Nitro Ice Cream At Farmers Market — Meet some new artisan ice cream makers who are using science to make a tasty product. [Modern Reston]
Meet Zoomph — This Reston company that specializes in real-time social media analytics just added another major Washington sports team to its roster. [Washington Business Journal]
Signs Of Economic Recovery — There has been an uptick in the state and Fairfax County economy, Gov. Terry McAuliffe says. [Fairfax Times]
Lord And Lady Fairfax — Reston’s Ken Fredgren has been selected as the Hunter Mill Lord Fairfax 2015. Fredgren is a longtime advocate for accessibility for people with physical disabilities. Educator Adelle Jones will be the Hunter Mill Lady Fairfax, and former county supervisor chair Kate Hanley was selected by current chairman Sharon Bulova as her Lady Fairfax. The community service honors are given annual as part of Celebrate Fairfax!
Kick off the 2015 Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival at the festival launch party Friday at Reston Town Center Pavilion.
The party gets the 24th annual festival underway with music, a silent auction, and a raffle. The $75 admission also includes food and beverages. Attire is creative cocktail. Party time is from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Visit the event site to purchase tickets.
Money raised at the party will benefit year-round educational and outreach programs produced by Greater Reston Arts Center. GRACE currently has programs in 40 area schools.
The festival is open to the public Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is suggested.
There will be more than 200 artists and artisans from all over the country on hand for the juried show. There will also be dance and musical performance and a Family Art Tent.
Read this previous Reston Now story for additional festival information.
Photo: Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival party 2013/Courtesy GRACE
Are you riding your bicycle to work on Friday? Thousands of cyclists across the Washington, D.C. region will be as part of the annual Bike to Work Day.
Participation in the 2015 event is expected to top last year’s 18,000 registered riders, event organizers said.
The annual ride to work is organized by Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and promotes cycling as a healthy, green commuting option that reduces car emissions and has a positive impact on the environment.
“It’s exciting to see how Bike to Work Day has grown and been supported by the residents, businesses, and organizations in the region, Nicholas Ramfos, Director of Commuter Connections, said in a statement. “We’re hopeful that the event will continue to grow in popularity and expose new riders to the benefits of cycling. Ten percent of Bike to Work Day participants reported that they started cycling to work after participating in their first event, and more than 20 percent say cycling is now a regular part of their commutes.”
Registration for the 2015 event is free and easy to complete online.
All registrants will be entered into a raffle to win one of many donated bicycles.
There will be 79 pit stops set up across the region, including the Reston stop at Reston Station from 6:30 to 9 a.m. Use this pit stop finder to find other stops along your route.
The pit stops will include refreshments and giveaways while supplies last.
Don’t want to go it alone? Find a commuter convoy led by an experienced bicycle commuter.
Bike to Work Day/ARLnow.com file photo
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday deferred making a decision on the proposed new noise ordinance until its June 23 meeting.
The board held a public hearing on the changes at its regular meeting on Tuesday The new noise ordinance has been formulated to replace interim ones that have been in place since 2013.
“It is the purpose and intent of the proposed Ordinance to recognize that certain noise is a hazard to the public health, welfare, peace, and safety, and the quality of life of the citizens of Fairfax County,” county planners say in a staff report on the subject.
“People have a right to and should be ensured of an environment free from sound that jeopardizes the public health, welfare, peace, and safety or degrades the quality of life.”
If the changes are approved, they will affect everything from lawn equipment to pet noise, including:
Activities on School and Recreational Grounds — Advertise a decibel range of 60 to 72 dBA for limiting the maximum noise level for cumulative noise, when loudspeakers are used.
“People Noise” — Begin prohibition on noise that can be heard in residential districts (read: party noise) at 11:00 p.m. on weekends and the day before a holiday.
Dog Parks — Begin dog park hours at 8:00 a.m. on weekends and holidays.
Animal Noise — Any owner or person in control of any animal that allows or otherwise permits any such animal to “bark, howl, bay, meow, squawk, quack, crow or make such other sound between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. that is plainly audible in any other residence with doors and windows closed” could be in violation. There are exceptions and time rules. Read more details on the updated proposal.
Operation of Power Lawn Equipment — Permit the use of power lawn equipment, except leaf blowers, beginning at 5:30 a.m. for golf course maintenance when located more than 50 yards from a residence.
Some activities are currently prohibited under the interim ordinance and will continue to be prohibited:
Night time (9 or 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.): operation of most loudspeakers, outdoor construction, outdoor motor vehicle or mechanical device repair, outdoor powered model vehicle operation, trash collection in residential districts, and the loading and unloading of trucks within 100 yards of a residence.
The county said it would grant waivers if noisemakers can prove the noise does not endanger the public health, safety or welfare; or quieting the noise would produce
serious hardship without producing equal or greater benefit to the public.
See all changes, exceptions and conditions in this chart from the county.
A car accident at Reston Avenue and Leesburg Pike early Sunday has resulted in the death of a New York man.
Fairfax County Police said Devon Martin, 29, of New York City, succumbed to his injuries at Inova Fairfax Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
Police said they were called to the report of a crash on Leesburg Pike near the intersection of Reston Avenue on Sunday about 3:25 a.m.
Two vehicles were westbound on Leesburg Pike in the left lane, police said. The vehicle in front, a 1989 Ford LTL 9000, began to slow to make a left turn. The vehicle behind, a 2015 Chevrolet Cruz, was allegedly traveling at a high rate of speed, failed to stop and struck the Ford in the rear.
Martin was the right front passenger in the Chevrolet. He was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Speed and alcohol are being considered as potential contributing factors in this crash, police said.
No charges have been filed and the crash remains under investigation by the Crash Reconstruction Unit.
Anyone with information or who may have witnessed this crash is asked to contact detectives through Crime Solvers electronically by visiting www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES(274637)** or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131
Fairfax County Police have made an arrest in string of burglaries in which the suspect stole expensive jewelry.
The crimes took place on May 6 through May 8 in Reston, Great Falls, Vienna and McLean.
Detectives arrested Jan Parchewski, 39 of the Chicago area, charging him with burglary and grand larceny following an extensive investigation, police said.
Police said there also may be three accomplices and additional connected incidents.
“There may be others,” said police spokewoman Lucy Caldwell. “We want people to recall unusual or suspicious events such as this- during the past month in Reston. We are fairly certain there are other cases.”
Police said the cases appear to be targeted at wealthier homes, which were being watched by the suspects.
In the Reston incident, a woman and her husband their home on Beacon Heights Drive home for a funeral, and upon return, discovered the front door had been pried open. and jewelry was missing.
In the Great Falls incident, a man walked to his mailbox, and was doing yard work while suspects entered his home and stole thousands of dollars of jewelry the home.
In McLean, a resident of the busy downtown area took her dog to the groomer on May 6, was gone for just a few minutes, when she returned to her home, two different people tried to distract her from going into her home. One man pulled up, asked her for the price of townhomes in the area. Afterwards, a woman approached her and said she’d lost her dog and asked her for help. She told police both had thick accents.
Upon entering her home, she found her jewelry box had been rummaged through and jewels were missing.
The Vienna case took place in the Hunter Mill Road area. A woman told police she had gone to play tennis for a couple of hours and discovered her extensive collection of jewels missing when she returned.
The thieves are described by FCPD as “sophisticated and sometimes use two-way radios to communicate.”
“The cases take place in the morning or daytime and often there are people in the area,” police said in a statement. “Some victims have encountered the suspects and spoken with them; describing them as having thick, European accents. Typically, police encounter these sorts of burglaries a few times each year; often when the weather warms up.”
Police ask that residents check their unsecured jewelry collections; if they find items missing or suspicious, don’t hesitate to file a police report by calling police 703-691-2131 or filing a report online at the Citizens Reporting Service.
Anyone with information is asked to call Fairfax County Police at703-691-2131 or contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637.
Photo: Jan Parchewski/Courtesy FCPD
Residents of the Hunters Square neighborhood near Hunters Woods Village Center are concerned about crime nearby.
That’s why they are hosting a community block party Thursday night. The neighborhood wants to band together to show unity against the rash of car break-ins in the neighborhood, as well as several more violent crimes that have recently occurred at the village center, says Hunters Square cluster president Jasmine Tounni.
Tounni says she is going to take her concerns further.
“I’m also planning to contact Supervisor Hudgins, in order to request that the County allocate funding to the Reston [District Station], in order to provide additional patrol officers for our area, and possibly use a vacant space at the Hunters Woods shopping center for a police satellite office,” she said in an email. “I think this would deter a lot of crime.”
Concerns at Hunters Woods are not new. The Fairfax County Police held community meetings with neighbors in the spring of 2013 and 2014, and another one is planned for May 28 (6:30 p.m., Reston Community Center Hunters Woods).
Reston District Station Crime Prevention Officer Katy Defoe says the upcoming meeting will be focused on the car break-ins. Many of them are in cars with unlocked doors, she said.
“Along Glade Drive, there has been a noticeable increase in thefts from vehicles in the past several months,” Defoe said.
Last May, the focus of two community meetings was encouraging residents to speak up — if you feel unsafe or accosted, and needless to say, if you are the victim of a crime.
Defoe says the Reston District Station has seen impact in the number of calls made to the station.
“We get calls about groups of people hanging out, especially by the tunnel in back of Hunters Woods,” she said. “We get calls when it is happening, instead of after the fact.”
The Hunters Woods patrol area (area 530) has somewhat higher crime than other neighborhoods in Reston, FCPD statistics show. But it does not rank the highest. The Reston Town Center/Reston Hospital patrol area (area 510) had more property crimes and crimes against society in 2014.
Hunters Woods had 442 property crimes (robbery, larceny, burglary, etc.) and 83 crimes against society (drugs, weapons, prostitution) in 2014. Area 530 had 572 property crimes and 142 crimes against society.
In 2013, Hunters Woods had 432 property crimes and 87 crimes against society. It also had a homicide, when the owner of the Hunters Woods Dunkin’ Donuts was killed by an employee in a fight.
Cumulative stats for 2015 are not yet available, Defoe said.
However, two recent robberies at the village center have some people on edge. On April 15, a woman was the victim of attempted robbery at knifepoint in daylight. On May 2, there was a robbery and assault at 8:30 p.m.
In December, the SunTrust bank inside the Hunters Woods Safeway was robbed — part of a string of county robberies in which the suspect has since been arrested. Read More
Police Procedures Public Forum — The Ad Hoc Fairfax County committee to review police practices is holding a public forum May 18.
Tetra’s Way Forward — Restonian’s take on Reston Association’s Tetra purchase. [Restonian]
Drunk Driving Cases Thrown Out — A Judge has dismissed four drunk driving citations issued by a Fairfax County Police officer after he failed to record sobriety tests on his video and audio systems. [Washington Post]
Growth Near Transit — Nearly 90 percent of Fairfax County’s new office space will be within half a mile of a Metro stop, a new report says. [Fairfax Times]
Heron at Lake Audubon/Credit: Sam Simon
Outdoor movies will return to Lake Anne Plaza for the third Lake Anne Summer Film Festival.
The plaza has become a popular spot for the monthly movies. Admission is free, just bring a chair or blanket and a picnic.
Lake Anne restaurants are also open for a before-movie meal or to get takeout.
SCHEDULE:
June 14 – My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
July 12 – E.T. (1982)
Aug. 9 – West Side Story (1961)
Aug 30 – Jazz on a Summer’s Day (1960) *
*Movie Kicks Off Jazz Week at Lake Anne leading up to Lake Anne’s Annual Jazz Festival on Sept. 5.
The movies start around sundown, rain or shine.
Photo: 2014 Lake Anne Film Festival/Credit: Lake Anne Plaza
Police are cleaning up and investigating an collision that took place at Colt’s Neck Road and South Lakes Drive about 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
A Fairfax County Public Schools bus, a Nissan Rogue and a Honda Civic collided, police said.
The cars sustained major damage and were towed from the scene. Police said the drivers of those cars received minor injuries.
The bus was finishing a South Lakes High School route at the time. No students were on board, police said.
The bus suffered minor damage.
As of 3:20 p.m. investigators and the vehicles were still at the scene and traffic in the area has slowed while the investigation continues.
Reston Association’s Board of Directors says it will appeal the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals’ recent ruling that could allow developers to forge ahead without a comprehensive plan amendment.
The owner of the golf course, RN Golf Management, appealed the county zoning office’s 2012 answer that the 166-acre course is zoned open and recreation/community space. The case was heard by the BZA in January at a Fairfax County Government Center packed with supporters of Reston’s open space.
On April 15, the BZA overruled “the zoning administrator to the extent she says a comprehensive plan amendment is a precondition [to development].”
That leaves open the possibility that residential development could occur at the course at Sunrise Valley Drive and Colts Neck Road. That would affect golfers, of course, but also hundreds of homeowners who purchased nearby because of golf course views and nearby open space.
The RA Board voted unanimously (At-Large Director Jeff Thomas was absent) at a special meeting Monday to go ahead with the appeal to the Circuit Court. Citizens advocacy group Rescue Reston is also preparing an appeal, and on Tuesday the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors also voted unanimously to fight the BZA decision.
The deadline for the appeals is Friday.
“The decision reflects RA’s position that any redevelopment of PRC zoned land within Reston, including the Reston National Golf Course, must be reviewed and compared to the existing zoning development plans, and any proffers or conditions attached to the development plans,” RA said in a statement.
“This review and comparison is mandated under Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance Section 16-202 with the purpose of protecting the Reston community from unplanned changes to the development pattern previously approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. If the redevelopment is not in substantial conformance with the approved development plan, then a development plan amendment must be approved by the Board of Supervisors.”
RA says that during the three years of the Reston National situation, county staff did not find copies of the three development plans, which include the Reston National Golf Course and surrounding residential communities.
“A zoning determination for the golf course was issued in June 2012 without these three development plans being available,” RA said. “Because they were unavailable at that time, the golf course owner appealed to the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), seeking a “blank check” for residential redevelopment of the golf course.”
The missing plans were a big discussion during the six-hour January BZA hearing. RA says while the BZA did not provide a “blank check” to the landowner in its decision on April 15, it also “did not confirm that the three development plans later found by county staff in the zoning archives are, in fact, the approved development plans. As such, RA will be appealing the BZA decision.”
Ads RA: “The primary purpose of appealing the BZA decision to the Circuit Court is to have the court confirm that these are the official approved development plans which, until and unless amended, govern the use and development of the golf course, as well as the residences surrounding it. These development plans clearly show golf course and open space uses.”
Have you seen a woman lying down in public under a white sheet near the Reston Regional Library?
Many Restonians have, and that is why officers from the FCPD’s Reston District Station are speaking out about it.
“We get about a dozen calls a day about this person,” says Reston Crime Prevention Officer Katy Defoe. “She is not a danger to herself or the community.”
The woman can often be seen lying down in public areas (sidewalks, medians) in recent months in the Reston area, Defoe said. Sometimes the woman is covered in a white sheet and may appear agitated or shaky.
Police, as well as human services agency representatives in Fairfax County are familiar with the woman and have routine contact and conversation with her. Her behaviors are not “illegal” or criminal in nature, police said.
The Reston District Station is asking the public to respect the privacy of the woman, who has become known as “the lady under the sheet” or the “white sheet lady.”
Defoe said the woman is staying at the Embry Rucker Community Shelter and is receiving county services. She is a recent transfer from the South County district, where she was well-known for the same behaviors. The woman was once hit by a car when she was lying in the street, Defoe said.
Police said to please contact them at (703) 478-0904 if you witness any unusual behavior felt to be a public safety danger, such as lying in the street.
There was both a high turnout and a narrow margin of passage in the Reston Association referendum to purchase the Tetra building.
The referendum passed, RA announced Monday night, and the association will now move forward to close on the purchase by late July.
According to RA’s official vote tally, 5,676 ballots were returned out of a possible 17,511 eligible households. There were 2,926 votes in favor of the purchase (52.9 percent). That’s just 323 votes more than the 2,603 that cast a “no” vote. There were 147 abstentions, which did not count in the vote tally.
The nearly 33-percent turnout was actually quite large for a RA vote. For instance, in the 2015 board elections that wrapped up in March, ballot returns were between 15 and 20 percent, depending on district.
RA will now move forward to secure a $2.7 million loan for the property and organize a committee to get member input and envision a transformation of the 33-year-old building.
The 3,128-square-foot building and its 3.47 acres housed Reston’s Visitor’s Center for 20 years. Since 2003, it has been office space for Tetra Partners, a commercial real estate firm that purchased the building for $750,000.
RA plans to repurpose the building for community and event space and a lakefront park.
Part of the refurbishment will be paid by developer Comstock, which will contribute $650,000, and by the seller, Tetra Partners, which will pay $275,000 for new roofing, HVAC system and other repairs.
The property off of Baron Cameron Avenue sits in between Lake Newport Tennis and Brown’s Chapel Park and will give RA 98 acres of contiguous space.
The referendum capped a contentious couple of months, where RA faced vocal opposition to the purchase. Opponents objected to the purchase price, which was more than double the $1.2 million recent Fairfax County tax assessment. They also questioned RA’s information that commercial development would happen if RA did not make the purchase.
RA Chief Financial Officer Robert Wood said Monday the association talked to three banks about loan terms. The most favorable terms came from Access National, which is offering RA a loan of $2.7 million with an interest rate of 3.35 percent locked in for 10 years, at which time RA would most likely refinance.
The task force will be made up of one resident from each of RA’s districts (Lake Anne/Tall Oaks, Hunters Woods/Dogwood, South Lakes and North Point); three residents of the neighborhoods adjacent to the property; and a member from each of RA’s advisory committees.
RA estimates that it will create revenue of more than $100,000 annually from event and meeting rentals, as well as after-camp and after-school child care programs.
Herndon Man Dies in Great Falls Crash — A 24-year-old on a motorcycle on River Bend Road was struck and killed by a motorist on Sunday. [Fairfax County Police]
Creative Aging And the Arts — Lots happening around here this week as part of Fairfax’s Creative Aging Festival. [Fairfax County]
Reston Firm Fined $9 Million — Global Computer Enterprises, Inc. (GCE), of Reston, along with its president and owner, Raed Muslimani, 53, of Sterling, have agreed to pay $9 million to settle civil claims that said the company concealed using prohibited engineers and employees on software services contracts with the federal government. [US Department of Justice]
Reston Association members have approved the purchase of the former Reston Visitor’s Center.
Nearly 33 percent of eligible member households voted in the member referendum, which ended on Friday. There were 5,676 ballots returned, and the vote passed with 52.92 percent of the vote, Reston Association President Ellen Graves said.
The vote authorizes RA to purchase the 3.48-acre property and its 3,128-square-foot building for up to $2.65 million. RA plans to repurpose the building — which from 1983 to 2003 served as Reston’s Visitors Center and currently serves as offices for Tetra Partners commercial real estate — for community and event space and a lakefront park.
Part of the refurbishment will be paid by Comstock, which will contribute $650,000, and by the seller, Tetra Partners, which will pay $275,000 for new roofing, HVAC system and other repairs.
The property off of Baron Cameron Avenue sits in between Lake Newport Tennis and Brown’s Chapel Park and will give RA 98 acres of contiguous space.
The referendum capped a contentious couple of months, where RA faced vocal opposition to the purchase. Opponents objected to the purchase price, which was far more than the $1.2 million recent Fairfax County tax assessments, as well as RA’s information that commercial development would happen if RA did not make the purchase.
“I understand the significance of the outcome of the referendum,” RA CEO Cate Fulkerson said. “I have great respect for all who participated, either in community meetings or by voting.”
At a special meeting on Monday, Fulkerson and Graves expressed the association’s sadness that the deal will go forward without Tetra founder Bill Lauer, who died suddenly last week.
“It was a great pleasure working with him,” said Fulkerson. “He will be sorely missed in the community.”
The board also voted last night to allow RA to sign financial terms for the property’s mortgage. RA Chief Financial Officer Robert Wood said the association talked to three banks. The most favorable terms came from Access National, which is offering RA a loan of $2.7 million with an interest rate of 3.35 percent locked in for 10 years, at which time RA would most likely refinance.
Graves said a community task force will now form to get community input and form a concept plan for the property.
The task force will be made up of one resident from each of RA’s districts (Lake Anne/Tall Oaks, Hunters Woods/Dogwood, South Lakes and North Point); three residents of the neighborhoods adjacent to the property; and a member from each of RA’s advisory committees.
Fulkerson said her main goal now if to “mitigate expenses so it has little or no impact on member assessments.”
RA estimates that it will create revenue of more than $100,000 annually from event and meeting rentals, as well as after-camp and after-school child care programs.
Preliminary estimates by RA say that member assessments could be impacted as soon as 2018.
