Fairfax County Police are asking for help in finding whoever beat two puppies to death and dumped their bodies in Tysons last week.
Officers were called last Monday (March 11) to the 1900 block of Gallows Road, an office park in southwest Tysons, where they found the two puppies next to a dumpster, said FCPD.
According to a press release:
A necropsy revealed both puppies died from blunt force trauma to their heads. Their breed was not able to be determined due to their young age. They are believed to have been about a month old. One was a male puppy with a unique blue merle coat and the other was a female with a fawn colored coat.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Officer McLemore at 571-221-8030.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously online, by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, or texting “TIP187” and “CRIMES” to that number. Tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1,000 if their information leads to an arrest.
Fairfax police also reminded animal owners that their pets can be surrendered to the Fairfax County Animal Shelter if they can no longer be cared for.
File photo
A new business is opening at Tysons Corner Center to help people get their teeth aligned.
Northern Virginia Orthodontics is scheduled to open a new location next to the Tori Soudan women’s shoe store at the Nordstrom end of the mall. The business currently has offices in Brambleton and Reston.
The expansion was announced on Feb. 1, along with plans to open a joint location with Invisalign, a clear tooth-alignment treatment.
“Everyone deserves a smile they love,” the business said in a Facebook post, “and now it’s easier than ever to begin your own smile transformation while shopping, dining or just visiting Tysons.”
Mall staff said there was no information available about when Northern Virginia Orthodontics would be opening.
Photo via Facebook
Several new streets and major improvements to existing ones are in the works for Tysons.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors made a small adjustment on Tuesday (March 19) to make developers pay a little more of their share, but the report offers a glimpse at what’s ahead for local roadways.
With no discussion, the Board voted unanimously to approve a 1.9 percent increase in the developer contribution rate to the Road Fund and approval of guidelines for those funds’ usage in Centreville and Tysons.
“One of the principles of the Comprehensive Plan for each of the road fund areas is that development above the baseline level established in the plan may be approved, if developer mitigates the impact of such increased density or intensity by contributing to a fund for the provision of off-site road improvements,” staff said in a report. “All aforementioned road funds function in this manner.”
The staff report also included a list of transportation projects either underway or in planning for Tysons’ streets.
- Route 123 Improvements: Changes planned for Route 123 in Tysons East in the early stages of being developed as a “superstreet,” which would modify left turn movements to facilitate regional through movement. The project has finished simulations and is currently undergoing initial design.
- Route 7 Widening and Interchange: A study has been recently completed on a plan to widen Route 7 and implement new improvements at the Route 123 interchange. Stakeholder meetings are planned for this summer.
- Cleveland Ramp Alternatives: A new ramp is planned to connect the Dulles Toll Road to new sections of the Tysons East grid of streets. Greater access to the Dulles Toll Road is part of several transportations discussions currently ongoing in Tysons.
- Jones Branch Connector: An alternative access route from eastern to western Tysons passing over I-495. The project is currently in construction with completion planned for this fall.
- State Street: A new street, named State Street, is being developed to connect Boone Boulevard and Greensboro Drive in Tysons. A study of the project has been completed and options for project implementation are being discussed.
- Lincoln Street: Another proposed new street to connect Route 123 to Magarity Road, intersecting with Old Meadow Road and other future streets. The core idea for the new street is to move traffic from existing developments northeast of Tysons Galleria to Magarity Road. A feasibility study is ongoing.
- Center Street: A new street planned within the Tysons urban center. A report is expected sometime this summer.
Many of the new streets listed in the report are centered around the areas northeast of Tysons Galleria and in Tysons East, the points at either end of the Jones Branch Connector and both planned sites for major redevelopment.
If you stop by Founding Farmers Tysons, be sure to offer congratulations to manager Paris Twyman for her recent nomination as “Manager of the Year” for the 2019 RAMMY Awards.
The RAMMY Awards are an annual competition hosted by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington to celebrate excellence in local restaurants.
Taco Bamba Taqueria, which started in Falls Church and now has locations throughout Northern Virginia and D.C., was also nominated for two awards.
The restaurant was nominated for “Favorite Fast Bites of the Year” and owner Victor Albisu was nominated as “Restaurateur of the Year.”
Photo via Founding Farmers
The Jones Branch Connector is coming along, though construction has necessitated a series of weekend closures over the last few weeks.
A video put together by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) laid out the goals of the Jones Branch Connector and a look at what’s ahead for the project.
MT @VaDOTNOVA: Check out the latest on the Jones Branch Connector project in Tysons! When complete, each direction will have 2 travel lanes, bike lane, multi-use path & wide median for future transit. @fairfaxcounty @VAExpressLanes @tysonspartners pic.twitter.com/PVLrSbFafe
— Fairfax County Government 🇺🇸 (@fairfaxcounty) March 18, 2019
The project first had a partial opening in December — with one lane of traffic opening in each direction — giving drivers a preview of the bridge that will connect east and west Tysons. According to the video, new bike lanes and sidewalks are planned to open sometime in the spring and a second lane opening in each direction.
“VDOT and Fairfax County have really partnered together to improve transportation in Tysons,” William Cuttler, a VDOT engineer, said in the video. “This $60 million project is going to go a long way to provide multimodal connections and helping to transform this city.”
Cuttler said the connection will aim to not only benefit drivers looking to cross over the Beltway, but also offer residents of western Tysons quicker access to the McLean Metro station at the east end of the bridge.
“Currently the Beltway operates as almost a barrier between the east side of Tysons and the west side,” Tom Biesiadny, director of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, said in the video, “so building additional connection across the Beltway is really important.”
Mike McGurk, from Transurban corporate relations, said the Jones Branch Connector would also help the accessibility of the I-495 Express Lanes.
The project is expected to be completed this fall.
Photo via VDOT
UrbanStems may be gone from the BrandBox pop-up, but those looking for a little more greenery around Tysons Corner Center can look forward to a new “indoor garden oasis” coming to the mall this weekend.
Mall owner Macerich Properties partnered with Bloomia, a cut flower farm, to create “Field of Tulips” — an indoor garden in the mall’s Fashion Court.
According to a press release:
Guests can wander the garden featuring a variety of tulips in different shapes and colors, all hydroponically grown in the USA. The flowers can be picked and purchased with 10 percent of proceeds benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the local charity handpicked by Tysons Corner.
The Field of Tulips garden is scheduled to be in place from March 22-24. The garden is free to enter and is open from 10 a.m.- 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. on Sunday, according to the press release.
Photo via Tysons Corner Center
In the middle of the hustle and bustle of the Tysons Corner Center mall, a space that offers a moment of calm has opened up.
On the first floor of the mall, “The Lounge” is a free respite from the noise and consumerism of the rest of the mall. Five chair swings are scattered across the room with boxes providing outlets for charging. The chairs are fairly secluded, offering privacy for work or a quick mid-day respite.
The lounge is part of Brandbox, a suite of rotating stores which opened in November.
The location is still working out some kinks, like spotty wi-fi and an occasionally glitchy TV. There was also no staff available at the location today and the reaction from most passersby was confusion, with several wandering into the back of the facility by accident.
In addition to the free relaxation, one Brandbox retailer is offering an experience this week that promises to be an alternative to the usual mall hubbub.
On Thursday (March 21), cosmetics store Winky Lux is scheduled to host a demonstration event. Admission costs $10, but attendees are given a $10 Winky Lux gift card and other goodies.
“We’ll be offering product demos from 5-7 p.m.,” the online-oriented retailer said on the event page. “Matcha themed refreshments from Kung Fu Tea and Lolli & Pops and goodie bags to the first 25 attendees!”
(Updated 9 a.m.) — Metro ridership may be in free fall overall, but at least in the Tysons area ridership is continuing to climb.
Three of the four stations in the Tysons area saw increased ridership in the last few months of 2018 as compared to the year before.
The McLean Metro station saw the largest increase in ridership, rising 18.6 percent over the last year. The station is located close to the Capital One headquarters, which opened late last year.
The Greensboro Metro station, meanwhile, saw an increase of 10.8 percent, while ridership at the Tysons Corner station increased 3.9 percent. The stats, compiled by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, compare ridership in October, November and December of 2018 with the same period in 2017.
The Wiehle-Reston East Metro station saw the highest overall ridership among Silver Line-only stations, with over 1 million rides during the three-month period. The station is the furthest point west on the Silver Line.
The only Tysons stop with a decline in ridership was the Spring Hill station, which declined 2.9 percent. There is very little in walkable proximity to the Spring Hill station, though plans are in the works for several new developments east of the site and a few to the west.
Stations on the Orange Line did not fare as well. While the West Falls Church Metro station saw a 4.1 percent increase in late 2018 as compared to late 2017, Dunn Loring and the Vienna Metro stations saw a 1.1 and 1.4 percent respective decrease in ridership.
Professor Frank Shafroth, director of the Center for State and Local Leadership at George Mason University, told Tysons Reporter earlier that the high Metro ridership in Tysons is likely a result of the area’s notorious traffic, though car remains the more popular for commutes than Metro.
Photo via Twitter
The Persian New Year is just around the corner on Thursday (March 21), which means that many Iranian-Americans will also soon celebrate the coming of spring.
For many locals who rely on Middle Eastern markets — specifically Persian markets — to supply them with groceries, baked goods and other assorted supplies, Vienna has several places to buy all of the necessities for parties and family gatherings around the Persian New Year.
These small bodega-like markets are important to the Persian community as they act like microcosms of classical Middle Eastern bazaars. Many of the customers that go to the stores are able to speak in Persian, Arabic and Turkish with one another and get ingredients not common in most grocery stores.
Here are three favorites among Iranian-Americans in the area:
Assal Market (112 Glyndon Street NE)
The first shop on the list is Assal Market. Assal Market is one of the oldest middle eastern grocery stores in the area, having first opened up in 1986. Customers can shop for various meats, nuts, fruits and other grocery essentials for festive dinners and other occasions. Most specifically, Assal offers a wide range of halal meats for kabobs, beef stews, and all sorts of Persian classical dishes.
Yas Bakery (137 Church Street NW)
Located in the heart of Vienna, Yas Bakery is owned by Maryam Tabrizi and has been around since 2003. Yas, which means “Jasmine” in Farsi, offers an impressive amount of many sweets, all of which are made fresh in house daily. Zoolbia bamieh — fried honey pastries — are a stable and customer favorite among the sweets offered.
Shiraz Market (8486 Tyco Road G)
Shiraz Market, owned by Mahnaz Hooshmand and located in the Tysons area, is the largest of the three markets and offers fresh produce, baked goods and a small in-house café with homestyle Persian food. Customers often come in to shop for their groceries and also get a lunch of koobideh kabob with saffron rice. The market also sells a variety of glassware, including Persian teacups, hookahs and other china for decorating and serving dishes.
These stores are not exclusive to Persians or other Middle Eastern shoppers, and many of the people that go to these stores come from all sorts of backgrounds. All the shop keepers emphasized just how glad they are that their stores not only provide essentials to Middle Eastern homes, but also introduce the entire community to their food and culture.
Whether or not you celebrate or know someone who is celebrating the Persian New Year, these stores all offer something new and exciting to all local residents.
A new development plan could bring new housing, hotel rooms, office space and retail to the area around the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons.
The plan, which calls for between 775 and 1,225 residential units, some 700,000 square feet of office space, and perhaps a 350-room hotel, would be located down the street from the proposed View at Tysons project, the Washington Business Journal reports.
More from WBJ:
There’s a new proposal for a 5.24-acre site just down the street, at the corner of Leesburg Pike and Spring Hill Road, that would bring an additional 2 million square feet to the Spring Hill Metro area. And this one features a 2-acre piazza.
“The Piazza at Tysons is more than just another high-quality redevelopment in Tysons, with a mix of uses that will permit people to live, work and play in Tysons,” per the application, submitted to Fairfax County by Michelle Rosati, a partner in Holland & Knight LLP’s Tysons’ office. “It is a vision for an inclusive, welcoming and aesthetically exquisite neighborhood where people will interact and thrive — where the pedestrian realm is at the center of the concept, both literally and philosophically.” [ …]
The Piazza at Tysons would replace Schmitz Exxon and a neighboring retail development currently home to a Starbucks, Tile Shop and Ethan Allen furniture store.
