Officers from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station report an attempted burglary on Tuesday in unincorporated Herndon.

Police said a resident in the 12800 block of Williams Meadow Court resident reported someone entered the residence at night. Nothing was taken.

In other police news in the last week:

LARCENIES

6300 block of Dranesville Road, equipment from school.

1500 block of North Point Drive, property from residence.

11600 block of Springhouse Place, phone from residence.

11800 block of Coopers Court, wallet from vehicles.

1800 block of Explorer Street, wallet from business.

2000 block of Royal Fern Court, purse from residence.

1700 block of Quietree Drive, jewelry from residence.

2000 block of Royal Fern court, purse from business.

13400 block of Coppermine Road, wallet from residence.

12900 block of Highland Crossing Drive, license plate from vehicle.

2400 block of Mason Ferry Drive, property from residence.

1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, wallet from residence.

Lake Anne Development Partners are planning to conduct Crescent Apartments and Lake Anne-area redevelopment in three phases, according to the project’s staff report.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last week gave final approval to LADP’s extensive plan to develop the 24-acre site with more than 1,000 new residences, 78,000 square feet of office space and 58,000 square feet of retail space, including a grocery store, and a one-acre central park.

The entire project is expected to take 10 to 12 years to complete, LADP officials said.

Here is how they see it happening:

Phase 1 will begin with the demolition of the Association of School Business Officials building in order to re-align Village Road into a straight shot towards Lake Anne Plaza. Phase 1 will also include demolition of the Lake Anne Service Station and three Crescent Apartments buildings.

Phase 1 site development includes the development of 185 affordable dwelling units to replace 181 existing affordable units. Phase 1 also includes 44 hybrid/back-to-back townhomes, 19 surface parking spaces behind Building D16, and 12 traditional/standard townhomes.

Phase 1 also includes Building D1 (ground floor grocery store and office uses above) and a temporary 53 space surface parking lot in the location of the D2 parking garage. At the end of phase 1, 1,838 parking spots will be provided.

Phase 2 will include the demolition of two Crescent Apartment buildings and development of 17 traditional/standard townhomes, 28 hybrid/back-to-back townhomes, parking garage A3, and additional sidewalks along North Shore Drive.

During construction of Phase 2, 795 parking spaces will be provided and after construction, 1,005 parking spaces will be provided.

Phase 3 includes the demolition of the Millennium Bank building, which is currently home to Just Cats Clinic, as well as the Lake Anne Market, and existing parking and sidewalk areas.

Phase 3 will be divided into four phases (Phase 3, 3A, 3B, and 3C). Phase 3 site development
includes development of the mid-block crosswalk, Washington Plaza extension, and
mixed-use Buildings A1 and A2.

• Phase 3A — development of more multi-family dwellings and 19 townhomes.
• Phase 3B — development includes the development of multi-family dwellings.
• Phase 3C — development includes the development of the residential tower  above the office and grocery store uses included in Phase 1 and a parking garage.

During construction of Phase 3, 831 parking spaces will be provided and after construction there will be a total of 2,222 parking spaces.

Follow The Yellow Brick Road — Hunters Woods Elementary School is gearing up for its production of The Wizard of Oz. Performances are March 19 and 20. Tickets are $5 at the door. [Hunters Woods PTA]

SLHS Track Kudos — South Lakes Junior Golden Kumi-Darfour finished fifth in the 500 meters and anchored the second-place girls 4×400 meter relay team for South Lakes High School at the VHSL 6A Indoor Track and Field Championship last week in Hampton, Va. SLHS finished 17th out of the 29 teams in the girls division while the boys were 18th out of 34 teams. Kumi-Darfour ran a season-best time of 1:17.43 in the 500. She teamed with senior Claire Nieusma and sophomores Devyn Jones and Nikayla Hoyte for a 4:04.07 in the 4×400 relay.

RCC Closed Tuesday Morning –Reston Community Center Hunters Woods will be closed on Tuesday, March 17 from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. to accommodate Dominion Virginia Power scheduled equipment upgrades The building will be locked and all programs during that time have been canceled. The Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center will be open for Early Bird Swimming from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.  [RCC]

FCPD Class Shows Diversity — The Fairfax County Police Department graduated 60 new officers from its police academy last month, and the class reflects the diversity of the county. [FCPD]

Photo: Hunters Woods ES students in “Wizard of Oz”/Credit: HWES

Now that the ice and snow of the last few weeks have melted, the usual potholes and other road damage can be seen on Reston streets.

A reader pointed out that Soapstone Drive between Ridge Heights Road and South Lakes Drive has a large bump in the road. The bump goes directly over an underpass on Reston Association paths.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is aware of the issue and has put a “bump” sign to alert drivers.

A VDOT rep said staff is closely monitoring and, since the bump is over a pedestrian underpass, the bridge and infrastructure sections are also inspecting the structure.

Larry Butler, RA’s Senior Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources, said he is aware of the issue and that that RA has not seen structural problems with the underpasses in his more than 30 years with the association.

“We do not maintain roads, so I can’t comment on the challenges of those over underpasses or many of the other culverts below roads for drainage etc.,” he said. “The underpasses are typically 12-inch thick concrete boxes, and other than some minor seepage in the box or at the wing walls outside the underpasses we have never had structural problems with any of them.”

Six months after opening, Mandoohouse has canned the Greek/Korean mashup and gone to a new concept: BBQ.

Owner James Brundage and his son, manager Chris Brundage, have partnered with chef Kermit Griffin and will have a grand (re) opening Friday as Sweet Heat BBQ.

James Brundage purchased the former Myknonos Restaurant at 1810 Michael Faraday Dr. last summer. The rookie restaurant owners reopened as Mandoohouse in September, but the concept didn’t take hold (and was often closed due to equipment, ordering and operational issues).

Griffin brings nearly 15 years of food service experience to Reston. He is the former executive chef at South Carolina’s Beaufort Inn, as well as several other southern restaurants. He is a culinary teacher, culinary historian and restaurant consultant, according to his LinkedIn profile. He most recently was chef at Bethesda’s Vino Vola, and competed on the Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games.

On the menu at Sweet Heat: pulled pork sliders; sweet potato fries; low country red rice; ribs; and “The Tailgater,” a $78 platter for eight that features “pulled pork, half bird, brisket, 1 turkey breast, 1 slab ribs, and three sides.” The restaurant features Carolina-style, as well as Kansas City-, Caribbean- and Korean-style barbecue sauces.

Young artists, inventors and other innovators will show what they can do at this weekend’s NoVa Mini Maker Faire. 

More than 100 presenters will be at the event, organized by Reston’s Nova Labs, Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at South Lakes High School and Langston Hughes Middle School.

Here is what you need to know:

Makers will share their knowledge through hands-on projects for adults and kids on topics from blacksmithing and primitive skills to 3D printing, drones and robots to building customized equipment for special needs children to creative art-making.

Makers will be grouped in neighborhoods by their topic. Neighborhoods include: Young Makers, Creativity Lane, Drone Zone, Robotics, 3D Printing Village, Science Lab, Flight Path, Sustainability Village, and more.

A complete list of makers can be found on the event’s website.

There will also be five hands-on activities: Nerdy Derby; Catapults and Ballistas; KEVA Planks;  GEMS Take Apart Zone; and Demo-Vation with UpCycle Creative Reuse Center.

Nerdy Derby is a no-rules miniature car building and racing competition. In the Catapults and Ballistas, you can explore trajectory, torsion, torque, force, and materials using safe tools. KEVA Planks are small building blocks to use to build and explore; In the GEMS Take Apart Zone, you can disassemble machines to explore how things work. Demo-Vation with UpCycle Creative Reuse Center you can create something new out of discarded elements.

There will be eight speakers including: Dr. Lance Bush, CEO of The Challenger Center for Space Science Education; Jennifer Gluck who creates DIY adaptive equipment for special needs children; Vicky Somma, winner 2014 White House 3D Printed Design Challenge; and Chris Vo, Chief Scientist at Sentien Robotics and President of DC Area Drone User Group. 

The Faire has a mobile website with a map, schedule, listing of makers, speaker schedule and other information.

Food will be available for sale on site by area food trucks. Among them: Doug the Food Dude, Fava Pot, Hardy BBQ, Mama’s Donut Bites and Tasty Kabob.

Advance tickets are available online. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children through March 14, 2015. Tickets at the door are $20 for adults and $8 for children. 

Photo of 2014 Mini Maker Faire/Credit: Frank Sogandares

Rep. Gerry Connolly says the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ recent approval of the revitalization project for Crescent Apartments and the Lake Anne Plaza area is an important step in preserving affordable housing in Fairfax County.

Connolly (D-Va. 11th) represents Reston, as well as other parts of Fairfax County. He formerly served as the Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, where he was an advocate for affordable housing.

“Not only will this redevelopment replace the current 181 affordable units and add four new ones for families with incomes at or below 60 percent of the area median income, but it also will add 175 new workforce housing units,” Connolly said. “In addition, the county will be able to re-invest the proceeds from this sale in additional affordable housing projects.”

The Board of Supervisors last week approved Lake Anne Development Partners’ (LADP) extensive plan to add more than 1,000 apartments and townhouses, mostly where the county owned Crescent Apartments stands today.

LADP’s plan also calls for 78,000 square feet of office space and 58,000 square feet of retail space, a modest-sized grocery store and realignment of Village Road. The project will also have a 1.1-acre central park, an outdoor amphitheater, a bike share station and 12 public art works, according to the project’s county staff report.

Crescent Apartments were purchased for $49.5 million by the county in 2006. Development conditions included replacement of the 181 affordable Crescent units with 185 units, as well as providing an additional 20 percent of units as workforce housing.

“This culminates a process we set in motion nine years ago when, during my tenure as Chairman, the Board purchased the Crescent apartments to prevent the loss of these affordable units, which were at risk of condominium conversion,” Connolly said in a release.

Connolly pointed out that Crescent was one of the early milestones of the Penny for Housing Fund, which he helped launch as part of Board of Supervisor’s Affordable Housing Initiative.

“Since 2006, the fund has provided more than $170 million to preserve 2,701 affordable units throughout the County as we work to reduce the sizable affordable housing gap that still exists,” said Connolly.

Many Crescent residents, as well as representatives of Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE), an advocacy group for low-income Fairfax County residents, spoke at the supervisors’ public hearing in February. During the process they have repeatedly reminded the supervisors to remember the Crescent residents and not price them out of their own neighborhoods.

However, Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield), the lone supervisor voting against the Crescent project last week, said there is too much affordable housing, and that will place a burden on local schools.

Connolly said incorporating housing for all levels of income continues the vision of Reston that founder Bob Simon started more than 50 years ago.

“Providing housing for people of all incomes was one of Bob Simon’s founding principles for Reston, and it is because of that inclusiveness that Reston, and the rest of our community, has thrived,” he said. “This also represents the next evolution of Lake Anne Plaza, which was built more than 50 years ago and was an early model for walkable, mixed-use development.

This new plan will add more than 1,000 residential units, restaurants, a grocery store, more retail, offices, and open space in a fashion that integrates multimodal transportation choices and fosters an even greater a sense of community in harmony with Bob Simon’s original vision.”

Next up in the process is site approval, and LADP officials said they hope to break ground in 2016. The project is expected to take 10 to 12 years to complete.

Surf Reston Offering Preseason Sale — Surf Reston Stand Up Paddleboarding is assembling its summer 2015 fleet of boards, and is offering sale prices to anyone who wants to purchase a board for themselves. [Surf Reston]

Yet Another Scam — The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office is warning of telephone scammers, identifying themselves as sheriff’s deputies, who are calling residents and threatening them with arrest unless they pay the caller a large amount of money, usually on a money card. The scammers claim they are the IRS. [Fairfax County]

FISH Fling This Weekend — Tickets are still available for the Herndon-Reston FISH (Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help) 10th Annual FISH Fling Gala & Fundraiser on Saturday at the Hyatt Dulles Hotel. FISH aids area families in need of emergency money for bills, rent, medicine and other necessities. [FISH]

New Nearby — Home Escapes and Urban Retreat, home furnishing stores formerly located at 11400 Sunset Hills Rd. in Reston, have relocated to 292 Sunset Park Dr. in Herndon, in the space formerly occupied by Gymini Gymnastics. The stores moved to make way for a mixed-use project. [Urban Retreat]

Hunters Woods Village Center now has two side-by-side vacancies in its stand-alone building at 2280 Hunters Woods Plaza.

One of the storefronts has not been occupied since the building was converted from Hollywood Video several years ago. The other housed Unleashed by Petco from 2012 until that store closed in late January.

What do you think should go in that spot? It can be two separate stores or one bigger one. Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

The vacancies are next to Dunkin’ Donuts.

Unleashed’s closing is one of several recent vacancies at the shopping center, which is owned by Edens. Dairy Queen and Solar Planet tanning salon at Hunters Woods closed this fall, and several other storefronts have remained vacant for more than a year.

The never-leased space was intended to be a Chinito’s Burritos, but the owner of that restaurant backed out in summer 2014 after financing could not be secured.

The most recent check of county permits shows no new tenants headed for Hunters Woods.

Potomac River Running and World of Beer are teaming up for a pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Saturday’s Lucy Leprechaun 5K.

The fun begins at 8:30 a.m. at Reston Town Center. Here is what you need to know:

The course goes through Reston Town Center and nearby streets. See the course map on PR Racing’s website.

Sign up online through Thursday evening for $35. Price goes up to $40 March 13 and March 14 at packet pickup). Pre-registered runners receive a Lucky Leprechaun 5k technical T-shirt.

There will be a 100-yard kids fun run at 9:30 a.m.

There will be cash awards for the top three overall men and women ($300-$200-$100). In addition, there will be age groups awards to top finishers. There will also be team awards. World of Beer, 1888 Explorer St. at Reston Town Center, is hosting the after-party. Doors open at 9 a.m.

World of Beer will be serving a St. Patty’s themed BEERunch: Beer + Breakfast + Lunch.

They also will be featuring Belgian beer waffles (fresh-baked, beer-infused Belgian waffles with warm maple-bourbon syrup, topped with fresh whipped cream & powdered sugar) and Guinness Brat Sliders (Guinness-infused bratwurst on a warm pretzel roll with caramelized onions and peppers, paired with a tangy Dijon. Pair them with a Stout).

Photo: 2014 Lucky Leprechaun 5K/file photo

Fairfax County Park Authority Chair Bill Bouie says the process to build — particularly amassing the funding for — a 90,000-square-foot indoor recreation center in Reston will not be a quick one.

The money to build the facility in the Town Center North area will primarily come from bonds. There are two upcoming bonds to be voted on — an $87.7 million bond to be put to voters in 2016 and an $88 million bond on the ballot in 2020, said Bouie.

“The projects and bond categories for those bonds have not been determined at this time,” he said on Tuesday. “Those discussions will take place later on this year and early next year. The eventual rec center will have to be built with a combination of bonds and proffers within these confines.”

The cost of the facility, which would probably include a 50-meter indoor pool, is not yet known. Previous estimates for a smaller facility at Baron Cameron Park were $30-40 million. Those estimates came from a feasibility study done by Brailsford & Dunlavey for Reston Community Center, which looked into a partnership with FCPA to build a rec center at Baron Cameron Park.

Baron Cameron Park is also a FCPA park. RCC, whose 25-meter indoor pool at the Hunters Woods location is more than 35 years old, spent two years discussing and obtaining community feedback on constructing a new rec center on land at Baron Cameron donated by the park authority. Last year’s Master Plan update for Baron Cameron Park includes an indoor rec center option.

That proposal was met with mixed community reaction. Some of the concerns: traffic, whether there is really demand for a new facility and unfair costs to Small Tax District 5 (Reston) residents.

Bouie says the FCPA will be seeking developer proffers to help pay for the Town Center North facility. Typical proffers are around $800 per residential unit, he said.  Read More

RA Backs Bill Giving Homeowners More Power — A “Homeowners’ Bill of Rights” just passed the Virginia House and Senate, and Reston Association’s CEO says RA is in favor of it. [Restonian]

Think Spring, Plant Soon — Reston Association is holding a Native Plant Sale. Purchase some shade- and sun-loving plants right from RA to put in your yard. [Reston Association]

Colvin Run Mill Gets Grant — Friend of Colvin Run Mill in Great Falls has received a $1,600 Mastenbrook Grant from the Fairfax County Park Authority to purchase flour barrels for display purposes at the mill site. The bond funded grants provide limited matching funds for projects in Fairfax County parks. 

Kids Trout Fishing Day — RA is hosting its annual Kids Trout Fishing Day on March 21. Snakeden Branch Stream (off of Soapstone near Glade) will be stocked with trout for the free event, Equipment will be provided. The Town of Herndon is also hosting a similar event March 14. [Reston Association]

Photo: Groundhog at Reston National Golf Course/Credit: Trish Strat

The snow, freezing rain and extreme cold of the last few weeks did more than just wreak havoc with school schedules.

The weather also canceled more than 200 blood drives in the Washington, D.C., area, causing the American Red Cross to be dangerously low on blood and platelet supplies.

The Red Cross says the 200 canceled blood drives resulted in nearly 7,000 uncollected blood and platelet donations. There were also more than 26,400 uncollected blood and platelet donations in February due to severe weather across 27 states, says the Red Cross.

“Blood products are being delivered to hospitals almost as quickly as they come in,” Steve Mavica, Communications Manager for the Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Blood Services Region, said in a news release. “Donors who give now aren’t just restocking our shelves, they are making sure hope continues to be available for patients in need.”

From the Red Cross:

The Red Cross urges donors of all blood types to make and keep appointments to help restock its shelves. Platelet donors, as well as blood donors with the most in-demand blood types — O negative, A negative and B negative — are particularly encouraged to give in the days and weeks to come to help replenish the blood supply.

Platelets help prevent massive blood loss and are a vital part of cancer and organ transplant treatments. With a shelf life of just five days, platelet donations are especially needed. Eligible donors with types O negative, A negative and B negative blood are encouraged to donate double red cells where available. During a double red cell donation, two units of red cells are collected while most of the plasma and platelets are returned to the donor.

Here are some places in Reston to donate this week and next:

• Friday, March 13, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr.
• Saturday, March 14, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., St John Neumann Catholic Church, 11900 Lawyers Rd.
• Wednesday, March 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr.
• Thursday, March 19, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Plaza America, 11730 Plaza America Dr.

You can also find a donation opportunity and schedule an appointment by visiting redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

The Reston Town Center Association (RTCA) and Reston Urban Core Association (RUCA), and their management company, SFMC, Inc., will now have an Executive Director. Robert Goudie, the vice president of the RTCA Board, has been hired as  the chief management officer for both associations.

Goudie will report directly to the associations’ respective boards of directors.

“As a member of the RTCA Board since 2005, the last six as its vice president, Robert keenly understands and has been a vital contributor to our operations,” RTCA and RUCA Board President, Denise Hogan, said in a statement. “Moving his talents and energy into a full-time operational role will unquestionably add value to the Town Center experience.”

Goudie says his main goals are to effectively incorporate new development into the associations as Town Center grows in connection with Metrorail’s arrival; maintaining Town Center as not only Reston’s enviable downtown but as a growing and dynamic destination location; and cultivating the business-residential partnership that is central to what makes Town Center such a unique place.

“Anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about all things Town Center,” said Goudie. “So the opportunity to be even more directly involved in helping maintain Town Center as a world-class experience was absolutely compelling for me.”

Goudie, an attorney, is also the chairman of Greater Reston Arts Center’s (GRACE) Board of Directors.

Goudie has been a Reston Town Center resident since 1998. He was the Town Center Representative to the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force and served as Co-Chair of the Task Force’s Town Center Committee.

RTCA is the master association for the Town Center District. It is responsible for managing the common property, ensuring design integrity, supporting various cultural and other programming at Town Center and monitoring compliance with the Town Center covenants.

All residential and commercial property owners in the district belong to the association. RUCA is a sub-association within RTCA that manages common assets and has certain responsibilities unique to Town Center’s urban core.