A Tysons-based program that supports adults with developmental disabilities recently received a $10,000 donation from a McLean family.
Langley Residential Support Services announced the donation yesterday, saying that it came from the Narang family through their Narang Foundation.
Langley Residential offers six homes across Fairfax County that house 24 people, along with drop-in services for about 30 other people living in Northern Virginia.
“These are just the kind of community enhancement and life-changing activities our family wishes to support,” RJ Narang, who is a board member of the foundation, said in a press release.
Betsy Schatz, the executive director of Langley Residential, said that the donation comes at a time of need: “We’ve been so affected by the pandemic.”
Photo courtesy Langley Residential Support Services
Obituary for Local Activist — “Barbara Cram, the dedicated and tireless community doer of good in Falls Church for decades, died at her home surrounded by her family Tuesday morning, according to a report from Sally Cole of the F.C. Chamber of Commerce, who was in direct touch with the daughter, Stacy Fierce.” [Falls Church News-Press]
New Unemployment Data — “Northern Virginia’s unemployment rate hit 10% in April as business shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic ricocheted through the economy.” [Inside NoVa]
Protests in Falls Church — Students are holding a unity walk today at 1:30 p.m. On Sunday, a Black Lives Rally will be held at Cherry Hill Park at 11 a.m. [Eventbrite, Facebook]
Silver Line Challenges in Tysons — “Shops and restaurants in Tysons have already begun slowly reopening as the region has eased coronavirus-related restrictions, including those at the massive Tysons Corner Center. But without Metro, many workers are left scrambling to change their commutes — and big companies in the area feel they can’t adequately construct plans for when to bring their employees back to the office.” [Washington Business Journal]
Due to the coronavirus, book lovers will have to wait a few more months for the NoVa Bookstore Crawl, which includes two book stores in the Tysons area.
The inaugural NoVa Bookstore Crawl was originally scheduled for Independent Bookstore Day on April 25, but will now take place Aug. 29.
The NoVa Bookstore Crawl was designed to include several different independent bookstores located in Northern Virginia, from Arlington to Vienna. The event includes Bards Alley and Big Planet in Vienna.
Following the design of the well-known “bar crawl”, participants travel from bookstore to bookstore, experiencing the unique celebrations of each stop.
“There are similar passport programs in other cities,” said Anna Thorne, the organizer of the NoVa Book Crawl event. “D.C. has an extremely vibrant bookstore scene.”
Each bookstore involved in the book crawl will have different events. For Bards Alley in Vienna, activities will some fun for Harry Potter fans.
“We have guest booksellers who are local authors… We also have activities for kids on our patio. They are usually Harry Potter-themed,” said Jen Morrow, the owner of Bards Alley in Vienna.
“We were going to have a golden ticket worth a $100 gift card to spend in the store, just to get people out to celebrate all independent businesses,” Morrow added.
The bookstore is known for its community ties. In the past, Bards Alley has had food and wine specials in their cafe and a massive book scavenger hunt throughout the Town of Vienna.
The organization behind Independent Bookstore Day moved the national celebration to August, which provided the new date to reschedule the crawl, according to Thorne.
“Independent Bookstore Day has gone on for five years,” said Thorne. The idea for the crawl came from a similar event that occurred in D.C. last year, which Thorne described as a huge success.
The festivities are only available on Independent Bookstore Day in-person — “Not before, Not after. Not online,” according to Independent Book Store Day’s official website. The website emphasizes that bookstores are not a “dying anachronism,” but a continuously expanding industry.
Participants in the bookstore crawl will carry a map of the participating places with them and will receive a stamp after each stop and a prize for visiting five.
The full list of participating book stores:
- Bards Alley (Vienna)
- Big Planet (Vienna)
- Hooray for Books! (Alexandria)
- Old Town Books (Alexandria)
- One More Page (Arlington)
- Scrawl (Reston)
Although Independent Bookstore Day is postponed for nearly three months, independent bookstores ask readers to continue supporting their businesses by purchasing books from their websites, picking up curbside or ordering delivery. People can also purchase gift cards or donate to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation.
Photo via Bards Alley/Facebook
Tysons-based MicroTech is working to address shortages in personal protective equipment (PPP), adding a risk-free component to its delivery service.
The company teamed up with Thermal Safety Systems to revamp their Just-in-Time PPE Delivery, which provides low-cost access to PPE, medical equipment and medical technology.
The companies say it “leverages supply-chain management to sync orders to suppliers with production and delivery schedules designed to meet customer’s needs,” according to the press release.
The companies decided to redesign the delivery of raw materials and finished products.
“Under these arduous conditions, it became obvious that new strategies for optimizing Just-in-Time Delivery
needed to be implemented,” the press release said.
“Risk-free orders are another game-changing aspect of the MicroTech-Thermal Safety Systems alliance,” the press release said. “Under this partnership, the MicroTech financing department will fully fund PPE purchases, and collect on delivery.”
Just-in-Time PPE Delivery has also improved supply management and inventory, less production pressure, increased quality control price stabilization and consolidated orders that decrease manufacturing and transportation costs.
Photo via MicroTech/Facebook
Fairfax County Police arrested a man for allegedly trying to buy a Maserati in Tysons using fake IDs and stolen credit cards.
The incident happened Thursday (May 28) morning at the Imperial Highline of Tysons (8201 Leesburg Pike).
Police said that the 27-year-old man who lives in D.C. had stolen credit cards and fictitious identifications.
Police charged him with five counts of credit card larceny, possession of a fictitious driver’s license, falsely identify self to law enforcement and obscure/alter a vehicle identification number.
Photo by Thomas Allsop on Unsplash
Don’t expect the traditional grand opening celebrations when Wegmans debuts its brand new store next to Capital One’s headquarters this fall, the grocery chain says.
Due to COVID-19 concerns, Wegmans announced yesterday (Tuesday) that grand opening events are a no-go for its upcoming stores this year, including the Tysons one.
“As we keep the safety of our employees and customers a top priority, we’ve had to rethink how we open these stores,” according to a press release. “While we love the excitement of opening morning, with customers anxiously awaiting to see their new Wegmans, we know this isn’t possible as the need to maintain social distancing remains.”
Instead, the grocer plans to share a “targeted timeframe” for when each store will open.
Once customers are allowed inside, shoppers can expect a line to enter, along with limitations on how many people can be in the store at a given time, the press release said.
Additionally, Wegmans said that its three stores opening this year will all have online ordering via curbside pickup and delivery: “We encourage customers to take advantage of these services.”
The 80,000-square-foot store (1835 S. Capital One Drive) is expected to employ roughly 480 people and will include a Market Café with indoor and outdoor seating and The Burger Bar.
The building that the store will be in also plans to include residential units, parking and a 1.2-acre rooftop park atop the building.
Photo courtesy Wegmans
The Meridian Group is hoping to turn the former headquarters of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) into an extension of The Boro.
The plans would redo the old NADA site and an adjacent property — both currently vacant — into a mixed-use development with residential uses, a continuing care facility and ground-floor retail space, Elizabeth Baker, a senior land use planner for Walsh Colucci, told Tysons Reporter.
“The vision is to extend The Boro development across Westpark Drive and to continue the transformation of Tysons from a suburban office park to an urban center,” she said.
This new project proposes four buildings — two residential ones, one for the continuing care facility and the last one, which would either be a health club or townhomes, Baker said.
“The proposal is 1.1 million square feet overall,” Baker said, adding that it is less dense than other nearby developments because it’s further away from the Greensboro Metro station.
The project also includes a centralized park that would be open to the public — “I think that is one of the high focal points of the development,” she said.
The Meridian Group acquired the NADA headquarters building and an adjacent site, paying $33.7 million to the NADA for 8400 Westpark Drive in late 2018, the Washington Business Journal reported. The NADA relocated to 8484 Westpark Drive in October 2018, according to WBJ.
Fairfax County accepted the rezoning plans for the project earlier this week. Hearing dates for the county’s Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors have not been announced yet.
“I think this particular application really helps to expand the connected grid of streets, create walkable blocks, provide new residential opportunities as well as a continuing care facility to help meet the needs of the senior population,” she said. “It’s all designed around energizing the streets and parks.”
Image via Google Maps
A portion of Tysons Blvd will close later this week to give cyclists and pedestrians more room for outdoor activity.
Fairfax County announced today that one northbound lane of Tysons Blvd between International and Westbranch drives will temporarily close on Friday (May 29) at 5 p.m. How long the closure will last will depend on the county’s reopening guidelines, the county said.
“Even though there is a sidewalk along this stretch of road, this temporary closure will provide people a safer option, and more space for outdoor recreation while maintaining social distancing practices during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the county.
People who live in the area will be able to access nearby amenities, including the Capital Bikeshare stations and a park at the corner of Westbranch Drive and Tysons Blvd.
Partial or full road closures are growing during the pandemic, WAMU reported.
Map via Fairfax County
Work has now started on a new senior living facility known as The Mather behind Tysons Galleria.
Demolition by the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company of a structure at 7929 Westpark Drive is underway, according to a press release. Utility relocation and public street improvements are expected to be done this summer.
The $450 million senior living community will offer one- and two-bedroom room apartments as the first Life Plan Community in Tysons, according to Mather LifeWays, an organization that creates senior living programs and places.
The Mather plans to offer new retail along Westpark Drive, “significant” green space with parking and loading below grade and an urban park with paths and seating, the press release said.
More from the press release:
The Mather’s apartment homes are designed with modern open floor plans, with prices starting at $660,000, and sizes ranging from 850 square feet to more than 3,000 square feet. Prices are dependent upon apartment size, location, service package, and health plan selected.
Apartment homes will feature expansive views, luxury finishes, and innovative smart home technology including lighting, solar shades, and thermostat, as well as a home automation hub that can be integrated with smartphones, tablets, and home computer systems.
The Mather will be the first Life Plan Community in Tysons. Life Plan Communities are lifestyle communities in which people can pursue new passions and priorities, with a plan in place that supports aging well. Life Plan Communities provide an important benefit: a continuum of living options, which enables people to plan ahead to access additional services, including health care, if ever needed…
Priority reservations are currently being accepted for Phase 2 of The Mather, with nearly 150 reservations in hand. Priority Members will have best choice in selecting an apartment home and view, can secure preconstruction prices, and be able to customize and upgrade apartment home finishes. Interested individuals can become Priority Members by providing a fully refundable $1,000 deposit.
The building is a part of Cityline Partners LLC’s Arbor Row, which includes the completed Nouvelle residential building and The Monarch. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the senior living complex last June.
“The Mather has received strong interest and is 65% sold of Phase 1,” the press release said, adding that the first phase is anticipated to open in 2023.
Photo courtesy The Mather
Tysons Partnership plans to host a virtual meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) to tackle transportation issues in the area.
The meeting will address recent challenges people face this year — including the Silver and Orange lines shutting down this summer to providing space so pedestrians and cyclists can social distance.
The event will include local employers, retail and office owners and county staff focused on transit and economic development to talk about how to creatively address transportation issues caused or impacted by COVID-19, according to the event’s description.
Panelists will include:
- Hillary Zahm of Macerich
- Jon Griffith of Capital One
- Alex Iams of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority
- Eric Teitelman of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation
- Andrea Ostrodka of Toole Design
- Michael Rodriguez of Smart Growth America
The meeting is open to the public and set to run from 4-5 p.m. People will receive the link to the Zoom webinar after they register for free.
