One year after Appian Corporation first mentioned plans to relocate from Reston to Tysons, the cloud computing company is nearing its move-in date, which will bring 600 jobs.

Appian will soon trade in its current headquarters at 11955 Democracy Drive, Suite 1700 in Reston Town Center for Gannett’s headquarters at Valo Park (7950 Jones Branch Drive).

Appian’s relocation is set to happen in June, the Washington Business Journal reported last week.

“The 12.5-year lease for 200,000 square feet in the Jones Branch Drive building was officially signed April 17, complete with a press conference with Gov. Ralph Northam. The lease was a win for real estate group Tamares, which purchased the building from Gannett for $270 million in 2015,” according to the story.

Back in December, the company received $4 million from Fairfax County for the company’s expansion and new headquarters. The funds will pay for the leasing, improvements, equipment and operation of the new North Central home.

Image via Google Maps 

The short Metro tunnel in Tysons is now the only one in Virginia without cell coverage, but Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) said that should be remedied by next summer.

Calls inside the tunnel connecting the Tysons Corner and Greensboro Metro stations on the Silver Line are dropped regardless of cellular provider — interrupting 25 minutes of otherwise continuous cell coverage from the Wiehle-Reston to Ballston Metro stations.

The lack of cell service is more than a convenience issue. Experts have called it a glaring safety problem for the system — particularly in the wake of a death in a smoke-clogged tunnel in 2015.

On and off for 10 years, WMATA has been working with cell carriers to wire tunnels to provide continuous service, though the plan has hit several stumbling blocks along the way. The press release said the plan is to have all of the tunnels completed by June 2020:

The $120 million capital project to install dual radio and cellular cables within Metro’s tunnels began in February 2016 and is scheduled to be completed by June 2020. The labor-intensive process involves installing special trays on the tunnel walls to support the heavy cables and requires the track be taken out of service for the work to be done.

WMATA said 67 miles of the 100 total miles of track are now cell-accessible, including all of the Orange and Blue lines.

As Tysons grows, Fairfax County officials say the plan is for the small Raglan Road Park between Tysons and Vienna to be repurposed into “active recreation uses.”

Currently, Fairfax County Park Authority owns 11.82 acres of Raglan Road Park, a forested area adjacent to the Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley. The area recently saw some construction with the opening of the new Vesper Trail, but more amenities could be on the way.

David Bowden, director of the Park Planning and Development Division, said the park is one of the only properties the Park Authority owned prior to the widespread redevelopment of Tysons.

“Expansion of that park property is an area identified as [a priority] to support Tysons,” Bowden said.

“What we need in Tysons is an athletic field,” Bowden added. “We need multi-use spaces for basketball or tennis courts, or even pickleball now.”

Raglan Road Park and the Freedom Hill Park to the south are both identified in the 2014 Tysons Park System Conception Plan as locations for some active recreation facilities. According to the plan:

The park is mostly forested upland, with a small clearing of about half an acre. Raglan Road Park is contiguous with the Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley, though the park does not have any regulatory Resource Protection Area (RPA) land on it. Prior to construction of any recreational uses at Raglan Road Park, additional land will need to be acquired to complete the park. This is due to the irregular shape of the park, and the land area needed to construct facilities.

But Judy Pedersen, public information officer for the Park Authority, noted that active recreation uses don’t have to be incompatible with preserving natural spaces.

“There are combinations uses of active natural areas and streams,” said Pedersen. “The urban park model tries to do a little bit of both. But the reality is we do need active recreation facilities in this area.”

Any moves towards redeveloping the park as an active space are still in the formative stages. As part of their proffers for The View project, the Clemente Development Company plans to contribute $750,000 to construct an athletic field at Raglan Road Park.

Pedersen said that other priorities for creating active use spaces in the area include trails to connect to nearby neighborhoods and playgrounds.

“This is all very conceptual,” said Bowden. “It all depends on how much land we ultimately acquire as part of that park. But eventually, it’s going to be more than it is today. It will provide for the park network in Tysons.”

Photo via Facebook

Editor’s note: Over the past several weeks, Tysons Reporter has profiled the eight districts of Tysons. This is the last article in that series.

Tysons’ West Side is unique among its eight districts: most of it is parkland and two neighborhoods with no pressing need for redevelopment.

The park and these neighborhoods provide a clear transition between the soon-to-be shining towers of downtown Tysons West and the suburban neighborhoods beyond.

The Stream Valley Park

Some residents call it “Tysons’ Last Forest.” Its full name is Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley Park, adjoining Freedom Hill Park and Raglan Road Park, but it’s easiest to simply refer to the entire thing as the Stream Valley Park. It defines the West Side.

The park was created mostly in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s as private landowners donated parts of the forest to Fairfax County. It includes Ash Grove, a historic site of some local significance that once belonged to the Lord Fairfax family.

It is an area of ecological significance. As the Neighborhood Coalition to Save Tysons’ Last Forest points out, the park “contains nationally-recognized ‘wetlands,’ which house the stream valley, a Palustrine forest of mature trees, and varied vegetation.” It provides animal habitat and, as part of the Difficult Run and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay watersheds, is important for stormwater management and for the region’s overall environmental water quality.

An active local environmental movement works to protect it from development — a movement which succeeded in preventing a highway ramp from being built in it. The only things that might disrupt the natural environment are bicycle paths, like the Vesper Trail that recently opened between Spring Hill Metro station and Higdon Road on the far side of the park.

Perhaps most importantly for residents, it also provides a natural urban green space. Less than a ten-minute walk from the Spring Hill Metro station, Stream Valley Park is accessible to residents of urban Tysons.

Gosnell and Ashgrove

The Gosnell and Ashgrove neighborhood seem like they will remain as peaceful, urban residential communities.

This pair of residential neighborhoods — Gosnell in the south and Ashgrove in the north — are communities of townhouses and multifamily structures that provide residential opportunities close to downtown Tysons’ employment centers and next to the natural amenity of the park. These residences were mostly built in the 1990s.

The Comprehensive Plan for Tysons found that, in fact, these neighborhoods already have the desired level of density. As such, they’re not slated for redevelopment anytime soon, meaning that this area is unlikely to change with anything near the speed or the intensity of other areas in Tysons.

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 (May 2)

• 4th Anniversary Beer Dinner — 7:30-10 p.m. at Caboose Tavern (520 Mill Street NE) — In celebration of the company’s fourth anniversary, the Caboose Brewing Company is hosting a five-course evening meal and beer pairings. Tickets are $75 and limited, so they must be reserved in advance. Meals include deviled egg, tuna tartare and “deconstructed s’mores.”
• Harry Potter Trivia Night — 5-6 p.m. at Bards Alley (110 Church Street NW) — Vienna’s Bards Alley book shop is hosting a Harry Potter trivia contest. Complimentary non-alcoholic butterbeer will be on tap and Harry Potter-inspired attire is encouraged.

Friday (May 3)

• Intro to Djembe Drumming — 7-8:30 p.m. at Alden Theatre (1234 Ingleside Avenue) — The Alden in the McLean Community Center is hosting a drum circle class run by artist Kofi Dennis to teach local families about djembe drumming. The class is designed for families and children under 14 must have an adult.

Saturday (May 4)

• Bike Rodeo — 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department (400 Center Street S) — Veteran cyclists will be on hand to help children learn some real-life handling skills, like road rules and how to handle obstacles. Children must wear a helmet to participate.
• May the Fourth Be With You Party — 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike) — The Tysons library is hosting a Star Wars themed party, including crafts, snacks and children’s activities. A costume contest will be held at 11:30 a.m. The event is for all ages with adult supervision. A screening of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” will be held after the party at 2 p.m. The movie is rated PG-13, so all ages under 13 require an adult.
• The Organic Butcher’s Spring Block Party — 12-4 p.m. at The Organic Butcher (6712 Old Dominion Drive) — The Organic Butcher in McLean is hosting its annual block party, with live music, food, wine, beer and cider tastings. Artisans and farmers are set to attend. A sausage-making demonstration is planned for 2 p.m.
• May the 4th Be With You and Your Margarita — 8 p.m. at Inca Social (2670 Avenir Pl.) — Inca Social, a new bar in Merrifield, is hosting a special Star Wars themed evening with margarita and gosarita specials all evening. The DJ starts at 9 p.m., and table reservations can be made online.

Sunday (May 5)

• Cinco de Mayo and Official Patio Launch Party — 10 a.m.-11 p.m. at Mad Fox Brewing Company (444 W Broad Street) — The Falls Church bar is hosting a Cinco de Mayo party and opening up the bar’s patio with a selection of drinking and food specials, including discounts on Tequila flights.

Image via Facebook

Industrious, a new coworking space, launched last Wednesday (April 24) in the heart of Tysons as part of an expansion across Northern Virginia.

“It’s a rich market, especially with Amazon moving in,” Joyce Oh, an area manager for Industrious, said. “We’re trying to be proactive and support the companies there.”

Before its official launch, Industrious recently hosted several events in the new space at 1660 International Drive.

The company also has a new Ballston location in Arlington and a location in Alexandria, with another opening in the Courthouse neighborhood of Arlington later this year or early next year. While Amazon and Alexandria are the main hubs of Amazon-hullabaloo, Oh said Tysons as a hub for other government contractors and consulting firms made it a perfect target for a new coworking space.

“We were excited to open with higher occupancy [than normal],” Oh said. “It speaks to the level of demand we see in the market and the different product.”

Oh said that most of the offices are built with one to eight people in mind, though if they find a demand for larger offices, Oh said that’s something the company could look into.

Industrious fits 300 at max capacity, with individual rooms able to support up to 12 people. Oh said prices vary by the size of the office, with smaller offices starting at $800 per month or coworking memberships for a desk at the facility at $515.

While there are already a handful of other coworking spaces in Tysons, like MakeOffices and WeWork, Oh said Industrious sets itself apart with a more “mature” aesthetic and sense of hospitality.

“We’re a coworking office, but we train our staff to be hospitality staff and make members feel at home,” Oh said. “It attracts a different type of demographic. If you walk into Industrious, the space feels more mature than other coworking spaces. There’s a lot of maple — a lot of natural woods. We have a more polished feel.”

(Updated at 3:30 p.m.)  A power outage hit the largely residential neighborhoods in northeast Vienna, as well as a portion of Tysons, today (April 26).

The estimated time of restoration is between 1-4 p.m. As of noon, Dominion Energy reported 2,006 customers in the area without power.

The power outage was resolved on Dominion’s website around 1:15 p.m.

“All but 165 of the 2,000 [customers] were restored in about an hour,” Charles Penn, Sr., a spokesman for Dominion Energy, told Tysons Reporter.

A tree that fell on a power line caused the outage, Penn said.

https://twitter.com/carencey/status/1121801503998660608

Image via Dominion Energy

Growing makeup brand Morphe Cosmetics opened its new Tysons Corner Center store about an hour ago today (Friday).

Based in California, Morphe is known for its eye make-up and brushes.

The newly opened store is on the second level next to Lush — another cosmetics store — and sells mostly Morphe products, along with brands like Eye Kandy, Iconic London and Jeffree Star.

Some items this reporter spotted included $15 Morphe eye shadow palettes, $8 Morphe lip glosses and $7.50 Eye Kandy glitter.

Morphe’s opening at the mall adds to its half of a dozen stores in the D.C.-area and is part of the brand’s large-scale expansion.

Breakaway Fitness will celebrate its re-opening in Tysons this weekend after a major expansion.

Focused on strength and conditioning, the gym offers personal training, nutritional coaching programs, testing, group exercise and massages.

“We have been in business for 17 years and now have doubled our size,” a flier for the event says.

The gym consolidated its operations at two locations into the one at Tysons by expanding onto a second floor and adding locker rooms. Upstairs, people can run or lift weights in the open turf area. The downstairs is mostly used for classical powerlifting.

Another change recently has the gym selling memberships for the first time.

The grand re-opening is set to take place Saturday (April 27) at 1524 Spring Hill Road, Unit GG.

The “kid and dog friendly” event will feature a bounce house, snow cones and snacks and one hour free at Dogtopia, a dog daycare and spa next door — owners would need to bring in the paperwork for their dogs’ shots.

First photo courtesy of Breakaway Fitness, other photos via Facebook

City Works Eatery and Pour House set an opening date that is right around the corner for its upcoming Tysons location at the Capital One Headquarters.

The restaurant announced today (April 24) that it plans to open at 1640 Capital One Drive North on Tuesday, May 28.

Focused on classic American cuisine, the menu will have gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options, along with more than 90 draft beers and eight wines, according to the press release.

Here’s a sampling of items on the menu:

• Kung Pao cauliflower
• smoked chicken wings
• duck nachos
• an assortment of tacos
• filet mignon sliders with caramelized onion and horseradish cream on a pretzel roll
• fried chicken sandwich with spicy bread, butter pickles and Carolina mustard barbecue sauce
• “City Works Burger” made with a short rib and brisket blend, topped with aged white cheddar, shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato, red onion and a dill pickle on a toasted brioche bun

Roughly 30 percent of the draft selection is sourced from breweries around the Virginia area, including Parkway Brewing Co., Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co., Midnight Brewery and Union Craft Brewing, the press release says.

The restaurant will seat up to about 175 people on the first floor, which will have 12 high-definition televisions. The patio will have about 50 seats and feature an outdoor container bar, three televisions and a canopy, the press release says. Additionally, the restaurants will have two private event dining rooms — also with televisions.

The Tysons location will be the first one for City Works in Virginia.

The restaurant is currently hiring servers, bartenders, hosts, line cooks, prep cooks, brushers, runners and dishwashers.

Photo via Facebook