter.com/ZwzLIY0A9E
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) July 8, 2019
Updated at 5:35 p.m. — In Falls Church, S. Oak Street remains closed because the bridge’s surface was damaged by the rain and Hillwood Avenue did not have a sinkhole, but the road buckled from the rain. A temporary fix is in place for the avenue, and a permanent fix will be made this week.
Flooding has apparently closed Westmoreland Street (exit 68) by I-66 in Falls Church.
https://twitter.com/bellwetherevent/status/1148294098488573952
Updated at 4:50 p.m. — Updated FCPD list of road closures below.
Updated at 2:40 p.m. — Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust tweeted at 2:30 p.m. that a part of 1300 block of Kirby Road has been washed out and that “several agencies are on scene to find a solution to make sure residents can get to their homes.”
Updated at 2:15 p.m. — Updates FCPD list of road closures below.
Updated at 1 p.m. — The Fairfax County Police Department tweeted that Prosperity Avenue between Arlington Blvd (Route 50) and Little River Turnpike (Route 236) is buckled and could take up to seven hours for the water to recede. “Due to there being a lot of serious damage to the pavement, the road will not reopen this quickly,” FCPD tweeted.
Updated at 12:40 p.m. — A multi-vehicle accident on I-66 by N. West Street in Falls Church has closed the left shoulder and left lane heading eastbound, according to the Virginia Department of Transporation.
Updated at 11:50 a.m. — Kirby Road is reportedly closed near Route 123 as Pimmit Run swells.
https://twitter.com/ABC7TimBarber/status/1148255842367619079
https://twitter.com/danesh68/status/1148257403579904002
Flooding in McLean @ Kirby Road as Pimmit Run pours over its banks pic.twitter.com/Ta4GFHIoMp
— Peggy Fox (@PeggyTV) July 8, 2019
Updated at 11:25 a.m. — Maple Avenue is now open again, the Town of Vienna tweeted.
Earlier: Parts of Maple Avenue in the Town of Vienna and several roads around the Tysons area are closed this morning as flooding continues around Fairfax County.
The Town of Vienna tweeted shortly after 10 a.m. that Maple Avenue is closed between East Street and Beulah Road due to flooding.
Westbound Arlington Blvd (Route 50) just past Prosperity Avenue is closed due to flooding. Police told Tysons Reporter that they don’t have enough police to block the other side of the street, which also appears flooded.
Around 10:35 p.m., police said that all of the units in the county were currently deployed.
Fairfax County Police Department released a list of road closures. The ones closed due to flooding in the McLean Police District are:
1300 block of Kirby Road — damaged from flooding and will have a long-term closure
Shreve Road between Wieland Place and Buckelew Drive
Hilltop Road between Willomere and Old Lee Hwy
Meadowlark Road/Brookside Lane
Demsey Street/Old Chesterbrook Road
Old Courthouse and Besley roads
Georgetown Pike and Potomac River Road — one lane closed
6500 block of Old Dominion Drive
North Albemarle Street/Chesterbrook Road — flooding and debris
Westbound Arlington Blvd/Prosperity Avenue — one lane open
Jones Branch Road/Park Run Drive
Lewinsville Road/Lewinsville Mews Court
Beulah and Browns Mill roads
Oberon Way/Capulet Court
A fallen tree closed the 1400 block of Waggaman Circle, according to FCPD, but the road has since reopened.
People tweeted videos and photos of severe flooding along Georgetown Pike.
https://twitter.com/JaeReaves/status/1148244995595493376
@dougkammerer Georgetown Pike in Great Falls VA this morning. Water really pooling up pic.twitter.com/wpk1y3OZJo
— WFO (@WFOcom) July 8, 2019
One car is already stuck on the flooded roads on Georgetown pike. @WTOP @WTOPtraffic @nbcwashington don’t try it people. #notsmart pic.twitter.com/WiQrmQjbXj
— Tony mace (@E4Mace) July 8, 2019
The City of Falls Church tweeted about several road closures and sinkholes in the city this morning.
Catherine Moran and Vernon Miles worked on this story.
The Vienna Town Council rejected the rezoning for the Sunrise Senior Living Facility proposed for downtown Vienna.
The senior facility had previously faced a myriad of concerns around its parking, retail space and location at the corner of Maple Avenue and Center Street — although a staff presentation prior to the vote on June 17 demonstrated new changes meant to quell some of the issues.
According to a staff presentation, Sunrise reduced the maximum number of residents from 115 to 108, plans to determine the final locations for the bike racks during the site plan approval and added a proffer to secure at least 12 off-site parking spaces for employees — a move meant to address concerns about the project lacking enough parking.
“The intention is not to take from street parking,” Jerry Liang, the senior vice president of development for Sunrise, told the Town Council. “Rather this is Sunrise proffering to enter into an agreement with a property owner somewhere in the area for 12 spaces that employees will be able to utilize… and to handle overflow situations.”
Liang said that they would look away from the center of town that could be reached via a shuttle.
The new proffer seemed to satisfy Councilmember Linda Colbert’s and outgoing Councilmember Tara Bloch’s concerns about parking, leading Bloch to put forward a motion to approve the project.
Before the vote, several other councilmembers voiced issues with the project, and Councilmember Pasha Majdi noted that because of a protest petition, the motion would require five “yes” votes in order to pass.
“I’d hate to see it fail tonight,” Majdi said before the vote. “I’d like to see it be successful. I don’t know how it’s going to go.”
Despite Majdi’s suggestion that the council table the project, Bloch pushed forward the vote to approve the rezoning, which ultimately failed with a 3-4 vote.
Mayor Laurie DiRocco, Majdi, Howard Springsteen and Douglas Noble voted no. Bloch, Colbert and outgoing councilmember Carey Sienicki voted yes.
Rendering via Town of Vienna
