After the holiday rush of donations and food drives, supplies at food pantries can start to run dry. In an effort to combat the post-holiday slump, Fairfax County is hosting a Stuff the Bus event in McLean this weekend to support local nonprofit food pantries.

From 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., a bus will be located outside the Giant at 1454 Chain Bridge Road. The food and money collected will go to benefit Share, Inc.

On Feb. 2, another Stuff the Bus event will be held at the Walmart in Tysons at 1500 Cornerside Blvd.

The Stuff the Bus event has been an annual tradition in Fairfax for nine years. According to the website, last year’s event:

• Collected more than 250,000 lbs. of food

• Provided 170,000 meals to those in need

• Received nearly $50,000 in monetary contributions

• More than 5,000 community volunteers have contributed approximately 15,000 hours of service

• Aided more than 32 local food pantries in their winter food collections

Photo via Fairfax County

Fairfax County’s aerial photography can offer a view of the startling growth of some some parts of the area, charting Merrifield‘s growth from a lonely drive-in theater to today’s Mosaic District, changes to Tysons Galleria and the commercial properties around Route 7, and Tysons East’s transformation from suburbs to an urban center.

But McLean’s story is more like Maple Avenue’s, where rapid growth has been followed by decades of stagnation.

An ongoing effort to update zoning for downtown McLean, called the McLean Community Business Center (CBC), has faced pushback from some local residents who say the plans will transform McLean into a new Tysons-style development.

While the town of McLean was founded in 1902, aerial photography shows that even as late as the 1960s there wasn’t a developed center of town. The first developments in the CBC, like McLean House Condominiums in the northeast corner and Langley Shopping Center a little south of that, show up in photography from the 1970s.

Between then and 1990, much of the area along Old Dominion Drive was developed and new shopping centers bloomed at the southern edge of downtown McLean.

But in all of the photography between 1990 and 2017, that development grinds to a halt. At several of the McLean CBC meetings, locals lamented that McLean didn’t really have a “sense of place” and that much of the downtown was defined by gas stations on every corner and vacant buildings.

The plans for the CBC call for changing some of the transportation routes through the downtown McLean to make the area more pedestrian friendly and allowing new, mostly residential and commercial developments downtown.

Tysons is far from the cultural wasteland it once was, but there are still challenges ahead as the area develops a creative arts scene.

If Tysons truly hopes to become “America’s Next Great City,” it must become a cultural hub as well as a technological and financial one.

Urban planners across the country use arts districts to bring reinvestment to neighborhoods, and cultural amenities can be a powerful draw to the creative class. However, there are still many obstacles in the way of local artists.

Arts in the area are served by public programs like the $500,000-a-year ARTSFAIRFAX grants, but ARTSFAIRFAX is a county-wide program and its budget is relatively modest for such a large jurisdiction.

High property values can be a major obstacle to those who would rent studio or gallery space. The Katibeh Art Center, which featured works by the Iranian artist Ebrahim Emad, recently closed.

Emad told Tysons Reporter that he’d had to close the gallery in part because of difficulty physically advertising its presence, as he was unable to hang promotional signs — and because his location in a mid-rise office building offered very little pedestrian traffic.

While the Katibeh Art Center has closed, here are some other art galleries open around the area:

• McLean Project for the Arts (1446 Chain Bridge Rd, McLean) — The McLean Project for the Arts hosts exhibitions, classes for all ages, and special events. The upcoming exhibition, Intention/Invention, will run from January 10 until March 2, with an opening reception on January 12 and an artist talk on January 26, featuring abstract works by two contemporary artists. The Project’s classes cover a wide range of media, and include many classes meant for adults with some artistic background as well as both classes and summer camps for children.
• MK Gallery (1952 Gallows Rd, Tysons) — This gallery, a Tysons establishment for over 15 years, primarily features artists of Korean nationality or heritage. The current exhibition, on show until January 11, is a double, featuring two exciting artists. The first, B. G. Muhn, a professor of art at Georgetown, organized the first-ever exhibition of North Korean art in the United States. The other, Suh Yongsun, is based in Seoul and uses strong color to depict themes of modern social and political life.
• Dara Global Arts (7501 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church) — Dara is a small pop-up gallery focused on painters from Syria and other Levantine countries. Featuring “a highly curated collection of original art that reflects the empowerment of artists and their freedom of expression,” it particularly features the work of women.
• LIK Fine Art (Tysons Galleria, 2001 International Drive) — Peter Lik’s latest of seventeen luxury galleries offers large-format landscape photography.
• Wentworth Gallery (Tysons Galleria,‎ 1807 International Drive) — This gallery brings the work of internationally-recognized artists to Tysons. A wide variety of painters are represented, from neo-impressionists to pop artists. Wentworth rotates their gallery frequently, bringing a new artist every month for a show and a reception so that patrons have a chance to meet the artist. Every month brings something “new and different.”
• The Hermitage Gallery (6831 Tennyson Drive, McLean) — Offering both fine art framing and an exhibition gallery, the Hermitage represents a variety of local and international artists.
• YMM Art Space (8216 Old Courthouse Rd C, Vienna) — YMM is not a gallery, but rather a space of creation and education “dedicated to stimulating the imagination and enhancing the creativity of each and every student.” They “offer classes like fashion design, comics design and origami to students as young as 8, so kids have the opportunity to develop their interests in pretty specific areas,” and there are also classes for younger children and for adults.
• Tysons Art and Learning (8343 Greensboro Dr, Tysons) — This space offers a wide range of art courses for a variety of ages. Their courses extend to digital arts and to writing, and registration and schedules are flexible.

D. Taylor Reich is a freelance journalist who writes about urbanism and development. They are a Fulbright scholar, a 2017 graduate of Brown University and a proud alum of Arlington Public Schools.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is finalizing the details of an updated Capital Improvement Program (CIP), giving a look at what the future holds for the Tysons area.

While total student population in FCPS has gone down by 1,011 students this year, projections show schools in the Tysons are becoming increasingly crowded. One of the most immediate concerns for the region is overcrowding at McLean High School.

At a Jan. 14 work session, School Board Member Jane Strauss called for a limited boundary study to move students from Longfellow Middle School and McLean High School to the nearby Cooper Middle School and Langley High School attendance area.

“The boundary study would primarily focus on the north end of the Tysons area where we have some older apartment buildings,” said Strauss. “These are not new high rises, but older family-friendly buildings.”

Strauss said the change would impact students currently zoned for Spring Hill Elementary School. The change would also not take place until school year 2020 to allow more discussions with parents and planning.

“McLean High School is overcrowded now, and projected to be more so over time as a result of project growth in Tysons,” said Strauss. “If you look at Langley’s capacity, they are under-enrolled now and that will continue, so there is plenty of room. If we don’t do this, that means more trailers and possibly a module at [McLean]. If our goal is a reduction of reliance on trailers and modules, this boundary change I think is a good use of space and money.”

But the proposal received some pushback from other members of the School Board, who said they were uncomfortable with a spot-boundary change a month before the School Board is scheduled to begin a broader review of school boundaries.

“Before we talk about individual boundaries, we do have scheduled as a School Board to [take a] holistic [approach] to how we look at boundary changes,” said School Board Member Karen Sanders.

The School Board is scheduled to vote on the CIP on Jan. 24 and begin looking at boundary changes on Feb. 25.

“I do have concerns about doing a limited boundary change in one area without taking a more holistic analysis and approach,” said Tamara Derenak Kaufax, a representative from the Lee District. “We’re going to have to do what staff has been advocating, doing a holistic approach to [the] system and looking at the impacts.”

Dalia Palchik, School Board representative for the Providence District and a candidate for the Board of Supervisors, also said the idea of adding the boundary change 10 days before the School Board votes on the CIP gave her pause.

Palchik also inquired about the proposed Tysons Elementary School, a facility planned to help handle new residential developments in Tysons, but one that is currently unfunded with few details publicly available.

“We have that in our 10-year plan and the site is identified on our map,” said Kevin Sneed, Special Projects Administrator for Facilities and Transportation Services. “Build-out will last through 2030, which is about when we show this school opening. When we start seeing the yield of students, other schools won’t have the capacity to support them.”

Megan McLaughlin, a School Board member representing the Braddock District, said she had concerns that the county is underestimating the number of new students those new developments will bring in. She urged staff to re-examine its strategy for extracting concessions from developers, commonly known as “proffers.”

“I’ve asked staff to look at existing houses and use the proffer formula for how many students [were projected] to come out of a building and how many we actually ended up having,” said McLaughlin. “We need to be better at examining how many students [new developments] yield.”

McLaughlin said this happened for a smaller development in her area, but was concerned that as new development comes into areas like Tysons and McLean, the impact of those enrollment projections being off could magnify.

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in McLean. Reach the office at 703-790-9090.

Happy Snow Day!

You know what stir-crazy parents and kids need on a day where we got almost a foot of snow? To get out! If you’re lucky enough to live on a sloped lot or on a street with a good angle, happy sledding.

For those of you looking to find a good place to go sledding, here’s my list of the best places to go sledding in Vienna and McLean:

Vienna

• There’s a small hill at Meadow Lane Park on the baseball field. It’s small enough for little kids who might be scared, but enough to give them some speed.
• Westbriar Elementary School (behind the school).
• Cunningham Park Elementary — has a big hill that’s great for picking up speed.
• Wolftrap (the theatre) — there’s 2 places at Wolfrap, the “Bowl” and the “Big Hill.”
• Marshall Road Elementary — in the back there’s a small hill.

McLean

• Westgate Park — there’s a hill behind the 2nd baseball field.
• Lemon Road Elementary — has a large hill.
• Franklin Sherman Elementary School

McLean can be hilly in areas, so some of the best sledding is likely right in your neighborhood. Don’t forget to watch out for cars if you’re on a road. Stay safe!

If you’re looking for some other ideas on playing in the snow, one mom hack that I found is to mix cold water with food coloring and put it in a squeeze bottle. I call it “snow paint.” My kids love it!

Happy Sledding!

For the eighth year in a row, Washington, DC History & Culture will host the McLean Chocolate Festival at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Avenue) on Sunday, Jan. 27.

The event is a fundraiser for the McLean Rotary, which provides funds to support other local non-profit groups.

The festival will run from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

In 2018, 2,500 people stopped by the event and the festival was able to raise $14,000 for local groups.

No advance tickets or registration is required. Admission is $2 for adults. Admission for children three or under is free. Credit cards are usually accepted at the event, but cash is recommended.

In addition to chocolate, the event will have a room set aside for live family-friendly entertainment throughout the day. A lecture will also be held on how chocolate was made in colonial America.

Photo via Facebook

An early morning fire in McLean caused significant damage to a two story home near Langley High School.

Firefighters were dispatched to the 900 block of Turkey Run Road around 4 a.m. and encountered flames coming from the roof of a home upon arrival. The blaze was extinguished and by 6 a.m. crews were working to douse remaining hotspots. No injuries were reported.

The fire occurred about a mile from Friday’s two-alarm blaze on Malta Lane, which like Turkey Run Road is a narrow back road that’s somewhat difficult for large fire apparatus to navigate.

Update on 1/10/19 — The fire caused more than $300,000 in damage, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. No one was at home at the time of the blaze.

UPDATE: House Fire Thursday, January 9 in 900 block of Turkey Run Road, McLean. Damages were approximately $314,640. Home was vacant at time of fire. No reported civilian or firefighter injuries. Red Cross assistance not needed. Cause of fire is still under investigation. #fcfrd pic.twitter.com/jRXzPWurcr

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) January 10, 2019

Tysons Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Tysons area.

We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield and McLean. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Tuesday, Jan. 8

Food 4 Thought: Likely Federal Policy and Budget Priorities for 2019
Temple Rodef Shalom (2100 Westmoreland St)
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.

Tim Shaw, senior policy analyst for the Bipartisan Policy Center, will host a discussion of congressional budget priorities. The event is free and open to the public.

Wednesday, Jan. 9

Inca Social Soft Opening
Inca Latin Kitchen (2670 Avenir PL)
Time: 4-9 p.m.

The new Inca Latin Kitchen in Merrifield will host a soft opening this week before a grand opening planned in early February.

Thursday, Jan. 10

Chairman’s VIP Breakfast
The Tower Club (1700 Towers Crescent Drive)
Time: 7:30-10 a.m.

The Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce will host a breakfast with community and business leaders featuring a discussion about the future of Tysons. Admission is $45 for chamber members or $65 for non-chamber members.

Meet Brad Meltzer
Tysons Corner Center Barnes & Noble (7851 Tysons Corner Ctr)
Time: 7-9 p.m.

Author Brad Meltzer will be stopping by the Barnes & Noble for a signing of “The First Conspiracy,” a non-fiction book about a plot to kill George Washington.

Old World vs. New World Wines
Chain Bridge Cellars (1351 Chain Bridge Rd)
Time: 7-8:30 p.m.

The McLean wine store Chain Bridge Cellars will host an exploration of the difference between old and new world wines. Tickets are $30.

Friday, Jan. 11

Chesterbrook PTA Meeting
Chesterbrook PTA (1753 Kirby Rd)
Time: 9-10 a.m.

The Chesterbrook PTA will host its first meeting of 2019. The meetings are open to members of the Chesterbrook Elementary School community, including parents, guardians, teachers and staff.

Voyages Opening Reception
Torpedo Factory Artists at Mosaic (2905 District Ave)
6-9 p.m.

The Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association will host an opening reception for Voyages, the latest exhibit in the group’s Mosaic District gallery. The gallery will run through Jan. 27.

New development is underway across Tysons, but school officials believe it will take years yet for buildings to reach capacity.

In McLean, however, overcrowding at all levels is a problem that’s likely going to get worse over the next few years.

According to the Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) proposed Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), McLean High School and nearly all of the schools that feed into it will be over capacity by the start of the 2020-2021 school year. While additions are planned for West Potomac, Justice, and Madison High Schools, there are no plans in the CIP for major additions to McLean High School.

McLean High School is currently at 114 percent capacity and is projected to go up to 127 percent capacity by the 2022 school year, as the school built to handle 1,993 students welcomes 2,524. Over the next few years, the CIP says temporary classrooms, modular additions and boundary changes are possible for McLean High School.

The elementary schools feeding into McLean High School — Chesterbrook, Franklin Sherman, Haycock, Kent Gardens, and Timber Lane — also face challenges in the coming years. Chesterbrook, Haycock, and Kent Gardens all exceed 100 percent capacity and projections from the school show that overcrowding continuing for at least the next five years. Kent Gardens currently has 117 percent capacity and is projected to reach 119 percent of its capacity next year.

More temporary classrooms are proposed for Chesterbrook, Haycock and Kent Gardens, with new modular facilities or building additions at Chesterbrook and Kent Gardens. New boundary changes are also possible for Haycock and Kent Gardens.

Marshall High School, which covers the Tysons area, fares a little better in terms of overcrowding than McLean. The school is currently at 95 percent capacity and isn’t projected to reach 100 percent capacity until the 2023 school year.

The only Tysons-area elementary school facing severe overcrowding over the next five years is Shrevewood Elementary School, currently at 118 percent capacity and projected to increase to 125 percent capacity by 2023. Temporary classrooms, building additions, and boundary adjustment are all being considered as potential solutions to address overcrowding at Shrevewood.

While school staff downplayed the immediate impact of residential developments on schools, in the long run, the school CIP will need to include plans for a growing student population in the Tysons area.

“In addition to the estimated student yields, for comprehensive plan studies, recommendations to address future school facilities needs are provided to Fairfax County government,” staff wrote. “Recent long-range planning initiatives include [the] Tysons Urban Center, Merrifield Suburban Center, [and] McLean CBC.”

New residential developments are proposed to form the core of the downtown McLean Community Business Center. At least 4,000 new residential units are planned for the Spring Hill development alone, according to the Tysons Partnership.

By 2027, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) hopes to start planning for a new elementary school in the area to handle the youngest generation of Tysonians.

The FCPS 10-year Capital Improvement Plan shows planning for a new Tysons Elementary School FY 2027, and repurposing of the Pimmit Hills school a year later as an elementary school to provide capacity relief to other schools feeding into McLean High School.

FCPS documents show plans to seek funding for Tysons Elementary and the Pimmit Hills Repurposing in a 2025 referendum.

A public hearing for the CIP is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday) at 6 p.m. in Luther Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Rd). A School Board decision on the CIP is scheduled for Jan. 24.

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in McLean. Reach the office at 703-790-9090.

(Updated on 1/8/19) Even to newcomers, McLean is best known for the businesses that are based in town. However, there are many hidden gems and things to do around town as well.

If you’re new to McLean, consider this your guide. As always, drop a comment below if I missed anything!

Technically, Tysons Corner itself falls within McLean’s two zip codes, 22101 and 22102. Most of McLean is made up of single family homes and townhomes, but there are some condo and apartments buildings as well. The town is rather small and most retail can be found in “Downtown McLean” or the Tysons Corner area.

Events and Classes

Stay up to date with special events, educational classes or performances by signing up for the Community Center newsletter or searching the online portal for offerings. You can also check out the Old Firehouse, which is now the “Teen Center” of McLean.

Sign up for the Partakes Online emails from the Park Authority of Fairfax County. They’ll notify you of events (Celebrate Fairfax, 4th of July Parade, etc.) along with camps and class sign ups.

There are also local businesses that offer camps, classes, events and other things depending on your interests.

Be sure to add these annual McLean events to your calendar — McLean Day, McLean 5K, McLean Winterfest, McLean Farmers Market and more.

Kids and Parenting

If your kids are into sports, you can check out the McLean Youth Sports Programs (basketball, fencing, field hockey, flag football, football, lacrosse, rugby, squash, track & field, volleyball and wrestling). There’s also McLean Little League for baseball and softball. The McLean Youth Soccer program is also another option!

If you’re looking for a swim team, you’ll have to check out one of the local McLean Pools such as McLean Swim & Tennis, Tuckahoe Rec Club, Chesterbrook Swim & Tennis, Highlands Swim & Tennis, Langley Swim & Tennis or Kent Gardens Rec Club. Some homes are located within an HOA that has a pool (like Hamlet Swim & Tennis Club).

You can also find a gym and pool at McLean Health and Racquet or McLean Sport & Health. Another option is to check out the Spring Hill Rec Center.

McLean has a Project for the Arts (MPA) to help showcase local artists. There is a performance center called 1st Stage with ongoing performances and special events.

You can also join the McLean Moms Club which organizes playgroups, outings and events.

My favorite playgrounds in McLean are the McLean Central Park (located next to the library), and Clemyjontri Park which even has a carousel! There’s also an awesome hiking option at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve.

Also, don’t miss Child’s Play for your toy and gift needs.

You can sign up for OurKids.com, which is a weekly email roundup to find out about local events

Food

If you’re looking for something new, you can check out the Northern Virginia Magazine top restaurants or Washingtonian top restaurants.

My favorite local coffee spots are the Star Nut Gourmet, Greenberry’s and Republik Coffee Bar.

Local restaurants to check out in Downtown McLean include Rocco’s Italian, J. Gilbert’s, Greek Taverna, Kazan, Madison Deli, McLean Family Restaurant, Assaggi Osteria, Dal Grano, Tachibana Sushi, and Tama Sushi while you can indulge in dessert at Sweetbites, Fluffy Thoughts Cakes or Danielle’s Desserts.

There are many good options at Tyson’s Corner I and II for dining options. I’d try Eddie V’s, Earl’s, Lebanese Taverna or Café Deluxe.

Pets

There is no specific off leash dog park in McLean, but you’ll find other places where your canine pals are welcome. Scott’s Run Nature Preserve is often full of happy dogs.

Don’t forget to register your dog through Fairfax County.