Food Truck Wednesday Today — Feel like lunch outdoors? Visit Reston Town Center today for DC Empanadas, Captain Cookie, Doug the Food Dude, PassionFish on the Patio and more. [Modern Reston]
It’s Voter Registration Week — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors have designated this week as Voter Registration Week. Check your voter registration status — and register to vote if you need to — by Oct. 14 for the Nov. 4 election. [Fairfax County]
Still Time To Pick The Bird — The deadline for the poll to pick the official Reston bird is Sept. 30. Have you voted? There are five choices. [Survey Monkey]
Fairfax County Police converged in the 2300 block of Old Trail Dr. in Reston Monday night after they were tipped off on impending fight with possible gunfire.
Police spokesman Lucy Caldwell says officers were called to the scene about 7:15 p.m. after the complainant said a large group of teens were assembled.
By the time police arrived, the group had scattered, said Caldwell.
The police brought in the helicopter and a bloodhound to help track possible suspects. While the officers were searching, they heard what sounded like gunshots, but they were coming “from some distance away,” said Caldwell.
After checking area hospitals, police did not find any evidence of a shooting with injuries, Caldwell said.
In other crime news this week from Reston District Station:
INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2400 block of Masons Perry Drive, Sept. 21. A woman was in a parking lot when a man exposed himself. The suspect was described as black, in his 30’s and about 5 feet 11 inches tall.
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 1300 block of Mason Mill Court, Sept. 20. The victim was approached by a man while in the garage of his residence. The suspect produced a handgun and demanded money. The victim resisted and the suspect fled on foot. The victim did not require rescue. The suspect was described as white, between 5 feet 10 and 6 feet 2 inches tall.
BURGLARIES
- 12500 block of Philmont Drive, Sept. 19. A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.
- 1100 block of Waterline Pointe Ln, Sept. 20. A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.
- 2100 block of Monaghan Drive, Sept. 16. A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.
LARCENIES
- 11600 block of Plaza America Drive, electronic device from business.
- 12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, bicycle from business.
- 2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, beverages from business.
- 1100 block of Plaza America, property from business.
- 11600 block of Stoneview Square, phone from business.
- 11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, beverages from residence.
- 9800 block of Faust Drive, purse from vehicle.
- 1800 block of Michael Faraday Drive, wallet from business.
- 12200 block of Sunset Hills Road, license plates from vehicle.
STOLEN VEHICLES
- 1500 block of North Point Drive, 2002 BMW Xi.
Put down your $14 craft cocktail and listen up: Reston is one of the best places for the rich and single.
That is a subcategory of Money Magazine’s 2014 “Best Places to Live” list, on which Reston was ranked No. 10 on Monday. Reston made the list two years ago as well, when it came in at No. 7. Money picks the best places with populations of 50,000 to 300,000 based on a strong economy, access to good jobs and recreational amenities, among others.
Money’s subset of Best Places to Be Rich and Single includes “a disproportionate number of wealthy people who aren’t yet paired off. To create this list, we considered all places where singles represent at least 30 percent of the population, then ranked the cities by median income. (NOTE: We make no promises about youth or attractiveness.)”
Reston comes in at No. 5, behind Brookline, Mass., Lower Merion, Pa., Newton, Mass., and our neighbor to the east, Arlington, Va.
Money says 31 percent of Reston’s population of 61,000 is single. The median family income in Reston is $142,404.
Says the magazine:
Reston, which is No. 10 on our Best Places list, prides itself on being the country’s first modern planned community. Because the city was designed around its five residential “villages,” it doesn’t have a traditional downtown, but that’s not so say that there’s nowhere for singles to mingle. Reston Town Center is the city’s main gathering spot, and offers socializing opportunities ranging from evening painting classes and classic film screenings to running workshops and wine tastings.
Lake Anne Plaza is another popular spot for shopping, snacking or just hanging out by the lake enjoying the free Wi-Fi.
For more serious nightlife — or to commute to their high-paying jobs — many residents make the trek to Washington, D.C., a trip that’s gotten quicker and easier with the new D.C. metro extension. Now, you can take the Silver Line from Reston to the capital in about 40 minutes.
The 343 Lake Anne homes that are bound by the Reston deed to use RELAC, the aging air-conditioning system, may be closer to getting released from the mandate.
The Reston Association Board will make a decision this week on accepting the petition of RELAC users and going forward with a referendum on the issue.
The referendum would need two-thirds of RELAC townhouse users to vote in favor in order to pass.
The petition was signed by 121 residents, many of whom have been working on getting a release from RELAC since last winter.
RELAC — which stands for Reston Lake Anne Air Conditioning Corporation — was put in place in some of Reston’s first homes when they were built in the mid-1960s. The system uses Lake Anne water to provide cooling. Touted as state-of-the-art and quiet when it was installed, many homeowners have been complaining for years about its expense and inefficiency.
“Our goal is to make it so people have a choice,” John Hunter, the Washington Plaza Cluster resident who spearheaded the petition effort, said last winter. “If they are happy with RELAC, great. If not happy, then they can get off of it.”
Hunter, who has lived in his home about four years, said he has used the medical exemption to get off of RELAC. He said the system could not reach the third floor of his townhome, where it was routinely 80 degrees in summer. He said he installed an electric heat pump at a cost of more than $6,000, but has heard of others paying as little at $4,000 for a new HVAC. He will still have to put the RELAC ductwork back in place when he sells the house, he said.
Hunter previously said rates vary greatly from home to home. His bill, before he installed the heat pump, was $1,500 for the season. He said homeowners are paying more than 50 percent than they did a few years ago.
If the RA Board goes forward, it will formulate the referendum question early next month. There would be a public hearing on Oct. 6, and the RA Board would have public hearings during their meetings on Oct. 23 and Nov. 20.
Ballots would be mailed in early January, with a Jan. 30 voting deadline.
More than two dozen naturalized American citizens will take their Oath of Allegiance in front of an audience at Lake Anne Plaza on Saturday.
The swearing-in has been a tradition at the Reston Multicultural Festival the last 12 years as people from a variety of countries become the newest U.S. citizens in a ceremony capped by the release of doves.
The naturalization ceremony begins at 12:30 p.m. with remarks by Sarah Taylor from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Taylor will also administer the oath of allegiance.
Musical performances will include the Star Spangled Banner by South Lakes High School Chorus members and God Bless America by Reston performer Beverly Cosham.
After the ceremony, Bolivian dancers will lead participants and visitors across the plaza for the rest of the day’s celebration.
From 1 to 6 p.m., the festival becomes a mix of world music, dance, crafts, stories and food on two outdoor stages and an indoor space (Jo Ann Rose Gallery). There will be Chinese martial arts, Flamenco dance, Ukranian egg decorating, Indian classical dance and a public art project made of origami cranes, among others.
Visit Reston Community Center’s website for the full slate of events. Admission is free.
Photo: New U.S. citizens at Reston Multicultural Festival naturalization ceremony, 2012/file photo
Fairfax County is looking towards the future of transportation with its new Bicycle Master plan.
The county planning commission will hold a public hearing on Oct. 1 about the plan, which aims to treat cyclists as valid users of the roadway as the county moves forward as an increasingly transit-oriented walkable and bikeable community.
The county bicycle master plan has been in the works for several years, building off of the county’s 2008 bike route map and the 2010 Tysons Corner Bicycle Master Plan.
The 2013 general county comprehensive plan says that “A keystone policy for future planning and facilities includes achievement of a multi-modal transportation system to reduce excessive reliance upon the automobile. Regional and local efforts will focus on planning and developing a variety of transportation options. Sidewalks, trails and on-road bicycle routes should be developed as alternate transportation facilities leading to mass transit, high density areas, public facilities and employment areas.”
To that end, the bike plan proposes to:
- Incorporate adequate, safe and secure bicycle parking at all public buildings, park-and-ride lots, transit facilities, libraries and school.
- Locate improvements for bicycle links and crossings, interchange improvements, transit station accessibility, stream crossings and road crossings.
- Coordinate with nearby jurisdictions on bicycle route connectivity.
- Provide a comprehensive network of on- and off-road bicycle routes.
- Evaluate road diets in order to establish on-road bike lanes.
- Consider various types of bicycle amenities, including shared roadways, shared roadways with safety treatment, shared-lane markings, striped shoulders, bike lanes, climbing lanes, buffered bike lanes, cycle tracks and shared-use paths.
While the Reston area already has a network of bicycle and pedestrian paths — including the Reston Association’s 55 miles of paved trails as well as the W & OD Trail — the county bike plan expands the area connectivity further, with additional trails throughout Reston. See the entire report and proposed trail maps on the Fairfax County website.
Reston also has a top bicycle amenity with the dedicated 200-space bicycle room at the Silver Line’s Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.
The county planning staff recommends the bike plan for approval, as does the group Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB). FABB has an online petition citizens can sign to show their support of the plan.
If approved by the planning commission, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will vote on it on Oct. 28.
The staff report says the county bicycling conditions vary greatly and that the county has some serious connectivity constraints. Among them: paths in poor condition, poor signage, lack of connectivity with other trails, barriers such as I-66 and the Dulles Toll Road, and aggressive behavior from car drivers.
Photo: Wiehle-Reston East Bicycle Room/file photo
Fun In The Nearby Sky — Leesburg Executive Airport is hosting the 2014 Leesburg Airshow on Saturday. The fifth annual event features sky divers, stunt airplanes and many other aviation activities for the whole family. [Ashburn Rising]
Farewell To The Pharmacy — Monday was the last day for Lakeside Pharmacy at Lake Anne Plaza. Restonian has sort of an obit/homage to the store. [Restonian]
Empty Buildings In Northern Virginia — The Washington Post takes an in-depth look at commercial and office space, and finds high vacancies in Fairfax County. [Washington Post]
Development Coming Soon — Developers The Peterson Cos. and Brandywine Realty Trust have formed a joint venture to develop a 300,000-square-foot mixed-use town center on Sunrise Valley Drive in Herndon near the existing Woodland Park Crossing. The town center will include residential units built atop retail and restaurants, entertainment venues [Washington Post]
Another Reston apartment complex is looking into redevelopment as a higher density neighborhood.
Bozzuto Development has filed a proposal with the Fairfax County Planning Commission to redevelop St. John’s Wood, a garden apartment neighborhood with 250 units over nine buildings in North Reston, into a new complex of 635 new apartments and 34 townhomes.
St. John’s Wood is located at Reston Parkway and Center Harbor Drive. It is one of the few rental complexes in the nearby Buzz Aldrin Elementary School district.
Bozzuto will have more details on the plan for St. John’s Wood as the process gets further. The neighborhood does not fall under the Reston Master Plan’s transit-oriented high-density guidelines because it is more than a mile away from a future Metro station.
In other development news:
The planning commission hearing for Crescent Apartments has been indefinitely deferred, but will likely be back on the docket soon. The project had been scheduled for a Nov. 5 planning commission hearing, and, if it was recommended for approval, a Nov. 18 Board of Supervisors hearing.
Lake Anne Development Partners were chosen by the county in summer 2013 to transform the county-owned affordable housing development. CEO David Peter has said he hopes to begin construction in 2015.
LADP plans include replacing the aging 181-unit Crescent Apartments with slightly more affordable housing, as well as mix of townhomes and multifamily dwellings. In all, about 1,000 new residential units are planned, as well as a new retail plaza, new access points to historic Lake Anne Plaza and more than 130,000 square feet of new retail and office space.
A plan to redevelop Lake Anne Fellowship House, which sits adjacent to Crescent Apartments and Lake Anne Plaza, was recently indefinitely deferred. The plan had called for tearing down the subsidized senior housing on North Shore Drive and replacing it with more modern and affordable senior housing, as well as market rate units for the community as a whole.
Reston Association will hold another community meeting on Monday, Sept. 22 to further discuss the future of the Pony Barn Picnic Pavilion.
Have some thoughts on the park? Attend the meeting at 6:30 p.m. at RA Headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.
RA has formed a working group to look into redeveloping or renovating the Pony Barn area at Triple Crown and Steeplechase in South Reston. It has received lots of feedback from the community. To see the full record of community comments, visit RA’s website.
The association has allocated $30,000 from the 2014 Capital Improvement Budget for upgrades or changes. The space currently features a 2,006-foot pavilion with tables, grilling areas, a lawn and a swing set, as well as parking for 11 cars.
The Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR) has approached RA about using the space for a memorial garden. Reston has no cemeteries, and the memorial garden will not fill that role, IPAR has said. Rather, it envisions the garden as a place to reflect about lost loved ones.
However, many of the comments from community members have said it is a poor place for such a garden, citing, traffic, parking, noise from the Deepwoods Pool, among other reasons.
More:
Chinito’s Burritos, a D.C.-based Chinese-Mexican fusion restaurant, says it won’t open at Reston’s Hunters Woods Village Center any time soon.
Store manager Rudy Warren says the company filed Fairfax County permits earlier this year to build out new space at 2304 Hunters Woods Plaza, but had to halt the plans when funding for the project fell through.
Warren also said the county permitting process was taking eight months, which hurt the business.
Chinito’s has an existing location on Florida Avenue NE in Washington, DC. It gets high marks on Yelp for its homemade egg rolls, signature hot sauce and fresh guacamole.
Also at Hunters Woods, Dairy Queen has abruptly closed its doors.
Photo: Chinito’s D.C. Location/Credit: Yelp
Reston has been recognized by Money Magazine as one of the 2014 Best Places to Live.
Money biennially ranks the 50 best small cities (with populations between 50,000 and 300,000) in the country, looking at such things as “great jobs, strong economies, affordable homes, excellent schools,” and more. It starts out with 781 candidates.
Reston’s rank is No. 10. Two years ago, Reston also made the magazine’s list, coming in at No. 7.
Here is what the magazine has to say about Reston:
Reston was the first modern planned community in the country, and the vision of its founder (who still lives there) has held up beautifully.
The city is made up of five woodsy “villages,” which encompass a range of lakes, pools, shopping areas, golf courses, and more. Fifty-five miles of paths wind through these communities, ensuring that most homes are within a half-mile walk of a village center.
The city’s de facto downtown is the lively if generic Reston Town Center mall, which has the usual assortment of shops and eateries, plus a pavilion that hosts concerts and, in winter, ice-skating.
The headquarters of ComScore and Rolls-Royce North America are also located in Town Center, along with a Google office.
Traffic in the area can be brutal, but things are looking up for folks who don’t work in town: An extension of the D.C. Metro opened in July, and it whisks Restonians to the center of Washington in a speedy 40 minutes.
(Mistake alert: Money has a nice picture of a paddleboarder on a Reston lake. Caption credit says “City of Reston.” If you live here you know that Reston is not a city, but that is for a whole other discussion).
Money points out some Reston stats such as a population of 61,177, a median family income of $142,404, median home price of $395,550 and projected job growth of 1.8 percent.
Here’s Money’s 2014 list:
1. McKinney, Texas
2. Maple Grove, Minnesota
3. Carmel, Indiana
4. Castle Rock, Colorado
5. Kirkland, Washington
6. Columbia and Ellicott City, Maryland
7. Clarkstown, New York
8. Ames, Iowa
9. Rochester Hills, Michigan
10. Reston, Virginia
Dairy Queen at Hunters Woods Village Center has closed its doors.
The store at 2254 Hunters Woods Plaza first appeared closed on Friday. By Sunday, all products were swept from the store’s freezers and counter and the blinds were shut, so it appears the store is closed for good.
The owners could not be reached and the store’s phone is out of order. The franchise operation of the national chain had been located at Hunters Woods for many years.
The store’s departure leaves several vacancies in the same stretch at Hunters Woods. Two doors down, Solar Planet Tanning Studio went out of business last month. The space formerly housing At Play Cafe has been vacant since 2011.
Reston Association’s A Healthy Place — Reston Association ranks No. 3 on the 2014 Washington Business Journal’s “Healthiest Employers” list. RA scored high marks for its wellness initiatives and available information for employees. [Reston Association]
Help The Homeless Walk Oct. 2 — Cornerstones’ Reston Town Center Help the Homeless Walk returns next week. The event is a lunchtime walk on a Thursday from Mayflowers at RTC to the Embry Walker Community Shelter and back. [Cornerstones]W
Hornets Pummel Seahawks — Senior quarterback Ryan McLaughlin passed for three touchdowns and ran in another one as Herndon defeated South Lakes 49-0 in football’s annual Baron Cameron Bowl. The Hornets improve to 2-1. South Lakes falls to 0-4.
Reston Planner Anthony P. DeVito Dies — Anthony P. DeVito, 89, who had a central role in the planning and design of Reston in the 1960s, died Aug. 30 at his home in Washington. He had Parkinson’s disease, said his wife, Mary Ann Hancock. DeVito was born in Brooklyn and began his career as an architect and planner in New York and New Jersey. He worked on the development of Reston from 1963 to 1965. He later participated in the planning for Columbia, Md. and worked as a Department of Housing and Urban Development Official. [Washington Post]
Jaguars on display Sunday at Celebrating Jaguars – 50th Golden Anniversary Jaguar Club Car Show/Credit: Reston Town Center
U.S. Senate candidates Mark Warner (D) and Ed Gillespie (R) were asked about a wide range of topics at Friday’s Battleground Virginia Forum at the Center for Innovative Technology near Dulles.
Among the questions: the Affordable Care Act, balancing the budget, the Marketplace Fairness Act, Virginia’s economy and student loan debt.
But the answers seemed to return to two themes: Gillespie pairing Warner with President Barack Obama and Warner pointing out his record of bipartisanship.
The event — sponsored by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, along with chambers from Loudoun, Fredericksburg, and Prince William — was not a debate. The candidates appeared separately and were asked questions from a panel of chamber reps, as well as follow-ups from moderator Derek McGinty from WUSA 9 TV.
Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chair, said Warner, first elected to the Senate in 2008, is not representing Virginia’s best interests.
“He has voted 97 percent of time with Obama,” said Gillespie. “Instead of being a vote for us, he has been a blank check for president Obama. Since Warner and Obama took office, we have nearly twice as many people go on food stamps than we have had jobs created.”
Warner pointed out that every piece of legislation he has worked on in the Senate has been alongside a Republican counterpart. He said Gillespie comes from a partisan world where it is always Republican vs. Democrats.
“If there is ever a time to drop partisanship and come together, that time is now,” said Warner. “If you want someone able to take arrows from both sides, I would respectfully ask you to rehire me. Don’t lose heart — there are more good people with goodwill in both parties. We have just got to and make it safe for them to work together again.”
This fall, Northern Virginia voters will go to the polls to select a U.S. Senator, U.S. House of Representatives (Reston is in the 11th Congressional District), as well as a proposed Virginia Constitutional Amendment and a transportation bond.
Can’t make on Nov. 4? In-person absentee voting begins today.
Here is what you need to know:
You will need a photo ID to vote absentee in-person. If you need a photo ID, there are many opportunities countywide.
In-person absentee voting for the Nov. 4 General Election begins Friday, Sept. 19 at the Fairfax County Government Center. Voting is in the Office of Elections, Conference Rooms 2/3.
Weekday Schedule
Sept. 19 to Oct. 10 (Office closed Oct. 13 for Columbus Day)
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Extended Hours Oct. 14 to Nov. 2
Monday – Friday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday Schedule (Nov. 1 is last day to absentee vote in-person)
Sept. 27 to Nov. 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In addition, there will be seven satellite locations throughout the county, including at the North County Human Services Building, 1850 Cameron Glen Dr,, in Reston. Saturday hours beginning Sept. 27 and weekday hours beginning Oct. 14.
Weekday Schedule
Oct. 14 to Nov. 1 (Locations closed Oct. 13 for Columbus Day)
Monday – Friday: 3:30 to 7 p.m.
Saturday Schedule (Nov. 1 is last day to absentee vote in-person)
Sept. 27 to Nov. 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Absentee ballots, which voters need to have applied to receive by mail, will be mailed from the Office of Elections beginning approximately Sept. 19 to those whose applications have been received.
The deadline to submit an application to receive an absentee ballot by mail is Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. Except for some first-time registrants, a photo ID is not required for those voting absentee by mail.
More information on mail-in absentee voting and deadlines from Fairfax County.
