Wheelock Communities is still courting ideas for the redevelopment of Hidden Creek Country Club amid community consternation and angst on the future of the 159-acre golf course. 

The developer, which bought the golf course in October 2017, is considering redeveloping the club into a large public park with an unidentified number of residential units. The plan is in its initial stages as Wheelock continues virtual meetings with stakeholders. 

Steve Coniglio, a regional partner for the mid-Atlantic region at Wheelock, says that while he is aware of differing opinions and concerns about the golf course, he welcomes a transparent community discussion.

“Let’s get all of the people who care and let’s get them into a room and let’s figure this out. What’s the right answer for Hidden Creek?”

So far, the develop is considering creating seven neighborhoods with a “broad spectrum” of affordable housing, according to its website. A 100-acre public park will include recreational facilities like an indoor tennis and pickle ball court, senior fitness area, and a playground. The developer also plans to add between two to four miles of public trails, a new trailhead off of Sunset Hill Road connecting to the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, and new landscaping and stormwater management features.

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.

The community advocacy group is hoping to do the same with Hidden Creek. Recently, the group stepped its advocacy efforts after Wheelock concluded meetings with stakeholders by urging attendees to encourage Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn to support their plan.

The Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan states the golf course should remain a golf course. An amendment to the plan would be required for Wheelock to proceed with any plans.

Alcorn told Reston Now he has no plans to initiate a change to the comprehensive plan to allow development to proceed. 

“I have long and consistently stated – including during last year’s supervisor election, and since – that unless and until communities surrounding the golf course indicate their desire to initiate a change the Comprehensive Plan I will oppose any such change.  It is also not within the scope of the current review of the comprehensive plan for Reston,” Alcorn said.

Rescue Reston has since renewed advocacy to preserve Hidden Creek. Over the weekend, volunteers placed bright yellow flags urging residents to save Reston’s golf courses.

“From its inception, the planned community of Reston was designed to have concentrated open space and concentrated development. It also was based on diversity of socioeconomic households,” wrote Connie Hartke, Rescue Reston’s president, in a statement.

Lynne Mulston, chair of Rescue Reston North Committee, added that Wheelock appears to pitch its public park concept to the community without offering more details on the housing component of the project.

“Wheelock spends more time discussing an additional five miles of pathway

(to add to Reston’s existing 55 miles plus Reston’s existing access to the W&OD trail, the Gerry

Connolly Cross County Trail and nearby paths in Lake Fairfax Park) than time spent focusing on the housing lots they will sell off to individual homebuilders.”

An official proposal with the county has not been filed, nor is it clear when the proposal may be submitted, Coniglio said. 

Coniglio says turning the golf course into a public park with a housing component is a win-win situation. While the number of residential units has not been finalized — up to 1,000 has been pitched — Coniglio says the units will likely vary from single-family homes to duplex units.

“It’s a pretty good trade when you’re looking at transitioning from a private country club with a limited number of services to becoming a public park that’s really for all. That’s really in the spirit of diversity and inclusiveness that is Reston.”

Reston Association to Host Listening Session — On Thursday, RA CEO Hank Lynch and Board President Julie Bitzer will host a virtual listening session via Zoom. Members can ask questions or give comment at 7 p.m. [Reston Association]

Free Legal Help for Small Businesses in Northern Virginia — “The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) is partnering with the Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center and Start Small Think Big on the COVID-19 Pro Bono Collaborative, an initiative to provide free legal assistance to small businesses in Northern Virginia during the COVID-19 pandemic, including help with federal assistance, grant and loan programs, leases and employment issues.” [FCEDA]

Virtual Meeting on Herndon-Reston Bus Changes Tomorrow — The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is seeking feedback on its proposal for bus service in the Herndon-Reston area to improve one-time performance and streamline service. A virtual meeting is set for tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. [Fairfax County Government]

Photo by Marjorie Copson

A plan to redevelop an abandoned pool behind Vantage Hill Condominiums (11619 Vantage Hill Road) is moving forward.

Craftmark Homes, a homebuilding company with properties in the region, hopes to redevelop the pool, which has been closed for the last seven years, into a site with 31 townhouses. Proceeds from the development would help find improvements and maintenance that the condominium’s leadership says are sorely needed. The site was, which has 152 units spread out across 24 buildings, was one of Reston’s first housing projects and offers workforce housing.

Rob Schuman, the community association’s president, said the future of Vantage Hill is extremely uncertain of infill development does not proceed. The community’s aging infrastructure is difficult to main, operate, and needs to be repairs. The area is also shifting toward rental units with high homeowners’ association fees.

“If we don’t find a way to get access to the cash for this rebuild, this is a bad trajectory for Vantage Hill,” Schuman said.

The project highlights the challenge of redevelopment and infill development area’s outside of Reston’s transit-oriented core.

At a meeting in late June with Reston Association’s Design Review Board, members said they were concerned about how close the townhouses are to the road, the loss of tree canopy, and the orientation of the row of houses towards the street.

“The density is just far too high for the site,” said DRB member Michael Wood, adding that he is not opposed to the development overall.

Others said they were concerned that townhouses facing the street would create set a dangerous precedent for other infill development.

Some struggled with the challenge of incorporating the new development into 1960s-era housing by adhering to Reston’s core design principles while also giving the developer the flexibility needed to build a new product.

Mark Looney, an attorney representing the developer, stressed that the community, RA, and the county would have to work with Craftmark if infill development is preferred instead of completely redeveloping the site.

“I don’t know if any community — inner city or suburb — can remain the same for 100 years without adjusting or changing along the way,” Looney said at the meeting.

The developer has presented preliminary design concepts to Reston Association. At the DRB meeting on June 30, Looney said the developer sought to get “buy in” on its proposal and how to move forward.

He added that the developer is trying to honor the 2.1-acre site, which has challenging topography due to its grade, by pitching a creative design.

“There’s only a small ability to vary the design from what Craftmark has shown,” Looney said.

The proposal has not been formally filed with the county yet.

Photo via Reston Association/handout

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for the area until 11 p.m. today.

The National Weather Service says that strong and widespread thunderstorms are in the afternoon and into the evening.

Another, possibly stronger and more widespread round of thunderstorms is expected this afternoon/evening. A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for the areas highlighted in green on map 1. Also, the threat level for severe weather has been increased across the areas in yellow on map 2 pic.twitter.com/JvPr1GcDKO

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) July 6, 2020

Forecasters also say to watch out for damaging winds, large hail and an isolated threat for flooding.

A flash flood watch is also in effect until 6 p.m. today in Herndon and Reston.

THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR

* PORTIONS OF MARYLAND, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS, IN MARYLAND, ANNE ARUNDEL, CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST HOWARD, CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MONTGOMERY, NORTHERN BALTIMORE, NORTHWEST HARFORD, PRINCE GEORGES, SOUTHEAST HARFORD, AND SOUTHERN BALTIMORE. THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA, ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA.

* UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING

* THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THIS EVENING ALONG THE I-95 CORRIDOR. SOME AREAS MAY EXPERIENCE MULTIPLE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THIS EVENING. RAINFALL AMOUNTS  OF 1-2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE, WITH SOME ISOLATED AMOUNTS OVER 3  INCHES POSSIBLE. THIS AMOUNT OF RAIN OVER URBAN AREAS MAY LEAD TO INSTANCES OF FLASH FLOODING, AS WELL AS A POTENTIAL FOR CREEKS AND STREAMS TO RISE RAPIDLY IF SOME OF THE HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE REALIZED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.

Staff photo by Jay Westcott

Several businesses in the Town of Herndon can soon take advantage of outdoor dining space on town property.

The Herndon Town Council is considering a proposal to approve the use of town property and public right-of-way for temporary outdoor dining. The proposal heads to the council for a vote tomorrow (Tuesday).

Although restrictions on indoor dining have been lifted, the businesses are seeking space to expand their operations on town property. Previously, the town streamlined its temporary approvals process for outdoor dining on private property.

Here’s more from Lisa Yeatts, the town’s attorney:

Under standard town procedures, requests for a License to use the town sidewalks, streets or parking lots, must be approved by the Town Council after a public hearing causing the entire process to take several months before a License is issued. In order to expedite the process established Phase I Temporary Outdoor Dining Permits, the Town Council amended Ordinance 20-O-23, Continuity of Governmental Operations during Pandemic Disaster (COVID-19), as amended, on May 26, 2020 by Ordinance 20-0-30, authorizing the Town Manager to approve and sign instruments necessary to address the phased reopening of the town. Such instruments are subject to final consideration and ratification by the Town Council at its next available Public Hearing

Seven business plan to expand outdoor dining:

• Green Lizard Cycling
• Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern
• Mile 20 at Mediterranean Breeze
• Red Kimono
• Russia House Restaurant
• Sully’s Pour House
• Zeffirelli Ristorante Italiano

The council meets tomorrow at 7 p.m. Other items on the agenda include discussion on federal funding due to COVID-19 and restructuring the town’s debt.

Photo by George Nikolopoulos

Weather Alert for Today — The work week begins with hot and humid weather.  Afternoon showers and thunderstorms are also expected. Forecasters say some storms could be strong to severe, with damaging. Winds, large hail, and an isolated threat for flooding. [National Weather Service]

COVID-19 Count Begins Climb — “Both Virginia and the Northern Virginia region reported the highest daily number of new coronavirus cases in almost a month on Saturday, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Northern Virginia reported 256 new cases, and statewide 716 new cases were reported. Both numbers were the highest since June 7.” [Inside NOVA]

Virtual Town Hall for Return to School — The Fairfax County Public Schools System is hosting a downhill to discuss return to school options on today (Monday). A meeting in Spanish will be held on Wednesday. [FCPS]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

The county plans to close on a long-awaited workforce housing development in Herndon this fall.

Construction on the 274-unit project, which is located south of the Dulles Access Road, will be completed in the summer of 2022.

The apartment building is located in the Arrowbrook Centre, a mixed-use project that includes Arrowbrook Centre Park, for-sale townhomes and condominiums and office buildings.

Once construction is completed, roughly $7.7 million in Housing Blueprint funds will be issued.  The Fairfax County Housing Redevelopment Authority will also issue roughly $22 million in bonds for the transaction this summer. Closing is expected in the fall.

“We’re really excited about this one,” said Tom Fleetwood at a Fairfax County Board of Supervisor’s housing committee meeting earlier this week.

The rental community targets households with incomes at or below 30, 40, 50 and 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). The county will provide 14 units using state and federal vouchers that target households at 40 percent of the AMI. Half of the remaining units will be financed through Low Income Housing Tax Credits.

Units will vary between 422 square feet for studio sand 1,305 square feet for three-bedroom units.

A Feb. 2019 market feasibility analysis noted that Arrowbrook Centre is located in a market area. That is “younger, affluent section of an equally affluent county.” Roughly 40 percent of the primary market area’s renters are young adults under the age of 35, according to the report.

Image via handout/Fairfax County Government

Walmart Labs is expanding its presence in the Reston area.  The announcement comes as a growing number of technologies — including Microsoft — expand their footprint in the community.

The company’s technology arm has signed to lease establish a new technology center at 2245 Monroe Street, according to the Washington Business Journal.

WBJ also reports that the company will take up roughly 162,300 square-feet of a building owned by an affiliate of Barings Real Estate.

The building, which is located near the Herndon Metro Station, was recently renovated. The company already leases spaces at 10780 Parkridge in Reston.

The move would bring more than 100 jobs to Reston.

Photo courtesy Transwestern

New Purple Bin for Reston — Reston officially has two purple glass recycling bins. The newest addition is located in the parking lot of Baron Cameron Park in Reston. [Fairfax County Government]

Stolen Car Recovered After Arrest — Local police have arrested a drive and passenger after they discovered that a car involved in an accident appeared to be stolen. The incident occurred on June 30 at 2431 Fox Mill Road at around 4 p.m.  [Fairfax County Police Department]

Gradual Reopening of RECenter Planned — “The Fairfax County Park Authority’s nine RECenters will reopen to the public over the next several weeks as the region moves into Phase Three of Gov. Ralph Northam’s Forward Virginia Blueprint. This will be a phased reopening starting with Lee District, Oak Marr and Spring Hill RECenters on Monday, July 13, 2020.” [Fairfax County Government]

Fairfax Connector to Operate Saturday Service — “Fairfax Connector Bus Service will operate Saturday service on Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4, 2020, in observance of the Independence Day Holiday.” [Fairfax County Government]

Photo via vantagehll/Flickr

The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce has elected its 2020-2021 Board of Directors.

Dee Kakar, vice president at M&T Bank, will begin his term as board chairman. He replaces Maggie Parker, senior vice president of community relations  at Comstock, who ended her year of leadership. Tom Madden of Visual Impact Productions will take over as chair-elect. Parker will continue in to serve on the board in her new position as secretary.

“The 2020 – 2021 year will be a challenging yet defining year for businesses and the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce,” Kakar said. “I am committed to the challenge of furthering the conversation on diversity, social injustice, and inclusion. We will invent new ways of promoting business and continue our history of being a leader in the Dulles Corridor.” 

A complete breakdown of this year’s Board of Directors is below:

• Matt Clary, law offices of Matt Clary
• Kendal Coleman, CST
• Charles Kapur, GRCC
• Joe Becker, Not Your Average Joe’s
• Matt Brennan, Brennan and White
• Iris Britt, Iris Britt Consulting
• Steve Coniglio, Hidden Creek Country Club
• John Deardorff, Reston Hospital Center
• Michael Delpierre, Conversion
• Bailey Edelson, JBG Properties
• Jame Estep, John Marshall Bank
• Mike Franz, SOSi
• Leila Gordon, Reston Community Center
• Bob. Hicks, Bean Kinney & Korman
• Mike Jennings, BEI
• Andy Klaff, Newmark Knight Frank
• Alex Lane, Northwest Federal Credit Union
• Hank Lynch, Reston Association
• Jeff Makhlouf, Sheraton Reston
• Colin May, KME.digital
• Mike Misleh, Veatch Commercial
• Shane Murphy, Reed Smith LLP
• Andrew Painter, Walsh., Colluci, Lubuley & Walsh
• Chris Pharo, Leidos
• Kenyetta Price, Boston Properties
• Anne Rosenblum, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority
• Laura Siko, Northern Virginia Community College
• Kevin Taylor, CDB-X
• Gordon. Thrall, ,Geurnsey Office Supplies
• Monica Tressler, Sandy Spring. Bank
• Tyson Warren, Hyatt Regency Reston
• Carrie Welch, Comfort Works
• Charlene Wheeless, Charlene Wheeless, LLC
• Kerrie Wilson, Cornerstones

Charles Kapur, president and CEO of GRCC said the chamber has been “blessed with corporate citizens” who accepted nominations to serve as members of the board.

Each year, the chamber’s membership elected the chair-elect and new and re-appointed members of the Board of Directors. This year’s slate was unanimously approved by GRCC’s membership, Kapur said.

Photo via Myers Public Relations, LLC

A forensic analysis by Ernst & Young (EY) has flagged concerns with past financial practices and decision making by the Lake Anne Reston Condominium Association.

LARCA President Senzel Schaefer said she initiated the review following a board vote after last year’s election brought a new slate of board members who committed to “change and fiscal responsibility.” In-fighting and contention over finances have marred the board leading up to and following the election. Schaefer said she hoped the review would shed light on financial mismanagement, ultimately putting the board on “a new path to financial solvency.”

The review calls on LARCA to establish better internal controls and accountability practices. E&Y reviewed spending and other activities of the previous LARCA board over the last three fiscal years.

Schaefer said the report — which she characterized as an audit — is critical to improving the financial standing of the association. She says she’s been targeted by a “small but vocal group” of people seeking to halt the audit and her work. A lawsuit has been served against her, she said.

“I repeatedly pointed out to these individuals and still believe that good governance starts with transparency of operations and finances and following our bylaws, which were not adhered to in the past, so I will not stop the audit because we need to know where operations broke down and how to fix them,” she said.

“The question should be: in light of our financial irregularity and operational failures; why would anyone be so opposed to an audit which would give us answers and a path forward?” she added.

Others contend the review offers an incomplete and misleading picture of LARCA’s past financial practices. They also state Schaefer acted unilaterally by approaching E&Y with strong allegations against the previous board. Schaefer denies those allegations, saying she acted with the consent of the board.

Karen Jarvis, a property owner at Lake Anne who stepped down from her role as chair of LARCA’s finance committee, said a request for significant additions, corrections, and retractions is in progress. Jarvis, who is a procurement compliance manager and a former finance manager, says that the report is based on limited documentation to E&Y — some of which she says is accessible in LARCA’s administrative office.

“We are still working with E&Y to get a final version signed off with corrections,” Jarvis said. “There were huge amounts of information that were not provided but are readily available.”

The draft report — which was posted publicly by a community advocacy group — was released on May 29 and presented to the membership in mid-June. The Fairfax County Police Department also expects to release a report about its investigation of LARCA by the end of July, according to Second Lieutenant Erica Webb.

When analyzing $2.68 million dispersed to the top ten vendors, EY found “limited written policies and procedures at LARCA,” including the lack of written bidding, contracting or payment requirements. It suggested considering rebidding for large vendors to ensure the most favorable market-competitive rates were secured.

Read More

The Herndon Police Department has released body camera footage and a police report to refute allegations that a local police officer was hostile during an investigation of bus fight between two Herndon Middle School students late last year.

The footage and redacted police report were released yesterday (Tuesday) to challenge allegations by the NAACP of Fairfax County that HPD Officer Michael Murn was “openly hostile and angry” during an interview with Sandra Barksdale, her 13-year-old son, Khaleaf Ali, and Sujatha Hampton, the NAACP’s education chair, following the incident. Hampton also stated Murn pointed her finger angrily at her during the interview.

Barksdale alleges the school system and the police department criminalized her son, who she says was the victim in the fight, not the perpetrator. She also contends the officer falsified the police report.

During the follow-up meeting in October of last year, Murn explained that interviews with eight students — who were interviewed with parent permission on school property — indicated that Barksdale’s son started the fight against the student.

Murn said students indicated her son used inappropriate language — including the f-word and the n-word — and assumed a “doubling down posture” against the other student, who was at the back of the bus at the time of the incident.

The officer also added that his interviews indicated bullying began right away and that the other child was defending himself.

“If these children were talking about my child, I would want to know,” Murn said.

The incident occurred on Town of Herndon property.

Barksdale and Hampton expressed confusion about the interviews and requested a police report of the incident during the interview.

Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard defended the police officer’s professionalism and handling of the case.

The NAACP of Fairfax County maintains Barksdale’s son was the victim of the assault. Video of the bus incident corroborates their claim, according to remarks delivered yesterday.

Photo via YouTube

County Releases Police Arrest and Traffic Data — The Fairfax County Police Department has released data on traffic citations and arrests by race and gender. The data were provided in “our continued commitment to full transparency to our community and continuous participation in conversation on improving law enforcement,” FCPD said. [FCPD]

Cleaning Work on Underpasses Underway — Reston Association’s crews have been cleaning up underpasses around the community. Yesterday (Tuesday), the team completed the Soapstone to Terraset underpass and “are actively working to take care of all the underpasses.” [Reston Association]

On the Lookout for Destructive Beetle — “It has not yet been detected in Fairfax County, but the county government is asking local residents to be on the lookout for the Asian longhorned beetle, which has been found in other areas of the country and is very destructive to hardwood trees. This beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) has blue feet, a black body and white spots on its back. It is seen as a major problem as it has no natural predators in the U.S.” [WTOP]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Although the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to drop, local health officials are encouraging residents to maintain social distancing as the county enters phase three of Gov. Ralph Northam’s reopening plan tomorrow (Wednesday).

The number of COVID-19 cases has dramatically declined from a peak of around 300 cases per day to an average of 60 to 70 cases per day, according to Benjamin Schwartz, the Fairfax County Health Department’s medical epidemiologist.

“We have not seen a rebound of disease associated with our community moving into phase one and two. However, the time has been limited,” Schwartz told the county’s health committee at a meeting today, adding that cases are expected to increase as health restrictions relax.

The county is using a “box it in” suppression strategy to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. Efforts include intensive contact tracing in order to isolate the spread of the virus. Hiring and training for case investigators to lead contact tracing efforts are underway.

Gloria Addo-Ayensu, the health department’s director, said that COVID-19 surges in other states following reopening should “serve as a reminder that the virus has not gone away.”

“Until we develop a vaccine, we cannot return to the way things used to be,” she said, adding that residents need to “stay the course” on social distancing, wearing facial masks, and quarantining if exposed to COVID-19.

The health department launched several community testing clinics — which were targeted for specific hotspots. Herndon, which has been identified as a hotspot, had a nine percent positive test rate. Other hotspots include the Mount Vernon District and Springfield.

“We are far from over, but I do want to at least acknowledge that we have come a long way,” said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.

Schwartz noted that the overwhelming impact of COVID-19 on the local Hispanic community has lessened somewhat, although significant disproportionality remains.

The county is recruiting Hispanic community health tracers and contact tracers. The department is also working with nongovernmental and county agencies to help families and individuals in quarantine.

Photo via Fairfax County Government