The Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended for approval on Wednesday new standards that will allow for denser development in nearly two dozen areas of the county where transit-oriented development is rapidly happening.
The proposal will now go to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for final approval on June 21.
The proposal will increase density limits in 22 areas in the county around the Metro’s Silver, Orange, Blue and Yellow lines. Read More
An environmental assessment for the planned Soapstone connector is proceeding as planned, but it will still be several months before Fairfax County Department of Transportation officials have any final conclusions on the project’s impact to Reston’s environment.
The Soapstone connector will be an extension of Soapstone Drive that will run from Sunrise Valley Drive to Sunset Hills Road, providing Reston with a third crossing of the Dulles Toll Road and alleviating traffic on nearby major roads.
So far, though, the project, which was approved by county supervisors in 2014, has not been found to impact historic resources or wetlands, FCDOT project manager Audra Bandy said at a community meeting on Wednesday.
Noise and air quality studies are ongoing, she said.
The environmental assessments, which will take into account a variety of factors (see presentation below), should be finished in fall of 2016. A final decision from federal authorities on the environmental assessment should be available by fall of 2017, she said.
In the meantime, the county must work with state and federal sources to try and find funding for the project.
In 2014, the supervisors included $2.5 million for the preliminary design of this project as part of its Six Year Transportation Project Priorities. At that time, they also put the project — estimated then to cost $91.75 million — on the county’s list of high-priority projects for 2015-20.
Bandy said at a meeting in October that FCDOT should have a more specific cost estimate this fall.
(Updated, 2:10 p.m. Thursday to add Severe Thunderstorm Watch)
The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch and a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Reston and the entire DC Metro area from this afternoon through late tonight.
Thunderstorms with heavy rainfall are expected late today and tonight, and repeated thunderstorms with heavy rainfall over the same area may result in flash flooding, the NWS says. The Severe Thunderstorm Watch will be in effect through 10 p.m. Thursday, the NWS says.
The Capital Weather Gang’s forecast says up to two or three inches may fall Thursday and early Friday in some parts of the area.
A flash flood watch means that conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding.
The Taste of Reston — the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce’s annual celebration of all things food and drink — returns to Reston Town Center Friday and Saturday.
Market Street will become a smorgasbord of food options and the Reston Town Center Pavilion area will become a lively beer garden at the two-day event.
Here’s a preview of what’s on the menu:
- American Tap Room
BBQ Pork Sliders - Big Bowl
Chicken Pot Stickers - Buffalo Wing Factory
Wings - Delsur Baked Goods
Saltado - GreenFare Cafe
African Vegetables & Thai Quinoa & Cauliflower Mash - Gregorio’s Trattoria
Meatball sliders - M&S Grill
Crab Taster Totters - McCormick and Schmick’s
Crab Cake Sandwich - Mon Ami Gabi/ Community Canteen
Tomato and Blue Cheese Salad/ Dog Bones - Nomini Bay Oyster Ranch
Charbroiled and raw oysters - Not Your Average Joes
Grilled Pork Tenderloin - Neyla Mediterranean Bistro
Chips & Mohammara dip - Obi Sushi
Shrimp Teriyaki Roll - Paradise Catering
Funnel Cake - Paradise Catering
Chicken, Beef, and Shrimp Kabobs - Pitango Gelato
Gelato - Robeks Fruit Smoothies
Strawberry smoothies - Tavern 64 Regional Kitchen
Bahn Mi BBQ Pulled Pork - The Melting Pot
Chocolate Covered Strawberries - Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro
Smoked Berkshire Pork Belly - Udon Food
Fried Rice Vegetables
Of course, beer, wine and live entertainment are also a big part of the festival, which runs from 3 to 11 p.m. on Friday and noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday.
Alcohol will be sold in the pavilion and on trucks on Library Street, as well as in the Taste of Reston lounge. Bud Light; Devil’s Backbone; Shock Top Belgian Wheat; Stella Artois; as well as four craft brews. A selection of wines from The Wine Cabinet will also be available.
Live entertainment will take place on four stages, including a family fun zone for the kinds. Check out the schedule.
Note: There are no carnival rides as in past years due to construction at the surface lot, ordinarily the site of the rides and games.
Admission is free, but tickets are needs for food and drinks. You can buy tickets on site or online in advance. Parking is also free in RTC’s seven garages.
Vienna’s Kiln & Co., a locally owned paint-your-own pottery studio, has set up in the old Lakeside Pharmacy space at Lake Anne Plaza for a summer pop-up studio.
The business is exploring the idea of signing a permanent lease, but for now will be open daily for young artists to drop in or to take part in a summer camp.
Summer camps will be offered beginning the week of June 27. Half and Full Day sessions are available. Camps have various themes such as “Zoofari,” “Under the Sea,” or Garden Party. Check out Kiln & Co.’s website for more information. Camps start at about $350 a week.
The art studio will also bring over products from Kustard & Company in Vienna for a summer frozen custard stand. Kustard & Company offers about a half-dozen flavors of custard daily, as well as custard pies, shakes and other treats.
The space at 1641 Washington Plaza has been vacant since September of 2014. The pharmacy, in operation for more than 40 years, had been the last original business at Lake Anne Plaza.
Leadership Fairfax Graduates New Class — Leadership Fairfax held ceremonies at Reston Town Center for its latest group of business leaders. [Connection]
Federal Dollars To Aid SafeTrack — Metro will use $20 million in federal capital funds to help pay for 10-month-long SafeTrack repair program. [Washington Post]
Former SLHS Football Player gets Canada Tryout — Former Seahawk Thomas Mayo, who had stints in the NFL as well as with indoor teams, is in training camp with the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. [Winnipeg Sun]
Last Day Of First Safety Surge — The first of Metro’s 15 Safety Surges, which greatly affected Silver Line commuters from Reston, will end today as scheduled. Metro officials say work was done faster than expected. [Metro]
Here’s a chance for some free summer fun. Lake Anne Plaza’s Take a Break Concert Series returns to the waterfront tomorrow.
Every Thursday this summer, Lake Anne and Reston Community Center present free entertainment from 7 to 9 p.m.
Here is the schedule:
June 16
Dance Night with Radio King Orchestra
Big Band Swing with dance demonstrations and instruction.
June 23
Texas Chainsaw Horns
Blues
June 30
Swing Sisters (Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer)
Acoustic Swing
July 7
Cheick Hamala Diabate
Traditional West African music mixed with modern grooves.
July 14
Four Star Combo
Vintage Rockabilly Honky Tonk
July 21
Dance Night with Cedar Creek
Country line dancing with dance demonstrations and instruction.
July 28
Fresh Air
Motown and 1960s classics
August 4
Dance Night with Sin Miedo
Salsa with dance demonstrations and instruction.
August 11
Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet
Vocal Jazz
August 18
Dance Night with Ken & Brad Kolodner
Old time square dancing
August 25
IONA
Celtic
September 1
Chris Vadala Quartet
Be Bop Jazz (as part of Lake Anne Jazz Festival Week)
For more information, visit RCC’s website.
Reston Association CEO Cate Fulkerson says she will forgo $15,000 of her own salary raise and potential bonus as part of cost-savings measures to help make up for the $430,000 deficit caused by the Lake House renovation project.
That move is part of more than $355,000 in money-saving moves Fulkerson presented to the RA Board at an operations and budget meeting Saturday. Fulkerson said Wednesday she expects to find an additional $75,000 or more in permanent variances by the end of the month.
RA purchased the Lake House, then known as the Tetra building, for $2.65 million in July 2015. But costs soon began mounting, and RA’s Board of Directors voted in late May to move $430,000 from its operating fund to cover the Lake House overrun.
The deficit was caused by several factors, including the previous tenant opting not to rent back through 2016 and renovation costs that were far more expensive than forecast. Read More
A second tower crane is coming to the site of the Reston Town Center Metro station, and it may disrupt traffic in the next few days.
From Friday, June 17, through Sunday, June 19, Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project crews will assemble a second tower crane in the median of the Dulles Airport Access Road between the Fairfax County Parkway overpass and the Reston Parkway overpass.
Work will take place during day and night hours. All work is weather dependent and subject to change, project officials said.
Here is the work schedule:
Friday, June 17, 10 p.m. to Sunday, June 19, 10 p.m.
Left lane of eastbound access road between mile markers 4.2 and 5.2 will be closed.
Saturday, June 18, 2 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Left lane of westbound access road between mile markers 5.2 and 4.2 will be closed.
Sunday, June 19, 2 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Left lane of westbound between mile markers 5.2 and 4.2 will be closed.
Drivers are asked to use caution and remain attentive to all signage, barricades, adjusted speed limits. Large, slow-moving vehicles may be exiting and entering the highway at various times.
Herndon Police are looking for a Florida man whom they say is a registered sex offender and was taking photos of a child at the Herndon Fortnightly Library on June 11.
Police said Steven Michael Edwards was involved in an altercation in the Town of Herndon Saturday after he was observed taking photographs of a juvenile while at the library.
The altercation was reportedly with the father of a young girl after the father saw Edwards allegedly take photos of his child. Edwards, 58, fled before police arrived.
Herndon Police said Edwards did not commit a crime by taking the pictures, but when they investigated the Edwards they found he is a registered sex offender in Florida. Police said Edwards failed to re-register since his arrival in Virginia.
Court records show Edwards was convicted of peeping in South Carolina in 2006 and of indecent exposure in Fairfax County in 2013. He was caught exposing himself in a Vero Beach, Fla., store in 2015, and was charged with disorderly conduct, failure of a sex offender to register in person with the Sheriff’s Office, and failure of a sex offender to report to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
He pleaded guilty to the peeping charge in 2006 and received an 18-month jail sentence, which included a requirement that he register as a sex offender. He pleaded no contest to the indecent exposure charge in 2013 and received a 180-day jail sentence, of which 120 days were suspended.
Herndon Police said Edwards is currently homeless, and he is known to be frequenting libraries in the area. Edwards is about 5-foot-5 tall and 125 lbs. He has brown hair and green eyes. If you have any information, call 703-435-6846.
Nearly a dozen Reston Association members pleaded with RA’s Board Governance Committee on Tuesday to investigate how the Tetra/Lake House purchase got $430,00 in the hole so quickly.
The RA Board announced in late May that renovation costs at Tetra, now called the Lake House, have far exceeded forecasts. The association purchased the property for $2.65 million in July 2015. At the time of a member referendum in May 2015, RA estimated renovation costs at the 33-year-old building, which it plans to use for community and event space, would be $259,000.
Those renovation costs quickly grew exponentially.
The board voted last month to move $430,000 from its operating fund to cover the deficit — as well as organize a task force to investigate how the overrun occurred.
The speakers at last night’s meeting urged the committee to organize an independent task force. It had been suggested by RA Vice President Michael Sanio, head of the Board Governance Committee, that the task force should be comprised of board members, an RA Fiscal Committee member and a community member.
“It must be completely independent,” said RA member Eric Carr. “To staff it with yourself is a farce. “Whatever conclusion will be a sham and will not be accepted by community.” Read More
Chat About Next Safety Surge — The second of Metro’s Safety Surges begins next week. The next surge (June 18 to July 3) will affect Orange, Blue and Silver Line customers with a line segment shutdown between Eastern Market & Minnesota Avenue/Benning Road, and no Blue Line service between Arlington Cemetery and Rosslyn. Fairfax County is hosting a live chat Thursday at 11 a.m. to answer citizens’ questions. [Fairfax County]
See Something, Say Something — In the wake of Sunday’s mass shooting in Orlando, the Fairfax County government is reminding citizens to remain aware or their surroundings and vigilant about suspicious activity. [Fairfax County]
Burger For Dad’s Day — The Counter at Reston Town Center is running a Father’s Day special Sunday. If you bring your dad and tell your server “my dad is a BFD,” dad gets a free 1/3-pound burger.
Baby Blossom, the locally owned baby supply and gift store at Lake Anne Plaza, will close its doors at the end of next week, co-owner David Goldberg said.
The shop, which has a location in Fairfax and an e-commerce site, has been located at 1631 Washington Plaza for five years.
Goldberg said he has enjoyed the Lake Anne location, but the building in which the store is located has been sold. Goldberg said he is scouting other nearby locations for a possible new store.
Meanwhile, remaining store merchandise is 40 percent off. If you are looking for a sweet deal on a floor model stroller, toys and other things for a baby, head to the store by June 26, which is expected to be Baby Blossom’s last day at Lake Anne.
The area’s first escape room is now open on Elden Street.
What is an escape room, you ask? Escape rooms are interactive, team-building activities where groups of people are locked in a room with others and have to use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles, find clues, and escape the room within a set time limit.
So now that you know, here is what to know. Ravenchase Adventures’ Escape Room Herndon is located at the K-Mart Shopping Center (404-406 Elden Street).
Co-owner Omer Aru previously told Reston Now that the facility is 4,000 square feet with three different rooms. The rooms have themes, such as science lab, a pirate ship, a tomb, “The Matrix,” and more. Each room holds its own clues and adventures, Aru said.
Ravenchase has been operating an Escape Room in Richmond for several years.
Players have 60 minutes to escape. The game is ideally for 4 to 10 players per room (up to 28 players at one time). Aru says it is best to gather your team before making reservations.
Escape Room Herndon’s hours are Thursday and Friday, 6:30 to 9:45 p.m.; Saturday, 10:45 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.; and Sunday, 1:15 to 8:45 p.m.
Cost: $28.00 per person (corporate packages available)
For more information or reservations visit Escape Room Herndon online.
Metro is investigating a derailment of a piece of track equipment in the work zone between Ballston and East Falls Church stations that occurred shortly after midnight Tuesday. There were no injuries.
The derailment may have been caused by a passing Silver Line train, Metro says.
There is equipment on the tracks because of Metro’s SafeTrack project, the first phase of which began June 4 and will continue on the Silver, Blue and Orange lines until later this week. Metro plans 15 “Safety Surges” over the next 10 months to do necessary repairs.
From Metro:
The track machine that derailed is described as a “spiker,” measuring approximately 21 feet long by 10 feet wide, that is used to install new rail spikes into wooden ties to hold the rail in place. The derailment was reported at approximately 12:05 a.m.
A passing Silver Line train that was in the area at the time reported possibly making contact to the mirror of the track equipment. That train was stopped, inspected, deemed safe and continued to East Falls Church, where passengers were transferred to a different train to continue their trip.
The operator of the track equipment, as well as other employees directly involved, have been temporarily removed from service during the investigation. In addition, overnight work in the area was suspended to allow for a safety review.
The incident did not affect passenger service on Tuesday morning.
Silver Line trains/file photo
