Opinion: A Year in Review — Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins reflects on the accomplishments of the year, which she says centered around the theme of change and collaboration. [The Connection]

RPAI Seeks Buyers for Loudoun County Mixed-Used Project — The publicly traded retail group REIT is seeking multi-family developers to take on a piece of the planned residential units at Downtown One Loudoun. [Washington Business Journal]

Requesting Pet Medication for Personal Use — The Fairfax County Police Department is warning against misuse of animal medication prescriptions as the county combats illegal opioid use and overdoses. Local police distributed pamphlets to veterinaries to educate the public on the dangers of vet shopping. [Fairfax County Police Department]

We’re counting down the top 20 most-read articles of 2017 this week. Kicking off the list today is #16-20.

20. The rebranding of World of Beer brought in 7,498 page views. Signage was removed from Reston Town Center restaurant, ushering in a new full menu of American craft fare and drinks.

19. Paid parking at Reston Town Center continued to garner attention and fervor. A story about Jackson’s Mighty Fine Food and Lucky Lounge being granted a preliminary injunction against the ParkRTC system was a popular post with 7,433 page views.

18. An investigation about an attempted sexual assault near Tall Oaks also drew attention. Police said a man came out of the woods, approved a 22-year-old woman and attempted to remove her clothes. The article had 7,423 page views.

17. Wegmans’ announcement that it has signed a letter of intent to put an urban-format store near the future Reston Town Center Metro station gained 7,289 views. According to the Washington Business Journal, the store will be built in the future Reston Crescent development, a 36-acre plot of land in the northwest corner of the intersection of Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive.

16. Continuing the theme of things coming and going in the area, the closure of the Kmart on Elden Street in Herndon was a popular post with 7,214 page views. The 84,000-square foot store was purchased in August by Florida-based real estate-investment firm Sterling Organization at a cost of $7 million.

Look out for the #11-15 on the countdown tomorrow.

A 17-year-old Lorton boy was charged Friday night in connection with the murders of a Reston couple, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

The suspect, who was not named by police because of his age, shot himself at the scene of the double murder on the 2600 block of Black Fire Court in Reston, police said. His condition is life-threatening.

Scott Fricker, 48, and his 43-year-old wife, Buckley Kuhn-Fricker, were killed in the incident. They had moved in with their family a few months ago, according to neighbors.

Police believe the suspect, who knows the family, got inside and confronted the couple. Around 5 a.m. on Friday, he shot himself after shooting the the couple. Four other family members were at the home during the shooting and were not hurt, police said.

Fricker worked for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and his wife was an attorney and author who focused on care of the elderly. According to the Washington Post, Fricker was known for riding his motorcycle to work. Kuhn-Fricker launched a company called Buckley’s For Seniors, a home-based company that employed stay-at-home moms and retired individuals to contract out with seniors who maintained independence but needed help with other chores.

As the investigation continues, police are asking anyone with information to call the police department’s non-emergency line at 703-691-2131.

Editor’s Note: This is just a limited list of  events taking place in the Reston area this weekend. If you have an event you would like to ensure is listed on the website, be sure to submit it to our Events Calendar. Know of other events in the area? Comment below.

Closures are in effect ahead of Christmas weekend, but there are still a few options for things to do in the area:

• Horse-drawn carriage rides continue on Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m. at Reston Town Center. Rides depart from Market Street near Clyde’s and cost $5 per person. Children under 5 ride free.
• Have your gifts wrapped by volunteers at Hyatt Regency’s Market Street entrance on Sunday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Donations will benefit Kids 4 First.
• Enjoy a holiday break brunch at Mon Ami Gabi from Tuesday through Friday. The brunch runs from 11:30 a.m. through 4 p.m.
• Take part in college night skate night at the Ice Skating Pavilion in Reston Town Center every Thursday through March from 6 – 9 p.m.
• Paulina Peavy’s exhibition at Greater Reston Arts Center continues every Tuesday through Saturday, Feb. 17 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Santa will visit Glory Days Grill on 1400 North Point Village Center on saturday from 10 a.m. to noon.

As the year draws to an end, government offices will be closed today, on Christmas and on New Year’s Day. Libraries will be closed today through Monday. They will close again on Sunday, Dec. 31 and on New Year’s Day.

Frying Pan Farm Park will be open today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but it will be closed on Sunday, Monday, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The Nature House will be closed through Tuesday and again on Dec. 31 and New Year’s Day. The trails at the Walker Nature Center will remain open.

Reston Community Center will be closed on Christmas. RCC Hunters Woods and the Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center will be open on New Year’s Day from noon through 5 p.m. RCC Lake Anne will be closed that day.

Garage parking will remain free through Christmas at Reston Town Center. Street parking is free on Sundays only with a two-hour maximum.

Metro is expected to run on a regular weekend schedule through Sunday, with the exception of the Red Line, where trains are currently running every eight to 15 minutes due to ongoing construction work. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Metro will run from 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Local police are investigating a three-person fatal shooting on the 2600 block of Black Fir Court in Reston.

A couple was killed in the incident. Police identified the victims as Scott Fricker, 48, and his 43-year-old wife, Buckley Kuhn-Fricker.

The third person involved in the shooting was taken to the hospital and remains in critical condition.

According to the Fairfax County Police Department, parties involved in the shooting are known to each other. Interviews are currently underway to determine the motive of the shooting and the relationship between the victim and the shooter.

No one has been charged as of 1 p.m. on Friday.

“There is no threat to public safety,” according to a statement released this morning by the police department.

According to The Washington Post, the family of four moved into the home roughly three to four months ago. Other people were inside the home at the time of the incident, but no one else was injured.

A police department spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

This story has been updated. Check back for more updates as more information becomes available. 

Image via Twitter

Inova Blood Drive Set for Tuesday — Locals can donate their blood at Reston Town Center beside the pavilion from noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesday. On-site registration is available. Appointments can also be scheduled by calling 1-866-256-6372 or www.inova.org/donateblood. [Reston Community Center]

Service Offered to Get a Free Ride Home — The Washington Regional Alcohol Program is offering free rides home through the SoberRide program for people who have consumed alcohol and do not wish to drive. The program will be offered nightly between 8 p.m. and 4 p.m. through Jan. 1. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]

Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Schedule Released — Reston Community Center has released the weekend schedule for this year’s 33nd annual birthday celebration. The program includes special performances, community service projects, and a voices of inspiration program sponsored by the Reston Martin Luther King, Jr. Church. [Reston Community Center]

The county has formally accepted redevelopment plans for Lake Anne Fellowship House, an affordable housing senior community on North Shore Drive.

Fellowship Square Foundation and the Community Preservation and Development Corporation envision the proposal will enhance senior housing residential opportunities, diversity housing types and revitalize Lake Anne Village Center.

“All existing affordable housing units will be replaced in a new, more efficient modern building with better amenities to serve its senior population. This proposal remains true to Robert E. Simon’s vision to provide communities comprised of a diverse residential population in a sustainable environment,” according to a proposal filed with the county last month.

The new plans call for replacing all 240 apartment units in the existing 1970s-era facility. Amenities include a social hall, crafts room, fitness room, wellness center, a game room, two plazas and community gardens.

The remainder of the property will include up to 74 townhouses, diversifying the types of housing and serving as a transition to the established townhouse community to the west, the proposal said.  Townhouses will have garages and surface parking for visitors.

New residents will access the buildings through North Shore Drive. Surface parking and an underground parking garage will offer 92 parking spaces.

Residents would remain in their current living space until the new facility is complete, and after they are transferred the old buildings would be destroyed. The portion of the property left unused would be sold for residential development, and the proceeds from the sale would help support the cost of the project.

The collaboration between Fellowship Square and CPDC comes after several years of on-again, off-again plans for redevelopment of the property. Most recently, in 2013, the foundation had an agreement with Cafritz Interests and Novus Development for new housing on the site. That effort fell through by September 2014, which the foundation said was “due to our inability to advance our land use proposal in a manner that will produce the best possible outcome for our residents.”

For more information, visit www.fellowshipsquare.org or www.cpdc.org.

Renderings via Handout/Grimm and Parker

Holiday Toy Distribution Set for Today — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department will host a toy distribution today to offer toys to more than 350 children at 3304B Culmore St. in Falls Church. The distribution will begin at 10 a.m. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]

Fairfax County Park Authority and Pathways Sign Agreement — The partnership will allow adults with disabilities to intern in programs and activities by FCPA. The ultimate goal of the program is to provide competitive employment chances for qualified individuals. For more information, contact the pathways to careers employer relations coordinator John Gyourko at 571-249-9468 or [email protected]. [Fairfax County Government]

Tishman Speyer, a New York-based real estate company, hopes to transform more than 14 acres of land in the southwest quadrant of the Dulles Toll Road and Reston Parkway into a vibrant, mixed-used development driven by the power of the adjacent Reston Town Center Metro Station.

Reston Crossing, the name of the transit-oriented development, would bring six new buildings organized around a central park and other public amenities to the land, which is currently home to two office buildings.

The proposal, filed with the county early this month, requires rezoning the land from medium industrial use to planned development commercial to allow for up to nearly two million square feet of development.

Elizabeth Baker, a senior land use planner with Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh, a northern Virginia law firm that specializes in commercial real estate development, said the transit-oriented project is set apart from nearby buildings that are more suburban-style, traditional office buildings built in the 1980s and 1990s.

“With the coming of the Silver Line and the plan that was adopted by the county… we’re just trying to implement that vision,” Baker said.

The plan calls six buildings includes one on the west with up to 30,000 square feet of retail, pedestrian access to the Metro Station South Pavilion, a U-shaped residential building with up to 380 multi-family residential units that overlook the central park, a building on the southeast with between 180 and 230 residential units, and a building on the south with up to 250 residential units.

“With a variety of park experiences, some landscaped, others hardscaped, and a well-developed system of paths, passive, and active recreation facilities areas, the Central Park is a major community amenity. Office, residential and retail uses front onto the Central Park, allowing it to be a gathering space for workers, residents, shoppers, and visitors alike,” according to the Dec. 8 proposal.

Of the overall development, office development would range from 38 percent to 58 percent, residential development would range from 36 to 59 percent, and retail uses would range from three to six percent. The plan is intentionally flexible due to changing market conditions.

Renderings via handout

Ann Taylor has announced plans to close its location in Reston Town Center. In a Dec. 16 email, the company indicated it will close on Dec. 23.

It is unclear why the store is closing as the company’s corporate communications office did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Reston Now.

According to a spokesperson for Boston Properties, the store’s lease will expire on Dec. 31 and the company cannot comment on any tenant leases currently in place. The company will announce the future tenant once more information is available.

Ann Inc. is the parent company of Ann Taylor, LOFT and Lou & Grey. It has more than 1,000 stores across the country, Puerto Rico and Canada, according to its website. Ann Taylor began in 1954 and has 242 full-price and 122 outlet stores across North American, including one in Tyson’s Corner Center in McLean (8061 L Tysons Corner Center).

This story may be updated.

Selected police officers from the Reston District Station will begin wearing body cameras in March as part of the Fairfax County Police Department’s pilot program that was approved by the county’s Board of Supervisors last month.

The station was added to the program, which originally would have outfitted all patrol officers in the Mount Vernon and Mason district stations, because extra equipment is available, police said.

Researchers from American University who are studying the program determined it was more appropriate to outfit half of the patrol officers in each district in order to create a control group that would allow researchers to compare data between officers who do and do not have body cameras and work in the same area of the county.

“The Reston area was chosen because it differs from the two police districts already included in the program. The patrol areas within the Reston District include a number of high-rise buildings as well as stops along Metro’s Silver Line. Additionally, our Reston District Police Station is the newest building among our stations, and already has the physical infrastructure in place to accommodate the technical needs of the program,” the police department said in a statement.

The pilot program includes 230 cameras, which will be worn on the outside of the officer’s uniform or vest on a full-time basis. The addition of the Reston District Station is not projected to increase the cost of the three-month program, which will cost roughly $684,000 in fiscal year 2018. The department has the option of extending the program from three to six months.

In an Oct. 2015 report, the county’s Ad Hoc Police Review Commission recommended the program in order to increase community trust, improve evidence collection, decrease the number of complains against police officers and drive a “civilizing effect.”

“Statistics have clearly shown a decrease in use of force encounters, and in the resultant number of complaints by civilians against the local police departments once those departments employ [body cameras]. The reduction in complaints and the level of violence from both law enforcement officers and civilians with whom they interact daily perhaps serves as the greatest motivation for FCPD to begin using the cameras,” according to the report.

Cameras will record during any encounter of law enforcement and the pubic related to a call for service, a law enforcement action, subject stop, traffic stop, search or police service. Police officers are also expected to activate the devises in a private resident so long as officers have the legal authority to be in that location.

The devices are from Axon, a law enforcement technology giant formerly known as Taser International.