Monthly ‘Beer Run’ is Tonight — Lake Anne Brew House (11424 Washington Plaza W., at Lake Anne) will be the meeting point for anyone looking to combine some exercise with some cold ones this evening. The event, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., involves doing laps around the lake, followed by imbibing in the taproom. [Lake Anne Brew House/Facebook]
Metro Inviting Feedback on Budget, Service — The public is being asked to share its thoughts on Metro’s FY2018 budget proposal, fare adjustments and service changes. Comments can be made by filling out an online survey, providing feedback to staff in person or attending an open house Monday at Metro Headquarters. (Don’t forget, Virginia’s WMATA board members will be in Reston tonight to discuss these matters as well.) [WMATA]
Virginia Senate Votes on Knives for Kids — The difference between suburban and rural Virginia played out on the state Senate floor Tuesday, as legislators debated a bill that would make it legal to provide children with switchblades, Bowie knives and other such implements. Rural senators argued about the practicalities of having such a tool when hunting, while at least one Northern Virginia senator is reported to have been “aghast.” [Washington Post]
Updated at 3:35 p.m. with information from police press conference
A 21-year-old Herndon man is charged with attempted capital murder in relation to an incident late Sunday night where shots were fired at a Fairfax County police officer in his cruiser.
Brian Neftali Landaverde, of Astoria Circle, also faces a charge of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, the Fairfax County Police Department announced Tuesday afternoon.
The incident took place at about 11:45 p.m. Sunday on Rossmore Court, off Georgetown Pike near Great Falls. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop when one suspect fled from the vehicle. The driver then turned the car around and came at the officer’s cruiser. Shots were fired, and at least two bullets struck the police car.
The suspect had been arrested Monday night in Herndon. At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard said Landaverde was apprehended after he was spotted waving a gun in the parking lot of a business on Elden Street near Alabama Drive.
“He took off running, which obviously raised some red flags for us,” she said. “He’s running for a reason.”
Landaverde was charged in Herndon with possession of a stolen firearm. During the course of the investigation, DeBoard said, officers connected Landaverde with the Fairfax County case and alerted FCPD detectives.
“I think it was good police work all around,” she said. “It was great work by the officers in Herndon… and it was phenomenal work by the detectives in Fairfax.”
Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. said in addition to the Herndon officers “going above and beyond,” his department received a number of “solid leads” from the community that helped them make the arrest. He said evidence has been recovered linking Landaverde to the crime.
FCPD says Landaverde was in the vehicle with two juveniles, ages 16 and 17, one of whom is the person who fled the vehicle just before the shooting. Roessler said at the press conference that the two juveniles have also been located and are being interviewed by police.
“We have made our county safer by taking these violent thugs off the street,” the chief said.
Roessler said the vehicle involved the incident has been recovered, and damage to the windshield indicates the bullets were fired from inside the car.
The chief also said the officer who was fired upon is doing well and is receiving support from his colleagues.
“This is upsetting to all of us as police officers,” he said. “This is very traumatic for anybody.”
Burger restaurant BRB (Be Right Burger) has closed in Reston Town Center, but the space is scheduled for new life.
According to its website, Pheast Food Group has taken over the management of several restaurants including Be Right Burger and will be “updating those concepts in 2017.” Signage posted on the shuttered Reston Town Center eatery advertises “another exciting concept coming soon.”
The changes are part of a reorganization within Reston-based parent company Thompson Hospitality, according to Pheast’s website:
“Funded by Thompson Hospitality, the largest minority-owned hospitality company in the country, Pheast Food Group was created to develop new innovative restaurant concepts and will oversee the management of the company’s brands — The American Tap Room, Austin Grill, Willie T’s Lobster Shack, Pizza Studio and Be Right Burger.”
The American Tap Room also has a Reston Town Center location.
Late last year, Pheast turned two former locations of Tex-Mex restaurant Austin Grill — in Alexandria and Silver Spring, Maryland — into Southern-style restaurants under the name Hen Quarter.
BRB opened in Reston Town Center in the summer of 2011. Prior to that, the building (1820 Discovery St.) housed a Marvelous Market deli, also owned by Thompson Hospitality.
The restaurant also has a location at Dulles International Airport.
A bullet was fired into a townhouse on Clover Field Circle in Herndon last week.
A report from the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston Station says the incident happened last Tuesday at about 4:10 p.m.
“A homeowner was standing in the kitchen of her townhouse, which backs up to Fox Mill Road. She heard a loud noise and found a bullet that had been fired through a kitchen window. She was not injured. Responding officers checked the area and conducted a canvass. Witnesses indicated they heard a loud noise similar to a gunshot around the same time. Detectives from the Crime Scene Section responded to process the scene.”
Police encourage anyone with information about this event to call detectives at the Reston District Station at 703-478-0904, call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131, visit Crime Solvers or text “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES(274637).
Other reports from the Reston Station in the past week include the following:
LARCENIES:
1800 block of Fountain Drive, property from business
2200 block of Southgate Square, property from residence
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, hand gun from vehicle
12000 block of Oak Lawn Place, property from residence
2300 block of Soapstone Drive, alcohol from store
11000 block of South Lakes Drive, merchandise from store
2500 block of Pennymoor Court, purse from vehicle
1600 block of Oak Spring Way, property from residence
12000 block of Sunset Hills Road, merchandise from store
1800 block of Town Center Parkway, wallet from person
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, purse from vehicle
11000 block of Market Street, cell phone from person
11000 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, passport from residence
9900 block of Georgetown Pike, beer from store
9900 block of Georgetown Pike, beer from store
11000 block of Lawyers Road, cash from person
11000 block of Lawyers Road, cash from wallet
1800 block of Discovery Street, cash from business
12000 block of Town Square, credit card from purse
2500 block of John Milton Drive, beer from store
STOLEN VEHICLES:
1800 block of Wiehle Avenue, black Ford Explorer
3400 block of Carlin Springs Road, 2000 Gray Toyota Camry
3100 block of South Manchester Street
13000 block of Copper Brook Way, 2004 red Mazda 3
Fairfax County Police are also still looking for suspects involved in gunshots being fired at an officer in his cruiser late Sunday night near Great Falls.
Among the items on the agenda for this month’s meeting of the Reston Association Board of Directors is a report on the status of the Lake House review. In addition, the Board’s executive session is scheduled in part for the purpose of discussing “contractual matters related to Tetra/Lake House review.”
Board Vice President Michael Sanio is scheduled to deliver the report during Thursday’s meeting. No details about its contents were made available within the meeting packet.
The Lake House, formerly known as the Tetra building, is located off Baron Cameron Avenue between Lake Newport Tennis and Brown’s Chapel Park. Reston Association passed a referendum to buy the building in May 2015 for $2.6 million. Needed renovations were budgeted for about $259,000; however, that number quickly ballooned to $655,000.
An independent review of that cost was planned, with a local group called Mediaworld Ventures LLC announcing they would do the work for a $1 fee. After months of negotiations over the details, that proposal fell through with finger-pointing from both sides.
Among other items on the agenda for the meeting are the following:
Overview of Elections & Referenda Resolution 3; Campaign Rules & Standards of Conduct
Public Hearing — Addition to Property Request Sunrise Square
RA Position on Reston Transportation Funding Plan
Fairfax County Specimen Tree Designation Request
Capital Improvement Planning — Lake Anne Dock & Dredging Project
The board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at RA’s offices (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive).
Metro Station Saw Long Lines for Women’s March — Many attendees of the Women’s March on Washington this past weekend took the Silver Line to get to D.C., and that resulted in some massive crowds at the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station. Photos shared on social media showed the huge turnout Saturday morning. [Patch]
Volunteer Group Prepping for Future Disasters — Every part of Fairfax County will soon have its own Community Resiliency Group, which would be activated to help recover from disasters such as floods, earthquakes or chemical spills. Nearly 200 people have registered to be part of the volunteer group in the Hunter Mill District, and many participated in a Volunteer Fairfax/Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management seminar earlier this month to learn more. [Reston Connection]
Motorcycle Crash in Sterling Leads to Reston Man’s Arrest — James E. Basham, 30, of Reston, was charged with driving under the influence and carrying a firearm while intoxicated. [Loudoun Times-Mirror]
Reston-Based Startup Gets National Recognition — ScienceLogic, headquartered on Parkridge Boulevard, has been named one of Business Insider’s “18 hottest under-the-radar startups to watch in 2017.” The business helps companies locate and monitor IT assets in their own data center or in the cloud. [Business Insider]
Reminder: Submitting Events — As a reminder to those who are planning events in Reston, the best way to submit events to us is via our event calendar. Sending a press release is usually not necessary. [Reston Now]
Concrete is expected to be poured overnight for the foundation of the Herndon Metro Station pedestrian bridge.
The work is planned to be done between 10 p.m. Monday and 4 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. The two right lanes of the westbound Dulles Toll Road will be closed between the Fairfax County Parkway overpass and the Monroe/Van Buren Street overpass for the duration of the work.
Concrete Foundation Work on WB @Dulles_Toll_Rd on or About Monday, Jan. 23 at 10 p.m. – Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 4 a.m. https://t.co/o1OxSE5pJ6
— DCMP (@DullesMetrorail) January 20, 2017
The pedestrian bridge, when complete, will provide access to the Silver Line’s Herndon Station, near the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride. Ground was broken in late November for a new, second parking garage at the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride.
A large amount of other work along the Dulles Toll Road related to the Metro’s expansion continues as well.
The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project recently reported that work on the Silver Line expansion is progressing steadily.
As the investigation into shots being fired at a Fairfax County police officer late Sunday night continues, Police Chief Edwin Roessler pleaded for the community’s help.
“We need as much information as possible. We need to continue to make our community safe,” Roessler said at a news conference Monday afternoon. “These suspects attempted to murder a police officer, and I beg for your help.”
Relatively little is known about what happened at about 11:45 p.m. Sunday on Rossmore Court, off Georgetown Pike near Great Falls. What is known is that a passenger fled from a vehicle as an officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop, and the driver then drove at a high rate of speed in the direction of the cruiser. The suspect fired gunshots, with two striking the officer’s vehicle.
The officer was unhurt. Roessler said no further information would be released about the officer’s status until a threat assessment has been conducted to ensure this was not a targeted ambush.
Detectives have released photos of the suspect’s car from last night’s shooting. If you know anything please call us! 703-691-2131 pic.twitter.com/R2YNYjHHyd
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) January 23, 2017
Still images from the officer’s dash cam were released Monday afternoon; however, the photo quality is hindered by the darkness and rainy conditions, Roessler said. Roessler said the officer did not return fire, as the situation unfolded very rapidly.
The chief repeatedly emphasized the severity of the situation.
“Anybody that’s willing to shoot at a marked police car, knowing it’s a police officer, is a danger not only to the brave men and women of the Fairfax County Police Department, but to our community,” he said. “We need to bring these people to justice.”
Roessler said the suspect who fled appeared to be wearing pajama-style sweatpants. No other defining characteristic of either suspect, or whether there was anyone else in the car, is known at this time.
The vehicle was described as a white Toyota or Mazda from the late 1990s or early 2000s, with black molding on the doors. Roessler said it may have a damaged windshield, as police are unsure whether the gunshots were fired through the windshield or from outside the car.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FCPD at 703-691-2131, or call Detective C. Guyton at 703-856-8547. Citizens can also be eligible for a cash reward up to $1,000 if they contact Crime Solvers or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES(274637).
Concerns over the ties between real estate company Tishman Speyer and an anti-Muslim hate group dominated discussion during a recent public hearing about property development near the Herndon Metro.
Those concerns now appear to be a thing of the past, however, as the company has ended its business with The Clarion Project. The decision came last week following pressure from the interfaith community, some of which was seen during the Woodland Park hearing.
Tishman Speyer owns the property, located to the west of Monroe Street and south of the Dulles Toll Road, that is up for discussion. It also leased D.C. office space to The Clarion Project, a group that has created and distributed a number of anti-Muslim films and other materials, until it severed the contract last week.
The Clarion Project is classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Speakers at the Jan. 11 public hearing included Colin Christopher, the deputy director of government affairs for Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church. Christopher said his mosque wanted the planning commission to delay the vote and take a stand against Tishman Speyer, who he said had to that point refused to address its relationship with The Clarion Project.
“If you don’t think this is a big deal, I’d like you to imagine hundreds of people and faith leaders — maybe from your church or synagogue or mosque — at the next meeting, standing in front of the bulldozers with the local news documenting what’s going on,” Christopher said. “We have that power and we will use it if we have to.”
Christopher said Islamophobia is gaining momentum in the United States and it is the responsibility of citizens and government officials to fight it. His words were echoed by Jeanne Trabulsi, a teacher from Arlington who followed him to the podium.
“Tishman Speyer has chosen to ignore clergy and other citizens who have reached out and who are concerned that allowing a hate group to exist and function in our midst is corrosive to our sense of well-being and to the well-being of others,” she said. “I ask that the board postpone approval of this project until Tishman Speyer becomes a good global citizen.”
Alison Glick, of the DC-Metro chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, also addressed the commission in support of the Muslim community. She said her group had protested at the Pennsylvania Avenue office building in December and 30 interfaith clergy had sent a letter to Tishman Speyer asking them to evict The Clarion Project.
“We want you to know that we understand how important this development project is,” Glick told the planning commission about the Woodland Park Parcel. “But the relationship that we have with the Muslim community… is also important.”
On Jan. 17, the Jewish Voice for Peace said the testimony at the Woodland Park Parcel public hearing was what forced Tishman Speyer’s hand to make its decision regarding The Clarion Group.
“The turning point in the campaign came when JVP DC-Metro partnered with leaders from the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia. The Islamic and Jewish organizations collaborated to challenge a major Tishman Speyer development project that was before the Fairfax County Planning Commission. Last week, the Commission was set to unanimously approve the project, until representatives from Dar Al-Hijrah and JVP testified about Tishman Speyer’s ties to the Clarion Project.”
All commissioners who voted on the project did recommend it for approval, but two commissioners — Karen Keys-Gamarra (Sully) and Janyce Hedetniemi (At-Large) — decided to abstain because of the testimony. Commissioner Frank de la Fe, of the Hunter Mill District, explained that what the speakers was asking was outside the purview of the commission.
“I sympathize and empathize with what I heard. Our nation is going through what I would call some difficult times,” de la Fe said. “But we are here to make land use decisions based on what is good for the county as far as the land use process. I think this application meets those requirements.”
The 31.69-acre property, proposed for residential/mixed-use development, is being planned to house 74 single-family attached homes, 90 two-over-two stacked townhomes, 515 multifamily dwelling units within two buildings, and two office buildings, including 580,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
The Board of Supervisors is expected to hold a hearing on the project Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 3:30 p.m.
Origins will close the doors of its cosmetics store in Reston Town Center (11932 Market St.) later this week.
An employee at the shop Monday morning told Reston Now the store’s last day would be Wednesday. However, she said, no one at the store would give any further information about the decision. Signage in place at the store indicates that it is going out of business and that “everything must go.”
In a recent interview with Reston Connection, manager Mary Tisi said the store has been seeing a decline in business and paid parking was the “nail in the coffin.”
Paid parking began at Reston Town Center in early January and public response has been very critical.
A Reston Now reader who sent an anonymous email about the announcement said it is upsetting news.
“[This is] very sad, as I have been a customer at this Origins location for 15 years,” the reader said.
Officers from the Fairfax County Police Department continue to investigate after a Reston District on-duty officer’s marked cruiser was struck multiple times by gunfire just before midnight Sunday night.
Police say the incident began as an attempted traffic stop in the 600 block of Rossmore Court, off Georgetown Pike in the Great Falls area.
A passenger jumped out of the car and ran. The driver of the car then sped away from the cruiser, making a U-turn in the cul-de-sac, then traveled back toward the officer and opened fire, striking the cruiser at least twice. The officer attempted to pursue the shooter’s car, but lost sight of it while driving westbound on Georgetown Pike.
Our Major Crimes Division and Crime Scene Detectives responded to investigate and process the scene. Several other law enforcement partners helped to try and track the suspect’s car; to no avail. The car was described as an older model four-door sedan, possibly late 90s to early 2000s, white with black rubber moulding around the door frames.
One bullet hit the hood and a second hit the passenger-side rear quarter panel. The officer was unharmed.
“I am grateful that our officer went home safe last night,” said Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. “[The suspect’s] actions are not only dangerous and deadly to law enforcement, but they are a threat to the entire community.”
1/3 Great Falls/Reston area: we are investigating shots fired at a police cruiser around midnight in the area of Georgetown Pike/Walker Ln.
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) January 23, 2017
2/3 Suspect vehicle: late 90’s – early 2000 whi 4D sedan, maybe Toyota or Mazda, possible passenger window shattered. Black molding on doors
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) January 23, 2017
3/3 Susp. vehicle last seen w/b Georgetown Pike in Great Falls area. Anyone w/ info please call us immediately. 703-691-2131.
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) January 23, 2017
Fairfax County police say Roessler is expected to hold a news conference at 2:30 p.m. Monday.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FCPD at 703-691-2131, or call Detective C. Guyton at 703-856-8547. Citizens can also be eligible for a cash reward up to $1,000 if they contact Crime Solvers or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES(274637).
Tipsters remain anonymous.
Police Seek Person Who Shot at Cruiser — Someone shot at a police car last night on Georgetown Pike, and law enforcement is seeking the culprit. The incident happened around midnight in the area of Walker Road. The suspect’s vehicle may have been a white Toyota or Mazda from the late 1990s or early 2000s, with black molding on the doors. The passenger-side window may have been shattered. The car was last seen traveling westbound on Georgetown Pike in the Great Falls area. [NBC Washington]
Herndon Family of Six Displaced By House Fire — Fire officials say a passerby alerted a Herndon family to a fire in their Van Buren Street home Friday afternoon. Apparently, the home’s smoke detectors were not equipped with batteries. The fire, the source of which was electrical, caused almost $70,000 in damage. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]
Reston Community Players Show Has Successful Opening — “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” opened Friday on the CenterStage at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road). A reviewer says the show, which runs through Feb. 4, is a “fine production” with an “excellent cast.” [DC Metro Theater Arts]
A new way of learning at Sunrise Valley Elementary School is giving students the opportunity to stretch their creative thinking skills like never before.
Sara Balcanoff is the advanced academic resources teacher at SVES, as well as at Greenbriar West Elementary School in Fairfax. She has been helping students for the past year as they are encouraged to visualize, design and create to supplement their learning in core classes.
“The kids are impressive,” Balcanoff said. “They’re very imaginative.”
Balcanoff said kindergarten, first- and second-grade classes come in weekly to use the school’s “Makerspace” to experiment and learn to solve problems in creative and unique ways. Students also use the space to create projects related to units in other classes.
“It looks like trash, but they have to figure out how to make it work for their model,” Balcanoff said.
Projects can be made out of a variety of everyday materials including cardboard tubes, styrofoam blocks, bottle caps and more to help with fundamentals including creating simple machines and learning about force and motion.
“They have to use these materials to design a car,” she said of a first-grade project. “The car has to go a certain speed, it has to go a certain distance, it has to be able to stop in a certain location.”
Kevin West, Sunrise Valley principal, said Balcanoff’s work is an important part of creating a well-rounded learning environment.
“She really works on developing critical thinking with students, creativity, innovation, problem solving and collaboration,” he said. “It’s what we call in Fairfax County the ‘Portait of a Graduate.'”
Balcanoff recently applied for and received a $1,675 grant from Apple Federal Credit Union, which she will use to purchase a class set of programmable robotic toys called Spheros that she says can be used in a variety of educational ways.
“A lot of our students, outside of school, are starting to pursue an interest in coding,” she said. “I really want to bring that into school and into the curriculum a lot more, and have it accessible to more students.”
Balcanoff said she is hopeful the new technology will help get older students into the Makerspace more. Spheros can be used to design and create mazes, obstacle courses and other engineering challenges, she said, as well as to paint and draw.
“They have to code their way through them,” she said. “We can test it with weight limits and speed — there’s a lot that we’re going to work on.”
Balcanoff said she hopes to introduce another new coding toy, the Makey Makey, into the school later this year. The Makey Makey allows users to make everyday objects into keyboards, game controllers and more.
“The possibilities with this are endless,” she said.
West said the school is fortunate to have someone with Balcanoff’s innovative mind on staff.
“She is a great resource for our students and also for our teachers,” West said. “She’s very focused on providing very innovative educational opportunities for our students, a very dynamic learning environment for our kids.”
Prom season is quickly approaching, and for many, that means stress.
There’s the stress of finding a date and the stress of planning for the big day, among others. But for some, the stress could be in figuring out how to afford one of the night’s most important features — the dress.
To help alleviate that for as many girls as possible, Reston Community Center is once again rolling out its Diva Central Dress Drive.
Donations of dresses that are less than five years old can be made at Reston Community Center’s Hunters Woods or Lake Anne locations between Jan. 30 and Feb. 28. In addition to dresses, donations of prom accessories — including shoes, jewelry, handbags, scarves and shawls — will also be accepted.
Donated items must be in good condition, and it is requested that dresses be dry-cleaned if possible.
Reston Town Center will also accept donations in its building lobbies beginning next week.
For more information about the drive, contact Ali Clements at [email protected] or 703-390-6177.
Photo via Reston Town Center
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will discuss a proposed February public hearing on the funding plan for Reston transportation projects.
County Executive Edward Long has recommended the board hold a public hearing on the plan Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 4:30 p.m.; the board will vote at its meeting next week (Tuesday, Jan. 24) whether to do so.
According to information provided in the agenda for the Jan. 24 meeting:
The Board of Supervisors (“the Board”) authorized the Reston Master Plan Special Study on May 18, 2009, and directed staff to initiate Phase I of the study, which is a review of Comprehensive Plan recommendations pertaining to the areas around the three planned Reston Metrorail stations: Reston Town Center Station, Wiehle-Reston East Station and the Herndon Station (Reston Transit Station Areas).
In Fall 2009, a community Task Force of 41 members (25 primary and 16 alternate) was appointed for the Phase I effort by the Board of Supervisors (Reston Master Plan Special Study (Phase I)), which included representatives of Reston resident groups, owners of commercial property in the study area and other interested members of the community. Working with staff, the Task Force was charged with evaluating existing Comprehensive Plan recommendations and identifying changes to guide future transit-oriented development (TOD) in the vicinity of the three Reston stations.
The Task Force and several sub-committees met regularly from 2010 through 2013 to consider approaches to further TOD development at the stations. Subsequently, the Task Force worked with staff to finalize their recommendations which were finalized at their meeting on October 29, 2013.
On February 11, 2014, the Board of Supervisors adopted an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan for Reston, based on the results of the Reston Master Plan Special Study (Phase I). When the Board adopted the Comprehensive Plan amendment for Phase I of Reston, it also adopted a follow-on motion to address funding of associated transportation projects. The funding follow-on motion requested that staff and the Planning Commission develop an inclusive process to prepare a funding plan for the transportation improvements recommended in the Reston Master Plan and return to the Board with its recommendations at an appropriate time.
Staff not only recognizes the significance of the Reston Transit Station Areas (Reston TSAs), but also recognizes that improvements in the Reston TSAs must be balanced with needs in other areas of the County. Staff has taken this need for balance into consideration in staff’s recommendations to the Board.
The project is expected to cost in excess of $2.2 billion.
A community meeting to discuss the plan was held Thursday evening.
The recommendations to fund the project include the following:
a) Allocate public funds through future board actions such as endorsing a funding plan, a future transportation priorities plans, or other actions of the board.
b) Create a Reston Transportation Road Fund over the Reston TSAs with the following rates that is intended to collect approximately $211 million (as adjusted for inflation).
a. Residential per Dwelling Unit Rate: $2,090
b. Commercial per Square Foot Rate: $9.56
c) Establish a Transportation Service District over the Reston TSAs that is intended to collect approximately $139 million (as adjusted for inflation).
a. Service District Rate per $100 of assessed value: $0.021
d) Adjust the Reston Transportation Road Fund rates and Transportation Service District rates in a manner that is consistent with the Code of Virginia, the County’s budget cycle requirements, and cash flow need.
e) Prioritize projects periodically; and,
f) Evaluate the Reston Transportation Funding Plan on a periodic basis to ensure that the funding contribution levels are sufficient, the funding available is being allocated effectively, and projects are proceeding on schedule.
g) Establish a Reston Transportation Service District Advisory Board to provide input on the annual tax rate for the proposed Service District, the transportation project priorities for those projects funded all or in part by the tax district, and project implementation schedules. In addition, the Reston Transportation Service District Advisory Board may also provide input on the annual adjustment of Road Fund rates related to the Grid Network and Intersection Improvements.
h) The Service District and Road Fund will both have sunset provisions to ensure that once the projects identified in the Reston Phase I Comprehensive Plan Amendment are completed, any debt has been paid in full, and any other obligations incurred by the Service District or Road Fund have been satisfied, the Service District and the Road Fund will terminate. Staff will establish the sunset provisions accordingly for each fund and as allowed by state code.
Specific public revenue source and associated revenues may vary over the life of the plan, according to information provided by the board, but public revenues from existing sources are projected to be available to fund the total amount of improvements.
Private revenue sources are expected to include $716 million in in-kind contributions, $211 million from the Reston TSA Road Fund and $138 million in service district contributions.
According to the board agenda item:
The proposed Reston Transportation Funding Plan addresses the $2.27 billion (in 2016 dollars) need for infrastructure improvements to support the recommendations in the Reston Phase I Comprehensive Plan Amendment. The proposed plan allocates roughly $1.2 billion of the improvements over 40 years from public funds – federal, state, local, and regional funds that are anticipated for countywide transportation projects. Approximately $1.07 billion of the improvement costs will be raised from private funds – sources of revenue that are generated within the Reston TSAs and used exclusively for transportation projects in the Reston TSAs; this will require creation of a service district fund and County road fund project for management of revenues. It is anticipated that a fund for the service district will be created in FY 2018, and a new project will be created in Fund 30040 (Contributed Roadway Improvements) for the management of these Reston road fund contributions.
The next Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 9:30 a.m. at the Fairfax County Government Center (12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax).
Graphic and tables courtesy Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
