The clock is ticking for Fairfax County and the D.C. region to adopt a new transportation plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
This past June, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) approved Visualize 2045 — a regional transportation plan that runs through 2045 and must be updated every four years, as mandated by the federal government.
At the same meeting, it voted to include greenhouse gas emission goals in the next plan, targeting cuts of 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.
Now, six months later, Fairfax County is already preparing to submit its segment of that plan with those emission goals in mind, but the process will be slightly different from previous years.
Presented at the Board of Supervisors transportation committee meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 31), Visualize 2050 will include “zero-based budgeting,” meaning all localities have to resubmit their transportation projects for consideration to ensure they adhere to the new emission reduction goals.
Before, most projects automatically carried over from one plan to the next, though projects could be added or taken out if needed, Fairfax County Department of Transportation planner Malcolm Watson explained to the supervisors.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, who’s on the TPB with Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, noted that the board has had a “lively discussion” over the last few years regarding the emission goals.
“There’s been…quite a difference of opinion on the climate change stuff, particularly between the inner jurisdictions and the outer jurisdictions,” Alcorn said. “We are kind of right in between.”
County staff have identified 33 projects they expect to be part of the transportation plan and will need to be resubmitted under the new standards. Projects currently “in development” include Reston Parkway improvements, a new Dulles Airport Access road from Chain Bridge Road, and a widening of Frying Pan Road from Sully to Centreville roads.
Most of those projects are expected to be completed between 2025 and 2040.
There are 25 projects that could be exempted from the emission standards because they are already funded or under construction. Those include the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit system, an I-495 overpass at Tysons Corner Center, and the $237 million Soapstone Connector.
Watson cautioned that the lists may change as projects get taken off and added, depending on priorities, the new emission goals, and other factors.
Next month, the TPB will issue a “call for projects,” and the lists will be officially published for public review.
“This will officially kick off Visualize 2050,” Watson said.
The county board ultimately will have to vote to approve the project lists over the summer before they get submitted to the TPB.
The hope is that by December 2024, the TPB will approve Visualize 2050, and the new emission goals will become the norm, making Visualize 2055 perhaps a bit less labor-intensive.
Photo via Fairfax County
Intricate ice sculptures are coming to Reston Town Center’s outdoor skating rink at the inaugural Ice-travaganza event tomorrow (Saturday).
The event, which is free and open to all, will also include a live carving demonstration, hot chocolate, s’mores, a photo booth and a DJ, according to event organizers.
“We created Ice-travaganza to provide a fun and engaging winter activity at RTC similar to the many events we host here in the warmer months. Our ice rink provides a perfect backdrop for this new event,” said Sapna Yathiraj, marketing director for Boston Properties, which owns the center.
The inaugural event takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. It begins with complimentary Ben & Jerry’s hot chocolate, a s’mores station and a live DJ. An ice skating performance is slated for 1:15, followed by a 30-minute ice-sculpting demonstration at 2 p.m. Another performance is slated for 3:15 p.m.
The ice skating pavilion reopened in November after undergoing renovations. Other renovations to RTC’s public areas are ongoing. The fountain plaza is expected to be completed in February. RTC plans to turn on the fountain in the spring.
As work gets underway to memorialize those killed by COVID-19, the Fairfax County Health Department wants to ensure the individuals and organizations who helped it navigate the pandemic will have at least one moment in the spotlight.
The department will host a recognition ceremony tomorrow (Saturday) for its many partners in the local pandemic response, from hospital workers and nonprofit volunteers to residences and businesses that supported public awareness campaigns.
“We are honoring individuals and organizations who supported the COVID-19 vaccination effort from the mass vaccination clinics to hosting vaccine equity clinics,” Sharon Arndt, the event’s lead organizer, said. “Public health is what we do together as a society to create the conditions in which everyone can be healthy. Thank you to all who served a role in support of public health.”
For Arndt, the ceremony will close out a 25-year career working for Fairfax County. The director of FCHD’s community health development division is retiring after next week, according to a department spokesperson, who praised her dedication to her public health work and the county.
Over 1,000 community members and groups will be recognized at the ceremony, which will take place at the Fairfax County Government Center in three separate sessions. In addition to hosting vaccine clinics, their contributions ranged from providing basic resources like food to sharing information with non-English-speaking residents.
The proceedings will start at 10 a.m. with Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay delivering remarks. Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik is scheduled to speak at 11:30 a.m., followed by Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust at 1 p.m.
Each session will also feature musical and dance performances by local artists.
“These organizations played key roles during the worst health crisis of our lives and we couldn’t have done it without them,” McKay said. “This is true not just during COVID-19 but at all times. They allow the County to leverage our resources and reach the most people possible with life-saving services.”
The ceremony will precede a potential end to the county’s ongoing state of emergency for the pandemic.
The agenda for the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday (Feb. 7) includes an item requesting that the board vote on whether to terminate its local emergency declaration, which has been in place since March 17, 2020. If the measure is approved, the declaration will end March 1.
The county previously said a vote could come last September, but that didn’t happen, as officials were still evaluating the possible implications of ending the declaration, which gave the county more resources and flexibility to address Covid.
Most other Northern Virginia localities have already let their emergency declarations expire, and President Joe Biden is expected to end the national emergencies on May 11.
Though it may soon no longer be labeled an official “emergency,” Covid hasn’t vanished.
The Fairfax Health District, including the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, is averaging 140 new cases and three deaths per day for the past week, as of yesterday (Thursday). Hospitals are admitting 9.4 Covid patients for every 100,000 county residents — just within the threshold for a “low” community level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Over the past three years, the district has reported 264,878 cases, 5,301 hospitalizations and 1,763 deaths. Nationwide, over 1.1 million people have died from Covid.
Fire Department Gets Grant for Cancer Screenings — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department recently got a $450,000 grant from FEMA to support free cancer screenings for all workers, some of whom are currently diagnosed. Firefighters face a 9% higher risk of getting cancer, and one Fairfax County firefighter died last year. [FCFRD, NBC4]
Shooting Threat Found on Fairfax School Wall — City of Fairfax Police responded yesterday (Thursday) morning to Katherine Johnson Middle School after a message threatening “to shoot up the school” was found. Police said they didn’t know how long the message had been there, but with no evidence of immediate danger, the school never went into lockdown. [Patch]
Driver Trapped After Breaking Through Resident’s Fence — “Units on the scene of a vehicle crash in the 3900 block of Rosebay Court in Fair Oaks area. Car drove into fence in front of a townhouse. Driver was initially trapped. Crews have extricated from car. Driver not injured.” [FCFRD/Twitter]
Penn Daw Aldi Expected to Open Next Month — “Just over five years since ALDI signed a contract with Combined Properties to anchor the retail space at South Alex in Penn Daw, the grocery store is scheduled to open at the mixed-use apartment community in early March…Details on a grand opening ceremony will become available closer to the store’s opening date.” [On the MoVe]
Park Authority Plans Black History Month Events — “Whether in the park, along the trail or at our many historic sites, Fairfax County parks offer a rich collection of sites, artifacts and stories from the past that encourage conversation and inspire change for the future.” [FCPA]
GMU Gets Funding for Opioid Response Center — George Mason University has secured more than $1 million in federal funds for a new center “that would help alleviate pressure on Virginia’s health care system and prevent opioid overdoses.” Tasked with providing care for recently incarcerated individuals, the Empowered Communities Partnership Center anticipates opening a physical location in “Manassas or the greater Prince William County area.” [Washington Business Journal]
Vienna Nonprofit Gets Shoutout From Costco — “Vienna-based nonprofit Rustic Love got some national exposure for its efforts to address food insecurity through a Costco magazine feature. Rustic Love is featured in the February edition of The Costco Connection, the magazine of the popular membership-based bulk retailer.” [Patch]
Imagining a Metro With More Stops — “What would the Metro system look like if it had been built with more local stops, like New York City’s system? To see what this parallel universe might look like, I drew up a different map…keeping the stations that exist today and adding infill stations about every half mile.” [Greater Greater Washington]
It’s Friday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 42 and low of 23. Sunrise at 7:14 am and sunset at 5:33 pm. [Weather.gov]
A new exhibit featuring intricate embroidery on leaves is set to open soon at Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art‘s satellite gallery in Reston Town Center.
Artist Hillary Waters Fayle’s work, “Remnants and Echoes,” will open tomorrow (Friday) at 6 p.m. at the Signature apartment building’s ground-floor gallery. There will be a members-only preview from 5:30-6 p.m. with the institute’s curatorial staff.
The exhibit features samples from two of Fayle’s series: Stitched Botanicals, that includes intricate embroidery on individual leaves, and “Portraits of Place,” which includes botanical samples and large mandala-inspired arrangements of the samples.
Here’s more from Tephra on the exhibit:
This exhibition shows examples from these two series and takes a broader look at the variety of modes of making that comprise her practice, including cyanotypes, collage work, patterns cut into leaves, hand-drawn quilt squares, and composition studies sewn from fabric scraps – many of which have not previously been shown publicly. Through this survey of material processes, Remnants and Echoes traces the artist’s exploration of naturally occurring patterns and savors the revelatory potential of her deliberately slow pace.
The exhibit is free and open to all. Visitors are welcome to the building at 111850 Freedom Drive on Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fayle is an assistant professor and directs the fiber program at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her work focuses on bringing elements of humanity and the physical world together.
“We all have a deep historical and lived experience with cloth- powerful and ever present. Plants and cloth both represent specific and symbolic connections to place, time, people and memory,” Fayle said.
Fairfax County Public Schools has to adjust its budget outlook for the next two years after a miscalculation led the state to overestimate how much funding it will give local school districts.
The error means FCPS will get nearly $18 million less than it had anticipated, including $5.1 million for the current fiscal year 2023, which began on July 1, 2022. The remaining reduction of $12.7 million will affect the upcoming budget for FY 2024.
Overall, Fairfax County’s shortfall is the biggest of any district, Virginia Department of Education spokesperson Charles Pyle confirmed to FFXnow.
According to the Washington Post, an unidentified “someone” discovered last week that a calculator tool provided to help local school divisions determine their allocation from the state budget had failed to account for the elimination of the state’s grocery tax.
Virginia stopped imposing a 1.5% tax on groceries and personal hygiene products on Jan. 1, though a 1% local tax remains in effect. The legislation, which was incorporated into the state budget, directed the state to use its revenue to compensate localities for any lost education funding, starting Feb. 1.
“The tool released last month did not include recognition of the grocery tax hold harmless payment, which began in FY 2023,” State Superintendent Jillian Balow said in an email sent to local superintendents last Friday (Jan. 24).
Statewide, Virginia will provide $201 million less in aid than expected, including $58 million for the current school year, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Balow said the VDOE will release an updated calculation tool after the General Assembly votes on a new state budget on Feb. 9.
It’s unclear how the $18 million deficit will affect FCPS, though it’s a relatively small portion of the district’s $3.3 billion budget. FCPS said it didn’t have an immediate comment, as of press time.
As part of their legislative agenda for the General Assembly, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and school board are advocating for the state to increase its funding for FCPS, arguing that the current formulas used to calculate allocations for each district don’t adequately reflect the area’s high cost-of-living.
FCPS received a projected $869.7 million — or 26.4% of its operating budget — from the state for FY 2023.
A $3.5 billion budget that Superintendent Michelle Reid proposed last month projected $696.4 million in state aid. Items covered in the budget include the addition of middle school athletic programs, staff compensation increases, and expanded pre-kindergarten education.
“The average Virginia school division receives less than 50 percent of its financial support from its local government,” the budget overview says. “FCPS must rely on local funds for 68.8 percent of its revenue.”
Hotworx, a fitness studio that offers 24/7 infrared workouts, has opened in Woodland Crossing in the Herndon area.
Located at 2310 Woodland Crossing Drive in Suite G, the business gives customers access to workouts in a sauna-like room.
Customers can sign up for half-hour isometric workouts and 15-minute High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts. Patrons also have around-the-clock access to infrared sauna workouts that are virtually instructed.
Jannik Echenrode, the Herndon location’s general manager, said a grand opening is expected in about 45 days.
The Herndon location held its soft opening last Thursday (Jan. 26). It’s currently open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 6 pm. on Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Area locations include Leesburg, Ashburn, and Aldie. Another gym is expected to open in Dunn Loring this spring.
Deadline for Feedback on School Calendars Extended — “Thank you to the approximately 23,000 families, staff, students, and community members who completed FCPS’ Calendar Feedback Form…The form will close on Monday, February 6, at noon. The School Board is scheduled to vote on a calendar on Thursday, February 9.” [FCPS]
McLean Teen Launches Swim School in South Africa — “An 11th-grade student at The Potomac School in McLean returned to the United States in late January after launching a youth swim academy in Alexandra…The not-for-profit Alexandra Youth Swim Academy, founded by Sasha Minsky, 17, provides free swim instruction to children aged 7 to 16 in the township, near Johannesburg.” [Patch]
Herndon Data Company Considering First Acquisition — “Unissant has grown organically over the years, but that phase may be coming to an end. It is actively looking to acquire, [Chairman and CEO Manish] Malhotra said, and indeed just dropped a letter of intent for an unnamed company it is evaluating.” [Washington Business Journal]
Silver Line Wins Award — “The Washington Airports Task Force (WATF) presented the Silver Line with the 2022 Williams Trophy during its annual general meeting on Friday, Jan. 20…The award recognizes how people in the region collaborated and took the initiative to make rail service to Dulles a reality.” [The Connection]
Mount Vernon Town Hall Will Have Food Tastings — “The annual Mount Vernon Town Meeting will feature a new event this year: a Taste of Mount Vernon. The town meeting hosted by Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck is planned for Saturday, Feb. 11 from 7:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Mount Vernon High School, 8515 Old Mount Vernon Rd.” [Patch]
Chantilly Mom Looks to Support Pediatric Patients — Inspired by a social worker who gave her son a bag of toys when he was at Johns Hopkins Hospital with a brain tumor in 2004, Chantilly resident Marcie McCauley and her family started making “Boredom Busters” with supplies to help kids and their parents during an extended hospital stay. As of 2022, the nonprofit has delivered over 2,000 boxes to patients. [WTOP]
It’s Thursday — Overcast throughout the day. High of 42 and low of 32. Sunrise at 7:15 am and sunset at 5:32 pm. [Weather.gov]
Reston Association is charging up to potentially take part in Fairfax County pilot to get more homeowners’ associations (HOAs) on board with improving access to electric vehicle chargers.
The pilot program, Charge Up Fairfax, would facilitate EV charging by residents in multi-family housing, especially HOAs and condominium associations, by circumventing technical and financial challenges linked to installing stations.
“This program aims to assist HOAs with the installation of publicly available shared charging stations,” said Cameron Adams, RA’s director of covenants administration, in a recent Reston Today video.
The program would also provide support to multi-family communities to install charging stations in common areas. The county would work with HOAs and other groups to install stations in publicly accessible locations that they own.
In the first phase of the program, the county will work with HOAs to identify possible locations and survey the community. This exploration phase will be followed by reviewing by data gathering and community engagement, after which a contractor and equipment will be selected.
Grants would be structured to reimburse communities up to $5,000 for the installation and upkeep of the charging stations. Some communities may be eligible for up to $10,000.
RA expects to hear back from the county on how it can apply to take part in the pilot in the spring, according to Adams. Installation could begin in July — a move that is entirely dependent on funding.
The county’s Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination is seeking $830,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to move forward with the project. The grant application was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at a Jan. 24 meeting.
At a Nov. 9 meeting with the county last year, RA members provided feedback on their EV needs and discussed the program. RA’s participation in the program has been proposed since at least late September, when county staff discussed the pilot program with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
The program follows the passage of state legislation that establishes the right of electric vehicle owners to access charging stations. The bill, passed in 2020, bars home and condominium owners from prohibiting the installation of stations under certain conditions.
Still, many challenges remain, including the cost-inhibitive nature of installing and maintaining stations, as well as stringent local regulations on their installation and use.
RA was among the first HOAs in the country to establish design guidelines for electric vehicle charging stations, following a 10-month process in 2021, according to Adams.
Fairfax County is no longer considering a proposal to allow more housing in Wolf Trap’s Crowells Corner neighborhood.
The Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) submission has been withdrawn by its nominator, county planner David Stinson said at a virtual meeting last night (Tuesday) to discuss requested land use changes in east Reston and along Hunter Mill Road.
The proposal had requested an increase in density for six parcels totaling 10 acres on Crowell Road to one to two dwellings per acre, up from under 0.5 dwellings per acre as currently designated in the county’s comprehensive plan.
Submitted by Panthea Mohtasham, a local real estate agent, the application suggested either closing off Crowell Road in front of the new development, or rerouting it around the north side of the houses.
“As the Community and Fairfax County have grown, traffic has increased, safety concerns have become more acute,” the application said. “The Nominator’s proposal would permit restructuring of the road to increase safety for current residents, provide access to existing and future residences, and encourage commuters to adhere to safe speeds along Crowell Road.”
The first option would’ve turned the road into a private street, adding a gated entry after the driveway to Oakcrest School and eliminating the current connection to Browns Mill Road in favor of a cul-de-sac.
The second option would restructure Crowell Road with multiple turns, encouraging slower traffic compared to the existing straight segment, according to the application.
However, the road is a key link to Vienna and Reston for existing residents as the only direct connection between Hunter Mill Road to the west and Beulah Road to the east other than Route 7, according to community members.
“This would be a horrible decision that would block access to schools, the metro, the Toll Road, grocery stores, doctors, the hospital and numerous other devastating impacts,” a Crowells Corner resident said on Nextdoor. “In addition — a large number of homes would be effectively blocked in any time a large rain fall floods Brown Mill and people must go to Hunter Mill to go around. This is a safety and environmental problem and it must be made clear this proposal cannot move forward in any way.”
While the withdrawn application wasn’t discussed at yesterday’s meeting, some attendees said in the chat that safety and vehicle speeds have indeed been a concern on Crowell Road.
“We have children on this road who play and cars honk at us for checking our mail, pulling in and out of our driveways, etc,” commenter James C said, stating that residents have contacted the county and state about reducing the speed limit. “This is not a Nascar race track. This is our family road. We’ve almost gotten Tboned coming out of our drive 1 too many times.”
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a plan amendment in 2018 that realigns Sunset Hills Road to create an intersection with Crowell at Hunter Mill Road in the hopes of easing traffic congestion in the area.
An SSPA nomination that would develop the south side of that intersection remains up for consideration, along with other Reston proposals. A virtual meeting on applications for Tysons will be held at 7 p.m. tonight (Wednesday).
Map via Google Maps
Flippin’ Pizza, a pizza chain that serves New York-style pizza, appears to have closed its Reston location.
The business was located at 1110 South Lakes Drive in Suite 11130-F. It was closed when FFXnow passed by last Thursday afternoon (Jan. 26), despite posted operating hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays.
The company did not return requests for comment. A listed phone number and email were not functional.
Flippin’ Pizza has many other locations throughout the country, including locations in Fairfax and Falls Church. Items on the menu include pies, pizza, and calzones.
The Fairfax County Police Department is doubling down on traffic enforcement and awareness efforts after a rise in pedestrian fatalities last year.
At a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors safety and security committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday), Police Chief Kevin Davis stressed that the department is focusing on education and enforcement, with pedestrian safety as a primary mission.
The police department recorded 24 pedestrian fatalities last year, a five-year high — though there were fewer pedestrian-related crashes overall (153) than in 2018.
That count doesn’t include crashes on state highways, which are reported by Virginia State Police, or on the Dulles Toll Road, which is enforced by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police. Per state data, Fairfax County had a total of 192 crashes involving pedestrians, 32 of whom were killed — by far the most since at least 2010.
Deputy Chief of Police Bob Blakely said the rise in pedestrian fatalities is “very concerning.” The police department is also reminding officers about prevention and awareness by refreshing training, reminding officers and sharing information internally, he said.
“Our number one coal it to reduce crashes. If we reduce crashes, we reduce fatalities,” Blakely, adding that it’s not to write tickets.
Each month, the police department hopes to focus on specific traffic safety initiatives with targeted public-facing campaigns and awareness months around the year.
The police department will resume Road Shark — in which officers are assigned to high-traffic areas for enforcement — on June 4 through June 18.
Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk asked the department to consider focusing on more pedestrian-safety campaigns throughout the year.
Davis noted that while overall crashes are lower now than in 2018 and 2019, the number of citations rose by 6,000 between 2022 and 2021. In line with national trends, the FCPD saw significant dips in the number of warnings, citations and crashes during the height of the pandemic.
The department issued roughly 115,000 citations in 2018 and 2019 compared to between 49,000 and 56,000 in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross encouraged the police to provide information about the consequences of speeding and disobeying traffic laws.
“People think it’s a black hole, that nothing happens,” Gross said.
Davis said that it can be easy to raise awareness about high-profile incidents and more challenging to provide information on how individuals were adjudicated.
Law enforcement and county officials hope the addition of speed cameras — a pilot program that will begin this year — will help reduce speeds in highly problematic areas.
“This is going to really effect behavior in those localized areas,” said Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn.
But Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw said that part of the solution may lie in pursuing societal change: limiting the speeds at which vehicles can operate.
Reflecting on how seat belt usage factors into crash injuries and deaths, Walkinshaw said state and local officials should monitor some federal efforts and technologies that control the speed of cars.
“There is not reason that cars need to be traveling more than 100 miles per hour,” Walkinshaw said, adding that electric vehicles can be even more problematic with high speeds and performance.
He conceded that he may not be very popular amongst the car hobbyist crowd.
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said high speeds in low-speed areas continue to be problematic.
“That’s the area where I have so much concern,” Palchik said.
FCPD says it also hopes to work with Fairfax County Public Schools to provide educational resources to new and future drivers in classrooms.
Photo via VDOT Northern Virginia/Twitter
Redevelopment Proposed in Bailey’s Crossroads — “Several community members who attended a Fairfax County Planning Department presentation on a proposal for a major mixed-use project on the Food Star site in Bailey’s Crossroads said the county should address the immediate problems in that area first. Those problems include crime, litter, traffic, weeds in the median, safety and trash issues at Skyline Park, and the lack of safety for pedestrians.” [Annandale Today]
Lorton Man Charged With DWI in Alexandria — “A 23-year-old Lorton man was charged with driving while intoxicated after allegedly crashing into four cars in Old Town. The crash occurred near the intersection of S. Patrick Street and Gibbon Street at around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21. Three people suffered minor injuries and went to the hospital, and the driver was released later that day.” [ALXnow]
No Safety Threat After Alleged Sexual Assault — Frost Middle School Principal Anthony Harris said in a letter to families on Monday (Jan. 30) that “there is no reason for concern about students’ safety” after one student reported that she had been sexually assaulted in a bathroom on Jan. 12. Fairfax County police are still investigating, but said there is “no apparent threat” to students or the general community. [WTOP]
County Prosecutors Share More Bond Data — “Fairfax County’s top prosecutor says his office is now recommending fewer people sit in jail for minor and nonviolent crimes — and he has the data to prove it. The data, released Monday morning by the office of Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, is a follow-up from data released in October.” [DCist]
GSA Seeks to Offload Groveton Property — “The General Services Administration is holding an online auction for a 10.5-acre site in Alexandria that features an empty, 110K SF office building surrounded by parking lots and green space. The bidding process began in late December, and the agency expects to close the auction in late February.” [Bisnow]
Tysons Tech Company Explores Sale — Cvent, a Tysons-based company that provides software to support in-person and virtual events, “is exploring a sale that could value the cloud-based event-software provider at upwards of $4 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.” After going public in 2021, the $3.3 billion company has seen its shares lose nearly half their value from an early 2021 high. [Wall Street Journal]
Vienna Opens Parking Survey — Vienna’s public works and economic development departments have launched an online survey to gather information about the town’s current and future parking needs. Open through Feb. 28, the survey is part of a supply-and-demand study that will help inform the town’s ongoing zoning code update. [Vienna Voice]
Construction Concludes on Fort Belvoir Water Project — Construction is mostly finished on a main water line replacement along Richmond Highway that serves Fort Belvoir, according to American Water Military Services Group General Manager Wes Casa. In the works since July 2021, the project “involved replacing a 3,100-foot-long section of 24-inch potable water pipeline that had reached the end of its useful life.” [On the MoVe]
GMU Delivery Robots Celebrates Fourth Anniversary — “It was January 2019 when George Mason University became the first college campus in the United States to offer autonomous food delivery through Starship Technologies. Now Mason and Starship are celebrating four years of autonomous robot deliveries.” [GMU]
It’s Wednesday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 42 and low of 32. Sunrise at 7:16 am and sunset at 5:31 pm. [Weather.gov]
Seven restaurants in Fairfax County are part of this year’s Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants list.
The restaurants that earned a coveted spot include:
- A&J Restaurant in Annandale
- Aracosia in McLean
- Elephant Jumps in Falls Church
- Honest Grill in Centreville
- L’Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls
- Mama Chang in Fairfax
- Marib in Springfield
The highly anticipated list was published by the regional magazine for the first time since 2020. That year, nine local restaurants made the list, including several that reappeared this year: A&J, Elephant Jumps, Mama Chang, and Marib.
A&J Restaurant at 4316 Markham Street is no stranger to these types of accolades. The two-decade-old Annandale dim sum eatery was on the 2020 and 2019 lists as well, and last summer, it won a RAMMY for its brunch.
“We are excited to be included in the 100 Best again. Since we opened in the mid-90s, the Best Bargains issue featured us every year. 2019 marked the first time we were included in the 100 Best,” a restaurant spokesperson told FFXnow via email. “There are many outstanding restaurants in Fairfax County. It is great to see The Washingtonian highlight some hidden gems in the suburbs.”
Korean barbeque restaurant Honest Grill opened in 2021 in the Centreville Square Shopping Center and immediately got the attention of the magazine’s critics.
Restaurant manager Kevin Yoo told FFXnow that Honest Grill’s inclusion is “a testament to the hard work and dedication of the staff, and a reflection of the restaurant’s popularity among Washington DC foodies.”
Yoo also noted that the county has a “thriving food scene” that’s attracting a “growing local community of culinary innovators,” as evidenced by the restaurants that made this year’s list.
Aracosia, which opened about three years ago in McLean, serves Afghan cuisine and is owned by a Kabul native. Elephant Jumps on Arlington Blvd near Merrifield is regarded as one of the best Thai restaurants in the region.
The famed French establishment L’Auberge Chez Francois has been in Great Falls for close to 50 years. Springfield’s Marib is perhaps the centerpiece of a booming Yemeni food scene in Northern Virginia, while Mama Chang is one of several very popular area restaurants by former Chinese embassy chef Peter Chang.
Elsewhere, Arlington County placed four restaurants on the 2023 list. Plus, the magazine included a number of restaurants in Alexandria and Falls Church City included as well.
Jos A. Bank has officially closed its doors in Reston Town Center.
A primary care practice — One Medical — will take over the former location of the men’s clothing store (11930 Democracy Drive).
One Medical is a membership-based, tech-integrated primary care practice that offers virtual care and in-person visits. The company says it aims to reinvent the healthcare experience by providing quick access to medical care. Other locations offer 24/7 virtual access to appointments.
Amazon hopes to purchase One Medical’s parent company, 1Life Healthcare, Inc. The company has 188 clinics in 29 markets across the country, including one in Fairfax and Tysons.
A spokesperson for Boston Properties confirmed that the company’s lease ended today (Tuesday). Jos. A Bank, which was established in 1905, specializes in suits and has more than 180 retail locations. It still has other local locations in Fairfax and Leesburg.
