The McLean Islamic Center (MIC) will be returning to the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) on Nov. 14 in an effort to overturn earlier restrictions on worship hours and attendance.

The MIC, the only Islamic center in the Tysons/McLean area, was granted a special permit in 2015 to operate as a house of worship at 8800 Jarrett Valley Dr.

But the authorization also came with restrictions to mitigate the MIC’s impact on the surrounding neighborhood.  The MIC was prohibited from having more than ten worshipers at its pre-dawn prayer service and no group worship between 4-7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Since then, the facility and the roads surrounding it have grown. The MIC has expanded the parking lot from 52 to 92 spaces to facilitate a prayer hall with a 200 person capacity. Route 7 has been widened and its turn lanes lengthened.

Now the MIC is hoping the BZA will amend the conditions to allow 24-hour operation of the facility and lift the restriction on parking.

“[The restrictions] are untenable,” said Dr. Sultan Chaudhry, president of the MIC Board of Directors. “We’re not allowed to have more than ten people for morning prayer service. But sometimes 20 or 25 come… we’ve never had more than 40, but you don’t RSVP for the prayer.”

Chaudhry said the number of attendees to morning prayer spikes during holidays or when there’s a death in the community.

“At the end of the day, we have 92 spots,” said Chaudhry. “So telling the eleventh person they can’t park there when we have 92 spaces, is hard.”

But a staff report from Sept. 26 recommended denial of the application pending further documentation on the site’s impact on the surrounding community. According to the staff report:

“Staff’s review determined that the applicant’s request could negatively impact the surrounding neighborhood in terms of noise and light from the parking area, since the possibility of groups arriving at and leaving the Center at all hours of the day could create incidental noise (such as from car alarms, car locking systems, or conversations held outside).”

A noise study, prepared by MIC, is under review by county staff.

The report also noted that concerns had been raised about access to the property from the congested Jarrett Valley Drive/Leesburg Pike intersection. Fairfax County Department of Transportation reviewed the project and said the overall impact on the intersection would be minimal, while the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) analysis is pending.

The Carrington Home Owners Association had been vocal about the concerns for the increased traffic and light pollution issues at the original MIC approval in 2015. The association could not be reached for comment, but concerns about traffic at the site have been an ongoing issue.

Earlier this year, an anonymous complaint was made to the county that there were more than 10 vehicles in the parking lot during a morning prayer service. An investigation by the County found the MIC in violation, after which the MIC suspended its morning prayer service.

But Chaudhry said that neighbors will have to recognize that the surrounding area is growing. Chaudhry pointed to a VDOT study in 2015 that showed that there as an average of 61,000 cars traveling on Route 7 every day even before the road was expanded.

“This is Tysons,” said Chaudhry. “In the last four years, the four tallest buildings [in the region] have been built.”

Recently, there was a death in the MIC community. Chaudhry said when the MIC was helping to plan a prayer service for the family, he was also working to keep the number of mourners low.

“I had to contact the family and tell them not to publicize it on our listserv for fear that we might have more than 80 vehicles show up,” said Chaudhry. “We had a death and our top concern was traffic.”

Photo via Facebook

Opponents Speak Out at Ramp Closure Meeting — “Proponents were more vocal Oct. 18 at the second Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) meeting about possible temporary closures of a ramp leading from Georgetown Pike to northbound Interstate 495 in McLean, but a majority of local residents who have sounded off still oppose it, VDOT officials said.” [InsideNova]

Police: DUI Suspect Kicks Officers in Merrifield — “During the traffic stop, the officer determined that the driver was under the influence of alcohol and arrested Joshua Ginchereau, 37, of Woodbridge. During the arrest, Ginchereau resisted and kicked 3 officers.” [FCPD]

McLean Firm Wins NATO Contract — “MCR, LLC has been awarded a five-year Advisory and Assistance Services (AAS) framework contract by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to provide a wide spectrum of scientific, engineering, project management, acquisition, and military functional expertise” [BusinessWire]

Tysons Company Acquired — “Applied Insight, a government IT services company, is deepening its inroads in the national security and intelligence community markets by acquiring McLean-based Organizational Strategies Inc., a 20-year old company that has worked closely with the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.” [Washington Business Journal]

Fall Foliage Mostly MIA in Va. — “By the final third of October, fiery colors of fall are usually all over the place in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Not this year. While we are still at least a week or two from typical peak fall foliage in the immediate D.C. area, this year’s delay in autumn color is unlike anything in recent memory.” [Washington Post]

Photo via VDOT

Metro ridership in Tysons has been increasing, bucking the transit system’s overall downward trend.

According to a recent county report, from April 2017-2018 ridership increased across Tysons stations by eight percent, from 7,142 to 7,723 riders per weekday.

According to the report, the most active Metrorail station within Tysons is Tysons Corner, which averages over 3,400 passengers per day (total entries) on weekdays and over 2,500 for Saturdays, exceeding the ridership at the other three stations.

The only station to show a decrease in ridership has been the Spring Hill station, which declined from 1,220 riders to 1,188, a three percent decrease.

The same report also showed that morning and evening peak period traffic to and from Tysons in single-occupancy vehicles had decreased after years of mostly trending upward. Morning trips for single-occupancy vehicles decreased over the last year from 106,389 to 99,472, while evening trips decreased from 108,604 to 104,596.

Professor Frank Shafroth, director of the Center for State and Local Leadership at George Mason University, said the two numbers are likely rooted in traffic and tolling along I-66.

“I think the uptick reflects how terrible I-66 traffic is — and, increasingly, how expensive it is,” said Shafroth. “I know when I go out to Tysons, I do not even think of driving, even though it is almost a straight shot, when I can, instead, relax, read, and prep for whatever meeting I am headed to.”

Graph via Fairfax County

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is looking for public input on ideas to cut down congestion in McLean.

At 7 p.m. on Oct. 18 in McLean High School, VDOT will hold its second meeting on a series of proposals to improve traffic in the area. Among the potential solutions is limiting access to and from Georgetown Pike from McLean, a proposal that drew controversy at an earlier meeting in August when hundreds of residents showed up to voice concerns that the plan would eliminate access to the Beltway from McLean.

A VDOT press release says the organization plans to give an update at the meeting in response to comments from the first meeting.

Several short-term solutions have already been implemented in McLean, including installation of traffic cameras and increased signage. Small traffic improvements have also been made throughout McLean, including widening the shoulder on westbound Route 193.

Intermediate solutions listed by VDOT include:

• Begin cut-through restriction process with Dead Run/Carper neighborhood, two neighborhoods in McLean that met the volume criteria for Fairfax County’s cut-through restriction process.
• Improve the Balls Hill Road and Georgetown Pike intersection, an intersection frequently congested with traffic turning onto the Beltway.
• Additional coordination with local stakeholders and Fairfax County Public Schools to improve safety around Cooper Middle School, which is only 300 yards from the the Beltway and the congested Balls Hill Road and Georgetown Pike intersection.
• Make improvements to Douglass Drive and Georgetown Pike intersection, currently an intersection of two busy two-lane streets whose only traffic control measure is stop signs on Douglass Drive.

The longer-term solutions involve coordinating with Maryland on regional transit projects, namely improving the American Legion Bridge. The American Legion Bridge is a chokepoint for traffic going to and from Tysons, but making substantial improvements is going to be a challenge.

Images via VDOT

(Updated at 10:50 a.m.) As neighbors, McLean and Tysons couldn’t be more different. The former has a reputation as a quiet, suburban town with a long history and deep community roots, while the latter is a comparatively young and bustling pseudo-city in its own right.

But what happens in one will have a profound impact on the other, and Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust, who represents McLean, said that has become particularly clear with regards to regional traffic.

“Our plans say that Tysons development will be limited to Tysons and that the neighborhoods should be protected,” said Foust, “but the traffic that goes there goes through McLean and it has gotten worse.”

In discussions with members with the McLean Citizens Association, traffic was almost universally one of the most discussed items. The impact of the growing Tysons can already be felt in McLean, where both highways and residential streets are becoming increasingly clogged with commuter traffic. One of the big problems, on both a county and inter-state level, is the American Legion Bridge.

An average of 239,000 people use the American Legion Bridge every workday, according to a letter sent from the Fairfax Board of Supervisors to the Maryland Department of Transportation.

“The bridge is grossly over capacity,” said Foust. “It’s the responsibility of Maryland now. We’ve been encouraging them to expand… expansion would be a huge difference.”

Maryland has previously announced a $9 billion investment in reducing traffic congestion, including adding toll lanes north of the bridge, but the bridge itself remains a roadblock for commuter traffic heading to or from Tysons and McLean.

But expanding, supplementing, or replacing the bridge all come with difficulties. VDOT engineers have said that the bridge cannot be expanded and that it has reached capacity. Adding a new bridge to the site would also be difficult, if not impossible, given the low-density zoning in the area aimed at protecting the Potomac River. Fully replacing the bridge is a popular suggestion, but one that could take decades of planning, environmental, and financial work.

In the meantime, Foust said that traffic improvement projects in Tysons, like the Jones Branch Extension currently underway, will also help regional traffic flow. The new extension should take some pressure Route 123 and hopefully reduce congestion in McLean.

Ultimately, Foust said Tysons and McLean are going to need to rely on non-car transportation to help take some of the pressure off local roads. But paradoxically a lack of car-supporting infrastructure, at McLean Station on the Silver Line especially, makes that difficult.

“There’s a lack of parking at the stations here,” said Foust. “There’s no plan in place to build a lot [at McLean Station]. It’s very inconvenient. Generally, the Board does not want to encourage more traffic to drive into Tysons, but that means my constitutes can’t utilize the Metro.”

Foust said the County is working on expanding bus transportation, but that it will take a long time to get that to a convenient level. Given the growing pressure of traffic coming in and out of Tysons, it’s time McLean may not have.

The Jones Branch Connector will soon be open to one lane of traffic in each direction.

The Connector is a new roadway connecting I-495 Express Lanes and Jones Branch Drive to Scotts Crossing Road, providing an alternative route across the Beltway and linking the eastern and central areas of Tysons. The aim of the project is to relieve traffic on Route 123 and other congested intersections around Tysons.

Ellen Kamilakis, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), said the bridge is still on time and on budget for $58 million. The Connector’s partial opening is scheduled on or before Dec. 12. One lane in each direction on the roadway will be available, as well as one of the multi-use paths on the side of the road.

Construction on the project started in January 2017. Substantial completion is planned for October 2019, meaning the Connector will be completely operational. Full completion is planned for November 2019. When it’s finished, the Connector will have two travel lanes and on-street bike lanes in each direction. Aiming to help make Tysons more walkable, the project features eight to twelve foot lighted sidewalks.

The Connector is expected to carry more than 32,000 vehicles per day by 2040.

Kamilakis said the most recent update on the project is that roadway grading is underway, with crews readying to lay down asphalt. Work is being done concurrently on the storm sewers and utility work. Work is also being done on the project’s three bridges, which will cross over I-495.

Photos and map via VDOT