Creative printmaking tonight — Head to ArtSpace Herndon to learn how to carve and create your own prints from handmade plates, carved blocks and more from 6-8 p.m. All levels are welcome. Four sessions cost $160 total. If you enjoy it, the next class will be held on April 3. [ArtSpace Herndon]
Reston company scores SEC contract — Reston-based Octo Consulting recently “announced it has been awarded a position on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s ONE IT IDIQ vehicle. This 10-year, $2.5 billion vehicle contains seven service channels through which the SEC’s Office of Information Technology will procure IT services and solutions, including systems and software development.” [Associated Press]
2019 Virginia GeoBee — Out of the 23 students named as semifinalists, some are from area schools, including Forestville, Great Falls Elementary and McNair elementary schools. [FCPS]
Victoria’s Secret no longer calls Reston Town Center home.
Signs on the front doors say that the location at 11929 Market, Suite 50 is permanently closed. Black tarps were hanging in the storefront’s windows, and the prominent “Victoria’s Secret” sign had already been taken down by the time Reston Now made a visit this afternoon (March 12).
Aba Kwawu, a spokeswoman for Boston Properties, told Reston Now that Victoria’s Secret’s departure from Reston Town Center was a part of a larger pattern of closures expected for around the country.
Victoria’s Secret announced earlier this year that it plans to close more than 53 stories, according to CNBC.
“While it is unfortunate to see this iconic brand face difficulties, we look forward to replacing them with an exciting new tenant soon,” Kwawu said. No word yet on who that new tenant is for that spot, although several newcomers expected to arrive this year have already been revealed.
Locals who miss the lingerie giant can find the familiar pink and black store in Tysons and Dulles. “Please visit our other area Victoria’s Secret stores,” the signs say.
Updated at 3:30 p.m. on March 13 — Police said a man entered the bank at 1:14 p.m., implied he had a gun and demanded money. He was given cash before leaving the bank on foot, according to the police report. Police also added a height range to the description of the suspect, saying that the man was “5’6″-5’7″ tall.”
Earlier: Just weeks after a robbery in late February, police are back at the BB&T Bank at 2513 Fox Mill Road in Reston investigating another robbery.
Police officers were on the scene at 2 p.m. today (March 12), the Fairfax County Police Department tweeted.
FCPD described the suspect as a “Middle Eastern man wearing black hat and black clothing,” adding that he left in a vehicle that was possibly a silver SUV or minivan.
People are advised to avoid the area.
The same bank was robbed on Feb. 21, according to police. Police are asking the public to help identify the suspect in that robbery, who was described as “light-skinned, 20 to 30 years old, 5’8″ tall, thin build, wearing a dark gray shirt, light-colored jacket and a gray cap,” according to a police report.
Update: Suspect described as Middle Eastern man wearing black hat and black clothing. Possible vehicle description is a silver SUV or mini van. https://t.co/VeBfgOXmmf
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) March 12, 2019
Image via Google Maps
Contra-Tiempo, a Los Angeles-based dance company, will bring a performance to CenterStage followed by a dance party with the cast on Thursday (March 14).
The urban Latin dance theatre combines salsa, Afro-Cuban, hip-hop and contemporary dance with theater, text and original music, according to the group’s website.
Professional dancers, artists, immigrants, educators and activists comprise Contra-Tiempo.
From the Reston Community Center:
This urban Latin dance theatre experience takes on joy as the ultimate expression of resistance. Whenever humans have survived immense hardship and injustice, prevailing with their humanity intact, the presence of joy has always been at the root. An invigorating blend of physically intense and socially astute performances that push the boundaries of Latin dance as an expressive cultural and contemporary form, Contra-Tiempo brings salsa back to its roots as a mode of expression for the struggles of the working class.
The performance starts at 8 p.m. at RCC Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road). After the show, attendees can learn from the performers how to salsa in the community room.
Tickets cost $20 for Restonians.
Photo by Eric Wolfe, courtesy Reston Community Center
A new neighborhood shopping center near Elden Street is almost done with construction.
Located at 900 Alabama Drive, the Elden Corner Center backs up against the Herndon Middle School and is across the street from another shopping center, which includes a hair salon, deli and several other stores.
Sanjay Bajaj, the project’s applicant, told Reston Now that construction is slated to finish next week on the 10,000-square-foot retail center, which includes more than 50 parking spaces.
Plans from Capital Realty Advisors, LLC indicate that about tenants have leased about three-quarters of the shopping center, including:
- a boutique
- a bakery
- a hair salon
- Boost Mobile
- Peruvian Chicken
Two spaces are still available — an end spot with 1,453 square feet and one in the middle with 1,130 square feet, according to a listing on LoopNet, an online marketplace for commercial property. Tenants are responsible for their build-out, the site says.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue wants to remind locals that fire sprinklers can help save lives and decrease damage when a fire breaks out.
The fire department has been highlighting how firefighters recently responded to a call and found a dryer fire in a Herndon apartment doused by sprinklers.
The fire broke out on Sunday (March 10) in a four-story apartment building in the 2300 block of Rolling Fork Circle in Herndon. The one person who was home at the time of the fire was not injured, the fire department said.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said the fire caused about $500 in damages.
The fire department has been sharing the story of how the sprinklers calmed the fire, along with a U.S. Fire Administration video that details the multiple benefits of sprinkles.
The video says sprinklers:
- reduce fire damage by 97 percent
- increase the chance of survival by 82 percent
- give people more time to escape
- help keep firefighters safe
The video also includes an example of how sprinkles manage fires and highlights that insurance discounts may also be available.
Image via Google Maps
Hotel coming to Reston Station — “Comstock Holdings Cos. Inc. has closed a franchise agreement with Marriott International Inc. to bring a Renaissance hotel to Reston Station… The hotel building, to be topped by 80 luxury condominium units, is expected to deliver in 2022 on a site bounded by Reston Station Boulevard, Wiehle Avenue and Sunset Hills Road. It is being designed by Nunzio Marc DeSantis Architects.” [Washington Business Journal]
Crash caused lane closures — Commuters heading on Fairfax County Parkway by West Ox Road last night around 6 p.m. may have noticed a multi-car crash that closed two southbound lanes on the parkway for about half of an hour. All of the lanes opened up shortly before 7 p.m. [Fairfax County]
Reston makes “hottest up-and-coming” list — Reston was included in the Northern Virginia Magazine’s annual roundup of neighborhoods to keep an eye on in Northern Virginia. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Make dip dye scarves — Tonight from 7-9 p.m. at ArtSpace Herndon, you can learn how to make dye scarves and some basic Shibori style folding and binding methods. [ArtSpace Herndon]
In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Reston Historic Trust and Museum will bring together four women from a variety of athletic programs to discuss how Title IX affected their careers and women’s sports overall.
Enacted in 1972, Title IX had a dramatic impact on women’s sports by guaranteeing by law equality in federally assisted athletic programs.
Since its founding, Reston’s recreational facilities have been available to all of its residents, according to the museum.
The free event features the following panelists:
- Vicky Wingert, a documentary producer and former coach for college and high school basketball teams
- Skye Eddy Bruce, a collegiate and youth All-American goalkeeper, state champion track athlete and founder of the Soccer Parenting Association
- Valerie Lister, the South Lakes High School assistant coach for track and field and a former sportswriter
- Jennifer Volgenau Wiley, a former varsity soccer and basketball player at South Lakes High School in the 1980s. She also played Division I soccer at William and Mary.
“Women Playing in Reston: The Effect of Title IX on Women’s Sports” is set to take place on Wednesday (March 13) at 7 p.m. at the Jo Ann Rose Gallery (1609-A Washington Plaza).
A temporary exhibit at the Reston Museum to accompany the panel discussion will be on display throughout March.
A residential project at the Reston Arboretum could break ground by the end of this year.
Pulte Homes’ plans are currently going through the final process with Fairfax County to obtain platted lots and grading permits, Julie Pulliam, a spokeswoman for Pulte, told Reston Now.
Pulte expects that process to be completed by the end of this year, which will then mark the start of the land development process, Pulliam said.
The project now calls for 40 townhomes instead of the originally planned 44 single-family attached residential units and a parking garage, Pulliam said. Model units are expected to open in late 2020. Pricing for the townhomes has not been finalized yet, Pulliam added.
The four-story office building currently there will remain on the property at 12700 Sunrise Valley Drive, which is less than half of mile away from the future Herndon Metro station.
The project does not have an estimated completion date yet, Pulliam said.
Image via Google Maps
Reston now has a Peet’s Coffee tucked away by the Signature Apartments at Reston Town Center.
The coffeehouse chain officially opened its doors today (March 11) at 11830 Freedom Drive.
To celebrate the opening, coffee addicts can enjoy “Peet’s Week” with different special offerings every day at the Reston spot. (Ask a barista for the codes.) Here’s a peek at the upcoming ones:
- Tuesday: $1 off a medium beverage
- Wednesday: buy one beverage, get one free
- Thursday: half off an artisan baked good
Peet’s opening was the first from a list of several newcomers slated to arrive Reston Town Center this year.
Muse Paintbar didn’t open in the fall or winter. Now the wine and paint bar expects to open in a few months at Reston Town Center.
A spokeswoman for Muse Paintbar told Reston Now that the spot at 11943 Democracy Drive is expected to open this summer. (Reston Town Center also included it in a list of newcomers expected to open this year.)
Reston Now first reported about Muse Paintbar’s plans to come to Reston back in 2017.
Muse Paintbar, which combines painting instruction with a restaurant and bar, has 30 locations along the East Coast from Portland, Maine to Virginia Beach. Muse Paintbar is also “coming soon” to Arlington and Ashburn.
Herndon-based tech company Serco Inc. announced on Friday (March 8) that it would hire 200 new employees to support a new program.
Serco said in a press release that it was awarded a contract to provide field office support services to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, a federal agency that protects the retirement incomes of workers in private-sector defined benefit pension plans.
The new jobs will help Serco manage records and documents, conduct data analysis, build databases, provide customer service and more for the PBGC field offices.
Serco Inc., a subsidy of Serco Group PLC, provides technology and management services by advising, designing, integrating and delivering solutions to clients. The Herndon-headquartered company has roughly 6,000 employees, according to its website.
Image via Google Maps
Google has started fixing up office space at Reston Station a month after the tech giant announced plans to double its workforce in Northern Virginia.
Google filed permits for the spot at 1860 Wiehle Ave — the site of Comstock’s Reston Station mixed-use development next to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.
The tech giant is seeking interior alterations with office space furnishings. One of the two permits mentions “peer review,” which is a way to give plans priority status during the building, mechanical, electrical and plumbing plan review process, according to Fairfax County.
Google has not announced exact locations since it revealed last month the expansion plans as part of a $13 billion round of investment in new offices and data centers across the U.S.
News outlets previously reported that Google had purchased sites in Ashburn and Leesburg for two new data centers.
Google currently has an office at Reston Town Center.
Photo courtesy Marjorie Copson
U. S. citizenship prep class — Register for tonight’s prep class, which is part of a 12-week program covering the basics of U.S. history and civics. The class from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Herndon Fortnightly Library is for intermediate to advanced English learners only. [Fairfax County]
Man exonerated for 1975 Reston rape — “The Virginia Supreme Court on Thursday cleared an Indiana man of sexual assault convictions in Fairfax County from more than four decades ago… The unanimous court issued a writ of actual innocence for Winston L. Scott, 62, vacating his convictions. He was 19 when a Reston woman was attacked on July 24, 1975. He was sentenced to 14 years on convictions of rape, sodomy and statutory burglary and served about five years before he was paroled.” [The Richmond Times-Dispatch]
Herndon fire Sunday — Firefighters responded to an apartment fire in the 2300 block of Rolling Fork Circle around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. Heavy smoke was reported on the third floor. Crews quickly located and extinguished the fire and conducted salvage operations. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]
Crash closed Herndon Parkway — Herndon Police said they were investigating a crash that closed Herndon Parkway between Crestview Drive and Ferndale Ave around 5 p.m. on Saturday. [Herndon Police Department]
Before we head off into the weekend, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now this week.
- Poll: Which Reston Town Center, RTC West Newcomers Are You Most Excited For?
- BREAKING: County Board Approves Hudgins’ Ask to ‘Indefinitely Defer’ PRC Proposal
- Board of Supervisors Makes Changes to Accelerate Wegmans Development
- Reston Association President Nabs Leadership Fairfax Role
- After Cancer Diagnosis, K9 Leon Retires From Herndon Police
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
