Reston Association Budget Hearing and Meeting is Tonight — RA’s Board of Directors will hold a special meeting today (Thursday). A draft of the budget and the meeting’s agenda — which includes information about RA’s conflict of interest policy and increases to member assessments — is available online. [Reston Association]
Author Hena Khan to Joint Girl Power! Book Club — Khan will discuss her new middle-grade novel, More to the Story, at Scrawl Books’ Girl Power! Book Club today at the bookstore. The discussion, which is open to all, starts at 7 p.m. [Scrawl Books]
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Receives Homeland Security Grants — The department has been awarded $406,000 in competitive and noncompetitive grants. The funds will be used to improve the department’s emergency preparedness, security operations, training, and equipment. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]
Photo via Flickr/vantagehill
Lawmakers discussed bringing back late-night hours and Metro’s safety record with Metro officials at a congressional oversight hearing on the transit agency on Tuesday.
An ethics investigation into former Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board chair Jack Evans was the focus of most of the hearing, which was led by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations.
Connolly and other lawmakers urged Metro’s leadership to continue to combat what Connolly said was a “culture of mediocrity” concerning safety and efficiency in the system.
Additionally, Metro assumes the authority of phase two of the Silver Line extension project, a number of safety-related issues must be resolved.
“We cannot allow shoddy construction work by cost-cutting contractors to saddle Metro and its ridership with long-term costly maintenance,” Connolly said.
So far, it’s unclear how next year’s opening of phase two of the Silver Line into Loudoun County will impact fares. Currently, Metro’s distance-based fares are capped at $6 at rush hour and at $3.85 at all other times.
Metro’s General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said WMATA is considering the possibility of fare increases as part of its budget development process. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) said she hopes Metro will maintain affordability for her constituents in Reston, Tysons and surrounding a real.
Metro is focusing on promoting the use of SmarTrip cards — a reloadable card used to pay Metrorail and local bus system fares — in order to boost ridership.
“Our biggest focus is getting people to use the SmarTrip cards and providing discounts for that,” Wiedefeld said. “That’s really the best way to use the system for us operationally and efficiency-wise,” he said.
At the meeting, officials also hinted at the possibility of bringing back late-night hours that Metro cut several years ago.
A recording of the meeting, which also touched on other issues like cybersecurity, Metro’s overall funding goals, is available online.
Photo via YouTube
The Walker Nature Center is urging residents to keep be on the lookout for an invasive insect. Officials in Pennsylvania and other states are urging residents to kill the insect, which is called a Spotted Lanternfly.
“If you find one here, please put it in a ziplock bag and bring it to the nature center,” the center recently tweeted.
The insect has red and block inner wings and outer wings with black spots.
We are worried about the invasive Spotted Lanternfly coming to Reston. If you find one here, please put it in a ziplock bag and bring it to the Nature Center. https://t.co/D4TvkpcEqV
— Walker Nature Center (@restonnature) October 18, 2019
The insect is native to China, Bangladesh and Vietnam. It is known to cause major damage to trees, including. Oozing. Sap, wilting, leaf turning and tree dieback, according to officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services established a quarantine for Frederick County and the city of Winchester in late May to slow down the spread of the insect.
Here’s more from state officials:
Spotted Lanternfly feeds on more than 70 plant species, including grapes, apples, stone fruits, hops and Ailanthus altissima (Tree of Heaven), which is its preferred host. It poses a threat to Virginia’s peach, apple, grape and wine industries. Spotted Lanternfly can also be a nuisance pest to homeowners when numbers are high.
The spotted lanternfly was first detected in Winchester in January 2018. Subsequent surveys conducted by VDACS indicate that the pest has become established in the city of Winchester and spread into Frederick County, just north of Winchester. Prior to the January 2018 detection in Virginia, the only Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) found in the U.S. was in Pennsylvania. Populations are now established in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and northern Virginia.
The Walker Nature Center is located at 11450 Glade Drive in Reston.
Photo by Ray Copson
Annual Jigsaw Puzzle Sale Kicks Off Tomorrow — The Friends of Reston Regional Library will hold an annual jigsaw sale tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. [Reston Regional Library]
Delays on Leesburg Pike at Drainesville Road — Expect delays on Leesburg Pike at Drainesville Road this morning due to a crash. No left turns are allowed at the intersection and police encourage drivers to use caution. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Reston Association Website Back Online — The association’s website, which went down yesterday due to technical issues, is back online. The board is expected to meet tomorrow (Thursday) to discuss the budget and other issues. [Reston Association]
Photo via Flickr/Dario iparo
This week, no major incidents were reported in Reston or Herndon by local law enforcement.
However, the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station reported the following recent incidents in recent days:
LARCENIES:
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, battery from vehicle
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, pants from vehicle
2400 block of Centreville Road, cell phones from business
10100 block of Clover Glen Drive, lights from residence
2300 block of Colts Neck Road, bicycle from location
1800 block of Discovery Street, electronic device from location
1800 block of Presidents Street, cash from location
1900 block of Reston Metro Plaza, construction material from location
Maleady Drive/Parcher Avenue, camera from vehicle
1800 block of Sycamore Valley Drive, wallet from location
2300 block of Cypress Cove Circle, cell phone from residence
600 block of Deerfield Farm Court, property from vehicle
11100 block of Saffold Way, property from residence
12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, cell phone from residence
1800 block of Spectrum Center, credit card and sunglasses from vehicle
1800 block of Stratford Park Place, wallet and bag form vehicle
1800 block of Sycamore Valley Drive, wallet from location
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, cell phone from location
1800 block of Jonathan Way, jewelry and jacket from residence
1000 block of Utterback Store Road, property from location
STOLEN VEHICLES:
None reported
Photo via FCPD
A new cafe is coming soon to Dulles Corner Park, an office park located at 2411 Dulles Corner Park.
County permits indicate a cafe by the name of Bytes has been approved for a new tenant permit. The approval, which lists 13820 Sunrise Valley Drive as the address, was issued on Oct. 9.
So far, no signage has been put up at the property. The contractor behind the project declined to disclose information about the business.
Photo by Jay Westcott
The future of a wooded patch of land nesting between a childcare facility, Reston Regional Library, and Paramount Condominiums is uncertain.
Norton Scott is appealing the county’s rejection of its plan to develop the 0.8-acre site with a 13-story condominium building with 58 for-sale luxury units — adding a new mix of housing units to the Reston Town Center market.
County planners say the developer’s plan exceeds the allowed density in the area and does not provide a public street connection between north Reston, Reston Town Center, and the future Reston Metrorail Station.
Reston’s master plan, which was approved in 2013, calls for extending Library Street to the Reston Town Center North site — a connection that county planners say is necessary to improve the street network in the area.
But Norton Scott is seeking to exercise a by-right plan, which comes after the county rejected a plan from MRP and Norton Scott in May 2018 for a public-private partnership on blocks seven and eight of the area known as Reston Town Center North.
The county deemed the proposal for Reston Town Center North– which would have included a civic plaza, a new library, a pedestrian underpass, and a new shelter, and a new performing arts center — too expensive.
County officials said they only received one submission for the project after a request for proposals was issued in 2017 for the project.
After the rejection and seven years after purchasing the site from Trammel Crow Company, Norton Scott says it wants to move forward with a new project on the site, which it is calling Library Square.
“The county kind of closed the door on other possibilities,” Chelsea Rao, senior vice president of Norton Scott, said. “We are a company and we want to monetize our assets.”
Rao also says the project would add a for-sale product in RTC’s housing market that hasn’t been seen for almost a decade.
She says the company is willing to work with the county to ensure the site extends well with the other areas in Reston Town Center north. But asking for a road to extend throughout the site interferes with the developer’s by-right plan.
In a Feb. 7 memo, county planners concluded the development plan could not reasonably accommodate a future extension of Library Street as a public street.
Access between the surrounding parcels does not align with the extension of the street, making the inter-parcel connection “futile,” according to the county’s planning department.
The county wants the developer to align its project with the existing Library Street and connect with the proposed connection associated with Library Street near Reston Town Center.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors deferred a decision on the appeal to Oct. 29.
Photos via handout/Fairfax County Government
A new taco restaurant is adding itself to the local Mexican cuisine scene.
According to county permits, Rico’s Tacos is set to open at 1258 Elden Street. So far, no signage at the restaurant has gone up.
It’s unclear if the restaurant is another location of an establishment with the same name in Laurel. The owner did not return a request for comment from Reston Now.
The county approved a permit for the business on Oct. 10.
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
Proposed Changes to Land Use Regulations Unveiled Today — Fairfa County officials will showcase proposed revisions to zoning land use regulations as part os its zoning modernization project — zMOD — today (Tuesday) at the Fairfax County Government Center at 7 p.m. [Fairfax County Government]
INOVA Blood Drive is Today — The bloodmobile will be stationed next to the pavilion from 1-6 p.m. today. Appointments to donate blood can be scheduled online or by calling 1-866-256-6372. [Reston Town Center]
Absentee Voting in Full Swing — Absentee voting, which kickstarted last Thursday, across 10 locations in Fairfax County is underway. Locations will be open Mondays through Saturdays until Saturday, Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. [Fairfax County Government]
Within the last two months, two businesses in North Point Village Center — Great China and Jerry’s Subs and Pizza — abruptly closed.
Now, a new bagel cafe is planned in the space vacated by Great China (1484 North Point Village Center).
The county approved a permit for Bobby’s Bagel Cafe in the village center. Reston Now was unable to reach the owner for more information. The village center’s property manager did not immediately return a request for comment.
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
The security systems of Dogwood Elementary School are expected to get an upgrade after state Gov. Ralph Northam awarded five Fairfax County Public Schools a state grant.
The $236,102 grant pays for video monitoring systems, mass notification systems, visiter identification technology, two-way radios and other security upgrades. It was established through the School Security Equipment Grants program, which was passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2013 following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Four other schools were selected for the grant: Crestwood Elementary, Parklawn Elementary, Riverside Elementary and Whitman Middle School. The grant is given to schools that are most in need of modern equipment, cannot afford the equipment, or have a relatively high number of offenses.
This year’s grant favored elementary schools at the recommendation of Northam’s Students Safety Workgroup.
A local match of 25 percent is required of most divisions to accept the grant.
Image via Google Maps
Rolls-Royce North America has officially confirmed its plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from Reston Town Center to Comstock’s Reston Station development.
The move, which was first reported by Reston Now earlier this month, is expected to take place in early 2020.
The industrial technology company will move into the 16-story glass tower designed by architect Helmut Jahn, the first of three office towers at the Reston Station project near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station.
“Rolls-Royce has made its impact on the world throughout history and they continue to be a global force in business and manufacturing,” said Tim Steffan, Comstock’s executive vice president. “Comstock understands the importance that the Rolls-Royce brand means to Reston Station and together our respective executive teams worked to make their new home here a reality.”
The company’s headquarters first opened in Reston Town Center in 2008. Other companies like Appian Corp. and Certipath have also recently announced plans to move their headquarters from the town center.
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
A Clifton-based priest has admitted to sexual abuse of a minor at Reston church.
According to a release by the Arlington Diocese, Father Christopher Mould told the Bishop of Arlington, Michael Burbridge that he had sexual contact with a minor between 1992 and 1995 at Saint Thomas à Becket Catholic Church in Reston. Mould was a parochial vicar at the time.
The release stated Burbridge reported the incident to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Here’s more from Bishop Burbridge:
Father Mould has expressed deep contrition for his actions, and he accepts that there will be serious and severe consequences for them.
The Diocese of Arlington is fully committed to a zero-tolerance policy related to sexual abuse of minors. Any such incident is a grave sin and a profound betrayal of trust. I express my heartfelt regret to the individual who was harmed by Father Mould’s actions. As is the case with any instance of sexual abuse of a minor, I have ensured that the counseling services of our Victim Assistance Coordinator are available to anyone who may need them.
The Diocese encourages anyone who knows of any misconduct or abuse on the part of any cleric or employee of the Diocese to report it to the Virginia Attorney General hotline (VirginiaClergyHotline.com) and local police, and also to contact the Diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator at (703) 841-2530.
I realize that this information is difficult for you to receive. While justice and a commitment to the protection of children and young people make these actions prudent and necessary, it also brings me sadness to know the impact they have on your community.
Mould has since resigned as Pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle Church and currently holds no church office. He is also barred from practicing priesthood, according to a statement by the Diocese.
File photo
Updates on Route 7 Widening — “In September, crews continued installing storm sewer between Amanda Drive and Baron Cameron Avenue. Work also continued in the median to construct temporary eastbound lanes between Reston Avenue and Amanda Drive/Markell Court.” [Virginia Department of Transportation]
Herndon Town Council Community Round Table This Wednesday — The council is hosting a roundtable to give citizens a chance to engage with council members informally on Wednesday (Oct. 23) from 7-9 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church (651 Dranesville Road). [Herndon Town Council]
A New HVAC System for a Local Family — “One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning, Ashburn, joined Lennox’s Nationwide “Feel the Love” social responsibility campaign for the 2nd year in a row to assist a family in need. Installers from One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning volunteered their time to help the community as part of this program.” [Fairfax County Times]
Photo by Jay Westcott
Before we head off into the weekend, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now in recent days.
- Campus Commons Proposal Gets OK From Fairfax County Planning Commission
- Developer Appeals Denial of Proposal for Apartment Building Near New Dominion Parkway
- Family-owned Weird Brothers Coffee Opens Second Location in Herndon
- Reston Association Looks to Increase All Staff Salaries Amid Staffing and Retention Issues
- With Finalized Locations, County to Double Bikeshare Stations in Reston by 2020
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.
Photo via Weird Brothers Coffee
