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January 02, 2009
Another Vienna Landmark Bites the Dust Comments (21)
The original Wesley United Methodist Church and later Curly's will soon become Yaz Bakery:
Council OK's New Church Street Project
by BRIAN TROMPETER
December 29, 2008
Vienna’s up-and-coming Church Street Vision area soon will have another distinctive architectural addition.The Vienna Town Council on Dec. 15 approved a new building at 137 Church St., N.W., which will serve as the new home for Yas Bakery & Pastries and perhaps one or two other tenants.
The building’s first floor would serve as the bakery’s main area, the second floor would contain the bakery’s work room, lunch room and a small office, and the third floor would be leased to renters, possibly law offices, said architect Paul Layer.
The new 6,526-square-foot, three-story building will replace another structure on the parcel and have 11 on-site parking spaces. The building’s third floor will be its largest and will extend over an archway that leads to parking behind the property.
A mix of brick, cast stone, wrought iron and a standing-seam metal roof will give the building’s facade a pleasing appearance, Layer said.
The new building also will have a more capacious stormwater-management facility than the site’s current structure, said Patrick Kessler, vice president of GJB Engineering Inc.
The site’s owner, Maryam Properties, will improve an alleyway behind the property and erect a 6-foot-tall screening and retaining wall there. The alley will be maintained by the town.
Town Council member Daniel Dellinger complimented Layer for the building’s design.
“You’ve taken the very essence of it and done a wonderful job,” Dellinger said.
http://www.sungazette.net/articles/2009/01/02/fairfax/news/ff20.txt
December 01, 2008
Does Maud Know Hippies Are Coming to Town? Comments (12)
Vienna Facility Aims to Be Grass-Roots Center for Artists, Musicians
by BRIAN TROMPETER, Staff Writer
Friday, November 28, 2008
Husband-and-wife team Thor Berglie and Jennifer Crawford soon will open The Soundry, a shared space for artists and musicians, at a former autobody repair shop in Vienna. (Photo by Brian Trompeter)
Brace yourselves: Vienna is about to get artistically edgy.
The town’s art scene will take a leap forward in December when Fairfax husband-and-wife team Jennifer Crawford and Thor Berglie open The Soundry.
The facility will offer shared work areas for artists and musicians who wish to develop their craft, learn from each other, sell their artworks and take classes.
“We wanted to give our local artists a space to create and expose [their works] to the public,” Crawford said. “They don’t have that opportunity working out of their basement.”
The business is located at 316 Dominion Road, N.E., in a 4,700-square-foot space formerly occupied by Ray’s Auto Body.
The venture’s name derives from “sound,” owing to the couple’s initial idea to cater to musicians, and “foundry,” which implies a crucible where things are created. Its logo, a stylized pink skull crossed with paintbrush and drum stick, looks as if it came from a heavy-metal band.
Crawford used to run a pet-sitting business and Berglie still works as a computer-software engineer.
The couple came up with their art-studio idea two-and-a-half years ago and have spent the interim refining their business plan and finding the right location.
“One day, I happened to bring my bass with me to work, and was walking down the hall and people said, ‘Hey, I play an instrument, too,’” Berglie said. “You would never know, because all these software people are locked in their offices all day.”
The couple started letting musicians borrow their basement so they could practice without disturbing their neighbors. They then thought that other artists - such as oil painters working in rooms with poor ventilation - might have similar problems finding suitable work spaces.
“The Torpedo Factory in Alexandria and the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton also offer studio spaces, but are juried institutions catering to more experienced artists,” she said.
“This is very grass-roots. We’re not juried. Anybody is welcome. We don’t care if you’re naturally gifted or not, as long as this is what you want to do, you’re welcome here,” Crawford said.
by BRIAN TROMPETER, Staff Writer
Friday, November 28, 2008
Husband-and-wife team Thor Berglie and Jennifer Crawford soon will open The Soundry, a shared space for artists and musicians, at a former autobody repair shop in Vienna. (Photo by Brian Trompeter)
Brace yourselves: Vienna is about to get artistically edgy.
The town’s art scene will take a leap forward in December when Fairfax husband-and-wife team Jennifer Crawford and Thor Berglie open The Soundry.
The facility will offer shared work areas for artists and musicians who wish to develop their craft, learn from each other, sell their artworks and take classes.
“We wanted to give our local artists a space to create and expose [their works] to the public,” Crawford said. “They don’t have that opportunity working out of their basement.”
The business is located at 316 Dominion Road, N.E., in a 4,700-square-foot space formerly occupied by Ray’s Auto Body.
The venture’s name derives from “sound,” owing to the couple’s initial idea to cater to musicians, and “foundry,” which implies a crucible where things are created. Its logo, a stylized pink skull crossed with paintbrush and drum stick, looks as if it came from a heavy-metal band.
Crawford used to run a pet-sitting business and Berglie still works as a computer-software engineer.
The couple came up with their art-studio idea two-and-a-half years ago and have spent the interim refining their business plan and finding the right location.
“One day, I happened to bring my bass with me to work, and was walking down the hall and people said, ‘Hey, I play an instrument, too,’” Berglie said. “You would never know, because all these software people are locked in their offices all day.”
The couple started letting musicians borrow their basement so they could practice without disturbing their neighbors. They then thought that other artists - such as oil painters working in rooms with poor ventilation - might have similar problems finding suitable work spaces.
“The Torpedo Factory in Alexandria and the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton also offer studio spaces, but are juried institutions catering to more experienced artists,” she said.
“This is very grass-roots. We’re not juried. Anybody is welcome. We don’t care if you’re naturally gifted or not, as long as this is what you want to do, you’re welcome here,” Crawford said.
Continue reading "Does Maud Know Hippies Are Coming to Town?" »
November 14, 2008
Parking 101. Comments (10)
Vienna Council Mulls Limited Options to Increase, Regulate Parking
by Brian Trompeter
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Vienna officials are considering a parking structure, paid parking, revised town codes and other measures to offset a nettlesome parking shortage on Church Street, N.W.
According to an Oct. 1 Vienna Planning Commission report, discussed at the Vienna Town Council's Nov. 10 work session, full development of the Church Street Vision area could result in a shortage of as many as 246 parking spaces.
Commissioned last October by the Town Council, the study was produced by Planning Commission members Ed Chase, John Brunow, Chuck Anderson and Emil Attanasi.
The commission members conducted surveys of business owners and employees, as well as the public. One surprising find: Most drivers aren't willing to walk more than a block if they can't find parking on Church Street.
The Church Street Vision area, which uses a special zoning designation created in the mid-1990s, allows for floor-area ratios (FARs) of up to 0.7. Property owners receive increased building densities in exchange for architectural designs and site improvements that give the structures an early 20th-century appearance.
Council member Edythe Kelleher, who has much experience with land-use cases, said FARs of up to 0.5 only could be accommodated with street parking.
“Going to 0.7, we've pushed through the envelope and gone outside,” she said.
Town officials for years have considered building a parking structure in central Vienna to alleviate parking woes. One possible location is a vacant lot at 120 Church St., N.W.
However, a three-story above-ground parking garage with 200 spaces would cost about $8.5 million to build and $130,000 per year to operate.
“A big fix also includes a big price tag,” Anderson told the Town Council. “Generally, municipalities have to subsidize these structures. They don't pay for themselves.”
Council member Maud Robinson said an economical alternative would be for the town to buy the vacant lot and use it for ground-level parking until a parking structure became necessary.
If the town officials decide to build a parking structure in the Church Street Vision zone, they also likely would charge for parking in that area. This could be accomplished through meters or pay-to-park systems, which issue receipts that must be displayed on vehicles' dashboards.
Vienna officials also may reduce the number of parking spaces in Church Street Vision properties to one per every 400 square feet of the business in question - a figure that's half the usual amount.
Because restaurants usually require more parking, town officials may change the requirement to one space for every four or six seats in the restaurant.
Town officials could encourage property owners to share their parking, but this might meet resistance because of liability issues, officials said.
Another Church Street parking problem comes from a 35-unit condominium building, which supplies only one parking space per unit when most condominium owners have two vehicles, said Town Manager John Schoeberlein.
Town officials also are looking at ways to clear up traffic congestion caused by truck deliveries on Church Street.
Whatever steps the Town Council decides to take regarding the parking situation on Church Street, it first would have to hold two public hearings, said Vienna Planning and Zoning director Greg Hembree.
by Brian Trompeter
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Vienna officials are considering a parking structure, paid parking, revised town codes and other measures to offset a nettlesome parking shortage on Church Street, N.W.
According to an Oct. 1 Vienna Planning Commission report, discussed at the Vienna Town Council's Nov. 10 work session, full development of the Church Street Vision area could result in a shortage of as many as 246 parking spaces.
Commissioned last October by the Town Council, the study was produced by Planning Commission members Ed Chase, John Brunow, Chuck Anderson and Emil Attanasi.
The commission members conducted surveys of business owners and employees, as well as the public. One surprising find: Most drivers aren't willing to walk more than a block if they can't find parking on Church Street.
The Church Street Vision area, which uses a special zoning designation created in the mid-1990s, allows for floor-area ratios (FARs) of up to 0.7. Property owners receive increased building densities in exchange for architectural designs and site improvements that give the structures an early 20th-century appearance.
Council member Edythe Kelleher, who has much experience with land-use cases, said FARs of up to 0.5 only could be accommodated with street parking.
“Going to 0.7, we've pushed through the envelope and gone outside,” she said.
Town officials for years have considered building a parking structure in central Vienna to alleviate parking woes. One possible location is a vacant lot at 120 Church St., N.W.
However, a three-story above-ground parking garage with 200 spaces would cost about $8.5 million to build and $130,000 per year to operate.
“A big fix also includes a big price tag,” Anderson told the Town Council. “Generally, municipalities have to subsidize these structures. They don't pay for themselves.”
Council member Maud Robinson said an economical alternative would be for the town to buy the vacant lot and use it for ground-level parking until a parking structure became necessary.
If the town officials decide to build a parking structure in the Church Street Vision zone, they also likely would charge for parking in that area. This could be accomplished through meters or pay-to-park systems, which issue receipts that must be displayed on vehicles' dashboards.
Vienna officials also may reduce the number of parking spaces in Church Street Vision properties to one per every 400 square feet of the business in question - a figure that's half the usual amount.
Because restaurants usually require more parking, town officials may change the requirement to one space for every four or six seats in the restaurant.
Town officials could encourage property owners to share their parking, but this might meet resistance because of liability issues, officials said.
Another Church Street parking problem comes from a 35-unit condominium building, which supplies only one parking space per unit when most condominium owners have two vehicles, said Town Manager John Schoeberlein.
Town officials also are looking at ways to clear up traffic congestion caused by truck deliveries on Church Street.
Whatever steps the Town Council decides to take regarding the parking situation on Church Street, it first would have to hold two public hearings, said Vienna Planning and Zoning director Greg Hembree.
