After months of discussing the title defect issue at meetings and in executive session, the MOU will move ahead after receiving four yes votes and two abstentions at Thursday’s board meeting.
Reston Town Center North is the 50-acre parcel of land owned by Fairfax County and Inova from Baron Cameron Avenue to New Dominion Drive. A land swap was approved by the county last fall in order to reorganize the parcel into blocks for development.
Future plans are likely to include a new Embry Rucker Community Shelter; a new Reston Regional Library; a new building for community health, social and mental health services; a 90,000-square-foot indoor recreation center; and more housing and retail. A multi-acre park is planned for the center of the parcel.
From RA:
A large portion of the acreage within the redevelopment project area remains subject to the Reston Deed covenants, meaning this land is subject to RA Design Review Board review and new residents would be Reston Association members.
The association is seeking to prevent a “net loss” of open space within the project area. RA staff and counsel have been working with Fairfax County and INOVA Health Care Services for the past year to ensure the project does not infringe on the association’s objectives.
The MOU states that if a minimum of 10 acres of open space is not provided by RTCN by the end of the development process, then a “contribution of $64,340 per acre for each acre that the total area of open space is less than 10 acres shall be made to the Friends of Reston for Community Projects, Inc., to be used only for increasing the amount of or improving the quality of open space and natural areas in Reston.”
Several RA members spoke out at Thursday’s meeting both in opposition to to what one citizen called a “terrible agreement.” They were also upset that there was no opportunity for community discussion on the matter. Read More
Two dogs perished in a Reston townhouse fire on Friday night, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue officials said.
Firefighters were called to the 11200 block of Silentwood Lane about 9:44 p.m. for reports of a townhouse on fire.
Upon arrival, firefighters observed smoke and fire showing from a three-story townhouse. An aggressive attack was conducted and the fire was brought under control. There were no firefighter or civilian injuries. The house did not have working smoke alarms, officials said. The fire was discovered by a neighbor.
The two occupants were not home at the time of the fire. Two adults have been displaced. Red Cross assistance was declined. Total property loss is estimated at $93,750.
Friends of the young couple who lived at the townhouse have set up a Go Fund Me account to help them. the dogs who died were named Prim and Finn, according to the Go Fund Me page.
Investigation revealed that the fire originated on the kitchen counter. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Photos courtesy Kurt Rose
After nearly two years of tweaking plans for redevelopment, The Bozzuto Group may be ready to move forward with plans to nearly double the size of St. Johns Wood Apartments near North Point Village Center.
Bozzuto Group and Reston Association representatives are holding a community meeting Thursday, Aug. 4, 6:30 p.m. at RA (12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.).
After several postponements in 2015, and two postponements in June and July of this year, the proposal has a new Fairfax County Planning Commission hearing date of Sept. 29.
The latest plan is for Bozzuto to redevelop the 250-unit garden apartment complex into 511 multi-family units and 51 townhomes.
That’s actually a scaled-down and lower-rise version from the first plans that were shown to community members more than a year ago.
Bozzuto first submitted an application to Fairfax County in 2014, proposing to redevelop the property with three mid-rise residential buildings containing 625 multi-family units and 34 townhomes. Read More
‘Cool’ Church Kudos — St. John Neumann Church in Reston recently was certified as a “Cool Congregation” by Interfaith Power and Light, a national nonprofit devoted to faith-based sustainability programs. Cool Congregations is a stewardship program helping congregations care for creation by reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. [Arlington Catholic Herald]
Kids Triathlon Needs Volunteers — The Reston Kids Triathlon is this Sunday, and the race could use volunteers for a variety of jobs. [Reston Kids Triathlon]
Oyster Day — Friday is National Oyster Day, and McCormick & Schmick’s at Reston Town Center (as well as other locations) will offer their oysters for $1 each all day.
Reston Association’s Board of Directors said last night it supports recommendations that the Baron Cameron Dog Park should, essentially, clean up its act.
The board voted to send a letter to the Fairfax County Park Authority, which operates Baron Cameron Park, asking for a meeting to discuss issues at the park and the working group’s suggested solutions.
RA members who live near the park, mostly in the Longwood Grove neighborhood, asked for RA’s help earlier this year in what has been an ongoing battle.
While noise complaints have been an issue for years, the working group — which included dog park users as well as Longwood Grove residents — also explained complaints about trash, behavior and the park’s appearance.
“I live in Longwood Grove, but a long way from the dog park,” said At-Large Director Michael Sanio. “I have seen my neighbors struggling with trying to have a voice with the county. What I learned from the working group is that not only were the neighbors unhappy, the dog park users were too.” Read More
The Friday morning derailment of a Reston-bound Silver Line train near East Falls Church will continue to impact Metro into Saturday, Metro officials said.
Metro says Orange and Silver service between West Falls Church/McLean and Ballston stations will remain suspended at least through the end of the day Saturday to allow for further investigation, removal of derailed cars, and repairs to infrastructure that was damaged during the incident.
Customers traveling to or from stations west of Ballston are encouraged to use alternate travel modes if possible, Metro said. Metro will continue to provide free shuttle buses between Ballston, East Falls Church, West Falls Church and McLean stations until rail service is restored. Read More
Reston Soccer wants to team with Reston Association in order to vastly upgrade two soccer fields.
The organization says it is not asking RA for is cash; Reston Soccer reps say they will raise all the money for the renovations, as well as pay RA rent to use the fields.
In a presentation to RA’s Board on Thursday, Reston Soccer President Robert Anguizola said the organization’s wish list includes transforming Lake Newport Soccer’s two grass fields into artificial turf fields made of plant-derived infill; LED lighting on both fields; and a clubhouse building with bathrooms.
The project’s very preliminary estimate to replace the fields and install lighting would be $2.4 million, Anguizola said, adding that a better estimate would come when engineering work begins.
The RA Board will return in its September meeting with a proposal to ask the community in a member if it wants the fields. The referendum would most likely take place next spring.
“I know RA is not in the mood, or some would say does not have capability, to fund anything new,” said Anguizola. “We are not asking you to fund anything. We want to model this after the Walker Nature Education Center [which was built by grants and community fundraising].”
“In a referendum, we would ask ‘Does community want this amenity? Yes or No. If the answer is yes, then we would go fundraise. What we would ask, if we donate the money, then we want promise we can use it. You would end up having surplus time [to rent it for] other uses and sports.”
RA might end up having to pay to maintain the fields, but those costs would be paid for by field rental fees. Anguizola says Reston Soccer currently pays RA about $7,000 annually (on a per-player basis for players who do not live in Reston).
Lake Newport is the most suitable place in Reston on which to build the turf fields, Anguizola added. Virginia laws prohibit a public-private partnership on a Fairfax County Park Authority field (such as at Lake Fairfax Park or at Baron Cameron Park) with special requests for usage. Also, Lake Newport is the only RA field complex with two fields, as well as space for other potential amenities such as the clubhouse or a tot lot.
Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station is hosting a community event on Saturday, where residents can get a peek at what goes on at their neighborhood police department.
The forum is from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 at Reston Association headquarters (note: not at the Reston District Station), 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.
Participants will get an overview of the FCPD; learn about police policies and procedures; and gain better understanding of traffic stops and use of force.
Attendees can also get more information about the FCPD’s full, 10-week Citizens Police Academy.
The event is free. No RSVP is required.
Just days after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a controversial residential development on the site of the former American Press Institute building, the Fairfax County Planning Commission reviewed an application from the same owner for 54 townhomes a few feet away.
RP 11720, LLC, part of Rooney Properties (which also owns the API building), plans to tear down a 30-year old office building at Sunrise Valley Drive and Roland Clarke Place to build the urban-style homes.
The commission expressed concerns Thursday about parking, both in everyday and in special situations. Among the concerns: is 19 feet wide enough for garages, which are planned for the four-story townhouses? And where will delivery trucks go when servicing the units that front Sunrise Valley Drive?
The developers believe that width is sufficient for garages and planning staff says the delivery may have to block someone’s driveway.
Parking, transportation demand management (TDM) contributions and money to the Fairfax County Park Authority also came up as issues at Thursday’s public hearing, so the commission deferred decision on the project until Sept. 24.
Developer representatives said they did not include TDM because of the low-density estimate for the new neighborhood but they are willing to work with developers towards that if it is a development condition.
The parcel is at 11720 Sunrise Valley Dr., just west of the Mercer Condos, (part of JBG’s Reston Heights) and right across Roland Clarke Place from the American Press Institute property, where 34 townhouses and 10 condominiums are planned. Read More
Dummy Move — Fairfax County Police say they spotted a driver using a dummy to ride the in HOV lanes earlier this week. [NBC4 Washington]
Wrecking Ball — Restonian’s take on recent development rulings for Reston. [Restonian]
Pokemon Go at USGS — Reston’s U.S. Geological Survey office grounds are apparently crawling with Pokemon. [USGS]
Free Popsicles at the Pool — Reston Association will host free “popsicle mania” tomorrow at the Tall Oaks Pool at 2 p.m.
Update, 10 a.m.: Metro officials said there will be interrupted service for the rest of the day. That means no Silver Line between McLean and Ballston or the Orange Line between West Falls Church and Ballston.
Original story: Metro Orange and Silver lines are seeing major disruptions and delays Friday morning after a westbound train derailed at East Falls Church.
East Falls Church station is closed as of 6:59 a.m., and one passenger is being evaluated for injuries; shuttle bus service being established, Metro officials said.
Metro officials said 75 people were aboard the train when it derailed about 100 feet from the station 6:15 a.m.
Metro officials are telling Orange/Silver customers west of Ballston to use alternate travel options this morning.
A rider told a WJLA reporter the derailed train was a Silver Line train to Reston.
There is no Silver Line service from McLean to Ballston and no Orange Line service from West Falls Church to Ballston.
That stretch of the Orange and Silver Line is in the last days of single tracking for a safety surge to make repairs.
It’s a crucial time for Reston. The “new town” is now more than 50 years old. And old, when it comes to structures built in the 1960s and ’70s, sometimes means obsolete — or at least out-of-date or inefficient.
Two great examples of this are Tall Oaks Village Center and the 45,000-square-foot former American Press Institute headquarters on Sunrise Valley Drive.
Both were built in the early 1970s. Both thrived for years, then met a sad decline. Finally, this week, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors gave final approval to owners to redevelop the industrial/commercial properties into low/medium density residential neighborhoods.
Even though Tall Oaks served as a neighborhood retail destination for decades, it never quite was the “village center” gathering place Bob Simon envisioned when he founded Reston.
In the last few years, mounting competition from nearby shopping, particularly grocery stores, led to increased vacancies at the plaza on North Shore Drive. Since Giant Foods left in 2007, many smaller retailers followed, and now Tall Oaks sits only 13 percent occupied.
API too was a vibrant place from 1974 to 2012. Not only was the building designed by famed architect Marcel Breuer, it was a space in which hundreds of well known journalists attended trainings and seminars.
But, perhaps emblematic of the changing news industry, API merged with the Newspaper Institute of America in 2012. The headquarters, a Brutalist building on a nice wooded lot at Sunrise Valley Drive and Roland Clarke Place, has been empty ever since. Read More
When Fairfax County Public Schools approved its $2.7 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2017 last May, school officials, staffers and members of the school community seemed pleased that adequate funding would be coming from state and county coffers to cover needed staff pay increases.
Superintendent Karen Garza had led a nearly year-long campaign against program cuts and in support of a step- and a 1-percent market scale adjustment for all eligible employees, as well as $40 million to enhance teacher salaries to make them more competitive. FCPS has pointed out repeatedly it is losing ground compared to other area school districts’ salaries — and is also losing good teachers to neighboring systems.
But according to a recent Washington Post story, the county is now concerned that the Commonwealth of Virginia’s contribution to FCPS will fall $4.4 million short.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday authorized a letter to be sent to Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) to express concern about projections that state funding will be about a quarter less than the $16.8 million they were expecting for teacher salaries.
Says the Post story:
The lower amount of expected state funding stems from a $266 million negative balance in Virginia’s fiscal 2016 budget, which McAuliffe’s administration attributed to lower-than-expected payroll and sales-tax receipts.
In May, the governor’s office ordered state agencies to trim spending to address the deficit.
Although the difference in state funding seems relatively paltry in relation to the $2.7 billion school budget, it nonetheless frustrated Fairfax supervisors, who have long complained that state funding for local schools is meager.
Meanwhile FCPS says it will find a way to honor the promise of $40 million in teacher raises for Fiscal Year 2017.
“FCPS will ensure our teachers receive the pay increases they deserve,” schools spokesman John Torre said in an email.
“However, any decrease in funding from the state has a negative impact on our budget and places a greater financial burden on our County funding partners and our school division to close the gap. … Even though the state funding is on hold, FCPS is committed to employee salary increases.”
Construction on Phase 2 of Metrorail’s Silver Line is now 30 percent complete, Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project officials say.
The line, which will stretch from Wiehle-Reston East to a Reston Town Center station, then stops at Herndon, Route 28, Dulles International Airport and two in Ashburn, is scheduled to open in early 2020.
That 2020 date is about 13 months later than originally forecast. Metro officials announced about a year ago that design modifications for safety and reliability would delay the project by a little over a year. It would also add cost to the project, according to The Washington Post.
If you have driven down the Dulles Toll Road lately — or looked to the Reston sky, where cranes are seemingly everywhere — you will see crews at work on the $5.6 billion extension. More than 2 million hours have been spent so far constructing Silver Line Phase 2, officials said.
Here is what is coming up around here in the next two months:
Dulles Toll Road/Airport Access Highway: Lane shifts, paving and striping will continue.
Reston Town Center Station: Concrete foundation and concrete barrier wall construction.
Herndon Station: Pre-cast building ongoing.
Innovation Center Station (Route 28): Ongoing steel work and assembly of pedestrian bridges begins.
Dulles Airport Station: Column construction continues; pre-cast erection will begin.
Additionally, at Dulles Airport:
- Station column construction continues.
- Cross girder installation will be ongoing.
- Pre-cast erection will begin.
- Fiber support steel will be installed.
- Removal of the pedestrian tunnel roof will start.
- Girder installation and deck construction is scheduled to return to Autopilot
- Drive at the Dulles Airport and continues south through the cargo area.
34.5kV duct bank work continues along Rudder Road and moves to Autopilot Drive and the cargo area.
Farming Firefighters — The personnel at Fairfax County’s Fire Rescue Station 39 (North Point) has a healthy way to keep busy between calls. The firefighters have a vegetable garden, where they have been growing prduce for about five years. [Fairfax County]
Car Thefts On The Rise — Fairfax County saw an increase in car thefts from 2014 to 2015, says AAA Mid-Atlantic. Summer is peak car break-in/theft time. [WTOP]
Absentee Balloting Open — Will you be away on Election Day (Nov. 8)? Actually, there are 19 valid reasons to get an absentee ballot. Check them out if you plan to vote absentee. [Fairfax County]
