Church Street is currently closed in Vienna for emergency tree work, the town announced on social media.
The town announced this morning that Church Street between Glyndon Street and Beulah Road will be closed today (Tuesday) for up to three hours starting at 9 a.m.
The town also said that “several other tree and maintenance projects will impact travel this week,” including:
- Removal and replanting of trees in the Nutley Street median tomorrow will temporarily close the southbound lane closest to the median
- Mulch spreading in flower beds will close a lane on Maple Avenue from 6-10 p.m. tomorrow
- Tree removal will close westbound lanes on Maple Avenue between Follin Lane NE and East Street NE from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday
Town Arborist Gary Lawrence said that the work on Nutley Street tomorrow will include the removal of 11 “dead or severely decayed” trees between Marshall Road and Maple Avenue.
The work is expected to take three days ahead of replanting on March 9, which will take approximately four business days.
“The trees being removed are lindens and one Bradford pear,” the arborist said. “The species being replanted include willow oaks, lacebark elm, and pistache. These trees have proven to be highly tolerant of environmental conditions similar to those along Nutley Street.”
As for the work tree removal on Maple Avenue on Friday, the town plans to take out a black locust tree that has “an extensive crack at its base, which has compromised its structural integrity,” according to the Facebook post.
Map via Google Maps
Two school buses were recently vandalized at the Vienna Elementary School, police said.
According to the police report, the buses were in the school’s parking lot when someone vandalized them.
One bus had a broken window and honey mustard packets thrown at it, Juan Vazquez, a spokesperson for the Vienna Police Department, told Tysons Reporter.
The incident occurred sometime between 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 and 6:20 a.m. on Feb. 24.
Vazquez said that the damage is roughly $375 and that the case is inactive.
Image via Google Maps
People craving a sweet treat in Vienna will have the option to pick up a snack at the upcoming location for Crumbl Cookies.
Though the chain hasn’t released details about when it will open or its exact location, a spokesperson confirmed that details will be available on social media within the coming months.
Currently, Crumbl Cookies has 69 locations across the country where people can enjoy a weekly rotating menu consisting of six different cookies, according to the company’s website, which added that the company also offers delivery and catering services. No locations are currently listed for Virginia.
Crumbl Cookies is currently hiring a manager for the Vienna location. The job posting can be found on Indeed.
Photo via Crumbl Cookie/Facebook
In the spring, Vienna and Herndon want locals to take part in a biking and walking event featuring raffle tickets for prizes.
“Caboose to Caboose,” which will take place early May, aims to encourage people to shop, dine and explore their town and the other one. The towns want people to go from caboose to caboose — Vienna’s is at 234 Dominion Road, while Herndon’s is at 777 Lynn Street.
The total roundtrip distance is 16.6 miles, and people who don’t want to make the whole trip can stop halfway if they want, the flyer says.
Google estimates that the bike ride one-way takes 50 minutes, while walking would take roughly three hours on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail.
The towns’ parks and recreation departments came up with the idea during a meeting in October, Amy-Jo Hendrix, who works in Vienna’s parks and recreation department, told Tysons Reporter.
Participating restaurants and businesses in both towns will give out raffle tickets during the event. Brandy Wyatt, another employee in Vienna’s parks and recreation department, said that all of the raffle tickets will be mixed together.
“There are a variety of things that are on the raffle,” Wyatt said, adding that people can expect the prizes to include store gift cards and sports tickets.
The first 200 registered participants will receive a t-shirt representing their town — blue for Vienna and red for Herndon, according to the website. The town that gets the most people to register for the event will win the “Mayors Cup.”
“I want to win!” Mayor Laurie DiRocco enthusiastically told attendees at the Vienna Business Association’s event last week.
Admission is $10 for people ages 15 or under and $18 for people ages 16 and older. People interested in participating can contact Vienna’s parks and recreation department at 703-255-6360.
The event will take place rain or shine on Saturday, May 2, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Photo via Lisa Emrich/Facebook
The 1960s are making a comeback at Historic Vienna’s upcoming time-traveling exhibit.
People can check out the exhibit starting Sunday (March 1). Historic Vienna is set to host a grand opening celebration a week later, on March 8 from 2-4 p.m., according to the website.
The exhibit will be located at the Freeman Store & Museum (131 Church Street NE) and will include a U-2 pilot suit worn by Lt. Col. Sam Crouse, vintage toys and movie posters from films such as “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Rosemary’s Baby,” the event page said.
More serious topics such as segregation, the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement will also be addressed at the museum, according to the website.
“HVI encourages visitors to add a personal — and local — touch to the exhibit by sharing their story,” the webpage said, adding that people will be able to post on a message board about their own experiences surrounding the decade.
Typically, the Freeman Store & Museum is open from noon to 4 pm Wednesday through Sunday.
Photo via Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
A new British pub with live music is no longer eyeing a spot in the building that also houses Amphora Bakery in Vienna.
Tom Kyllo, the applicant for the project, told the town’s Planning Commission at the meeting yesterday (Wednesday) that plans to bring the Hawk & Griffin Pub to 405-409 Maple Avenue W. have been withdrawn.
Kyllo said that issues with signage rules and the site’s subdivision prompted the withdrawal.
“This site is one of those difficult sites in Vienna,” Kyllo said, adding that the subdivision means that there is one site plan for two sites. Since it is a shared site, Kyllo said that the pub would share a dumpster with the other businesses there, but would not have shared parking.
“Because we are on a side street, we can’t have a sign on Lewis Street,” Kyllo said. “And because don’t own the property, we can’t have the sign on Maple [Avenue].”
Kyllo told the Planning Commission that he is looking to bring “the authentic British public house atmosphere” with live acoustic music to another spot in the town.
Image via Town of Vienna
Today (Feb. 27) is National Chili Day, and the Vienna Inn has several reasons to celebrate.
The locally owned business, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, opened at 6:30 a.m. this morning and will serve chili and chili dogs all day long — including for breakfast, according to Nancy Green, the eatery’s spokesperson.
For people over the age of 21 who want to enjoy a beer, the eatery will also have deals on all domestic bottles until 9 p.m., Green said.
Though it is unclear when National Chili Day began, chili originated as a Spanish dish served with meat and has been the state food of Texas since 1977. Sausages are one of the world’s oldest processed foods, according to Newsweek, and can be traced back to the 9th century B.C.
The event today is the latest of several celebrations in February where the Vienna Inn invited people to support the local business and socialize with other community members.
As always, the eatery will also be serving a variety of other chili-based foods, such as chili macs, chili bowls and chili cheese fries.
Updated 2/26/2020 — Corrects D’Orazio’s title.
After months of deliberation, the Vienna Town Council still has not decided on a course of action for the parking situation for the upcoming redesign of the Patrick Henry Library.
At the council’s meeting last night (Feb. 24), Mayor Laurie DiRocco lead a conversation regarding a potential timeline for the project and deliberated cost and design options along with the fellow council members.
The parking will serve not only as parking for the library (101 E. Maple Ave) but also for nearby businesses in the town as well.
The parking was the main topic of debate. Currently, there are two options that the council can pursue, according to Michael D’Orazio, Vienna’s deputy director of planning and zoning. One option would include 84 spaces with two levels of parking above the ground-level library, while the option would have 188 spaces and three levels of parking.
Regardless of the option chosen, the town will be responsible for paying either 35% or up to a maximum of $1 million for the design phase, according to a presentation given at the meeting– meaning the town will be getting a better deal.
For the two-story option, the town will have to pay the smaller amount of either 25% or $4.5 million For the three-story option, the town will need to pay either 40% or $9 million.
Working on the current timeframe, the design phase of the project is expected to be completed by March 2022, according to the meeting presentation.
If the Town Council decides to back out of the project at this time, they would only receive a 50% rebate on design costs from Fairfax County, according to D’Orazio. If the town were to back out in Sept. 2021, it would receive an 85% reimbursement.
“That seems higher than I was told on this several years ago,” Councilmember Howard Springsteen said at the meeting, expressing concern over the financial burden on the town.
To help pay for the costs, the mayor said that the town will be applying for grants to help supplement the budget.
To save money, Fairfax County also agreed to waive permit fees for the project, which will save roughly $400,000-$700,000 for the town, according to DiRocco, who said she wants to save the money for a “cushion.”
Going forward, town councilmembers said that they will continue discussions on the best course of action for the parking situation in the town.
Image courtesy Town of Vienna
A Mexican restaurant plans to debut in the Vienna area this week.
El Sol plans to open at 262 Cedar Lane SE, Suite C in the Cedar Park Shopping Center on Thursday (Feb. 27), according to a press release.
Restauranteurs Alfredo and Jessica Solis, brother and sister, are behind El Sol, which currently has a D.C. spot, along with Mezcalero and Anafre, which are also in D.C.
Jessica will lead the kitchen, while Alfredo will manage Mezcalero and Anafre, according to the press release.
“We just set out to cook the food we grew up eating and now we have four restaurants. It’s incredible,” Jessica said in the press release.
Diners can expect traditional Mexican foods like street tacos, carne asada, gorditas and other items.
The menu includes a dish where a mixture of cheeses prepared atop the grill in a large plant leaf and another one with a bowl of oysters, shrimp, fish, octopus, avocado and spicy tomato.
More from the press release:
El Sol is an anchor tenant for the plaza which is currently undergoing redevelopment,” the press release said. “This is also the Solis’s largest restaurant at 80 seats and 3900 square feet…
The Vienna shop is a family-friendly full-service establishment that also offers weekend brunch, just like the D.C. location. A full bar highlighting mezcal and tequila is also be available.
Unlike El Sol D.C. and the other Solis restaurants, the Vienna restaurant has a private dining space that can accommodate up to 20 guests.
The restaurant plans to open at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
Photo via El Sol/Facebook
Welcome back from the long weekend! Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:
McLean Rep Lauds Environmental, Housing Efforts —“Buoyed by his party’s sweeping victories locally and statewide last fall and the infusion of new blood on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Supervisor John Foust (D) was upbeat about a host of initiatives Feb. 20 during his annual “State of McLean” speech to the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce.” [Inside NoVa]
Falls Church Officials Face $1.207 Million City Hall Overrun — “City Manager Wyatt Shields said the cost can be absorbed by the surplus the City built up in the current fiscal year by delaying a first payment on the bond for the new high school and otherwise favorable (low interest rate) economic conditions.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Woes About Broad-Washington Project — “Public access to the parking lot, a surface lot sitting directly behind Thompson Italian, Clare and Don’s and adjacent the State Theatre, is considered by those businesses among their most critical assets for attracting the customers they need to succeed.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Vienna Business Leaders Talk Advocacy — “Vienna’s business owners galvanized and spoke out last July when the Council briefly flirted with rescinding an approved mixed-use rezoning at 374-380 Maple Ave., W. Business people who spoke at the six-hour-long meeting that began July 15 offered a perspective that wasn’t being heard, said Bollettino, adding it was fortunate the Council did not move forward with the proposal.” [Inside NoVa]
