After a slew of noise violations, Bey Lounge agreed with the Town of Vienna to no longer offer live music.
Rami El-Hasrouni, one of the co-owners of Bey Lounge, told the town’s Board of Zoning Appeals last night (Wednesday) that the lounge (303 Mill Street) would no longer need its live entertainment permit, which the board was considering revoking.
“We’re going to be a straight restaurant from now on,” El-Hasrouni told the board.
The issues for the lounge started several months ago when it received a number of noise complaints and then was found guilty of three noise violation cases in a General District Court.
El-Hasrouni told Tysons Reporter that the cost of paying for lawyers and the permit renewal “were way too much” for the lounge, which is known for its Lebanese cuisine and live music.
“Right now, we are in the process of changing the lounge in general just because once we don’t have live entertainment we are going to lose all our customers, so we are very in risk of losing our business right now,” he said.
The “new concept” under consideration could possibly add more seating and “putting more grocery inside the lounge,” he said, adding that a timeframe hasn’t been set yet.
“Hopefully, it works,” he said.
Photo via Google Maps
For the nearly 56,000 students in Fairfax County Public Schools living at the poverty line, obtaining school supplies can be difficult.
In an attempt to change this, FCPS is partnering with roughly 20 nonprofits and businesses to ensure that students will have the supplies they need this fall for its “Collect for Kids” campaign.
“Every school in FCPS is touched by need — some schools have as little as 1% of their students in need, while others have over 80% of students in need,” Kathy Ryan, an FCPS spokeswoman, said.
Community members can drop off new backpacks to various locations in the Tysons area, which FCPS will then hand out to kids for the start of the school year in August.
Backpack drop off locations include any Apple Federal Credit Union, the FCPS Gatehouse Administration Center (8115 Gatehouse Road), and a few other places. Some in the greater Tysons area include:
- Apple Federal Credit Union in Falls Church (1118 W. Broad Street)
- Freedom Bank in Vienna (502 W. Maple Avenue)
- Alya Salon (139 Park Street SE)
FCPS also has a goal to raise $25,000 dollars — monetary donations are accepted online.
“Increasing the awareness of the number of students in FCPS that need this yearly support is also a goal,” Ryan said.
Photo courtesy FCPS
Welcome to Luxury For Less, a weekly column highlighting the best deals in luxury real estate. Written by Brandy Schantz of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty, Luxury For Less offers tips and tricks navigating the competitive real estate market and securing the home of your dreams. To learn more, visit ttrsir.com.
We’re in the dog days of summer and the real estate market is busier than ever.
I’m currently experiencing the busiest July of my career and I’ve spoken with multiple agents who are facing similar schedules. Inventory is still low and buyers are out trying to find a home before the school year begins.
This week’s feature home is a great home in the Town of Vienna. The Town of Vienna has many luxury new build homes that are selling for top dollar and its becoming more and more difficult to buy a home in the town without a big budget. 401 East Street has a beautiful renovation and a great location just steps from the Westwood Country Club golf course and Foxstone Park.
All of this for under $1 million! This home is a great opportunity to get in the Town of Vienna and not break the bank.
401 East Street NE Vienna (Reduced $30,000)
Check out the rest of this week’s Luxury for Less listings:
- 7821 Falstaff Road McLean (Reduced $30,000)
- 1626 Hicks Drive Vienna (Reduced $200,000)
- 2003 Mayfair McLean Court Falls Church (Reduced $50,000)
- 1176 Old Tolson Mill Road McLean (Reduced $242,000)
- 6020 Woodland Terrace McLean (Reduced $104,999)
The properties listed are a small selection of properties available in the Tyson’s Corner area. For a full list of properties listed on MLS and private exclusives, please contact Brandy Schantz.
The Town of Vienna decided to keep working with the developer to tweak a contentious, mixed-use project along Maple Avenue.
In June, the Vienna Town Council approved the redevelopment, which would add a four-floor building with ground-floor retail and more than three dozen multi-family residential condominium units at 380 Maple Avenue.
Then in July, the Vienna Town Council decided to hold a public hearing on possibly rescinding the rezoning application after some councilmembers pointed to the town’s failure to notify the county about the project — along with other issues — as justification to revisit the project.
The joint public hearing last night (Monday) by the Town Council and the town’s Planning Commission started off with a tense conversation between councilmembers about whether a possible rescission would kick the application back to the Planning Commission or result in a repeal.
“We’re not here to kill the application,” Councilmember Pasha Majdi, one of the councilmembers who originally brought up possibly rescinding the project, said. “We’re here to rescind approval and send it back to the Planning Commission to fix some mistakes that have been made.”
Among the handful of “mistakes” brought up about the project during the hearing, several planning commissioners and councilmembers pointed to a debated road narrowing sparking safety concerns.
Planning Commissioner Stephen Kenney noted the council’s desire to keep Wade Hampton Road at 36 feet instead of the project’s approved reduction to 32 feet. “It seems to be a contentious point for at least some of the neighbors and [some councilmembers],” he said.
“If we can figure out a way to go forward if the developer or the town is OK with the 36 feet, I think we would be saving everybody a lot of time in the interest of working together,” Councilmember Nisha Patel said. “Can we just make this happen somehow legally?”
Councilmember Howard Springsteen said that keeping the road at 36 feet could create a “win-win.”
Ultimately, the Vienna Town Council voted to negotiate the project’s proffers with the developer until Aug. 5.
Photo via Town of Vienna Planning and Zoning
The Vienna Inn has plans to celebrate National Hot Day Day on Wednesday (July 17).
Neary 60 years old, the Vienna Inn (120 E. Maple Avenue) is known for its hot dogs.
“We have many customers that have been coming in since they were kids and now, they come in with their children and even grandchildren, it’s become a rite of passage,” Owner Marty Volk said in a press release.
The restaurant will serve up $1.99 hot dogs and $2.29 chili dogs, which normally cost between $2.20-$2.60, the press release said. Diners can get their hot dogs plain or with cheese, chili, mustard or onions.
National Hot Dog Day is an annual event during National Hot Dog Month in July.
“The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council created National Hot Dog Day. The day was established in 1991 to coincide with a hot dog lunch on Capitol Hill every year on a Wednesday in July,” according to National Calendar Day.
Photo 1 via Vienna Inn/Twitter, photo 2 courtesy Vienna Inn
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 (July 16)
- Weird Al Yankovic with National Symphony Orchestra — 8-11 p.m. at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Road) — Grammy-award winning parody artist Weird Al Yankovic will be performing at Wolf Trap with the National Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are $40 with roughly 100 remaining.
Wednesday (July 17)
- Pizza for Pets — 11 a.m.-10 p.m. at Ledo Pizza (141 Park Street SE) — All day in Vienna, 10 percent of the proceeds from any purchase at Ledo Pizza will go to supporting the nonprofit Frankie’s Friends and Hope Advanced Veterinary Center.
- Mars and Whisky — 6-9 p.m. at Inca Social (2670 Avenir Place) — The recently opened Inca Social in Merrifield is hosting a book talk with Ancient Aliens guest George Haas, who is the co-author of The Cydonia Codex: Reflections From Mars. The book talk will be followed by a Catoctin Creek Rye whiskey tasting and raffle.
- “Princess Mononoke” — 7 p.m. at Angelika Film Center (2911 District Avenue) — Angelika in the Mosaic District is hosting a screening of the 1997 Studio Ghibli classic “Princess Mononoke.” Tickets are $14.50. The Wednesday show is in Japanese with English subtitles, while the Thursday screening is the English dub.
Thursday (July 18)
- Virginia Tire and Auto Grand Opening — 5-7 p.m. at Virginia Tire and Auto (141 W. Maple Avenue) — The recently opened Virginia Tire and Auto is hosting a celebration featuring autographs from Washington Redskins player Ryan Kerrigan. Free food, drinks and activities will also be provided.
- Sheryl Crow at Wolf Trap — 8-11 p.m. at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Road) — “Soak Up the Sun” country-rock artist Sheryl Crow is performing at Wolf Trap. Tickets are $45 and the only ones left are on the lawn, so attendees are encouraged to get them quickly.
Friday (July 19)
- Silhouette Artist at Mosaic District — by appointment at Wee Chic (2905 District Avenue, Suite 120) — Childrens’ clothing boutique Wee Chic will have silhouette artist Keith Donaldson at the store to create hand-cut artwork. Appointments are required and kids of all ages are welcome. Two matted copies are $40 and additional copies of the same child are $10.
Sunday (July 21)
- Woman’s Flat Tire Repair Class — 9-11 a.m. at REI (8209 Watson Street) — REI is hosting a flat tire repair class specifically for female cyclists. The class is aimed at teaching women everything they need to know to change a tire and reduce the chances of a repeat flat. Attendees are invited to bring their own busted tire or work on one provided by REI.
Image via Amazon
Vienna police arrested a 29-year-old man who allegedly hit a boy at Foster’s Grille.
The incident occurred at noon on Sunday (July 7) at the restaurant’s Vienna location (138 W. Maple Avenue).
From the police report:
A citizen was in Foster’s Grill with her juvenile son. A man was seated at the bar, randomly yelling and making the other customers uncomfortable. At one point, the man got up, went behind the juvenile, and struck him on the back. The man then left the restaurant.
Officers located the man in the area and found him to be incoherent. The man became irate with the officers, and it was determined that he may be a danger to himself or others.
Police arrested the man, who is a resident of Cornflower Court in Vienna, on an Emergency Custody Order and took him to a nearby medical facility for an evaluation.
Police told the mom about the warrant process if she wants to pursue charges against the man for misdemeanor assault on her son.
Around 12:40 p.m. while police were investigating the alleged assault, a different man came up to the boy and asked about the police activity, according to the report.
“The man was advised by officers to continue on his way,” police said, adding that the man walked through the middle of the investigation. “At one point, the man approached the juvenile and made a statement that concerned the juvenile.”
Police said that the man eventually left the area.
In a separate incident, Vienna police are looking for the man who allegedly exposed himself in Patrick Henry Library last month.
The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. on June 27. Police said a woman reported that “she was in the library when an unknown man exposed himself in front of her.”
The man then left the library (101 E. Maple Avenue), and police were not able to find him, according to the police report.
Photo via Facebook
Bey Lounge is at risk of losing its live-entertainment permit after a slew of noise complaints got the restaurant and bar in trouble with the Town of Vienna.
The town’s Board of Zoning Appeals is set to hold a public hearing next Wednesday, July 17, on potentially revoking the Bey Lounge’s live entertainment permit.
Located at 303 Mill Street, Bey Lounge offers Lebanese cuisine, hookahs and live music. Over the last several months, the lounge received a number of noise complaints.
Town Attorney Steve Briglia told the Town Council on Monday, July 1, that a General District Court had found Bey Lounge guilty of three noise violation cases, ordering the hookah bar to pay $1,500. Briglia said that the cases won’t be appealed to the Circuit Court.
Zoning Administrator Frank Simeck filed an application to revoke the hookah bar’s live entertainment permit, prompting the public hearing next week, which starts at 8 p.m.
Photo via Google Maps
CubeSmart is looking to bring another self-storage facility to the Town of Vienna.
The town’s Board of Architectural Review will review the application during its work session tomorrow (Friday) morning.
According to town documents, the proposed four-story facility would occupy 125,000 square feet at 223 Mill Street NE — near a current facility at 300 Mill Street NE.
Elsewhere around the area, CubeSmart is located in Tysons (1764 Old Meadow Lane), Falls Church (6875 Lee Hwy) and Merrifield (2950 Gallows Road).
Image via Town of Vienna
Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park may soon get a makeover with new lighting, landscaping and better access.
In a unanimous vote on last Monday (July 1), Vienna Town Council members decided to proceed with a grant application for Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park updates.
The 45-mile-long park is popular with runners and cyclists. Rooted in history, the park follows the old path of the railroad which closed in 1962.
Director of Parks and Recreation for the town Leslie Herman presented a proposal to the council before the vote.
Herman brought forth safety concerns over four main crosswalks and lack of suitable light in the evenings. She also introduced an idea to remove invasive foliage in the area and replace them with native plants.
Though Herman was not sure if improvements would increase the use of the trail, she said updates would improve safety for community members who regularly use the path.
A few of the councilmembers expressed concerns over potential problems with light pollution disrupting neighborhoods along the trails. In response, Herman and the councilmembers bounced around ideas of dimmable LED lighting and motion censored lights.
“Ambiance is extremely important, especially when we are talking about a trail that people seek out because it has a natural feel to it,” said Councilmember Pasha Majdi.
The first section of the trail to be updated would start at the community center and move toward Ayr Hill.
The Recreational Trails Program Grant is modeled after an 80/20 matching reimbursement program. The Parks Department plans to match the required 20% through the Capital Improvement Plan.
Though the maximum amount of money given to a singular grant is $500,000, Herman suggested the town could reapply in order to complete other sections if needed. The next step in the application process is to get a final estimate of costs.
Photo via Wikipedia, map via NOVA Parks
