Paid parking at Reston Town Center may have been postponed until January, but town center officials are hoping thousands of people will download the free ParkRTC app in the meantime.
The app, available in Apple and Google Play options, will enable patrons to punch in a zone number and pay the $2-an-hour parking fee without a ticket or stopping at a gate. The app also gives users access to LiveSafe, a safety feature that allows one to report suspicious behavior to RTC security or Fairfax County Police, as well as ask for help in a potentially dangerous situation.
The app has not been well received by Reston Now readers, who have made hundreds of comments on our site saying they are concerned by privacy issues or simply won’t download the app as they plan on never visiting Reston Town Center if they have to pay to park.
It’s a different story, though, if one reads customer reviews on the Apple or Google play sites. Since paid parking is not yet in effect, the app is not really functional. That leads to the thought that the reviews are, well, fabricated. Take these examples:
Simple, easy to use by heather_am
Quick setup. Appreciated the reminder when time was almost up. Receipt function useful when visiting RTC for business. Much easier than the frustrating MoCo parking app that was not easy to use and required a minimum $20 upfront to park.
HAITI ??
Fast and easy to download; One of my fave places, so ready to park RTC.Great app Easy to use. Love it
This app is fast and simple to navigate. Will make the paid parking process at RTC an easy transition!
Of course, there are also the negative reviews, mostly based on glitches with the app, the privacy policy or the principle of paid parking in general:
Camera and No Phone Sleep? Why do you need access to my camera? Why do you need to prevent my phone from sleeping? Do I have to pay you in battery life too?
Nope. Never paying to park in RTC. Will park elsewhere or take my business elsewhere.
I get it. Transitioning from free to pay parking is a big step, and obviously a shock for those patrons that have been parking free at this location for over a decade. But this app just throws gas on the fire.
To whomever was responsible for this abomination: if you’re going to upend people’s routines and expectations with paid parking, at least put in the time and investment in creating a user experience that isn’t laughably amateurish, if not downright hostile.
Seriously. Someone should get fired for thinking this onboarding experience (from the blurred-out location services permissions sheet to the 7 pt TOS link) is remotely acceptable for any viable app, let alone an app requiring such dramatic changes to user behavior.
Have you checked out the app yet? What are your thoughts?
Festival Fun — New citizens were sworn in and cultures from around the world were celebrated through song and dance, stories and food at the 2016 Reston Multicultural Festival on Saturday. Modern Reston captured the fun in pictures. [Modern Reston]
Fairfax County’s New PSA — Fairfax County has a new “See Something, Say Something” message for citizens. [YouTube]
Giant SLHS Win — South Lakes football scored 75 points while keeping McLean scoreless until the fourth quarter in a 75-8 victory over the Highlanders Fridat. SLHS is 4-0 and will host Washington-Lee on Friday. Herndon (1-3) fell to Chantilly 26-7 for its third straight loss. [Washington Post]
Post Endorses Meals Tax — The Washington Post editorial board endorses voting in favor of the Fairfax County Meals tax Nov. 8. The proposed 4 percent tax on meals and other prepared foods will generate about $100 million annually, and 70 percent will go to Fairfax County Public Schools. [Washington Post]
Photo: Turkish dancers at 2016 Reston Multicultural Festival/Credit: Charlotte Geary, Modern Reston
Yesterday was the first day of autumn.
In typical Northern Virginia fashion, that means its is warm enough for shorts, a few pools are still open and trees are all green.
Boots and pumpkin patches seem so far away right now. We thought of a few uniquely Reston things that say “a change of seasons” though. We’ll know fall when we see it. Take our poll and tell us your favorite sign.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission deferred decision until next week on Lincoln Property Company’s plans to build 260 multifamily residences on what is now a parking lot at Sunrise Valley, Commerce Park and Association drives.
Hunter Mill Commissioner Frank de la Fe asked that the decision be delayed after Wednesday’s public hearing. Reason: the amount of the developer contribution to the Reston Road Fund — which will be used to help make more than $2.6 billion in transportation improvements here over several decades — is not yet known.
De la Fe said more information on the road fund is expected this week. Lincoln Property Co. has agreed to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue proffers and money to provide public access to the private street.
There are still proffers that need to be worked out: the extension of a sidewalk along Association Drive; additional tree plantings along Sunrise Valley Drive; and the number of Universal Design Units (developer has offered 2 percent; county has asked for 5 percent). Read More
There is a good chance that Reston Association assessments could top $700 annually in 2017.
RA Treasurer Dannielle LaRosa presented some of the financial realities to board members at their regular meeting Thursday. The board spends September and October looking at next year’s budget needs before setting next year’s assessment in November.
LaRosa reminded board members that RA members paid $657 in 2016, however, that amount was offset by a $1 million surplus moved over from operating fund reserves. RA members have been getting a service level as if they paid $705 in 2016, she said.
LaRosa warned last fall that the $1 million would not be available in 2017, so the board needed to be prepared to possibly set a large jump in the 2017 assessment amount.
“Our members are used to paying $657,” she said. “I personally wouldn’t feel right having a $712 starting point [for 2017 assessments].”
LaRosa also said assessments rose at a $25-a-year rate from 2008 to 2014, which added to both the cash surplus as well as a marked increase in the Reserve, Repair and Replacement Fund.
From 2011 to 2013, the RRRF was about $4 million, she showed the directors in a graph. That was an amount recommended by a reserve study that looked at RA’s needs for an aging infrastructure.
There is now $6 million in there — heading for $7 million in 2017. At the same time, RA has been spending a little more than $2 million annually on those RRRF projects. Read More
Election season officially begins when absentee voting opens Friday in Fairfax County.
There are 19 valid reasons to vote absentee in Virginia, including working and commuting to and from home for 11 or more hours between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Election Day. Check the Virginia Department of Elections list to see if you are eligible.
Absentee voting will be available at the Fairfax County Government Center (12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax) through Nov. 5.
Hours:
Sept. 23 to Oct. 14
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Monday, Oct. 10 (Columbus Day).
Oct. 17 to Nov. 4
- Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays
- Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and Nov.5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Satellite locations, including the North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Dr. in Reston, open Oct. 1. Satellite location hours:
Saturdays
- Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Oct. 17 to Nov. 4. Monday – Friday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Mail-in
Visit the Virginia Department of Elections citizen portal to get a mail-in absentee ballot. Your ballot must be received by Nov. 1. You will need your Social Security Number and information on your Virginia Driver’s License to complete the application. Information is also provided on how to apply if you do not have a driver’s license.
See the above video for information on how to mail in your ballot so it will surely count.
Crossfield Challenge Growing — Parents with children at Crossfield Elementary School are ready to battle as a proposed cell phone tower goes before the Fairfax County Planning Commission next week. [NBC4 Washington]
Greater Reston Chamber Part of Coalition For Cash — The State of Virginia has made available $36 million to a coalition of Norther Virginia Chambers, which includes the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. [Washington Business Journals]
Football Tonight — Undefeated South Lakes (3-0) is at McLean tonight. Herndon (1-2) is at Chantilly. Game times are 7 p.m.
Art Auction Tonight — The Greater Reston Arts Center is holding an art auction from the estate of Mary Howard, a Reston collector “with a valuable collection that is “an eclectic mix that is just as unique and free-spirited as the woman herself.” [Reston Now]
Modern Market In Reston — Colorado-based Modern Market, a fast casual restaurant, is making planning to open in Reston in 2017. A location has not been announced. [Borderstan]
(Updated, 5 p.m. with new number of customers affected)
Dominion Virginia Power is trying to restore power to more than 8,500 customers in North Reston, parts of Herndon and Great Falls Thursday afternoon.
The outage, which occurred about 4 p.m., includes the Wiehle Avenue, Center Harbor and Reston Parkway areas, including North Point Village Center. It also stretches across Route 7 to the Potomac River to encompass the Great Falls area.
The power company is investigating the cause of the outage. Preliminary information is a “circuit is out” according to Dominion’s interactive map.
Dominon says power should be restored between 7 and 10 p.m.
Meanwhile, it is affecting many streetlights, so plan your trips accordingly.
Map of Reston power outage/Dominion
Fairfax County Police are investigating a shooting that injured a man who witnessed a fight at Southgate Community Center in Reston on Wednesday.
Police were called to the rec center in the 12100 block of Pinecrest Road about 9 p.m. for a report of an assault with a weapon.
The victim, a 48-year-old man, was with his 4-year-old son outside of the center, when he saw a woman arguing with two men. The two men got into a gray/silver sport utility-style car, witnesses told police.
The woman started to walk away from the area when one of the suspects allegedly discharged a gun. The victim was grazed on his upper body.
Further investigation determined that the woman and two men were acquaintances and were there to conduct illegal activity, police said.
One suspect was described as Hispanic; the other black, both in their early 20s. The driver of the car appeared to be a woman, described as Hispanic in her early 20s.
The victim did not require medical attention and the child was not injured. The investigation is ongoing.
An analysis by advocacy group Reston 2020 says Reston Association will spend $1 million on the Lake House this year.
The Lake House — formerly Tetra — has been hit with financial difficulties since it was purchased for $2.6 million — about twice its assessed value — in 2015. RA showed a cost overrun of $430,000 last spring, due in part to a six-figure expected rentback from former owner/tenant Tetra that did not happen.
Exterior renovations to turn the building from offices to a community use building for afterschool care, meetings and events, also cost way more than anticipated.
RA CEO Cate Fulkerson will outline the Lake House financial outlook at tonight’s regular RA Board meeting. The board is also expected to pick an outside firm to conduct an independent audit of the Lake House cost overrun.
According to RA documents and Reston 2020’s analysis, RA will spend in 2016:
- $700,000 on renovation of the interior and exterior of the Tetra building.
- More than $107,000 on operating expenses, some $95,000 comprises employee-related expenses.
- Mortgage payments that will total nearly $184,000 this year.
RA numbers show it is now bringing in money as afterschool care began this month and it is booked for many events.
Total revenues were $3,677 in August, but are expected to jump to $31,000 this month and grow each month, according to RA’s spreadsheet.
But Reston 2020 compares the numbers with the original estimates in RA’s 2015 Tetra purchase fact sheet to show the ground it must make up, including:
- 2015 estimate that operating expenses would be $45,011 in 2016. RA’s latest report puts operating expenses at $107,303–more than double RA’s “fact sheet” projection.
- No program expenses because RA anticipated that the building would be leased back to Tetra developers through 2016. Now RA anticipates $107,303 in operating/programming expenses for this year.
- 2016 overhead expenses, including “existence cost” expenses and loan costs, were expected to reach $228,623 in the fact sheet. They are now projected to grow slightly to $247,072 this year.
Read more on Reston 2020’s blog.
Correction: This story originally misidentified America’s Future Inc. as the America’s Future Foundation, which is a different organization.
Fairfax County and Virginia Department of Election officials say registered voters have received fraudulent letters in recent days suggesting their voter registration status was in question.
Edgardo Cortés, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections says letters have reportedly come from two organizations — America’s Future, Inc. and the Voter Participation Center.
“Letters sent by these organizations have reportedly been addressed to individuals who were already properly registered, are not qualified to register at the mailing address used, or are deceased,” Cortes said in a statement. “Although these letters include our street address and contact information, these letters did not come from the Department and are not official election mail. … Voters can disregard any information received from outside entities that contradict our official records.”
Virginia voters can always confirm their current voter registration status and submit necessary updates on the Department of Elections’ secure citizen portal.
Official election mail will also come with a distinct logo (left), state officials said.
Additionally, Fairfax County election officials say everything local voters need to know about the upcoming General Election on Nov. 8 can be found on Fairfax County’s Elections website.
In-person absentee voting begins in Fairfax County on Friday, Sept. 23 at the Fairfax County Government Center.
Here comes another race through South Reston this weekend.
The Perfect 10 is Sunday at 8 a.m. Participants can pick which course to run — a 10K or a 10 mile. There is also a 1-mile fun run or walk that begins at 8:05 a.m.
The race starts and ends at South Lakes High School.
Registration is available online through Friday ($45), as well as at packet pickup and on race day (space permitting).
The races will affect some nearby streets. The curb lanes will be closed to traffic while the races are underway. Click below to see the course maps.
After a car crash with injuries on Wiehle Avenue earlier this week, many Reston Now readers chimed in that “something needs to be done” about the stretch of Wiehle from Baron Cameron Avenue to Sunset Hills Road.
The road is on a hill in that section and features a slight blind curve. Monday’s crash occurred at Wiehle and Inlet Court. That intersection was the site of nine crashes in 2015, according to Fairfax County Police. It was the second crash at the intersection in 2016.
A pedestrian was hit and killed by a driver at Wiehle and Chestnut Grove last October, one of three car-vs.-pedestrian incidents in 2015, records show. The woman killed in that crash was crossing Wiehle at dawn outside of a crosswalk.
FCPD points to several intersections as trouble spots on Wiehle. Since the start of 2015, there have been 20 collisions at Wiehle and North Shore Drive. The busy intersection at Baron Cameron has had 17 crashes in that time frame.
There have been 12 crashes at the intersection at Sunset Hills since the start of 2015, FCPD records show. That area continues to be a trouble spot, with the W&OD Trail also crossing Wiehle there. Access to the Silver Line station at Wiehle-Reston East and egress from Fairfax County Fire Rescue Station 25 also complicate things at that intersection.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation plans a pedestrian bridge to take the W&OD over Wiehle. The $10 million bridge likely won’t be built until 2021, however.
Meanwhile, while it seems Wiehle is an increasingly dangerous road, FCPD spokesman Officer Don Gotthardt points out that incidents are actually down in 2016.
There were 53 collisions on Wiehle in 2015. With a little over three months left to go in 2016, there have been 25 recorded by police. Gotthardt said the reasons for the decline were unknown.
Overall, there have been 78 collisions recorded since the start of 2015, though, which does it make Wiehle a trouble spot. What do you think should be done to make it safer? Tell us in the comments below.
Also, check out the document from Fairfax County Police mapping and categorizing what has happened on Wiehle in the last 20 months.
Collisions on Wiehle Avenue by Karen Goldberg Goff on Scribd
Startup Will Help Cull Deer Here — A Richmond startup is marketing its services for private-property deer hunts in Fairfax County. The county has a deer management program to cull deer in county parks. A few Reston homeowners have also received permission from RA in the last few years to control population with contracted hunters on their own property. [Fairfax Times]
More Hunter Mill Talk — Here is some of the feedback residents gave to Fairfax County Department of Transportation Officials at a recent meeting about Hunter Mill Road backups. [Connection]
Silver Line On Track — Metro officials say construction on Silver Line Phase 2 is now “35 to 40” percent complete. The six new stations, including at Reston Town Center and Herndon, are on schedule to open in early 2020. [WTOP]
Photo: September sunset in Reston/Credit: Joy Every
Lake Anne Plaza is the place to be Saturday, Sept. 24 for the Reston Multicultural Festival.
The Reston Multicultural Festival, organized by Reston Community Center, is a celebration of the diversity and community spirit found in Reston. This annual event brings together the people of Reston to celebrate the rich medley of cultures through music, dance, food and more.
Everyone is encouraged to dress in attire representative of their cultural background.
The fun begins at 11 a.m. with a naturalization ceremony for the area’s newest citizens. Students from South Lakes High School’s chorus will sing the Star-Spangled Banner and SLHS ROTC members will present the colors.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, a traditional Chinese dragon dance will wind through the plaza, marking the opening of the entertainment stages.
Entertainment will be in three areas. Click on each below to see the full lineups, which include everything from Bolivian dance to Japanese drumming to Irish music with Billy McComiskey, National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow.
The day will also include:
- Multicultural Book Fair in partnership with the Fall for the Book Festival at George Mason University this weekend.
- Author book signings
- Kimono fashion show
- Arts & Crafts activities
- Art Mirrors Culture Exhibit
- Global café offering international fare
- Global market showcasing treasures from around the world
Admission is free.
Photo: Dragon dance at Reston Multicultural Festival/Credit: Reston Community Center
