The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project is ready to start construction on the pedestrian pavilion that will provide access across Route 123 to the Tysons East Metrorail Station at the corner of Route 123 and Scotts Crossing Road between the Dulles Toll/Dulles Connector Road and I-495. This pavilion will be located at the corner of Route 123 and Colshire Drive (see rendering), and will serve as the ground-level entrance to the pedestrian bridges over Route 123. It is the first pedestrian pavillion to be built by the rail project.

Pile driving, which generates significant noise, will be necessary. This activity drives steel piles into the soil to build foundations for pavilion structures. The pile driving will be performed between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays and the occasional Saturday.

A total of 38 piles are to be installed, which is expected to last for approximately three weeks.

From the McLean Patch, Dec. 14: VDOT invites the neighbors over to Lemon Road School tonight (Wednesday, December 14 from 7-9 pm) to find out about plans to construct sound walls on the Dulles Connector Road (Route 267), for three miles in both directions from Route 123 (Dolley Madison Boulevard) to I-66. The sound walls will be constructed to help muffle noise from the new Metro Silver line that will operate from downtown Washington to Reston. The new subway line is under construction down the median of the Dulles Connector Road.

Stop by anytime between 7 and 9 p.m. to view displays and learn more about the project. VDOT staff will be available to answer your questions.
"In the last session of the General Assembly, Sen. Janet Howell, D-Reston and a bit of McLean, and Del. Jim Scott, D-Pimmit Hills to Merrifield, got an amendment to the budget passed that required sound walls to be built along the Dulles Connector," said Jim Phelps, chair of the Transportation Committee of the McLean Citizens Association.

From the Washington Post's Capital Business: When Morton’s Steakhouse signed up in September to move into the former Borders book store in Tysons Corner, the restaurateur only took 34 percent of the 28,988-square- foot space, leaving room for two more tenants.

Expect more of the same in 2012. Retail experts anticipate more landlords saddled with vacant big-box spaces will carve them up for multiple tenants, rather than let the buildings sit empty in wait for one large user.

Nearly 200,000 square feet of retail space came back on the market when Borders went out of business and closed its eight stores in the Washington area this year. Brokers representing the sites say interest is high, but most of the locations continue to languish on the market.

On Tuesday, December 13, the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce will present "NOVAForward Real Estate Forum: The Early Projects of the NEW Tysons Corner" from 7:30 am to 10 am at the Capital One building in McLean. If you work, employ people, own property, live in or near Tysons, or just have an interest in what the future holds for this important economic engine for Fairfax County and Virginia, come learn the latest on coming changes and imminent projects.

Over the past three decades, Tysons Corner has become an epicenter of real estate and development, morphing from a rural area into one of the largest office/retail centers in the country. With the approval of a new plan for Tysons Corner last year and the arrival of rail within the next couple of years, Tysons Corner will be transformed into a vital, 24/7 urban downtown over the next few decades, with two to three times the amount of development that exists today.

Ready to win $100,000 for the schools in our town? Or get your electricity bill paid for the month of December? Enter the McLean Patch Deck the House Contest or vote for a Pimmit Hills house. Here's How It Works:

1. Nominate Your House at its brightest
2. Vote for the very Best Decked House in your neighborhood
3. Enter to win $100,000 for your public schools.

‘Tis the season for twinkling lights and holiday magic! This year, we’re inviting each Patch town to vote on the very Best Decked House, and rewarding the whole community with $100,000 for their schools!

Who wins what? One house per Patch will be chosen--by you!--as the Winner in your Patch. Of these best and brightest, our judges will select 24 National Finalists from Patch communities shining all over the country. And since it’s the season of giving, we’ll take care of their holiday spirit-spiked electricity bill for the entire month of December (up to $500*).

Finally, the one Grand Prize Winner--chosen by you--will earn $100,000 for public schools in their town! Ok, enough details. Upload your Best Decked House now, and show how your town outshines the rest!

From Fairfax County: Residents may be able to cut their prescription drug costs by almost half on average, thanks to a new, free discount card offered by Fairfax County through a partnership. This card will help the estimated 144,000-plus residents without health insurance, although it may offer savings to the insured too.

The county is making the card available because the number of uninsured has spiked in recent years. Their ranks have grown by 27 percent between 2009 and 2010, according to U.S. Census estimates. The latest figures show that 13.5 percent of residents lacked insurance last year.

From Fairfax County: The Tysons Urban Design Guidelines are being prepared to augment the Urban Design recommendations contained in the adopted Comprehensive Plan for Tysons. These guidelines will be used by the development community, residents, and staff to guide the rezoning and development process. They will offer specific guidance for:

• Planting design and materials
• Building Design and materials
• Urban park design and materials
• Interim condition design

From the Washington Post: Fairfax County planners and real estate developers agree that there is a market for newly built apartments in Tysons Corner. The opportunity has home builders furiously buying properties within walking distance of the area’s four coming Metro stations. But there is a growing chasm about whether the time is right for high-rise apartment buildings, soaring as tall as 30 stories. The decision about whether to build taller buildings with more units largely boils down to whether people looking to rent Tysons Corner apartments will be willing to pay extra for the quality finishes and scenic views that make the buildings financially feasible to construct.

McLean Police District – Police are investigating a report of a Good Samaritan who had her car stolen at knife-point around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, November 19. A 59-year-old Fairfax woman was approached in the Tyson’s Corner II parking lot of Neiman Marcus by a woman who claimed she was out of gas and needed a ride to a station.

The victim invited the woman into her vehicle but as she drove toward Route 123 the suspect produced a knife and told the driver to get out of the vehicle. The victim was left at the intersection of Old Courthouse Road and Route 123.

(AP) One of the key exit routes out of traffic-clogged Tysons Corner will be severely restricted for the next eight weeks. The heavy traffic in Tysons Corner is always worse during the holiday shopping season due to the presence of Tysons Corner Center and other shopping destinations. And the construction planned for the exit ramp on Leesburg Pike will only exacerbate the problem. On Tuesday night, the Virginia Department of Transportation reduced the exit ramp from eastbound Route 7 onto the southbound Capital Beltway from two lanes to one. The lane closure is expected to last for the next eight weeks. The closure is part of the construction project to add high-occupancy toll lanes to the Beltway in northern Virginia.

AP/Washington Post, November 16, 2011