Another fast food option will soon be open in Great Falls.
Jersey Mike’s Subs is slated to open in at Seneca Corner (1024 Seneca Road) tomorrow (Sept. 23). The store will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.
The opening will kick off with a day of giving in support of Lowes Island Elementary School. All sales on opening day will be donated, according to the company.
Franchise owner Chris Brown said he wanted to support students and start the school year off on a strong note.
“Jersey Mike’s has maintained community involvement as its core value since the very beginning, and it is in that spirit that we’ve decided to donate all opening day sales, not just profit, to Lowe’s Island Elementary School,” Brown said. “We couldn’t think of a better way to announce to the community that we are here, and we want to help, all the while serving up the best submarine sandwiches.”
Items on the menu include cold and hot subs, with options like ham and provolone and California chicken cheese steak.
Jersey Mike’s has more than 2,500 locations across the country.
The sub shop will join CVS and Domino’s Pizza at Seneca Corner. A Five Guys is also slated to open in the newly constructed shopping center sometime this year.
Early Voting Begins in Fairfax County — Three locations will open for early voting, starting with the Fairfax County Government Center at 8 a.m., and more will follow on Oct. 26. The Nov. 7 general election ballot includes all local and state races, along with a $435 million school bond referendum. [Fairfax County Government]
Coastal Flood Watch Issued for Saturday — “A Coastal Flood Watch is effective late Saturday night. The worst flooding will be with the Saturday afternoon and evening high tides. Turn around, don’t drown. More than half of all flooding deaths occur in vehicles!” [Ready Fairfax/Twitter]
Plan for Housing at Former Topgolf Site Revived — The Fairfax County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Wednesday (Sept. 27) on a proposal that would allow 174 residential units on the Kingstowne property, which now hosts a Rudy’s golf facility. EYA’s project has been scaled back after previous plans that included retail and more housing got shelved in response to “community concerns.” [Washington Business Journal]
Hunter Mill School Board Candidate Faces Lawsuit — “In the middle of a contentious election year, Fairfax County School Board candidate Harry Jackson is facing a lawsuit from a fellow Republican parent who wants him out of the race. Stacy Langton filed an $850,000 defamation lawsuit against Jackson over a fake Twitter account” that she says he created after she expressed opposition to his candidacy. [WUSA9]
Potential Federal Goverment Shutdown Looms — “More than 3.5 million federal employees and military personnel — many in the Washington, D.C., area but also scattered across the states and around the globe — are bracing for another partial government shutdown.” Congress must pass at least a short-term budget bill by midnight on Sept. 30 to avoid a funding gap that could affect over 140,000 federal workers in Virginia. [Virginia Mercury]
Metro Expands Lost and Found Accommodations — “Metro this week announced it will now keep a wider list of lost items left behind on trains, buses, at stations, and other Metro facilities. The new policy updates changes made due to pandemic-related budget constraints in 2021 that restricted Metro’s lost and found storage to wallets and electronics such as phones, tablets, laptops, and cameras only” [Inside NoVA]
County Rec Centers Will Be Free for a Day — “On Wednesday, Sept. 27, Fairfax County Park Authority Rec Centers will be opening their doors to everyone for free…Enjoy free Rec Center admission all day, but visit between 4 and 7 p.m. to participate in special programming and fun events.” [FCPA]
Restored Gunston Hall Gardens Set to Open — “Gunston Hall’s fully restored, 18th century Riverside Garden — scheduled to open to the public Sept. 29 — may have taken just four years to construct and grow, but it took four decades to fully realize…Other construction projects are also in the works at the historic property.” [On the MoVe]
It’s Friday — Expect partly sunny skies during the day with a high near 74°F. At night, rain is likely after 2 am, and the weather will be cloudy, with temperatures dipping toward 60°F. There’s a 70% chance of precipitation, and new rainfall amounts could range from a tenth to a quarter of an inch. [Weather.gov]
The Reston Multicultural Festival — which was set for this Saturday (Sept. 23) at Reston Town Center — has been canceled due to inclement weather.
The annual festival, which is organized by Reston Community Center, will not be rescheduled. With a tropical storm projected to make landfall in the mid-Atlantic, high winds, cool temperatures and heavy rain are expected from around 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday morning.
“With artists, vendors, community organizations, and event staff and volunteers coming from various areas affected by this tropical storm, organizers do not want to put people at risk of injury in trying to reach or attend the festival,” RCC said in a statement. “People are urged to stay off the roads on Saturday. This annual event is cherished by the community, and event planners appreciate everyone’s understanding that people’s safety is their highest priority.”
RCC said it was thankful to Reston Town Center Association and host BXP for their help in coordinating the event. Reston Association also provided support.
This year would have been the organization’s largest festival to date, with additional performance stages and strategic partnerships with national organizations.
“The partnership among these civic, nonprofit and business organizations allowed for the most ambitious Reston Multicultural Festival plan ever. All partners are looking forward to 2024 and doing it again under sunnier skies,” the organization wrote.
A Darden and Friends concert will still take place as scheduled at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow (Friday) in the Pavilion at Reston Town Center, according to RCC.
Herndon’s business community expressed overall levels of satisfaction with the town in a recent survey, but some say they want the town to focus more on expanding support for businesses.
Presented at a Herndon Town Council work session on Tuesday (Sept. 19), the results were gathered from a business survey by Priority Metrics Group (PMG), which included 155 respondents, the average of which has been in the town for 17 years.
At the work session, council members emphasized the need for the town to more actively support businesses and expand town events that draw customers — two themes of improvement from the survey.
“They want a more business-friendly government,” Councilmember Donielle Scherff said. “We’ve talked a bit about customer service-centric leadership and staff, and this just sort of buttresses into that.”
Most respondents say they chose Herndon because of its location.
“They like being here. There are amenities and attributes that are here that they like,” said John Barrett, owner of PMG.
Overall, sentiments about the town’s general business environment dipped only slightly since the last survey was conducted in 2018.
Business owners said they were drawn by the access to airports — which expanded last year with the opening of Metro’s Silver Line extension — as well as the overall quality of life and the image of the town. Top concerns included licensing, taxation, regulations, crime rates, traffic and the quality of new development.
Many business owners said they wanted to see more special events in the town — a move that Councilmember Cesar del Aguila said emphasizes the need for the council to focus extra attention on event development.
“What I’m hearing here solidifies my personal belief that we’re on the right track,” del Aguila said, noting a need to focus on branding for the town. He said it was “painful” to hear that some business owners did not feel noticed by the local government.
So far, use of the Mason Enterprise Center — a business accelerator program from George Mason University that launched earlier this year — appears limited, according to the survey. A little over 80% of respondents said they had not heard about the center.
Most respondents — 77% of businesses — said the Metro Silver Line has had no impact or a neutral impact on their businesses.
PMG also recently completed a survey of town residents, who flagged traffic as a top concern.
Photo via Google Maps
Do you remember your first museum visit? Or a time you felt inspired walking around a museum? What if you had the chance to help give someone else their best museum memory?
Well now you do!
The National Gallery of Art is recruiting for two volunteer opportunities this fall:
- Visitor experience volunteers, who are the friendly faces behind our information desks.
- School docents, who lead school tours for students in grades PreK-12.
All backgrounds and life experiences welcome; multilingual speakers are encouraged to apply.
Join one of several information sessions held throughout the fall to meet the team, learn more about these opportunities, and apply!
The Fairfax County Courthouse will soon lend a helping hand to visitors intimidated by the prospect of navigating the legal system on their own.
The county’s new Self Help Resource Center will officially open at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 with a kick-off event in the courthouse law library (4110 Chain Bridge Road, Room 115), the Fairfax Bar Association recently announced.
Supported by $96,000 in county funds, the center will offer free legal assistance and resources to anyone who has to deal with the court, particularly those who are representing themselves either by choice or because they’re unable to hire a lawyer.
“Access to justice for self-represented litigants is a significant issue facing the legal community today,” the Fairfax Bar Association said in a press release. “…Barriers faced by self-represented litigants include cultural and language barriers, procedural hurdles, and general difficulty navigating the court process and understanding legal terminology, from what forms to file, to where and when to appear, and what to say in court.”
The association says it began exploring the possibility of opening a self-help center after the Virginia Access to Justice Commission approved the creation of a pilot program on Dec. 9, 2021.
Created by the Virginia Supreme Court in 2013, the commission found in a 2019 report that the volume of cases where a litigant is representing themselves is high and may be increasing, reflecting general economic challenges and increased online media access.
Surveys of judges and clerks indicated that individuals representing themselves appear to often be low-income and have limited education, according to the report. Judges stated that people generally opted for that approach “because they cannot afford to hire an attorney and cannot obtain representation from legal aid.”
Among other ways to make the court system more transparent and accessible, such as the launch of a self-help website, the report recommended initiating self-help centers staffed by pro bono attorneys or qualified non-attorneys who can provide information about the legal process and court policies and procedures.
Fairfax County’s Self Help Center will be the first one to open in Virginia, according to the office of Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk, who was a top advocate for the facility as chair of the Board of Supervisors’ public safety committee.
Here’s more on the new center from the bar association:
The Fairfax Bar Association in partnership with the Fairfax County Courts, Fairfax Law Library, Legal Services of Northern Virginia, Office of the Fairfax Public Defender, Office of the Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, particularly the Office of Supervisor Rodney L. Lusk, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, and law firms in Fairfax County collaborated in the creation of a self- help resource center located in the Law Library in the Fairfax County Courthouse Complex.
The Center will be open to the public and available for all individuals who are interacting with the judicial system as litigants, prospective litigants, witnesses, or who simply have business with the court. The Center will serve the large number of self-represented individuals, and would assist them in navigating the court process, providing legal information and forms to allow them to represent themselves in a meaningful way. The Center will serve as an alternative option for those who are unable to afford legal services and for whom pro bono help is not available. The types of assistance provided include the provision of legal information, referrals, forms, and resource materials on topics related to various court matters.
Wiseguy Pizza is slated to replace Herndon’s Big Buns Damn Good Burgers.
Big Buns closed its location at 1142 Elden Street on Sept. 4 — less than a year after opening in late 2022.
Both restaurants are brands of Thompson Hospitality.
Thompson Hospitality Chief Operating Officer Alex Berentzen says the company chose to pivot to Wiseguy Pizza because of the location’s proximity to another Big Buns five miles away at Reston Station. There is also a Big Buns close to Chantilly in the Franklin Farm Village Center.
“This strategic move aligns with our commitment to expanding our dynamic portfolio throughout the DMV region,” Berentzen wrote in a statement. “Additionally, this particular location is ideally suited for Wiseguy Pizza, as their performance excels in venues with limited seating and grab-and-go capabilities.”
Wiseguy is expected to open in the fall. The restaurant serves cheese, pepperoni and specialty pizzas, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.
This will be Wiseguy Pizza’s first location in the Fairfax County area. Started in 2012 by a Turkish immigrant who sought to bring a New York City-style pizzeria to D.C., the business can currently be found in the District and Arlington. It will arrive in Maryland this month with a stall in the Wheaton Mall food court.
Gallows Road Study Identifies Safety, Traffic Issues — “The Gallows Road Multimodal Study is exploring ways to make the seven-mile corridor safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users, while reducing traffic congestion…FCDOT found most of Gallows Road is uncomfortable for pedestrians, due to the large number of lanes, the 35 mph speed limit, and narrow buffers between the sidewalk and roadway.” [Annandale Today]
D.C. Area Healthcare Workers Authorize Strike — “Some 3,800 union healthcare workers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., are threatening to go on strike at the end of this month if the leadership at Kaiser Permanente and the union cannot agree to a new contract addressing staffing shortages and low pay for workers.” The company’s facilities include medical centers in Fair Oaks and Burke. [Maryland Matters]
Inova Adds Urgent Care Center in Lorton — “A new urgent care center jointly operated by Inova Health System and GoHealth Urgent Care opened Sept. 18 at Lorton Marketplace…Inova-GoHealth Urgent Care will provide treatment by Inova clinicians for common, non-life-threatening health concerns in adults and children ages six months and up.” [On the MoVe]
FCPS Gets Extension for Special Education Services — “Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia has received an extension to finalize meetings with families of students who may be eligible for extra help in the aftermath of the pandemic…Superintendent Michelle Reid said the county has already held meetings about eligibility for 30,656 students, or 96.7%, and expects to be finished by next month.” [WTOP]
Vienna Town Council Candidate Drops Out — “An already competitive Vienna Town Council race has gotten more interesting in recent days, as candidate Elizabeth Korondy dropped out of contention and the Vienna Transportation Safety Commission (TSC) chairman decided to seek a Council seat via a write-in campaign.” [Gazette Leader]
Fairfax Corner Celebrates 20 Years — The shopping center is marking its 20th anniversary with a social media contest for a $100 gift card to one of its retailers or restaurants. “To enter, like this post and comment one of your favorite Fairfax Corner memories with us! One winner will be randomly selected by Monday, September 25” [Fairfax Corner/Instagram]
Chili Cook-Off Coming to Tysons — “The Boro…is excited to host Cushman & Wakefield’s annual chili cook-off! This year’s competition benefits the Boulder Crest Foundation and will feature 15 to 20 teams vying for the grand prize. Cushman & Wakefield employees will judge the competition. All are welcome to stop by and enjoy” [Tysons Today]
Acorns Wanted by Virginia Forestry Department — “As it does every autumn, the Virginia Department of Forestry is encouraging Virginians to help collect acorns and nuts to be planted at its Augusta Nursery.” Fairfax County residents can drop off donations at the department’s Northern Virginia office in the Herrity Building (12055 Government Center Parkway). [Gazette Leader]
It’s Thursday — The weather forecast for Thursday is mostly sunny with temperatures reaching around 79°F, accompanied by a gentle north wind at 6 mph. Thursday night will be mostly cloudy, with lows near 59°F, and a 6 mph northeast wind. [Weather.gov]
Reston Row will soon welcome two new restaurants: Noku Sushi, a Virginia-based fast casual sushi and ramen restaurant, and Tous les Jours, a bakery chain.
Both businesses will take up ground-level space at 1800 Reston Row Plaza, the first of two office towers under construction.
The Reston location is the second for Noku, which originates in Leesburg. Founded in 2004, Tous les Jours has locations across the country, including in Annandale, Chantilly and Sterling.
“We are thrilled to welcome Noku and Tous les Jour to the Reston Row neighborhood,” said Timothy Steffan, chief operating officer for developer Comstock. “They join the growing list of best-in-class dining options at Reston Station, which already includes Founding Farmers, Ebbitt House, and so many more. These iconic restaurants, along with a wide range of on-site amenities and local conveniences, have made Reston Station one of the most sought-after destinations in Northern Virginia for office tenants, residents, and consumers alike.”
Other tenants in the development include VIDA Sport & Fitness facility, which is set to open next year. Ebbitt House and Puttshack will open in adjacent buildings.
The highly anticipated new luxury condominiums at Monarch Tysons have delivered, with three spectacular new models to tour.
Residents are already enjoying these world-class residences and with exceptional privacy, serene outdoor spaces, lavish features and finishes, white-glove services, and the most luxurious amenities in Northern Virginia. You’re invited to attend an Open House event this Saturday, September 23 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Monarch, located at 7887 Jones Branch Drive, McLean VA, 22102.
Now is the time to buy at Monarch, with fewer than 12 residences remaining — all with great views!
Each residence offers abundant natural light, expansive views, chef’s kitchen, and spacious private outdoor living areas, with some featuring direct-entry elevators. From the richly lacquered cabinetry to the floor-to-ceiling windows, Monarch makes a statement at every turn.
This attention to detail extends throughout, from the spectacular grand lobby, state-of-the-art fitness center, inspiring party room, sparkling blue waters of our resort-style pool, and beautiful outdoor terrace.
Let our 24-hour concierge assist with everything from selecting a fine dining restaurant to coordinating a private party. No other condominium community in Tysons offers this level of superior service. World-class shopping, dining, and entertainment experiences are only a block away, and with the Silver Line Metro so close, residents can easily connect with everything Washington, D.C. and beyond.
Sophisticated condominiums priced from $1.57M. Ask about our rate buydown program — see Sales Manager for details.
