Reston companies topped rankings for the most prominent and largest cybersecurity firms in the Washington region.

The rankings, determined by the Washington Business Journal based on last year’s revenue, included 25 companies, 21 of which are in Fairfax County. Based on the rankings, eight of the 25 companies are located in Herndon and Reston.

Reston-based Carahsoft Technology Corp., a distributor, and reseller of services that aim to reduce risks associated with cybersecurity topped the list. The company, which is located on 1860 Michael Faraday Drive, reeled in $4.1 billion in revenue and has 900 employees.

Herndon-based Iron Bow Technologies, which offers services related to defense, threat visibility, policy enforcement, and data protection, came in second, with $862.8 million in revenue last year and 661 employees.

ThunderCat technology, which offers forensic analysis and other services, ranked third, with $320 million in revenue and 70 employees. Knight Point Systems ranked fourth, Amyx Inc. ranked sixth, ITility ranked seventh, SeKON Enterprise Inc. ranked fourteenth and Electrosoft ranked 24th.

Photo via Carahsoft Technology Corp.

After weeks of renovations, Wendy’s at 1701 Bracknell Drive reopened today.

The first 100 people in line by 10 a.m. on Oct. 27 (Saturday) for the restaurant’s grand reopening event will have the chance to win free food for a year.

The newly renovated interior has larger windows, more open dining areas and updated menus, among other changes.

“This restaurant has bold curb appeal and features a compelling design―inside and out,” said

Arif Islam, Wendy’s Region Manager. “It’s very different from what our customers in Woodbridge are used to, but we think they’ll really like the fresh look and feel of the new Wendy’s.”

Photo via Google Maps

Pedestrian and bicyclist safety is on the radar of local police at the Reston District Station, particularly as the area becomes more urbanized.

In response to an increase in accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians during the summer, local police officers launched a public safety campaign. Although the campaign was focused on educating the public instead of enforcing violations, local police offered tips about safety, including obeying traffic signals and using traffic laws, to more than 1,000 residents.

The public safety campaign ran from June 4 through the end of the summer following the death of a 71-year-old pedestrian who was hit by a car in May. Police officers met with hundreds of residents to promote pedestrian safety and distribute literature in order to reduce accidents.

Accidents between pedestrians and cars have become more frequent, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

FCPD’s first priority was areas where pedestrian and car accidents have happened in the past. Other areas that were targeted have heavy traffic and pedestrian crosswalks, Sgt. Aaron Pfeiff told Reston Now.

“The public was very appreciative of the officer’s efforts and it was noticed that more pedestrians and bicyclist were obeying traffic signals and using crosswalks,” Pfeiff said.

Pfeiff identified the following intersections where officers focused their efforts:

• Georgetown Pike/Walker Rd
• Bluemont Way/Library St
• Reston Pkwy/New Dominion Dr
• Sunset Hills Rd/Michael Faraday Dr
• Sunset Hills Rd/Isaac Newton Dr
• Sunset Hills Rd/Whiele Ave
• Parcher Ave/Centreville Rd
• Coppermine Rd/Thomas Jefferson Dr
• Hunter Mill Rd/Hunter Station
• Sunrise Valley Dr/Cross School Rd

Photo via FCPD

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved the redevelopment of Lake Anne Fellowship House, a 240-unit project that offers affordable housing for seniors.

County officials and the development team called the approval, granted on Tuesday (Oct. 16), a win for seniors seeking affordable housing in Reston. For years, community partners and Fellowship Square Foundation, the nonprofit organization that owns and maintains the current buildings, have contemplated ways to replace the aging buildings with a new facility.

All affordable units, currently distributed between two aging buildings built in the 1970s, will be replaced with a new 240-unit building along North Shore Drive near the intersection with Village Road. The eight-story apartment building is 200,000 square feet and includes a garage. The plan also adds 36 market-rate townhouses to the west side of the property that will help finance the construction of senior housing.

Lake Anne’s current tenants will stay in their apartment during the two-year construction of the new building. After residents move, the old buildings will be torn down and converted into townhouses.

“The residents are excited and they are looking forward to a brand-new facility,” said Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, adding that the addition of townhouses “brings in another neighbor to the community to coalesce with this current group of citizens and those that will come in the future.”

The project is led by Fellowship Square Foundation and the Community Preservation and Development Corp., a nonprofit real estate developer. The development team navigated through many difficult issues to bring the project to fruition, including preserving the number of affordable units and maintaining housing for all current tenants, according to Lynne Strobel, representative of Fellowship Square Foundation. A previous partnership with Novus Residences failed to gain traction in 2004.

The need for the project intensified recently as subsidies from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development expired or will expire within the next five years, Strobel said. The current buildings were also becoming difficult and costly to maintain, she said.

The units offer different levels of affordability, with the first tier beginning at 50 percent of the area median income or about $41,050 per person. The plan also includes eight publicly-accessible parks and transportation improvements. The development team plans to dedicate land for the future alignment of Village Road, which will include a new northbound lane, an eight-foot-wide raised median and 10-foot sidewalks on both sides of the road.

Michael Scheurer, a Fellowship Square Foundation board member, said the redevelopment effort was complicated, difficult and serves as a growing number of aging residents in Reston in need of affordable housing opportunities. The foundation has another 220-unit affordable senior housing project that is undergoing renovations.

“You can see that we have a longterm and substantial investment in the community,” Scheurer said.

Photos via handout/Fairfax County Government

If you want a promotion — If you’re interested in learning how to land a promotion, you can attend this event tonight as part of a young professionals series open to members and guests. [Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce]

Did someone say indoor inflatables — Reston Community Center is offering a drop-in program with indoor inflatables and oversized toys on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10-11:30 a.m. Parents must supervise their kids (and unfortunately, the equipment is only game for the little ones). [Reston Community Center]

County schools host digital citizenship week  — “This week is Digital Citizenship Week in our county schools and it’s important for parents/guardians to help children become safe, ethical, responsible and respectful digital citizens.” [Fairfax County Government]

Photo by Kit Allgaier

Sameride, a ridesharing app that allows drivers and passengers to offer and request rides, has launched a new route from Herndon, Reston and Loudoun County to Arlington and the District.

More than 140 commuters are registered for the service, which allows app drivers and passengers to offer or request rides before taking off for their commute. Unlike taxi services, Sameride is an on-demand carpool service that helps connect drivers and drivers commuting on the same route.

Commuters can carpool on express lanes between Park & Ride commuter lots and their offices. The company, which first launched a route between Woodbridge and Tysons Corner, serves around 250 commuters. Company officials estimate the service can help customers who commute between the Herdon-Monroe Park & Ride lot and Rosslyn Metro Station $300 on rider’s fares or $590 on express lanes tolls on a monthly basis.

Andriy Klymchuk, a company representative for Sameride, said demand for a carpool matching service from Reston and Herndon has grown.

“This demand is due to the conversion of I-66 into high-occupancy toll express lanes, new residential constructions in the area and expansion of Herndon-Monroe Park & Ride lot. The same is true for Loudoun County commuters,” Klymchuk said. “In addition, Reston area serves as a hub for Sameride commuters coming on 267. Some commuters drive from as far as west of Leesburg and pick-up riders at the commuter lots near Reston.”

Klymchuk offered the following information about how the company differs from other ridesharing services:

Think about it as a commute sharing. You and your neighbor happen to work in the same location and you agree to ride to work together. With Sameride you do the same but through the app that allows you to create on-demand carpools. You can choose to be a driver or a rider, set your pick-up time and locations, commute once or daily, create ride requests or offers a few hours or a week before your commute. Drivers benefit from using HOT express lanes toll-free and riders benefit from getting a free commute. Both parties benefit from getting to the office and back home faster.

The app is available on iOS and Android.

Photo via Sameride

Reston Association’s Design Review Board unanimously shot down T-Mobile’s plans to install cell phone equipment on the roof of Waterford Square Condominiums Tuesday night — noting that the company’s tweaked plans did little to address residents’ concerns about the equipment’s incompatibility with the building.

T-Mobile proposed to install cell phone equipment on the building, igniting vehement opposition from residents’ who argued the equipment was extremely visible, damaged the building’s character and posed possible health concerns.

Richard Newlon, the DRB’s chair, said T-Mobile’s plan, which was similar to plans rejected by the board in April, did little to address the panel’s concerns about the visibility of the equipment. Panels are around 12 feet high and 10 feet wide.

“It was clear in April that this kind of design is not going to get approved by this board and it’s the same design,” Newlon said. “It’s almost embarrassing to be sitting here saying the same thing again and I don’t want to be… six months from now… saying the same thing again.”

DRB members also worried that installing cell phone equipment on a residential building could lead to similar proposals by other service providers. The redevelopment of Lake Anne Fellowship House prompted T-Mobile to remove its equipment from the rooftop and scout for other locations in Reston.

More than 25 people, including condominium residents and neighbors of the building, opposed the plan on Tuesday. Some noted that their stance was not indicative of mere opposition to change, adding that residents of the condominium were exploring the possibility of installing solar panels on the roof.

“We’re not trying to live in the past,” one resident, who lived in the building for roughly 20 years, said.

Ed Donahue, T-Mobile’s legal representative, said the company had attempted to strike a compromise by scaling back the structure from the edge of the roof and installing plastic, brick-like screening for the equipment. Donahue also noted that possible health concerns and zoning were outside of the DRB’s purview.

“We are in full compliance of the federal guidelines as we are on the thousands of sites in Virginia,” Donahue said, comparing T-Mobile’s plans to a similar installation at the Heron House.

Other DRB members said that T-Mobile failed to convince the board how the cell phone equipment and towers would be compatible with the architectural integrity of the building.

“I still see that it’s visible and it does detract from the architecture and the roofline,” said Grace Peters, a DRB member.

The equipment by other companies displaced by development at the Lake Anne Fellowship House have not yet proposed plans for reinstallation to other sites.

Photo via handout/Reston Association

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors appointed three members to Reston Community Center’s Board of Governors Tuesday (Oct. 16).

Incumbents Lisa Sechrest-Ehrhardt and William G. Bouie were appointed to the board alongside newcomer Richard Stillson. Sechrest-Ehrhardt had the most votes in this year’s preference poll with 1,426 votes. Stillson had 1,221 votes while Bouie had 1,194 votes. Other candidates were Gerald Zavala (1,036 votes) and April Tan (755 votes).

Three-year terms for the newly-appointed members begin on Nov. 5. Zavala, who unsuccessfully ran for a board seat, will leave the board after serving for six years, including four as treasurer.

RCC offered the following background information about the new members:

William G. Bouie has served on the RCC Board since 2003, and served as the Board Chair from 2006 until 2008. He is also the current chair of the Fairfax County Park Authority Board, and vice chair of the Board of Directors for Public Art Reston. He has served in formal and informal roles in many other community organizations, including the Wolf Trap Associates Board of Directors, Reston Hospital Board of Trustees, Reston Little League, Reston Youth Baseball, Reston’s YMCA Board of Management, Friends of Reston and the United States Olympic Committee’s Project Gold, among others.

Lisa Sechrest-Ehrhardt has served on the RCC Board since 2012. She is a professional social worker and diversity trainer. In addition to her experience as a former RCC employee, Lisa and her family have participated in numerous RCC programs as patrons. Her experiences as an educator and communicator have focused on celebrating diversity and engaging community members of all backgrounds.

Richard Stillson is a 46-year Reston resident and longtime International Monetary Fund staffer. He was the first president of the advocacy group Reston 2020 and was former chair of Reston Association’s Lakes Committee. He has been active at RCC as an instructor of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) courses.

RCC is governed by a nine-member board that is appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors after residents and businesses of Small District 5 note their preferences in an annual poll. The board is responsible for key oversight functions, including strategic planning, community relations, fiduciary oversight and policy administration.

Logo via Reston Community Center

Cycling on — New Trail Cycling Studio, which is scheduled to open soon, is hosting an open house for visitors to take a sneak peek at progress on Oct. 27. [New Trail Cycling Studio]

Feedback sought on Metro parking and fare changes — Metro is considering increase fares for peak service by about $1. The change is intended to “respond to market trends and improve the customer experience,” especially when it comes to covering the “extraordinary” costs of providing rush-hour service and staffing to support large-scale regional events. [Washington Metropolitan Area Authority]

A local project that changed Greater Washington — This article posits that Reston Town Center is a project that changed the area and continues to “rack up accolades” as a model for national development. [Washington Business Journal]

Nearby: Former sheriff’s deputy arrested — A former Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was charged with carnal knowledge of an inmate and one count of sexual battery. The inmate said she was sexually assaulted by the deputy in December 2016 or January 2017. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Flickr pool photo by vantagehill

Reston Association has launched a new system for members to request resale disclosure documents. The system, which is run through a partnership with WelcomeLink, went into effect on Monday (Oct. 16).

Individuals seeking to purchase resale disclosure documents must set-up an account with WelcomeLink.

Ways to improve the process for requesting and managing resale disclosures have been on RA’s radar for several months. The documents detail design or maintenance violations observed during inspections by staff.

Users of the new system must confirm the address for which they seek documents and orders can be processed using a credit card, debit card or check.

Only owners or the owners’ authorized agent can purchase and review resale disclosure documents — the fees for which are determined by state law.

Photo by Reston Association

(Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Wednesday, Oct. 17 to indicate Governor Ralph Northam will no longer be in attendance). 

Shatterproof, a national nonprofit that aims to end the stigma associated with addiction, will host a 5k walk and run at Reston Town Center on Saturday (Oct. 20).

Participants can take part in activities like a “shatterproof community village,” which will showcase substance abuse disorder resources from local organizations; the “memorial gallery,” which will feature photos and stories of lost loved one; and a “celebrate recovery” space, which will gather people in recovery.

Governor Ralph Northam, who was scheduled to attend the event as of Tuesday (Oct. 17), will no longer be attending. Mark Herring, the Attorney General of Virginia, is expected to take part. Local families impacted by addiction will also present stories about their experiences.

Registration is free and is open online. The event will run from 9 a.m. to noon.

Photo via Shatterproof

The Fairfax County Planning Commission delayed a decision on the Midline, a 1.8-million-square-foot mixed-use project, for the second time.

The project by JBG Smith, EYA and Chevy Chase Land Co. aims to create a 17.5-acre development east of Wiehle-Avenue and south of Sunset Hills Road with four blocks of development.

Hunter Mill District Planning Commissioner John Carter said the county is still working with the development team to ensure the development has a sufficient number of workforce and affordable dwelling units, as well as a suitable mix of assisted living and multi-family units.

“The applicant is making progress on this,” Carter said at an Oct. 11 Planning Commission meeting. The development team is meeting the county “halfway” on its requirements for a balanced mix of affordable housing and appropriate services for residents of assisted-living units and multi-family units.

Block A would include one building with 127 independent units and a 33-bed assisted living facility. The second building would include a 325-unit multi-family building and around 103,870 square feet of other uses. Block B would include a 225-unit multi-family building and around 260,000 square feet of office space. The 14-story office building is the tallest in the development.  The plan for blocks C and D is more flexible, with a mix of multi-family units and townhouses proposed. Overall, the residential portion of the development would serve up to 1,500 residents.

A decision was deferred to Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. The case, which was previously deferred in late September to Oct. 11, has not yet been docketed for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Photo via handout/Fairfax County Government

The Fairfax County Police Department is investigating an indecent exposure incident that took place on Wednesday (Oct. 10) on the 11700 block of Sunrise Valley Drive.

A woman went out to take the trash when she saw a man expose himself to her. The victim called her boyfriend, who attempted to find the man. Police described the man as a white man with a medium build, between 30 and 40 years of age, and between 5’7” and 5’8”. He has curly, reddish-brown hair, and was wearing glasses. The investigation is ongoing.

Two home burglaries were reported on Thursday (Oct. 11). Local police responded to an alarm on the 1100 block of Mountain Hope Court at around 1:32 p.m. to discover that someone broke into the home. Property was stolen.

Another burglary on the 9700 block of Lindsay Blake Lane was reported the same day at around 6:20 p.m. The victim came home to find that several items had been taken. Both incidents are under investigation.

FCPD also reported the following incidents in recent days:

LARCENIES:

2100 block of Astoria Circle, phone from residence

2200 block of Castle Rock Square, airbag from vehicle

2400 block of Clover Field Circle, airbag from vehicle

11400 block of Commerce Park Drive, camera from business

2300 block of Field Point Road, hat from park

12200 block of Leesburg Pike, license plate from vehicle

11000 block of Market Street, wallet from business

11600 block of Plaza America Drive, bottle of wine from business

1900 block of Sagewood Lane, ladder from business

11000 block of Spectrum Center, merchandise from business

12000 block of Sunset Hills Road, merchandise from business

12000 block of Sunset Hills Road, merchandise from business

11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, cell phone from business

11120 block of South Lakes Drive, merchandise from business

11100 block of South Lakes Drive, wine from business

11000 block of Ring Road, package from residence

13100 block of Plotner Farm Road, airbag from vehicle

2300 block of Soapstone Drive, airbag from vehicle

10800 block of Patowmack Drive, money from residence

2700 block of Viking Drive, stroller from vehicle

STOLEN VEHICLES:

None reported

File photo

Antsy about antennas — T-Mobile is trying once again to put cell phone equipment on top of the Waterford Square condominium building. Plans were rejected earlier this year, but a second shot is planned will be proposed to Reston Association’s Design Review Board tonight. [Reston Association]

Meet MeSpoke — This company based in Reston offers a digital community for retail shopping. Users download the app and create a billboard, which curates photos of clothing ensembles from the user’s favorite brands. [WTOP]

Meeting on transit station guidelines tonight — A meeting about draft guidelines for Reston’s Transit Station Areas is set for today at 6 p.m. in Reston Association headquarters. Guidelines are intended to implement Reston’s comprehensive plan, which was amended in 2014. [Reston Association]

Woodfield to replace office building — The company wants to tear down the small office building at 1941 Roland Clarke Place in order to build a larger, 308-unit apartment building. [Washington Business Journal]

Farmers Market returns to Reston Town Center — The market will be on from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the pavilion. [Reston Town Center]

Flickr pool photo by vantagehill