Detectives have charged a 17-year-old boy with DUI-related manslaughter and maiming in a Nov. 20 crash that killed one teen and seriously injured four others in Fairfax County’s Idylwood area.
In a news release, Fairfax County police said the boy was driving under the influence in a 2003 Lincoln Aviator when he crested a hill on Shreve Road “at a high rate of speed” around 5 a.m. that morning.
The boy struck a tree near Pioneer Lane and the vehicle spun, ejecting the five teenage passengers, the release said. None were wearing seatbelts.
One of the teens died Nov. 27 from his injuries. The four other passengers were seriously injured and have since been released from the hospital.
On Thursday (Feb. 29), detectives obtained warrants charging the driver with DUI-related manslaughter, four counts of DUI maiming and refusal to take a breath test, the release said.
Last night, patrol officers arrested the driver at his Pimmit Hills home. He was held without bond at the Fairfax County jail. His name has not been released because he is a juvenile.
Image via Google Maps. This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission, though the headline has been changed. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
With Virginia’s presidential primary elections just around the corner, one candidate is hoping to whip up some support in Fairfax County before polls open next Tuesday (March 5).
Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley will hold a rally at The Westin Tysons Corner (7801 Leesburg Pike) in Idylwood at 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday). It will be her second event in the state today after she visited Richmond at 12:30 p.m.
Haley is the only candidate left challenging former president Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, though the ballot features several also-rans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy who dropped out after qualifying.
Despite getting embroiled in multiple court battles, including an election interference trial where he’s claiming immunity from prosecution, Trump has emerged as a clear frontrunner in the GOP race, winning every state that has voted so far. Haley has managed to get 20 delegates to her opponent’s 110, according to NBC News.
The Democratic Party will also hold a primary on Tuesday. President Joe Biden is the presumed nominee, but Dean Benson Phillips, a Congressional representative for Minnesota, and Marianne Williamson, who recently unsuspended her campaign, will also appear on the ballot.
Early voting is currently underway in Fairfax County. Fifteen in-person sites are open until 5 p.m. this Saturday (March 2), though the deadline for requesting a mail ballot has passed.
Image via Nikki Haley/YouTube
Plans to build housing in front of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Idylwood have been resurrected.
After a previous attempt in 2019 sputtered out, the church has found a new developer partner to potentially buy vacant portions of its property at 7426 Idylwood Road and transform it with residential development.
The developer EYA submitted an initial pitch to Fairfax County last summer for approximately 65 to 75 townhouses that would be constructed on two parcels of the roughly 10.7-acre site, an EYA marketing manager told FFXnow. The church intends to stay and use the money from the land sale to fund an expansion of its building, which was built in 1968, per county records.
“EYA is interested in the site for townhome development given its proximity to nearby established retail amenities, Tysons Corner and the City of Falls Church for work and shopping, and a direct bus connection to the West Falls Church Metro Station,” EYA said in a statement. “…We look forward to continuing to engage with the community, staff and elected officials as we develop our plan for this site.”
EYA’s proposal revives a development plan filed in March 2019 by Toll Mid-Atlantic LP Company, an affiliate of the Delaware-based home builder Toll Brothers.
According to that application, St. Paul’s wanted to sell part of its property to pay for a “family life center” that was approved in 2005 but never constructed “due to financial constraints.” The church consists of a main sanctuary with an attached educational building, though it also owns a separate, now-vacant building that once housed Lutheran Social Services.
Toll Mid-Atlantic sought to replace the empty building and another undeveloped parcel — totaling about 5.85 acres — with 67 residential units, which would’ve been a combination of single-family townhomes and two-over-two multi-family units.
The county’s land use database indicates that the application was scheduled for a public hearing before the Fairfax County Planning Commission multiple times, most recently on Sept. 30, 2020, but it ultimately got deferred indefinitely.
To allow for EYA’s development, the county needs to revise its comprehensive plan for the site, which currently designates the entire church property as a future residential development with 16-20 dwelling units per acre.
With the church committed to remaining at the site, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed county staff on Tuesday (Feb. 20) to craft a plan amendment that would reduce the intensity of the housing envisioned for the site.
“Recognizing that the Church wishes to remain on site, and this impacts the available area for development and the design of the site, a Plan amendment for residential development at a lower density, with suitable conditions related to site design, recognizing retention of the existing Church, is appropriate,” Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said when introducing the request.
Recalling the previous attempt to develop the site, she added that “transportation improvements and others are key to this development.”
The proposed amendment will be added to the second tier of the county’s comprehensive plan amendment work program, meaning it will be reviewed concurrently with rezoning and special permit amendment applications. Submitted on June 27, 2023, EYA’s proposal is still in the “pre-application” stage, so it’s unclear when an official plan will be available.
According to a summary report from the Department of Planning and Development, the initial concept tweaks Toll Mid-Atlantic’s earlier design to allow for more open space and tree preservation. It also features a recommended sidewalk along Idylwood Road and commits to replenishing landscaping that screens the church from existing townhouses to the south.
Image via Google Maps
(Updated at 8:30 p.m. on 2/6/2024) Idylwood Plaza is shaking up its retail mix to start 2024.
The shopping center on Leesburg Pike in Idylwood will usher in its newest tenant, MIYU Beauty & Wellbeing, with a grand opening celebration at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow (Friday). Falls Church City Vice Mayor Letty Hardi and Councilmember Marybeth Connelly are expected to attend.
Miyu occupies a 2,545 square-foot space next to Whole Foods Market at 7505-P Leesburg Pike, where Honest Soul Yoga used to be. The salon offers non-toxic, vegan-friendly and cruelty-free manicures and pedicures, along with yoga and pilates classes.
The business comes from neighbors Zeina Chouman El Eid and Karen Abouzeid, who both have experience in the beauty industry and decided to combine their skills to “help individuals tap into their inner essence, promote well-being, and bring beauty into everyday chaos,” according to Miyu’s website.
“We offer a tranquil haven and safe space to empower everyone,” Abouzeid, now a managing partner at Miyu, said. “MIYU’s skilled and experienced staff will guide our clients towards self-realization and unmatched confidence, while connecting them with like-minded individuals who share a passion for holistic living.”
Later this year, Miyu will be joined at Idylwood Plaza by First Watch, the daytime cafe, and Fairfax County’s first Chicken Salad Chick.
First Watch aims for summer opening
First Watch confirmed to FFXnow in November that it was looking for a new site in the Falls Church area, but the lease hadn’t been finalized at that time. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant at 7501 Leesburg Pike was officially announced last week.
Known for its seasonally rotating breakfast, brunch and lunch menus, which include items like avocado toast and lemon ricotta pancakes, First Watch is expected to open its Idylwood location in late summer 2024, according to public relations manager Hunter Carpenter.
The cafe will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. for pickup, delivery and dine-in service. It will employ approximately 30 people.
First Watch can currently be found in Fairfax City, Chantilly and Bailey’s Crossroads, where it opened in 2021. Additional locations are slated to open this spring in Franconia’s Festival at Manchester Lakes and this summer in the former TGI Friday’s in Fair Lakes.
After finding success in Bailey’s Crossroads (5880 Crossroads Center Way), First Watch decided “it was about time to bring our experience closer to home for our neighbors further north,” Carpenter said.
“Though we may be relative newcomers to Fall Church, that doesn’t mean we’re strangers to Fairfax County,” Carpenter told FFXnow by email. “As we quickly approach two decades in the region, we look forward to expanding our presence not only in Falls Church but also in Fair Lakes and Franconia and inspiring a new morning routine for our customers with each new opening.”
Chicken Salad Chick makes way to D.C. area
Started in 2008 by Stacy Brown, a stay-at-home mother in Auburn, Alabama, Chicken Salad Chick announced last May that it had signed a development agreement with Devon Chamberlin and her family, who will open eight franchises in Fairfax and Arlington counties over the next five years.
The first franchise is slated to open at Idylwood Plaza this spring, according to Chicken Salad Chick Chief Marketing Officer Tom Carr.
An Arlington location is also planned. FFXnow’s sister site ARLnow previously reported that that site would open this spring, but Chick Salad Chick now says the Idylwood Plaza restaurant will be the first to open.
The 2,717-square-foot restaurant will be located at 7505 Leesburg Pike, Suite 120A, replacing Loyal Companion after the pet wellness chain shuttered all of its local shops last year, according to Federal Realty, the property manager for Idylwood Plaza.
Chicken Salad Chick sells Southern-style chicken salads made from scratch, sandwiches and pimento cheese. The company has 258 locations right now, including six in central and southern Virginia, but it has wanted to expand into new regions of the U.S., according to Carr.
“The demographics of Northern Virginia, generally, and Falls Church and adjacent areas specifically, make it well-suited for Chicken Salad Chick and its healthy menu options,” Carr said.
A water tank erected in Idylwood around the time of the Korean War is on its last legs, Fairfax Water says.
The water authority is seeking to replace the 71-year-old Poplar Heights tank with a bigger, elevated tank that will be able to hold approximately 1.25 million gallons of water, according to an application submitted in December to Fairfax County’s planning department.
“The Elevated Tank is required to provide a more consistent level of water service within the existing distribution system and will improve system reliability, water quality and water flow and pressure for many customers in Fairfax County and Falls Church,” Fairfax Water’s statement of justification for the application says.
Fairfax Water took control of the existing 700,000-gallon tank at 7407 Tower Street in 2014 when it acquired Falls Church City’s water system. The facility was built in 1952, predating the creation of the neighborhood’s civic association.
The authority says it “identified multiple system deficiencies” in areas previously served by Falls Church, including in the Poplar Heights Pressure Zone west of the city. The zone extends from Shreve Road to Graham Road Elementary School.
Issues with the Poplar Heights tank included low water service pressures, insufficient storage volume and “water quality concerns associated with the existing standpipe water tank.”
To set the stage for a replacement, Fairfax Water spent five years buying the single-family residential lots around the tank. Two of the four houses will be demolished, along with the existing tank, as part of the project.
According to the application, the new, elevated water tank will be approximately 100 feet tall — roughly the same height as the current tank. The site will have no public access, but Fairfax Water staff will visit weekly to conduct maintenance and repairs between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The application says “several of the existing mature trees” on the 0.9-acre property will be preserved to screen the tank from other residences, supplemented by new deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs and a 7-foot-tall fence around the perimeter.
In addition to replacing and upgrading the water tank, Fairfax Water plans to install new transmission water mains along neighboring streets to connect the facility to the existing system, according to the project page.
After holding public outreach meetings on the project last year, the authority doesn’t anticipate starting construction on the tank until the second quarter of 2025.
The application for a special exception and 2232 review — which determines whether a public facility is compatible with the proposed site — is currently being reviewed for acceptance by county staff.
One of the passengers in last week’s SUV crash off of Shreve Road in Idylwood has died, Fairfax County police announced today (Monday).
Six people — all of them between 14 and 17 years old — were hospitalized with injuries seen as life-threatening after their 2003 Lincoln Aviator careened over a hill and crashed into a tree at the Pioneer Lane intersection on Nov. 20, according to police.
A preliminary investigation indicated that the impact sent the vehicle into a tailspin, ejecting five of its seven occupants, who police said were not wearing seatbelts.
Four passengers remain in the hospital, while one has been released, the Fairfax County Police Department said in today’s update.
“Detectives from our Crash Reconstruction Unit are continuing to investigate and working closely with the Office of the Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney to determine when charges will be placed,” the FCPD said.
Police have said they believe alcohol and excessive speed were factors in the crash, initially moving to charge the 17-year-old driver with driving under the influence. However, after consulting with prosecutors, the FCPD decided to wait to file charges.
On the day of the crash, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office declined to comment, since “it is an active and pending matter.”
Because they’re all juveniles, the crash victims haven’t been identified by police. According to the FCPD, the teen who died is the 17th person to be killed this year in a crash on Fairfax County roads that didn’t involve a pedestrian, nearly equaling the 19 such fatalities reported in 2022.
The 16th fatality for 2023 occurred yesterday (Sunday) in a single-vehicle crash near Cox Farms in Centreville.
From the FCPD press release:
At 4 a.m. yesterday, officers responded to a single-vehicle crash in the 15600 block of Braddock Road in Centreville. Officers and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue personnel found the 2017 Jaguar XF fully engulfed in flames and quickly worked to extinguish the flames. The driver and lone occupant, Emmanuel Alexander, 28, of Aldie was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Detectives are continuing to investigate to determine if speed and alcohol were factors in the crash.
Image via Google Maps
Updated at 8:40 p.m. — The 17-year-old driver who crashed on Pioneer Lane this morning was arrested for driving under the influence, but the Fairfax County Police Department says it will wait to officially file charges after consulting with the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
“Charges are pending as the investigation continues,” the FCPD said in a news release. “Detectives believe speed and alcohol were factors in the crash.”
Earlier: Six teens have been taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries resulting from a crash on a residential street in Idylwood.
Police and fire responders were dispatched to Pioneer Lane at Roswell Drive shortly before 5 a.m. today (Monday), according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
“One vehicle overturned. It looks like multiple passengers have been ejected. Fire department is on the way,” a dispatcher said at 4:56 a.m.
Officers and firefighters at the scene reported finding one person in the vehicle and multiple individuals laying in the road, including one boy who was conscious but bleeding from the nose. One of the ejected passengers was unconscious but was breathing and had a pulse.
The responders determined that there had been seven people in the car, all juveniles. A firefighter confirmed at 5:13 a.m. that the one person who didn’t need treatment was the driver, per the scanner.
On the scanner, officers said the crash appeared to have started on Shreve Road, reporting that “some of the patients were over 100 yards apart.”
1 juvenile has been arrested. Detectives continue to investigate. #FCPD
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) November 20, 2023
The Fairfax County Police Department said at 6:16 a.m. that one teen has been arrested. Lt. James Curry confirmed in an 8:25 a.m. media briefing that the arrested teen was the driver and has been charged with was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Based on a preliminary investigation, police believe the Lincoln SUV “crested” a hill on Shreve Road at a “very high rate of speed,” lost control and crashed into a tree. As the vehicle spun around, five passengers who police say weren’t wearing seatbelts got ejected.
“What’s clear is that speed and alcohol were absolutely factors in this crash, and sadly, without seatbelts being worn for the occupants, that’s what likely led to some significant, serious injuries,” Curry said.
Everyone involved in the crash was between 14 and 17 years old, according to Curry. Some of those involved were family members, while others were friends. Curry said detectives believe the driver doesn’t have a license, though the circumstances leading up to the crash are still under investigation.
Curry noted that the FCPD prepares for increased DUI incidents every holiday season, particularly on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
“The assumption is that it’s adults who are out drinking, and it’s easy to forget that juveniles do partake in alcohol illegally,” Curry said. “It’s an important reminder that kids need to be responsible, parents need to have conversations with their loved ones, make sure they’re safe, and it’s a sad reminder that we need to wear seatbelts.”
The remaking of Virginia Tech’s campus near the West Falls Church Metro station as a futuristic mixed-use development can officially begin.
The university and Falls Church City completed a sale of the 7.41-acre Northern Virginia Center site to developer Converge West Falls LLC last week, the city announced Wednesday (Nov. 15).
Approved by the Falls Church City Council in August 2022, the $25 million sale required the city to terminate Virginia Tech’s 40-year lease on the property at 7054 Haycock Road. Falls Church retains about $8.4 million of the proceeds from the sale, with the remaining $16.57 million going to the university, according to agreements authorized on July 25, 2022.
The sale paves the way for the academic center’s transformation into a new headquarters for HITT Contracting, a construction company currently based in Fairview Park near Merrifield. The development will also include a construction research lab for Virginia Tech and apartments with ground-floor retail.
“This closing marks an important milestone in a decade-long planning effort initiated by the City of Falls Church,” Falls Church Mayor David Tarter said in a statement. “We are excited about having the national headquarters of HITT Contracting and the Virginia Tech Coalition for Smart Construction as neighbors to our West Falls project.”
Part of a push to revitalize the West Falls Church Transit Station Area, the Northern Virginia Center redevelopment has been in the works since 2019 but stalled in early 2021 after Virginia Tech and HITT decided not to move forward. The lease termination and sale agreements with Falls Church helped revive the project last year.
Converge — a joint venture of HITT and the developer Rushmark Properties — submitted a development plan in September 2022 that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved on July 25.
In a formal unveiling this week, HITT shared that its new six-story, 270,000-square-foot headquarters will emphasize sustainability and serve as a “hub for education and innovation in construction,” while also providing better access to mass transit for its more than 900 local employees.
Features will include a 100,000-square-foot rooftop solar panel array and 40,000 square feet of ground-floor space for Virginia Tech’s new Coalition for Smart Construction, a research center that “will advance building practices and ultimately shape the industry’s future.”
HITT says its research and development team already has over 20 projects that it plans to work on at the new headquarters.
Notable ventures already in progress include a newly patented prefabricated building skin that reduces weight, increases speed to market, and creates more efficient buildings. HITT is pioneering the first use of the Caracol Heron AM robotic arm installed in the US for 3D printing, aimed to augment traditional construction methods, and implementing robotics on-site to support an enhanced experience for HITT’s field team through technology-enabled workflows.
“As an industry, we have to do better to tackle the challenges of rising costs, labor shortages, and our environmental footprint,” HITT Co-Chairman Brett Hitt said. “I believe that Virginia Tech will push the boundaries of construction by bringing its brilliant students to a space where they can work alongside our industry’s brightest minds. Bringing industry and academia together under one roof will help us effect real change.”
Outside the construction world, the project will also deliver a 13-story, 440-unit apartment building with up to 18,000 square feet of retail, 55,000 square feet of urban parks, and a portion of West Falls Station Blvd, a new road that will link the also-redeveloping West Falls and Metro station properties.
HITT CEO Kim Roy said the company is “ecstatic” that it will “continue growing in Fairfax County.
“We’re thankful to the City of Falls Church, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Fairfax County for supporting our plans to build this cutting-edge development,” Roy said. “We’re deeply committed to being good stewards of the local community and the environment.”
According to HITT, construction on its headquarters is expected to begin in early 2025 and finish in late 2026.
First Watch is bringing its avocado toast and million dollar bacon to more spots around Fairfax County.
The fast-casual cafe, which serves made-to-order food and drinks for breakfast, brunch and lunch, will open at least two more locations in the county next year — with a third potentially also in the works.
First, a Franconia restaurant is on track to open next spring in Festival at Manchester Lakes (7027B Manchester Blvd), according to First Watch public relations manager Hunter Carpenter. It will occupy 4,500 square feet in a currently vacant corner building that once hosted Lucky’s Sports Theatre & Grill, per a site plan from property manager Regency Centers.
Carpenter also confirmed that First Watch will open at 12249 Fair Lakes Promenade Drive in fall 2024, replacing TGI Friday’s, as the Washington Business Journal reported this summer. The chain restaurant remains open for now, but its days are evidently numbered.
TGI Friday’s didn’t return a request for comment by press time.
“These restaurants will be our fourth and fifth locations in Fairfax County, respectively — and the newest additions to First Watch’s presence locally since its Bailey’s Crossroads opening in 2021,” Carpenter said.
With more than 500 restaurants nationwide, First Watch can also be found at Fair City Mall (9600 Main Street) in Fairfax and at Greenbriar Town Center (13027 Route 50) in Chantilly.
A permit currently under review by Fairfax County indicates that another cafe may be planned at Idylwood Plaza (7501 Leesburg Pike). The commercial alteration permit calls for a new storefront with interior and exterior wall demolition intended in part “to create a new covered patio area.”
Carpenter confirmed that First Watch has been “looking into new sites in the Falls Church area,” but no leases have been finalized yet. A public relations representative for Federal Realty, which manages Idylwood Plaza, said the company can’t provide any details until a lease is executed.
“[We] love the community and hope to grow there, but have not executed any recent leases yet and therefore have no new sites to announce at this time,” Carpenter told FFXnow. “We opened the doors to our first restaurant in Fairfax County nearly two decades ago, and we’re always looking for new ways to bring our take on breakfast, brunch and lunch to more of our neighbors.”
Started in Pacific Grove, California, in 1983, First Watch emphasizes its use of fresh ingredients and seasonal dishes that change five times a year based on “the position of the sun,” according to its website.
“This ever-evolving menu has included items like the Crab Avocado Toast, Barbacoa Quesadilla Benedict, Elote Mexican Street Corn Hash and Watermelon Wake-Up fresh juice, among many others,” Carpenter said.
The menu also includes classic breakfast foods like omelets, eggs benedict and pancakes, along with sandwiches, salads and quinoa bowls. Available drinks include a juice bar, iced coffee and cocktails for brunch.
According to Carpenter, some of the most popular menu items are avocado toast, lemon ricotta pancakes and the aforementioned Million Dollar Bacon, which is hardwood-smoked and baked with brown sugar, black pepper, cayenne and a maple syrup drizzle.
Both Franconia and Fair Lakes restaurants “are still in the construction and design phases,” he said. The dining rooms will have an “urban farm” style that combines “the rustic feel of a farmhouse with the modern elements of an urban loft.”
Four people — all teenagers — now face charges in connection to a fatal stabbing and shooting at the Tysons View Apartments in Idylwood on Memorial Day (May 29).
The Fairfax County Police Department announced today (Monday) that detectives have arrested a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old man from Falls Church as well as an 18-year-old from Vienna as suspects in the double homicide, which left 20-year-old Ashburn resident Jonas Skinner and 18-year-old Braden Deahl from Arlington County dead.
The Vienna teen had already been charged with robbery resulting in death in May. A juvenile at the time of the crime, he has now also been charged with felony murder and conspiracy to commit robbery “for his involvement” in Skinner’s fatal shooting, police say.
The 17-year-old Falls Church resident has been charged with second-degree murder, felony murder, conspiracy to commit murder and four firearms-related charges.
The 18-year-old from Falls Church, who was a juvenile at the time, faces the same firearms charges as well as robbery causing death, principle in the second-degree murder, felony murder and conspiracy to commit robbery.
Back on May 30, the FCPD announced that Vladimir Garcia Montes, 18, of Falls Church had been arrested and charged with robbery causing death. As the only person who was an adult when the homicides occurred, he is the only one of the four suspects who has been publicly named.
Police have said the incident started as an attempted drug robbery, stating that “a significant amount of marijuana” was found near the scene by K9 officers.
Skinner was found with gunshot wounds to his upper body in the laundry room of the Tysons View Apartments, where officers were called at 3:37 p.m. on May 29. Police then found Deahl with stab wounds in the apartment complex’s parking lot.
Deahl was transported to a hospital, where he died.
Two other juveniles were taken to a hospital with non-fatal stab wounds. The FCPD didn’t immediately respond when asked if either of those individuals have now been identified as suspects.
All four teens are in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.
Image via Google Maps
