The Fairfax County Police Department is seeking the public’s help to identify a masked man who police believe robbed a Chevron gas station (11410 North Shore Drive) last week.

The man entered the business on Wednesday around 8:30 p.m. He picked an item off the shelf and approached the counter before pulling a gun and demanding money, police said.

The suspect left the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. No one was injured and police arrived on the scene within two minutes of the call. A helicopter-assisted search proved unsuccessful, police said.

Contact Detective D. McAuliffe at 703-246-7800 if you have information. Tips can be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by visiting http://www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org, or calling 1-866-411-TIPS.

They can also be sent in via text by texting “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES (274637).

Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1000 if their information leads to an arrest.

Photo and Footage via Fairfax County Police Department

The Fairfax County Police Department responded to a string of robberies over a three-day period last week.

On Thursday around 2:10 a.m., two suspects were spotted breaking a display case and taking several items from a business on the 10100 block of Colvin Run Road. The business owner was alerted about the break in and called police.

In a separate incident the next day, a 14-year-old boy was assaulted after he left a party near the 800 block of Charwhit Court around 11 p.m. Two teenagers followed the teen and took property from him, police said. The suspects were charged with robbery and taken to a local juvenile detention center.

As we reported late last week, a man wearing a mask robbed the Chevon gas station on 11410 on Friday around 8:30 p.m. The suspect was armed with a gun, but no one was injured. The investigation is ongoing.

FCPD also reported the following incidents:

LARCENIES:

11800 block of Baron Cameron Avenue, beer from business

1800 block of Fountain Drive, key from residence

12300 block of Glade Drive, wallet from school

2200 block of Lovedale Lane, debit cards from vehicle

9100 block of Mill Creek Landing, watch from residence

13100 block of Parcher Avenue, beer from business

2400 block of Pyrenees Court, property from residence

1600 block of Reston Parkway, merchandise from business

12600 block of Sanibel Court, package from residence

2000 block of Swan’s Neck Way, cash from residence

1300 block of Tunwell Stable Court, laptop computer and purse from vehicle

1900 block of Villaridge Drive, shoes from residence

STOLEN VEHICLES: 

15100 block of Stillfield Place, 2001 Acura Integra

Police also arrested an assistant principal at Hunters Woods Elementary School last week for shoplifting from the Target in Reston.

Security footage showed Melissa Tochterman, 47, of Herndon left the store with $690 worth of merchandise, police said.

Anyone with information about any of the crimes reported by FCPD should call 703-691-2131 or 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or text “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES(274637).

Pushed by ongoing development in the community, Reston Association committed to publishing an annual report about the state of the environment in Reston last year. Now, the results of the first Annual State of the Environment Report (RASER) are in.

The workgroup charged to lead the effort will present its findings at a community meeting on Thursday from 7-8 p.m. at the Walker Nature Center (11450 Glade Drive).

The nine-member group invested more than 1,000 volunteer hours to produce the report, which draws from interviews and documents from researchers, scientists and others.

The study is intended to give readers a better understanding of Reston’s current environmental conditions in order to provide a baseline against which future changes to the environment can be measured.

“As urbanization expands rapidly, not only in Northern Virginia but also worldwide, there is a growing disconnect between people and nature. When people are isolated from nature, they perceive it as less relevant and more threatening, and its physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits are devalued. Consequently, interest in conserving and protecting the natural environment is weakened, and society comes to accept a lowered environmental quality as the new norm, ” according to the report.

In light of the limited use of tools to manage stormwater when Reston was developed, the study calls on Reston Association to track and block any requested waivers of stormwater management during the land development and redevelopment process.

Other recommendations include the following:

• Develop an incentives system to encourage Reston property owners and associations to manage stormwater runoff on their sites.
• Plant more trees and replace removed tress with native species to increase the quality and quantity of tree cover.
• Push residents and businesses to landscape using native plants instead of turf grass.
• Encourage the placement of more electric car charging stations.
• Identify stream reaches most vulnerable to channel modifications due high-energy water flows.
• Support more follow-up studies of restored Reston streams
• Identify sources of phosphorus and sediment loading in watersheds of lakes

The complete 176-page report is available online.

Photo by Fatimah Waseem

An assistant principal at Hunters Woods Elementary School has been placed on leave after she was arrested for shoplifting at a Target in Reston, according a spokesman for the Fairfax County Public Schools System.

Melissa Tochterman, 47, of Herndon, was arrested and charged with grand larceny last Thursday evening.

Tochterman left the store with a cart full of unpaid items. Video footage showed she left with $690 worth of merchandise, police said.

Police released information about the incident Monday evening.

This story was updated at 12:33 p.m. to include information on Tochterman’s employment status.

Photo via FCPD

Public Meeting on Sunset Hills Road Realignment Today — Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and the Fairfax County Department of Transportation will hold a meeting today at 7 p.m. at Sunrise Valley Elementary School (10824 Cross School Road). Plans aim to address traffic backups on Hunter Miller Road near the Dulles Toll Road. [Fairfax County Government]

Suspects in Five Killings Reportedly Linked to Macabre Neo-Nazi Group — The Atomwaffen, a relatively new neo-Nazi outfit that defines itself as a “revolutionary national socialist organization centered around political activism and the practice of an autonomous fascist lifestyle” is reportedly linked to the Reston murder of Scott Fricker, 48, and Buckley Kuhn-Fricker, 43, in late December. [The Washington Post]

Seasonal Jobs Available at Reston Association — Reston Association is hiring season staff. To view current openings, visit RA’s website. [Reston Today]

Shadow Puppets Show on Friday — Children can play with light and shadows at the Walker Nature Center on Friday from 10-11 a.m. The cost is $6 for Reston members and $8 for all others. Parents and caregivers must supervisor their children. [Reston Association]

Photo by Fatimah Waseem

Reston Association is considering a request to add two new developments to its membership.

Proposed additions include Valley & Park, a 54-unit townhouse project on 11720 Sunrise Valley Drive and The Lofts at Reston Station, which will include 32-unit, four-level condominiums and 12 stacked townhouse condominiums at 1825 Michael Faraday Drive.

Both developments will have its own on-site maintenance through a cluster or condominium association.

The developers have committed to pitch in a per unit capital contribution to offset the impact of new members to existing RA infrastructure, according to Larry Butler, RA’s senior director of land use planning. Staff did not disclose the contribution amount in a meeting late last week as negotiations continue.

Valley & Park by Toll Brothers is in the early phases of preparation for construction after a six-story building built in 1985 was razed in June. Located just east of JBG’s Reston Heights development, the 69,000-square-foot building was bought by Rooney Properties in 2013.

The Lofts at Reston Station by Pulte are designed to create “a new urban neighborhood” on 1.5 acres – just a third of a mile from Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station. Redevelopment projects are planned around the site. The project, which is currently under construction, replaces a one-story industrial building and surface parking.

RA’s Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the proposed additions on Feb. 22.

With its membership in RA, the developments will be subject to various terms, including:

• The entire property will be subject to the Reston Deed
• The establishment of a cluster association — Sunrise Square
• Full payment, per unit of the RA annual assessment
• A lump sum payment or other initiation fee

Photos via Fairfax County Government

Reston Community Center is welcoming one of its own to head the aquatics department.

Matthew McCall, a 41-year-old South Lakes High School graduate, takes over the role of  Joe Leary, who retired last year after working for RCC for 27 years.

“I was amazed at how much Reston has grown over the years but excited to learn that the same principles and values of inclusion and caring are still so evident here,” said McCall.

McCall graduated from SLHS in 1995 and competed for the school’s swim team. His first aquatics job was as a lifeguard for Reston Association.

He swam collegiately at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky and received a bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia Commonwealth University. He previously held aquatics leadership positions in Orlando with Walt Disney Company and St. Peters Rec-Plex in St. Peters, Missouri.

At the center, he was the recreation leader for aquatics in a center with a 50-meter indoor pool and a diving facility that hosted the 2004 U.S. Olympic Diving Trials.

McCall said he hopes to encourage more people to swim through his position. “Our goal is to give every child in Reston that skill,” he said.

In a statement, RCC executive director Leila Gordon lauded McCall’s “incredible enthusiasm.”

“I am sure his expertise is going to lend itself to future success in the renovated Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center,” she said.

Photo via Reston Community Center

Reston Community Leader, Civil Rights Advocate Remembered — “The letters and cards that Rev. Frederick Lowry’s family received after his death kept circling back to the same sentiments: how kind he was, how much he cared, his sense of humor,” writes Angela Woolsey. Lowry died due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease on Dec. 25. He was well-known for his 14-year tenure as director of the Community Ministry of Fairfax. [Fairfax County Times]

Ten Things You Should Know about Olympic Speedskater Maame Biney — The Reston native is headed to the Olympics. The 17-year-old speedskater is the first black woman to land on a spot on the U.S. Olympic speedskating team. [NBC4]

A 10-hour barricade on Ladybank Lane ended today following the surrender of Anthony Moaf, 21.

At around 4 a.m. today, police arrived on the scene after receiving a report that an armed man was threatening to kill family members in the 13200 block of Ladybank Lane.

Moaf is being taken for a medical evaluation. He also faces charges for reckless handling of a firearm, police said.

Earlier in the day, the Fairfax County Police Department asked people to stay away from Ladybank Lane in Herndon due to ongoing safety concerns.

All family members are safe, but the man threatened to shoot responding officers. At around 6 a.m., police heard at least one gunshot. “It was not directed at anyone or at police,” according to the police department.

Police are attempting to resolve the situation peacefully and urge residents to avoid the area. They have made contact with the man over the phone and are continuing negotiations.

For the latest updates, visit the department’s Twitter feed. This story will be updated.

This post was updated at 3:38 p.m.

Photo via FCPD

A year-long study of Reston Association’s $2.65 million purchase of the Tetra property raises blistering concerns about the process that drove the controversial decision and cost overruns linked to the building’s renovation.

The critique, led by two Reston Association members, uses a trove of documents, interviews and an electronic paper trail to chronicle decisions that led to the purchase in 2015 after months of community debate. The purchase price was nearly double the most recent tax assessment and renovations to transform it into The Lake House have cost three times more than expected.

Members Moira Callaghan and Jill Gallagher found that RA’s Board of Directors, Chief Financial Officer and members were not privy to major decisions involving the purchase. The general contractor hired for renovations was a former employee of the project manager Cresa – raising a potential conflict of interest. The Tetra project was the contractor’s first job and Cresa did not initiate a formal request for bids, according to the review.

External players like the property’s owner and contracted staff, who often seemed to drive decision-making more than staff and the board, led discussions “with very little oversight.” In some cases, the members found very few documents – or none at all – supporting decisions made, the review found.

Gallagher, a management consultant and former budget analyst, was part of a Mediaworld Ventures LLC, which offered a proposal to complete StoneTurn Group’s work for a $1 fee. The proposal was abandoned after finger pointing.

They said their intention was not to assign blame. Their review, which they acknowledged reached conclusions limited by the information available or disclosed, was instead intended to offer a case study for lessons learned.

“Our goal is to provide the RA Board and community with our observations about the purchase, patterns of activities, and recommendations that we hope will spur further improvements in how RA manages itself and our assessment dollars,” Gallagher said.

The review also indicated several high-ranking individuals like the CFO and general counsel at the time flagged concerns about the high purchase price. In December 2014, the CFO at the time wrote the property seller would be “hard pressed” to find a buyer willing to pay $2.65 million. After reviewing monthly operating costs, the CFO also projected a potential deficit if RA proceeded with the purchase.

Even the property seller expressed concerns that the appraisal would not meet the asking price, according to the review.In some cases, critical decisions seemed to happen without the board’s input or knowledge. For example, the board was not made aware of discussions between the property seller and RA staff regarding negotiations until January 2015.

Other highlights include the following:

• Information provided to RA members before the purchase went for a referendum vote was not clear. For example, a fact sheet said zoning allow for office space and expansion. Many members believed the property would be developed into a large restaurant and that development was imminent. Information also contained an image of a restaurant on the site – a plan that was removed from the site plan in the 1980s. Members found no county record of the proposed restaurant.
• Paving repairs paid for by RA as part of the escrow agreement never occurred.
• Some contractors began working before contracts were signed. Cresa, for example, began working before it submitted a proposal on in October 2015. The contract was not signed until mid-November of that year.
• Information provided to the board was inaccurate at times. For example, a land use attorney told the board in February 2015 that the property is not at its “highest and best use,” even though the appraisal stated the highest and best use of the property was continuing building improvements as “an office use.”
• An spreadsheet mapping stakeholders’ involvement at each juncture of the project indicated RA members and RA’s fiscal committee had limited input in the overall process.

RA’s board of directors heard the findings Thursday night. President Hebert said she was “blown away” and needed time to digest the work.

“We cannot pretend as though we did not hear this,” said board member John Mooney.

A video of the presentation before the board is online.

Local police are investigating a robbery at a Chevron gas station (11410 North Shore Drive).

On Wednesday night, a man dressed in dark clothing demanded money while displaying a weapon, according to a preliminary investigation by the Fairfax County Police Department. No injuries were reported, but an undisclosed amount of money was taken.

A police officer arrived on the scene at 8:31 p.m., three minutes after receiving a report about the incident. Officers, K-9 units and Fairfax 1, the county’s helicopter, assisted with the search.

The police department is working on getting video footage of the incident. A spokesperson did not release the amount of money taken during the robbery.

Anyone with information should call 703-691-2131 or 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or text “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES(274637).

For the second time, the Fairfax County Planning Commission deferred a decision Thursday night on a proposal to bring 20-story condominiums to 1801 Old Reston Avenue.

Developer Renaissance Centro is seeking to rezone roughly 1.5 acres of land currently home to a three-story office. The proposal calls for 126 market rate units and 24 workforce units, along with a parking garage.

Over the last several months, the county’s planning and zoning staff and the developer have clashed over how the condominiums incorporate workforce housing.

The disagreement prompted the commission to defer a decision from early December to Jan. 26. Citing similar concerns, the commission deferred a decision to Feb. 22.

Photo via handout

Why the Lorton Teen Charged with the Murder of a Reston Couple is Being Charged as a Juvenile — “A 17-year-old has been accused of murdering the parents of his girlfriend. So why isn’t he being tried as an adult?” Dan Taylor of the Reston Patch explores the issue. The unidentified teen was transferred from the hospital to a local detention center last week. [Patch]

County Hosts Community Meeting on Plan to Manage Hunter Mill Road Traffic — Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and the Fairfax County Dept. of Transportation will present long awaited plans to manage traffic on Sunset Hill Road at the intersection with Hunter Mill Road and Crowell Road. The meeting is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Sunrise Valley Elementary School (10824 Cross School Road).  [Fairfax County Government]

Tower Cos. Rethinks Dulles East — Land once zoned for an office park in the 1980s could be slated for a major transformation. Tower Companies is planning to bring a mix of apartments, retail, amenities and offices about a mile from the future Innovation Center Metro in Loudoun County. [Washington Business Journal]

Hunter Mill District Land Use Committee Needs Members — The committee meets monthly to review land use cases in the district and make recommendations to Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins. For more information or to apply, call Goldie Harrison at 703-478-0283. [Fairfax County Government]

Flickr photo via vantagehill

With temperatures dipping this week, summer may seem a long way off. But camp signup is not.

Reston Community Center will host its fifth annual Reston Camp Expo on Saturday. The free event, which runs from 9 a.m. to noon at RCC Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road), showcases summer opportunities for children and teenagers.

On-site exhibitors include Fairfax County Public Schools, Reston Association, Fairfax County Park Authority, Cornerstones, Reston Soccer, the Fairfax County Office for Children, Boy Scouts of America and Herndon/Reston Youth Softball.

The expo is designed to highlight affordable options for children and teenagers. Only nonprofit camp providers will participate in the expo. Teenager and college students can also ask camp providers about summer job opportunities.

“It really is one-stop shopping,” said Eileen Boone, RCC’s Leisure and Learning Director, in a statement. “This event is super convenient for parents and caregivers to meet with dozens of camp and out-of-school providers.”

The event, which is hosted by RCC and coordinated by the Reston Opportunity Neighborhood program, will also feature snacks, games and activities with door prizes.

Photo via Reston Community Center