A 19-year-old Reston man is charged with stealing from a car over the weekend.

The Fairfax County Police Department says they were dispatched just after 2 a.m. Saturday when a homeowner in the 2000 block of Beacon Place called 911 after hearing someone in his garage. Responding officers say the found the suspect in a neighbor’s car, and he attempted to flee to his own car.

Police say they caught the suspect, Daniel Fleischer, as he was getting into his car. Evidence was found in the car, police say.

Fleischer was arrested and faces charges of burglary, destruction of property, possession of marijuana and being drunk in public.

Also over the weekend, FCPD says a midday armed robbery took place at the GNC Store (2451 Centreville Road, Herndon). According to the report, a man entered the store at 12:11 p.m. Saturday, displayed a knife and demanded money from an employee. The employee handed over cash, and the suspect fled the scene on a bicycle.

The suspect is described as white, around 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a slim build. He was wearing a red hat and khaki pants. The victim was not injured.

Late last week, FCPD reported an incident of a peeping tom in Reston. According to the report, a man returned home to the 12200 block of Laurel Glade Court just after midnight Wednesday and “saw someone standing next to the bedroom window of his apartment.” The suspect fled when he was seen, and officers were unable to locate him.

Other crime reported by FCPD in the past week includes:

LARCENIES:

2300 block of Bedfordshire Circle, package from residence

1500 block of Cameron Crescent Drive, electronic device from vehicle

1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, license plates from vehicle

1700 block of Clubhouse Road, wallet from business

13300 block of Coppermine Road, medication from residence

2700 block of Crystal Wood Court, property from residence

9800 block of Georgetown Pike, purse from vehicle

11900 block of Market Street, merchandise from business

2400 block of Masons Ferry Drive, bicycle from residence

1300 block of Shallow Ford, wallet from vehicle

11700 block of Stevenage Road, wallet from vehicle

1300 block of Stourhead Court, backpack from vehicle

STOLEN VEHICLES:

None reported

Anyone with information about any of the incidents reported by FCPD should call 703-691-2131 or 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or text “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES(274637).

In Loudoun County, a 20-year-old Reston woman was charged Friday with stealing from the JCPenney store at Dulles Town Center. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office says Estefani A. Davis was charged with petit larceny and possession of burglarious tools. She was released from the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on an unsecured bond.

A Reston Association recreation area is in need of repair after a vehicle crash over the weekend.

Don Gotthardt of the Fairfax County Police Department says the incident that damaged the Barton Hill Recreation Area took place just after 6:15 p.m. Saturday.

“It appears that a black Ford Explorer hit the fence near the tennis courts,” Gotthardt said. “When officers arrived, the vehicle was unoccupied. They towed it and are most likely following up.”

The Barton Hill tennis courts have been closed for resurfacing since last week, and they were unoccupied at the time of the crash. There is a good deal of property damage that will need to be fixed, however.

“We had damage to the Barton Hill Recreation sign, a trash can was demolished and the entry gate was badly damaged,” said Mike Leone, RA’s communications director. “Our original plan was to reopen the courts June 15, but that date may change because we now have to wait for the fence contractors to provide us with a repair timeline.”

Reston Rider Tackling Country by Bike — Len Forkas talks about the perils of riding cross-country on a bicycle in 11 days, and about why he’s doing it again: to help raise $1 million for a children’s charity during the annual Race Across America event. [Bicycling]

Reminder: Community Center Pool Closed — The Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center is closed through Friday as soil testing is conducted around the pool. [Reston Community Center]

SLHS Team Finishes Fifth in State — Freshman Hannah Waller finished third in the 100 meters and fourth in both the 200 meters and 4×400 meter relay in leading the South Lakes High School girls team to a fifth place finish at the state track and field championship June 2-3. [Press Release]

Virginia Leaders Continue Climate-Change Fight — In reaction to President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, both Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Attorney General Mark Herring on Monday said Virginia is joining coalitions that remain committed to the agreement. [Richmond Times-Dispatch]

Crime reports provided by Fairfax County Police Department in the month of May, plotted in the interactive map above, show a wide variety of incidents through the Reston District Station. Use the icon in the top left corner of the map to toggle the types of crimes displayed.

In total, FCPD’s May reports included the following breakdown of criminal incidents in the area:

• 49 larcenies
• 3 armed robberies
• 3 burglary investigations
• 2 shoplifting arrests
• 2 commercial robberies
• 1 indecent exposure report
• 1 stolen vehicle

The three armed robberies took place in Reston within an hour and a half, between 12:23 and 1:50 a.m., on May 30. The two commercial robberies were part of a string of three (the other was in Loudoun County) in the early-morning hours of May 25.

Anyone with information about any of these crimes should call 703-691-2131 or 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or text “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES(274637).

The Reston District Station of FCPD covers Reston, Great Falls and portions of Herndon and Vienna.

Fairfax County’s police reports are not comprehensive lists of every police event in the stated time frame. Addresses shown indicate blocks and not specific locations, unless otherwise noted. This data was compiled using the reports released by police between May 1 and May 31, meaning some of the incidents occurred in late April.

After being announced earlier this year, women’s boutique Scout & Molly’s has opened at its new location at 11944 Market St. in Reston Town Center.

The store officially opened in the new space last week. Construction delays had kept it out of the space formerly occupied by PR Barbers for longer than anticipated.

Prior to getting into its permanent storefront between Ted’s Bulletin and Bowtie Cinemas, the boutique had been operating out of a pop-up shop at the eastern end of Market Street for a month.

Scout & Molly’s has more than 30 locations nationwide and expects to double that number soon. It also has stores in Merrifield’s Mosaic District and Ashburn’s One Loudoun.

Expanded Free Parking Starts at RTC — As of today, garage parking at Reston Town Center is free for the first hour before 5 p.m., after which time it becomes free until 3:30 a.m. [Reston Now]

Mullins Memorial Details Released — A memorial service for former Fairfax County GOP chair and Republican Party of Virginia chair Pat Mullins, who died May 28, will be held June 21 at McLean Bible Church (8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna). [Bearing Drift]

Fire Station 39 Rescues Stuck Pup — A crew from the North Point Station (1117 Reston Ave.) responded to a residence in Great Falls recently, where they tracked down and rescued a 60-pound pet dog that had become trapped under the home. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]

Human Trafficking Awareness Walk Held — The Just Ask Prevention Project, which was created by detectives from the Fairfax County Police Department, hosted its first awareness event Saturday at the county government center. The nonprofit’s goal is to bring together county agencies, schools and community leaders to educate and raise awareness about human trafficking in Northern Virginia. [WTOP]

The Reston Association Board of Directors has adopted a new process in the effort to keep the community informed about potential major capital-improvement projects.

At its meeting last week, directors approved the plan as presented by CEO Cate Fulkerson and Garrett Skinner, director of capital projects. It was requested back in March after concerns about the way a potential project at Hook Road Recreation Area was being rolled out.

The new plan will include the following steps:

• Identify the audience for the project (residents, clusters, committees, working groups, the Board of Directors, internal staff, media, other key stakeholders)
• Determine messaging type (letter, face-to-face, status report, project update)
• Determine the appropriate delivery method (meeting, informal presentation, formal presentation, mail/email, RA News, Reston magazine, website)
• Determine frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, milestone, as needed)
• Determine the source of the message (RA Board, CEO, director of capital projects, project manager, consultant, communications team)

Opportunities for face-to-face meetings with stakeholders will be prioritized, according to the plan. A sample project plan included within the presentation showed five different ways of communicating with area residents and multiple communications with RA membership as a whole, along with numerous meetings with RA-sponsored committees, staff, the DRB and the Board.

“The intent to make sure that we have created a plan that we will implement to create these communication documents within our project-management life cycle for capital projects,” Skinner said. “Hopefully, this will be another step into engaging more of the community, more of the members, in hopes of also instilling a little more confidence… that they will expect to see communication related to these projects [and that] we’re not executing these projects without direct involvement by members of the community.”

According to the plan’s overview:

• Communicating with, and engaging, RA community stakeholders is essential to the successful execution of many capital projects.
• This communication plan template demonstrates the approach for communicating and engaging with stakeholders about large-scale capital projects that may have potential impacts to the community and/or require input during planning and scope development.
• The communication plan identifies audiences for each project, information to communicate, communication methods to use and frequency of communication.
• This scalable plan is intended to help facilitate effective and targeted communication from RA to all prospective audiences.

Mike Batt, chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, said PRAC is offering its continued support in the effort to improve community outreach. He also recommended the board look again at the Hook Road project as the first project to implement the new plan and “create a solid, repeatable model for keeping RA facilities to the standard our members expect.”

“Hook Road is a great park; it’s likely it only needs minor enhancements,” Batt said. “Using it as a model for managing future projects could help regain the confidence and collaboration across the community.”

Graphic via Reston Association

At its meeting last week, the Reston Association Board of Directors discussed requiring compensation for use of an aerial crane for construction on Colts Neck Road that would extend over RA property.

The request by Atlantic Realty Companies is for an aerial crane that it says is needed for the placement of the garage and building structure elements at the Hunters Woods at Trails Edge construction site (2222 Colts Neck Road). The crane’s arm would extend over a portion of RA common area north of the site, the former home of the United Christian Parish church.

The request to provide the easement in-kind was originally part of the meeting agenda’s consent calendar, but it was removed for further consideration. When the topic came up, Director John Mooney spoke up.

“That we would help something like this out is, I think, totally appropriate,” Mooney said. “But in my experience, local municipalities charge a fee for this species of temporary construction easements. I think that we as Reston Association should be equally diligent to seek that.”

Prior to moving to Reston last year, Mooney was senior assistant county manager in Arlington.

No live loads would be carried over the RA property, just the aerial arm of the crane. The arm would be above the tree canopy and would not impact the ground area or trees, ARC says. RA would also be added as an additional insured property on ARC’s insurance policy.

CEO Cate Fulkerson and Sherri Hebert, board president, asked what the going rate for such an agreement would be. Mooney said the formula to determine the charge would involve the land value of the parcel in question and the length of time for which it would be used. A representative for ARC said the aerial crane would be in use for about nine months.

“We’ve granted numerous easements to the Reston Association for trails, for restoration of the stream, with no compensation,” said the ARC representative at the meeting. “We think we’re trying to be a good friend and neighbor and we really request the same thing in kind.”

When it is complete, the IntegraCare facility will have 210 senior-living units — including 90 independent living units, 81 for assisted living, 24 for memory care and 15 for special needs.

Approval of the easement was tabled and discussion was moved to executive session.

Image via Reston Association

An announcement earlier this week from Boston Properties regarding changes to the paid-parking fees in garages at Reston Town Center has prompted a variety of reactions.

https://twitter.com/courageousrobot/status/870005421230182400

https://twitter.com/ACHSMavsLibrary/status/870307905978994688

Too little too late. You are not, nor will ever be, the good guys.

— Tom Lastname (@12GaugeTom) June 1, 2017

Aaron Gordon, head of the Reston Merchants Association, says the changes — allowing for one hour of free parking before 5 p.m. and free parking afterward — are “a step in the right direction.” But he isn’t convinced it will be enough.

“We would like RTC to offer 3 hours free parking at all times, which would end the controversy entirely,” Gordon said. “Ultimately, our customers will decide if the recent concessions are enough. I’m very hopeful they are.”

Gordon, owner of Red Velvet Cupcakery (11939 Democracy Drive), organized the Reston Merchants Association earlier this year to bring together numerous business owners and managers whose bottom line was suffering under the 24-hour paid-parking format — many reporting double-digit drops in sales. Gordon said the system was “tearing the fabric of who we are, how we choose to live and what we do within Reston.”

Following a successful protest in March, the merchants announced that they were planning a town hall-style meeting and a second protest march. They also have flirted with legal action over the BXP initiative; one restaurant, Jackson’s, did file a lawsuit on its own. Many potential customers have publicly stated they have been boycotting visiting the Town Center due to the policy, choosing options elsewhere with free parking instead.

While Gordon said he is encouraged by Boston Properties’ recent announcement, he said the merchants’ efforts may not be over.

“The Reston Merchants see this as a victory for our group and our customers,” he said. “But, we will regroup in the next two weeks to discuss if we think [Boston Properties] is doing enough. Then, we’ll be able to determine our next steps.”

The new parking rules will go into effect at Reston Town Center on Monday.

New Schools Superintendent Tabbed — Dr. Scott Brabrand, the superintendent of Lynchburg City Schools, has been chosen as the finalist to become the new superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools. Brabrand previously worked at FCPS in numerous positions, including assistant superintendent. The school board will give its final decision on the hiring June 8. [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Neurologist Charged with Distributing Pills — Ishtiaq Ahmad was arrested in Manassas earlier this week following a six-month investigation by the Prince William-Manassas-Manassas Park Narcotics Task Force. Ahmad, who also practices in Reston, is charged with distributing pain pills without performing medical exams. [Inside NoVa]

Details on Pedestrian Lighting Group Plan — In its most recent “Reston Today” video dispatch, Reston Association spotlights the work being done by the volunteer group to develop a plan to increase safety for walkers and bikers. [Reston Association/YouTube]

Restaurant Thanked by Fire Company — Vapiano (1875 Explorer St.) provided food for firefighters battling a blaze last summer. A-Shift from Station 25 recently presented the restaurant with a token of its appreciation. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Instagram]

Police Department Adds Another Former Journalist — Emilie Voss, a former television news anchor in Ohio, has joined the Fairfax County Police Department as the deputy director of the media bureau. Voss joins former WJLA reporter Julie Parker, who is the bureau’s director. [Fairfax County Police Department]

As redevelopment of Tall Oaks Village Center looms in the coming months, the few remaining restaurants in the plaza are looking forward to the future.

The first big change will come June 15 when Mama Wok closes its doors. According to owners Cheah and Lisa Lee, their lease is expiring and they will be retiring.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the plaza, Paisano’s Pizza plans to stay. Matthew Miller, area manager for the chain, said it has signed on to be one of the retail shops in the new development. The restaurant will move across from its current location to the building at 12056 North Shore Drive that most recently housed Curves Fitness and, before that, 7-Eleven.

“We’ll start construction on that space in about three weeks,” Miller said. “It’s going to have a bigger dining room, much better outdoor space with some seating that will be a little shaded. The building is going to look great.”

Miller said Paisano’s hopes to move into the new location in the fall of this year, closing up shop at its current location one night and opening in the new space the next day.

“We’re looking forward to the changes here,” Miller said. “I wish some of our neighbors were able to stay.”

Among the neighbors who will be leaving is the other pizza shop in the plaza, Vocelli Pizza. Sam Ostovari, part-owner and manager, said the business will stay open through at least October or possibly December. After that, though, he’s not sure where it will be.

“We have good business in Reston, so we’ll stay in Reston but [move to a] different plaza,” he said. “We’re working on it.”

Phở Reston 75 will be leaving Reston when Tall Oaks redevelopment gets underway. Manager Linh Dang said she will close up shop in December. A new location of the business, Phở Dulles 75 on Elden Street in Herndon, has already been opened.

The village center was bought in December 2014 by McLean-based developer Jefferson Apartment Group. Plans to redevelop the property into a mixed-use community were approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in July 2016.

Located on a dead-end of North Shore Drive off Wiehle Avenue, Tall Oaks Village Center struggled for many years before the redevelopment proposal arose. Its longtime anchor tenant, Giant Foods, closed in 2007 and further vacancies followed quickly afterward. The 70,000-square foot center was 86 percent empty by the time the redevelopment was approved.

The redevelopment will include approximately 5,800 square feet of office, 8,500 square feet of retail and 156 residential units.

The future status of the Reston Regional Library was frequently brought up by attendees of a community meeting Wednesday regarding Fairfax County’s plans for the Reston Town Center North development.

Project coordinator Joan Beacham, of the county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, said both the library and the Embry Rucker Shelter will be demolished to make room for the first stage of development. DPWES hopes that construction on the project will begin in 2022.

“We want to make sure everyone understands this is a long-term development,” she said. “Things aren’t going to happen right away.”

What is planned to happen when work does begin, Beacham said, is the transfer of the library and the shelter into temporary facilities. The temporary library, she said, would top out at 6,000 square feet — a figure that caused great concern to residents, as the current library is about five times that size.

“The Reston library has over 1,000 people a day that go to it,” said Dennis Hays. “We’re talking about 1,000 Restonians a day who will not have a [full-sized] library to go to for an indeterminate amount of time.”

Hays and other residents suggested the Request for Proposals for development ask applicants to commit to building the new facilities before demolishing the existing ones. The new library, Beacham said, is planned to be 39,000 square feet and exist on the first one or two floors of a new high rise at the same location. The new shelter, planned to be more than twice the size of the current one, is proposed for a similar “urban form” layout.

In the redevelopment, the 50-acre area — bounded by Baron Cameron Avenue, Town Center Parkway, New Dominion Parkway and Fountain Drive — would be realigned into nine parcels, which would then be rezoned into urban blocks. The first two parcels slated for redevelopment are Blocks 7 and 8, which include the library and the shelter.

“We feel in order to move forward with 7 and 8, temporary facilities will be required,” Beacham said. “This is the way that public facilities are repaired and replaced all over the county — it’s not just a situation with Reston.”

Both Beacham and Supervisor Cathy Hudgins said replacing the library and shelter is a priority of the project, as they are outdated facilities in need of additional capacity.

In total, Blocks 7 and 8 are planned to include:

• 360-420 market-rate residential units and 30 county-supportive housing units
• 174,000-244,000 square feet of private retail development
• 28,000 square feet of office space for nonprofits
• the 39,000-square foot library
• a 25,000-square foot shelter

Future plans for other blocks in RTC North include the development of a 90,000-square foot recreation center by the Fairfax County Park Authority, replacement of the North County Human Services Center, and a 6-acre central green space among 10 total acres of open space. Redevelopment of the whole area is expected to take more than a decade.

Read More

Majority Say They’ll Go to RTC — With our story Wednesday about changes to parking fees at Reston Town Center, we posted a poll asking whether those changes will make readers more likely to visit the Town Center. With nearly 900 votes on the unscientific poll, about two-thirds of responders said they would. [Reston Now]

Herndon Festival Starts Tonight — The 37th annual festival will run tonight through Sunday in downtown Herndon. Several streets, including Elden Street, will be closed throughout the event. Free parking and shuttle buses will be provided to get to the festivities. [Herndon Festival]

Community Center Board Meets Monday — The Reston Community Center Board of Governors will continue the decision-making process regarding the budget outline for FY19, and possible timelines for capital projects including the proposed  renovation of the Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center, Monday at 8 p.m. at RCC (2310 Colts Neck Road). The annual public hearing for programs and budget is slated for Monday, June 19. [Reston Community Center]

Barton Hill Tennis Courts Closed — Reston Association says the courts are being resurfaced, and it is hoped they will be reopened by mid-June. [Reston Association/Twitter]

Halogen Lamp Starts Fire — A blaze earlier this week south of Reston caused about $125,000 in damages after a lamp in the basement ignited nearby combustibles. Two residents of the home have been displaced. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]

Thompson Hospitality is looking to put a hotel in the Lake Fairfax Business Park, adjacent to its company headquarters.

According to the latest edition of The Fairfax Newsletter, the food-service company has plans to put a 98,500-square foot hotel on Business Center Drive. The company moved its headquarters to the business park after purchasing a two-story office building there in 2011.

The proposed hotel would be on 4.82 acres. The site is currently zoned I-4, but an application has been filed to rezone it.

The Lake Fairfax Business Park is off Sunset Hills Road, east of Wiehle Avenue. Thompson’s property is on the western side of the park, which also houses the National Wildlife Federation, Freddie Mac, Sodexo, Lifetime Athletic and more businesses.

The Fairfax Newsletter reports that Thompson is proposing a four-story, 138-room hotel that “will provide rooms and small-scale meeting spaces for business travelers that will help serve the office uses surrounding the Property.” It would be constructed on what is currently a large surface parking lot.

The property is within the Wiehle-Reston East Transit Station Area, in a portion recommended for office use.