Big article about Tysons Corner in the Washington Post, Sep 24, 2011: Tysons Corner: The building of an American city . . . . If all goes to plan by 2014, a 400-unit apartment building twice the height of buildings in downtown Washington is under construction beyond the tracks on one side. It’s next to an Exxon station, a McDonald’s and other single-use buildings surrounded by parking lots. Off the other direction, a new Wal-Mart sells fresh groceries. . . . .

But as the tiny rural crossroads has grown into one of the country’s top corporate destinations, in one sense it’s also become a monstrosity: It is teeming undefined just absolutely bursting undefined with traffic. Traffic that carries people from cookie-cutter strip malls to sprawling office parks and past acres of parking lots in between. For each of the 19,627 people who live in Tysons, more than four others drive there each day, which explains all those parking lots. . . . .

The McLean Citizens Association Planning Committee is going to make a presentation to the PHCA, October the 4th at 7:30pm at the Pimmit Hills School on Lisle Avenue. We normally do not have a meeting the month of October, but it has come to our attention that many things are in the making around Pimmit Hills and we would like to stay informed and make sure our voice is heard. Some of the topics that will be discussed are:

McLean Commons Plan which includes the following:

The US Postal Service has officially issued a notification that the Pimmit Branch Post Office, located at 7520 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA (in the Trader Joe's shopping center), will discontinue operations effective close of business on November 10, 2011. For more information about why this is necessary: Postal Service Faces New Reality (US Postal Service, September 15, 2011)

If you receive mail at your home, there will be NO change. If you have a post office box at the branch, you have the option of either receiving mail at your residence or getting a post office box at the Falls Church Finance Station located at 800 West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA, or other POB services at the Dunn Loring Branch or Merrifield Rental Unit. You may be entitled to a partial refund of your prepaid post office box rent. Movers Guides are included for your convenience to notify the Postal Service and correspondents of your new mailing address.

PHCA members present at the September meeting voted a unanimous "Yes" to the question "Are the PHCA members in favor of constructing a pedestrian and bicycle access only bridge across the Redd Rd creek?". The PHCA will now forward a letter of our position to Fairfax county and WMATA.

I plan to be closely involved in the design and planning process. There will most likely be several votes on the matter in the future depending on how Fairfax respond to our motion.

A Pimmit Hills resident on Hileman Road alerted us to the following:

"I woke up this morning (9/2/2011) to find all four wheels stolen off of my car right in my own driveway on Hileman Rd. The perpetrators made no noise and had the proper tools to remove my special wheel locks. These are likely professional thieves.

The police said this happens frequently further south in Falls Church but that it is a first for this area in a long time. This is also the first time in my six years here (five as a home owner) that I have felt like I need to worry about safety and locking everything up tight.

I want to warn others to be aware of anything strange going on and also request that if anybody has seen unusual or suspicious activity to please let me know any additional information that they have."

From Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project:

Drivers who use Magarity Road in the McLean/Falls Church/Tysons Corner area should expect delays in the overnight hours Thursday, Sept. 8, and Friday, Sept. 9 when Magarity Road is scheduled to be closed at the Dulles Connector Road (Route 267) overpass between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The closing is necessary for safety reasons while crews work on the new bridge that will carry tracks for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project in the median of the Dulles Connector Road across Magarity Road.

Pimmit Hills residents might soon enjoy faster bike and pedestrian access to the West Falls Church metro station, if a new WAMATA proposal to build a path on Idylwood Road gets legs. The project -- which would include constructing a new pedestrian/cyclist bridge across the creek on Redd Road -- could cut the walking distance for residents by up to one mile and eliminate the need to walk along Route 7.

At Fairfax County’s request for improved pedestrian access to Metorail, WMATA has conducted a feasibility study for “a pedestrian/bike trail connecting the Pimmit Hills neighborhood to the north entrance of the West Falls Church Station. The entrance to the trail would be located on the Idlywood Road and will follow the path of the security fence between the SI Yard and I-66 right-of-way.”

Pimmit Hills Citizens Association and the Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division sponsored a build-your-own rain barrel workshop on July 9. The rain barrels were free to Pimmit Hills residents thanks to a community grant from Transurban and Fluor (the HOT Lanes developer).

In a matter of hours Pimmit Hills residents turned 50 recycled pickle and olive barrels into sturdy rain barrels to collect rainwater from downspouts. More photos from the workshop can be found on the PHCA Facebook page.

Learn more about rain barrels and sign up for future workshops at the Northern Virginia Soil and Water conservation District website.

UPDATE June 23, 2011: Voltaire has been found.

Voltaire has been missing from his Griffith Road home for over a day. He is a friendly 13-year old neutered male cat.

If you've seen him give Robin a call at 571-354-1163

From PHCA President Carol Martz:

Hey, Everyone -- Get RID OF THAT STUFF IN YOUR YARD OR PORCH -- Make our neighborhood a better place to live. Don't worry if you are not a member of the PHCA. We will be collecting the $20 dues at the Cleanup. It's a very inexpensive way to get rid of all that stuff you've been meaning to pitch for years!!!

You can also pay your dues ahead of time now: Join PHCA