Starting next year, motorized scooters will be able to go up to 8 miles per hour in the Maple Avenue and Nutley Street corridors.
The General Assembly passed legislation earlier this year allowing localities to regulate motorized scooters and skateboards before Jan. 1.
The Vienna Town Council approved last night (Monday) a one-year pilot program for shared mobility devices, which include motorized scooters, ahead of the end-of-year deadline.
The devices will be able to go up to 8 mph on the Nutley Street and Maple Avenue corridors and in areas adjacent t0 schools, parks and recreation centers. On side streets, the devices will be able to go up to 20 mph.
Town staff said that it is anticipated that people will use the devices on the sidewalks on Nutley and Maple and in the road on the side streets.
Each operator will be required to pay a $5,000 fee to the town and be capped at 150 vehicles per the mode of transportation — motorized scooters or bikes — for each company.
Currently, the town has not capped the number of companies.
The Town of Vienna recently bought the property of the late former mayor — and may possibly turn it into a park.
The town was the winning bidder of the Nov. 22 auction hosted by McGuire Group, LLC for the property at 124 Courthouse Road SW for $1,438,500, including a 5% buyer’s fee, according to a press release from the town.
The property was once the home of former Mayor Charles Robinson and former Councilmember Maud Robinson.
“Both of the Robinsons had an outsized impact on the Town of Vienna and contributed an enormous amount of their time, energy, and heart to creating a more personally connected and livable community,” Mayor Laurie DiRocco said.
More from the press release:
Following discussion in a closed session earlier in November, Town Council authorized Town staff to bid on and purchase the property at a cost not to exceed a certain limit. Last night Town Council officially authorized the purchase.
The nearly three-quarters of an acre property includes a single-family house and outbuildings. The property was made available via auction by the executor of Maud Robinson’s will; Robinson passed away March 11 this year at the age of 96. Her husband served as Vienna’s mayor for 24 years, from 1976 until his death in 2000…
The Town tentatively plans to use the property as parkland, but additional uses will be considered as well.
“Maud Robinson was a champion of parks and conservation,” DiRocco said. “The town felt it appropriate to keep her and Charlie’s property ‘in the family’ and to utilize it for the benefit of the entire community.”
Image via Google Maps
Sunrise is eyeing the site of an approved mixed-use development after the Vienna Town Council killed plans for a Sunrise facility farther up Maple Avenue.
Now, Sunrise wants to open an assisted living facility at 380 Maple Avenue, according to a Nov. 1 submission to the town.
That spot is currently the site of a contentious, approved redevelopment, which would add a four-floor building with ground-floor retail and multi-family condominium units at 380 Maple Avenue.
From Families to Seniors
The Vienna Town Council approved the plans for 380 Maple Avenue in June. But after new councilmembers joined in July, the Vienna Town Council decided to hold a public hearing on possibly rescinding the rezoning application.
In September, Dennis Rice, the owner and developer behind the development at 380 Maple Avenue, told the Vienna Town Council that selling the project to an assisted living facility could address neighbors’ lingering concerns.
“I think the town needs an assisted living facility, and it’s a good location for it,” Rice told the council in September, adding that having the development house seniors instead of families would eliminate concerns about the number of new students going to local schools.
First Proposed Facility Faced Backlash
Sunrise’s original plans to bring a facility to the Maple Avenue and Center Street received a myriad of concerns from residents and councilmembers over parking, retail and the downtown location.
In June, outgoing Councilmember Tara Bloch put forward a motion to approve the project, which would have needed five “yes” votes to pass because of a protest petition, and the Town Council ended up rejecting the proposed 82-unit facility with a 3-4 vote.
A month later, Sunrise Senior Living decided to sue Vienna officials for $30 million, alleging that the Town Council’s rejection violated the Virginia Fair Housing Law by discriminating against seniors and people with disabilities and that the Town Council treated Sunrise differently from other developers seeking rezoning under the Maple Avenue Commercial Zone.
The Town of Vienna disputes the allegation that the council violated the Virginia Fair Housing Law, according to Town Attorney Steve Briglia.
Next Steps
Town officials will soon look over Sunrise’s new plans.
The Board of Architectural Review is scheduled to discuss the facility at its work session tomorrow (Friday) at 8 a.m.
Next Wednesday (Nov. 13), the Planning Commission’s work session is set to focus on a proposed proffer amendment and conditional use permit for Sunrise.
Image via Town of Vienna, map via Google Maps
The Vienna Town Council now has until the start of next summer to redesign the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone.
The moratorium was put in place last September to allow the town staff time to redesign the town’s guidelines. The moratorium has been extended several times and most recently was scheduled to expire later this November.
While one female resident spoke in favor of the extension during the public hearing last night (Monday), resident C. John Pott told the Town Council that he wants to see an outside consultant share how other places are handling commercial and residential challenges.
“I think it’s very important we get a consultant with national experience and knowledge,” he said, adding that the Town Council also should have a financial analysis regarding the ordinance and affordable housing guidelines included.
Last night, the Vienna Town Council voted unanimously to extend the moratorium to June 30.
Councilmember Douglas Noble said he does not want the Town Council to miss another deadline for revamping the guidelines.
“If we were a business, we would not be doing very well,” Noble said, adding that he wants to see the town update its code and commercial zones by next spring.
Some parts of the design plans for the Vienna Market project are heading back to the drawing table.
Back in the spring, Vienna’s Board of Architectural Review (BAR) called the proposed plans rigid, plain and unbecoming for Maple Avenue and continued working with the developer to tweak the plans.
The project plans to replace the Marco Polo building and other surrounding properties with 44 condominiums and 8,200 square feet of retail space — along with an underground parking garage — to 245 W. Maple Avenue.
The BAR approved the project in chunks, with the final approval on Sept. 19.
Appeal Attempt
Residents Charles and Laura Anderson sought to get the Board of Architectural Review’s approval of the rear architectural designs and plans for the Vienna Market appealed.
In a letter dated Oct. 1 to the town clerk, the Andersons claimed that the approved plans violate the Maple Avenue general design criteria and the Town Code, saying that the facades of the rear are not consistent with the front and side facades.
“As approved, the rear facades of four of the five townhouse rows along the proposed Vienna Market Lane consist almost entirely of siding material with no brick; whereas the front and side facades consist almost entirely of brick with no siding,” the Andersons wrote.
The Town Council considered the appeal at a meeting on Monday (Oct. 21).
“Since the structures won’t be coming out of the ground, I’m told, until November or December at the very earliest, there’s time to do this and get it right,” Charles Anderson said at the meeting.
Anderson’s concerns seemed to resonate with many residents and some of the councilmembers.
“I’m concerned that [if] I lived back there I would want to be looking at something halfway decent,” Councilmember Howard Springsteen said.
Public’s Input
The Vienna residents who testified during the public hearing about the project on Monday stressed that all of the sides of the buildings can be clearly seen.
“It’s seen from all sides,” one resident testified. “There is really not a back to this building in my opinion.”
Residents asked that the Church Street facade have the same attractiveness as the Pleasant Street and Maple Street facades.
“This is right across the street from the historic district,” another resident said. “We get one chance to get this right.”
Several residents, including the Andersons, said that town officials might be able to avoid future controversies if residents have more opportunities to provide input.
“The citizens of this town need to brought into these conversations in an earlier stage,” Charles Anderson said.
Motion to Move Forward
After the public hearing, Councilmember Pasha Majdi suggested a motion to reverse the BAR’s decision on Sept. 19 to approve Vienna Market. Repand to BAR
“I have no interest in cutting a deal tonight or making architectural designs,” Majdi said. “I think that’s a poor way to make decisions way outside my expertise.”
After Majdi presented his motion, the developer proposed a compromise that would wrap brick on the rear of two of the four rows of townhomes.
Nisha Patel said that she would like to see a compromise, but wants to see renderings of the proposal.
“I would be really cautious to undo the entire approval that happened at the Sept. 19 because there were a whole bunch of other things that were approved,” Councilmember Douglas Noble said.
Majdi then amended his motion to modify the BAR’s decisions Sept. 19 and Aug. 15 and to direct the BAR to consult with the Town Council before Town Council’s next scheduled meeting on the project.
When Noble proposed an amendment to Majdi’s motion to keep the modification specific to the four rear facades of the townhomes parallel to the Bank of America property and facing Market Square.
The Town Council approved both Noble’s amendment and Majdi’s motion.
“I do think we should move on this as quickly as possible,” Mayor Laurie DiRocco said.
Renderings via Town of Vienna
Vienna residents will have the opportunity to share their input on the Vienna Town Council possibly extending the moratorium on new development applications for Maple Avenue.
The Vienna Town Council requested Monday night (Sept. 16) that staff schedule a public hearing on Nov. 4 to discuss extending the suspension of the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) Zone from Nov. 15 to June 2020. The Planning Commission will also hold a public hearing.
The Town Council first put the moratorium in place last September to allow the town staff time to redesign the town’s guidelines. So far, the Vienna Town Council has approved four MAC projects and rejected one.
Councilmember Nisha Patel said that while she supports extending the moratorium, she would like to see the Town Council vote on new MAC guidelines before June. Mayor Laurie DiRocco said that town staff aims to have the plan go before the council by February.
(Updated at 11 a.m.) A moratorium on new development applications for Maple Avenue set to expire in November may get extended again.
The Vienna Town Council is set to request tonight (Sept. 16) that staff schedule a public hearing on Nov. 4 to discuss extending the suspension of the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) Zone to June 2020. The matter would also go to the town’s Planning Commission.
The Town Council first put the moratorium in place last September to allow the town staff time to redesign the town’s guidelines. The moratorium was set to expire in June, but the Town Council voted to extend it to Nov. 15.
So far, the Vienna Town Council has approved four MAC projects:
- a combination Chick-fil-A and Flagship Carwash Center at 540 W. Maple Avenue that has received public backlash
- townhouse-style condominiums with retail at the northeast corner of W. Maple Avenue and Pleasant Street NW
- a much-debated redevelopment that would add ground-floor retail and more than three dozen multi-family residential condominium units to 380 Maple Avenue
- a controversial redevelopment of 430, 440 and 444 W. Maple Avenue into a four-story mixed-use development
The Town Council has also killed a MAC project — a proposed Sunrise Senior Living Facility at the corner of Maple Avenue and Center Street. Sunrise is suing the Town Council for allegedly discriminating against seniors and people with disabilities.
The Town Council meeting tonight will start at 8 p.m.
The Vienna Town Council is set to tackle proposed zoning amendments, as the moratorium deadline nears for new Maple Avenue projects.
The moratorium is scheduled to expire in November. The Vienna Town Council voted May 13 to extend the temporary suspension of the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone to November 15 — more than a year after it first went into effect.
So far, the Vienna Town Council has approved four MAC projects:
- a combination Chick-fil-A and Flagship Carwash Center at 540 W. Maple Avenue that has received public backlash
- townhouse-style condominiums with retail at the northeast corner of W. Maple Avenue and Pleasant Street NW
- a much-debated redevelopment that would add ground-floor retail and more than three dozen multi-family residential condominium units to 380 Maple Avenue
- a controversial redevelopment of 430, 440 and 444 W. Maple Avenue into a four-story mixed-use development
The Town Council has also killed a MAC project — a proposed Sunrise Senior Living Facility at the corner of Maple Avenue and Center Street. Sunrise is suing the Town Council for allegedly discriminating against seniors and people with disabilities.
The work session is set to start at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Hall (127 S. Center Street).
In addition to the proposed zoning amendments, the Town Council is set to discuss alternative uses to the 380 Maple project tonight.
Final design guidelines and amendments are anticipated to be done this month.
Map via Town of Vienna
(Updated at 11:45 a.m.) The Vienna Town Council is considering raising its fee for bad checks.
While the proposed change would increase the fee from its current $20 to an amount up to $50, the town is currently planning to charge a fee of $25, a spokesperson for the town told Tysons Reporter.
The town’s current fee is on the lower end in comparison to nearby jurisdictions, according to the Town of Vienna:
- Fairfax Water: $20
- Fairfax City: $25
- City of Alexandria: $35
- Loudoun County: $40
- Arlington and Fairfax counties, Falls Church, Herndon and Leesburg: $50
- Prince William County: $50 for the first offense and $75 for the second offense within two weeks
The town’s Director of Finance Marion Serfass told the councilmembers at a meeting last Monday (Aug. 19) that a public hearing will need to be held about the proposed change because it affects taxes.
A public hearing on the proposal is set for Monday, Sept. 16.
“We don’t have a lot of bad checks,” Serfass said.
As the Town of Vienna awaits Fairfax County’s renovation of the Patrick Henry Library, the Town Council continues to drive forward a proposed public parking garage.
The Town Council is set to hear a presentation tonight (Monday) from Grimm and Parker about several ideas that could incorporate public parking in the project.
Opened in 1971, Patrick Henry Library (101 E. Maple Avenue) is set to be rebuilt as part of a $91 million bond referendum to upgrade the county’s aging libraries. Mayor Laurie DiRocco previously said that the library got moved up in the county’s renovation schedule from 2026 to 2022.
Ultimately, the town wants cost-effective public parking that will create a synergy between the library and the surrounding commercial area, according to a report from Grimm and Parker.
“Parking is critical to the success of the Patrick Henry Library. The current parking supply often does not meet the demand,” the report said. “Additionally, the Town of Vienna is experiencing a parking shortfall for the Maple Avenue Corridor.”
According to the report, the three designs concepts for the library and parking are:
- a stand-alone, two-story building with surface parking for 90 cars;
- a single-level library with an integrated parking garage with 125 spots for the library and 84 for the town;
- or a single-level library with an integrated parking garage with 125 spaces for the library and 188 for the town
Prior to the meeting, the Town Council will hold a work session about the final phase of the scope of work for the multimodal transportation study of the Maple Avenue Corridor that is being done by Kimley-Horn.
“Based on the future land use scenario results, Kimley-Horn will present potential multimodal transportation improvements for discussion with Town citizens in a workshop format,” according to the town’s website.
The final community workshop for the study will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m.
