The area around the West Falls Church Transit Station could start to see some major development soon.
A public meeting is set for Tuesday (Jan. 15) from 7-9 p.m. in the Northern Virginia Center at 7054 Haycock Road to discussed the proposed changes. According to staff at District Supervisor John Foust’s office, more information about the proposed development will be presented at the meeting.
The plan is to allow a mix of uses on property belonging to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Virginia Tech. The WMATA proposal could include 150,000 square feet of office space, 500 multi-family units in townhomes, and 50,000 square feet of retail. Height limits, currently 45-65 feet, are proposed to go up to 65-85 feet.
Meanwhile, Virginia Tech is looking to add new institutional, office, retail and residential uses to the Northern Virginia Center property southwest of the WMATA property.
Plans for the site allow new development, so long as that work doesn’t interfere with the property’s use as a transit hub and the surrounding road network supports the development without diminishing access to the station.
The plans do not include the Village and Pavillion Condominiums to the southeast along Haycock Road.
In the planning documents, staff said the proposals would encourage a mix of uses in a compact, pedestrian-friendly urban form within a 5-7 minute walk of the station while preserving existing stable neighborhoods near the station.
Photo via Fairfax County Government
Metro Eying Redevelopment of WFC Site — “Metro may soon seek developers to remake a 24-acre site by its West Falls Church rail station that could potentially be combined, or at least coordinated, with two adjacent projects in the works by the city of Falls Church and Virginia Tech.” [Washington Business Journal]
Progress on Vienna Police Station Project — “The Vienna Town Council on Jan. 7 approved an up-to-$318,950 contract with Downey & Scott LLC of Warrenton to provide project-management services for the upcoming renovation and expansion of Vienna Police Headquarters. Too small when it opened in 1994, the police station, located at 215 Center St., S. has remained open 24 hours per day ever since and badly needs upgrades and more room, police leaders have been saying for years.” [InsideNova]
Innovative Tysons Co. Keeps Low Profile — “From the exterior, Evans Federal Solutions’ first-floor office on Spring Hill Road in Tysons Corner is completely unassuming. A visitor needs to venture inside to appreciate Evans’ futuristic world of command-and-control centers, with high-resolution monitors, LED images and maps that jump off the screen in a semi-darkened showplace.” [FCEDA]
Silver Line Phase 2 Could Be Delayed — “Nearly 300 cracks have formed in buildings at the new Metro facility that will house and maintain railcars for the Silver Line extension to Dulles Airport and Loudoun County, News4 has learned. In addition, the rail yard project, located on airport grounds, will be delayed because of significant construction and contract issues. That’s leading to concerns that the entire Silver Line project will face yet another setback.” [NBC 4]
Addressing Anxiety in McLean — “As part of a yearlong focus on anxiety, the Safe Community Coalition (SCC), in conjunction with the McLean High School PTSA, hosted the IndieFlix Original documentary “Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety” on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, at McLean High School.” [McLean Connection]
Mover Accused of Stealing from Home — “A moving crew was helping move items into one room of a home in [Vienna] between 12:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. The resident believed one of the movers had been acting suspiciously. After the moving crew left, the resident found jewelry missing from the home.” [Patch]
A proposal to restore late-night Metro hours, cut three years ago to allow for more evening maintenance, was delayed last night (Thursday) at the end of a rough week for the Silver Line.
Prior to 2016, Metro closed at midnight on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends, but in 2016 the evening hours were reduced as part of the “SafeTrack” maintenance project to an 11:30 p.m. closing time Monday-Thursday, 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 p.m. on Sundays. But those changes had only been scheduled to last one year, and in 2017 the reduced service hours were renewed for another two years.
While there had been talk of restoring the earlier service hours, the Metro Board of Directors deferred a vote over restoring late hours until early 2019 to allow for greater study on how the hours would impact track maintenance.
Track maintenance is a particularly pertinent issue for those who live along the Silver Line. On Tuesday, service on the Silver Line was reduced from the Wiehle station to Ballston after a cracked rail forced trains to single-track in the middle of the afternoon rush.
PSA to Silver Line riders: it's a rough one tonight. https://t.co/BhxotiQqvd
— Tysons Partnership (@tysonspartners) December 11, 2018
D.C. Council members have repeatedly stated concerns that the lack of late-night Metro service left hospitality and restaurant workers without a means of getting home.
Frank Shafroth, the director of the Center for State and Local Leadership at George Mason University, said ensuring reliability is currently a higher priority for the Metro than restoring late night hours.
“The difficult challenge is the recognition that the growth of Uber et al has created pricing challenges for Metro, so Metro’s key issue in order to remain fiscally fit is to ensure riders of its reliability,” said Shafroth in an email. “Currently, whenever I go to [the George Washington University Hospital], it is 15 minutes by walking and Metro: there is no way I could do that, find parking competitively. [The Board] is focused precisely on the critical issue of making reliability its priority. Once that is certain, then it can build on that to restore late night hours.”
In other Silver Line news, the already behind-schedule expansion project also faces further delays as hundreds of rail ties installed along the second phase of the project were discovered to be flawed.
A man who faked records to hide faulty Silver Line concrete panels was convicted, and sentenced to one year in prison and required to pay $700,567.11 in restitution.
Despite this, Metro ridership is still on the rise in Tysons despite downward trends for the rest of the system.
Building Near Spring Hill Metro Purchased — “Transwestern today announces it brokered the sale of Tysons Pond II, a 67,151-square-foot, free-standing office building located at 1604 Spring Hill Road in Tysons… A private investor purchased the 70 percent leased asset for $10 million.” [Citybizlist]
Nantucket Bay Scallops Season in Tysons — “Nantucket Bay scallops are in season and Eddie V’s of Tysons Corner has a special scallop dishes that are available for a limited time.” [WUSA 9]
Jerry Gordon Reflects on Retirement — “Jerry Gordon has two weeks left on his job as the president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Authority, and his office is so empty it echoes… After 31 years on the job, Gordon is transitioning out of a role that led Fairfax to become a superstar in economic development.” [Washington Business Journal]
More Silver Line Phase 2 Problems — “Hundreds of concrete rail ties installed at track crossovers along the second phase of the Silver Line are flawed, officials say, a problem that could further delay the multibillion-dollar rail project that is already 13 months behind schedule.” [Washington Post]
I-66 Tolls Shifted Behavior, Did Not Improve Traffic — “The new high-occupancy toll lanes on one of the busiest highways in the Washington region have sparked dramatic shifts in commuter behavior, prompting motorists to alter their commute times and routes, data show, while yielding tolls as high as $47.50 — some of the highest per mile in the country.” [Washington Post]
‘Green’ Vienna Businesses Recognized — “Nine Vienna businesses who have successfully completed the Town’s 2018 Sustainability Challenge were recognized at last night’s Town Council meeting… Through the program, certified businesses tally points on a checklist of green practices that they undertake as part of day-to-day operations.” [FairfaxNews]
Local Restaurants Open On Christmas — Staying in town for the holidays and planning to dine out? Patch has compiled a list of McLean, Vienna and Tysons restaurants that are planning to remain open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. [Patch, Patch]
Rough Night for Silver Line Commuters — Those heading home on the Silver Line last night faced delays, offloading and other issues during the evening commute due to a track problem outside of Foggy Bottom. [Twitter, Twitter]
Stomping Ground Coming to Tysons Galleria — “Stomping Ground, a coffee shop and biscuit-themed restaurant that after more than three years in business has become the epicenter of Del Ray’s Mount Vernon Avenue, will open a second location inside of the former Isabella Eatery space in Tysons Galleria.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Fairfax Schools on Two Hour Delay — All Fairfax County public schools are opening two hours late due to concerns following yesterday’s snowy weather. School offices and central offices opened on time. [Twitter]
Track Testing for Silver Line Phase II — “Workers constructing Phase II of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project recently rolled out a strange-looking piece of equipment called an Amberg IMS 5000… The tool, which somewhat resembles a yellow scooter, has been employed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority… to survey and assess project data on Phase 2 of the Silver Line.” [VivaTysons]
New Vienna Mural Almost Done — “Despite crummy weather and vehicles and pedestrians passing close by, two artists nearly have completed a panoramic mural of Vienna landmarks on the Vienna Shopping Center’s rear wall.” [InsideNova]
