Microsoft Corp. is on the hunt for up to 300,000 square feet of office space in Northern Virginia, which could require the company to consolidate offices from two other locations.

The Washington Business Journal reports that the company is working with commercial real estate services firm JLL to find prospects across Northern Virginia. Properties in Reston — including Comstock’s Loudoun and Reston Station projects, Brookfield’s Halley Rise, and Boston Properties’ Reston Gateway.

Currently, Microsoft leases 275,000 square feet at Reston Town Center.

Here’s more from the report:

The search appears to separate from the 332-acre site Microsoft acquired last year in Leesburg for $73 million. The company hasn’t filed development plans for that site yet, but as the WBJ reported in May, the company may have acquired the land at least in part to advance its effort to secure a pair of multi-billion-dollar government contracts. That makes the Leesburg land a more likely play for data center development to service the government cloud computing contracts than for office space of the sort it has at Reston Town Center.

Moving to one of those other development sites might better position Microsoft to bring all of its local employees under one roof.

WBJ also reports that Facebook is also scouting for space in Reston after the social media giant scratched Tysons off its list.

Meanwhile, Google is expected to begin moving its current employee based into Reston Station’s signature office building this summer.

File photo

Local author Barbara Glakas dives into hidden and sometimes bizarre history of the Town of Herndon at a special event on Thursday, August 8.

Glakas, the historian of the Herndon Historical Society and a retired teacher from Fairfax County Public Schools, will discuss her new book, “Hidden History of Herndon” at Herndon Fortnightly Library from 7-8 p.m.

The publication is part of the Hidden History series from publisher The History Press.

The book, which was released on March 11, including stories about the town’s naming by a mysterious individual to local unrest in the 1920s. Here’s more from Amazon’s description:

Behind Herndon’s past as a sleepy farming community hide forgotten tales of growth and progress. A mysterious stranger who passed through the village one night suggested the name Herndon, after the captain of a sunken ship. The Civil War split loyalties among the townspeople and brought an unexpected Confederate raid on the town. Prohibition brought bootleggers with it, but its repeal caused an uproar from temperance-minded residents. Lively community fairs were ever present in the 1920s, but so was the Ku Klux Klan. Local author Barbara Glakas uses rare photographs and firsthand accounts to tell little-known stories of the people, places and events that shaped the history of the Town of Herndon.

Books will be available for purchase and signing on Thursday.

Photo via The History Press

Reston Community Center is in the midst of launching a community survey to help the center improve its services.

The survey, which went live today and is now available online, will explore how the community uses the center’s programs, faciliteis and services. It will also explore people’s opinions on a potential new performing arts venue in Reston.

The University of Virginia’s Center for Survey Research is conducting the survey, which will be available online through August 31. Selected Small District 5 households received a paper survey in the mail earlier in the summer.

“It has been 10 years since RCC did a comprehensive, scientific survey of its constituents. During that time, the population in Reston has changed and is expected to experience major growth as both new residents and businesses come to the part of the community that is now served by Metro’s Silver Line,” said RCC Executive Director Leila Gordon in a statement. “RCC wants to know how people recreate, enjoy arts and culture, obtain information about leisure-time options, and what they hope RCC offers – both now and in the future.”

After the survey is completed, the Center for Survey Research will analyze the survey and share results with the community and RCC’s Board of Governors. A full report will be issued in October.

Here’s more from RCC about the survey’s purpose:

“We want to understand the preferences and experiences of residents in Reston regarding leisure, recreational, and cultural activities. Specifically, we are interested in how people want to spend their leisure time, how they find out about leisure and cultural opportunities, and how people feel about the potential of a new performing arts center.”

All responses are anonymous and the survey should take between 20 to 25 minutes to complete.

In addition to the survey, RCC plans to reach out to Reston businesses and employees to gauge their opinions.

Photo via Reston Community Center

Local residents involved with Herndon-Reston Indivisible, a local progressive advocacy group that formed after President Donald Trump’s election, protested outside a company that operates shelters for migrant youth.

Roughly 15 residents gathered on Friday, August 2 outside the headquarters of Caliburn International Corp., a for-profit operator of migrant youth shelters and private prisons.

Activists said the protest was intended to “express their dismay over the adverse shelter conditions, Caliburn’s role and the administration’s overall immigration policy.”

Herndon-Reston Indivisible formed to resist the “Trump agenda while electing Democrats who support our values of transparency, inclusion, tolerance and fairness.”

Caliburn is the parent company of Homestead, a federal childrens’ detention center that operates as a for-profit in Florida. Media reports from mainstream news outlets have raised questions about the treatment of children in these temporary shelters.

According to NPR, the average daily cost for caring for a child in these facilities is about $775 per day — much more than the average cost of housing a child at standard shelters.

The Homestead shelter currently holds 2,450 unaccomplanied migrant children between the ages of 13 to 17.

The advocacy organization plans to continue protests at the headquarters of Caliburn every other week.

Candidate filing is now open for Reston Community Center’s Board of Governors.

RCC is seeking to fill three seats on the nine-member board, which oversees policies, programs and financing planning for the center.

Residents from Small District 5 who are age 18 or older are eligible to run. Candidates must complete a candidacy statement for names to be placed on the preference poll ballot.

The filing deadline is August 15 at 5 p.m. Forms are available online.

Voting will run from September 6 through September 27. The deadline for mailed ballots is September 26 at 5 p.m. and September 27 at 5 p.m. for online or walk-in ballots.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will appoint members to serve on the board after voters indicate their preferences in the annual poll. Each member will serve a three-year term.

Logo via Reston Community Center

South Lakes High School to Begin Distributing Laptops — Distribution of laptops provided by the school system begins this Wednesday (August 7). Students must be present to receive the laptop, which is part of a recent initiative by the school system to give laptops to students across the county. [South Lakes High School]

Police Search for Missing Great Falls Man — Local police are looking for William “Billy Brener, an 83-year-old Great Falls Man who went missing over the weekend. Brener is roughly 150 pounds and has gray hair and brown eyes. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Silver Line Construction Prompts Closures — Access to several lanes and ramps will be limited this week due to ongoing construction, including Sunrise Valley Drive, Sunset Hills Road, and Herndon Parkway. [Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project]

Photo by Caroline Causey/Flickr

Before we head off into the weekend, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now in recent days.

1. North Italia to Open This Week in Reston Town Center
2. Amid Concerns, Reston Planning and Zoning to Revisit Campus Commons Proposal
3. Report: Amazon Web Services Expands in Herndon
4. Lack of Affordable Housing in New Developments Near Future Herndon Metro Station Sparks Debate
5. Wanted Reston Man Charged with Obstruction of Justice

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.

File photo

The four-day Frying Pan Farm Park 4-H Fair and Carnival continues into the weekend. Admission to the fair is free, but parking is $10 per car tomorrow and Sunday.  

The opening ceremony kicks off at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday).  The carnival is on from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday (August 4).

In addition to entertainment throughout the weekend, fair-goers can take part in a number of activities, including goat milking, a carousel, and blacksmithing.

More information is available online.

Tomorrow (Saturday)

• Weekly Beer Run (9:45-11:15 a.m.) — Run, jog or walk beautiful paved paths around Lake Anne with “beer runers.”
• Lake House Open House (10 a.m. to noon) —  The community building is open for community drop-in time and light refreshments.
• Artist-led Bookmaking Workshop (1-3 p.m.) — Join Homie House Press for a bookmaking workshop at Greater Reston Arts Center.
• ArtSplash for Adults (2-4 p.m.) — Create a masterpiece in this art workshop for adults led by artists from Abrakadoodle Northern Virginia at Reston Regional Library.
• Summerbration Fun Brunch (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) — Enjoy a performance titled “juggler, balloon twister and glitter tattoos” at Reston Station Plaza. Parking is free on weekends in the Metro Parking garage.

Sunday (August 4)

• Bird Walk at Buttermilk Creek Nature Trail (7:30-10:30 a.m.) — Beginning and expert birders can search for birds in Reston. Participants should park at Uplands Pool.
• Summerbration Fun Brunch (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) — Enjoy Flow Circus at Reston Station Plaza. Parking is free on weekends in the Metro Parking garage.
• Sunday Art in the Park (7-8 p.m.) — The MLO Fusion Project performs contemporary jazz standards with a modern twist at Reston Town Square Park. Performances are free and open to all.

The Candle Bar, a Nashville-based store that allows customers to craft candles, plans to open in Reston Town Center soon.

The business allows patrons to pick from fragrances and pour wax into a vessel of their choosing.

Company representatives did not return multiple requests for comment from Reston Now. 

County permits indicate that the business plans to open on 1816 Library Street. Rappaport, an accredited management organization, has also reporting on the company’s planned expansion to Reston Town Center and Georgetown.

It is expected to take over space previously occupied by The Tasting Room Wine Bar and Shop, which closed in February.

Photo via The Candle Bar/Facebook

Students at Herndon and South Lakes high schools will go home with a school-issued laptop in the fall as part of a new countywide initiative when schools begins in late August.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) plans to issue a computer to all high school students in the county through FCPSOn. By 2023, all students in the county could go home with laptops.

School officials say FCPSOn will transform learning for students and educators by providing “equitable access to meaningful learning experience and technology to support their learning.”

“Devices will not replace teachers. Teachers are supported through ongoing, dynamic professional learning for teachers that will result in purposeful, collaborative student learning experiences,” FCPS wrote in a statement.

SLHS and HHS staff plan to distribute laptops during Teacher Advisory classes during the first week of school. A community meeting to discuss the initiative is planned for August.

The program requires an annual $50 fee for high school students. The fee covers technology support services and the potential costs of replacing equipment in need of repair.

FCPS also allocated $4.3 million in the fiscal year 2020 budget for the initiative. The budget was approved on May 23.

Students can use their own laptop instead of a county-issued laptop, but they must receive approval from their school to do so.

A pilot program first began in 2016 for schools in the Chantilly Pyramid.

More information about the rollout of the program in Reston and Herndon will be available over the summer.

Video via FCPS

Day Two of the 4-H Fair and Carnival Continues — Day two of the 71st annual 4-H fair and carnival continues today (Friday). Parking and admission is free all day. Carnival hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. [Fairfax County Government]

Swingin’ Swamis at Reston Station Plaza Tonight — Experience R&B Rock and work through dance moves tonight at Reston Station Plaza from 7-9 p.m. [Reston Station Plaza]

Hunter Mill Road Now Open — The road between Mount Sunapee Road and Hunting Crest Lane has reopened after an extended closure due to downed wires. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Meet the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority Next CEO — “When Victor Hoskins was introduced as the next president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, he tossed out some revelations and showed off his trademark enthusiasm for his chosen profession.”  [Fairfax County EDA]

Photo by vantagehill/Flickr

A record-breaking number of teams are set to participate in the third annual Lake Anne Cardboard Boat Regatta on Sunday, August 10.

Registration for the event has been closed and is at full capacity. Seventy teams are registered.

Boats will arrive at 10:30 a.m. and will be on display until the race begins at 1 p.m. at Lake Anne Plaza (1609 Washington Plaza).

The owners of Kalypso’s have been working on the their boat for weeks in an effort to defend their title in the merchant award and first place in the navigator class.

The event is free and will take place rain or shine.

Photo via Rachel Piering

A plan to redevelop the headquarters of the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association — which includes the historic A. Smith Bowman Manor House — is underway.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously approved the redevelopment plan on Thursday night. Members praised the developer, AP Reston Campus LLC maintaining manor house — which is currently on the county’s inventory of historic places — while incorporating new architectural and forward-looking elements.

AAFMA is looking to replace two existing buildings on the site with two Class A office buildings and continue to reuse the manor house as office space, primarily to receive visitors. The plan will preserve the existing gazebo and stormwater management pond.

The manor house, which was built in 1899, was the home of A. Smith Bowman, who owned more than 7,200 acres of land in what now includes Reston.

Bowman also owned the adjacent distillery, which originally served as the Wiehle Town Hall and was used as a church, general store and distillery.

Hunter Mill District Planning Commissioner John Carter said the redevelopment plan was “an adaptive reuse of the 19th century house.”

“It will allow a valued existing employer to expand in Reston,” Carter said.

The plan includes an underground garage, a 6,2000-square-foot terrace that connects the two office building.

Andrew Painter, the attorney representing AAFMA, said the development designed the project so that the manor house — which is located in front of the two office buildings — would “pop” in front of the new office buildings.

The developer plans to construct a sidewalk along Old Reston Avenue and provide a connection to the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. Mary Ann Tsai from the county’s Department of Planning and Zoning , said the developer also agreed to connect the two planned sidewalks at the request of the county.

Dranesville District Planning Commissioner John Ulfelder encouraged the applicant to consider adding the manor house to the state and national registry of historic places.

AAFMA plans to preserve four parking spaces on the northern property line of the development plan. The county asked the developer to remove the buildings in order to reduce the amount of impervious service.

Painter said the developer plans to use the redeveloped site as their future home “for the next half century of longer.”

The project heads to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for approval on September 24.

AAFMA is a financial solutions provider that offers military life insurance, wealth management and survivor assistance and mortgage services.