Metro riders now have tentative dates for when they can expect four stations along the Orange and Silver lines to close in Northern Virginia next year.

“While full-service information will be announced in March, Metro is advising customers today that three stations will be closed between Memorial Day and Labor Day 2020” — the Vienna, Dunn Loring and East Falls Church stations, Metro said in an announcement yesterday.

The work will include rebuilding the platforms.

Meanwhile, the West Falls Church station will stay open, becoming the “western terminus of the Orange Line during the summer months,” Metro said, adding that riders can expect trains to run less frequently from the station.

Over at the East Falls Church Station, trains will still pass through the station even though it will be closed to riders.

A few of the painted wooden benches auctioned off are set to return to spots around Vienna for community use.

Earlier this year, the Vienna Arts Society showcased the benches painted by artists around the town to celebrate the group’s 50th anniversary.

The auction on Nov. 2 sold the benches for roughly $50,000. Of the 41 sold, eight of them will find permanent homes around prominent public areas including the Patrick Henry Library and the Vienna Community Center, according to Vienna’s newsletter.

At the auction, Mayor Laurie DiRocco and her husband purchased “Church Street, Vienna VA USA” and plan to place it at the Freeman Store and Museum, the newsletter said. DiRocco was one of seven buyers who donated benches.

Sylvia Spengler, a community member, also donated two benches, the newsletter added.

“We’re so grateful to the Vienna Arts Society for sharing its cumulative talent with the community and we’re thrilled that several of the benches will remain in the public domain,” Leslie Herman, the director of parks and recreation, said.

Other benches which can soon be found around town include:

• “Sit” and “Play Time” at the Vienna Dog Park
• “Creative Kids” at Cunningham Elementary School
• “Pleasures of Vienna” at the Town Green, near the fountain
• “The Kaleidoscope Cats” at the Vienna Community Center
• “Unlock the Cosmos” at the Patrick Henry Library

Image via Town of Vienna

After dozens of meetings on proposed changes to the zoning ordinance, a Vienna Town official proposed a solution to speed up the process.

Earlier this year, the Vienna Town Council extended the moratorium on the MAC zone to June 30 — after pushing the deadline several times.

Councilmember Steve Potter called the work on updating the zoning ordinance a “log jam” and brought forward a motion for a comprehensive reorganization and update of Subdivision and Zoning Ordinances, Chapters 17 and 18 of Town Code, by using a consulting firm.

“It is time for a process check,” Potter told the Town Council last night.

“There have been approximately 75 Town Council and Planning Commission meetings and work sessions plus six MAC ad hoc committee meetings and two community workshops on proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance since 2016,” he said.

Potter’s motion:

I move to direct planning and zoning staff to expand the scope of the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone and other proposed commercial zone amendments, as directed by Council to date, to include: request for proposal preparation for the comprehensive reorganization and update of Chapters 17 and 18 of the Town Code; consultant interviews and selection recommendations for consulting firms with national and Virginia experience; and determination of a realistic moratorium period for the MAC zone based upon the scope of work identified.

All pertinent work accomplished to date by staff, committees, commissions, boards, and Council, as well as relevant results from public comments, surveys, and workshops shall be retained and shared with the winning consulting firm for use in development of the aforementioned reorganization and update.

“I think this gives us a chance to kind of fix things correctly,” Councilmember Howard Springsteen said.

Potter’s motion aims to make the regulations organized and easy to understand by using plain language, charts, tables and illustrations, along with consistent with the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.

“The project is funded, up to $240,000, through the FY 2019-2020 budget from currently allocated funds and prior reserves,” according to town documents.

The Vienna Town Council approved the motion, which Councilmember Linda Colbert called “a great way to end 2019 and a good way to start 2020.”

Image via Town of Vienna

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     

Vienna’s Planning Commission is set to hold a public hearing this week on Sunrise Senior Living’s new proposed spot in the town.

After the Vienna Town Council killed plans for a Sunrise facility farther up Maple Avenue, Sunrise now wants to move to an approved mixed-use development at 380 Maple Avenue.

The 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.

The hearing is set to start at 8 p.m. on Wednesday (Dec. 11) at Town Hall (127 Center Street).

Former Manager of Tysons Corner Center Dies — “The mall’s former general manager worked there for only seven years in two different stints. But during the first of those, he oversaw an expansion and renovation that made Tysons Corner Center one of the largest and most successful malls in the country. Charles R. Cope, a native of Indianapolis, died Nov. 20 from complications related to a liver transplant. He was 71.” [Washington Business Journal]

New Head of McLean Elementary School — “Cherith Pierson, who currently serves as assistant principal at Cooper Middle, has been selected as the new principal of Churchill Road Elementary, effective January 2, 2020.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Vienna Fire Chief Celebrated — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recognized our very own Chief John Morrison for being named the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ 2019 Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year. [Vienna Volunteer Fire Department/Twitter]

History Behind Pleasant Grove Church — “For more than seven decades, the little white church on Lewinsville Road was a hub for the African-American community, hosting Sunday services, picnics, weddings–and funerals, like the one held for Joan Lewis’s father in 1949.” [Arlington Magazine]

Part of Tysons Highway May Become Park — The inside of the Chain Bridge Road (Route 123) and Leesburg Pike (Route 7) interchange could become a park. [Greater Greater Washington]

Future of Freddie Mac’s Tysons Space — “A joint-venture between Northridge Capital and KAMCO Investment Co. has acquired 1550 Westbranch Drive, a 151,949-square-foot office building in Tysons, Va., for $80.5 million… Freddie Mac signed a full-building lease in May, and is in the process of building out the space and moving in.” [Commercial Observer]

Layoffs Coming to Closing Clothing Store — “Lord & Taylor stores at Tysons Corner Center and Dulles Town Center will lay off 117 and 79 employees, respectively, according to Work Adjustment and Retraining Notifications filed with the Virginia Employment Commission.” [Washington Business Journal]

New Local Charging Station for Electric Cars — EVgo recently opened a new charging facility in Tysons. [NVRC/Twitter]

Polling Center Moved — “On Dec. 3, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved moving the polling place at the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church to the Lewinsville Senior Center at 1613 Great Falls Street, McLean.” [Fairfax County]

Dozens of students and adults joined a climate strike today in the Town of Vienna as part of an international effort.

Protesters, elected officials, local groups — including 350 Fairfax and Mothers Out Front Fairfax — and community members gathered outside at the Vienna Town Green (144 E. Maple Avenue) from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

“WAKE THE HELL UP,” said one sign with a drawing of the earth on fire.

“‘Once we begin to act, hope is everywhere’ – Greta Thunberg,” another sign said with the message of the Swedish environmental activist who has sparked climate change activism among young adults and kids.

The strike in Vienna was a part of a larger effort organized by the Sunrise Movement, along with the help of youth coalition groups, ahead of the UN’s annual climate conference.

The student strike in Vienna is being organized by Katie M., a high school climate activist.

Katie told Tysons Reporter that she grew up in a family of climate activists. After becoming interested in climate change as a sophomore, she started planning strikes and events in D.C.

She said she decided to organize the strike in Vienna, because “D.C. already has a strong climate movement.”

Katie said that she was “really excited about the turnout” today and is hoping to plan another strike for Earth Day.

At the strike, protesters urged people to write a postcard to the Fairfax County School Board. The students and adult allies are pushing for a Green New Deal for FCPS that would switch all of the schools to net-zero carbon emissions by installing solar panels and energy-efficient windows. The plan would also continue the push for electric school buses in the county.

“I just want to make sure [my kids] have a liveable planet to live in,” Tiziana Bottino, a community organizer for Mothers Out Front, told Tysons Reporter about why she joined the strike.

While Bottino said that she’s impressed by the recent youth activism, she said the students shouldn’t have to be the ones calling for climate action.

“They should be worried prom,” Bottino said.

A fire that broke out in a commercial building in the Town of Vienna earlier this week resulted in thousands of dollars of damage.

Firefighters responded to the fire around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Dec. 4) in the 500 block of Mill Street NE, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue.

More from the fire department:

Units arrived on scene of a one-story commercial building and reported fire visible from within the structure. Crews quickly extinguished the fire. No firefighter or civilian injuries were reported.

An occupant of the business next door could smell smoke. The occupant saw smoke coming from the roll-up bay door at the front of the business and called 9-1-1. No occupants were present in the business when the fire occurred. No smoke alarms were present.

Fire investigators determined that the fire started by accident inside the front door of the retail sales area after “an electrical event in a hot/cold water cooler.”

The fire did not displace anyone and caused damages worth approximately $11,000, according to the fire department.

Images via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue 

An employee at Giant (359 Maple Avenue) said a child concealed four bags of candy and left without paying for them, according to Vienna police.

The incident happened around 6 p.m. on Monday (Dec. 2).

“The employee notified the police after the juvenile’s parents refused to come to the store to pick up their child,” according to the police report. “An officer responded, counseled the juvenile and arranged for the mother to respond to the store and pick up the juvenile.”

Police said that the store management did not want to pursue charges.

Photo via Facebook

Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors approved funding to help the Town of Vienna find economic development solutions.

The Town of Vienna approached the county earlier this year about splitting the cost of an economic development strategy and market study totaling $100,000.

The town set aside its $50,000 half when it approved its fiscal year 2020 budget.

Recently, the town has taken steps recently to work towards boosting its economic development and address vacancies plaguing Maple Avenue.

The town created its first-ever economic development manager position in the summer and hired a business development manager in Arlington County for the role in November.

The town had a 15% vacancy rate with 138 vacant spaces — 68 of which are on Maple Avenue, Scott Sizer from the Department of Economic Initiatives told the Board of Supervisors during a Budget Committee in September.

The new strategy and study — which could take up to a year to complete — are meant to revitalize Maple Avenue, find more efficient use of resources to address the vacancies, discover how to aid business recruitment and create place-making strategies, Sizer said.

“The proposed project is an opportunity to support [the] revitalization of the Town’s Maple Avenue corridor and improve property tax revenues for the county and town,” according to county documents, noting that the new economic development manager will oversee the studies and implement the recommendations.

The board approved the $50,000 yesterday (Tuesday). The funds are coming from the Economic Opportunity Reserve.