If you’ve driven east out of Vienna along Maple Avenue, you’ve probably passed a new subdivision under construction at the intersection with Follin Lane.
Six lots are under development for the spot located around a small cul-de-sac off Mashie Drive.
The project attracted some criticisms from Vienna officials when seven lots were originally being considered for the lot with direct access from Maple Avenue.
While the houses could have been developed by-right, without extensive town approval, the developer changed the layout of the properties to reflect the feedback.
The new designs also show a tree barrier between Maple Avenue and three of the adjacent lots. A new bus shelter is also planned to be built at the site as part of the agreement.
An Annandale man is facing a litany of charges, including sexual assault, in connection with a weekend incident at the Wolf Trap Hotel in Vienna.
Police were called to the hotel at 430 Maple Avenue W. early this past Sunday morning “for a report of a sexual assault” in one of the hotel rooms.
More from this week’s Vienna police department crime report:
The officers found the room in disarray with furniture overturned and damage throughout the room. A woman advised the officers that an acquaintance picked her and her sister up from their home and transported them to the hotel where they used drugs, and she fell asleep. She woke up to find her sister had left the room and the acquaintance was angry, stating his money was missing. The acquaintance began destroying property throughout the room, assaulted the woman and prevented her from leaving. The assault was interrupted when an unknown person came to the room to investigate the noise.
MPO Shaw arrested the 29-year-old man from Guinea Road in Annandale, Virginia. He was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he was charged with Sexual Assault, Abduction, Simple Assault and Possession of Marijuana.
The aging hotel is set to be redeveloped into a four-story, mixed-use residential building, though the Vienna Town Council’s approval of that development was controversial due to resident opposition.
Photo via Facebook
(Updated 11:30 a.m.) The busy intersection of Idylwood Road and Cedar Lane is about to get a little less scary.
A new traffic light is under construction at the intersection. A manager at the construction site said the concrete base was poured yesterday (Wednesday) and will be putting up the pole once the concrete sets. The manager said he expects construction to be finished sometime within the month.
In the meantime, the sidewalk on the southeast side of Cedar Lane is closed and there are periodic lane closures, reducing traffic along the busy street to one lane.
Neighbors stood at the street corner and watched the construction. One woman who lived nearby said the street is often backed up during rush hour.
“It’s a difficult intersection,” she said. “It’s a bad angle. It can be hard to see around.”
The woman said that construction crews had been in the area in late 2018 installing equipment in the area for the new light. She said while most of the neighbors were happy and excited for the new light, some were concerned that, when combined with the other light north, it could make traffic in the area even worse.
After years of petitioning and planning, it looks like Wolftrap Elementary will finally be getting some long-requested sidewalk upgrades.
The school was included on a list of transportation alternatives project submissions from the county to receive state grants. The Wolftrap Elementary School Crosswalk Improvement Project was awarded a $200,000 grant, with a local cash match of $50,000 approved at yesterday’s (Tuesday) Board of Supervisors meeting.
According to the staff report:
The extreme width of the roadway encourages illegal passing of vehicles stopped for children in the crosswalk, whether manned by the School Crossing Guard or not. The project consists of 7-foot to 15-foot bump outs and an 8-foot median refuge for the crosswalk (including evaluation for potential pedestrian beacon device), and creation of a channelized southbound right turn lane, on-road bike lanes, and transitional median striping as road diet treatments.
Wolftrap Elementary is at the heart of the residential network between Vienna and its namesake Wolf Trap National Park to the north, but despite this prime location for walkability, the school can be a challenge.
There is currently only one crosswalk to the school across the busy Beulah Road and only one narrow, cracked sidewalk. The other side of the road drops off into a ditch or undergrowth.
According to the school’s Parent-Teacher Association website, traffic on Beulah Road has increased over the last few years as GPS applications have increasingly directed drivers onto the once-quiet street into a shortcut from the Dulles Toll Road to Route 123 as part of an unofficial mini-beltway around Tysons. As county staff stated in their report, the PTA website indicates local parents witnessed the same issue.
“It is safest to cross if our crossing guard is present, but unsafe before and after her approximately 15-20 minute shift in the mornings and afternoons,” the PTA said. “Some drivers even ignore her, driving through the crosswalk when she directs cars to stop.”
The PTA website also indicated that cars frequently speed around the site, empowered by unclear speed limit signage.
“Cars are driving very fast, and the speed limit is ambiguous, either 25 or 35 mph,” the PTA said. “The speed limit is only definitively 25 mph when the lights are flashing around the time of morning arrival and afternoon dismissal from school.”
The PTA said the heavy traffic and unsafe crossing conditions currently confines traffic across the intersection to the few hours where it is monitored by a crossing guard.
Under the agreement, the county will manage the construction and maintenance of the improvements.
Photo via Google Maps
At a work session this Friday (Feb. 8), Vienna’s Board of Architectural Review (BAR) is going to take another crack at the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone design guidelines.
The exact nature of the BAR’s review is a bit unclear. Details are scarce in the agenda, but the BAR is the second stage of a six-step process for new developments along Vienna’s main boulevard, following a staff review.
In September, the Town Council voted to impose a moratorium on new developments filed under the MAC ordinance. The moratorium took effect on Sept. 30 and is scheduled to last until June 17. As part of the moratorium, the BAR was tasked with drawing up new guidelines for public review of projects.
Scale and massing for new Maple Avenue developments has been the largest topic of debate in Vienna over the last year. The MAC ordinance, originally approved in 2014, was aimed at providing a new mechanism for developers to convert outdated and often vacant properties along Maple Avenue into mixed-use developments.
But to make these projects cost-effective for developers, many are significantly larger in scale than the buildings they’re replacing.
The tensions between developers, the Town Council and local residents came to a head last fall over the redevelopment of the Vienna Wolf Trap Hotel. During heated arguments on the Town Council over the four-story development in October, Councilmember Howard Springsteen called the projects that would ultimately be approved the “most divisive project to hit the town in 20 years.”
Photo via Vienna Vienna Development Associates LLC
Get those smoke alarms checked, because if you’re a Vienna resident that could get you a free pizza on Thursday.
Domino’s Pizza is partnering with the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department for Fire Night. On Feb. 7, anyone ordering at the Vienna Domino’s from 5-8 p.m. may have their pizza delivered in a fire engine.
According to the event description, once the delivery arrives, the firefighters will come inside and inspect the smoke detectors throughout the house. If all the smoke detectors are working, the order is free.
If any of the smoke detectors are not working, the firefighters will replace them for free, but the person who called in will be charged for the pizza.
Participation in the event is not required and is only eligible for deliveries.
Card payments are taken in advance and canceled if the order is free. Cash payment will be required if card information is not provided while placing your order if smoke detectors are not working.
Photo via Facebook
Tysons Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Tysons area.
We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield and McLean. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!
Monday, Feb. 4
Lost Dog Fundraiser for Westgate Elementary
Lost Dog Cafe McLean (1690 Anderson Rd)
Time: 5-11 p.m.
Lost Dog Cafe will be hosting a fundraiser tonight for the Westgate Elementary PTA. A portion of all purchases will be donated to the school organization.
Tuesday, Feb. 5
Greensboro Park Property Blood Drive
Greensboro Park Property (8180 Greensboro Dr.)
Time: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
The Inova Bloodmobile will be parked outside the Greensboro Park Property tomorrow for a blood drive. Appointments can be made online or by calling 1-866-256-6372.
State of the Union Watch Party
Glory Days Grill (3059 Nutley St.)
Time: 8:30-10:30
The local Fairfax Area Young Republicans will be hosting a viewing of the State of the Union address near Vienna. Members, or other interested Republicans, are invited to attend.
Wednesday, Feb. 6
Movie Screening: Coming to America
Angelika Film Center (2911 District Ave.)
Time: 7-10 p.m.
The Angelika Film Center in the Mosaic District will hold a screening of “Coming to America,” the 1988 comedy about a prince who comes to the United States to find love. Tickets are $14.50.
Thursday, Feb. 7
Trek Travel Night at Spokes Etc.
Spokes Etc. (224 Maple Avenue E)
Time: 7-8:30 p.m.
Spokes Etc. will hope a social event and discussion on traveling and cycling in preparation for a group trip being organized to Portugal by Spokes Etc. later this year. The event is free and will include raffle prizes.
Bob Marley’s 74th Birthday Tribute featuring Adwela & The Uprising
Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave E)
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Four bands will be playing an all-night tribute to reggae musician Bob Marley for what would be his 74th birthday. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 the day of the show.
Anyone who’s driven to the western end of Maple Avenue has probably spotted the enormous castle-looking building under construction just past Nutley Street.
The new building’s unusual design is representative of an eclectic mix of uses planned for 540 Maple Ave W.
The ground floor will host a Chick-fil-A restaurant with a ramp leading up to the Flagship Carwash on the second floor. The site will also include a wider pedestrian walkway in front of the building.
And after a series of delays and public backlash, construction has resumed on what is planned to be the first of a series of new projects approved under the Town of Vienna’s contentious Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) process.
The process allows greater sizes and densities for new buildings on Maple Avenue as part of an effort to push back against rampant vacancies plaguing the town’s main street.
Signs from last year indicated that the new site had planned to be opened by winter 2018, a deadline that has come and gone with construction noticeably far from complete.
Construction at the facility had briefly stalled in 2018, but has made significant project over the last month. InsideNova reported the delay was likely related to the water table at the location. But whatever the reason, the work has resumed at the project.
No new timeline has been posted.
A sign is up, but little else is clear about Gem Tea, a new restaurant coming to 155 Maple Ave W.
Renovations are underway at the space between Marjan and the Vienna Carwash. The location was previously home to Swan Cleaners. The building is remaining intact, with interior work turning the space into a restaurant.
An employee at Marjan, a Persian carry out and catering restaurant next door, said Gem Tea will be offering bubble tea and is likely to be opening sometime in April.
No website is available for the restaurant, and a similarly named Gem Tea in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, confirmed they are not opening a new location in Vienna.
An apparent attempt at trying to disable the vehicles of two Vienna residents was likely unsuccessful.
This past Sunday around 8:15 a.m., Vienna police were called to the 300 block of Owaissa Road SE — in a quiet neighborhood of single-family homes — for a report of a vehicle tampering.
“Two residents reported that someone poured a white granular substance in the gas tanks of their vehicles,” Vienna PD said in a crime report. “Tacks were left under the tires of both vehicles.”
While in popular lore “sugar in the gas tank” carries the implication of causing serious damage to cars, in reality it does little more than potentially clog up fuel filters, according to Snopes.
Photo via Facebook
