(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) A coffee shop inspired by Saudi Arabia’s cafe culture is now bringing that hip energy to both Tysons malls.

Shotted has gained a loyal following, especially within the D.C. area’s Muslim community, since opening a kiosk at Tysons Corner Center in 2020. Three years later, Shotted has expanded for the first time with a new branch in Tysons Galleria.

In its soft-opening phase since Nov. 16, the new shop can be found in the mall’s third-floor food hall, replacing Twelve Twenty Coffee. Seeking to rebuild after the departure of former operator Urbanspace, the hall is still home to Andy’s Pizza and Empanadas De Mendoza.

“We’re very happy to be here and happy to be part of this community,” Shotted founder and CEO Bandar Alhenaki said. “We want people to come in and enjoy their time shopping at the Galleria and also enjoy quality coffee and quality dessert with their family and friends.”

While it seems unusual for a business to open two locations within walking distance of each other, Shotted’s Tysons Galleria shop diverges in several ways from its predecessor.

To start with, it’s envisioned as more of a dine-in experience to take advantage of the food hall’s more extensive seating, while the heavily trafficked Tysons Corner Center location is designed for quick service, Alhenaki says.

The Galleria shop also opens earlier — at 7:30 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. — so it can serve morning commuters, including workers at nearby office buildings. Accordingly, it has an expanded menu with sandwiches, hot croissants and other breakfast food as well as additional desserts, such as date pudding and soft-serve ice cream.

“We’re excited to serve them…during their morning coffee and also be a business hub for them to bring in clients and take to meetings in the Galleria in this amazing space,” Alhenkai said.

Shotted currently closes at 10 p.m. at Tysons Galleria, but its goal is to eventually extend that to 11 p.m., which would be the same weekday closing time as the Tysons Corner Center location.

Rich Dinning, Tysons Galleria’s senior general manager, calls Shotted “a great addition” to the mall for “bringing a new warm community feel” as well as “a wide variety of premium drinks and desserts.”

“Our customers can enjoy their favorite cup of coffee with a friend or while they shop our iconic collection of tenants,” Dinning said in a statement.

The addition of a second location is just the start of Alhenaki’s plans to expand Shotted, first to other parts of the D.C. area, and then, nationwide. Though no specific sites have been identified yet, he says the business is “aiming for the Arlington area, D.C., and such.”

“We are working on that expansion strategy to make it happen in 2024,” he said.

A land design and engineering firm will expand soon with a new office in Fairfax County, where it already regularly consults on development projects.

Headquartered in Woodbridge, Land Design Consultants (LDC) announced Thursday (Nov. 9) that it will open a second Northern Virginia office in Metroplace I, an 8-floor office building at 2650 Park Tower Drive near the Dunn Loring Metro station.

Intended to give the company a base closer to its clients in the D.C. area, the new, 4,000-square-foot office will focus on landscape architecture services with studio space for 20 employees, who are expected to move in this coming January, according to a press release.

“This is an exciting step forward as our company celebrates nearly 40 years offering land development engineering, planning and surveying services to our valued clients,” LDC President Matt Marshall said in the press release. “This new office will allow us to continue our mission of providing technical expertise, sustainable design and quality work that contributes to the success of our clients’ projects.”

The landscape architecture studio will be led by LDC Director of Project Managment Jessica Bradshaw, according to the firm.

Founded in 1985, LDC provides planning, civil engineering and surveying services to developers. Its Fairfax County work has included The Lofts at Reston Station, Stonebrook at Westfields, and the redevelopment of the Four Seasons Tennis Club in Merrifield into the Marche’ townhomes.

Current projects include The Flats at Tysons, a condominium development that will be built on a parking lot behind the Fairfax Square shopping center, and Workhouse Place, single-family houses currently under construction next to the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton.

MetroPlace I has four spaces available for lease, totaling 12,875 square feet, according to property manager Lincoln Property Company.

On their own, the first developments approved by Fairfax County since it overhauled its plan to revitalize downtown McLean seem modest.

One is a corporate headquarters expansion, while the other is a seven-story, mostly residential building, promising 130 new units of housing but not exactly rivaling the scale of the high-rises going up in Tysons.

However, the developers and county leaders anticipate that, when considered together, the Mars and Astoria projects will be transformative, a first step in the McLean Community Business Center’s evolution from car-centric strip malls and “superblocks” to a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood village.

“This has been a long process. It’s not just this application. It’s the whole CBC plan, the design guidelines, really reshaping McLean in a way that’s going to be amazing and permanent,” Holland & Knight partner Michelle Rosati told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at an Oct. 24 public hearing, where she represented Astoria developer JAG Partners LLC.

Approved by the board with back-to-back unanimous votes, the Astoria and Mars projects will redevelop adjacent commercial lots bounded by Old Dominion Drive and Elm Street. Those two streets will get a much-needed connection along the shared property line in the form of a linear park with an 8-foot-wide pedestrian walkway provided by JAG Partners.

The Mars expansion

Based in McLean since 1984, Mars filed a proposal in April 2022 that would double the size of its headquarters building at 6860 Old Dominion Drive to 126,974 square feet — the first rezoning application in downtown McLean since the Board of Supervisors adopted the new comprehensive plan in June 2021.

Under the development plan, the candy manufacturer will demolish a second office building on the site at 6867 Elm Street and shift parking to a 205-space underground garage. The existing surface parking will mostly be replaced by a 1,850-square-foot, publicly accessible park with seating and a pergola along Old Dominion Drive.

Mars has also agreed to upgrade a Metrobus stop on Old Dominion with a new bus shelter. A private amenity space for employees at the property’s rear will be renovated with walking paths and terraces for entertainment.

Cozen O’Connor land use attorney Evan Pritchard, representing Mars, noted that the new headquarters will add a loading dock with a mechanical turntable to avoid creating traffic issues on Moyer Place.

“The truck will be able to come front-end into the loading dock and be rotated 180 degrees,” Pritchard said. “It can do its unloading and drive right back out, which is not something I’ve seen before, so I want to toot Mars’ horn and the architects’ efforts.”

He also highlighted a relocation of exterior backup generators inside the two-story building as “a big improvement for the community” and architectural changes that will let in more natural light. Read More

River-Sea Chocolate Factory is moving its chocolate production facility to Reston, though its retail store and hot chocolate cafe will remain in Chantilly at 4520 Daly Drive, Suite 100.

While the company isn’t ready to share the exact address yet, co-founder Krissee D’Aguiar tells FFXnow they are in the process of working with architects and engineering experts to plan the build-out for the Reston location, which is expected to start operations next year.

“This strategic expansion will allow us to continue providing the finest bean-to-bar chocolate products to the D.C. area and enhance our production capabilities,” the company said in a statement. “We want to assure our customers that our retail shop and hot chocolate cafe will remain in Chantilly, ensuring that you can still enjoy our nourishing bean-to-bar chocolate and experiences in the same familiar location.”

The company plans to celebrate its fifth anniversary with a party on Nov. 4 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Chantilly factory.

The $8 entrance ticket for the event includes a s’mores kit, hot chocolate, and samples of chocolate from around the world. The event will also include live music by Herndon percussionist All Around Acoustics from 1-4 p.m. and cacao bag races that start at 2 p.m.

River-Sea founders Krissee and Mariano D’Aguiar started making chocolate in 2017 after visiting family in northern Brazil, where they saw the potential of using food to act as a “connecting bridge” between their life in D.C. and Brazil, according to the company’s website.

Fairfax County’s planning commissioners weren’t quite as giddy as kids in a candy store when presented with Mars Inc.’s plan to expand its McLean headquarters last week, but the general level of enthusiasm wasn’t too far off.

The only note of disappointment sounded during the public hearing last Wednesday (Oct. 11) came when Sully District Commissioner Evelyn Spain joked that she had hoped to get some early Halloween treats.

“I appreciate the fact that Mars is making these changes not because of anything other than they wanted to,” Spain said. “…Apparently their employees come into the office, so I want to commend them on the fact that they are making all these beautiful changes. The green area, the parking, the covered bus stop — all of that is excellent as a draw for people who have to come into the office.”

The commission unanimously recommended approval of the rezoning application, which seeks to double the square footage of the candy manufacturer’s office building at 6860 Old Dominion Drive.

Serving as the global headquarters for Mars since 1984, the two-story, 52,970-square-foot building could expand to 126,974 square feet with a maximum height of three stories or 63 feet under the proposed redevelopment.

For now, the corporation doesn’t intend to build a third floor, but if it does in the future, the addition would provide more space for conference rooms, according to Cozen O’Connor land use attorney Evan Pritchard, who represented Mars at the public hearing.

The expansion will require a demolition of the neighboring office building at 6867 Elm Street, which was built in 1981.

In addition to having a glass, metal, terracotta and brick exterior that lets in more natural light, the new headquarters will follow an open-floor plan concept that supports face-to-face interactions with lots of conference rooms, while also accommodating more flexible work schedules, Pritchard told the planning commission.

“The new facility is not only going to be a much more pleasant place to work, but it’s just going to better serve the way that the company works and how people organize themselves and their time,” Pritchard said, noting that Mars has about 150 employees at its headquarters.

Occupancy typically peaks at around 190 people when the company has board meetings, he said.

Employees will also get access to a redesigned green space at the corner of Ingleside Avenue and Moyer Place with walking paths, an event lawn and improved stormwater management facilities.

Proposed public benefits of the project will mostly be along Old Dominion Drive, including a 1,850-square-foot pocket park at the site’s southern corner, a new bus shelter and a 12-foot-wide shared-use path. Mars has also offered to upgrade the sidewalks and add street trees around the rest of the property and underground all utilities.

Featuring landscaping, seating and a pergola, the park will supplement open space planned for the Astoria, a residential development proposed to replace the adjacent Moby Dick restaurant and McLean Medical Center office building.

Providence District Commissioner Phil Niedzielski-Eichner commended the applicant for agreeing to outfit at least 3% of parking spaces with electric vehicle charging stations. Another 2% of spaces will get conduits to allow for more EV charging in the future.

The site will have 205 parking spaces, most of them in an underground garage. On-street spots will also be available in 8-foot-wide parking lanes on Elm Street, Moyer Place and Ingleside Drive.

Dranesville District Commissioner John Ulfelder called the proposal “a vast improvement of the site,” noting that he appreciates Mars staying in McLean, even if it’s going to temporarily set up in Tysons during construction.

“They’re highly successful,” Ulfelder said of Mars. “This is an opportunity for them to stay where they are and improve their building and their site and everything for their current employees and future employees, and to stay in Fairfax County and McLean. I appreciate that, and I know the people in McLean do.”

A final vote on the application will come from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors after a public hearing on Oct. 24.

Taco Zocalo has officially moved well past its days as a food truck under the name Chef on Wheels.

The Mexican restaurant is opening another location in Fairfax County. A company representative tells FFXnow that the new location is expected to open in the Lincolnia area within two to three months.

It will open in Barcroft Plaza at 6343D Columbia Pike, according to county permits.

Taco Zocalo currently has locations in Ashburn, Reston and Chantilly.

It was started in 2011 by Afghan immigrant and chef Basir Ahadi, whose love of Mexican food inspired him to start his own food truck. His first brick-and-mortar location opened in Reston in 2017.

Items on the menu include tacos, burrito bowls, chimichangas and elote or Mexican street corn.

Located at the intersection of Columbia Pike and Lincolnia Road, Barcroft Plaza is anchored by Harris Teeter and also home to tenants like Starbucks, Glory Days Grill and Jake’s Ice Cream. Taco Zocalo will occupy 1,532 square feet between Navy Federal Credit Union and New York’s Chopped Cheese, per property owner Federal Realty’s site plan.

The site plan shows only one vacancy: a 2,758-square-foot suite next to Super Pollo and Bubble Nails on the western end of the shopping center.

Photo via Google Maps

Qualtrics, a technology and data research company, has officially opened its doors in Reston.

The company, which provides artifical intelligence-driven software to assist businesses with customer and employee “experience management,” is adding an office to “serve as a hub for AI innovation and public sector growth,” according to a press release.

The office will take up more than 52,000 square feet across two full floors in Reston Station.

“Our expansion in Reston marks a significant milestone in Qualtrics’ growth and commitment to innovation, particularly artificial intelligence and machine learning,” Qualtrics CEO Zig Serafin said.

The office design is based on the Capital Beltway with walking paths around each floor that mimic the highway, according to the company. The office also includes the Blues Cafe, a 40-seat work area that was inspired by D.C.’s historic jazz scene.

The Reston office marks an expansion for the company, which acquired Reston-based Clarabridge in 2021. Started in 2005, Clarabridge provides similar AI-powered text and speech analytics software.

“The opening of Qualtrics’ world-class East Coast office reinforces that Virginia’s tech sector is booming,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in the press release. “This new hub in Reston Station will allow Qualtrics to continue to capitalize on the Commonwealth’s pipeline of top talent.”

The company’s cloud-native software is used by more than 600 state, provincial and local government organizations. Its headquarters are in Seattle, Washington, and Provo, Utah, but it has offices around the world.

Shoppers at the Route 29-adjacent Costco might notice some major changes soon.

The wholesale company is seeking a special exception from Fairfax County to increase the size of its existing retail warehouse at 4725 West Ox Road by around 8,500 square feet and enhance some of the store’s departments.

The new addition would be located to the eastern side of the building.

“The additional space proposed for the existing warehouse building would be utilized for upgrading and expanding the delicatessen and rotisserie area, increasing the size of the refrigerated meat storage space, constructing a new produce cooler, and expanding sales aisles,” the application said. “There will be slight increase in [floor area ratio].”

The application says Costco’s Fairfax area location is a popular one, with around 5,000 customers per day. The expansion is estimated to bring in another approximately 300 customers.

The company also anticipates hiring another 16 employees if the addition is approved, bringing its total workforce for that location to approximately 286 people.

The expansion is expected to result in dozens more vehicle trips to the already heavily frequented site, according to the application:

• 26 AM peak hour trips (14 in/12 out)
• 37 PM peak hour trips (18 in/19 out)
• 63 Saturday peak hour trips (31 in/32 out)
• 417 weekday average daily trips (7,453 Weekday average trips total)
• 753 Saturday average daily trips (8,218 Saturday trips total)

“The proposed expansion of the retail warehouse building will provide a significant improvement to the operation of the facility for Costco’s members,” the application said. “The proposed amendment conforms to the spirit of the Zoning Ordinance and the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan. Therefore, for the reasons set forth herein, the Applicant respectfully requests approval of this Special Exception Amendment application.”

The county accepted the application for review on Sept. 6, but no hearings have been scheduled yet.

The proposal comes after Costco got the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ approval in March to expand the gas station at its West Ox location from 16 to 30 fuel pumps.

Image via Google Maps

VHC Health is making a big push to bring its health care services closer to Fairfax County residents.

With a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Wednesday (Aug. 9), the health system introduced its new Vienna practice to the community as part of a building-wide open house at 527 Maple Avenue, which also recently welcomed the gym Advanced Fitness & Sports Performance.

At its 4,000-square-foot office, VHC Health Physicians offers primary care services for patients 6 and older as well as OB-GYN services for patients 14 and older. The practice is currently staffed with two primary care physicians, an obstetrician and three advanced OB-GYN practice providers.

“In our office in Vienna, we’re really excited about being in such a great community,” VHC Health President and CEO Chris Lane said. “We had a great open house…where a lot of community members came out and really thanked us for providing this option and this choice for them to be able to access the great care from VHC.”

Formerly known as Virginia Hospital Center, VHC Health rebranded last year in conjunction with plans to expand both within and outside of its flagship hospital in Arlington.

In less than two years, the nonprofit has opened clinical offices in Annandale, Tysons, West Springfield and Kingstowne on top of the Vienna practice. Opened in June, the Kingstowne office served as an multi-specialty replacement for a Hybla Valley office that permanently closed.

The services available at each location vary. For instance, the Tysons office at 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 305, has specialists in cardiology, gastroenterology and urology, along with primary care and OB-GYN practitioners.

Lane says the recent expansion reflects an evolving focus in VHC Health on preventative care and a desire to bring that care out into the community “where people work and people live.” The health system has also strengthened its telemedicine services in response to the pandemic.

“Our differentiator is we want to be able to provide that care out to the community,” Lane said. “Patients want a choice, and they want to have the ability to choose where they go and have an option, and VHC is a great option for people to receive that care right near their home.”

When looking for potential office locations, VHC Health considers the area’s demographics and what kinds of health care services are already available, Lane says.

To that end, the nonprofit is already working on another local office, this time in Merrifield. The facility at 3025 Hamaker Court will provide surgical services, something that VHC doesn’t yet offer in Fairfax County.

Construction is underway on the practice, which will be in a medical office-heavy area between the Mosaic District and the Inova Fairfax Hospital campus. The work is on track to finish this year, likely in the fourth quarter between October and December, according to Lane.

While other specific locations haven’t been identified yet, Lane says VHC Health plans to continue expanding. After an attendee at Wednesday’s open house in Vienna suggested an office in Reston, perhaps a site west of Route 123 could be next.

“People speak to us, they want the VHC brand and they want the VHC great quality of care in their community, so it’s something we obviously would have to consider,” Lane said.

Centreville’s Meat Project is preparing to fire up a grill at Halstead Square in Merrifield.

The all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue restaurant is expanding for the first time to The Lofts apartment building at 2727 Merrilee Drive, where it has leased a 3,456-square-foot, ground-floor space, per a site plan from retail broker Rosenthal Properties.

Construction has begun on the new location, Meat Project owner Sam Kim says. The business is aiming to open in early December.

“We are an all-you-can-eat, Korean meat-focused place,” Kim told FFXnow. “There’s places that have a la carte, there’s places that have different Korean food, but for us, it’s more so that people can try different things when they just pay per person. It gives them the opportunity to try different things.”

The possibility of expansion wasn’t guaranteed for Meat Project, which opened at 5825 Trinity Parkway in Centreville in July 2020 — right as Virginia was easing restrictions imposed on businesses to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Kim and his mother, Grace, created the restaurant to expand their reach after gaining a foothold in Annandale as the longtime owners of Rainbow Food Catering and Manoa Bakery Cafe, Northern Virginia Magazine reported at the time.

Launching in the middle of the pandemic, pre-vaccinations, “was very hard for us,” Kim says, but after two rocky first years, the business has now settled down.

“Now, we’re getting more regulars. We’re getting more people in, so we felt like now is a good time to expand,” he said.

Located across the street from Lost Dog Cafe in the former Gama Chicken & BBQ space, Meat Project’s Merrifield restaurant is smaller in size than its standalone Centreville location, but the menu and bar will have more items, according to Kim.

In Centreville, the menu features a variety of beef, chicken, pork and seafood options, from staples of Korean barbecue like bulgolgi and galbi (short ribs) to more unusual items like honey butter octopus. The bar will serve “cocktail items and stuff like that,” Kim says.

The restaurant charges a flat $30 per person for all-you-can-eat meals, though kids shorter than 4-and-a-half feet can eat for $20 and kids under 3 feet are free.

Kim says the Merrifield location will likely follow the same operating hours, opening at noon every day and closing at 11 p.m. or midnight.

Korean barbecue options are limited in Merrifield, at least compared to Centreville. Right now, the closest restaurant to Meat Project’s upcoming site is Puzukan Tan in Yorktowne Plaza Shopping Center at 8114 Arlington Blvd.