Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Person taken to hospital after large house fire in Vienna

Published February 27, 2025 at 10:05AM

Firefighters battle house fire on Blair Street NW in Vienna (via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department/Facebook)

A home in Vienna was devastated early this morning (Thursday) by a sizable fire that sent one person to the hospital.

More than two dozen units with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD) responded to the 300 block of Blair Street NW at 1:15 a.m. after 911 received multiple calls for a house fire.

News

NEW: Tree clear-cutting along W&OD Trail alarms local officials and residents

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 27, 2025 at 9:00AM

A tree stump left by Dominion Energy near the Washington & Old Dominion Trail (courtesy NOVA Parks)

Some tree trimmings and removals were expected when Dominion Energy initated a project last year to replace electrical lines in the Vienna section of the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail, but the extent of the clearings has taken local residents, elected officials and even the agency that owns the trail by surprise.

Starting in November, the utility began cutting down trees and vegetation along a 4-mile stretch of the trail from Vienna to Dunn Loring at a much more “aggressive” scale than it has in the past, according to Paul Gilbert, executive director of the Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority (NOVA Parks).

Around Town

N. Va. artist finds inspiration at home in new Tephra ICA exhibit

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 27, 2025 at 8:15AM

Left: Marie B. Gauthiez, In Between, 2024. Right: Marie B. Gauthiez, The Bedroom, 2024 (courtesy of the artist and Tephra ICA)

The latest exhibition at the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art (Tephra ICA) stays close to home when it comes to both artist and subject matter.

The Reston museum is launching “We Dwell in Between,” a solo show by Northern Virginia-based artist Marie B. Gauthiez, today (Thursday) at its satellite gallery in the Signature apartments (11850 Freedom Drive). An opening reception and talk by Gauthiez will be held tonight at 6-8 p.m.

Around Town

Annual showcase of McLean student artwork to return in March

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 26, 2025 at 2:30PM

A promotional banner for McLean Project for the Arts' upcoming 2025 Youth Art Shows (courtesy McLean Project for the Arts)

The students of McLean will take center stage in two new arts exhibitions set to open next month.

To celebrate Youth Art Month, which is typically held every March, the McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) is bringing back its annual youth art shows, which showcase work by students in elementary through high school in the McLean and Langley pyramids.

Around Town

Rooftop bar to open at Reston Town Center’s Marriott hotel this weekend

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 26, 2025 at 1:15PM

SYN Rooftop Bar and Lounge at Marriott's AC Hotel and Residence Inn in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

At Reston Town Center’s newest dining venue, customers will be able to munch on wagyu sliders and sip cocktails while looking over the Metro station 16 stories below.

SYN Rooftop Bar & Lounge, which takes its name from the Greek word for “together,” is set to open on the top floor of Marriott’s recently launched AC Hotel and Residence Inn (1975 Opportunity Way) this Saturday (March 1).

News

Owner seeks to replace ‘obsolete’ Fairfax Ridge office building with housing

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 26, 2025 at 9:45AM

Time Equities in early 2025 proposed redeveloping the High Ridge office building with mixed-use housing (via Fairfax County)

Another proposal to replace office space with housing has been presented to Fairfax County.

Time Equities, a New York City-based developer, is seeking to replace the High Ridge office building near the I-66 and Route 50 interchange just outside Fairfax City with a residential building featuring up to 400 units and 5,500 square feet of commercial retail space.

Around Town

CVS Pharmacy to close over 30-year-old Vienna store this spring

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 25, 2025 at 2:30PM

CVS Pharmacy at the Cedar Park Shopping Center in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Another longtime tenant of Vienna’s Cedar Park Shopping Center is on its way out.

After more than three decades at 264 Cedar Lane SE, CVS Pharmacy will close the location for good on April 1, a spokesperson confirmed. Signs announcing the closure date have now been posted in the store’s front door and windows.

Around Town

Parkour training gym to make leap from Lincolnia to Reston

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 25, 2025 at 9:45AM | Updated February 27, 2025 at 10:35AM

The office building at 11501 Sunset Hills Road in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A fitness center that has been offering classes in parkour, aerial silks and other specialized workouts for more than a decade will soon bid farewell to its longtime home in the Alexandria area.

MindShift Gym, previously known as Urban Evolution, announced earlier this month that its last day of business at 5505 Cherokee Avenue in Lincolnia will be March 31. The gym is in the process of relocating to a new facility in Reston that it hopes to open as soon as possible.

News

Proposal to redevelop AT&T offices ignites new look at Oakton road conditions

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 25, 2025 at 9:00AM

A rendering of EYA's proposed AT&T office site redevelopment from Chain Bridge Road (via Fairfax County)

Everyone seems to agree that Oakton’s roadways are untenable for drivers as well as pedestrians and cyclists, especially in light of recent fatal crashes.

The dividing line between supporters and skeptics of a proposed overhaul of AT&T’s office campus and other mixed-use developments in the area has become whether they believe the impending projects will alleviate or exacerbate the current congested, hazardous status quo.

News

Motorcyclist killed in Route 28 crash near I-66 in Centreville

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 24, 2025 at 3:00PM | Updated April 7, 2025 at 10:35AM

A Virginia State Police vehicle (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Virginia State Police are investigating a crash on Route 28 that killed a motorcyclist yesterday (Sunday).

According to police, the crash occurred around 12:36 p.m. yesterday on the entrance ramp from southbound Route 28 (Sully Road) to the I-66 West Express Lanes in Centreville.