McLean | FFXnow

County to consider contributing funds to new McLean arts center

Published June 28, 2024 at 10:30AM

The McLean Project for the Arts hopes to build a new arts and education center at the Signet condominiums (rendering by CannonDesign)

The McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) could potentially get a financial assist from Fairfax County for its campaign to turn a long-vacant retail space into a new arts center.

The Board of Supervisors directed staff on Tuesday (June 25) to evaluate whether the MPA Downtown project might be eligible for a public investment from the county’s Economic Opportunity Reserve (EOR), which can be used to support “economic development activities of strategic importance,” along with capital development projects and real estate purchases.

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Reduced speed limits, on-street parking proposed for downtown McLean

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 18, 2024 at 2:30PM

Old Dominion Drive at Elm Street in McLean (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County is considering experimenting with some changes to the main streets in downtown McLean.

At an open house at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Avenue) last night (Monday), the Fairfax County Department of Transportation kicked off a study of five possible pilot projects designed to slow vehicles down and make roads in the McLean Community Business Center (CBC) safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Around Town

Beauty shop and skin care clinic to open in McLean this week

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 18, 2024 at 9:30AM

Inside the beauty shop Bluemercury (courtesy Federal Realty)

McLean’s Chesterbrook Shopping Center will officially welcome two new retail tenants this week, while preparing for another anticipated launch later in the summer.

The openings will kick off today (Tuesday) with SkinSpirit, a skin care and medical spa that describes itself as a “leading provider of Botox and filler.” Located at 6224 Old Dominion Drive, Suite D, this is the clinic’s first location in Virginia and its third in the D.C. area.

Around Town

New McLean bubble tea shop puts art of tea on display

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 17, 2024 at 10:30AM | Updated June 17, 2024 at 6:11PM

ArTea in McLean (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Two local families, bonded by a love of tea, recently opened a shop on the edge of downtown McLean to share their passion with the community.

ArTeA TeaShop quietly began serving customers at 6635 Old Dominion Drive on May 1, tweaking the menu and continuing to train staff before a more formal launch — and the addition of delivery options — last Tuesday (June 11).

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Report: Family of McLean man fatally shot by police sues FCPD

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 14, 2024 at 9:30AM | Updated June 14, 2024 at 6:44PM

Fairfax County Courthouse (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The family of a McLean man who was shot and killed by the police in 2022 has sued the Fairfax County Police Department for wrongful death.

The lawsuit was filed in Fairfax County Circuit Court on Wednesday (June 12), the Washington Post reported. It alleges that Police First Class Officer Edward George “had no reasonable ground” to believe he or anyone else was in immediate danger when he shot 26-year-old Jasper Aaron Lynch multiple times at the Lynch family home on July 7, 2022.

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Summer Sunday concerts return to McLean in new location

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 12, 2024 at 11:30AM

Singer-songwriter Justin Trawick will close out The Alden's 2024 summer concert series on July 28 (photo by Martin Radigan)

Lewinsville Park will soon come alive with the sound of music, as The Alden kicks off its Summer Sunday Concerts in the Park this Sunday (June 16).

Typically held at McLean Central Park, the annual free concert series has moved south to the park at 1659 Chain Bridge Road this year to accommodate ongoing construction at its usual location, according to the McLean Community Center, which operates The Alden.

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Maryland surveys McLean to plan for new American Legion Bridge

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 4, 2024 at 9:30AM

The American Legion Bridge heading into Virginia (via MDOT)

Transportation staff from Maryland crossed the Potomac River last week to gather data in McLean for their long-planned American Legion Bridge replacement project.

According to a notice shared by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) sent a field team last Thursday (May 30) to investigate the drainage along Live Oak Drive.

Around Town

Original ‘Hairspray’ actors to put on show at McLean’s Alden Theatre

By Melanie Pincus

Published May 29, 2024 at 2:30PM

Original Broadway cast members Marissa Jaret Winokur, Kerry Butler and Laura Bell Bundy will perform at the Alden Theatre in a show celebrating the anniversary of "Hairspray" (courtesy McLean Community Center)

Three Tony Award honorees are coming to the Alden Theatre (1234 Ingleside Avenue) in McLean next Saturday (June 8).

At the 7 p.m. event, three members of the original cast of the musical “Hairspray” will mark more than 20 years since the musical debuted on Broadway in the summer of 2002.

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Northbound GW Parkway to close in McLean this weekend

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 28, 2024 at 10:30AM

Northbound GW Parkway will temporarily close in McLean for rehabilitation work (via National Park Service)

An upcoming GW Parkway ramp closure suggests the end of Memorial Day weekend will likely bring little relief from traffic in McLean.

The northbound exit ramp from the George Washington Memorial Parkway to the Capital Beltway (I-495) will be closed throughout this coming weekend, the National Park Service recently announced. The closure is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Friday (May 31) and remain in place until 5 a.m. next Monday (June 3).

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Scott’s Run Nature Preserve to reopen for Memorial Day weekend

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 23, 2024 at 1:30PM

Scott's Run Nature Preserve regulations (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Scott’s Run Nature Preserve will reopen tomorrow (Friday), just in time for Memorial Day, after an extended emergency closure, the Fairfax County Park Authority announced today.

The popular McLean park has been closed since late March so that crews could remove an estimated 80 tons of sediment from wastewater pipes and make necessary repairs.