With just a few hours left in polling, Tysons-area polls have shown a slow but steady increase in voting throughout the day, particularly in Hunter Mill.
Competitive primaries are underway for the Democratic endorsement for the Providence District, Hunter Mill District, and chairman seats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
The voter turnout so far in the Providence District is 6.29 percent. The Hunter Mill District, which includes Vienna, is 7.3 percent and is the highest of any district in Fairfax. The Fairfax County average turnout is 5.36 percent.
This year’s primary, particularly the race for the chariman’s seat, has been particularly divisive. One candidate faced an ethics complaint filed by a rival while the Washington Post endorsement raised concerns about sexism.
It’s also been an expensive primary. Every candidate for the Democratic nomination to the chair position has raised over $100,000, with developer Tim Chapman raising $952,109 — mostly through funds Chapman gave to his own campaign. In Hunter Mill, candidate Maggie Parker sits at $258,225 fundraised, in large part with support from Comstock Companies. Two Providence candidates — Phillip Niedzielski-Eichner and Dalia Palchik — neared the $100,000 fundraising mark
If you’re a Fairfax County voter you have a chance to choose the next Chair of your County Board, some new supervisors & new school board members, and also choose between incumbents for Commonwealth’s Attorney, State Senate and State House or their challengers. Just Vote! pic.twitter.com/AA9rFVAgeA
— Mark Keam 🇺🇸 (@MarkKeam) June 11, 2019
At Bonnie Brae polling place. Super weather for Primary Vote today. pic.twitter.com/u7YOMS2Qif
— Sharon Bulova (@SharonBulova) June 11, 2019
The Democratic candidates for the Board of Supervisors are:
Board of Supervisors chair:
Providence District:
Hunter Mill District:
Tysons-area voters will also determine the Democratic nominees for two Virginia Senate seats and the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Any registered voter can participate in the primaries. Polls are open until 7 p.m.
The polls are now open until 7 p.m. for today's primary election. While it's a Democratic primary, every registered voter can participate because in Virginia you don't register to vote by political party. #vote #votejune11 pic.twitter.com/b93Vqw9fPm
— Fairfax County Votes (@fairfaxvotes) June 11, 2019
The large affordable housing project near the Spring Hill Metro station is on hold, according to the developer.
The Clemente Development Company is currently busy with The View, a 3 million-square-foot redevelopment project planning on being a new residential, retail and arts hub for Tysons. The project includes The Iconic, a 600-foot tall tower that has the potential to shape the Tysons skyline.
The Evolution, a residential development planned just south of The View, popped up again yesterday (Monday) in Fairfax County permitting, but Antonio Calabrese, a lawyer representing Clemente, said there have been no new plans submitted for the project since it was initially proposed in 2017.
The eventual plan is to include 1,400 multi-family units in a high-rise building that would replace the existing commercial building. All units would be workforce dwelling units.
Calabrese said The Evolution is a separate project from The View and is not part of a proffer related to that project.
Meanwhile, Calabrese said Clemente is moving forward with plans to resubmit The View to Fairfax County staff on Friday (June 14) with hopes to have final approval in the fall.
Home goods company Wayfair is planning to open a pop-up store in Tysons Corner Center in August.
The e-commerce company announced in a press release yesterday (June 10) that the “Wayfair Decor & Inspiration Shop” will come to four malls on Aug. 1, including Schaumburg, Ill.; Durham, N.C.; and King of Prussia, Pa.
Shoppers will be able to browse pieces like living room wall art, throw pillows and bed and bath items.
“We are excited to open four new pop-up shop locations across the U.S. this summer,” Courtney Lawrie, the director of brand marketing at Wayfair, said in the press release. “The Wayfair Decor & Inspiration Shop will provide our customers a place to go for home ideas and inspiration as well as the chance to shop over 250 budget-friendly and eclectic decor items to purchase in-shop for the first time ever.”
The pop-ups are set to last for three months.
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!
Thursday (June 13)
- Teacher End of School Year Happy Hour Party — 3-7 p.m. at Blackfinn Ameripub-Merrifield (2750 Gallows Road) — Blackfinn is hosting a celebration of teachers at the end of the school year with complimentary appetizers for teachers, prizes and giveaways, and drink specials. The event is free, but seating is limited.
Friday (June 14)
- DevFest DC 2019 — 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at Capital One Center (1680 Capital One Drive) — The 8th annual DevFest DC — a meeting of developers throughout the region — returns this Friday. Industry expert speakers from technology companies and various coding sessions are planned throughout the day. Tickets are $70 for a regular pass if purchased before Thursday, or $100 if purchased on the day of the event.
- National Flip Flop Day 2019 — 2-7 p.m. at Tropical Smoothie Cafe (2672 Avenir Place) — As part of “National Flip Flop Day,” anyone stopping in at the Tysons Tropical Smoothie can get a free 16 ounce Sunshine Smoothie.
Saturday (June 15)
- Family Father’s Day Stroller Strides Class — 8:45-10:30 a.m. at Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road) — The FIT4MOM group usually hosts exercise programs for mothers with babies, but the group is holding a special fathers-focused class. Tickets are available online.
- Summer Concerts on the Green: Nowhere Men — 6:30-8 p.m. at Vienna Town Green (144 E. Maple Avenue) — Vienna’s free summer concert lineup starts with an acoustic Beatles tribute band, Nowhere Men. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs, but to leave their pets at home.
Sunday (June 16)
- Bike Chains and Derailleurs Workshop — 9-11 a.m. at REI (8209 Watson Street) — A workshop at REI will help cyclists learn how to tune their bikes to avoid grinding gears, rubbing derailleurs and squeaky chains. Attendees can bring their own bike or practice on one at the store. Tickets are $40 for members or $60 for non-members.
- Father’s Day Brunch and Dinner — 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at Inca Social (2670 Avenir Place) — Fathers get their first beer for $1 for a brunch and dinner special at INCA Social. Kids 6 and younger eat for free.
- Dad Jokes on Father’s Day — 5-7 p.m. at Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike) — The Tysons Biergarten is hosting a comedy night specifically for the best — or worst — original dad jokes from several local comedians. Tickets to the comedy show are free.
Photo via Town of Vienna/Facebook
Chef Geoff’s will soon say goodbye to its Tysons spot in less than two weeks.
Geoff Tracy, who runs the Tysons location and almost a dozen other restaurants, told Tysons Reporter that the restaurant will close on Friday, June 21, after 10 years at 8045 Leesburg Pike.
Tracy said that the decision not to renew the lease prompted the upcoming closure — something that he said he’s known about for a while. “It would require a massive investment [to stay],” he said.
Tracy said he’s open to looking at locations with “plenty of parking and inexpensive rent” for another Tysons restaurant. Most of the Tysons staff have been placed in the other restaurants he manages, he said.
In an email to customers, Geoff reminisced on memorable events at the Tysons spot — kicking off the restaurant with a fundraiser for Children’s Hospital in June 2009, winning a RAMMY for Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene and achieving a “legal victory over the state of Virginia’s happy hour restrictions.”
The original Chef Geoff’s is in northwest D.C. at 3201 New Mexico Avenue. Tracy also co-owns Cafe Deluxe, which has a location in Tysons at 1800 International Drive.
“It was a nice run in Tysons for the last 10 years,” Tracy said.
Image via Google Maps
EcoPlay, a new children’s playspace in Tysons, is planning to open in early July.
The indoor play area is currently under construction in Pike 7 Plaza, replacing the Performance Bicycle Shop that closed in January.
A store representative said the location had been hoping to open in June, but is more likely eyeing early-to-mid July.
According to the company’s website:
When you enter EcoPlay, your children’s eyes will light up as they encounter our beautiful indoor play space. We believe in play that encourages exploration, learning and imagination. We provide children with a space to explore new abilities through a wide variety of interactive games, learning events and educational toys. Every inch of EcoPlay was hand-selected to promote healthy and safe play.
Two-hour open playtime supervised by a parent or other responsible adult costs $20 per child, or a child can be dropped off for supervised play for $30.
The facility will also offers private or semi-private party spaces for up to 25 children for three hours.
Image via EcoPlay/Facebook
Tysons may not have the liveliest nightlife at the moment, but that could soon change as more late-night restaurants and places to hang out open. “Tysons After Dark” will highlight a different spot every week.
With a sweet and salty menu, Teas’n You offers bubble tea fans a spot to hang out long after work ends.
Right along Leesburg Pike behind Tysons Corner Center, the fusion tea house serves up milk tea, slush teas, Thai tea and coffee with salty snacks — basil popcorn chicken and garlic parmesan fries. It might sound like a limited menu, but this Tysons Reporter editor found the basil popcorn chicken filling paired with a regular sized drink.
Macarons are also on the menu. A single signature flavor costs $2.90, while a season one is $3.25. Customers can also get a box of five ($13.75) or 10 ($25.95).
According to the Teas’n You website, the baked goods are made fresh daily in-house.
Unlike some tea spots, Teas’n You has a roomy yet cozy feeling interior with ample seating, with some tables just meant for one person and others for four customers.
Teas’n You is open until 9 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. On Sundays, the shop closes at 8 p.m.
Janitors who are part of the Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ protested K&S Management Services, a Vienna-based non-union cleaning contractor, yesterday (June 6) in Tysons.
With 75,000 commercial office cleaners’ contracts set to expire this year, Jaime Contreras, the vice president for 32BJ SEIU, told Tysons Reporter that the union will help with bargaining.
“Today we are focused on K&S, which is the largest non-union cleaning company in Virginia — also a company who is known to violate workers’ rights to organize on the job,” Contreras said. “They were found guilty by the National Labor Board of firing a worker for simply trying to organize on the job.”
That former K&S worker, Geofredo Castro, told the crowd in Spanish and with an English translator that he decided to organize his workers with 32BJ because “there were lots of injustices and they didn’t pay us a fair salary and we didn’t get almost any benefits.”
“I went to the K&S office to give them the petition that I signed with my coworkers but afterward, they fired me unfairly,” the translator said. “With the help of the union, last month we won our case against K&S, and they were obligated to pay me $1,500 for all of the labor violations they committed against our workers.”
32BJ SEIU filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming that K&S was engaging in unfair labor practices, which included Castro’s firing. K&S settled in May.
In an unrelated incident, a K&S employee filed a sexual harassment claim in January against a supervisor at a worksite in D.C.
Julie Karant, a spokeswoman for the union, said that 32BJ SEIU hasn’t heard from K&S about the allegations and said that the company is under investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for sexual harassment.
K&S said in an emailed statement to Tysons Reporter:
K&S respects its employees and their right to engage in concerted activity. However, as far as K&S is aware, no petition has been filed with the National Labor Relations Board to initiate the process for voting in which the employees are given the opportunity to participate in a free and fair election to determine if they want to be represented by the union. K&S has voluntarily agreed to take steps to ensure that the employees’ rights are protected.
K&S takes charges of sexual harassment seriously and strives to provide an environment that is safe and provides equal opportunities for all employees. We try to prevent sexual harassment, and if claims of harassment are made, we will investigate and take appropriate action. Beyond that, we cannot comment on specific charges filed by individual employees.
Around 4:30 p.m., the protesters shouted in English and Spanish “K&S, shame on you” and “When we fight, we win” as they made their way from 1800 Tysons Blvd to 1751 Pinnacle Drive — one of the Tysons buildings that K&S cleans.
Del. Ken Plum (D-36th District), who stood out with his orange shirt in a crowd of purple, told the protesters that he is fighting for “fair work, fair pay” in “the center of wealth in the United States.”
Happy Friday — today is National Doughnut Day.
The U.S. national day takes place annually on the first Friday in June. If you want to celebrate, here are some spots around Tysons that sell doughnuts:
Doughnuts aren’t the only items on the menu at the Bolivian restaurant (7177 Lee Highway) in Falls Church. Camba Cafe also serves breakfast sandwiches, cheese bread, empanadas and lunch sandwiches. The cafe is open today from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken
The Falls Church location (7511 Leesburg Pike) offers doughnuts, fried chicken, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, coleslaw, tater tots and cheddar biscuits.
The June special doughnut flavors are cake batter, raspberry lemonade, chocolate espresso Cookies n’ Cream and blackberry passion fruit Boston cream pie.
The spot is open today from 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Dunkin’ Donuts will offer a free doughnut with any drink purchase today while supplies last at participating stores.
The chain’s local locations:
- Tysons: 8119 Watson Street; open 24 hours
- Merrifield: 2750 Gallows Road, Unit E; 5 a.m.-9 p.m.
- Vienna: 314 W. Maple Avenue; 5 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Falls Church: 101 E. Annandale Road; 5 am.-10 p.m.
Photo via Camba Cafe
Janitors who are part of the Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ plan to protest K&S Management Services, a Vienna-based non-union cleaning contractor, today (June 6) in Tysons.
32BJSEIU filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming that K&S was engaging in unfair labor practices.
Del. Ken Plum (D-36th District) and Dalia Palchik, a candidate for the Providence District seat on Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, plan to join the event, according to a 32BJ SEIU press release.
The rally starts at 4 p.m. at 1800 Tysons Blvd. The group will then march to 1751 Pinnacle Drive — one of the Tysons buildings that K&S cleans, the press release said.
“Janitors, who are marching in support of non-union K&S cleaners, will soon start negotiations for a new four-year union contract that expires at midnight on Oct. 15 covering 10,500 workers in the D.C. area, including over 4,000 in Northern Virginia,” according to the press release.
Map via Google Maps
