The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved changes to the comprehensive plan for redevelopment at Reston’s Lake Anne.

The changes, which mostly look at densities and add continuity to the six separate Land Bays comprising the comprehensive plan.

The plan, as approved in 2013, calls for a mix of uses and intensities in designated zones surrounding Lake Anne’s original village center, but leaves the historic part of the plaza untouched.

The changes approved by the supervisors at their Tuesday meeting mainly consider densities within the various “Land Bays’ — the areas in and around Lake Anne Plaza and nearby Crescent Apartments. The interior of Lake Anne Plaza is a designated historic district and is not a part of the redevelopment, though nearby sections of the current parking lot and several buildings not connected to the interior are included.

Lake Anne Development Partners (LADP) was selected in 2013 after a Request for Proposals by the county to develop the project. The company says the changes only modify some of the density around within the various Land Units to be consistent with the design as it has evolved during the pre-planning process, but it does not actually represent any material change in the overall densities or intent of the original Comprehensive Plan Amendment for Lake Anne Village Center that was initiated in 2007 and approved in March 2009.

The plan as already approved calls for up to 1,415 dwelling units and 219,000 square feet of non-residential uses and up to 1,535 dwelling units and 113,000 square feet of non-residential use under full consolidation.

Construction is expected to begin in 2015, LADP has said.

Entire staff report and land bay maps

Artist’s rendering of redeveloped Lake Anne Plaza area/Credit: Lake Anne Development Partners

Give A Reston-Themed Gift — Modern Reston has some ideas for “only in Reston” holiday presents. [Modern Reston]

Exercise For a Good Cause — Join the Moms Keeping Fit Bootcamp class at the Reston Town Center Pavilion Saturday at 8:45 a.m. for a great workout for a two great causes. Make a donation to Wounded Warriors to participate or bring a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. Class may be indoors at Athleta depending on weather. Register in advance. [Reston Now]

Tree Sale For Hunger Relief — Vale United Methodist Church of Oakton’s Christmas tree sale is now underway, and proceeds will go to the global relief organization Stop Hunger Now. The proceeds from each sale will feed 120 people, and the church has a goal of raising enough for 50,000 meals. Vale UMC is at 11528 Vale Rd., Oakton. The tree lot is open weeknights from 6 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cash or checks only, please.

Photo courtesy of Potomac River Running via Flickr

Be taken on a ride to Neverland Thursday through Saturday as Herndon High presents Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up, a Fantasy in Five Acts.

Shows are Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10. Tickets are available in advance online at Herndon Drama or at the door. Herndon High is located at 700 Bennet St.

This version of the childhood favorite by J.M. Barrie, was adapted by John Caird and Trevor Nunn. 

It tells the classic tale of Peter Pan (played by Nathan Burns), Wendy (Sarah Overton), and her brothers Michael (Mhairi Cameron) and John (Raleigh Hampson), on their quest to Neverland as they tangle with pirates, lost boys, mermaids, braves, and Captain Hook (Moritz Barth).

The Darling children finally return home to become adults, but Peter Pan returns for more playmates and stories.

This production will be enhanced with Flying By Foy technology, which enables the actors to fly above the stage. 

Herndon High’s “Peter Pan”/Credit: Alex Burns vis HHS Drama Facebook

Reston Now has added some great new gifts to our first Gift Local contest.

We are giving away a $50 gift certificate to Ted’s Bulletin courtesy of Berry & Berry, PLLC, as well as transportation for two on a public winery tour from Reston Limousine.

These prizes are in addition to a host of others, including an Apple iPad Air 16GB, that we will be giving away weekly through Christmas.

To be eligible to win one of our great prizes, you need to sign up for our daily newsletter. Read more about the other prizes, the local businesses participating and the contest’s official rules.

Fairfax County on Tuesday agreed to the terms for a $403 million federal loan that will help build the Silver Line’s second phase, from Reston to Ashburn.

County officials said the low-interest loan will keep Phase 2 on track for completion in 2018 and will also help keep Dulles Toll Road rates from rising to help cover costs.

The vote was passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors.

The county will sign the official loan documents on Dec. 16. The money is coming from the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA), which has also provided the project as a whole with about $1.9 billion in funding.

The loan will cover about 45 percent of the county’s total estimated $915 million share for building Phase 2. The county may defer payments for five years after the project is finished, so the county anticipates payments beginning in 2023.

“With Phase 1 on track to meet or even exceed ridership projections, I am very pleased to have approved low-interest federal financing for Phase 2,” said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova. “The funds made available through the TIFIA loan keep the project on target for completion in 2018 and reduce costs for toll road users and taxpayers. The Silver Line is vital to the economic growth of Fairfax County, the region and the Commonwealth, and I am proud of the work we’ve done to make it a reality.”

Phase 1 of the Silver Line opened in July. It has five stops from Tysons Corner to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue and has already exceeded first-year ridership estimates. Phase 2 will run from Reston Parkway to Herndon, Route 28, Dulles International Airport and Ashburn.

Bulova said Fairfax plans to use two county sources to repay the loan — money from the Dulles Rail Phase 2 Transportation Improvement District and Commercial and Industrial Tax Fund. The county will apply $218.2 million from this voluntary tax district and $185.1 million in commercial and industrial taxes.

Last month, Fairfax County approved a bond sale to fund parking garages at Herndon and Innovation Center stations to be built as part of Phase 2.

Fairfax is by far paying the biggest share of Phase 2 expenses among local partners. The total cost is expected to be $5.6 billion (about half of that already already going to Phase 1).

The breakdown: 16.1 percent by Fairfax County; 4.8 percent by Loudoun County; 4.1 percent by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority; and 75 percent (less any federal and state funding) by Dulles Toll Road revenues.

Additionally, $730 million — about 80 percent — of the county’s $915 million responsibility will be paid for by two voluntary, special tax districts created by landowners. They are the Dulles Rail Phase 1 Transportation Improvement District and Dulles Rail Phase 2 Transportation Improvement District.

Photo: Silver Line train in Reston/Credit: file photo by Jennifer Heffner

Raise For Supervisors? — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 8-2 on Tuesday to look into raising Supervisor salaries. Supervisors currently are paid $75,000 a year, but the county is facing $178 million budget shortfall. Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity (R) said: “The Board of Supervisors showed again that they are completely out of touch with the residents of Fairfax County.”

“Frozen” World at Fair Oaks Mall — Are your kids obsessed with Elsa and all things Frozen? Then head to Fair Oaks Mall this holiday season to visit the Frozen Ice Palace Experience. This interactive display features all the cast members, as well as a 30-foot ice palace and a visit with Santa. [Fair Oaks Mall]

Gifts From The HeART — Mark your calendars for The Holiday Gift Shopping Event at Gifts from the HeART on Saturday. Reston Community Center at Lake Anne will turn into a festive marketplace of food and gifts from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Works of handmade art in many mediums will be for sale.  Participating artists donate 10 percent of their proceeds from sales during the Holiday Gift Shopping Event to Cornerstones. [Reston Community Center]

Fairfax Real Estate Lagging — A George Mason University study says Fairfax County real estate values have not fully recovered from the recession. [Washington Post]

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved changes to 31 Fairfax Connector routes, many of them that serve Reston-area riders who are now using the buses to get to and from Metro’s Wiehle-Reston East station.

“Fairfax County overhauled its Connector service last year in anticipation of the Silver Line and in response to changing needs of our commuters,” said Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova.

“Demand for on time, reliable bus service is rising in Fairfax County. This shift will help meet that demand and we will continue to monitor service and reach out to our residents in order to provide them a safe and reliable trip to Metro, work and home.”

Since the launch of Metro’s Silver Line service in July, Fairfax Connector has been monitoring traffic conditions, schedule adherence, and ridership on routes serving the Dulles Corridor, said Bulova.

The county says that over the past two months, ridership has increased approximately 2 percent on weekdays and 7  percent on weekends. One of the strongest areas of growth are routes connecting Wiehle-Reston East with Reston Town Center, as well as with Dulles International Airport, and the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly.

Here are changes that affect Reston-area riders:

Route 505 – Reston Town Center

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.
• Departures on routes 505, 981, and 983 will be timed to provide an even spacing of buses between Reston Town Center and the Wiehle Metro station.

 Routes 551,557,559 – Reston South

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.
• An additional morning rush hour trip will be added on Route 557 departing Reston South Park and Ride at approximately 5:40 a.m.

 Routes 552,554,558 – Reston North

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.
• An additional morning rush hour trip will be added on Routes 552 and 554.
• The schedule will be revised to improve connections with Route 599.

Route 574 – Reston-Tysons

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.
• Buses will serve the Tysons Westpark transit station via Spring Hill Road providing connections to Route 401/402, making a trip between Springfield, Tysons, Merrifield, Annandale, and Reston possible by bus.

 Route 585 – Franklin Farm-Reston South

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.

Route 605 – Fair Oaks-Reston

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.
• The time between buses will change from every 60 minutes to every 45 minutes on weekdays and from every 60 minutes to every 70 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Buses will travel to and from Fair Oaks Mall via West Ox Road, Post Forest Drive, Government Center Parkway, the Fairfax County Government Center, and Monument Drive.
• Buses will serve Fair Lakes Promenade and Pender Creek via bus stops on Monument Drive at Fair Lakes Parkway.

 Route 950 – Herndon-Reston

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions and to improve Silver Line connections.
• Departures on routes 950 and 980 will be timed to provide an even spacing of buses between Herndon-Monroe Park & Ride and the Wiehle Metro station.
• An additional evening trip will be added in both directions to improve connectivity between Herndon and Reston.

 Routes 951,952 – Sunrise Valley Drive-Sunset Hills Road

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.
• Route 951 buses will serve the US Geological Survey campus on all morning rush hour, midday, and afternoon rush hour trips via Sunrise Valley Drive.

To see exact schedule changes, visit the Fairfax Connector website.

Photo: Fairfax Connector bus/file photo

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza will visit Hunters Woods Elementary School in Reston on Saturday as part of the Superintendent’s Listening Tour.

Students, parents, employees, and community members are invited to the meeting at 9 a.m. in the Hunters Woods cafeteria. Hunters Woods is located at 2401 Colts Neck Rd.

Garza will discuss school issues and the priorities for Fairfax County schools and listen to ideas, comments, and questions from the audience, according to a county press release.

FCPS is getting ready to plan the 2016-17 budget, and is facing a budget shortfall. The school system is expected to have more than 186,000 students. Since FY 2008, FCPS’ enrollment increased by nearly 22,000 resulting in increased costs of more than $190 million, Garza said in a county presentation last week.

FCPS needs an additional $74.5 million for 2016 alone to cover capital needs, debt service and the additional cost of adding full-day Mondays, among others, according to the county budget forecast.

Those planning to attend the meeting are asked to please register on the FCPS website.

Fairfax County Police are investigating the robbery of Presidential Bank at Reston Parkway and Baron Cameron Avenue.

Police said a man entered the bank on Wednesday about 2:46 p.m., threatened an employee and demanded money. The suspect took cash and fled, police said.

There were no injuries. The suspect was described as black, 20s, about 5 feet 9 inches tall.

The FBI says is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the identification, arrest and conviction of the suspect, who is pictured in the above security camera picture.

The FBI and the Fairfax County Police Department request that anyone with information call the FBI at 202-278-2000 or the Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

In other crime news reported by the Reston District Station in the last week:

BURGLARY, 1500 block of Chatham Colony Court, Dec. 1. A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.

LARCENIES

12000 block of Bowman Towne Drive, wallet from business.
2100 block of Centreville Road, merchandise from business.
2400 block of Ivywood Road, property from residence.
11900 block of Market Street, beverage from business.
9800 block of River Chase Way, property from residence.
2300 block of Woodland Crossing Drive, cash and property from business.

STOLEN VEHICLES

2300 block of Soapstone Drive, 2000 Nissan Maxima.
12000 block of Bowman Towne Drive, 2000 Jeep Cherokee.
1800 block of Town Center Parkway, 2003 Dodge Durango.

Photo: Security camera image of bank robbery suspect via FBI

Who needs a sleigh when you have Lake Anne and a barge?

Santa Claus makes his annual return to Lake Anne Plaza by boat on Saturday, Dec. 6 at noon.

St. Nick’s arrival is part of the Jingle on Lake Anne celebration, which runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Among the activities: strolling carolers; a petting zoo; music; wine tastings; merchant specials; children’s crafts; cookie and ornament decorating; holiday arts & crafts market, and more.

The holiday event, which is free and will be held rain or shine, is hosted by Lake Anne Merchants.

Also, stop by the Reston Community Center Lake Anne for the Gifts from the HeART Exhibition and shopping event, which will be open until 4 p.m.

Fairfax County Police have charged Yanira Arias-Melendez, 18, of no fixed address in the Sunday morning stabbing in Reston that left one man hospitalized.

The victim, who police have not identified, was transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries to his lower body after he was stabbed following an argument near the Lake Anne Market at 1645 Washington Plaza about 12:23 a.m., police said.

The call to 911 was made by employees of the market, who told police they saw the suspect and victim arguing in the parking lot, said Fairfax County Fire Rescue Capt. Randy Bittinger.

Photo: Yanira Arias-Melendez/Credit: Fairfax County Police

Calling All Restaurants — The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce needs donations for its annual First Responders Holiday Celebration at noon on Dec. 16 at the Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station. If you are a restaurant or catering business, please consider donating a dish to honor police, fire and rescue, and EMT personnel in Reston and Herndon for their service. Contact Todd Rhoden at 703-707-9045.

Holiday Show At SLHS — The Sounds of the Holidays dance concert will be presented by South Lakes High dance students and members of the school’s Fusion Dance Company on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at SLHS. This family friendly dance concert will celebrate the sounds of the holidays with performances set to favorites like Winter Wonderland, Carol of the Bells, and Jingle Bells. Suggested admission donation of $5.

Honors For Buzz Aldrin ES — The National PTA has recognized Reston’s Buzz Aldrin Elementary School and the Buzz Aldrin Elementary School PTA as a National PTA School of Excellence for their achievement in building effective family-school partnerships. Being recognized as a National PTA School of Excellence demonstrates Buzz Aldrin and the PTA’s leadership and commitment to partnering to support student success and continuous school improvement. [Reston Connection]

Online registration for Reston Community Center winter programs and classes was slated to begin Monday, but a Verizon Internet issue disrupted the system, RCC officials said.

As a result, Reston Community Center online registration is currently unavailable and all Winter/Spring Registration will now begin on Tuesday, December 2 at 9 a.m.

Registration forms may be dropped off at RCC locations at Hunters Woods and Lake Anne or faxed to 703-476-2488. 

RCC officials said if there are any further problems, there will be updates on RCC’s  Facebook page and website.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on Tuesday regarding changes to the comprehensive plan for redevelopment at Reston’s Lake Anne.

The plan, recommended by the Fairfax County Planning Commission last month mostly looks at densities and adds continuity to the six separate Land Bays comprising the comprehensive plan, said a spokesman for Lake Anne Development Partners, which is planning and designing the improvements around Lake Anne.

The plan, as approved in 2013, calls for a mix of uses and intensities in designated zones surrounding Lake Anne’s original village center, but leaves the historic part of the plaza untouched.

The changes to be discussed this week mainly look at densities within the various “Land Bays’ — the areas in and around Lake Anne Plaza and nearby Crescent Apartments.

Lake Anne Development Partners was selected in 2013 after a Request for Proposals by the county to develop the project. The company says the changes only modify some of the density around within the various Land Units to be consistent with the design as it has evolved during the pre-planning process, but it does not actually represent any material change in the overall densities or intent of the original Comprehensive Plan Amendment for Lake Anne Village Center that was initiated in 2007 and approved in March 2009.

The plan as already approved calls for up to 1,415 dwelling units and 219,000 square feet of non-residential uses and up to 1,535 dwelling units and 113,000 square feet of non-residential use under full consolidation.

In an earlier version of the plan, the Millennium Bank Building, which currently houses the Just Cats Clinic, was scheduled for redevelopment, the Board of Supervisors documents state.  In documents previewing Tuesday’s hearing, it now says the building is slated to be retained. However, under consolidation, which is what the supervisors are voting on, it is likely to be torn down to make way for a wider plaza entry to the historic part of Lake Anne Plaza.

Entire staff report and land bay maps

“The Amendment will consider changes related to recommendations on the Full Consolidation Option, redevelopment of the Millennium Bank building, heritage resources and transportation,” the Supervisors’ agenda says.

The hearing is at 5 p.m. at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12055 Government Center Pkwy, Fairfax. To register to speak at the public hearing, follow the instructions and link on the Board of Supervisors’ website.

Artist’s rendering of redeveloped Lake Anne Plaza area/Credit: Lake Anne Development Partners