A little more than a week ago, severe flash flooding swept the Tysons area causing widespread damage.
Tysons Reporter reported on a variety of the storm’s impacts from multiple road closures to swift water rescues, from to flooded yards, basements and fields to missing chickens in McLean.
While the recent hot weather dried out the Tysons area, we want to know how much the flooding impacted you.
Let us know in the poll and comment below to tell Tysons Reporter more about your experience.
First photo via @SteveML9022/Twitter
The Tysons area might see fewer panhandlers in the future now that Fairfax County is looking to discourage them on medians and intersections.
On Tuesday (July 16), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a board matter that would prohibit “curb to curb” interaction between drivers and pedestrians.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity and Braddock District Supervisor John Cook, who jointly brought forward the board matter, argued that panhandling increased in the last two years county-wide mostly from rings attracted to Fairfax County’s wealthy residents.
“[Panhandling] has become massively greater,” Cook told the board, adding that it is dangerous for both the panhandlers and drivers. “It is a public safety issue.”
Several of fellow supervisors agreed, including Chairman Sharon Bulova.
Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth pointed to examples in Tysons for how panhandling is becoming more frequent along more roads in the county.
“I see it daily at Nutley [Street] and Lee Hwy,” Smith said, adding that panhandlers along major roads undergoing work could pose safety hazards to drivers.
“And this is just another complication to have panhandlers there when people are trying to figure out [how to drive around construction on] Route 7 in Tysons,” she said. “People have complained about the fact that it isn’t safe for [panhandlers] to be out there.”
More from the board matter:
The board has sought to help those panhandlers in need by committing a significant portion of the county budget to providing services for those residents who are down on their luck. The board has encouraged residents to direct panhandlers to these county resources including shelters, food banks, health and job matching services, instead of giving small amounts of money. It is vitally important that we connect those in need with the right services and disincentivize panhandling.
Although homelessness in the county is shrinking, panhandling by roadways is becoming more and more prevalent. In 2017 alone, the Fairfax County Police department received over 2,100 calls related to panhandling and many more have been received by district offices. These calls detailed traffic issues, concerns about panhandler safety, and fears about a suspicious person at an intersection. As a county we devote significant resources to helping our residents in need and to keeping all our residents safe.
This isn’t the first time concerns about panhandling have popped up in Fairfax County. Commenters on a Reddit thread last year bemoaned a seemingly increasing number of panhandlers in Tysons.
Fairfax County Police Department has encouraged people to not give panhandlers money. “While we may get a good feeling by providing money to a panhandler, the reality is that panhandlers who are truly in need require more resources than small amounts of money,” according to the county’s website.
Cook and Herrity also pointed to other nearby jurisdictions, including the City of Winchester and Clarke and Frederick counties, for their “curb to curb” rules that restrict people on medians and intersections interacting with drivers.
The Board of Supervisors approved the board matter, which directs the county staff to create a proposed ordinance that would prohibit “any engagement of pedestrians with cars while on medians or intersections.” It notes that the ordinance would not restrict people’s free speech rights on sidewalks or affect kids’ advertising car washes.
The board will consider the proposal at the Public Safety Committee meeting on Sept. 17.
File photo
A Maryland-based real estate firm recently purchased part of the Arbor Row development in Tysons.
Washington Property Co. announced it bought a 5.2-acre slice of the 2.5-million-square-foot project last week, according to the Washington Business Journal.
“WPC now plans to build about 700 apartments and 8,000 square feet of retail on the site, which is located at the intersection of Westpark Drive and West Branch Drive,” according to WBJ.
Arbor Row’s overarching plan is to transform the back end of Tysons Galleria with a variety of mixed-use buildings. The portion of the project was offered for sale earlier this year after Cityline Partners decided not to follow through on its development plans for the site.
The new owner hopes to start construction within the next two years, WBJ wrote.
Images via CBRE
(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) Trustar Bank is opening a commercial loan office this week by Tysons Galleria ahead of a future branch in the area.
Last week, the bank opened a branch in Great Falls. The company website said, “As a community bank, Trustar Bank’s strategy is to be a personalized alternative to larger, super-regional financial institutions that increasingly dominate the bank’s primary market.”
While the upcoming Tysons location (1650 Tysons Blvd) will just handle commercial loans, Chief Executive Officer Shaza Anderson said that the company also plans to bring branches in Reston in October 2019 and Tysons in 2021.
The new loan office opens after the company raised the required capital and received regulatory approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, she said.
Anderson said that the company partially decided on the location because it seemed to be the most accessible for employees and customers.
Community support has been “overwhelming” during this process, she added.
Image via Google Maps
There’s a birthday party in the works for Tysons’ biggest nightlife spot, and you’re invited.
Tysons Biergarten is celebrating its third birthday and a year that has marked a number of changes for the bar with more on the way. Registration is available online.
The celebration is set for Saturday, July 20, from noon to 1:58 a.m. at the Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike).
According to the Facebook post:
We will be looking back on all the good times that wouldn’t be possible without you! We will have vendors, food, live music, games, and of course beer! Not to mention we will also be doing a free festival to help celebrate our birthday! Our third anniversary only happens once in our lifetime so make sure you don’t miss it!
Events at the party include a stein-hoisting contest and free giveaways.
While the upstairs is still the German beer-hall scene the brand was built on, the Biergarten recently converted the long tables downstairs into the Room 7 speakeasy — featuring a dress code and rotating music selection with a particular focus on international themes.
Tysons Biergarten had originally been planned to fill the space until nearby developments came online. But while The Boro is close to opening, Biergarten owner Matt Rofougaran said his restaurant is slated to stay in their location at least through the end of the year.
A massive development proposed for Tysons and the Defense Health Agency’s expansion plans in Falls Church are set to go before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors later today (Tuesday).
According to the agenda, the board will hold public hearings on the two proposals. If approved, both of the projects would come to areas of the county facing urbanization.
Proposed for Tysons’ North Central neighborhood, The Mile would transform 38 acres of office park into 10 mixed-use buildings with residential, retail, office, hotel and storage locations.
Unlike some developments recently proposed and built in Tysons, The Mile aims to add six new parks totaling more than 10 acres.
Signature Park, the largest park in the development, would encompass an entire block in the development — about 5 acres — and include retail, a performance stage, areas for games, trails and more. A dog park, linear park, recreation park and two urban parks are also planned for the development.
Over by Pine Spring Elementary School, the Defense Health Agency wants to add an L-shaped office building to its Falls Church headquarters.
The government agency oversees health care to active duty and retired U.S. military personnel and their families.
In addition to the roughly 195,000-square-foot building, the plans also include an 815-space parking garage. The new space would allow for about 600 more employees, according to county documents.
Images via Fairfax County
The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.
We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!
Tuesday (July 16)
- Weird Al Yankovic with National Symphony Orchestra — 8-11 p.m. at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Road) — Grammy-award winning parody artist Weird Al Yankovic will be performing at Wolf Trap with the National Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are $40 with roughly 100 remaining.
Wednesday (July 17)
- Pizza for Pets — 11 a.m.-10 p.m. at Ledo Pizza (141 Park Street SE) — All day in Vienna, 10 percent of the proceeds from any purchase at Ledo Pizza will go to supporting the nonprofit Frankie’s Friends and Hope Advanced Veterinary Center.
- Mars and Whisky — 6-9 p.m. at Inca Social (2670 Avenir Place) — The recently opened Inca Social in Merrifield is hosting a book talk with Ancient Aliens guest George Haas, who is the co-author of The Cydonia Codex: Reflections From Mars. The book talk will be followed by a Catoctin Creek Rye whiskey tasting and raffle.
- “Princess Mononoke” — 7 p.m. at Angelika Film Center (2911 District Avenue) — Angelika in the Mosaic District is hosting a screening of the 1997 Studio Ghibli classic “Princess Mononoke.” Tickets are $14.50. The Wednesday show is in Japanese with English subtitles, while the Thursday screening is the English dub.
Thursday (July 18)
- Virginia Tire and Auto Grand Opening — 5-7 p.m. at Virginia Tire and Auto (141 W. Maple Avenue) — The recently opened Virginia Tire and Auto is hosting a celebration featuring autographs from Washington Redskins player Ryan Kerrigan. Free food, drinks and activities will also be provided.
- Sheryl Crow at Wolf Trap — 8-11 p.m. at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Road) — “Soak Up the Sun” country-rock artist Sheryl Crow is performing at Wolf Trap. Tickets are $45 and the only ones left are on the lawn, so attendees are encouraged to get them quickly.
Friday (July 19)
- Silhouette Artist at Mosaic District — by appointment at Wee Chic (2905 District Avenue, Suite 120) — Childrens’ clothing boutique Wee Chic will have silhouette artist Keith Donaldson at the store to create hand-cut artwork. Appointments are required and kids of all ages are welcome. Two matted copies are $40 and additional copies of the same child are $10.
Sunday (July 21)
- Woman’s Flat Tire Repair Class — 9-11 a.m. at REI (8209 Watson Street) — REI is hosting a flat tire repair class specifically for female cyclists. The class is aimed at teaching women everything they need to know to change a tire and reduce the chances of a repeat flat. Attendees are invited to bring their own busted tire or work on one provided by REI.
Image via Amazon
Botched Bolts Behind Metro Mishap — “A Metro train pulled apart on the tracks last year because the agency was using the wrong parts, installing parts that were used incorrectly, and not checking to ensure things were done right… The 51-page report approved Thursday by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission details a litany of failures that led up to an eight-car Silver Line train bound for D.C. coming apart outside the McLean Station on Aug. 25.” [WTOP]
New School Rules — “The new Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook, which was approved by the board on Thursday, includes more than two dozen changes meant to standardize the way discipline is handed down in the school system.” The changes go into effect this fall. [WTOP]
County Seeking Tysons Traffic Solutions — “A number of options to relieve traffic congestion around McLean and Tysons were presented at a previous community meeting. Fairfax County’s transportation department is seeking feedback on those options, and the deadline for comments has been extended to July 31.” [Patch]
Large Music Library in Falls Church Home — “A long-time local resident who is once again kicking off the Creative Cauldron’s summer cabaret series also happens to curate one of the most interesting home collections of the Tin Pan Alley era of music.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Virginia Nabs Top Spot on CNBC List — CNBC ranked Virginia #1 on its recently released “America’s Top States for Business” list. [CNBC]
Firework Sparklers Behind McLean House Fire — “The garage of a McLean home caught fire on [July 3] due to firework sparklers that were improperly disposed of.” [ABC7]
Egyptian Art Coming to Falls Church — “Falls Church Arts (FCA) is excited to be the first gallery to exhibit this unique collection of Egyptian Contemporary art by these wonderful artists from the Luxor, Alexandria, and Cairo regions of Egypt. These artworks were created over the last several weeks on papyrus especially for this exhibition, the first of its kind in the U.S.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Updated at 11:10 a.m. 7/16/19 — Agora said in a press release that the restaurant opens today (Tuesday).
Earlier: After a long series of delays, Mediterranean restaurant Agora plans to hold a grand opening in Tysons in about two weeks.
The restaurant is set to have a grand opening on Thursday, July 25, from 7-9 p.m.
Located at the Nouvelle (7911 Westpark Drive), the 4,000-square-foot, split-level eatery will feature Turkish decor and a custom brick oven. The tapas-style menu will feature Turkish, Lebanese and Greek flavors, according to the restaurant’s website.
Agora also has a restaurant in D.C.
It might not be the national holiday from the week before, but National Free Slurpee Day is coming up on Thursday, July 11.
The event is 7-Eleven’s celebration of its unofficial birthday. Stopping by a 7-Eleven between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. will allow the visitor to receive a free 12 oz Slurpee while supplies last.
Below, Tysons Reporter has put together a map of 7-Elevens around the Tysons area to stop by for a free Slurpee. Also, stay tuned for more information on the new 7-Eleven planned at Tysons Corner Center this fall.
If you get a brain freeze from your Slurpee, National Day Calendar advises you to press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, cover your nose and mouth with your hand, and breathe through your nose — allowing warmer air to circulate through your sinus passages.
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