Frost Advisory In Effect — A frost advisory is in effect until 9 a.m. today (Friday). Frost can kill sensitive outdoor vegetation, if left uncovered. [National Weather Service]

Sterling Man Arrested in Connection with Rape — Saul Recinos Deunas, 43, was arrested in connection with the rape of a victim that he knew, according to the Herndon Police Department. The incident happened on Oct.3 at the 1200 block of Springtide Place. He was taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he was held without bond. [HPD]

Recreation Workgroup to Meet Next Week — Reston Association’s Recreation Facilities Working Group will meet on Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. [RA]

Update at 12:30 p.m. — The National Weather Service has now upgraded central Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax from a flood watch to a flood warning, which will remain in effect until 4 p.m.

As of 12:03 p.m., between one and two inches of rain have fallen in the county, and an additional one to two inches of rain could potentially fall in the area covered by the flood warning. Reston is among the locations considered at risk of flooding.

Earlier — A Flood Watch is in effect for most of the region until 10 p.m. today, according to the National Weather Service.

Remnants of Hurricane Zeta are expected to dump two to three inches of rain on the area.

NWS warns that heavy rain could lead to flooding of small streams, creeks, and urban areas. Clogged drains due to leaf buildup might also cause flooding issues.

Here’s more from the alert:

Do not enter or cross flowing water or water of unknown depth. Stay away or be swept away. River banks and culverts can becom unstable and unsafe.

A Flood Watch means there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts. You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible flood warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.

Grab your umbrella ☔️ Rain 🌧️ from #Zeta is going to cause a wet commute for drivers today.

When driving in the rain remember
💡 headlights & wipers on
🚘 increase following distance
🐢 slow down
💧 #TurnAroundDontDrown
👁️ be alert for pedestrians & other road users pic.twitter.com/krPQMJhevB

— VDOT (@VaDOT) October 29, 2020

Reston’s North County Governmental Center is one of the most popular spots for early voting in Fairfax County.

While turnout through the county — and country — is high, the Reston location has seen one of the highest turnouts of the county’s 13 satellite voting locations.

Overall, voters are coming out in droves in the county. So far, 301,000 ballots have been cast in total — almost more than 2.5 times more than the total number of absentee votes cast in 2016, according to county officials.

More than 7,300 ballots have been cast at the North County Governmental Center followed by about 6,100 ballots at the Herndon Fortnightly Library and 1,400 at Great Falls Library, which is only open on Saturdays and opened for voting on Oct. 17.

(10/28) Early voting just underway at 1 pm at North County Governmental Center in Reston. 100+ voters in line – If you’re getting in line now, expect 1.5 to 2 hour wait. #HunterMill #VoteEarly pic.twitter.com/WBVUJnVNKU

— Supervisor Walter Alcorn (@WalterAlcornFFX) October 28, 2020

County officials caution that wait times are still long.

“It takes 25 minutes or much longer depending on the place, day and time when voting,” said county spokesperson Brian Worthy.

The county has added two extra hours for early voting tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday. The change applies to 13 early voting sites, which typically open at 11 a.m. The hours at the Fairfax County Government Center remain unchanged.

Other than long waiting times, voting operations have been going relatively smoothly. The county swiftly moved to expand the number of satellite locations following arduous waiting times earlier this month.

While most voters have been masked, some residents have complained about party representatives failing to do so.

Worthy noted that while all individuals are encouraged to wear face coverings, the actions of party representatives cannot be controlled outside the 40-foot limit where campaigning is allowed.

The deadline for early voting this year is 5 p.m. on Oct. 31. Absentee ballots can be delivered by hand until 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 or by mail until noon on Nov. 6.

At this point, Worthy said it’s unclear how this year’s voting procedures will be adapted in future elections.

“After the 2020 election is finished, the Fairfax County Office of Elections will look at any lessons learned–but it’s too early to look back in the past since the office is focused on Election Day which is now just [six] days away.”

If you’re standing in line at North County Governmental Center for early voting – the Reston ⁦@fairfaxlibrary⁩ has magazines, books and kids activity packets to make your wait enjoyable! #HunterMill #RestonLibrary pic.twitter.com/AYwflNulkG

— Supervisor Walter Alcorn (@WalterAlcornFFX) October 28, 2020

Extra Early Voting Hours Added — The county has added two extra hours on early voting tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday. All sites will now open at 11 a.m., except for the Fairfax County Government Center, where voting still begins at 8 a.m. [Fairfax County Government]

Local Officer Honored for Being ‘True American Hero’ — Weblos, Den 1, Pack 913 from St. Joe’s honored Officer Murn for being a “true American hero.” [Herndon Police Department]

Reston Collects 303 Pounds of Old Meds — The Reston District Station and Reston Hospital Center collected 303 pounds of old medicines during the 19th annual National Drug Take Back Day this past weekend. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Photo by Elizabeth Copson

Volkswagen Group of America has signed a lease to become the anchor tenant of Boston Properties’ new 1.1 million square foot development in the next phase of Reston Town Center.

The new extension of RTC includes a two-tower office development called Reston Next, retail space, a hotel and residential buildings.

The subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, a major automobile manufacturer, retains its headquarters in Fairfax County as a result of the move. The company first selected the county for its North American headquarters in 2007.

“A company focused on the future of mobility needs a future-proof workspace to match those ambitions,” said Scott Keogh, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. “This space is designed from the start to be efficient, collaborative and bring our team under one roof so we can keep and attract top talent.”

Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, lauded the news in a statement.

“This speaks volumes about our value as a headquarters location and the ability to find and keep high-caliber talent, and joins announcements by Microsoft, Google and Facebook as important indicators of the strength of this business community, especially in a difficult period economically,” Hoskins said.

Boston Properties executive Vice President  for the DC region Peter Johnston said his company is “thrilled” at the lease. So far, the next phase of RTC is 85 percent pre-leased, according to a quarterly earning calls.

“Companies looking to recruit and retain the best and brightest talent continue to be drawn to Reston and Reston Town Center as the ideal location to grow their organizations,” he said.

Once completed, the full extension of RTC — which will be built out in two phases — will add more than 4.4 million square feet of development to Reston Town Center, including six acres of public open space.

A plan to redevelop the Residence Inn on 315 Elden Street took a step closer to final approval this week.

At a meeting Monday night, the Town of Herndon’s Planning Commission unanimously approved a plan to repurpose the property into a 168-unit residential development. Roughly 55 percent of the units would be dedicated as workforce housing.

The plan, which was pitched by the new owner of the hotel, will move forward to the Herndon Town Council for a vote. Specifically, it calls for an amendment to the town’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan. The property’s zoning classification would change from business corridor to adaptive-area residential.

Commission members lauded the plan for repurposing an aging and underused area to meet a critical need for affordable housing in the area.

“I see it as a favorable way to repurpose this aging cluster of properties,” said Marcia Bouchard at the meeting. She added that the location for residential units is ideal due to the “exceptional” walkability of the area.

More details about the plan are expected as it moves through the rezoning and zoning map amendment process.

So far, 84 studio and 42 one-bedroom and 42 two-bedroom units are planned, with a total of 168 units spread across 21 buildings.

Staff noted that the development will likely result in a limited number of new students. Low-rise multifamily units typically produce roughly 0.3 students per dwelling unit.

Image via Google Maps

Wheelock Communities, the owner of Hidden Creek Country Club, says it will continue to move forward with community engagement on the future of the golf course, even though Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn says he has does not support the redevelopment of the site.

In a statement Dan Green, principal of Wheelock Street Capital, said his company was “extremely disappointed” in Alcorn’s statement, which referenced little to no community support for the project.

Green says his company has received support from some adjacent clusters and many of the club’s neighbors,  as well as other residents in Reston.

“This is an unprecedented show of support when an application has not yet even been filed,”  he wrote.

Over the last two years, the company has hosted focus group meetings to pitch its preliminary plan for a 100-acre park and 1,000 residential units on the golf course, as well as to court public feedback on the future of the golf course.

Although a development plan has not been filed, doing so would require an amendment to the Reston Comprehensive Plan.

Wheelock did not immediately respond to a request for comment on next steps and when a development plan would be filed.

Photo by Richard Knapp

In mid-August, a major and possibly toxic algae bloom blanketed Lake Thoreau following Reston Association’s treatment of an invasive plant in the lake.

The treatment, which RA said was one of several factors that caused the bloom, was conducted much later into the season, making the bloom worse.

Following this issue and subsequent community meetings about lake management, RA CEO Hank Lynch wants to more than double its lake maintenance treatment budget for 2021 budget, which is currently under development. This year’s lake maintenance budget is $31,745, up from $17,103 in 2020’s. budget.

The proposed budget would include up to five algae treatments of Lake Thoreau, up to five algae treatments at Lake Anne, and $18,920 to treat lake Thoreau with sonar pelters in the spring or early summer.

The association also plans to shift from treating the lake with contact herbicides to systemic herbicides earlier in the season to control the hydrilla plant.

“This solution will control the hydrilla before it gets to grow and become a problem in the lake,” according to meeting materials.

The systemic herbicide treatment is much more costly than previously used treatment but will produce more long-lasting results, Lynch said at a Board of Directors’ meeting last week.

RA also hopes to remove water lillies at Lake Newport every few years. Its consultant, Aquatic Environment Consultants, will “continue to monitor to determine the right timing of this treatment,” according to meeting materials.

The removal of primrose and alligator weed at Lake Thoreau on the shoreline and along the dams has also been identified as a pending project. The issue will be addressed based on growing conditions this summer.

The lake will also be stocked with 130 carp — which consume aquatics plants — to help manage the overgrowth of certain aquatic plants like hydrilla. The lake was last stocked in 2017 with 80 carp.

RA will hold another community engagement meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Lake Thoreau and lake environmental health. The meeting will take place online.

Reston Association will hold a Lake Thoreau & Lake Environmental Health Community Engagement Meeting on Wednesday, October 28 at 6:30 p.m.

Use the information below to join.⬇️
Join Zoom Meeting: https://t.co/CalJXbs0Y3
Meeting ID: 910 0271 2726
Passcode: 065090 pic.twitter.com/i6GTSPV3x1

— Reston Association (@RestonOnline) October 21, 2020

Photo by Jeannine Santoro

Reston Firms Offers Insights on Buying Online — “Reston, Virginia-based digital tracking and audience measurement company comScore Inc. has released a report on the state of online retail spending and it notes total digital commerce now accounts or nearly 1 in 4 discretionary dollars spent by consumers. During the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic in the first quarter of 2020, comScore reports the highest share ever of digital spending.” [WTOP]

Double Meals Offered to FCPS Students Later This Week — “FCPS will be distributing double breakfast and lunch meals on November 2 to cover both November 2 and 3, which are student holidays.” [FCPS]

School Staff to Discuss Status of Athletics — The director of the school system’s office of student activities and athletic programs will offer information about what to expect for athletics as the phased return to school begins. [FCPS]

Photo via Marjorie Copson

The number of COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County continues to increase with a reported weekly average of cases hovering around the 450-mark. But the data show no signs of acceleration at this point.

In October, the county reported the highest number of weekly cases since Sept. 6, when cases peaked at 494. Since then, 459 cases were reported the week of Oct. 4 and 447 cases the week of Oct. 11. Case rates dipped significantly in June and early August when weekly averages hovered between 308 and 389 cases.

So far, the county has 23,462 confirmed cases, 2,247 hospitalizations, and 606 deaths.

There are no immediate indications of a spike in cases — which is determined when the total confirmed cases are mapped against new confirmed cases per week. In the last month, the familiar story of a slowdown in new cases no longer appears to be the case.

According to county data, in the last three weeks, the rate of new cases charted against the rate of existing cases has stabilized instead of trending downward, which indicates a slowdown in cases.

Fairfax County’s case rate — which is measured by cases per 100,000 people — remains comparable to surrounding counties and health districts. Its case rate of 2,039 cases is slightly above Arlington’s case rate of 1,921 cases. Meanwhile, Alexandria has one of the highest case rates in the area (2,635).

It’s unclear how case trajectories may change throughout the region as flu season and colder temperatures come into full swing.

County health officials are urging residents to take precautions during Halloween and planned trick-or-treating activities, which have been flagged as high-risk activities.

🎃 To keep the number of new COVID-19 cases low, we must all do our part to stop the spread of the virus. Read this guidance and find new and socially distant ways to celebrate Halloween: https://t.co/Omh6p6SCTd#FFXCOVID pic.twitter.com/iVflTl6QsS

— FairfaxCounty Health (@fairfaxhealth) October 21, 2020

Image via Virginia Department of Health

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn has made a clear statement on the future of Hidden Creek Country Club — whic owner Wheelock Communities hopes to redevelop into a 100-acre park with 1,000 residential units: the golf course will remain a golf course.

Based on a review of communication from residents to his office, Alcorn says there little to no support for redeveloping the site.

“There are more than five residents against for every supporter of possibly changing the plan,” Alcorn wrote in a statement released Friday. “Therefore, I do not support changing the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan’s current designation of this property as a golf course and consider this matter closed.”

He noted that much anxiety and uncertainty exists surrounding the possible redevelopment of the site.

A representative of Wheelock Communities told Reston Now that discussions about the future of the golf course are “all work currently in progress.”

As of July 2018, the company held three work sessions to discuss how “the property could benefit the Reston community and Fairfax County by creating significant public open space versus current private use,” according to a statement distributed to the community.

“We want to be clear that none of this is currently in the form of a development proposal,”  the spokesperson told Reston Now.

Wheelock purchased the golf course in Oct. 2017. Previous presentations by Wheelock to the community, including a Sept. 2018 discussion before Reston Association, drew intense criticism from the community.

In July 2020, representatives for Wheelock detailed preliminary plans for the site, including creational facilities, a “broad spectrum” of affordable housing, and new public trails.

Alcorn encouraged residents to continue using the golf course in order to preserve its status as a golf course for the foreseeable future.

“Although I do not play golf (just once in the past 33 years) I do recognize that the long-term use of this property as a golf course depends on people willing to pay to play golf. I encourage members of the community who wish to see this property remain a golf course to pick up the game and go play!”

Reston’s two golf courses — Hidden Creek and Reston National — have been bought by developers seeking to redevelop a portion or most of the properties into housing. But a grassroots efforts led by Rescue Reston, a grassroots advocacy group, staved off the development proposal at Reston National several years ago.

Wheelock did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the next steps for the site following Alcorn’s statement.

Photo by Richard Knapp

South Korea’s Hyundai Group Sells Reston Office Campus — “An affiliate of Boyd Watterson Asset Management has paid $325 million for Patriots Park, a Reston office park leased to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, adding to a growing portfolio of properties it owns in the D.C. region.” [Washington Business Journal]

Range of Assessment Options Explored in Hearing — “The Reston Association Board of Directors will discuss different scenarios for setting the 2021 assessment rate between $708 and $728 at a public hearing on Nov. 4. The board requested that RA staff explore a range of assessment rates, and how the extra money would be spent, at its regular meeting on Oct. 22.” [RA]

Opinion: Politics Messed Up Silver Line Phase Two — “But perhaps the most remarkable thing about Phase 2 is not how badly the project has been bungled but how few people seem to be concerned about the mess that is being made. No elected officials are speaking out, and the stories detailing the excruciatingly long list of problems with the project are relegated to the back pages of newspapers.” [The Washington Post]

Photo via Marjorie Copson

Reston Association CEO Hank Lynch is aiming to keep next year’s member assessment rate unchanged at $708.

But at a Board of Directors’ meeting on Thursday night, some members suggested increasing the rate — as done in previous years — in order to keep up with major expenses and other operational needs. Lynch hopes to keep fees stable in order to account for the impact of COVID-19 on its membership.

No staff merit pay increases are proposed in Lynch’s budget, resulting in savings of roughly $208,500.

“I don’t think it’s the right thing to do right now,” Lynch said, adding that he discussed the proposal with senior staff, who concurred with his plan.

Board member John Mooney said the “artificially” holding down the rate simply delays more substantial long-term fee increases necessary to keep up with real-time costs.

“It’s artificial. We’re paying with resources from elsewhere,” Mooney said.

Board members Mike Collins also noted that RA’s membership must grow accustomed to fee increases as serious infrastructure challenges come forward due to aging facilities in need of replacement.

To fund the replacement of Lake Thoreau Pool, the board is considering a plan to defer roughly $1.3 million in scheduled 2021 capital expenditures.

“I just don’t see any another way,” Collins said, adding that he “hates” the idea of increasing fees.

The board juggled the possibility of a $20 increase in the coming year, although no number was settled upon.

Mooney suggested that Lynch and his staff consider how a $membership assessment of up to $728 for next year would help meet RA’s costs.

Other budget highlights include:

• Delaying the hire of three vacant positions
• Reducing annual IT expenses by $45,000-$50,000
• Lake maintenance treatments at $31,745

A budget hearing is set for November 4 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. The board plans to indicate that a range of assessments is being considered between $708 and $728.

Photo via Reston Association