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FRANCONIA, VA — After news broke in December about several Shoppers stores being closed or sold, one more store is joining the list. Employees at the Franconia Shoppers were told Tuesday the store will close by Feb. 16, according to the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 union.

The store is located at 7005 Manchester Boulevard in Franconia. Washington Business Journal reported that the store will be divided into three spaces: a HomeSense store, Sierra store and future grocery tenant. United Natural Foods Inc., the parent company of Shoppers, did not immediately comment on the Shoppers closure to the Business Journal.

In a statement, the UFCW Local 400 said United Natural Foods Inc. did not tell workers about the upcoming closure when news broke of future plans for the space. "Employees who have dedicated their careers to Shoppers should not be left to wonder where their next paycheck will come from," said Mark Federici, president of the UFCW Local 400. "But UNFI seems determined to leave them in the dark for as long as possible."

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The Franconia Shoppers closure in February will follow the closures of the Potomac Yard Shopping Center location in Alexandria and Bull Run Plaza location in Manassas by the end of January. The other locations shutting down are Baltimore, Severn and Kensington in Maryland.

United Natural Foods Inc. also announced the sale of 13 stores. This includes the Rolling Valley location in Burke, which is being sold to German discount grocer Lidl. The other 12 locations being sold are in Maryland; the buyers are Lidl, Compare Foods and McKay’s.

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The parent company intends to sell other Shoppers locations. Plans have not yet been announced for 7660 Richmond Highway in Hybla Valley; 9409 Lorton Market Street in Lorton; 9622 Main Street in Fairfax; 4174 Fortuna Center Plaza in Dumfries and 1505 Stafford Market Place in Stafford.

The union representing Shoppers employees is working on negotiations for severance and other benefits due to the store closures. It is also planning a resource fair to help with job training and placement for Shoppers workers on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at UFCW Local 400 Headquarters, 8400 Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Landover, Maryland.

FRANCONIA, Va., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- White Horse Auto Wash has done it again! The full-service car wash company announced the opening of its Franconia location, set to begin operations on Easter Monday. The Franconia White Horse Auto Wash will join our fast-growing company and become our seventh location in the State of Virginia. The Group plans to have at least ten Full Service carwashes operating by the end of 2022.

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White Horse Auto Wash galloped into the Car Wash Industry back in 2010 with the opening of their 1^st location in Warrenton, Virginia. Since the first wash opening, the ownership group led by Robert B Rust (a Virginia native son) have continued to grow by offering the best full service wash, while using the newest equipment, the best chemistry, while hiring and training the most customer centric associates.

Bob Rust and family are no strangers to the Northern Virginia community and culture. In fact, the company name, "White Horse Auto Wash" even has a local meaning behind it. The name originated from a fishing rock that bares the same name as the company and is located on the east side of the Shenandoah River. The story goes that when the water in the river rises and is rushing over the rock it looks like white horses in stride. The same goes for the company - when car counts rise at the washes and vehicles come rushing in, the teams handle the business and work together in stride.

As for the Franconia location, the company is looking forward to the success that stems from the community support and guests who have visited other White Horse locations. What sets White Horse Auto Wash apart from the typical car washes is not only the broad range of services offered such as details, interior cleans, waxes, or the state-of-the-art equipment and chemicals that every vehicle receives each wash, but the main separation factor comes from the people that White Horse employs. For an interior and exterior cleaning, guests can expect a 20 minute or less wait time with a "smile-guaranteed" send off at the end of the service.

White horse Franconia will offer a full-service unlimited plan for $49.99 and guests will be able to visit as many days in the month as they desire (between the hours of 8am and 7pm during the summer), to keep their car sparkling clean. For more information about services offered please visit www.whitehorseautowash.com.

"For me, the best part of a new site opening is getting to meet all the new guests that visit the site while getting to learn and become a part of the different communities. We are expecting big things from this location and have no doubt the team in Franconia will succeed those high expectations and compete to be the busiest site in the company," said District Manager, Garrett Giles. The General manger will be Mr. Tanner Ott who has been with White Horse for five years.

Media Contact:Dominic Lewinsohn334138@email4pr.com 435-901-1214

SOURCE White Horse Auto Wash

The company says with the "new, low-priced grocery store" comes the creation of "hundreds of high-quality jobs." Surplus food from the store is also being donated to local food banks, according to the company. (Courtesy: Amazon Fresh)

FRANCONIA, Va. (7News) — The Franconia location of the 'Amazon Fresh' store is scheduled to open to the public next week, the company announced Wednesday.

It will be the first location in the D.C. area and overall, the 13th location in the country.

The company says with the "new, low-priced grocery store" comes the creation of "hundreds of high-quality jobs." Surplus food from the store is also being donated to local food banks, according to the company.

We look forward to serving the Franconia community and welcoming customers into our doors,” said Nadeem Sheikh, store manager of the new Amazon Fresh Franconia grocery store. “In addition to low prices, customers will find a broad selection of high-quality food and innovative shopping features. We’re also proud that this store has created hundreds of good jobs for the local community.

RELATED: Amazon opens first UK checkout-free grocery store in London

Along with offering national brands and produce, meat and seafood, the company says the store will offer "fresh-baked" bread and "made-to-order pizzas," and hot sandwiches.

To top it off, Amazon Prime members will have access to free, same-day pick-up from the store, the company says.

Customers can also use the Amazon Dash Cart for grocery shopping which allows them to skip the checkout line. Alexa features will also help customers manage shopping lists.

"We’ve received great customer feedback on our innovative shopping features like the Amazon Dash Cart, which customers love for their added convenience and ability to skip the checkout line, and we can’t wait to hear what our customers in Franconia think," the company wrote in its press release.

The store will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day and will be located at 7005 C Manchester Blvd., and the official opening date to the public will be Thursday, May 27.

Click here for more information on the store from its website.

SPRINGFIELD, VA — An investigation from the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission found a train operator's lack of territory familiarity and "inadequate supervisory oversight" likely contributed to a train with passengers moving in the wrong direction at the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station on Aug. 16.

The report was presented during the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission on Tuesday. According to the report, a train operator who typically works the Shady Grove Division on the Red Line was working an extra shift in the Alexandria Division on Aug. 16. Riders had been aboard the train for about 10 minutes on the tail track at the station around 6 a.m. before the train returned to the platform.

The train had arrived to Franconia-Springfield on track 2 from the Alexandria Rail Yard around 5:44 a.m., then allowing riders to board. The train operator waited approximately 14 minutes for the scheduled departure time. Around 5:59 a.m., the train operator notified the terminal supervisor about holding the train on track 2, but the supervisor did not initially respond.

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Investigations found the supervisor may have been away from the work location. Non-work-related audio was found on recordings at the supervisor's station. The supervisor stated that the door would often be propped open to the break room where there was a TV. But television shows that were playing likely came from the supervisor's work computer. A review of browsing history and audio recordings found the supervisor regularly used video streaming services from the computer.

After the train operator repeated the message, the supervisor gave an instruction about a signal for a crossover move from track 2 to track 1, and the train operator acknowledged the message.

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But the supervisor did not recognize the train operator was at the incorrect side of the train. Another signal was flashing to proceed to a crossover move into the tail track. So instead of reversing ends to prepare for a northbound trip toward Largo Town Center, the train operator moved into the tail track. The operator, who usually works in the Shady Grove division, would have used that procedure on the Red Line at Shady Grove Station.

When the supervisor asked the operator why the train moved into the tail track, the operator stopped the train after it moved 266 feet, or 23 seconds later. The supervisor told the operator to continue moving the train into the tail track due to another train coming into the station. A train that was at the track 1 platform was sent into service to allow the train on the tail track to move onto track 1. About 10 minutes after entering the tail track with riders on board, the train reversed ends and returned to the station platform.

The investigation found Metro had removed the train operator for drug and alcohol testing but not the terminal supervisor as required by Metro policy. No violations were found with the train operator, but the employee was disciplined.

The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission's report had several findings about the incident.

"The probable cause of this event was Metrorail’s lack of physical characteristics training and territory familiarization requirements, Metrorail’s inadequate supervisory oversight of and training on terminal operations, and insufficient supervisory oversight to ensure compliance with radio communications protocols," the report stated. "Contributing to this event was the environment in terminal supervisor work areas that includes noise and distractions."

As corrective measures, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission recommends installing CCTV cameras at all terminal locations and yard towers and ensuring all phone communications are recorded in terminal locations and yard towers. Metro had also distributed learned document focused on communication and lead familiarization and is conducting a safety stand down with a focus on communication and roadway operation procedures.

See the full report here.

FRANCONIA, VA — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a residential addition to a future development near the Franconia-Springfield Metro station. The Liberty View mixed-use development will now include a 300-unit multifamily apartment building, according to developer Monument Realty.

Liberty View will be located on a 13.4-acre site in the northwest part of the Franconia-Springfield Parkway and Beulah Street intersection. The residential building is planned to have 12,675 square feet of ground-level retail, a swimming pool, fitness center, bike trails and covered parking.

Planning has been in the works for nearly a decade with multiple amendments submitted to the county along the way. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved rezoning of the site in April 2011, allowing up to five office buildings between 180,000 and 220,000 square feet, and one of those office buildings to be substituted for a hotel use. The latest approval allows for one of the office buildings to be substituted for the residential use.

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Rodney Lusk, the new Lee District supervisor, voiced support for the substitution from office to residential use for one building. He noted that the local real estate market and county have seen increasing office vacancy rates.

The latest approval means the initial construction phase can begin for the development. The Lee District Land Use Committee and Fairfax County Planning commission endorsed the proposal before the Board of Supervisors approval.

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"We are extremely pleased by the prospect of bringing a mixed-use development to this important Metro location," said Russell Hines, president of Monument Realty, in a statement. "With the new TSA headquarters opening in 2020, the recent renovation of the Springfield Town Center and the Amazon announcement earlier this year, the Franconia-Springfield area is well-positioned to welcome new residential, hotel, retail, and office development to an area that has great market fundamentals."

According to county staff, the main access point to the development would be through Jasper Lane, a private street connected to Metro Park Drive. A right-turn only entrance from Beulah Street was also proposed.

A timeline for the project construction has not been announced.