The proposed repurposing of Inova Health System’s former corporate headquarters in Merrifield as live/work and workforce housing units got a hearty recommendation from the Fairfax County Planning Commission earlier this week.

The commission recommended on Wednesday (June 7) that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approve the plan from Madison Highland, a developer focused on live/work projects that’s pursuing similar conversions at the Skyline Center in Bailey’s Crossroads.

“This is an art-of-the-possible application,” Providence District Commissioner Phil Niedzielski-Eichner said. “It started with a vision…but then, that interaction between the applicant and staff resulted in an outcome that is so strikingly beneficial to our county that, to me, it’s a remarkable achievement.”

Under the name Madison Investment Portfolio LLC, the developer is seeking to turn a vacant, 245,000-square-foot office building at 8110 Gatehouse Road into 240 live/work units, which are newly defined in the county’s zoning ordinance as areas designed to accommodate both a residence and a “flexible work space.”

The 89,000-square-foot office building at 2990 Telestar Road will be repurposed as 82 workforce dwelling units for residents earning up to 60% of the area median income.

Representing the applicant at Wednesday’s public hearing, McGuireWoods Managing Partner Greg Riegle pitched the new units and accompanying open space, sidewalks, and other amenities as a “significant” improvement over the existing offices, which have been empty since Inova finished moving out last fall.

“The site gets greener, more amenitized,” he said, “and something that was exclusively automobile-oriented becomes much more walkable…We take a significant step toward creating a centerpiece where people can gather and interact that’s never existed in this part of Merrifield.”

The development will feature three publicly accessible parks — a game table community park, a play zone and a “Woof Park” for dog walking — as well as three common areas for residents. Pickleball courts are also proposed on top of the Gatehouse building’s five-story parking garage.

Pedestrians will get 6-foot-wide sidewalks in front of both buildings, internal walkways for the new parks, a connection between the properties, and high-visibility crosswalks at all crossings, pending Virginia Department of Transportation approval.

Two area residents called for more roadway improvements to address safety concerns and vehicle speeds, particularly on Gatehouse Road.

“I see a lot more rush of people cutting off the corner coming up Lee Highway all the way to Gallows,” a resident of the High Point at Jefferson Park townhomes said. “Maybe at 3 o’clock after noon, there are 20 cars waiting for the red light to turn onto Gallows, so it’s already quite congested.”

The resident also said parking has been a persistent challenge for her neighborhood and the adjacent Yorktowne Square Condominiums, requesting that they be allowed to use the Gatehouse garage.

While Niedzielski-Eichner said parking access should be negotiated by the developer and homeowners separately from the rezoning application, Marc Dreyfuss with the Fairfax County Department of Transportation shared that Gatehouse Road is scheduled for a repaving this year that will create buffered bicycle lanes.

“Restriping the road through a road diet and adding the features that are proposed with this application should help slow the traffic,” Dreyfuss said, confirming that “we would not expect to see any significant increase” in traffic with the proposed development.

The application is set for a public hearing before the Board of Supervisors on June 27.

Fairfax County has already decided to rename the Providence Community Center after the late Jim Scott, a former Providence District supervisor and state delegate.

The exact phrasing of the new name, however, remains up for debate.

Fairfax County Neighborhood & Community Services launched a public vote on June 1 to determine which name out of three options should be adopted:

• Jim Scott Community Center at Providence
• Jim Scott Providence Community Center
• Jim Scott Community Center

Votes can be cast online or in person at the Providence Community Center lobby. Respondents are limited to one vote per device.

The poll will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 23.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted on Oct. 25 to initiate a process to rename the community center after Scott, who represented Providence District on the board for 14 years, starting in 1971. He was then elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1991 and served 11 terms.

Scott died in 2017. Here’s more from the county on his legacy:

During his decades of service in local and state government, Jim was a strong advocate of affordable housing, education and school-based daycare centers, and civil rights. Rep Gerald E. Connolly, former Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, credited Jim as a “gentle but forceful advocate for all who feel powerless.”

Jim championed formation of the School Age Child Care program, which provides Fairfax County children in kindergarten-sixth grade with high-quality before- and after-school educational care. We look forward to naming the building in his honor to recognize and preserve the legacy of Jim Scott’s community-first representation.

Located at 3001 Vaden Drive in Oakton, the Providence Community Center provides classes, summer camps, and other programs as well as meeting space. It operates on Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

It’s also one of 12 additional sites that will open at 9 a.m. tomorrow for early voting.

Four McLean residents lost their home last week in a fire that investigators say was ignited by grease on an outdoor grill.

The fire started accidentally in the 6000 block of Chesterbrook Road on June 2 when grease that had accumulated on the back patio grill ignited, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reported yesterday (Thursday).

FCFRD firefighters and units from the Arlington County Fire Department were dispatched to the single-family house at 6:24 p.m. after the residents evacuated and called 911.

“Units arrived on the scene to find a large volume of fire coming from the back of a two-story, single-family home and extending up to the attic,” the department said. “Crews quickly initiated firefighting operations to contain and extinguish the fire.”

No injuries were reported, but in addition to displacing all four residents, the fire resulted in an estimated $483,060 in property damages, according to the FCFRD.

“Smoke alarms were present, but it is unknown if they activated after the fire extended to the house,” the fire department said.

#FCFRD is on the scene of an house fire in the 6000 blk of Chesterbrook Rd in the McLean area. Units arrived w/ heavy fire showing from the back of home & extending to the attic. All occupants accounted for. No reported civilian or firefighter injuries. The fire is under control pic.twitter.com/VVJq0ryXGq

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) June 2, 2023

Photo via FCFRD

The Faith Baptist Church that has occupied 301 Center Street South in Vienna for about seven decades will officially be torn down.

Faced with increasing maintenance costs, the Vienna Town Council voted unanimously on Monday (June 5) to demolish the entire two-story building, which was originally built in the 1950s, according to Fairfax County records.

The town purchased the 3-acre property in 2020 in part to have a temporary base for the Vienna Police Department during the construction of its new headquarters. Chartered in 1952, the church had opted to close its doors and sell to support the creation of a new network of “connection groups” in Northern Virginia, per its website.

Some council members previously suggested keeping the church’s gym, but that would cost between $2.9 million and $3.3 million, Director of Parks and Recreation Leslie Herman reported in a May 24 memo.

After seeing those new numbers, which exceeded the $1 million that an earlier study estimated would be needed to convert the building into a usable recreational facility, the decision to send the church to “house heaven” became a “no-brainer,” Councilmember Chuck Anderson said.

“I think get the damn building down, because it’s just costing us too much money right now,” Councilmember Howard Springsteen said. “It gives us a clean slate there, and every time we turn around, another price jumps up.”

A total demolition will cost $250,000, according to town staff. The town hasn’t determined yet when the demolition will take place or how long it will take.

“There are still a lot of details that need to be worked out, including the bidding process for a contractor to do the demolition, permitting for demolition, etc., plans for how to use the property once the building comes down,” Vienna Public Information Director Karen Thayer said by email.

The property’s long-term future also remains up in the air.

The council decided to postpone a decision on whether to spend an additional $23,500 on a business planning and operational costs study recommended by consultants Kimmel Bogrette Architecture and Kimley Horn.

Hired in November, the consultants found clear support in the community for turning the site — now called the Annex — into a recreational facility, especially one with a swimming pool or fitness center, based on an online survey and public workshop.

The proposed study would give the town more concrete numbers for the costs and benefits of different recreational uses, Herman said. Read More

An Arlington-based ice cream shop that brings together flavors from around the world is planting its flag in the Mosaic District to further an ambitious expansion plan.

Mimi’s Handmade will take up residence in the Merrifield neighborhood at 2985 District Avenue, Suite 160, replacing 520 Ice Cream and Tea after the cafe closed late last year.

Currently expected to open around mid-August to early September, the new store will closely resemble the original Mimi’s, which opened in Pentagon City in December 2021, owner Rollin Amore says.

“You’ve got to have consistency across the board, consistency in the quality of your ice cream, consistency in your offerings,” Amore told FFXnow. “I mean, I want to appeal to a broad base. I want to appeal across the age span from 8 months old to 80 years old.”

Mimi’s is a family affair, dedicated to Amore’s daughters — Mimi and Alexandra — and inspired by gelato, custard and sweets recipes passed down by his Italian and German grandmothers, according to the website.

Venturing into ice cream after retiring from a nearly 40-year career as a banker, Amore has developed a diverse assortment of over 40 flavors, from classic options like French vanilla and chocolate to bolder scoops like sweet corn or wasabi peas — one of several to incorporate ingredients he encountered while traveling in Asia.

Mimi’s has 32 flavors on display at any given time, all made in-house with “real” ingredients, not flavoring, Amore says. About 70 to 80% of them are fixtures, while others rotate based on the season or their creator’s inclinations.

“If I get inspired, I’ll try a new flavor,” Amore said. “As an example, a couple of weeks ago, I started making a red guava sherbet…It’s more summer. I’ve been making fresh watermelon and fresh cantaloupe, and I just pureed a few fruit and then add a little sugar and make a sorbet out of them.”

Calling the Mosaic District “a good spot to be in,” Amore says he has always envisioned Mimi’s as “a small chain of stores.” The business is also coming to Chevy Chase in two weeks and Rockville in three months.

Looking into 2024, leases have been signed for locations in Annandale and West Falls Church, though Amore couldn’t share the exact addresses yet. A Sterling shop is also a possibility, along with a commissary kitchen where all of the ice cream production will ultimately be consolidated.

Despite the aggressiveness of the planned expansion, he expressed confidence that Mimi’s can maintain the quality that has earned it near-universal acclaim on Yelp and a nod from Northern Virginia Magazine as one of the region’s best restaurants.

“Ice cream stores, the whole dynamic is changing,” Amore said. “We went from two years ago the Baskin Robbins, the Ben and Jerry’s to now a new generation of more artisan ice creams. There’s a bit of shift in the industry, and I think I’m on the edge of that in terms of my flavor strategy, my preparations and so forth.”

(Updated at 10:30 a.m.) It’s another day of poor air quality for Fairfax County and the rest of the D.C. area.

As wildfires continue to burn in Canada, the resulting smoke has clouded the East Coast in a sometimes orange-tinted haze of particulate matter. As of 9 a.m., Fairfax was at 313 on the Air Quality Index (AQI) — a Code Maroon for hazardous air that’s even more severe than yesterday’s Code Red.

Today’s AQI appears to be the highest for the D.C. region since records began in 1999, according to Ryan Stauffer, a NASA scientist who studies air pollution.

The highest alert on the official AQI, Maroon is a health warning of emergency conditions that can affect everyone, according to AirNow, which monitors official air quality based on data reported by federal, state and local agencies.

Air Quality Alert for Thursday, June 8 🚨

Due to the wildfires in Canada, an air quality alert has been issued for today, Thursday, June 8. The air quality is unhealthy for everyone in Fairfax County and the region.

Stay informed: https://t.co/0SheATD3Zg pic.twitter.com/iHffXGXIWh

— Fairfax County Government 🇺🇸 (@fairfaxcounty) June 8, 2023

Record-breaking bad air quality in DC area yesterday dating back to 1999. Today probably will end up worse. https://t.co/YG1C95A31U

— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) June 8, 2023

Everyone is advised to limit their exposure to the air pollution by staying inside or limiting the level of exertion required for outdoor activities, Fairfax County says.

Fairfax County Public Schools has canceled all outdoor activities on school grounds for the day, including recess, P.E., sports and after-school programs. The Fairfax County Park Authority has also canceled all outdoor classes, activities and amusements.

“Wildfire smoke is a mix of gases and fine particles from burning trees and plants, buildings, and other material,” the county said in an emergency blog post. “Wildfire smoke can make anyone sick, but people with asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), or heart disease are more likely to experience health effects of smoke. Pregnant women, babies and children are also at risk.”

In a twist, the masks that proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic have made a comeback as the most effective way to filter particles from air pollution. In New York, which had the world’s worst air quality yesterday, N95 masks are being handed out for free today.

The worst of the pollution is expected to start clearing tomorrow (Friday), when a Code Orange AQI is forecast, but until then, it’s probably best to stay indoors if possible and mask up.

Image via VDOT

A home decor store inspired by Parisian flea markets will say bonjour to the Chesterbrook Shopping Center in McLean this week.

Le Village Marché will open a new boutique at 6234 Old Dominion Drive on Friday (June 9), marking the company’s first expansion within Northern Virginia since it began operating in Shirlington in 2007.

Inspired by founder and owner Angela Phelps’ past travels to Paris, the business sells kitchen, garden and bath products, along with candles, jewelry and other accessories, and notebooks.

“Owning a French-inspired gift shop has been a dream of mine since my very first trip to Paris over 20 years ago,” Phelps said in a press release. “McLean is the perfect place to begin expanding the franchise and we are thrilled to be opening our doors to a community with so much warmth and charm. From French tea towels and glassware to beaded chandeliers, we truly have it all!”

The McLean store marks a new chapter for Le Village Marché, as Phelps seeks to expand the company through franchising. She previously had another location in northwest D.C., but it closed permanently in 2020 when its lease ended and the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, according to its website.

Le Village Marché arrives during a period of transition for Chesterbrook Shopping Center, which created intentional vacancies as it began a major renovation last fall.

Property owner Federal Realty has started to refill those empty spaces, welcoming the juice bar South Block, a mobile Call Your Mother deli and the clothing store J.McLaughlin this year.

Next year, the shopping center will add Small Door Veterinary, a primary and urgent care practice for pets, Federal Realty announced earlier this week. Emphasizing its use of modern technology, the clinic will provide services from wellness exams to surgeries through a membership system.

According to Federal Realty, the planned “state-of-the-art facility” in McLean will be the company’s ninth location overall and first in Virginia, though it has four existing and upcoming sites in D.C.

“After establishing successful practices in New York, Boston, and D.C., we are thrilled to introduce our modernized approach to veterinary care in Virginia and extend our services to a wider community of pet owners,” Small Door Veterinary co-founder and CEO Josh Guttman said. “Our forthcoming location in Chesterbrook will provide a nurturing environment staffed with highly skilled veterinarians who will be dedicated to ensuring only the best care for pets and their owners.”

Federal Realty bought Chesterbrook in 2021 after previously serving as property manager for the 90,000-square-foot shopping center for nearly two decades.

The renovation is focused on modernizing the center’s storefronts and façades, a process expected to finish this year. New outdoor amenity spaces are scheduled to be completed in 2024.

“It is exciting to see the transformation of Chesterbrook attracting premier local and national brands,” Deirdre Johnson, Federal Realty’s senior vice president of asset management, said. “The recent openings…[create] the distinguished neighborhood destination envisioned to best serve our community.”

(Updated at 11:35 a.m.) Smoke drifting south from wildfires in Canada has introduced unhealthy levels of air pollution in the D.C. area.

A Code Red Air Quality Alert has been issued for the entire region, including Fairfax County, signaling that the air is unhealthy for everyone today (Wednesday), according to AirNow.

AirNow collects official air quality data reported by the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal, state and local agencies.

Code Red Air Quality Alert 🚨

Due to the wildfires in Canada, a Code Red Air Quality alert has been issued for Wednesday, June 7, which means air quality is unhealthy for everyone in Fairfax County and the region.

Learn more: https://t.co/dMPpgsD1t5 pic.twitter.com/No8JfjQrYF

— Fairfax County Government 🇺🇸 (@fairfaxcounty) June 7, 2023

Fairfax County is advising residents to limit the time they spend outside, particularly if they’re vulnerable to breathing or lung issues:

People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, and teens – take any of these steps to reduce your exposure:

• Avoid strenuous outdoor activities.
• Keep outdoor activities short.
• Consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them.
• Avoid waiting in long drive-thru lines, for example, at coffee shops, fast-food restaurants, or banks- park your car and go inside.
• Combine trips.

Everyone else – take any of these steps to reduce your exposure:

• Choose less strenuous activities (like walking instead of running) so you don’t breathe as hard.
• Avoid waiting in long drive-thru lines, for example, at coffee shops, fast-food restaurants, or banks- park your car and go inside.
• Re-fuel your vehicle after dark.
• Shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors.
• Be active outdoors when air quality is better.

Fairfax County Public Schools has canceled all outdoor activities until 6 p.m. and implemented indoor recess, spokesperson Julie Moult confirmed to FFXnow, adding that all information will be posted to the school system’s website.

Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw noted that, around 10 a.m., the air quality in Fairfax had actually tipped over into very unhealthy Code Purple territory due to the amount of particulate matter in the air, as measured by the EPA’s Air Quality Index, according to AirNow.

A Code Orange was previously anticipated for today, as smoke from wildfires in Quebec blankets the East Coast.

According to AirNow, the Code Red could be extended into tomorrow (Thursday) with a Code Orange forecast for Friday (June 9).

⚠️ Conditions are hazardous to everyone's health.

Please reduce time spent outdoors as much as possible and follow local media for additional guidance – this account will share updates as they come in. Stay safe everyone.

— Supervisor James Walkinshaw (@JRWalkinshaw) June 7, 2023

Tysons will get a Korean fried chicken restaurant this year, but it’ll no longer be Bonchon.

After getting a tip in January that signage installed at 8603 Westwood Center Drive had been removed, FFXnow was told that the location was still in the works. However, a Bonchon spokesperson has now confirmed that the planned restaurant isn’t moving forward.

Instead, the site is being taken over by bb.q Chicken, another Korean fried chicken chain.

Franchise owner, Ali Sheikh, also operates a location at Potomac Town Center in Woodbridge, but he has always wanted to open a business in the Tysons and Vienna area, according to bb.q’s marketing team.

“Opening bb.q Chicken…is an exciting venture that brings the authentic flavors of Korean cuisine to this vibrant community,” Sheikh said. “As a dedicated fan of Korean fried chicken, I am thrilled to introduce bb.q Chicken to Vienna, offering residents and visitors a taste of this renowned culinary delight.”

The Tysons restaurant is currently projected to open in October, according to bb.q Chicken.

Founded in Seoul, South Korean, in 1995, bb.q Chicken expanded to the U.S. in 2014 and has become one of the country’s fastest-growing restaurant chains, opening 150 locations nationally and over 3,500 worldwide.

This will be the company’s third location in Fairfax County, joining ones in Centreville and Idylwood just outside of Falls Church. Reston got a bb.q Chicken in 2021, but it appears to have already closed permanently.

With a name that stands for “Best of the Best Quality,” the company touts its fried chicken recipe as authentic to Korean tradition and “on the cutting edge of flavor and quality,” thanks to its Chicken University research and development team.

Flavors include the original golden, soy garlic, galbi, cheesling, wings of fire and more, with spiciness levels varying. In addition to chicken, the menu includes fried rice and ddeok-bokki, a street food made out of fish cakes and rice cakes.

The Tysons bb.q Chicken will serve fully halal chicken and have an automatic beverage machine with non-alcoholic mocktails and other drinks.

“Our restaurant aims to showcase the essence of Korean fried chicken by delivering the perfect blend of crispy, flavorful chicken paired with our signature sauces and seasonings,” Sheikh said. “…We are excited to contribute to Vienna’s diverse food scene and become a go-to destination for Korean fried chicken enthusiasts and anyone seeking a unique and satisfying dining experience.”

For local foodies who remain partial to Bonchon, the chain hasn’t ruled out a Tysons location in the future. It has restaurants in Reston, Fairfax, Springfield and Centreville, though the popular Annandale location remains closed after a massive fire in March.

“I wouldn’t lose total hope,” Bonchon Vice President of Marketing Christina Coy said. “We are looking all over the region for new locations so it’s a matter of whether or not one of our owners finds a spot there.”

Photo via bb.q Chicken US/Instagram

Kilmer Middle School was briefly put on alert this afternoon (Tuesday) while Fairfax County police searched Tysons for suspects in an alleged theft and hit-and-run at Nordstrom Rack.

Officers with the Fairfax County Police Department’s Tysons Urban Team responded to the clothing store at 8027 Leesburg Pike around 1:25 p.m. for a reported larceny, though an officer initially told the dispatcher that there was “no confirmed theft.”

The FCPD says four individuals fled when they saw the officers, first running on foot before getting into a vehicle and hitting three police cruisers.

According to scanner traffic, the individuals — described as three men and one woman — bailed out of the vehicle around 1:30 p.m. An officer then confirmed that there was a larceny, but it was not yet known whether it was petit or grand larceny.

A handgun was found in the vehicle, police said.

During the search, which involved K9 units and a helicopter, the police department advised that nearby Kilmer Middle School be secured with students scheduled to be released at 2:15 p.m.

“An area Middle School was briefly put on an elevated alert due to the fleeing suspects,” the FCPD said. “The school is no longer on an elevated alert.”

An officer confirmed at 2:26 p.m. that all four people had been taken into custody. Two of them were “evaluated for minor injuries,” police said.

The FCPD says the incident was a grand larceny, which is defined in Virginia as commercial thefts involving goods worth $1,000 or more. Charges haven’t been filed yet.

“Charging information will become available at a later time,” the FCPD said.

Photo via Google Maps