The Fairfax County Planning Commission deferred a decision on a proposal to bring a 20-story condominiums to 1801 Old Reston Ave. Wednesday night amid questions about the building, which includes up to 150 units and a parking garage.
Although the developer Renaissance Centro, and the county’s planning and zoning staff resolved major issues raised in a technical staff report, the parties continued to disagree over how the condominiums incorporate workforce housing.
Renaissance Centro has pledged to build 24 for-sale condominiums, a commitment that allows the developer 24 additional market-rate units in bonus density. However, the developer is seeking to not comply with a policy that says additional market-rate units should be no more than 10 percent larger than workforce units for the development.
Zoning staff said workforce units should be similar in size to market rate units, especially since the developer is already exceeding the floor area ratio outlined in the plan while pursuing an exception that could potentially allow the developer nearly 40,000 square feet in bonus density.
The commission also raised concerns about the amount of parking in the development. Residents of the condominium would pay for in-house parking, a structure that members said was problematic because residents of workforce housing may not be able to afford paid parking and may instead have to park on the curb on North Shore Drive.
The development would also remove overflow parking used by some residents of the neighboring Harrison Apartments. Currently, some residents use the surface parking lot on the site, according to zoning staff.
The commission deferred its decision to January 25.
Andrew Painter of Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh, the developer’s representative, however, said the county should recognize the unique financial challenges in building a high-rise development. He said the developer was committed to providing 24 workforce units that would have the same number of bedroom units as market rate units but smaller overall units.
Painter also said the developer, which also developed the Carlton House condominiums in Reston Town Center, is keen on pursuing the development as a “legacy project” that would be the “crown jewel” of the area. He noted the proposed project would, if approved, be the first for-sale condominiums to be constructed in Reston in more than 10 years with the hallmark feature of providing home ownership opportunities for workhouse housing.
“This is kind of the last piece of the puzzle,” Painter said.
Opponents of a proposal before the county to increase Reston’s population density continue to mobilize ahead of community meeting on Monday night.
The Coalition for a Planned Reston, a community organization that includes Reclaim Reston, Reston 20/20 and the Reston Citizens Association, will gather community feedback about the proposal and discuss specific changes to scale back Reston’s master plan in an effort limit the scale of development in the planned community.
The proposal, which will go before the county’s Board of Supervisors, would increase the maximum allowed population per acre in the Planned Residential Community district from 13 persons up to 16.
The zoning change could also open up Reston’s village centers to increased residential development. The proposal would allow the Board of Supervisors to approve developments above 50 residential units per acre within the district’s Transit Station Areas (TSAs) — so long as the projects comply with the area’s master plan that guides development.
Reston Association staff opposed the changes. In a letter, In the letter, the RA staff also asks county supervisors to hold off on any further consideration of the PRC density cap increase until RA staff and county staff together can examine the Reston Master Plan portion of the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
Meanwhile, the coalition will pitch amendments to Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins before Christmas. Overall, the coalition is seeking to constrain density growth and ensure infrastructure keeps up to pace with development.
CPR hopes to maintain the intensity of opposition to the proposal, which eclipsed in late October during a 900-person public community meeting in Reston where an overwhelming majority of attendees opposed the proposal.
“We are anxious to present what we believe are reasonable Reston plan amendments to Supervisor Hudgins rather than just denoting a list of topic areas where changes could be made,” said Terry Maynard, co-chair of the Reston 20/20 Committee. “We are hopeful that the community will buy in to these proposals and possibly suggest some modifications and additions.”
Changes under consideration include reinstating a population cap throughout Reston which existed in the community’s 1989 plan; placing a cap on high-density, high-rise residential development, which the coalition stated is unlimited in the current plan; and phasing development with supporting infrastructure similar to the Tysons plan.
On a broader level, the coalition seeks to ensure county policies and standards that govern schools, parks and transportation are realistically in line with Reston’s growth potential.
CPR will also use the meeting platform to discuss other controversial zoning matters, including the “densification of Saint Johns Woods” and the addition of a road through Hidden Creek Country Club.
“The last minute inclusion by the Planning Commission of developer language allowing Bozzuto to re-develop St. Johns Woods at triple its current density is a perfect example of community exclusion in the development process,” said Reclaim Reston member Bruce Ramo.
The meeting will be held on Monday at 7 p.m. in the Reston Association Conference Center.
Tamika Mallory, co-chair of this year’s Women’s March in Washington, will deliver the keynote address at the 33rd Annual Reston Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration on Jan. 15.
Mallory, a social justice advocate helped organize the march with drew several hundred thousand participants this year. She has closely worked with the Obama administration to advocate for civil rights, women’s rights, health care, eradicating gun violence and eliminating police misconduct.
In a statement, Leila Gordon, Reston Community Center’s executive director, said Mallory’s address will encourage the community’s youth to participate in the celebration.
“It’s clear that civil rights issues are more important than ever and that new perspectives and voices are contributing to the vitality of the movement… Mallory is one of the young people who have stepped forward to advance the cause for universal social justice and equity passionately and effectively,” Gordon said.
The address will begin at noon at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Rd.). Tickets are $5 for Reston residents and employees and $10 for all others.
Mallory’s address is part of a three-day celebration at the community center. Events include community service projects, a 12th annual tribute by RCC’s orchestra and other programs. For more information, contact Kevin Danaher, community events director at 703-390-6166 or by email at [email protected].
A full program of the weekend is available on RCC’s website.
Photo via Reston Community Center
A preliminary investigation by the Fairfax County Police Department found that a pedestrian hit by a car on Tuesday night crossed the street against the walk signal.
The pedestrian was hit by a car at the intersection of Reston Parkway and South Lakes Drive shortly before 7 p.m.
The pedestrian, who was not identified, was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. In a statement released today, a spokesperson for the police department said the pedestrian is expected to survive.
Police shut down northbound Reston Parkway as officers conducted an investigation.
INCIDENT ADVISORY: Officers are investigating a crash involving a pedestrian at Reston Parkway and South Lakes Drive. The pedestrian has non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital. Northbound Reston Parkway is shutdown while officers investigate. pic.twitter.com/IIRzwAnNdt
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 6, 2017
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.
The Greater Reston Arts Center will hold an opening reception on Saturday centering around the work of Paulina Peavy, a formally trained artist who came to believe people came spirits and inhabited the universe as invisible atoms that could mold into various forms when they reached Earth.
The reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Greater Reston Arts Center. The exhibit, which will be open for view from Saturday through Feb. 17, is the first to bring together a selection of Peavy’s work across disciplines, representing the artist’s radical worldview and philosophy.
GRACE promoted the following description of Peavy and her work:
Paulina Peavy (b. 1901 Colorado Springs, Colorado; d. 1999, Bethesda, Maryland) was a prolific artist who worked across genres including painting, drawing, poetry, and film. Though formally trained in art and science, Peavy excused herself from the mainstream arts community after becoming a regular attendee at a weekly séance in 1932. At these gatherings, the artist was introduced to her spirit muse, Lacamo, who she came to collaborate with for the remainder of her life.
Image via GRACE
Rescue Reston, a grassroots organization that successfully helped prevent the redevelopment of Reston National Golf Course several years ago, is vowing to defend Hidden Creek Country Club after it changed ownership in late October.
In response to overwhelming requests from citizens for advice and support, the group has pledged to defend recreational open space at Hidden Creek Country Club by amending its mission statement.
Community advocates have long feared both Hidden Creek and Reston National Golf Course will transform into residential development as Reston expands.
“Rescue Reston and its supporters are standing between the green space and the developers who want to reduce, repurpose or eliminate green space for yet even more housing. There is precious little green recreational space in Reston to support the greatly increasing density that is already planned for all of Reston,” the group wrote in the statement.
Wheelock Communities purchased the club earlier this week from its previous owner, Fore Golf Partners, which will continue to manage the club.
In an October email announcing $300,000 in upgrades to the club, Wheelock, which owns properties in Texas and across the East Coast has listed several potential options for development, including additional public amenities, environmental benefits and new housing choices.
A 145-unit residential building could come to Reston Corner on the southwest corner of Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive.
Atlantic Realty Companies has submitted plans to the county to redevelop about 4.3 acres of the nearly 10-acre site known as Reston Corner, a process that would require the county to rezone land from light and industrial uses to residential use.
The site is within half a mile of the Reston Town Center Metro Station Platform, a location that allows residential uses of up to 30 units per acre if appropriate. The county’s Department of Planning and Zoning is reviewing the proposal, which was filed on Nov. 6 and is in the early phases of the county’s review process. A technical staff report has not yet been completed.
Surface parking spaces for existing office building at Reston Corner currently occupy the area where residential development is planned. The proposal includes up to 1,200 square feet of retail and 12 percent of the multi-family units will be set aside for workforce housing.
In the proposal, the developer wrote the building will provide an attractive, elegant element to Reston.
“The proposed addition of mid-rise residential development to the property will help provide an attractive and appropriate transition from the more intense development of the Transit Station Mixed Use area to the low-rise residential development to the south of the Property and will help provide additional residential uses in an area accessible to the Reston Town Center Metro station,” the proposal said.
The maximum height will be seven floors. The parking garage, have a maximum of four levels and will be screened by the residential building. Offices will continue to use the parking garage. An entrance plaza at the back of the residential building will include 22 surface parking spaces. Roughly 40 percent of the property is set aside as open space.
File photo.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins appointed a new member to the Fairfax County Planning Commission to represent the district.
John Carter will replace Hunter Mill District Planning Commissioner Frank de la Fe, whose term expired this year.
The Board of Supervisors appointed de la Fe in December 2001 and reappointed him two years later. He was named vice chairman in January 2013.
According to the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s website:
Commissioner de la Fe worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the 1960s. From 1969 to 1971, he helped create the Illinois State Bureau of the Budget. He then returned to Federal service to establish the Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention. In 1974, he moved to the Justice Department’s Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. He completed his federal career in 1994 when he retired from the Office of Personnel Management.A long-time community activist, since moving to Reston in 1971, Commissioner de la Fe has served in a variety of leadership positions, including serving on the boards of the Reston Association and Reston Interfaith.
Hudgins said Carter was a good fit for the program. He holds a Master of Planning degree from the University of
Virginia; a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Architecture with Distinction from Arizona State University. Carter was also the former Chief of Community-Based Planning in Montgomery County.
“Mr. Carter has lived in the Hunter Mill District for over 44 years and has extensive community involvement. I believe Mr. Carter is an excellent choice for this position,” Hudgins said.
On Thursday, the Prince William County Police Department arrested a suspect in connection with the attempted rape of a 21-year-old woman of Herndon. The suspect, Joshua Mark Testa, 39, was charged with attempted rape, abduction with intent to defile and malicious wounding.
According to police, the suspect allegedly grabbed the victim when she attempted to leave from a residence on the 13800 block of Greenwood Drive in Woodbridge earlier in the morning. The accused, an acquaintance, grabbed the woman when she attempted to leave, knocked her to the ground and attempted to remove her clothing. As a struggle ensured, the suspect punched the victim in the face multiple times and fled the residence, police said. Minor injuries were reported.
He was arrested later in the afternoon without incident at Woodbridge hotel.
In a separate incident, a victim woke up to a man standing in his bedroom on the 1800 block of Wainwright Drive on Thursday at around 3 a.m. The suspect fled the house on foot when he was confronted, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Electronics and banking information was taken from the inside of the home. The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic man between 40 and 50 years old, weighing around 200 pounds and wearing dark clothing.. The victim was not injured and the case is ongoing.
FCPD’s Reston District Station also reported the following crimes this week:
LARCENIES
2200 block of Stirrup Iron Lane, rings from vehicle
11500 block of Rolling Green Court, bicycle and scooters from residence
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, license plate from vehicle
12500 block of Cross Country Lane, laptop computer from business
900 block of Locust Street, cell phone from school
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, property from residence
2300 block of Colts Neck Road, shoes from business
STOLEN VEHICLES
None reported.
On Monday, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office arrested Karla Severiche, a 32-year-old Reston resident in connection with a shoplifting incident on the 21200 block of Signal Hill Plaza in Sterling. Severiche was charged with grand larceny, larceny with intent to sell or distribute, possession of burglarious tools, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
A juvenile involved in the incident was transported to the Loudoun County Youth Shelter, the sheriff’s office said.
The Herndon Police Department reported no major incidents this week.
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).
A proposal to build 20-story luxury condominiums to 1801 Reston Ave. will go before the Fairfax County Planning Commission tomorrow with an unfavorable report from the county’s Department of Planning and Zoning.
In a Nov. 22 staff report, the department raised concerns that workforce housing does not appear to be “a vital element” of the proposed development, which will include up to 150 units and 294 parking spaces on 1.5-acres of land currently zoned for office uses.
Renaissance Centro, the developer, is seeking one market-rate unit for each workforce dwelling unit — an incentive allowed by the county to encourage inclusive, affordable housing — while also creating a condition would allow the developer to convert unsold workforce housing to market rate units under certain conditions. Plans include 24 workforce dwelling units, allowing 24 market rate units in bonus density.
The developer also opted out of a proffer that requires bonus market rate units to remain similar in size to workforce housing, possibly allowing the developer to sell significantly larger market rate units while only building small efficiency units for workforce housing.
“The county would only receive a monetary contribution at a loss of affordable housing provided onsite. The monetary contribution is not likely to be sufficient to purchase comparable affordable units,” according to the report.
Additionally, staff said the developer is not providing enough money to fund athletic field construction in the Reston area, a developer contribution given to the county’s park authority based on the impact of the new residential development.
The county is seeking $406,668, a figure calculated from the gross floor area of the building. The developer, however, is seeking to provide a reduced amount based on the square footage of the residential parts of the building, a calculation method that staff said was ambiguous and would not meet the need for athletic fields.
If approved by the county’s Board of Supervisors, the project will join neighboring residential developments like the Harrison Apartment and the Stratford Condominiums. In late November, the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee rejected the proposal by a slim 6-5 vote.
A public hearing on the project is set for tomorrow at 8:15 p.m in the Fairfax County Government Center board auditorium. An online stream is available on the county’s website.
To sign up to speak, register online. For more information, call the planning commissions’ office at 703-324-2865.
Renderings via handout
Nando’s PERi-PERi, a South African-Portuguese restaurant chain, raised $12,711 for two local public high schools at its grand opening in November.
To celebrate its new location on 2120 Sunset Hills Road, the chain donated 100 percent of all sales, excluding alcohol and taxes, to the two schools. In 2019, Herndon High School will use funds to send the marching band to represent the United States at the 75th Commemoration of D-Day in Normandy. South Lakes High School will use the donations to send their marching band to Hawaii to perform at the 2017 Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, in addition to supporting other program needs.
Though the two schools are traditionally rivals, Nando’s said students from the two bands happily came together to raise money through the fundraiser.
“Nando’s likes to be good neighbors, and we couldn’t be happier with the community turnout in Reston,” said Sepanta Bagherpour, Nando’s vice president of marketing. “Students and parents at both high schools worked so hard to spread the word in their community, and to show support for their schools.”
Photo courtesy of Seven Oaks Media Group
Protecting the Homeless This Winter — Fairfax County officials are encouraging people to call the county’s non-emergency phone number if they see someone at night who unsheltered and may be at risk of hypothermia. Police can be reached at 703-691-2131 where they will work with the individual and temporary shelter facilities to provide overnight shelter. [Fairfax County Government]
UPS Store in South Lakes Accepts Donations — The store on 11160 South Lakes Drive is taking tax deductible contributions for Wreaths Across America. Wreaths will be purchased that will be laid on the graves of veterans at Arlington National Cemetery and across the region. [94.7 FM]
Reston Association’s Elections Planning Begins — RA’s elections committee will meet today to plan the layout of next year’s Board of Directors election from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at RA headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive). Four of the nine-member body’s seats are open in the election. [Reston Association]
Behind the counter of Chef on Wheels, a food truck that serves up authentic Mexican burritos, tacos and bowls, stands the chef, Basir Ahadi, an immigrant from Afghanistan. The Reston resident’s love for Mexican food pushed him to operate a food truck business in 2011.
Last week, Ahadi marked another milestone in his culinary journey by opening his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, shifting his food truck business from the streets of Reston to the former site of Sweet Heat BBQ on 1810 Michael Faraday Drive.
The new restaurant, which will offer dine-in options for dinner beginning today, allows Ahadi to bring families together over dinner for authentic Mexican food made from local produce, he said.
“The main reason that I opened the brick and mortar was for people to bring their families for dinner. We were only serving lunch and we didn’t have a location. This is our way of becoming a very permanent part of the community,” Ahadi, who graduated from South Lakes High School, said. He has lived in Reston for 26 years.
As he shifts his business, Ahadi plans to operate only one food truck on Reston’s streets. He hopes to have a big party at a grand ceremony in the spring of next year to celebrate the restaurant’s opening.
The restaurant serves gourmet chicken, steak, ground beef, fish and veggie tacos, burritos and burrito bowls. It will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. this week. Delivery services will be offered soon.
Sabino Vasquez-Murcia, a 29-year-old Herndon resident, was killed on Saturday when a car struck a parked vehicle he was sitting in on Saturday night. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office identified him as the victim of the crash today.
The driver, Julio Rivera, 39-year-old Herndon resident, lost control of his car and hit the parked car and a townhouse on the 700 block of Colonial Avenue in Sterling, the sheriff’s office said. The crash happened around 10:45 p.m.
Vasquez-Murcia was taken to Reston Hospital where he later passed away. The townhouse sustained minor damages and no one was injured inside, according to the report.
Rivera has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, DUI and driving on a suspended license. He is currently being held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on no bond, the sheriff’s office said.
File photo.
Retired NBA player Grant Hill visited South Lakes High School for his jersey retirement ceremony where he appreciated his Reston roots. The Washington Post published a recap of the ceremony this weekend.
Grant played four teams in his 19-year professional career as a basketball player in the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers. He was a seven-time NBA Allstar. As an eighth grader, Grant wore a tie to Langston Hughes Middle School in order to match the dress code of South Lakes High School’s basketball team, which had a dress code on game days.
According to the Post, Grant said:
“The last thing on my mind was the NBA or college, I just wanted to play here at South Lakes. That was what I wanted to do,” Hill said. “It was a different time . . . you spent your Friday nights watching high school sports and that was entertainment for a whole community, so I just wanted to play at South Lakes and that was pretty much it.”
No Seahawks basketball player with wear No. 32 again after the retirement ceremony. Local teachers and attendees told the Post the Grant’s presence brought closure to the community.
“Not only athletically but socially as a citizen of Reston, Grant brought a lot to the community with his overall demeanor in everything he does,” said Wendell Byrd, who stepped down as South Lakes coach in 2007. “Grant went away and continued to blossom and tonight he shared with the Reston area that ‘I’m still a Reston kid.’ “
Junior point guard Cameron Savage told the Post that he felt like Grant opened up to the community in a cordial manner.
“For him to come back, it means the world for us,” Savage told the Post. “He had so much success, but he came back and treated us like we’ve known him for 30 years, he treated us like we were his best friends. Tonight was special.”
Photo via the Washington Post
