Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Vienna Town Council debates first potential pay raises in two decades

Published December 14, 2022 at 10:15AM

Vienna Town Council chambers (file photo)

Vienna is considering more than doubling the salaries for mayor and town council going forward, but the current holders of those offices suggested they will aim lower amid still-high inflation, fears of a recession, and general economic uncertainty.

At a conference session on Monday (Dec. 12), town staff proposed bumping up the pay for town council members from $5,000 per year to $12,000, and from $7,500 per year to $15,000 for the mayor. It would be the first raise for the mayor since 2014 and the first for the council since 2002.

News

Police: Driver was speeding in fatal Old Keene Mill Road crash

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 14, 2022 at 9:30AM

Eastbound Old Keene Mill Road at the Huntsman Blvd intersection in Springfield (via Google Maps)

The driver in a crash that killed a 93-year-old man in West Springfield last month has now been charged with reckless driving, Fairfax County police announced yesterday.

Jessica Bonilla Alfaro, a 41-year-old Springfield resident, “was travelling above the speed limit and in a reckless manner” when she crashed into a 2017 Toyota Camry on Old Keene Mill Road at the Huntsman Blvd intersection on Nov. 7, the police department said.

News

NEW: A pedestrian crossing on Route 123 from Tysons Corner Center is in the works

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 13, 2022 at 1:30PM

The intersection of Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) and Tysons Blvd outside Tysons Corner Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Talks are underway to design a street-level crossing across Route 123 at Tysons Blvd, a daunting challenge that would — at least in theory — improve access to Tysons Corner Center for pedestrians, bicyclists and others.

Fairfax County, the Virginia Department of Transportation and Macerich, the mall owner and developer, are currently hashing out an agreement for the crossing as an alternative to the existing pedestrian bridge that links the mall’s plaza to the Tysons Metro station on the other side of Route 123, also known as Chain Bridge Road.

Around Town

Vienna: A town of two Cavas?

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 13, 2022 at 11:00AM

Cava will replace the former Zoës Kitchen at 418 Maple Avenue East in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The former Zoës Kitchen in Vienna won’t remain vacant for long.

Just days after the fast-casual Mediterranean chain shuttered on Nov. 30, signs appeared on the building at 418 Maple Avenue East indicating that its parent company, Cava, will be moving in.

News

JUST IN: 70-year-old pedestrian dies weeks after SUV crash in Kings Park

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 13, 2022 at 10:25AM

Kings Park Drive at the turn to eastbound Braddock Road (via Google Maps)

A 70-year-old woman died last week from injuries dealt by an SUV that hit her outside the Kings Park neighborhood in West Springfield half a month earlier.

On Nov. 15, Springfield resident Ly Tran was using the Braddock Road crosswalk to go from Kings Park Drive to the north side, which is the entrance to the Parkwood Baptist Church, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release today.

News

Bomb and shooting threat sent over ‘drag brunch’ at Fair Lakes restaurant

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 13, 2022 at 9:30AM

Blue Iguana Restaurant and Bar in Fair Lakes (via Google Maps)

Fairfax County police are investigating a threat of violence against the Blue Iguana in Fair Lakes and a local drag performer partnered with the restaurant and bar.

The anonymous email sent Saturday morning (Dec. 10) said that “several bombs” had been placed inside the restaurant in the Shops at Fair Lakes (12727 Shoppes Lane) as well as the home of a drag queen who hosts a “Sassy Saturdays Drag Brunch” on the second Saturday of each month, starting Nov. 12.

Countywide

County board devotes more Covid relief funds to affordable housing

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 12, 2022 at 2:15PM

Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing's proposed two 20-story affordable housing buildings in Dominion Square West, seen from the southwest (via KGD Architecture/Fairfax County)

Fairfax County has now committed $45 million of the COVID-19 relief funds it received from the federal government to supporting affordable housing projects.

The Board of Supervisors approved the latest allocation of $15 million at its meeting last Tuesday (Dec. 6), and more could be on the way next year, if the board opts to dip into a reserve fund to further its goal of creating 10,000 more affordable units by 2034.

News

Tysons Bikeshare stations may be shuffled from office to residential sites

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 12, 2022 at 1:30PM

Two parking spaces on Chain Bridge Road near Kingston at McLean Crossing could be replaced by a Capital Bikeshare station (via Fairfax County)

Much has changed in the landscape of Tysons and people’s travel habits since Capital Bikeshare first pulled into town in 2016.

As a result, Fairfax County plans to relocate some of the bicycle-sharing company’s 15 established stations in the area to new spots that better accommodate Tysons’ growing residential population and the rise of remote work accelerated by the pandemic.

News

Vienna man arrested after displaying gun to teen walking dog, cursing

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 12, 2022 at 9:30AM

A Vienna police car parked on Cherry Street (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Vienna police arrested the same man twice earlier this month for separate incidents where he was allegedly drunk, including one where he flashed a gun at a passing dogwalker.

First, an officer was called to Blackstone Terrace and Holmes Drive NW intersection at 7:45 p.m. on Dec. 2 for a report of a man standing outside and yelling profanity, according to the Vienna Police Department’s crime roundup for the week of Dec. 2-8.

News

FCPD motor officer thrown from bike, seriously injured in collision near GMU

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 9, 2022 at 3:30PM

FCPD Lt. Dan Spital addresses a crash on Braddock Road in Fairfax that seriously injured a motorcycle officer (via FCPD/Facebook)

The Fairfax County Police Department’s motor squad encountered an emergency of its own while responding to an incident early this afternoon.

A motorcycle officer was seriously injured in a collision with a Jeep on Braddock Road that police believe was attempting to get out of the squad’s way, FCPD Public Affairs Bureau Commander Lt. Dan Spital said at a media briefing.