Vienna’s Board of Architectural Review (BAR) decried plans for the Vienna Market project as rigid, plain and unbecoming for Maple Avenue.
At a work session on May 24, the BAR met with the developers of the project set to replace the Marco Polo building and other surrounding properties. The proposed project would add 44 condominiums and 8,200 square feet of retail space — along with a 32-space underground parking garage — to 245 W. Maple Avenue.
While the project’s architects discussed adding “rustification” and more brick to the building, BAR members expressed frustration with how bland the project appeared.
“My main concern here is the overall feel has gone [away] from all four sides offering something of interest and unique in the town,” Laine Hyde, the vice chair of the BAR, said. “I look at all four sides and I see flat. I’m not seeing the detail and mix of materials. I’m not seeing the variety of individual buildings; just sameness on all sides.”
Paul Layer, the chair of the BAR, said that earlier towers and variance to the rooftop gave the building some prestige on the Maple Avenue side.
“I think Maple Avenue deserves more than this building next door,” Layer said.
But the designers of the building noted that the project is trapped between ambitions from the BAR and a community that regularly rallies against projects that don’t fit with existing buildings on the street.
“We are trying to keep the building grand,” Bill Foliaco, a representative from Lessard Design, said. “It’s going to be large. But we wanted the storefront to feel like more than standard suburban town center. We want this to feel like it’s been here a while, not brand new. My concern is not financial, but in the current world we live in, I’m afraid it won’t come out the way we imagine it.”
The BAR concluded that another work session will need to be held at an unspecified date for it and the developer to continue working together to find something that will not only satisfy both parties but is likely to be approved by a Vienna Town Council with a new, decidedly anti-outsized development bent.
Image via Vienna Board of Architectural Review
Belong! — a new nonprofit dedicated to helping Vienna’s underserved populations — officially launched yesterday (Wednesday).
The ribbon-cutting for the group was held in the Vienna Presbyterian Church (124 Park Street NE), which was part of the founding of the organization but a press release noted that Belong! will operate as a separate entity.
The organization is dedicated to promoting “spiritual, physical, and economic well-being, efforts will initially be focused on the Vienna Park/Cunningham Park neighborhoods,” according to the press release for the opening.
The group was founded out of discussions among Vienna residents in late 2017. The press release noted that one of the first aims of the project will be securing new partnerships with Cunningham Park Elementary School and other local churches and nonprofits.
“We are excited to welcome Belong! to Vienna and applaud its vision of empowering our residents” Mayor Laurie DiRocco said in the press release. “Their plans for local outreach mirror our town’s core values, and we’re grateful for their partnership.”
Photo courtesy Jeff Cruz/Belong!
Vienna is looking for a police station befitting a town with calls like a man missing his lawnmower keys.
The town is currently in the process of reviewing designs for a new police station at 215 S. Center Street. At a May 20 work session, the Town Council reviewed designs and costs for the project.
Much of the discussion about the station involved trying to give the station a “warm” and approachable feeling — particularly with part of the project focusing on making a community space at the station.
Some of this meant a review of the types of materials used in construction, with developers favoring brick to more intimidating concrete for some of the fences and the plaza.
“It doesn’t have to be a fortress to feel safe,” a designer for the project said.
Other parts of the design process focused on the scaling of the building, which has been a contentious topic in Vienna with locals fearing new commercial projects overshadowing the town’s neighborhood feeling. Designers at the meeting said they were favoring a design that didn’t feel as “large or looming” as other options.
Lynne Coan, communications and marketing manager for the Town of Vienna, said in an email that final renderings are likely incoming over the next few months.
A cost estimate included in the work session also priced the proposed police station at roughly $14.2 million.
Image via Dewberry
A second Movers and Shakers Festival is in the works for Vienna, but will likely be one year later than originally planned.
The original Movers and Shakers festival in 2017 raised money for the “Taking Flight” statue honoring late Mayor Jane Seeman.
James Cudney, this year’s chairman for Movers and Shakers, said the nonprofit is hoping to shift the focus from a specific project to broader support for local artists. Cudney compared the festival to ViVa! Vienna! where proceeds go to the Rotary Club and are then given out as grants.
“The premise of Movers and Shakes is a juried art festival,” said Cudney. “The proceeds from that go to grants for arts projects within the greater Vienna area.”
If all goes according to plan, the festival with handmade art along with music, food and beer will be held in 2020.
Staff at a work session on May 20 said they supported the event, though there were concerns about potential funding challenges. As the project moves forward, staff said the proposal will face two levels of approval: approval of the event itself and approval of funding.
Town Council members also said at the work session they will want to check in with staff to make sure they wouldn’t be overworked by another festival so soon after Oktoberfest. Council members also noted that staff will need to check in with nearby property owners to ensure they are on board with the festival.
“We’ve requested to wrap everything up by November,” Cudney said. “They have a couple more things requested from us, and we’ll submit that by the end of the month, then it goes to another work session and to Town Council. We’re pretty close.”
Photo via Facebook
The Vienna Town Council will tackle a proposed outdoor music and art festival during its work session tonight (May 20).
Movers and Shakers for Vienna Arts, a nonprofit organization that promotes and supports the arts, wants to hold a two-day festival, which would double as a fundraiser, with juried art vendors, live music, food and beer in 2020.
Unlike the Town of Vienna’s two current outdoor festivals with craft vendors — ViVa! Vienna! and Oktoberfest — the proposed one would require items sold by vendors to be handmade.
“Vendors that make their own products cannot compete with prices of goods sold by vendors that sell buy/sell or imported items,” according to town documents. “The overall quality of items sold at an art show with no regulations is not as high as a festival that requires only hand-made items.”
The document also said that high-quality artists selling handmade crafts may refuse to participate in events that also allow the sale of imported items.
The proposed Movers and Shakers Music and Art Festival returns tonight to the Town Council after its organizers made adjustments based on previous comments from the Town Council.
While town staff said in the documents that limited funding and resources are concerns, they noted that the festival “could generate visitors to Town and additional spending at local businesses.”
The festival has support from the Parks and Recreation director, according to the documents.
A moratorium on new development applications for Maple Avenue that was scheduled to expire in June has been pushed to November.
The Vienna Town Council voted on Monday (May 13) to extend the temporary suspension of the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone to November 15.
The moratorium first went into effect last September to allow the town staff time to redesign the town’s guidelines.
Since then, the Planning Commission, the Board of Architectural Review and the Town Council have held individual and joint work sessions on draft design guidelines.
Additionally, the Town of Vienna also commissioned a Maple Avenue Corridor Multimodal Transportation and Land Use Study, which is expected to be received this summer and could be incorporated into the design guidelines.
Final design guidelines and amendments are anticipated to be done by September.
The Vienna Town Council adopted a $41.2 million budget yesterday (May 13) for fiscal year 2020, which represents a 6.5 percent increase over last year’s budget.
The new budget keeps the town’s real estate tax rate the same for the fifth consecutive year at 0.225 cents per $100 assessed value.
“While the tax rate is unchanged, most Vienna property owners will pay more in real estate taxes next year due to increases in assessed property values,” according to a press release from the town. “Real estate assessments increased 4 percent overall (4.9 percent for residential properties and 0.14 percent for commercial properties).”
The water and sewage rates will increase by about 10 percent — $64 — annually.
The Town of Vienna also expects new programming to bring in increased revenues from parks and recreation fees, more zoning fees from new developments, higher investment interest rates and more cellphone tower rentals, according to the press release.
The budget has funding for new initiatives, including an economic development manager position, several studies, a comprehensive zoning update and more tree maintenance funds.
Mayor Laurie DiRocco said in a press release that the economic development manager position “will help Vienna provide enhanced business-friendly services for existing businesses while also helping to bring to Town additional independent, locally owned businesses that will, collectively, help make Vienna a vibrant destination.”
The budget also provides the 189 employees of the town with a 3 percent merit raise.
FY 2020 begins July 1 and ends on June 30, 2020.
The Vienna Town Council delayed voting on the proposed redevelopment of 380 Maple Avenue after a resident questioned if the town had notified Fairfax County about the proposed rezoning — the town hadn’t.
Resident John Pott asked during the public hearing last night (May 13) if the town had notified the county about the proposed rezoning since the property is within half of a mile from the county line. Pott said that the notification has to happen before the Vienna Planning Commission hearing.
Turns out, the town had not notified the county yet, Town Manager Mercury Payton said, adding that “this was an oversight on the part of staff.”
“This has not been a practice,” Payton said. “It was not intentionally inaction based on staff to not notify the county.”
“I’m a little bit dismayed we didn’t follow the law,” Councilmember Howard Springsteen said, telling town staff that “ignorance is no excuse.”
In addition to the legal conundrum, Springsteen urged the developer and residents to work together — possibly using a mediator — to try to find middle ground on the contentious issues around the proposed project, such as safety, privacy and scale. “I would like to see if we could get a mutual, agreeable resolution to things,” he said.
The proposed project has received mixed reviews from residents.
While some people have said at previous public hearings that the mixed-use, four-floor building, which would include ground floor retail and more than three dozen multi-family residential condominium units, could revitalize the downtown area, others have argued that traffic, safety and scale issues plague the project.
Dennis Rice, the owner of J.D.A. Custom Homes, appeared frustrated when relaying to the Town Council some of the back and forth changes he’s made to make the development more desirable to nearby residents. But, he reiterated he is willing to keep working with neighbors on the project.
Mayor Laurie DiRocco told Rice to submit a written list of proffers. While proffers have been written down and spoken about at meetings, DiRocco said that Rice needs to provide the town with a comprehensive and clear list.
Town Attorney Steve Briglia advised the council to keep the public hearing open while getting in touch with the county. The Town Council voted to continue consideration of the project at the June 3 Town Council meeting and directed staff to send a notification of the proposed rezoning to the county.
Photo via Town of Vienna Planning and Zoning
Vienna residents elected three candidates concerned about the scale of new developments planned for Maple Avenue to the Town Council.
Yesterday’s election saw six candidates — two incumbents face off against four challengers — vie for three council seats.
According to a press release, the unofficial results of the election are:
- Nisha Patel: 1,523
- Howard Springsteen: 1,475
- Steve Potter: 1,470
- Julie Hays: 985
- Tara Bloch: 775
- Time Strike: 415
Incumbent Howard Springsteen has been a leading voice in opposition to new larger Maple Avenue developments, saying that the town’s commercial zones need managed growth with low-density residential zoning and modest, appropriate developments.
Local small business owner Nisha Patel has expressed concerns about the impact of high-density mixed-use developments on traffic and schools. Steve Potter is a founding member of the Vienna Citizens for Responsible Development, a group that has pushed for developments that preserve the “small-town character” on Maple Avenue.
Patel, Potter and Springsteen were all endorsed by the Vienna Citizens for Responsible Development.
Incumbent Tara Bloch, who had the second to the lowest number of votes, did not win reelection. Bloch touted the increased number of sidewalks and bike routes, as well as new commercial redevelopments, and she ran a campaign focused on pushing for a pedestrian-friendly business corridor.
Julie Hays, who ran a campaign focused on pedestrian and bicycle safety and protecting residential neighborhoods, and Tim Strike, who expressed opposition to the medium-high density developments and supported more public parking, also lost.
Vienna residents cast a total of 2,411 ballots, according to the press release.
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 (May 7)
- Town of Vienna Election — 6 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center (120 Cherry Street SE.) — There is a competitive race for the Town Council in Vienna, mainly focusing on the scale of new developments.
- “The Guest Book” Reading and Signing — 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Barnes & Nobles (7851 Tysons Corner Center) — Sarah Blake, author of the historical novel The Guest Book, will read from the book and sign copies at the Tysons Corner Center Barnes and Noble.
Thursday (May 9)
- Innovation Breakfast: The Opportunity in Opportunity Zones — 8-10:30 a.m. at Valo Park (7950 Jones Branch Drive) — The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is hosting a business breakfast looking at opportunity zones, tracts of land targeted by state and federal governments for economic development. The breakfast will look at where they exist and what can be accomplished with them. Registration is $40 and includes breakfast.
- Urban Forest Perfume Making Workshop — 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Brandbox Lounge (Tysons Corner Center) — For Mother’s Day, the Urban Forest Perfume Company is setting up a workshop looking at the art of plant-based perfumes. Participants will get a class in understanding synthetic versus plant ingredients, perfume notes and basic formulas. Light food and wine will also be served.
- Vienna Community Brainstorming on Public Parking in Commercial Corridor — 6-7 p.m. at the Town Hall Council Chambers (127 Center Street S.) — The Town Business Liaison Committee and Mayor Laurie DiRocco will host a community conversation about parking. This is an opportunity to gather further feedback from business owners and refine solutions proposed at the March 14 community meeting.
- The Civil War in Northern Virginia — 7:30-9 p.m. at the Patrick Henry Library (101 Maple Ave E.) — Historian William S. Connery, author of “Civil War Northern Virginia 1861” will host a discussion of notable events and battles throughout Northern Virginia after the firing on Fort Sumter.
Friday (May 10)
- Young Adult Dungeons and Dragons — 3:30-6 p.m. at the Patrick Henry Library (101 Maple Ave E.) — A group of players are putting together an all-experience levels Dungeons and Dragons group aimed at grades 7-12.
Saturday (May 11)
- All the Way Live — 1-2 p.m. at the Alen Theatre (1234 Ingleside Ave.) — The history-through-hip-hop children’s show is coming to the Alden Theatre in the McLean Community Center. Tickets range from $10-$15.
Sunday (May 12)
- Mother’s Day Brunch — 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Cheesetique Mosaic (2985 District Ave.) — Cheesetique in the Mosaic District is hosting a Mother’s Day event featuring a mimosa bucket, green eggs and ham, french toast, and lobster mac and cheese. The shop will also be open with special gifts for mothers. Reservations are encouraged.
- Mother’s Day Brunch — 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Inca Social (2670 Avenir Place) — Inca Social is hosting a Latin-style brunch on Sunday with cocktails and special brunch items. Children under 6 years old eat for free.
- Listen to Your Mother’s Jokes — 5-7 p.m. at Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike) — In a special comedy show, the Tysons Biergarten is hosting local standup comedians who are also mothers. Seating starts at 5 p.m. with the show starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10.
Photo via Facebook
