iFix, a business that repairs cell phones, shuttered its doors on Wednesday (May 30), an employee confirmed Thursday afternoon.
The business, which also buys, sells and trades cell phones, was located at 1635 Washington Plaza North.
John Kim, the owner, told Reston Now the closure was promoted by failure to negotiate a new lease Kim said a significant rent increase was proposed.
Nearby, New Trail Cycling Studio is gearing up for a late summer 2018 opening. The old pharmacy building remains vacant.
The store has one other location at 1095 Edwards Ferry Road in Leesburg.
No word yet on what will replace the iFix location.
Photo by Ruth Sievers
Over the last several months, new eateries like Founding Farmers and Sweet Leaf Cafe have opened up shop in Reston Station Plaza.
Now, as summer approaches, the open-air plaza will be the home of “Summerbration,” a free summer concert and entertainment series. The event is intended to activate the space.
The first concert, featuring classic rock band Battery Lane, will take place today from 7-9 p.m. Complimentary parking is available from 6:30-9:30 p.m. for the concert series. Attendees should follow signs to ParkX.
The complete line-up is below:
- June 8: FarAway
- June 15: King Teddy
- June 22: Cedar Creek
- June 29: Elikeh
- July 7: Four Star Combo
- July 13: Oasis Island Sounds
- July 20: Jason Masi Band
- July 27: Alfredo Mojica & Friends
- August 3: Anthony Swamp Dog Clark
- August 10: Scott Kurt & Memphis 59
- August 17: Cristian Perez Band
- August 24: The Swingin’ Swamis
- August 31: Chris Vadala with the Rick Whitehead Trio
The event, which is free and open for all ages, is hosted by Reston Station and presented by Reston Community Center in cooperation with MSE Productions, Inc.
File photo
Lawyers Road is now open between Hunter Mill Road and Lydia Place in the Vienna area of Fairfax County, according to an alert by the Fairfax County Police Department.
The section of the road was closed around 9:20 a.m. today as state crews cleared the roadway of debris.
This story has been updated.
Photo via FCPD
A Pennsylvania-based company plans to complete a senior citizens’ independent living and assisted living facility nears Hunters Woods Village Center by the spring of next year.
The $72 million project — the first Virginia location for IntegraCare — aims to address the shortage of senior housing in the Reston area. Of the 210 housing units, 91 are for independent living, 80 are for assisted living and the remaining units are a combination of memory care and continuing care.
“This land was repurposed and purchased by a developer who did a significant amount of research to make sure that we were going to meet the cultural needs of the Reston community,” said Cissy Nickel, executive director of an IntegraCare location in Easton, Maryland. “We’re trying to create a mini-Reston within Reston.”
The community, called Hunter’s Woods at Trails Edge, is located on a 4.3-acre lot at 2222 Colts Neck Road, the former location of United Christian Parish. The county approved the project, which is being developed by Atlantic Realty, AEW Capital Management and IntegraCare, in 2007.
Nickel said the company sought to mirror programming available for other residents within its community, especially given the close proximity of Turquoise Nature Trail. The project includes several dining venues, a beauty shop, a barber shop, an art studio where instructional classes will be offered, a library, a computer laband a garden with vegetables, herbs and flowers. The community will also include what Nickel called “man caves” or separate areas for men and women.
An underground garage includes more than 160 parking spaces, in addition to eight surface parking spaces. Nickel said the development team is working with Reston Association and Reston Community Center to provide transportation to and from the organizations in order to allow seniors to attend classes, programs and events.
The company is still working on how it will lease market and affordable housing as the project nears completion. Twenty percent of the units are affordable, Nickel said. The income level served by the units was not immediately available. It is likely the company will lease the market and below market units in a rotating cycle.
“There’s a huge need in the area and obviously our need is going to exceed our availability. We’re going to have be really methodical about it,” Nickel said.
A temporary office and showroom will open in mid-to-late June in Hunters Woods Shopping Center to provide more information, she said. Individuals 62 years and older can qualify for housing.
Atlantic Realty Company did not respond to multiple requests for comment over several days from Reston Now.
Rendering by Moseley Architects
Local start-up secures funding –– Real Time Cases, an educational technology startup, has raised $3.5 million and plans to move into a new 3,000-square-foot headquarters in 13461 Sunrise Valley Drive. The company offers courses in management, marketing, finance and hospitality. [Washington Business Journal]
Beware of coyotes — A small dog was attacked and killed by a coyote in the Parklawn community. Police advise that coyote and dog confrontations are more likely during coyote mating season, which occurs between January and March, and when coyotes care for their young, which happens between March and August. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Fairfax County Police help with Ellicott City disaster response — After the second major flood in three years hit downtown Ellicott City in Maryland, local police have mobilized to help with recovery. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Dollars and sense tonight — A guest speaker, Mr. Jack Zarinsky of the Society for Financial Awareness (SOFA). Mr. Zarinsky will be discussing investing to support financial goals and strategies for successful retirement at Reston Regional Library. [Reston Regional Library]
Stateside: Budget bills pass — “After months of inaction, Virginia’s General Assembly passed a budget Wednesday that expands Medicaid to around 300,000 low-income Virginians. The House voted 67-31 Wednesday night to send the two-year budget bill to the governor, and 68-30 to send the “caboose” bill to the governor that the Senate approved earlier in the day.” [WTOP]
Flickr pool photo by vantagehill
The Herndon Festival returns to historic downtown Herndon on Thursday (May 31) through Sunday (June 3). The annual event will include four days of activities, vendors, and entertainment.
The event, which takes place at 777 Lynn Street, averages attendance of 80,000 over all four days, according to the festival’s website.
The carnival will be open on Thursday from 6-10 p.m., on Friday from 5-11 p.m., on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Single tickets are $1.25, with bundle deals and an all-pass ticket available.
New this year is a kids’ puppet show and car creation event where kids can make their own cardboard car and watch a puppet show. Kids can also enjoy a hands-on art area, an entertainment alley, and fireworks displays.
On Sunday, 5k and 10k races will take place in the morning. Arts and crafts vendors, as well as an entrepreneur and business expo, will also be on site.
Attendees are encouraged to use a complimentary shuttle bus service, as parking will be limited. The following street closures will also be in effect:
- Elden Street in both directions between Monroe Street and Center Street
- Spring Street in both directions between Locust and Elden Street
- Center Street between Locus Street and Vine Street, with the exception of southbound traffic between Elden Street and Locust Street.
Street closures will impact Fairfax Connector routes.
A map of the festival is below:
For more information, visit the festival’s website.
Red Velvet Cupcakery in Reston Town Center has officially shuttered its doors.
The store, located at 11939 Democracy Drive, closed on Sunday (May 27). Owner Aaron Gordon announced the closure in early March. His decision was driven by Boston Properties’ paid parking structure.
There are no immediate plans to open another brick-and-mortar location. The store has another location in the District.
Gordon said he was thankful to the community for their support and cherished the eight years his store served the Reston community.
“We did our best to fight paid parking in RTC and we are proud to have played a large role in forcing the owners to reduce the paid parking hours, which costs them tens of millions yearly. We only regret we were unable to force them to scrap their greedy money-grab entirely,” Gordon said. “Finally, we want to send out our best to our many neighbors and friends [whose] businesses were destroyed by paid parking like Busara, The Bike Lane, Neyla, M&S Grill, Appalachian Springs, Origins and many, many more to come.”
Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls will open in the cupcakery’s former location.
Photo by Fatimah Waseem
The body of a 45-year-old swimmer was recovered Monday afternoon from Lake Audubon.
Kevin Ruby was competing in the 31st annual Jim McDonnell Lake Swim when a family member noticed he was missing for more than an hour. Ruby finished a one-mile race but never showed up at the end of race two, which covers two miles.
Police believe Ruby may have drowned. Foul play is not suspected and a medical examiner will determine the cause of death, police said.
More than 600 people participated in the event. Swimmers wore bracelets, which were used to check in and out of the event. Event organizers were not immediately available for comment.
Remi Currell, who was a guard at the event, said the event was handled professionally.
“This sort of accident is not exclusive to our race. There is no way to completely [foolproof] this type of event, and the only way I can think of making it safer is to have one lifeguard per person, which is impossible.”
Police and fire and rescue personnel searched the area from Sunday noon through the night. The helicopter-assisted search resumed Monday. Ruby’s body was found around 12:45 p.m. that day.
Nearly three years ago, a 63-year-old man participating in the swim died after losing consciousness during the event.
The event happens at a Reston Association lake, but is organized by the Reston Masters Swim Team.
The team issued the following statement Tuesday afternoon:
Reston Masters is honored to have had Mr. Ruby compete at our Jim McDonnell Lake Swims for many years. He was a very talented top finisher. Earlier Sunday morning Mr. Ruby won his age group in the 1-mile race with a time of 23:38.
As part of all our races, Fairfax County on-water EMS staff are an integral part of our operations. We are especially grateful for the timely and extensive additional support from Fairfax County Police and Fairfax County Fire & Rescue.
Please join Reston Masters in keeping Kevin Ruby in our hearts and memories as an accomplished distance swimmer.
Photo by Fairfax County Police Department and Jessica Peachey
An artsy flashback — In this blast to the past, check out some artistic contributions to early Reston, as seen in a new online gallery published by the Reston Historic Trust & Museum. [Reston Historic Trust and Museum]
Something’s fishy — PassionFish, a restaurant in Reston Town Center, is closed temporarily through around June 5. Major repairs are planned. [PassionFish]
On the run — A Herndon man wanted for multiple charges, including abduction, may have already left the area. Police believe Osman Osman traveled to New York City. [WTOP]
Free ice cream today — Come out to the pool to enjoy ice cream by the poolside. Dessert is free, but supplies are limited. The event will take place in the North Shore Recreation Area (11515 North Shore Drive) from 4:30 to 4:45 p.m. today. [Reston Association]
Flickr pool photo via vantagehill
As highs reach the mid-to-upper 80s this weekend, we hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend.
This week, we said goodbye to Busara Thai Restaraunt, which left its Reston Town Center location after 13 years of business (They still have a location in McLean). But there are still plenty of deals and events to take advantage of this weekend.
Below are this week’s top stories. Police have not filed charges against the driver involved in the pedestrian fatality earlier this week.
As always, feel free to discuss local happenings, news, or your weekend plans in the comments below. If you have any story ideas or would like to submit a photo of Reston, email us at [email protected].
Barring any breaking news, we’ll resume our publication schedule on Tuesday.
Photo by Fatimah Waseem
As the mid-year point before next year’s budget cycle approaches, Reston Association’s Board of Directors and staff will discuss how to approach a comprehensive analysis of RA’s recreational facilities.
The analysis, requested by Director Julie Bitzer in March, would be the first comprehensive examination of RA’s recreational facilities in 13 years.
Larry Butler, acting CEO and senior director of land use and planning, said the last study was done in 2005 and examined issues like cost utilization trends, usage, maintenance, repairs and suggested upgrades.
Staff recommended hiring a consultant to complete the study due to limited staff resources over the next two-to-three months and ongoing summer projects like the Hook Road working group and the lakes, docks and boats working group.
The board will hold a work session on June 5 to discuss the scope of the analysis, whether a consultant is needed to complete it and better define the goals and scope of the work.
Other recreation-related decisions may be more pressing.
Board members suggested a timely decision on the future of Lake Thoreau pool, which Director Sherri Hebert said was “falling into the lake,” was necessary. Hebert said an expenditure of $1 million is estimated to bring the aging pool up to go code. No decision on the future of that pool has been reached.
The longterm examination will guide the board’s budget decisions on replacement, repairs and upgrades to facilities.
Photo by Mike Collins
After several failed attempts to appoint a new board member, Reston Association’s Board of Directors appointed Caren Anton, chairwoman of RA’s elections committee, to serve as the Hunters Woods/Dogwood District Director through April 2019
The board was tasked with appointing a new director from a pool of four candidates after the previous director resigned earlier this year. At a Thursday meeting, five board members voted for Anton to fill the position after several motions to appoint other candidates failed to garner enough votes.
But the board failed to make a decision on the next board president after David Bobzien, the former president and apartment owners’ representative, resigned due to a leukemia diagnosis earlier this month.
Despite two rounds of voting, the board remained deadlocked due to a tie between two directors: newly elected Andy Sigle and incumbent Sridhar Ganesan. The board deferred a decision to its next June 28 meeting when an apartment owners’ representative is expected to be seated. Sigle previously served on the board from 2011 to 2014.
Sigle’s first attempt to appoint Anton failed to gather enough votes. But after Director Sherri Hebert’s motion to appoint John Bowman and Julie Bitzer’s nomination to appoint Travis Johnson fell through, the board reconsidered Anton’s appointment. Both Bowman and Johnson ran for a board seat earlier this year.
Board members lauded Anton’s experience as a Reston resident for 30 years, her knowledge of the community and what Sigle called her “goals of independence and collegiality.” Newly-elected Director Ven Iyer applauded Anton’s “independent thinking,” a point that Hebert found “offensive.”
“I have to say Ven that I find it offensive that you think the rest of the board members do not think independently and do not make the votes on their own merit,” Hebert said.
Iyer also urged board members to recuse themselves from voting if any financial intermingling took place between them and other candidates in order to shield the board from accusations of “cronyism or impropriety.” Bowman and Johnson ran for seats on the board earlier this year.
Hebert abstained from voting for Anton and instead unsuccessfuly pushed for Bowman, who previously served on the board. She said he would “hit the ground running” as RA navigates complex issues in the coming months, including the absence of a permanent CEO and other staffing changes.
Rick Landers, who also ran for the position, was not nominated.
Bitzer said she looks forward to having another woman serve on the board. “I feel that we as a board in a sense owe Caren a chance to show how much more she can do and give to us,” she said.
Positioning herself as “an open, honest, ethical and transparent” candidate, Anton said she hopes to engage with apartment renters, who often have little knowledge of the function and role of RA. She also wants to explore ways to make the Hunters Woods Village Center a more enjoyable place to dine, play and gather.
“I come to you with no hidden agendas or allegiances,” she said.
Photo via Reston Association
(Updated at 10:25 a.m. to include information about Cherry’s previous arrest) Carlos Cherry, 38, was arrested and charged with shooting a missile at an occupied building on Wednesday.
Members of a neighborhood patrol unit saw Cherry, who has a pending warrant for failing to appear in court for a felony offense, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
When they approached him, he stood up and pointed a firearm at the Reston District Station (1801 Cameron Glen Drive). The move was followed by three to four ‘pops,’ police said.
Cherry was taken into custody. The weapon was “a realistic looking BB gun,” according to police.
On March 22, Cherry was arrested after police said he hit a police officer with his fist, police said. He was arrested and charged with assault on a law enforcement officer, brandishing a firearm and intoxication in public.
Information about the most recent incident was released late Thursday.
Photo via FCPD
Neuro-witchcraft — “A judge on Thursday appointed two brain experts to evaluate a man facing the death penalty in the slaying of a teenage Muslim girl last year, despite the objections of a prosecutor who derided the requests as “neuro-witchcraft.” Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows agreed to the appointments of a neuropsychologist and neurotoxicologist to evaluate Darwin Martinez-Torres, 23, of Sterling, who faces charges including capital murder and rape in the June killing of Nabra Hassanen of Reston.” [WTOP]
More Metro inspections — New federal inspections find old Metro problems still persist, including several “code black” track conditions. [The Washington Post]
Stateside: On the front lines — Nurses are on the front lines in battling the opioid epidemic. One nurse says most of her patients are homeless. [The Connection]
Photo by Ressa Blair
Police in Howard County, Md. have charged a 32-year-old man from Reston with sexually abused a 13-year-old boy in Ellicott City, Md.
Joseph Coffinberger of Royal Fern Court was charged with rape and sexual solicitation of a minor.
Investigators were made aware of the issue when the boy told a parent that Coffinberger drove from Virginia to have sex with him at least once a week since January.
The boy said Coffinberger would pick him up near his home and take him to a motel, police said. When Coffinberger arrived on May 22 to meet the teen, officers waited to arrest him.
Coffinberger met the teen through a live-streaming video app. He is being held without bond.
In a statement, Howard County police said they were concerned Coffinberger may have victimized other children in Maryland or Virginia.
Anyone with information is urged to call 410-313-2630 or email [email protected].
Photo via HCPD
