Is Reston, particularly around its transit areas, about to get even more urban?
That’s what the Fairfax County Planning Commission will examine at its regular meeting Wednesday.
The planning commission is considering a proposal that would allow denser development in 22 areas in the county around the Metro’s Silver, Orange, Blue and Yellow lines. If the planing commission approves the proposal, the new standards would go to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for a vote on June 21. Read More
RCC Annual Meeting — Hear about the plans for Reston Community Center’s future and give feedback to RCC’s Board of Governors at RCC’s Annual Public Hearing. The meeting is Monday, June 20, 6:30 p.m. at RCC Hunters Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road.
Still On SafeTrack — Here is how the second week of Metro’s SafeTrack started out. The Silver Line will continue to be affected until later this week. [Washington Post]
School’s Almost Out; Reading Is In — The Fairfax County Public Library kicks off its summer reading program June 23. Here’s how to get involved. [Fairfax County Public Library]
Photo: Paddleboarding on Lake Anne/Credit: Surf Reston
United Christian Parish of Reston will be hosting a prayer vigil to remember the victims in Sunday’s mass shooting in Orlando.
A gunman opened fire in a crowded gay nightclub early Sunday, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others. It was the worst mass shooting in United States history.
The UCP prayer vigil is Wednesday, June 15 at 6 p.m. in the UCP Sanctuary, 11505 North Shore Dr. All are welcome.
Herndon High School officials said school police officers caught an unknown man trying to enter the building during school hours Monday morning.
As at all FCPS schools, the school’s doors are locked and visitors must be let in through an electronic camera system.
The man, who was not armed, was charged with trespassing, said Principal William Bates.
Here is the memo Bates sent to HHS families Monday afternoon:
Dear Parents and Guardians,
At 8:45 a.m. this morning, an unknown adult male was observed on school grounds attempting to enter the building. A staff member located this individual near door #9 and radioed security for assistance. Our safety and security specialist along with the SRO [School Resource Officer] approached the individual who cooperated with the SRO’s instructions. The individual was taken into custody and charged with trespassing. The suspect did not have any weapons in his possession.
With the assistance of the Fairfax County Police Department and the FCPS Office of Safety and Security, we will continue to be diligent to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Thank you for your support and understanding. If you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to contact the school office.
Coming eventually to south Reston: an extension of Soapstone Drive that will provide an additional crossing of the Dulles Toll Road for cars, pedestrians and cyclists.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation project was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2014. Officials held a briefing last October, where they said major funding has not been identified and an environmental review will not be completed until fall of 2016.
Officials will give a progress report on the environmental analysis Wednesday, June 15 at South Lakes High School. The meeting is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with a formal presentation at 7:30 p.m.
The environmental review will look at land use, community impact, traffic, safety, noise, water quality and other environmental factors, FCDOT officials said last fall.
Having an additional crossing of the toll road will help alleviate traffic, particularly along Wiehle Avenue at Sunset Hills Road and Sunrise Valley Drive. It will also provide direct access for buses across the Dulles Corridor and to Wiehle-Reston East without requiring travel on Wiehle Avenue and offer improved connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists to the Metro station from points north and south of the Toll Road.
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 to cost $91.75 million — on the county’s list of high-priority projects for 2015-20.
An exact price tag won’t be known until the connector is farther along, officials have said.
According to the preliminary plans, the road, which will have three lanes approaching the bridge and four lanes on the bridge, will require demolition of several office buildings on Association Drive.
Check out this Soapstone Connector Feasibility Study (2013) for more information, as well as a county information page with the most recent presentations.
Graphic: Fairfax County
The bricks at Reston’s historic Lake Anne turned into a colorful display of art over the weekend at the third annual Chalk on the Water Festival.
Professional, amateur and school-age artists drew murals, and the place winners received cash prizes.
The event was presented by Lake Anne and the Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR).
Check out some of the top murals in this photo gallery courtesy of Charlotte Geary at Modern Reston.
Reston Association is calling for a independent review of the Lake House deficit — with a task force made up primarily of RA Board members.
The RA Board voted May 26 to move $430,000 from its operating fund to cover cost overruns on the project. RA bought the property, then known as the Tetra Building, for $2.6 million in July 2015. The purchase was approved by a member referendum.
Several factors, including previous tenant Tetra Partners opting not to rent back for 2016 and renovation costs that were much more than expected, led to the deficit, RA officials said last month.
RA hopes to finish renovations promptly and begin programming at the 3,000-square-foot building on the shores of Lake Newport. RA expects to bring in more than $100,000 annually from event rentals and after-school care.
In addition to voting in May to transfer the money, the board also voted to start a review of Lake House 2016 Budgeting.
According to a proposal by Michael Sanio, Board Governance Chair, the association will convene a Lake House Budget Task Force that will consist of several RA Board of Directors members; a rep from RA’s Fiscal Committee; and an external community member.
The Board Operations Committee meeting is at 6 p.m. Tuesday at RA Headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr. There will be a public hearing portion, where members can offer their opinion on the Lake House budgeting review process.
The Lake House Task Force would be expected to provide its final report to the RA Board on Sept. 28. RA documents said the task force will:
- Review budgets and referendum information prepared and distributed by the RA, as well as the process utilized to prepare those documents.
- Review the steps taken for the acquisition and remodel of the Lake House to ensure that the correct financial, accounting and project management/controls were followed.
- Recommend revised RA processes to ensure future construction projects and operating budgets are accurate and conform to best practice industry standards.
Gender Protection Addition Causes Ire At FCPS Board Meeting — Security had to escort several audience members out of the Fairfax County School Board meeting Thursday night after a discussion to amend FCPS’ Student Rights and Responsibilities policy to align the student handbook with the district’s nondiscrimination policy. Board discussion also turned heated when several members wanted to postpone the vote until June 30. That motion failed and the change to the policy passed. [Washington Post]
Biking On Track During SafeTrack — Area transportation officials say the number of people biking to work last week was up there with “Bike to Work Day.” Double the usual number of riders were counted last Monday, the first day of SafeTrack work on the Blue, Orange and Silver Lines. [WJLA]
Tour the New North County Governmental Center — The public is invited to the grand opening of the North County Governmental Center (1801 Cameron Glen Dr.) on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The new facility, completed last year, houses the Fairfax County Police Reston District Station, as well as the Hunter Mill Supervisors office. In addition to tours there will be members of the K-9 unit; a landing of the police helicopter; motorcycle squad demonstrations and more family fun.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue crews rushed to Midtown Condominiums at Reston Town Center Sunday after an underground transformer sparked.
While smoke was visible from street grates, there were no visible flames despite the two-alarm call that brought more than a dozen fire trucks to scene at 11990 Market St. shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday.
Power was out in the building, and most residents (as well as employees of Subway and Roosters on the ground floor) self evacuated.
Market Street, Explorer Street and the area around Reston Town Square Park were blocked off until about 2 p.m.
Residents said they were back in the building with generator power Sunday afternoon.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved on Tuesday changes that will add amenities and parking to Reston’s future tallest building.
Even though the 23-story tower at 1760 Reston Parkway has been approved since 2012, don’t look for construction to begin any time soon. Developers are waiting until major tenants have signed leases before beginning construction.
When they get there, tenants will find views from the roof — 115 feet higher than any of Reston’s current buildings — to the Blue Ridge and D.C. as well as a seventh-floor outdoor park.
A rooftop terrace is planned as an amenity for tenants of the building. It will be surrounded by a 35-foot tall glass screen wall with an opening on the west side to shield the space from strong winds; it will be constructed of aluminum and steel supports and clear glass.
The terrace will include outdoor seating; a trellis structure on the west side of the rooftop to provide shade for outdoor seating; an enclosed event space serviced with restroom and pantry facilities; and a 2,500-square-foot vegetated green roof. Read More
Reston Association is working on how its board of directors can better work together and how the organization can implement a code of ethics.
The board will discuss the findings of an independent report from Quantum Governance at its regular meeting on June 23.
RA’s Code of Conduct Task Force is studying how to improve upon the association’s conduct policies for employees, board members and volunteers. RA says it has been moving toward improving its system of governance since May 2014.
RA recently hired Quantum to review RA. The Vienna-based firm interviewed 44 people, including RA staff, board members and committee members. Read the firm’s Ethics Assessment Summary Report. Read More
There is family fun this weekend at both of Reston’s large gathering places.
Chalk on the Water, Lake Anne’s third annual chalk art festival, is Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lake Anne Plaza.
All ages are invited to sign up for remaining spaces and create chalk murals on the bricks of the plaza. Everyone is also invited to just browse the street art.
Register on Chalk on the Water’s website. Plots start at $10.
Participants have a chance to win cash prizes for various categories, awarded by community judges. Funds raised from the festival will be donated to the Initiative for Public Art Reston.
Sunday at Reston Town Center is for all things yoga. The eighth annual Love Your Body Yoga Festival will feature free yoga classes from a variety of local teachers from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will also be classes for kids in a separate tent, and a marketplace for vendors.
New to the festival this year is a Farm to Table tent, where local farmers, distributors and food artisans will prepare and offer healthy food. Among the vendors:
- Second Spring Farm – ecologically grown vegetables
- Golden Valley Guernseys – premium raw Guernsey milk
- Prior Unity Garden – garden design, installation, classes
- LivingClean with Paula – growing sprouts & microgreens
- 100 Bowls of Soup – nourishing soup & stock
- EatLuv – handcrafted clarified butter
- Fairfax County Farmers Markets – 11 weekly markets
Photo: Chalk on the Water 2015
Reston has a new pet supply store. Pet Valu recently opened its doors at 1422 North Point Village Center.
Pet Valu, a national franchise that also has a South Lakes Village Center store, sells pet supplies, food, toys and other necessities. It also hosts pet rescue groups for weekend adoption events.
The North Point store features a do-it-yourself dog washing station.
There will be an all-day grand opening celebration on Saturday, June 25. The day will feature raffles, prizes, adoption information, goody bags, balloon art, magic, and more, says Pet Valu.
Don’t bulldoze the Marcel Breuer-designed former American Press Institute building in Reston. Turn it into the new Reston Regional Library.
That’s the suggestion of the Fairfax Library Advocates, who are urging citizens to write to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Fairfax County Planning Commission in support of the idea.
The planning commission will make a decision June 16 on whether to recommend Sekas Homes’ rezoning application to the Board of Supervisors.
Sekas seeks to build 34 townhomes and 10 condominiums on the 4.6 acres off of Sunrise Valley Drive in South Reston. A county staff report recommends approval of the application.But in the last few weeks, there has been concern by historical groups and former employees of the American Press Institute, which was housed in the building from 1974 until 2012. The building has been vacant and for sale for more than four years.
The groups are urging the county and state to consider the building for historic designation, even though it is less than 50 years old.
The library advocates say repurpose it. Reston needs a new library and $10 million in county bonds have been set aside to build one. The current plan is to build in the Reston Town Center North area, close to where the current Reston Regional Library stands.<
Here is what the library advocates have to say on their blog:
Fairfax County’s Architectural Review Board has asked that the county reconsider bulldozing the American Press Institute (API) building on Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston.
They believe the building, designed by Hungarian-born architect Marcel Breuer, has historic architectural significance and should not be taken down and replaced with townhouses. API is the only building in Virginia designed by Breuer.
This building at 48,000 square feet is large enough to house a regional library. It’s in an excellent location. The $10 million library bond approved by voters is enough to purchase and renovate the building.
Current development plans for the library parcel in Town Center North and for the API site on Sunrise Valley Drive need to be paused to consider an adaptive reuse of the API building as a public library.
Please write the Planning Commissioners and the Board of Supervisors as soon as possible to ask that this option be considered.
The intersection of Elden and Monroe Streets in Herndon is blocked as of 10 a.m. Friday after a gas line was struck by construction crews this morning.
Fairfax County Public Safety officials said Elden is shut down between Van Buren and Lynn Streets.
If you have to go to downtown Herndon, plan a different route.
Reston Now will keep you updated on this story.
