News | FFXnow - Part 614

Flats at Tysons condo plan poised for approval despite staff objections

Published December 6, 2022 at 11:45AM | Updated December 6, 2022 at 3:26PM

The proposed Flats at Tysons Corner condo development includes a 14,500-square-foot urban park (via Fairfax County)

(Updated at 3:25 p.m.) Plans for an 86-unit condominium development by Fairfax Square in Tysons will go to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for a public hearing this afternoon after securing the planning commission’s support last week.

The commission voted 9-0 on Wednesday (Nov. 30) to recommend that the board approve Pulte Group’s Flats at Tysons Corner on the 1953 Gallows Road parking lot, despite county staff’s continued objections to loading spaces being on a street rather than inside the buildings.

County sees jump in Covid cases after Thanksgiving, as closures of vaccine and testing sites loom

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 6, 2022 at 9:45AM

Fairfax Health District COVID-19 cases over the past 26 weeks, as of Dec. 5, 2022 (via VDH)

The Fairfax Health District saw an uptick in COVID-19 cases in Thanksgiving’s wake, a reminder that the coronavirus hasn’t disappeared even if the face masks and other health protocols aimed at limiting its spread mostly have.

The district, which includes Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, is averaging 238 cases per day for the past week, as of yesterday, according to Virginia Department of Health data.

Person killed in two-vehicle crash on Prosperity Avenue

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 6, 2022 at 9:05AM | Updated December 6, 2022 at 3:18PM

Fairfax County police car lights flashing (file photo)

(Updated at 3:20 p.m.) A 19-year-old man from Chantilly died this morning in a two-vehicle crash on Prosperity Avenue in Merrifield.

According to police, David Mendez Hernandez was driving north in the 2900 block of Prosperity Avenue in a 2007 Nissan 350Z when he crashed into a tractor-trailer turning left into the southbound lanes. He was transported to a hospital, where he died.

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com

Published December 6, 2022 at 7:30AM

Dawn at Lake Thoreau in Reston (photo by Terry Baranski)

Woman Charged in Bailey’s Crossroads Pedestrian Crash — Yaraliza Rivera Rosado, a 26-year-old Alexandria resident, has been charged with felony hit and run for fatally striking 40-year-old Elise Ballard on Leesburg Pike near the Carlin Springs Road intersection on Oct. 26. Police say Rivera Rosado drove to a parking lot before calling for help, and Ballard was subsequently hit by a second car before officers arrived. [FCPD]

Route 7 Traffic Changes in Wolf Trap Start Today — “On or about Tuesday, Dec. 6, drivers on Route 7 eastbound will experience a lane shift to the south (away from the median) and access changes between Lucky Estates Drive and Lewinsville Road…On or about Dec. 15, the median crossover at Wolftrap Run Road will close permanently, and the median crossover at Lucky Estate Drive will open.” [VDOT]

Sully’s Pour House slams prosecutors over handling of 2021 shooting case

By Fatimah Waseem

Published December 5, 2022 at 3:00PM | Updated March 30, 2023 at 1:37PM

Sully's Pour House in Herndon (via Google Maps)

The owners of Sully’s Pour House, a gastropub in the Town of Herndon, is disappointed over the handling of prosecution against a man who allegedly fired a gun in the business on Nov. 6 last year.

In a scathing Nov. 30 Facebook post, the owners said the justice system failed the business and the community by not taking a tougher stance on the case, accusing the office of Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano of trivializing “a stressful, frightening, and unsafe situation.”

McLean resident announces bid for Dranesville District supervisor seat

By Fatimah Waseem

Published December 5, 2022 at 1:30PM

Jimmy Bierman is running for the seat of Dranesville District Supervisor. (Photo courtesy Stephen Barrett and Moore Campaigns)

The Dranesville District seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has its first candidate for next year’s election.

Jimmy Bierman, a Democratic McLean resident, announced his candidacy last night. Current Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust will not be running next year, FFXnow previously reported.

New hotel at Springfield Town Center moves forward despite delay of park

By Fatimah Waseem

Published December 5, 2022 at 11:45AM

A hotel is slated for approval at Springfield Town Center (Photo courtesy Fairfax County Government/handout).

The first pieces of the long-anticipated redevelopment of Springfield Town Center are officially moving forward.

At a Nov. 30 meeting, the Fairfax County Planning Commission voted to approve the replacement of a surface parking lot with a five-story hotel — a move that the applicant says could jumpstart the rebirth of the area that surrounds the mall.

Another Reston Association board member resigns, leaving five open slots for 2023

By Fatimah Waseem

Published December 5, 2022 at 11:15AM

Small resigned late last month, according to Reston Association (Photo courtesy RA).

Reston Association is seeking to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of board member Glenn Small.

In a late November statement to the Board of Directors, Small wrote that he would not be able to continue with the position after examining his personal and professional commitments.

Fatal crash on Route 50 near Graham Park Plaza raises county’s pedestrian death toll

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 5, 2022 at 10:45AM | Updated December 5, 2022 at 1:26PM

The intersection of Route 50 (Arlington Blvd) and Allen Street in West Falls Church (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) A man died last night after being hit by a vehicle in the Route 50 (Arlington Blvd) intersection with Allen Street in West Falls Church.

The Fairfax County Police Department reported that officers were at the scene of the crash shortly before 8:30 p.m. The pedestrian was transported to a hospital, where he died, police said.

FCPD: Marshall HS special education teacher arrested for alleged assaults on student

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 5, 2022 at 9:30AM

George C. Marshall High School in Idylwood (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A special education teacher at Marshall High School in Idylwood has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a student more than once, Fairfax County police announced Friday night (Dec. 2).

Two different employees reported seeing Amy Bonzano, a 50-year-old Falls Church resident, assaulting a student with disabilities, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.