An apartment building is one step closer to construction in Annandale’s Eastgate Shopping Center.
At a public hearing yesterday (Wednesday), the Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve a plan from developer Eastgate JV LLC. The finished building would have up to 280 residential units — 8% of them workforce dwelling units — and up to 11,200 square feet of ground-floor retail.
There were no public comments on the proposal, which also proposes 23,858 square feet of publicly accessible urban park space in the form of a civic plaza and linear park.
The new development would take over space occupied by The Block food hall, and requires rezoning. Scott Adams, a lawyer representing the project developer, said there were plans to retain The Block in some form, in collaboration with Eastgate Shopping Center ownership.
“We’re working with [The Block] on a new concept that’s going to go into the remaining shopping center, so we’re not losing that user,” Adams said.
The planning commission also recommended that the Board of Supervisors permit the developer to build 1.34 parking spaces per apartment unit — fewer than the 1.6 spaces per unit required by the county’s zoning ordinances.
Concerns about parking resulted in a narrow 5-4 approval of the Eastgate development plan by the Mason District Land Use Advisory Committee, according to Mason District Commissioner Daren Shumate.
At that meeting, the committee also discussed Parking Reimagined, which rewrote the county’s parking requirements, Adams noted. The initiative was approved last month and will take effect on Jan. 1.
Adams said the parking request came from looking at a variety of factors, including utilization rates for other projects in Fairfax County and standards from the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
The Eastgate Shopping Center features a number of businesses, including grocery store K Market International, thrift store B-thrifty, and restaurants including SB Han’s Korean Food and Dragon Mochi Donuts & Drinks.
Adams said the shopping center is “a pretty vibrant environment,” but he didn’t rule out the possibility that the rest of the center could “eventually” get turned into housing.
“We would anticipate that the remainder of the center would redevelop with probably residential,” he said.
The Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan encourages “appropriate revitalization and selected redevelopment” of the Annandale Community Business Center (CBC), where the proposed development is located. In particular, the plan looks to boost the mostly commercial area’s residential population and pedestrian accessibility.
According to a county staff report, the developer has agreed to provide a trail and remove an existing right-turn lane along John Marr Drive as part of the project.
“Staff believes both improvements will enhance the pedestrian experience along John Marr Drive,” staff wrote.
A nearby bus stop on southbound John Marr Drive south of Columbia Pike will also be upgraded with a bus shelter and ADA-accessible pad.
Even as they supported the project, Franconia District Commissioner Dan Lagana and Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina cautioned against gentrification of the area’s retail and restaurants.
“It has good bones, and it could be something really great, and it is good to get people within the CBC area,” Cortina said, noting that the area remains mostly retail. “But the gentrification of retail and of the restaurants would be a real shame, and we don’t want to lose that in Annandale.”
A Board of Supervisors hearing on the application is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 24.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is ready to take a hard look at the future of Gallows Road.
The department will introduce a Gallows Road Multimodal Study with two public meetings next week, seeking feedback on enhancing mobility and safety along the major road between Tysons and Annandale. It will also give an update on the current travel conditions.
According to FCDOT communications head Freddy Serrano, the study is needed to address various transportation and connectivity challenges in the Gallows Road corridor.
“[Those include] pedestrian and bicycle facilities, limited mobility options, traffic conditions, and barriers created by I-495,” he said. “It aims to explore opportunities to mitigate these barriers and improve multimodal mobility between the planned land uses on the east and west sides of the interstate.”
Serrano says the goal is to find solutions and improve accessibility for everyone who uses the corridor, while supporting planned development.
Merrifield in particular is poised for growth. This spring, the county designated proposals to redevelop aging buildings in the area as top priorities for review, and plans to convert former Inova office buildings into live/work units recently raised concerns about traffic backups at the Gallows and Gatehouse Road intersection.
“Additionally, the study is essential for securing funding and planning for transportation infrastructure projects that align with the goals of the comprehensive plan and accommodate future development,” Serrano said.
The study stems from a comprehensive plan amendment that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved in 2019, opening up the Merrifield Suburban Center to more mixed-use development. With the vote, the board also directed staff to:
- Conduct a comprehensive study of multimodal transportation opportunities
- Study the barriers to connectivity in the Merrifield suburban center created by I-495, and opportunities to mitigate the barriers
- Develop a funding plan for the transportation infrastructure improvements recommended in the Merrifield suburban center comprehensive plan.
The study started late last year, and it’s expected to wrap up by 2024.
“Overall, the study aims to improve transportation infrastructure and connectivity within the Merrifield suburban center and along Gallows Road to support sustainable development and enhance mobility for residents and stakeholders in the area,” Serrano said.
The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 19. at 7 p.m. and will be virtual. A second meeting will be held in person at Luther Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Road) on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.
Comments will be accepted until the end of the business day on Friday, Oct. 6.
(Updated at 4 p.m.) Fairfax County police are investigating two deaths at an apartment in Annandale.
Officers responded to the 4100 block of Wadsworth Court earlier this afternoon after a man and a woman, both adults, were found dead in the Fairmont Gardens Apartments, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“There is no apparent threat to public safety,” the FCPD said. “Detectives are responding to investigate the circumstances.”
A department spokesperson said it’s too early to comment on the circumstances or cause of the deaths, including whether any crime is suspected. The relationship between the two individuals has also not yet been determined.
“The scene is contained to an apartment. An autopsy will be completed tomorrow and updates will be provided,” the FCPD said in an update at 4 p.m.
Officers are on the scene of a death investigation in the 4100 Blk of Wadsworth Ct, in Annandale. An adult man & woman were found deceased inside an apartment. There is no apparent threat to public safety. Detectives are responding to investigate the circumstances. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/zzRIPCaOjU
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) August 22, 2023
Over in Annandale, taste buds are tingling as Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken gears up for a new restaurant opening.
The rapidly expanding fried chicken chain recently announced via Instagram that it will be opening its next Northern Virginia location at 7042 Little River Turnpike. The future storefront will occupy a former Wendy’s now rebranded to EastGate Square, according to property manager Willard Retail.
Further details, like a specific opening date, have yet to be released. FFXnow has reached out to the Richmond-based franchise for more information but didn’t hear back by publication.
Hangry Joe’s also has a location coming to Tysons.
Located at the intersection of Little River Turnpike and John Marr Drive, Eastgate Square is also set to house Moby Dick House of Kabob, according to Annandale Today. The Annandale-based news site reported that the fast-casual Persian restaurant estimated it will open this past June, but it remains under development.
Clearly, Annandale residents will have no shortage of new dining options in the upcoming year, as Hangry Joe’s joins the ever-growing list of shops slated for future openings in the EastGate complex.
Boba chain Tiger Sugar, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and a beer garden have all recently shared plans to open at 4363 John Marr Drive as part of Eastgate’s strip mall just ahead of the square.
Photos via Google Maps
A 29-year-old man from Annandale will spend the rest of his life in federal prison after he was sentenced on Friday (Aug. 4) for participating in and helping cover up the murder of a fellow gang member.
Sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Jose Henry Hernandez-Garcia was convicted of racketeering, murder and conspiracy to destroy and conceal evidence on Dec. 16, 2022 after a two-week trial.
According to the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hernandez-Garcia and at least three other members of the international gang MS-13 stabbed and killed an unnamed victim at the house of Jose Domingo Ordonez-Zometa — allegedly their branch’s leader — in Landover Hills, Maryland, on March 8, 2019.
Ordonez-Zometa had called a meeting to discuss suspicions that the victim was working with the police, prosecutors said in a news release.
During the questioning, Hernandez-Garcia, his co-defendants and at least one other MS-13 member assaulted Victim 1, based on their incorrect suspicions that Victim 1 was cooperating with law enforcement. They also assaulted another MS-13 member who attempted to defend Victim 1. The assault culminated with Ordonez-Zometa, as LGCS clique leader, ordering that Victim 1 be killed. Hernandez-Garcia, [Jose Rafael] Ortega-Ayala, and other MS-13 members then stabbed and murdered Victim 1 in Ordonez-Zometa’s basement.
According to trial testimony, after the murder, Ordonez-Zometa ordered Hernandez-Garcia, Ortega-Ayala, and other LGCS clique members and co-conspirators, to conceal and destroy evidence of the murder. Ortega-Ayala and other MS-13 members transported the body of the victim to a secluded location in Stafford County, Virginia, and set the victim’s body on fire, then destroyed and concealed evidence of the murder from the vehicle used to transport the victim. Meanwhile, Ordonez-Zometa, Hernandez-Garcia, and another MS-13 member stayed at the crime scene and attempted to remove, destroy, and conceal evidence of the murder, including the blood of Victim 1.
Ordonez-Zometa and Ortega-Ayala were also convicted in December. The former was given life in prison on March 6, while the latter could get the same sentence at a hearing on Sept. 25.
This isn’t the first time a Fairfax County resident has been convicted of a murder tied to MS-13 activities. Last November, five people were sentenced to life in prison for killing two teens at Holmes Run Stream Valley Park in Annandale in 2016.
Photo via Wesley Tingey/Unsplash
Boba enthusiasts anxiously waiting for the popular Tiger Sugar boba chain to land in Northern Virginia will finally have the opportunity to try its specialty drinks soon.
One Tiger Sugar location is set to come to 5704 Pickwick Road in a Centreville shopping center best known for housing Sō Korean BBQ. Signage at the window did not indicate an exact opening date but announced that the shop was accepting hiring applications.
Tiger Sugar’s second Northern Virginia location is slated to be at 4363 John Marr Drive in Annandale’s EastGate Shopping Center next to thrift store B-Thrifty and K Market International. The Annandale location will be housed with L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and a beer garden in the same storefront, both of which have yet to open as well, according to Annandale Today.
An exact opening date was also not made available for this location.
Originating in Taichung, Taiwan, Tiger Sugar is best known for its black sugar bubble tea made using a “proprietary” eight-hour cooking method, its website says. Tiger Sugar’s drinks are especially popular on social media, where online users show off their creamy concoctions lined with brown, hand-poured syrup streaks reminiscent of “tiger stripes.”
Since its launch in 2017, Tiger Sugar has expanded to over 50 storefronts across the U.S. but has yet to come to Virginia, which makes these two openings particularly noteworthy for locals.
Tiger Sugar did not respond to FFXnow’s request for comment before press time.
Local police have arrested a 20-year-old Woodbridge man in connection with a Father’s Day shooting in in the McNair neighborhood.
Zaire Davis was arrested on June 29 for a robbery that happened in Annandale on June 25 — a process during which a detective noticed a “striking resemblance” to a sketch released to the community related to the June 18 shooting.
“Based on the investigation and evidence recovered, detectives determined Davis was involved in the shooting that occurred on Cornelia Road,” the Fairfax County Police Department announced today.
Detectives then secured a search warrant and found a handgun, revolver, ammunition and electronic devices.
Davis was charged yesterday (Wednesday) with malicious wounding and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting. He is being held without bond.
For the Annandale robbery, he faces charges of robbery, malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and conspiracy to commit robbery.
According to police, a man was found in the 2500 block of Cornelia Road on Father’s Day morning with a gunshot wound to the upper body. His injuries were initially described as life-threatening, but his condition later stabilized while he was in the hospital.
The FCPD says detectives are still looking for a second suspect in the shooting, which they believe started when the men attempted to break into the victim’s vehicle. The other suspect is described as being in his early 20s with brown hair.
Construction is well underway on Annandale’s new civic space, but it will take a little more money to bring Fairfax County’s full vision to fruition.
The cost of the project, which will turn a parking lot at 7200 Columbia Pike into an urban park, has exceeded the available funding, leading to some elements getting revised or eliminated, Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross told the Board of Supervisors yesterday (Tuesday).
Gross requested that the county consider providing an additional $100,000 so those elements, including lighting and parking lot changes, can be reincorporated.
“While the project could be completed as-is, I believe strongly that the inclusion of certain design elements…would position the park for greater visitor safety and long-term success,” Gross said. “Pursuit of these elements during a subsequent phase of construction would contribute positively to the park’s visibility, connectivity, and ability to serve as an anchor for civic connection in an important revitalization area.”
In the works since 2018, the Annandale Civic Space will transform the county-owned site with a plaza, a green lawn with a “topography” playground, an educational garden and an accessible walkway linking Daniels Avenue to Columbia Pike.
Currently, construction is on track to finish this fall, according to the Department of Planning and Development’s community revitalization section.
Initially, the county estimated a “ballpark cost” of $600,000 to $650,000, DPD staff said at a community meeting in 2021. However, by the time construction began this past March, the total estimate had grown to $700,000, according to the DPD’s project page.
Lighting along the walkway through the park and enhancements to the parking lot shown in the final design concept in 2019 were dropped from an updated rendering approved in July 2022.
If approved, the additional funding will primarily go toward realizing the county’s vision of the parking lot as a pop-up programming and events space, according to Gross.
“As the project evolved, designers saw an opportunity to utilize excess parking lot surface by shifting some of the parking spaces to install a more direct sidewalk construction and landscaping panel from the plaza area to the public sidewalk along Columbia Pike,” she told FFXnow. “Funds for Phase 2 also would implement the envisioned catenary lighting, reseal and repaint the parking lot, and install bollards around the refuse collection pad to ensure the bins remain in their proper location.”
During business hours, the lot is expected to provide parking for the Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA) Child Development Center, which operates out of the former Annandale Elementary School building on the site.
Gross said the project has “required creativity and flexibility,” including when it came to financing. Since 2020, the county has assembled funds for construction from a variety of sources, including a $363,250 environmental improvement program grant and Economic Opportunity Reserve funds.
At Gross’s request, the project will now be considered for funding from the county’s fiscal year 2023 carryover review, an annual process that allocates any leftover money from the previous fiscal year.
The county’s fiscal year ends on June 30, so the Board of Supervisors typically approves the carryover package in the fall.
A Hawaiian Islands restaurant is coming soon to Annandale’s EastGate Shopping Center.
L&L Hawai’i plans to open soon at 4363 John Marr Drive, according to the company’s website.
The menu features plate lunches of rice, macaroni salad and a choice of a local catch, chicken entree or alternate option. According to the restaurant, plate lunches are known as “the state food of Hawaii” and stem from compartmentalized meals of leftovers brought to work by wage laborers on 19th century sugar plantations and pineapple fields.
Spam, a canned meat, will also be sold at the location.
Johnson Kam and Eddie Flores Jr. introduced L&L to the mainland U.S. in 1999.The business had been around for more than 50 years prior to that.
The company now has more than 200 locations throughout Hawaii, the mainland and Japan. L&L did not return a request for comment from FFXnow by press time, but Annandale Today reported that work on the building is expected to wrap up in August.
According to Annandale Today, a beer garden and cane sugar juice bar are also planned for the last vacant storefront in the EastGate Shopping Center, which was built a few years ago in place of a vacated Kmart.
Now home to the grocery store K Market International and The Block, a popular food hall, the shopping center could add a mixed-use apartment building if developer Insight Property Group’s rezoning proposal is approved by Fairfax County. The application is currently scheduled for a public hearing before the Fairfax County Planning Commission on Oct. 11.
Image via Google Maps
Fairfax County has officially welcomed two new Flagship Carwash locations.
The regional car washing and detailing company recently added shops in Fairfax City and Annandale. Another location opened in Woodbridge, bringing the number of locations in Virginia to 23.
The Fairfax and Woodbridge locations are now open. A grand opening weekend event is set for the Annandale location at 7333 Little River Turnpike today through Sunday (June 16-18).
Free car washes, prize raffles and giveaways will be offered. Annandale residents will also get 50% off of the first month of unlimited membership through June 30.
Previously a Soaps & Suds Carwash, the Annandale location was renovated to “bring equipment and technology up to Flagship standards,” according to the company.
The Fairfax location is located at 10874 Fairfax Blvd. It’s open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
“We’re thrilled to open our doors to three more communities in Virginia, meeting a long-time, growing demand for an efficient and high-quality car washes,” Flagship Carwash Vice President and General Manager Dave Dittman said. “We understand the toll the DMV’s climate takes on our cars so we’re proud to offer the flexibility and convenience of our subscription programs with so many locations to choose from around your home or work.”
The company was founded in 1986. Flagship Carwash owns and operates more than 30 full-service and express car wash locations, including in Vienna and Herndon.
