Pupatella, a Neapolitan pizzeria with roots in Arlington, is slated to open another location in Fairfax County later this year.
The pizza restaurant will open at Chantilly Plaza (13619 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway) by the winter of this year, according to a company spokesperson. The opening could come as early as this fall, but an exact date is not yet known.
Pupatella managing partner Michael Berger says he looks forward to bringing a taste of Italy to the company’s new neighbors.
“Chantilly is a thriving and dynamic community with an amazing group of neighbors and businesses,” Berger said. “In fact, when we started searching for our next location, our research revealed that many of our current fans reside there. The new Chantilly location also partners very well with our existing pizzerias nearby in Leesburg and Reston.”
The restaurant originated as a food truck in 2007 after owners Enzo Algarme and Anastasiya Laufenberg were inspired by a visit to Algarme’s parents in Naples, Italy. It opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Ballston in 2010.
Since then, the company has opened several other locations, including ones in Springfield and the Mosaic District in Merrifield. A Capitol Hill location is coming this summer, along with two other locations in the next two years.
Items on the menu include Napoli street snacks, red pizzas, white pizzas, and salads.
Fairfax Connector is shaking up its service along the I-66 corridor in anticipation of two major parking facilities finishing construction later this year.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation has proposed adding or revising almost 30 routes in Tysons, Vienna, Springfield, Chantilly and Centreville, as it seeks to incorporate the upcoming Springfield and Monument Drive garages into its bus system.
According to FCDOT, the changes will improve travel throughout the D.C. region, with the Monument Commuter Parking Garage and Transit Center in particular supporting new connections between the eastern and western sides of the county.
“By creating a transfer point at the new Monument Park-and-Ride facility, riders will have the opportunity to transfer between local routes, access regional routes, and connect to the Vienna Metrorail Station, Franconia Metrorail Station, Tysons, or…D.C.,” FCDOT said in a news release.
Shaped by two previous rounds of public engagement, the proposed service plan will be presented today (Monday) at a 7 p.m. community meeting in the Franconia Government Center (6121 Franconia Road). Virtual meetings are also scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) and Thursday (May 25).
The public can also provide input through an online survey until June 5.
Monument Drive
The $43 million Monument facility will boast 820 parking spaces, eight bus bays, a pick-up and drop-off area, and bicycle racks and storage. Located at the Government Center Parkway intersection next to Fairfax Corner, it broke ground in November 2021 as part of the I-66 widening.
FCDOT has proposed adding the facility as a stop on Route 660, a cross-county connector from the Stone Road Park & Ride in Centreville to the Tysons Metro station that launched in February.
Other notable changes involving the Monument facility include:
- Route 605: Reston Town Center Metro station to Fair Oaks Mall
- Route 622: Fairfax Towne Center circulator with more local links and new weekend service
- Route 625: New route to Random Hills Road and Pender Drive
- Route 651: New seven-day service to the Westfields, Chantilly, and Fair Ridge areas
- Route 663: Stringfellow Road Park and Ride to the Vienna Metro station
- Route 670: New peak express service between Chantilly and the Franconia-Springfield
Metro station - Route 671: New peak service from Chantilly to the Dunn Loring Metro station
Fairfax County police are looking for a man who allegedly broke into a woman’s home in Chantilly and tried to sexually assault her.
Officers were called to a house on Iberia Circle at 12:02 p.m. yesterday (Thursday). The man entered the woman’s home through an unlocked door “and attempted to sexually assault her,” according to the police.
“The victim was able to escape her house and contact the police,” the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release today. “The suspect left on foot prior to police arrival. The victim was taken to a local hospital for injuries that were non-life-threatening.”
Police described the man as a stranger to the victim with “straight black hair and a medium build.” At the time of the assault, he was “wearing a long sleeve black shirt, dark pants, and a light blue hospital-style mask,” the FCPD said.
Detectives are investigating the incident as a daytime burglary and attempted sexual assault.
The department said its detectives can be contacted as follows:
Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to call our Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 3. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone – 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), and by web – Click HERE. Download the ‘P3 Tips’ App “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers”. Anonymous tipsters are eligible for a cash reward. Please leave contact information if you wish for a detective to follow up with you.
A Manassas resident who fatally shot a man and hit a woman with a leaf blower at the Chantilly Park Shopping Center in 2019 has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and malicious wounding, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced Friday (April 28).
Steven Green, 55, faced a trial in March for the murder of 30-year-old Chantilly resident Miguel Angel Leiva Hernandez, but that ended with a hung jury.
With the jury about evenly split, no one on the victims’ side wanted to go through the experience of another trial, according to Laura Birnbaum, a spokesperson for the commonwealth’s attorney’s office.
“Having been through it and seeing how the evidence came out and how the jury reacted to it, there just wasn’t any appetite to do that again, so we ended up with this outcome,” Birnbaum said. “…This is guaranteed accountability. It addresses the incident, and all of the victims are happy with it.”
According to the commonwealth’s attorney, Green was cleaning the shopping center’s parking lot on May 24, 2019 when he got into “an altercation” with Myra Osorio Cordero outside a restaurant.
Green used his leaf blowers to send debris towards Osorio Cordero and, after they exchanged words, hit her in the face with one of the leaf blowers. When Leiva Hernandez saw Osorio Cordero bleeding profusely, he followed Green into the parking lot, where a physical struggle ensued and Green shot him once in the chest, killing him.
Osorio Cordero survived the encounter.
CA Descano announced today that Steven Green pleaded guilty to manslaughter and malicious wounding for the 2019 shooting of Miguel Leiva Hernandez. His March trial ended in a hung jury.
Green will be sentenced on September 1st. pic.twitter.com/mTJWsYlHyl
— Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Descano (@FairfaxCountyCA) April 28, 2023
According to a police report at the time, Green remained at the scene in the 14500 block of Lee Jackson Memorial Highway until police arrived. He was charged and tried for murder, malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Green claimed self-defense at the March trial in Fairfax County Circuit Court, according to NBC4.
To secure a guilty plea, prosecutors amended the murder charge to manslaughter and dropped the firearm charge. A sentencing hearing will be held on Sept. 1.
“It’s always a tragedy when a young person dies, and nothing can bring Miguel back to his family and loved ones,” Descano said in a statement on Friday. “As prosecutors, our job is to put on a fair trial, and we respect the original jury’s serious deliberation of the evidence in this case. Today’s agreement guarantees a just outcome for the community.”
Descano’s office also announced Friday that 22-year-old Lorton resident Ronnie Marshall had been sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing Army colonel and doctor Edward McDaniel Jr. and his wife, Brenda McDaniel, a retired Army colonel and a nurse, at their home in Springfield in 2021.
Lidl is almost ready to introduce itself to the Chantilly community.
The German grocer announced today (Thursday) that its store at the Chantilly Crossing shopping center (14445 Chantilly Crossing Lane) will officially open to customers on Wednesday, May 3.
However, for anyone who can’t wait quite that long to get a glimpse of the new store, there will be an open house from 5-6 p.m. on May 2, where attendees can tour the space, try samples and learn more about Lidl, according to a press release.
Then, on May 3, doors will open at 8 a.m. following a 7:40 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. The grand opening will include giveaways of gift cards worth up to $100 for the first 100 people in line, along with a raffle for a $500 gift card.
In addition, Lidl will donate $1 to Capital Area Food Bank for every customer who signs up for its myLidl membership program and sets Chantilly as their “home store.”
Occupying a previously undeveloped lot at the corner of Chantilly Crossing Lane and Lee Road, Lidl joins a shopping center already anchored by Costco and Target. The addition will support a community expected to grow after Fairfax County adopted rules allowing more residential development in the area, Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith noted.
“This is a great addition for the community and with the approval of more residential units in the area Lidl will provide another grocery store option for the residents,” Smith said in the press release. “I was pleased to work with Lidl as they went through the County land use process and welcome them to the Sully District.”
The Chantilly store will be Lidl’s 33rd in Virginia and seventh in Fairfax County. The company has also established locations in Merrifield, Fairfax, Burke, Springfield, Lincolnia, and most recently, McLean.
Known for its discounted prices and eclectic assortment of products, Lidl says it invested “millions of dollars” into the Chantilly site and brought more than 40 new jobs to the community.
The store’s regular operating hours will be from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on all seven days of the week.
The company has additional stores in the works at Liberty Market in Lorton and Pike 7 Plaza in Tysons.
“We are in the final stages of construction for both stores and expect to have more to share on both over the coming months,” Lidl spokesperson Chandler Spivey said.
Facing financial constraints, Fairfax County hopes to defer some public safety projects as part of its bond referendum plan.
At a Fairfax County Planning Commission meeeting late last month, county staff announced intentions to establish a 2024 bond referendum for the Tysons Fire Station. The move would push a referendum for the Chantilly Fire Station from 2024 to 2030 and plans for the fire department’s well-fit training facility to 2030.
The discussion comes as part of the county’s proposed Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for fiscal years 2024-2028, which was unveiled on Feb. 21 in conjunction with a proposed county budget.
A significant portion of the bond program goes to required contributions toward Metro, county staff say.
“It eats into our capacity for other program areas,” Martha Reed, the capital programs coordinator of the Department of Management and Budget, said.
According to Reed, fire department officials were comfortable with postponing the planned project for a new Chantilly Fire Station. The building, which is currently aging, is surrounded by a new development. She also noted that there are early and preliminary talks to redevelop the fire station.
Public safety officials also said they were comfortable with delaying a referendum for a new police station in Tysons.
The county is considering including a new place for the Criminal Justice Academy in the 2024 bond referendum, which would push out a referendum for Tysons Police Station to 2030.
In other parts of the county, a new Chantilly Library was pushed out from 2026 to 2032.
The Tysons Fire Station is the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department’s top priority, according to a summary of the proposed CIP. The county has money for the project design, but not enough for construction, and funds from proffers were also delayed, Reed said.
The project deferrals reflect challenges with the county’s bond referendum plan — namely backlogs in unsold bonds. After they’re approved by voters, bonds must be sold within eight years unless the courts grant a possible two-year extension.
Challenges include restrictions on annual bond sale amounts, changes to projects after voter approval, and project delays, Reed said.
Additionally, the county has factored in a roughly 10 to 12% buffer to project costs due to inflation and escalating costs in construction bids.
A report by a joint county and schools CIP committee recommended devoting one penny on the real estate tax rate toward debt service payments.
The report, completed in 2021, also recommended gradually increasing the limit on annual General Obligation bond sales from $300 to $400 million. Bonds are typically what finance most capital projects.
The county is also exploring other sources for project funding. The old Mount Vernon High School redevelopment, for example, will be supported by Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority bonds. The Tysons Community Center relies on a partnership with the Dominion Square developers.
Bonds by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority are expected to be sold in fiscal year 2024, which begins on July 1.
But Dranesville District Commissioner John Ulfelder said he was concerned about the Tysons police station’s deferral “in light of current events” in the area, namely the recent fatal police shooting at Tysons Corner Center.
“My concern is there is a fair amount of crime in Tysons, or certainty it gets publicity,” Ulfelder said.
The county will revisit its CIP with the commission on March 29, followed by public hearings before the Board of Supervisors on April 11, 12, and 13. The final version will be adopted on May 2.
Several parks in the county will get a funding boost for renovation work through a matching fund grant approved by the Fairfax County Park Authority earlier this month.
The grant program, Mastenbook Volunteer Matching Fund Grant, will power community-led restoration projects at three parks and the batting facility at Chantilly Park.
So far, the FCPA has allocated roughly $31,000 for the projects, which are expected to cost nearly $72,000.
The largest grant allocated $20,000 to the expansion of the Chantilly Park batting facility, which will replace the two existing cages with three hitting stations, while keeping four “soft-toss stations for additional practice space,” according to the park authority’s news release.
A chemical treatment plan to restore the habitat in the Churchill Road and Lewinsville parks in McLean will be funded by roughly $4,000 from the FCPA.
The project will follow work by the McLean Trees Foundation, which planted and maintained 28 native trees in the area and managed the removal of invasive plant species.
“Progress on these efforts has been slowed by the persistent regrowth of invasive species,” the park authority says. “MTF has proposed to launch a more sustainable chemical treatment plan to be implemented by an FCPA-managed contractor to accelerate the habitat restoration.”
Additionally, roughly $7,340 was allocated to restore a family garden next to the recently restored Miller’s House at Colvin Run Mill.
The funds were requested by Friends of Colvin Run Mill to clean the area, repair the stone border, remove invasive plants, plant, much and install interactive markers in the area. The organization will contribute $7,338 to complete funds for the project.
The Mastenbook grant program was established to bridge the gap between bond funding and community desires for new neighborhood facilities. Since it started in 1999, the program has awarded roughly $2 million in grants.
A new crafters’ playground is set to open tomorrow (Saturday) in Chantilly.
Craftspace will hold a grand opening for its maker space, studio and store at 3675 Concorde Parkway in Suite 1500.
The ribbon cutting is slated to take place at 11:30 a.m., although the event starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. The event includes prizes, giveaways, craft souvenirs, and refreshments.
The business offers supplies for scrapbooking, jewelry making, sewing, and stamping. Crafting classes are catered towards children and adults.
The idea came from owner and CEO Amy Robinson. Manager Sarah Christensen assisted in the effort, bringing a team of two local entrepreneurs together in the venture.
“After two years of careful planning, tools and material acquisitions, and space renovations, it is amazing to see the business finally come to life,” Robinson said, adding that her team has fully embraced the underlying business concept that “if you can think it, we can help you make it here.”
Here’s more from the company on the launch:
Crafters of all experience levels are invited to experience Craftspace. Basic tools and supplies are included in the hourly rate for using the space. Premium tools are available for an additional charge. Classes are priced by the event. Memberships are available for those who plan to use the space for several hours each month. The convenient location is perfect for gathering with friends, working on your favorite project or trying a new craft or tool without investing in the needed supplies upfront.
A bus driver was indicted by a grand jury yesterday (Tuesday) for allegedly driving drunk while transporting D.C. kindergarten students home from a trip to Cox Farms in Centreville.
Troy Reynolds, 48, faces nine felony charges of child endangerment and three misdemeanor charges, including a second offense of driving while intoxicated, driving with a disqualified commercial license, and driving a bus without a commercial driver’s license, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced today.
“My office takes crimes that endanger children very seriously,” Descano said in the press release. “We’re grateful to our partners at the Fairfax County Police Department for their collaboration on this case.”
CA Descano announced that a grand jury indicted Troy Reynolds, 48, for charges related to driving a school bus full of kindergartners while intoxicated. pic.twitter.com/UAJZvcnjpF
— Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Descano (@FairfaxCountyCA) December 21, 2022
Reynolds was arrested on Oct. 27 after he reportedly drove a school bus carrying 44 students and four adults from Murch Elementary School off the road, hitting a rock and flattening a tire. Nine kids were injured, according to Descano’s office.
At the insistence of staff on board, the bus stopped in the 1500 block of Conference Center Drive in Chantilly, and the kids were transferred to the Fairfax Criminal Justice Academy, where two buses provided by Fairfax County Public Schools took them to D.C.
The FCPD said at the time that a test revealed that Reynolds had a blood alcohol content of .20. Officers also found that his commercial driver’s license had been revoked in Virginia due to a prior DWI and suspended in Maryland.
The case will go to trial tomorrow (Thursday), according to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
(Updated at 4:35 p.m.) A Fairfax County Public Schools instructional assistant has been arrested after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of cash and goods from a Target in Chantilly.
Fairfax County police arrested Denise Pitkin-Tilson, 55, of Chantilly yesterday and charged her with felony embezzlement for taking more than $10,000 in cash, gift cards and merchandise, the department announced today.
Pitkin-Tilson works as an instructional assistant at Eagle View Elementary School in the Fairfax Corner area. She’s also employed as a cashier by the Target at 4391 Chantilly Crossing Lane, according to the FCPD.
Police say they were contacted at 7:52 p.m. Monday by a Target loss prevention officer who was alerted by the retail company’s headquarters that money was missing after Pitkin-Tilson’s shift.
“Pitkin-Tilson worked as a part-time cashier and was recorded for more than a month,” the FCPD said. “She was seen embezzling money from registers as well as stealing gift cards and merchandise.”
After being questioned at the Sully District Station, Pitkin-Tilson was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. The police department says she has been released on a $2,000 unsecured bond, though no record appears yet in the general district court’s online information system.
“This individual is currently on administrative leave,” FCPS said in a statement.
Here’s more from FCPD on how to contact detectives with any additional information about the case:
Anyone with information about this case, or others possibly related, is asked to contact detectives at 703-246-7800. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone – 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477) and by web - Click HERE. Download the ‘P3 Tips’ App and follow the steps to “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers.” Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1,000 dollars. Please leave contact information if you wish for a detective to follow up with you.
Photo via Google Maps
