A new dessert spot is coming to Herndon Centre, according to signs posted in the storefront of 348 Elden St.

The tenant, Dessert Lounge, will offer ice cream, coffee and falooda, a cold dessert popular in the Indian subcontinent that is traditionally made with rose syrup, jelly, milk, ice cream and vermicelli.

A.J. Dwoskin & Associates, Inc., the real estate development and management firm involved with the site, did not immediately return a request for more information.

Signs indicate Dessert Lounge is coming soon. The new spot will join a center with tenants like Popeye’s , McDonald’s and Mom’s Organic Market. The vacant site was previously home to a nail salon. The shopping center also has jewelry stores, medical offices and other restaurants

Four sites in the center are currently available for lease, according to the center’s website.

At their monthly meeting, the Reston Association Board of Directors will consider whether or not to carry over nearly $2.3 million in unspent, allocated dollars for capital projects from this year to next year.

A majority of the projects were put on hold for a major part of the year and last year, including the renovation of the Central Services Facility, the renovation of the Pony Barn Recreation Area, the replacement of a dock at Lake Anne, pathway lighting at Hunters Woods and the upgrades to the Lake Anne Dam.

The board will also set the schedule for capital projects that will begin in the first quarter of next year, including the $161,000 resurfacing project of clay courts at North Hills and nearly $163,000 in audio visual equipment upgrades to RA’s conference center.

The board will also discuss Reston Association’s Fit Kids Enrichment Club in response to concerns that the Lake House after school care program was being conducted under a different name and location.

The agenda for Thursday night’s meeting of the RA Board of Directors also includes:

• The reappointment of Brian Berga to the the Fiscal Meeting for a term lasting through December 2020
• A land use update by Larry Butler, Senior Director of Parks, Recreation & Community Resources
• An executive session on the CEO’s performance evaluation

The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m.. in RA headquarters tomorrow. For those unable to attend, the meeting will be livestreamed on Reston Association’s YouTube channel.

Ravel Dance Studio is leaving its home of 20 years in North Point Village Center to a new location in The Spectrum in January.

The move will allow the studio, which offers classes and performs recitals, to expand its programs and classes in the 5,000 square foot facility on 1763 Fountain Drive, said Janet Hall, the owner and artistic director.

“We’re really excited to be in the heart of Reston and offer more adult classes,” Hall said. “Right now, we are bursting at the seams with students. It’s exciting to be the only small business in that area.”

The new site has three state-of-the-art studios that were designed by the same company that worked on floor installations at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The studio’s current location is roughly 3,600 square feet.

A more central location in Reston will also allow the studio to better display its classes, four classical ballets and professional work. The studio has invested roughly $400,000 to build out the new facility and roughly a year and three months of negotiating.

The studio also hopes to continue leveraging its partnership with Reston Community Center’s CenterStage for performance space, which is a major reason why the studio hopes to remain in Reston as it expands, Hall said.

Classes will begin to transition beginning Dec. 20th and the move should be complete by Jan. 3, the beginning of the second semester of classes.

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Griffith

Reston-based Leidos Offering Bonuses to Find New IT Hires — The company, which is the largest IT services contractor for the federal government, is offering a $2,000 bonus for every referral that results in a new IT hire. The company posted a third-quarter operating income of $151 million in revenue, a 34 percent jump in sales. [Washington Business Journal]

Coalition for a Planned Reston Holds “One Reston” Community Meeting — The coalition mobilized Monday night in opposition to a zoning amendment that would increase Reston’s population density, among other changes. After a discussion with attendees during the open floor meeting, the group plans to submit 10 suggested changes to the legislative package before the county by Christmas in order to better manage infrastructure and development. According to Terry Maynard, President of Reston 20/20, said the meeting attracted more than 130 attendees. “A key theme throughout was the necessity of the entire Reston community working together as ‘One Reston’ to meet the challenges of shaping the Reston plan and assuring individual development proposals meet the expectations of the community,” Maynard said. [Coalition for a Planned Reston via Youtube]

Herndon Middle School Bike Shop to Give Away Bikes on Saturday — Bicycles refurbished by the after school program that meets on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, will be distribute to 10 children at the school. Recipients were provided by Cornerstones’ Neighborhood Resource Center in Herndon. Members of the club will provide and fit free helmets for recipients. [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Photo by Fatimah Waseem

Environmental testing of Reston Association’s Central Services Facility found the building, which is slated for major renovations, contained asbestos, prompting RA to use $45,000 in unspent, approved dollars to remove the substance prior to demolition.

RA’s Board of Directors will consider the request at a meeting on Thursday. According to the board’s agenda packet, lab results taken throughout the building were positive for asbestos in floor tiles, pipe insulation, sink undercoating, skylights and exterior pipe tar. The cost of the project will cover abatement, air cleaning and follow-up air testing.

“Before full demolition can begin and to ensure the safety of work crews as well as RA staff, an asbestos abatement procedure must be completed,” according to the packet.

The renovation of the Central Services Facility is one of five capital projects put on hold for most of the year. Plans to renovate the 35-year-old building on 12250 Sunset Hills Road have been suggested for nearly three years. The facility is responsible for maintenance and care of Reston’s facilities, including pavilions, community buildings, garden plots and pathways.

The work of Tracie Griffith Tso, a Chinese brush painting instructor at the Reston Community Center, is on display at RCC Hunters Woods through Jan. 4.

Griffith Tso began painting her first bamboo brushstrokes in a California studio and honed her skills under the training of a Hong Kong master. She created functional clay art at the age of 12 and now specializes in traditional flower bird painting.

In a release, Griffith Tso said enjoys painting without sketching, a form of spontaneous expression that she said reflects emotions and movement in body language, especially in freestyle drawings of animals. She uses traditional ink made of rice stalks and other organic materials on rice paper using wolf hair brushes.

The artist also sells her pottery and prints at the Torpedo Factory’s’ Scope Gallery in Alexandria. She lives in Reston with her husband and workshop rabbit and muse, Cleo. She has taught Chinese brush painting at art centers and museums nationwide. Griffith Tso also works with other media like tiles, apparel, accessories and professional graphics, according to her website.

The exhibit, titled “Far East Echoes: Broad Brushstrokes and Loving Details,” is on display through Jan. 4.

Image via Inksart.com

Two Fairfax County civilian bodies created to monitor police department investigations will engage with the local community at an inaugural public forum tomorrow from 7 – 9 p.m. in Reston.

The nine-member Fairfax County Police Civilian Review Panel and the Independent Police Auditor will explain how to initiate complaints, the process once a complaint is filed and the bodies’ investigative powers. The forum, which will take place at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods (2310 Coltsneck Road), is the second public meeting about the bodies since they were created in December last year to enhance police legitimacy and maintain trust between the public, the police department and the county’s Board of Supervisors.

An ad hoc police practice review commission recommended creating the bodies after John Geer was shot by police as he stood unarmed in the doorway of his Springfield home in 2013.  Adam Torres, the former Fairfax county police officer who shot Geer, pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter last year.

The Office of the Independent Police Auditor will receive initial complaints of alleged police misconduct, which will be investigated by the local police department. For complaints about police investigations that have already been completed, the auditor will review investigations related to officer-involved shootings, in-custody death or use of force for accuracy, completeness, thoroughness, objectivity and impartiality. Findings will be made public. If the case involves alleged abuse of authority or serious misconduct, the panel will review the investigation using the same standards.

Bylaws limit the panels’ authority by barring the panel from hearing testimony about an incident from witnesses that were not interviewed by police during the investigation. However, witnesses can explain the basis of the complaint and establish why they should be interviewed by police.

In February, the board appointed Richard Schott, a 27-year Federal Bureau of Investigation veteran as the auditor. Schott worked with local law enforcement officers as a special agent and provided training to members of state and local law enforcement agencies for the last 16 years. He is also an instructor at the FBI academy in Quantico.

At the forum, audience members can ask questions and make comments during a 45-minute period, including specific questions about the entities’ jurisdiction. Specific complaints may not be presented. The panel will listen to and record comments, but will not answer questions at the forum. A form to file complaints is available on the police department’s website.

For more information, call 703-324-3459 or email [email protected].

Despite opposition from a neighboring townhouse community, the Fairfax County Planning Commission approved a plan to replace a daycare center with a 70-unit assisted living facility on 11501 Sunrise Valley Drive Thursday night.

Members of the body, which provides recommendations to the county’s Board of Supervisors, said the developer Kensington Senior Development worked closely with the county to reduce the size and scale of the building, which is nearly eight times larger than the current structure, to ensure the proposal was in line with county policies and regulations.

At a Nov. 30 public hearing, residents unanimously opposed the proposal, which they said was too large for the site and incompatible with the community south of Sunrise Valley Drive. The proposal calls for a two-to-three story building with roughly 65,000 square feet and a parking garage.

However, Frank de la Fe, the commissioner for the Hunter Mill District, said the location of the facility near small, residential neighborhoods was not unusual or concerning, especially since a local healthcare advisory committee emphasized the need for the center and because the developer scaled back its development proposal.

He also noted the plan had adequate buffering to screen surrounding neighborhoods from the facility.

“I’m not quite sure what [the neighbors] would be satisfied with next door in a redevelopment situation,” de la Fe said.

Although the case was “close” and “difficult,” James Hart, an at-large member, said the developer’s plan met a critical need in Fairfax County for assisted living facilities for seniors in an area where he said developable land is “running out.”

“I think it would’ve been an easier case if it was a smaller building but it meets all of the requirements in the plan and in the ordinance,” Hart said, adding that the rhythm of the building was very similar to townhouse development.

However, at-large member Mary Cortina said the size of the facility was stretched out to reduce its height, leaving people who use the facility with little to no amenities and diminished quality of life.

The developer has committed to working with neighborhoods to provide additional landscaping to create a larger buffer and was willing to contribute funding for pedestrian and bicycle improvements in the area, according to the commission.

The managing partner of a convenience center next to the proposed facility also supported the plan. Good Beginning School, the daycare has been open on the site for nearly 40 years.

The county’s Board of Supervisors will consider the proposal next year.

Group Opposing Zoning Changes Meets Today –– The Coalition for a Planned Reston is meeting today at Reston Association headquarters on 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive at 7 p.m. The group will discuss a proposal before the county that would increase population density in some parts of Reston and discuss amendments to the overall proposal. [Coalition for a Planned Reston]

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins Features Police Civilian Review Panel — In this month’s Channel 16 program, Hudgins discusses the benefits and goals of a new civilian review panel and an independent police auditor.

Training in Reston Focuses on Heroin Epidemic — Ginny Atwood Lovitt held a training in Reston on Friday detailing how to administer Narcan. Lovitt runs the Chris Atwood Foundation in Reston in memory of her brother who died of a heroin overdose nearly four years ago. [WUSA]

Photo by Fatimah Waseem

As the year winds down, tomorrow is the last day to enjoy the Reston Farmers Market for the year. The market, which is located on 1609 Washington Plaza, ends on Saturday at noon and will resume next year.

The market began its season in April will run from 8 a.m. to noon. Vendors create an eclectic gathering that offers locally grown produce as well as exotic imports from around the world. A complete list of vendors is available on the market’s site.

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.

• Enjoy “Cookies with Santa”  on Saturday between 9 a.m. and noon at The Lake House. Warm up with hot chocolate and cookies and enjoy festive crafts and activities. Tickets are $12 for Reston Association members and $16 for all others.
• Dar Williams will sign and sign her book “What I Found in 1000 Towns: A Traveling Musician’s Guide to Rebuilding America’s Communities-One Coffee Shop, Dog Run, and Open-Mic Nigh at a Time.” The event will be held at Scrawl Books from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Obi Sushi in Reston Town Center is offering sushi-making classes on Saturday from 2 t0 4 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person. Register by call 703-766-7874.
• Take a trip in a horse-drawn carriage on Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m. at Reston Town Center.  Tickets are $5 per person. Children under 5 ride free.
• Holiday performances continue this weekend at Reston Town Center. On Friday, Oak Hill Middle School’s sixth grade chorus performs at 7 p.m. The Northern Virginia Ukulele Society will perform from noon to 12:45 p.m on Saturday and on Sunday at noon.
• An opening reception to celebrate the exhibition of Paulina Peavy’s work, which illustrates her personal ontology, will be held on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m.
• Hop onto a mini-train on Sunday at Reston Town Center on Market Street near Clyde’s. Train rides will run from noon to 4 p.m.
• Alan Tom will launch his new children’s book “Bugaboo and Buzz Buzz into the Toilet of Doom” on Sunday at Scrawl Books from 2 to 4 p.m.
• Dancers of all skills are welcome to join in on a Sunday full of dance from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods. Registration is $5 for Reston residents and $10 for all others.
• Children can shop for gifts at Santa’s Christmas Shop at United Christian Parish (11506 North Shore Drive) from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The event is open to all ages.
• Celebrate the season with Santa and friends at Frying Pan Farm Park. Programs begin at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. The cost is $8 per person. All children must be accompanied by a registered adult.

The first snow of the season could come this weekend. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory from midnight tonight through 4 p.m. Saturday.

Between 2 to 4 inches of snow are expected, according to the advisory, which covers the I-95 Corridor from northeastern Maryland to near Fredericksburg, Virginia.

A winter weather advisory is issued when periods of snow that cold cause travel challenges are expected.

Winter weather advisory late tonight through tomorrow afternoon. NWS snow forecast is for 1 to 3 inches in the immediate area, and 2 to 4 inches east. https://t.co/cxcbUBOBM6 pic.twitter.com/KYPUVUtbph

— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) December 8, 2017

New interpretive signs could come to some of Reston’s 52 meadows next year.

Friends of Reston, a non profit organization, has received a grant from the Chesapeake Bay License plate Fund for the creation of new interpretive signs that provide information about measures to support the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The signs will include information about the environmental benefits of wildflowers and native grasses, reducing stormwater runoff and feeding wild life.

RA is seeking the approval of the Design Review Board to install the signs, which could be ready as early as March.

According to its website, Friends of Reston is a non profit organization established in 1999 to support RA’s work for charitable, education and scientific purposes.

Photo via RA

Owner of Koko FitClub Celebrates First Year of Ownership Today — The club, which is located in North point Shopping Center, will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony today from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. to celebrate the owner’s first year of ownership. The club was recently renovated to create a lighter and brighter environment, according to the owner. [Koko FitClub]

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Reunite with Trauma Patients at Reston Hospital Center — In a blog post on the department’s website, Battalion Chief Bill Betz and Captain Wayne Wentzel detail an event in late November during which crews met with three trauma patients that were treated and transported to the hospital by the department’s firefighters and paramedics. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]

Make Sushi Rolls at Obi Sushi in Reston Town Center — The restaurant, which is located on 1771 Library St., is offering classes on how to make sushi rolls on Saturday from 2 – 4 p.m. The cost is $50 per person. Register by calling 703-766-7874. [Reston Town Center via Facebook]

Photo courtesy of Koko FitClub