Metro and other U.S. transit systems are facing a sharp drop in their revenues caused by COVID-19’s impact on ridership and the economy. While draconian Metro budget cuts for calendar year 2021 were staved off by a recent infusion of federal funds, without future funding Metro will be in the same dire position a year from now, in 2022. Without further federal assistance, local economies dependent upon transit for access to jobs and other life essential activities will face severe cuts in transit service in 2022. Metro also needs long term, stable federal funding beyond 2022.

The Biden administration has proposed $20 billion in federal funding for transit that would keep WMATA (and other major city transit system operators) running in 2022. That bill is now making its way through Congress. Looking to the future, the Virginia congressional delegation is introducing a bill that will provide federal funding to WMATA through 2031.

Our entire Virginia congressional delegation is aware of the regional stakes and is working hard to keep Metro funded both in 2022 and beyond. They need to hear your encouragement for their steadfast support of transit.

  • Representative Jennifer Wexton – Email Chris Gibson or call: (202) 622-8414
  • Representative Gerry Connolly – Email Collin Davenport, or call: (202) 225-1492
  • Senator Mark Warner – Email Stephanie Doherty or call: 202-224-2023
  • Senator Tim Kaine – Email Evan McWalters, or call (202) 224-4024

We encourage you to reach out to your legislators. Below are some recommended talking points:

  • Metro is critical to the economy of the National Capital Region, Tysons and the entire Silver Line corridor.
  • The impacts of COVID-19 on Metro revenue and ridership have been severe.
  • The bipartisan federal relief package signed in December 2020 helped, but those funds are not enough or sustainable.
  • Despite taking management actions to reduce operating costs, Metro is projecting a $200M shortfall for next year.
  • Additional transit relief is needed to prevent layoffs and more service cuts in 2022.
  • Transit is existential to the Tysons envisioned by the Comprehensive Plan. Much has been accomplished in the decade since Fairfax County adopted the Plan, and transit remains key to continued progress.

Please click HERE for a recording of the Metro Mondays Webinar – How COVID-19 has Impacted the Financial Status of Metro & the Silver Line.


Put lightly, 2020 was a challenging year. However, the blood drives at Tysons Corner Center were a beacon of hope when community morale was low.

Tysons Corner Center generously provided the socially distant space. The charity of the Tysons community, including the Inova Blood Donor Service’s team and its partners, allowed for events that were safe and fun. Local celebrities Tommy McFly and Kelly Collis with Real.Fun.DC cheered on donors, encouraging participation and providing fun treats.

The blood drives were wildly successful ultimately yielding 1,757 total blood donations helping over 5,200 patients get the necessary blood, plasma, and platelet transfusions needed to heal.

Tysons Corner Center is already working with Inova for future blood drives in 2021.

Photo credit: Rassi Borneo


Looking for a way to show that special someone in your life just how much you love them? Look no further… Tysons and neighboring communities are chock-full of romantic and delicious options to woo that someone special in your life, or to show yourself some love, including bakeries, florists, hotels, restaurants and more. We have compiled a round-up of wonderful options below:

American Prime is offering a $150 Dinner for Two which begins with a Lobster Bisque and then a choice of Tomahawk, Porterhouse or signature Bone-in Smoked Short Rib, each including a choice of two sides. For dessert, guests will enjoy a flourless chocolate cake big enough for two. The special Valentine’s Day dinner is available on Friday, Feb 12, and Saturday, Feb 13. American Prime is closed on Sundays.

Andy’s Pizza (located in Tysons Galleria) Valentine’s Day special (carry out or delivery) is a choice of pizza (any signature pies offered by the slice) with a bottle of either sparkling Bubbly Brut, Merlot or Sauvignon Blanc topped off with a dessert, tiramisu, all for $38. For patrons who will be celebrating “Anti V-day” they are offering a pizza of choice, an order of old bay fries and 4 Radeberger tall boy pilsners for $38. The special will run all weekend, Friday- Sunday (Feb 12-14).

Best Buns is a bakery café in Tysons offering Valentine’s Day themed sugar cookies, cupcakes, and cakes. Items are available starting Feb 1 to pick-up in-store (masks required) or may be ordered ahead on the Great American Restaurants “GAR” app or online.

Caboose Brewing Co. is planning to can its fourth beer in its For Lover’s series in February 2021 (aligning well with Valentine’s Day)! This series celebrates 100% Virginia-based ingredients, community, and local beer. This Pale Ale has notes of bold pine and grapefruit. The Virginia Pine Needles are sourced from The Potomac Gorge.

Cameron’s Coffee and Chocolates is a nonprofit employing individuals with intellectual disabilities in its Fairfax store. For Valentine’s Day, offerings include hand-dipped Belgian chocolates in different size gift boxes in addition to hand-dipped strawberries (available by special order). Feel free to shop the online store which offers chocolates and bakery options.

Classic Bakery is featuring various Valentine’s Day themed cakes, cupcakes, chocolate, chocolate-covered fruits and more! All items are available online for pickup or local delivery. Visit www.classicbakery.com to place your order or visit their store for first-come first-service pickup.

Cocoa Vienna will offer fresh handmade chocolates locally including over 60 truffles with ganache in addition to over 2,000 chocolate-molded items.

Earls Tysons Corner is offering a Valentine’s Day limited edition (one night only) chef kit that guests can whip up in under 30-minutes at home. Or, if guests prefer to dine-in (safety protocols are in place), they are offering three-course chef-set menus in-store (multiple options ranging from $42-$48/pp for three courses).

Chef Kit for Two – $90
STARTER- Warm Spinach + Three-Cheese Dip
MAIN COURSE- Filet Mignon or Salmon Filet + Prawns served with Lobster + Shrimp Ravioli and a side of Roasted Asparagus
DESSERT- Sticky Toffee Chocolate PuddingChef Kit for Two – $90 STARTER- Warm Spinach + Three Cheese DipMAIN COURSE- Filet Mignon or Salmon Filet + PrawnsServed with Lobster + Shrimp Ravioli and a side of Roasted AsparagusDESSERT- Sticky Toffee Chocolate Pudding

Guests can book their reservation or order online at EarlsRestaurants.com

Fluffy Thoughts Cakes is a bakery offering heart-shaped cocoa bombs filled with pink marshmallows and hot cocoa, a DIY cookie kit that kids can work on at home and then package to give to their friends, a DIY Pavlova kit, macarons, different mini valentines cakes and cupcakes. You can even order a large chocolate pinata heart that comes with a mallet to break the chocolate revealing more yummy treats.

Fogo de Chão is pleased to share its Valentine’s Day couples promotion. If you book on Feb 12, 13, or 14 you will receive a $25 Dining card towards two dinners, while supplies last. Cards Valid Sunday-Thursday starting Feb 15 – Mar 6, 2021.

Fogo is also offering an incentive starting now until Feb 28 if you book a group dining event (for groups of 15+). See details below:

• Each guest will receive a $25 dining card that will be given the day of the event.
• Event must be booked before Feb 28, 2021
• Event must take place before Mar 31, 2021

The Happy Tart is a bakery serving their customer favorites on Valentine’s Day including:

  • Triple Berry Mousse Heart – 3 layers of mousse – blackberry, raspberry and strawberry on a cookie crust in the shape of a heart.
  • Mayan Mousse Heart – Dark Chocolate Mousse infused with cinnamon and cayenne pepper on a chocolate meringue base surrounded by chocolate meringue sticks.
  • Gift Boxes of Macarons and Petit Fours.
  • A gourmet picnic basket with baguette, cheeses, charcuterie, nibbles, a tart, dessert, chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne

Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center (located in Tysons Corner Center) will offer a Valentine’s Day Package for a hotel room starting at $150 which will include:

• Free Parking
• $50 Barrel and Bushel in-room credit
• Bottle of Sparkling Wine
This package will be available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Feb 12 -15). Guests can book online using code: CR85936

Karin’s Florist has flowers, chocolates, greeting cards, stuffed animals, balloons, wine, gourmet gift baskets, and more. Order this special bouquet and a portion of the proceeds will go to Rustic Love Vienna, a local organization that raises funds for Vienna VA Foodies/One Neighborhood Foundation, a group dedicated to supporting Vienna’s local restaurants, frontline workers and food-insecure families.

La Sandia will offer a special Valentine’s Day Menu available for dine-in and to-go.

Valentine’s Day Dine-In:
Three-Course Menu for Two ($35/person)

Appetizers
Traditional Guacamole (avocado, tomato, onion, cilantro, chile serrano)
or
Crispy Shrimp (guajillo cream sauce, mango salsa, citrus spicy mayo, charred lemon)

Entrees
Volcano Molcajete (grilled steak, chicken, chorizo, queso fresco, grilled onions, guacamole)
or
Chicken Zarape (bacon, cheese, pico de gallo, zarape sauce, crema fresca, creamy white rice)

Dessert
Tres Leches Corn Cake (vanilla ice cream, strawberry salsa, caramel sauce)

Valentines Day To-Go ($75/couple):
Same Three Course Menu for Two + 2 Margaritas

Learn more about their Valentine’s Day offerings and pre-order a to-go package here.

Maryam Flowers: SHOW YOUR LOVE! Maryam Flowers, a family-owned business for over 30 years, will offer freshly curated blooms and cultivated plants that are kid and pet friendly. They have a deal for you and for your Valentine!  SHOP WITH THEM.

Seasons 52 Tysons Corner: This Valentine’s Day, Seasons 52 is offering fresh takeout dinner options for families and couples alike. The family-style Valentine’s Day Holiday Green Box features a choice of either Kona-Crusted Wood-Grilled Tenderloin or Whole-Side-of-Cedar Plank-Roasted Salmon, sides, salad and mini indulgence desserts starting at $125. Guests seeking a romantic dinner for two can enjoy a Valentine’s Day Two-for-$99 bundle, featuring Kona-Crusted Filet Mignon, Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, Lemon-Parsley Marble Potatoes, salad, choice of mini indulgence desserts and a bottle of wine to share. Orders can be placed online at Seasons52.com.

Sweet Bites Cafe and Bakery in McLean is featuring special Valentine’s Day brownies, themed cupcakes and whoopie pies, heart-shaped frosted sugar cookies and V-day cakes decorated with lots of hearts and love! All of their freshly baked in-house pastries can be ordered on-line on the Toast Takeout App or you can call ahead for your special treats.

Tysons Nail Lounge is offering a month-long promotion in February of 10% off for couples for a Pure Luxe Pedicure with complimentary champagne.

Wegmans (Located in Capital One Center) is a one-stop-shop for celebrating Valentine’s Day at home this year. Shoppers can choose from the florist department, extended wine & beer shop, holiday-themed baked treats and plenty of options for special meals with fresh seafood and meat selections. Also, check out Capital One Center’s holiday-themed letters right outside Wegmans on Scott’s Crossing. A fun backdrop for a holiday photo!

Wildfire Tysons is offering a Valentine’s Menu for Two for $120 per couple (available for dine-in and carry-out). The menu will include an appetizer, salad, a choice of two main courses and side dishes and choice of dessert. In addition, they will be serving their Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie by slice or whole. Detailed information will be available on their website starting around Jan 13.


NEWS
December 16, 2020

Holiday Happenings in Tysons

With the holidays already underway, don’t miss out on festive events that are happening in Tysons. 

The Boro at Tysons Holiday Activitations
(now through December 28th)

In Person and Virtual Photos with Santa at Tysons Galleria 
(now through December 24, 2020) 
 
Photos with Santa at Tysons Corner Center 
(now through December 24, 2020) 
 
The Grinch’s Grotto at Tysons Corner Center 
(now through December 31, 2020)


Throughout the years, Tysons Corner Center has become known as a central hub for events in the Tysons area. Even in a year like no other, Tysons Corner Center wanted to engage the community with a series of socially distant events that were fun for the whole family while maintaining a focus on the health and wellness of its guests and still finding ways to give back. Thus, Tysons Corner Center launched its Drive-In Movie series, the last of which wrapped up with a holiday classic earlier this month. Similar to its drive-in series early this year, along with other drive-in events at The Boro and Capital One Center, Tysons Corner Centers holiday-themed drive-in was a hit from the start!

From car rooftops or hanging out of hatchbacks, socially distanced guests took in fun-filled movie classics like “The Sandlot,” “Aladdin,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Home Alone,” and “Elf.” Each movie featured live music from local acts, trivia, and a variety of food and beverage options from Subway, Cinnabon, Doughnuttery, Panda Express, Kung Fu Tea, Nordstrom, Seasons 52, and Coastal Flats to name a few. Guests lucky enough to win VIP tickets through the center’s radio promotions received front row spots and a to-go meal of their choosing from one of Tysons Corner Center’s 40+ eateries.

True to the spirit of giving back during the holiday season, all proceeds from the five sold-out events were donated to Tysons Corner Center’s charitable partners, including: Second Story, the local organization helping vulnerable populations in the Tysons community, and Food for Others, another great local nonprofit providing food to neighbors in need.

Tysons Corner Center looks forward to a time when more traditional events can be held, but will continue to find other opportunities to put on  engaging, socially distant community events in the meantime.

For additional information about Tysons Corner Center, including future events, visit their website.


DEC 1, 2020 — Tysons, VA — Tysons Partnership sincerely appreciates Fairfax County’s support for Tysons as an economic engine for the County and region. The Board of Supervisors vote today to invest additional economic opportunity funds in Tysons enables the Partnership to continue supporting growth in Tysons and delivering value through placemaking, research planning & economic development, transportation & mobility solutions, and place branding.

With the promise of 2021 looming, we look forward to the recovery of our community, continuing to welcome new residents and employers while also welcoming back our many visitors. As the threat to public health hopefully recedes, we’ll see more public events and place activations, the launch of our new city brand, and continued foundational work toward a walkable and mobile urban center. We will also build on our reputation as a thought leader in the urban space, and as a convener and facilitator for coordination and integration between the public and private sectors.

As we look to the start of our second decade since the County’s adoption of the Comprehensive Plan for Tysons, we recognize also the Board of Supervisors’ continued commitment to work with the Partnership toward building a more robust, deeper capacity public-private partnership model. As our community looks to recover from the dramatic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the partnership model will well-position the Tysons Partnership to lead economic recovery efforts and serve as a catalyst for continued implementation of the urban vision expressed in the County’s Comprehensive Plan.

Contact Info:
Drew Sunderland
Contact


Tysons Partnership commends the recent vote of the Metro Board of Directors to rename Tysons Corner station to “Tysons.” This is an important step forward in the effort to unify the Tysons brand and foster a cohesive sense of place across our rapidly urbanizing neighborhoods. We also want to express appreciation to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for its foresight in requesting the change.

The new station name reflects our new urban, transit-oriented reality, as envisioned in the County’s Comprehensive Plan for Tysons. We also applaud the Board of Supervisors’ recent approval of a name change at the Tysons Metro station stop at McLean to incorporate “Capital One Hall,” Tysons’ soon-to-arrive major entertainment venue.  

The four Metro stations in Tysons serve as a major connector for the Tysons community and the region, bringing people to jobs, residences, and amenities. 

We remain committed to Tysons and its evolution into an urban district serving as the County’s economic engine and a leader for the region.

Contact Info:
Drew Sunderland
Contact


Our mission to serve the Tysons community has never been more vital than it is today. We have been hard at work building capacity to expand our role as a regional platform for collaboration and growth – all in an effort to provide valuable resources and greater opportunity to those who live, work, and do business here in Tysons.

Below is an update across several of our key  initiatives as we continue our commitment to drive value for all stakeholders and elevate Tysons to its highest form.

A New Partnership

In February, our Board of Directors voted to approve a process for transition to a more sustainable business and operational model for the Partnership, with capacity to support our mission and goals beyond the limits of our current member dues-driven model. With January 2022 as the goal for launch, we are working with our private and public sector partners to create a business plan that will redefine our organizational model and establish a “roadmap” by which to achieve it.

The new model will build on our record of accomplishment to drive growth through deliverables in four core service areas:

  • Research, Planning, and Development
  • Transportation and Mobility
  • Placemaking, Activation, and Management
  • Communications and Place Branding

Ramped-up delivery in those core areas will begin in 2022, once our new funding model goes into effect.

A New Brand

Recognizing the need for Tysons to share its distinctive and authentic story with future residents, employers, investors and visitors, the Partnership embarked on a city brand effort in 2019 in consultation with Gensler. After over a year of research, stakeholder engagement, testing, and consensus-building, we’re nearing completion of a new Tysons brand platform set to launch in early 2021. The platform will include a new visual identity, a revamped website and social media channels, and community engagement programs.

A New Resource

We’re working with a team of specialists from HR&A, Toole Design, and Wells + Associates to develop an interactive Data Dashboard for the collection and modeling of Tysons specific real estate, economic, and demographic data. The Dashboard will be implemented as a core public resource available on our website. Additionally, the data collected as part of the greater market study will help drive our growth strategy planning and inform key policy and advocacy elements affecting Tysons, including mobility, housing affordability, parks and open space, and other key pieces of the urban development puzzle.

 Driving Tysons Forward

Financial support for these initiatives is funded through a Fairfax County economic development grant, matched by investment from our private sector stakeholders.


In mid-July 2020, Tysons Partnership issued a public survey asking questions about living and working during a pandemic to understand how people in and around Tysons and the D.C. metro area feel about the very different times we are living through now. Respondents were able to answer questions from their individual point of view and from that as an employer.

We received over 700 responses to the survey, with roughly half from people living or working in and around Tysons. The basic respondent demographics appear on page 6 of this report. The survey questions addressed issues such as school reopening, working from home, returning to office-based work, shopping, dining, and transit. A single “do you have anything else you’d like to add?” open-ended question gave people the opportunity to comment broadly, giving us a qualitative sense of what is at the top of people’s minds.

With the minute-by-minute of news coverage on these topics, our findings are less about blockbuster surprises than a confirmation of the many opportunities for public and private entities to think innovatively, collaborate, and consider a wide range of human emotions as they continue evolving their responses to a stubborn public health crisis.

Our intention is to set a baseline of understanding that could be tracked through another survey in roughly six months, so we hope that readers of this report will respond again in the future, helping us and our many Tysons stakeholders to listen, learn, and take positive actions for our community.

Sol Glasner, President
CEO Tysons Partnership

Download Survey Report

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Drew Sunderland, 703.559.2552
drew@tysonspartnership.org


Statement from the Tysons Partnership:

Tysons Partnership welcomes WMATA’s announcement that all four Silver Line Metro stations in Tysons will reopen on August 16. The Tysons community depends on safe and reliable rail service to meet the mobility needs of our employers, residents and workforce.

When the rail closure was first announced on April 22, Tysons Partnership convened a response task force consisting of WMATA officials, Fairfax County government leaders, local business stakeholders and community members. Our goals were to expedite the return of rail service to Tysons and mitigate the effects of the shutdown on Tysons employers, commuters and residents. We are pleased with Metro’s announcement last week that bus shuttle service at the McLean and Greensboro Metro stations will begin on June 28 and with today’s announcement of a firm end date for the shutdown.

With Phase Three reopening beginning July 1, traffic volume in Northern Virginia is projected to return to near pre-pandemic levels. With this in mind, Tysons Partnership urges Fairfax County and the Commonwealth to consider piloting dedicated bus lanes as a way to ensure safe, reliable and frequent bus shuttle service through the planned August 16 rail reopening. As previously stated by WMATA GM and CEO Paul Wiedefeld, this will allow METRO “to cycle buses more efficiently, expanding capacity that would allow passengers to maintain social distancing.”

Tysons Partnership looks forward to continuing our productive collaboration with WMATA to meet the evolving transit and business needs of the Tysons community as the Silver Line expands and Tysons continues to grow.