(This article was updated at 1:45 p.m. with additional information and comments.)
Nearly five months after instituting paid parking at Reston Town Center, Boston Properties is modifying the system to allow for more free parking.
According to a statement released Wednesday morning by BXP, changes will go into effect Monday that will rescind the pay requirement for users of Reston Town Center parking garages after 5 p.m., and it will also allow for one hour of free garage parking for sessions that begin before 5 p.m.
“As promised, Boston Properties has listened to community and retailer feedback and evaluated the paid parking initiative at Reston Town Center (RTC) over the first quarter of this year,” reads the statement.
Garage parking for the second hour will remain at $2, with subsequent hours charged based on the existing pay scale. No changes will be made to street parking, which is $3 an hour.
“Based on a study of traffic patterns and behaviors as well as retailer input, Boston Properties identified that one hour of free parking and free parking after 5 p.m. would address the primary concerns expressed by the community while still supporting the original goals of paid parking: protecting the parking rights of RTC tenants and visitors and augmenting revenue dedicated to community reinvestment.”
Free parking will be in effect each night from 5 p.m. until 3:30 a.m.
Anyone parking before 5 p.m. will still need to register a parking session with the ParkRTC app or at a kiosk, spokesperson Kathy Walsh said on behalf of Boston Properties.
“This is necessary both to allow patrons and visitors to extend a session should they decide to stay longer than an hour, as well as for enforcement purposes,” she said.
Walsh said those parking after 5 p.m. will not need to take any action, just as with parking on weekends, holidays and during special events.
Three More Pool Hours Each Day — Lake Newport Pool is opening each weekday at 10 a.m. and will continue to do so through June 23. The pool, which is open until 7 p.m., had been originally scheduled to open at 1 p.m. each day. The pool is closed on Fridays. [Reston Association]
Meeting on RTC North Project Tonight — Proposed redevelopment of Reston Town Center North will be the topic of a community meeting hosted by the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services along with Supervisor Cathy Hudgins from 7-9 p.m in the cafeteria at Lake Anne Elementary School (11510 North Shore Drive). [Fairfax County DPWES]
SLHS Runners Heads to States This Week — The South Lakes High School track and field team will participate in the state championships Friday and Saturday in Newport News. Last weekend, the team had strong performances at the North Region championship, including a record-tying effort by freshman Hannah Waller. [Reston Patch]
Reckless Gun Discharge at Chantilly Chick-fil-A — Fairfax County Police reports a 38-year-old woman was struck in the hand by a stray bullet while walking in the restaurant’s parking lot Tuesday afternoon. [FOX 5]
File photo courtesy Carole Burnett
Nearly four dozen major redevelopment projects have been proposed in Reston in the past two years, and residents need to be aware of how much change that means for the community.
That was the message of Larry Butler, Reston Association’s senior director of parks, as he addressed directors during their meeting Thursday. Butler shared information about some of the largest potential redevelopments that remain on the horizon. Butler’s information came from a map that was provided to him recently by the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning.
“When I received it, I was fascinated,” Butler said. “Some of these, most people have not seen.”
Butler specifically shined the spotlight on five projects outlined on the DPZ map.
- Reston Gateway Commons, to be bordered by Town Center Parkway, Sunset Hills Road and the W&OD Trail. The 23-acre plot, proposed for development by Boston Properties, is between the future Reston Town Center Metro station and RTC itself. In the pre-application process, Boston Properties is proposing 3.94 million square feet of residential and retail, along with a 1/3-acre park. It could have as many as 1,688 dwelling units.
- Campus Commons, located on the south side of the Dulles Toll Road near the southeast intersection of Wiehle Avenue and Sunrise Valley Drive. The rezoning application, which is in process, would add four new residential buildings and four parks. This could add up to 1,100 dwelling units on the 11.6-acre property.
- A major property assemblage on Association Drive, near the intersection of Sunrise Valley Drive and Soapstone Drive. This 23-acre plot, which is in the pre-application phase, is rumored to be sought after by grocery chain Wegmans. The design shared by Butler with the board shows a grocery store on the south side of the property, bordering Sunrise Valley Drive, among its numerous retail and residential buildings. Butler said nothing has formally been submitted to the County on the project, but “there are clearly discussions going on that there’s a general concept plan that has been drawn up for this.”
- The redevelopment of Isaac Newton Square. Butler said the proposal remains in the pre-application phase and there is no preliminary information available yet.
- Reston Crescent, located in the northwest corner of the intersection of Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive. Currently going through the County approval process, the 36-acre property — which Butler called a “monster development” — would be redeveloped to add up to 2,260 dwelling units, 1.18 million square feet of office space, up to 125,000 square feet of retail, and potentially a 160-room hotel. Six parks are also included in the plan from developer Brookfield Properties.
A total of 44 redevelopment proposals appear on the map provided by DPZ.
“The main point to highlight is there is a lot of activity going on,” Butler said. “This gives you an idea of the volume of activity that is happening here in Reston.”
As director of parks, Butler noted that the revised Comprehensive Plan calls for three fully lighted athletic fields near the TSAs — something absent from the redevelopment proposals.
“In none of these have we seen a ballfield,” Butler said. “I think we need to drum up a little interest in this … to define locations on some of these major assemblages where these things can occur.”
John McBride, RA’s land-use attorney, said it is impressive to see so many developers willing to invest in the community; however, he added, Restonians need to make sure they remain informed on each application and remain engaged with Fairfax County throughout the approval process.
“It’s a lot of work to get up on these applications, [but] public input is so important,” McBride said. “You are listened to by senior County staff and all of the Fairfax Board of Supervisors members and planning commissioners only when you do your homework [and] you’re reasonable.”
None of the properties highlighted by Butler in the proposal lie within the purview of Reston Association, meaning any meeting with the Design Review Board by a developer would be as a courtesy only.
Map courtesy Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning via Reston Association
The Reston Association Board of Directors is asking Fairfax County for another opportunity for residents to learn more about a proposed zoning ordinance amendment that would increase Reston’s population density cap.
At its meeting Thursday, the Board adopted a resolution calling for the public meeting, which would be the fourth on the topic. A meeting last week was scheduled to be the last hosted by the County and Supervisor Cathy Hudgins on the subject; however, numerous residents in attendance expressed their displeasure with the meeting’s open-house format, which they claimed was designed to limit public input.
The first two meetings were held May 3 and May 15, a time frame that has led residents to ask why the County is rushing the issue. The County seeks to bring the plan before the Board of Supervisors in July, followed by a Planning Commission public hearing in September and the Board public hearing in October.
The proposal from the county’s Department of Planning and Zoning would bump the overall limit on people per acre in Reston’s Planned Residential Community (PRC) District from 13 to 16. It would also allow for the Board of Supervisors to be able to approve individual developments in excess of 50 dwelling units per acre in TSAs within the PRC and when in accordance with Comprehensive Plan recommendations.
Staff from the DPZ say these changes are necessary in order to ensure the community can grow in accordance with changes made to the Comprehensive Plan in 2014 and 2015. Residents, however, question the motives of making such a swift change to the density cap and have concerns about its effect on Reston’s infrastructure, open space and more.
During the board’s meeting, land-use attorney John McBride addressed directors on the county’s proposal. McBride said the “virtually unprecedented pace” of zoning applications in Reston is a “tribute to what a great community this is.” However, he added, public scrutiny and input is important on each application as growth booms.
“Although these changes to the current regulations are very limited — two little areas, two sentences — they are also very important,” McBride said. “More residents of Reston should become aware of these changes and should become engaged in the County’s zoning text amendment process.”
At the May 24 meeting on the amendment proposal, Cathy Belgin of the county DPZ’s Zoning Administration Division said staff would consider holding a fourth public meeting, potentially at some point in June. Residents have also been encouraged to submit their feedback through a form on the DPZ website.
In its resolution, the RA Board goes on record saying it does not currently support the proposed changes to the ordinance. In addition, the resolution states that the Board “does not condone Fairfax County staff withholding any information and not fully answering questions from the Reston community.”
Map courtesy Fairfax County
North Point Meeting Tonight — The third in a series of Reston Association Board of Directors district meetings is scheduled for tonight. North Point Director John Mooney will host the meeting from 7-8:30 p.m. at Armstrong Elementary School (11900 Lake Newport Road). [Reston Now]
Audio, Video of Police Shooting Released — Fairfax County Police released on Friday the 911 audio and helicopter video of the January hostage/barricade situation in Herndon that ended when an officer shot and killed the suspect. [WTOP]
Satirical Musical Gets Good Review — “Urinetown: The Musical” has “ink-black comedy, boundless energy, a dream cast and a brilliant musical score,” a reviewer says. It is playing at NextStop Theatre Company (269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon) through June 25. [DC Metro Theater Arts]
Ice Cream Social This Afternoon — Reston Association will host an ice cream social at 4:30 p.m. today at North Point Recreation Area (11515 North Shore Drive). [WebTrac]
File photo via Mark Majoros/RA
This past weekend’s Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival was a major success for Greater Reston Arts Center, its executive director says.
“I can tell you that not only is the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival a marquee cultural event for the area, it is GRACE’s largest fundraiser,” said Lily Siegel, GRACE’s executive director and curator. “We, again, successfully raised half of our operating budget for the year.”
Siegel said the annual operating budget for GRACE is about $550,000.
She said that while attendance for the event cannot be accurately measured because of the numerous entrance points to Reston Town Center, casual counts have organizers estimating between 20,000 and 30,000 visitors over the course of the weekend.
Those thousands of visitors gave a lot of positive reaction to the cultural event, Siegel said.
“Response from the public and the artists was overwhelmingly positive,” she said. “We repeatedly heard that this year’s festival had the highest quality of work on display yet [and] it continues to get stronger every year.”
Siegel also said the festival’s jurors were “consistently impressed” by the excellence of the work at the show.
“This is one of the most competitive fine arts festivals in the country to gain acceptance to and it shows,” she said. “This all goes hand-in-hand with the mission of making the festival an extension of the gallery experience available to the public throughout the year at the Greater Reston Arts Center.”
Photos by Megan Myers and Carol Nahorniak
A business offering non-surgical treatments for skin and body issues is planning to open a location at Plaza America.
According to a permit application filed with Fairfax County, LightRx plans to move in at 11730 Plaza America Drive, Suite 120. That space was formerly occupied by M. Beem Jewelers, which closed about two years ago.
According to the LightRx website, the business offers “the complete non-surgical solution to a new you.”
“Whether you want to drop a dress size, melt fat, target cellulite, tighten skin or turn back the hands of time, or say goodbye to unwanted hair, our team will customize a plan using the latest medical devices to help achieve your goals. The science behind our LightRx protocol combines leading-edge treatments for dramatic results. FDA-cleared, non-invasive, fast, safe, painless and effective. Treatments are performed by our highly-trained, professional staff and overseen by physicians.”
The chain has numerous locations across the nation, including locally at Fairfax Corner and in Alexandria.
No word yet on when the business hopes to open in Reston, a representative for property owner ARC Management said.
The open-house format for third public meeting on a proposed change to the population density cap in Reston’s Planned Residential Community District was not met favorably by Restonians.
The Fairfax County Department of Planning & Zoning came to Lake Anne Elementary School last night to once again address citizens about the proposal, which would bump the overall limit on people per acre in Reston’s PRC from 13 to 16. It would also allow for the Board of Supervisors to be able to approve individual developments in excess of 50 dwelling units per acre in TSAs within the PRC and when in accordance with Comprehensive Plan recommendations.
When they heard Wednesday’s meeting would not feature further public discussion of the plan, but rather the opportunity for attendees to ask individual questions of staff around the cafeteria, residents were displeased.
“Why can’t you change the format?” a resident shouted. The remark was echoed with calls including “It’s our meeting!” and “You work for us!”
Fred Selden, the director of the county DPZ, said staff believed the format would be a better opportunity for residents to ask specific questions about the plan. He said that at previous meetings, residents who spoke were spending a lot of time straying from the issue at hand.
“There have been opportunities for people to ask questions and also opportunities for people to make statements,” Selden said. “Quite frankly, a lot of the questions did not deal with the zoning ordinance that’s being proposed.”
Residents argued that if comments aren’t being made in front of the whole group, they aren’t useful to the overall discussion of the plan. Staff eventually agreed to a short period at the end of the meeting to reconvene and share thoughts.
Tower Crane To Be Removed Next Weekend — Crews will remove a tower crane from the median of the Dulles International Airport Access Highway between the Fairfax County Parkway overpass and the Reston Parkway overpass, June 2-5. The crane has been working on the future Reston Town Center Metro station. [Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project]
VideoBlocks Moving to Arlington — After announcing last year that the company would be moving from Reston to Arlington, subscription stock video service VideoBlocks has settled on a location. [Washington Business Journal]
Fairfax 275 Committee To Meet Here — The 275th Commemoration Steering Committee will meet at Lake Anne Brew House on June 1, celebrating the county’s official anniversary month and gearing up for the Historically Fairfax: 275th Celebration Fair, June 17. [Facebook]
Church Celebrating Centenarian’s Birthday — Virginia M. Calloway, the oldest member of the Heritage Fellowship Church on Fox Mill Road, will turn 104 on June 4. [Reston Connection]
Drivers who use the northern end of Wiehle Avenue will want to set aside another couple of minutes starting the day after Memorial Day.
Virginia Department of Transportation signage on the road indicates scheduled milling and re-paving will begin Tuesday morning. It is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays after that.
The good news for drivers? The work shouldn’t take long. Only a small amount of the road will be re-paved: about 500 feet on the east side of the intersection with Fairfax County Parkway and about 700 feet between Reston Parkway and Reston Avenue.
Bigger re-paving projects are planned for Reston later this season, including on Colts Neck Road, North Shore Drive, Twin Branches Road, Glade Drive and North Village Road.
Free parking returned to Reston Town Center for a fleeting moment Wednesday afternoon.
Social media users reported earlier today that the ParkRTC app at Reston Town Center was not charging, but Boston Properties says the situation has been handled and everything is back to normal.
The app read “There is free parking at the Reston Town Center until further notice” when users attempted to begin their parking session. Angie Goff, news anchor for NBC Washington, first alerted us to the situation in a tweet she sent to her more than 54,000 followers at about 1:20 p.m.
Interesting… just tried to pay my meter and got this? 🤔 #RTC pic.twitter.com/Fas6uD7AfH
— angie goff (@OhMyGOFF) May 24, 2017
PassionFish (11960 Democracy Drive) later tweeted a notice to alert potential customers to the situation.
Parking is always FREE for our guests in #Reston but today the parking app OFF -no validation is needed! Stop in for #HappyHour at 3. pic.twitter.com/h42nHFbcbT
— PassionFish Reston (@PassionFishRest) May 24, 2017
Kathy Walsh, spokesperson on behalf of Boston Properties, told Reston Now just before 2 p.m., though, that the “technical issues” had been fixed.
“Apparently there were some technical issues with the parking system this afternoon that have since been resolved and normal parking rates are in effect,” Walsh said. “Parking actually was free while that message was displaying.”
A meeting is slated for June 1 to discuss the effects of widening of Route 7 from Reston to Tysons.
Michael J. Coughlin is the eminent domain, land use and zoning, and real estate lawyer for Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley and Walsh PC. He will host the meeting on the project Thursday, June 1 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Sheraton Tysons (8661 Leesburg Pike, Tysons).
The proposed Virginia Department of Transportation project will involve nearly seven miles of Route 7, between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive, which is just before the Dulles Toll Road interchange. Coughlin is inviting residents to the meeting to “learn about the project, potential impacts to properties, what to do to prepare for the project, the eminent domain process in Virginia, and the legal rights of owners and businesses affected by the project.”
This is the latest stage of VDOT’s work to add two lanes to the heavily traveled highway, bringing it to six overall. They also plan to add facilities for cyclists and pedestrians, and make “substantial intersection and other improvements” along the corridor.
Those improvements, according to VDOT, would include:
- Constructing a partial interchange at Baron Cameron Avenue to reduce congestion
- Relocating Lewinsville Road and creating a displaced left-turn intersection
- Replacing and raising the Difficult Run bridge to reduce flooding
The last public hearing on the project was held in November. View information shared and discussed at that meeting here.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is slated to vote on the project design next month. Upon approval, VDOT is expected to put out its request for proposals on the project later this year. Work is planned to start in late 2020 and last until 2025. Anticipated cost of the project is $234 million.
Photo: Intersection of Route 7 and Baron Cameron Avenue. Map via Virginia Department of Transportation.
Pair of Meetings Set for Tonight — The third community meeting on the County’s proposed zoning ordinance amendment to increase the density cap in Reston’s Planned Residential Community District is tonight at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria at Lake Anne Elementary School (11510 North Shore Drive). In addition, the Hunters Woods/Dogwood District meeting with RA Board Director Victoria White is tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. at Southgate Community Center (12125 Pinecrest Road).
RTC Rooftop Video Being Investigated — Boston Properties says it is working with police to investigate after a video posted to YouTube shows someone sneaking onto the roof of the One Freedom Square building at Reston Town Center. The individual is also seen in the video going into rooms that appear to be for staff only. [Reston Patch]
Sobriety Checkpoint Scheduled — County police will have a checkpoint set up within the boundaries of the Reston District on Friday night, from 11:15 p.m. to 2:15 a.m. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Pool To Be Closed for Four Days — In an emailed announcement, Reston Community Center says the Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center will be closed from Tuesday, June 6 to Friday, June 9 in order to conduct soil testing around the pool. According to the announcement, “this testing is necessary for proper maintenance and improvement of the aquatics center. The pool and spa will resume their regular schedule of rentals, classes and drop-in programs on Saturday, June 10. Reston Community Center Hunter Woods will remain open for non-pool activities during the closure.”
A Market Street storefront that until recently housed a frozen yogurt shop is being advertised as the future home of a raw-fish eatery.
Signage at 11990-C Market St. promotes a restaurant called PokeHub as coming soon to the space. That was the home of Iceberry, which closed April 30 after 10 years in business.
Very little information is available about PokeHub. A website listed for the restaurant provides no further details as of yet.
Poke (pronounced “po-kay”) is a traditional Hawaiian salad made with raw fish, often yellowfin or bigeye tuna. It has become very popular nationally in recent years, and it is on the menu of several restaurants in the area.
The 1,152-square foot location is within the Retail at Midtown property, which is owned by the JBG Companies. Other retail establishments on the property include Il Fornaio, Roosters, Subway, Midtown Jewelers, BB&T and Midtown Kabob. The address is also home to the Midtown Condominiums.
We have left a message with JBG and this article will be updated if more information about the new tenant is provided.
Cornerstones is once again gearing up to collect thousands of backpacks to give out to students at local schools.
The annual drive is a partnership between Cornerstones and Kids R First. Nate King, community resource associate for Cornerstones, said the program collected about 3,500 backpacks last year and is aiming for the same number this year.
“We generally get a really good turnout,” King said. “It’s a combination of individuals, religious groups and businesses that help us out.”
Anyone wishing to participate in the drive is asked to register online to let Cornerstones know how many backpacks they or their group will be donating. Backpacks are being collected for elementary, middle school and high school students, with the high schoolers being the age of the greatest need.
Backpacks can be delivered to Cornerstones (11150 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 210) the week of Aug. 7-11. Volunteers will sort them out by schools, colors and sizes in the week that follows, and they will be distributed to the schools the week after that.
In addition to backpacks, Cornerstones is also requesting donations of new underwear for elementary school-age children, and Payless ShoeSource gift card donations of $25.
Donations go to all schools in the greater Reston-Herndon area, King said.
For more information about the drive, call King at 571-323-9569 or email [email protected].
