(Updated at 10:30 a.m. on 2/7/2024) Chesterbrook Shopping Center is bringing in a pair of beauty services retailers to complement its ongoing exterior makeover.
This summer, the McLean shopping center will welcome the first Virginia location of SkinSpirit, the nation’s “leading provider of Botox and filler,” property owner Federal Realty announced last week.
Also offering facials, body contouring and laser services, SkinSpirit launched in Silicon Valley in 2003 and now has 41 clinics across the U.S., including ones in Georgetown and Gaithersburg. Its McLean location will occupy 2,898 square feet at 6224 Old Dominion Drive.
SkinSpirit will be joined at Chesterbrook in early 2025 by Bluemercury, which sells makeup, skin care, cosmetics, perfume, hair, and bath and body products, Federal Realty says, confirming a merchandising plan that indicated a lease was in the works.
Founded in Georgetown in 1999, Bluemercury has about eight stores in the D.C. area, including ones at the Mosaic District in Merrifield and in Fairfax Corner. Its store at Chesterbrook will be 2,236 square feet in size.
“We are pleased to welcome SkinSpirit and Bluemercury to Chesterbrook Shopping Center,” Federal Senior Vice President of Asset Management Deirdre Johnson said. “These luxury self-care service providers will be outstanding neighborhood additions, further enhancing our patrons’ unique shopping experience.”
Previously confirmed tenants coming to Chesterbrook this year include Small Door Veterinary, which is on track to open this summer, and the restaurant Sorn Thai, which is still projected to launch in late 2024.
The bagel shop Call Your Mother is also expected to relocate soon from the “Lil Deli” truck that arrived last May to a 1,405-square-foot, permanent space next to Le Village Marché.
“The ‘Lil Deli’ will remain in operation until the new space is ready in the spring of 2024,” Federal Realty said.
This summer will also see the completion of Federal Realty’s multi-million-dollar renovation of the shopping center, which was originally built in 1967. Under construction since August 2022, the project is refreshing the storefronts and adding landscaping, decorative lighting, wider sidewalks and outdoor amenity spaces.
A food truck that delivers free meals throughout Fairfax County has encountered nothing but support in its bid to stay long-term at the Lewinsville Center in McLean, county staff recently told the Fairfax County Planning Commission.
The commission gave SevaTruck Foundation another endorsement by recommending after a public hearing on Jan. 24 that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approve a special exception amendment so the nonprofit can continue to operate out of the center, which includes a senior center, adult day care and two child care programs.
“It’s an important program,” Dranesville District Planning Commissioner John Ulfelder said. “People think of McLean, they say, ‘Well, people of McLean don’t need this kind of help.’ The fact is there are people in McLean who need it, as well as other areas that can be served by this…It’s an important service that the county provides to help people that really need it.”
The Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) contracted SevaTruck to make meals for low-income and other vulnerable residents in 2021, according to county planner Zach Fountain. The county board had suspended zoning code provisions preventing temporary uses that could be helpful for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, SevaTruck’s presence in Fairfax County dates back to its arrival in the D.C. area in 2017, when it began providing meals to Title I schools and low-income neighborhoods. With the NCS contract, it got access to the Lewinsville Center’s commercial-sized kitchen, enabling it to expand its capacity and reach, NCS North County Region 3 Assistant Division Director Karen De Mijango said.
Since launching, the nonprofit has served over 380,000 meals in the D.C. area, including more than 85,000 meals in Fairfax County in 2023, according to De Mijango. In addition to providing food at the Lewinsville Center (1613 Great Falls Street), the employee-run food truck and volunteers have visited communities from Herndon to the Route 1 corridor.
There are no plans to further expand the program, but with the county’s emergency status for the pandemic now expired, the nonprofit needs a special exception to keep using the Lewinsville Center’s kitchen, a dining room and a designated parking spot.
SevaTruck operates from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, with two workers and up to two volunteers preparing meals in the kitchen each day.
“I think what we’ve established the last few years with SevaTruck Foundation, it has worked well for us and the senior program and other campus partners,” De Mijango said. “We would like to ensure this resource continues to benefit Fairfax County residents, especially the Title I schools in low-income communities and neighborhoods.” Read More
(Updated at 4:35 p.m. on 1/30/2024) The McLean Community Center will cap this year’s Black History Month with an appearance by one of the students who helped integrate public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas — a landmark moment in the Civil Rights Movement.
The youngest member of the “Little Rock Nine,” Carlotta Walls LaNier will visit the Alden Theatre at 1234 Ingleside Avenue on Sunday, Feb. 25 for a free author talk and book signing, preceded by a V.I.P. meet-and-greet.
Sponsored by the nonprofit Fairfax Library Foundation, the meet-and-greet will start at 12:15 p.m. and include refreshments. Currently on sale for $75 through Eventbrite, tickets are available for only 50 people, who will also get reserved seating for the subsequent author talk.
LaNier will then speak from 2-3 p.m. in a Fairfax County Public Library event open to the general public before signing copies of her 2009 memoir “A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School.”
Now 81 years old, LaNier was just 14 when she and eight other teens became the first Black students to attend Little Rock Central High School in 1957, three years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
Initially turned away on Sept. 3, 1957 by the Arkansas National Guard, which had been called in by governor Orval Faubus, the students weren’t able to actually enter the previously all-white school until Sept. 23, 1957. They were escorted by Little Rock police officers through a mob that began rioting, forcing the students to be quickly evacuated.
It took federal intervention, with President Dwight Eisenhower ordering an escort of Army troops, for the Little Rock Nine to make it into Little Rock Central High School for their first full day of classes on Sept. 25.
Becoming the school’s first Black, female graduate in 1960, LaNier is now 81 years old and has lived in Colorado since 1962, according to the Colorado Sun. In recent years, she has raised concerns about the country regressing when it comes to civil rights and the inclusiveness of education, particularly on history.
“I am concerned that they [young people] are not getting all that I got, even in a segregated school. Parents are paying taxes for good schools, and they’re not getting them,” LaNier told the Denver Urban Spectrum in 2022. “It’s disheartening to know that these kids are not receiving the type of education that even I received in a segregated and integrated environment.”
Correction: This story has been updated with the accurate location of Carlotta LaNier’s events. Fairfax Library Foundation initially announced that they would be held at Dolley Madison Library.
A McLean woman will serve two life sentences in prison for murdering her mother and sister in 2017, county prosecutors announced today (Friday).
Megan Hargan received the two life sentences for fatally shooting her mother, Pamela Hargan, 63, and Helen Hargan, 24, in their house on July 14, 2017. She also got an additional sentence of six years in prison for two gun-related charges, according to the Fairfax County Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Hargan was convicted by a jury in September of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in a felony. It was her second conviction after an initial one handed down in March 2022 got vacated by a judge who determined that a juror had improperly experimented with a rifle at home to see if Helen Hargan could’ve died by suicide, as defense attorneys alleged.
“Megan Hargan’s actions in July 2017 go beyond what most of us can imagine,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said. “On a quiet Friday morning in her mother’s home, she made an irreversible decision — one that would devastate her family and tear the community apart. First-degree murder is the most serious offense you can be convicted of in Virginia, and today’s sentence reflects the gravity of the defendant’s crimes.”
After finding the bodies of Pamela and Helen Hargan inside their home in the 6700 block of Dean Drive, the Fairfax County Police Department initially characterized the deaths as a murder-suicide incident, but they suspected early on that the scene might have been staged.
Police and prosecutors later argued that Megan Hargan had killed her mother and sister over a financial disagreement.
More from the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney:
On the afternoon of July 14, 2017, Megan Hargan, 41, shot Pamela, 63, and Helen, 24, in Pamela’s McLean home where the three were living at the time, along with Hargan’s then-8-year-old daughter. Hargan staged the house as a murder-suicide and claimed that younger sister Helen had killed their mom before killing herself.
Evidence presented at trial showed that the conflict stemmed from a financial dispute: Megan, who was buying a house in West Virginia, resented that her mother, Pamela, wasn’t helping her financially but was at the same time helping her sister Helen to buy a house. On July 13, the day before the killings, Megan attempted to transfer upwards of $400,000 from her mother’s bank account to pay for Megan’s new house, which was closing that day. The transaction was flagged as fraud, and the next day Megan shot her mother before attempting to make the same wire transfer again from her mother’s account. She then shot her sister Helen, who was upstairs at the time. Both family members were killed by a .22 rifle, which belonged to Megan’s husband and was being stored in the McLean house temporarily.
Megan Hargan was arrested on Nov. 9, 2018.
“This was a complicated case to prosecute, and we would not be here today without the detectives, witnesses, and family members who persisted through two lengthy, emotional trials,” Descano said. “I want to express my gratitude for their resolve in bringing this case to justice.”
The McLean Chocolate Festival will be back in action for a 12th year this Sunday (Jan. 28).
Organized once again by the Rotary Club of McLean, the annual celebration of all things cocoa will take over the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Avenue) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For a $3 admission fee that includes a tote bag, attendees will be able to peruse various regional chocolate vendors. The festival will also feature live music by the Sunshine Gang Band, a return of sponsor Mars Inc.’s “History of Chocolate” presentation, and a children’s room with face-painting and other activities.
As of press time, the festival had confirmed 14 vendors, per its website:
- Cameron’s Coffee and Chocolates
- Capital Candy Jar
- Le Papiyon Chocolatier
- River-Sea Chocolates
- Pacari Chocolate
- Arcay Chocolates
- Fluffy Thoughts Cakes
- My Alfajor
- Tysons Creamery
- Artisan Confections
- Lammar Marie’s Gourmet Popcorn
- Chesterbrook Residences
- El Ceibo Bolivian Chocolate
- Fahrenheit 99
In addition to supporting local businesses, the festival’s proceeds go to the Rotary Club of McLean for community and charity projects. Here’s more from the nonprofit on the initiatives that will benefit:
The projects supported by the festival include scholarships for graduating high school seniors, books for Timber Lane Elementary School, McLean Project for the Arts, playground equipment at the Fairfax Children’s Center, hygiene products for school-age girls, medical equipment and clean water initiatives in several African countries. The funds will also support global initiatives such as eradicating Polio abroad, medical needs in Central America, food insecurity across the globe, helping find abused single moms a safe place to live, and many other community projects.
The McLean Chocolate Festival will be followed a week later by Fairfax City’s Chocolate Lovers Festival, which is set to return on Feb. 2-4. A few vendors are scheduled to appear at both events.
Inova Health Systems continued an expansion of its urgent care network this week with the reopening of a facility in McLean.
Inova-GoHealth Urgent Care McLean opened to patients at 1340 Old Chain Bridge Road, Suite 101, this past Monday (Jan. 22) after closing last year for renovations. Formerly known as McLean Immediate Care Urgent Care, the center is the 16th one that Inova has added in Northern Virginia since it partnered with the on-demand health care company GoHealth in 2022.
“Inova-GoHealth’s rapid growth is a sign of our commitment to expanding access to affordable, on-demand care for people throughout Northern Virginia,” Inova-GoHealth regional president Harold Brown said. “Having convenient access to connected healthcare is vital for improving the quality of life for everyone in our community.”
Like other locations, the 2,600-square-foot urgent care center in McLean provides medical services to treat “common health concerns for adults and children six months and older, including COVID-19, flu, fever, asthma, allergies, minor cuts, burns, pink eye, urinary tract infections, fractures, sprains, strains and more,” according to a press release.
It’s open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Inova and GoHealth, which operates the facilities, are also preparing to launch a new urgent care center in the Herndon area. The 2,909-square-foot facility is on track to open in late February next to Taco Bamba in the Village Center at Dulles (2415 Centreville Road, Suite B6).
That will bring the two providers up to 17 urgent care centers in Northern Virginia. Seven of the centers were recently relaunched under the new branding, but there are also entirely new locations, including ones that opened in Fairfax City and Lorton last fall.
“With Inova-GoHealth centers across Fairfax County, patients can access convenient, high-quality care closer to where they live, work and play,” Inova-GoHealth Urgent Care Medical Director Dr. Meredith Porter said. “We are excited to expand access to on-demand healthcare for the community and seamlessly connect patients to Inova’s robust network.”
The Year of the Rabbit is about to give way to the Year of the Dragon.
To welcome the Lunar New Year, which will officially begin on Feb. 10, the McLean Community Center is inviting the public to a free Year of the Dragon Festival and a show by the New York-based Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company on Sunday, Feb. 4.
The festival will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at the community center (1234 Ingleside Avenue) and feature local musicians, dancers and artisans as well as food samples. In a press release, MCC teases that attendees should keep their eyes peeled for an appearance by a dragon.
The festival will be followed at 4 p.m. by the Nai-Ni Chen Dance performance in The Alden, the community center’s performing arts theater. Currently available online, tickets for the roughly 90-minute show cost $30 for general admission, $25 for seniors and students, and $20 for MCC tax district residents.
Here’s more on the company from MCC:
The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is a professional touring company founded by the visionary choreographer Nai-Ni Chen. Her company’s legacy blends contemporary American and traditional Chinese folk dance styles, creating a unique and captivating experience that reflects the inspiring hope and energy of an immigrant’s journey.
This performance will feature dance, a live musical performance on traditional Chinese instruments as well as lauded company repertoire:
- “Lion in the City,” a collaborative work by Hip-Hop legend Rokafella and Kwikstep with the company’s Director of New and Contemporary Dance, Peiju Chien-Pott.
- “Dragon Path,” a new work by emerging choreographer Aloe Ao Liu.
- “Mongolian Festival,” a new work created by resident choreographer Lawrence Jin.
“This festival is great for those who have never celebrated the Lunar New Year before as well as those who have grown up with this tradition,” The Alden Director of Youth Theatre Programs Danielle Van Hook said. “We love having additional cultural experiences prior to performances to provide a more complete picture of the cultures that art comes from.”
Spanning the 15 days between a new moon and full moon, the Lunar New Year is generally celebrated in late January or early February in China and other Asian countries with a significant Chinese population, like South Korea and Vietnam. Specific traditions vary between cultures, but they often involve family gatherings, food and musical performances.
Northern Virginia’s Vietnamese community kicked off festivities early this past weekend with the La Vang Lunar New Year Festival, which was expected to draw over 20,000 attendees to the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, according to the Washington Post.
Other scheduled events in Fairfax County include a Feb. 3 celebration at Tysons Corner Center, organized by the Asian American Chamber of Commerce, and the 21st annual Lunar New Year Celebration at Fair Oaks Mall, which will unfold over two days on Feb. 17-18.
Snow remains on the ground after the D.C. area’s biggest snowstorm in two years, but the George Washington Memorial Parkway at least has reopened for traffic.
The roadway’s northern section from I-495 (Capital Beltway) in McLean to Spout Run in Arlington had been closed since Monday morning (Jan. 15) in response to the forecasted snow, which was expected to exceed 2 inches.
The National Park Service announced this morning (Wednesday) that the GW Parkway is open again, but northbound and southbound traffic are each confined to one lane in the stretch that’s under construction as part of an ongoing rehabilitation project.
“Drivers should continue to stay alert while driving through the construction zone, observe traffic signs, respect the 40-mph speed limit, expect delays through narrow travel lanes, and plan alternate routes,” the NPS said.
Fairfax Connector resumed regular service today after operating on a reduced schedule since 8 p.m. on Monday, though the bus system warned that some routes are using detours due to road conditions. Metrobus is also running nearly all bus routes on a regular schedule with some detours.
With temperatures dropping into the teens this morning, or even as low as 9 degrees at Dulles International Airport, the Virginia Department of Transportation cautioned travelers to watch out for icy spots on roads and pavement.
According to preliminary totals from the National Weather Service, snowfall totals in Fairfax County ranged from 2.8 inches in Lorton to 4.8 inches reported in Herndon and Vienna. Inside the Beltway, the county recorded roughly 3.5 inches.
This was the first time in 728 days that the D.C. region got more than an inch of snow, according to the Capital Weather Gang.
The storm prompted Fairfax County Public Schools to call a snow day yesterday — its first since 2022. The school system resumed classes today on a two-hour delay.
Baltimore and Washington DC metros picked up the most snow since 2022. Here's a map (followed by a county-by-county list) of the snow and ice totals from this recent event: https://t.co/a1FgB0Rumy. #MDwx #VAwx #WVwx #DCwx pic.twitter.com/aCjogoNpPr
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) January 16, 2024
Use caution this morning, with temps in the teens and single digits, residual #icy spots are likely.
We have crews out this morning spot treating as needed. You can submit a request at https://t.co/12wxgee8pi or 800-FOR-ROAD. pic.twitter.com/eSHnfafxof
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) January 17, 2024
Image via Google Maps
Fairfax County police believe a recent series of home burglaries were committed by the same people, based on one suspect’s floral accessories.
Detectives are currently investigating five burglaries that started on Dec. 28 and continued most recently on Tuesday, Jan. 9:
- Dec. 28, 6 p.m. — 900 block of Dominion Reserve Drive in McLean
- Dec. 29, 6 p.m. — 1100 block of Bishopgate Way in Reston
- Jan. 1, 2 a.m. — 1100 block of Windrock Drive in McLean
- Jan. 8, 5:30 p.m. — 11000 block of Lance Lane in Oakton
- Jan. 9, 12:30-6:30 p.m. — 11100 block of Farm Road in Great Falls
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, home surveillance footage from four of the incidents shows a woman with flowers approaching the houses and knocking on the front doors.
“When no one answered, she returned to an awaiting vehicle,” the FCPD said. “Two men then forced entry into the home and stole valuables. The items stolen from the homes included jewelry, cash, and purses.”
Police say the individuals have used spray paint to try to tamper with security cameras at the homes.
The department is now seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the woman using images caught by a Nest camera.
“Anyone who recently had someone attempt to deliver flowers to your home or has seen someone matching the picture above is asked to contact our officers” at 703-556-7750, the FCPD said.
The FCPD reported an uptick in residential burglaries and break-ins last year. Through September, there had been 126 such incidents compared to 115 at that point in 2022.
Jimmy Bierman officially stepped into the role of Dranesville District supervisor last week, taking the reins from John Foust, who retired last year after 16 years on Fairfax County’s board.
Bierman, a lawyer and McLean resident, has a clear vision for his tenure, but he says he’s also committed to continuing the work of his predecessor, focusing on issues such as the revitalization of downtown McLean, senior living opportunities and the impact of the I-495 expansion on local residents.
“I had gotten to know John Foust very well, through local Democratic Party circles,” Bierman told FFXnow. “He was really a mentor to me, and a role model.”
Before securing his victory last November against Fairfax County Republican Committee first vice chair Puneet Ahluwalia with 61% of the vote, Bierman served on the county’s Police Civilian Review Panel from April 2019 to December 2022 and worked as an attorney advisor to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
But Bierman wanted to do more at the local level.
“I loved my job at federal government, but I started realizing that the government that interacted with people sort of on a day-to-day basis, that you really needed at times, was your local government,” he said.
For his first term representing the Dranesville District, which covers McLean, Great Falls, Herndon and Idylwood, Bierman’s priorities include adopting more environmentally friendly practices, enhancing housing density in areas well-served by public transit and securing additional funding for Fairfax County Public Schools.
Sustainability
At the top of his list is managing the county’s growth in a “sustainable way.”
While in office, Bierman says he plans to not only advocate for conserving green space, but also promoting green practices in county-owned buildings. Specifically, he will focus on incentivizing more renewable energy sources in both the public and private sectors.
“A good example of something that the county did recently in our district, that I very much applaud and think is great, is we’ve moved to powering the Spring Hill Rec Center, partially, through geothermal energy,” Bierman said.
The recreation center at 1239 Spring Hill Road is one of a growing number of county facilities that are getting power from renewable energy.
In July 2021, Fairfax County adopted an Operational Energy Strategy, aiming to become carbon neutral by 2040 through renewable energy practices.
