After years of talking about it, Reston Town Center will soon be going to a paid parking garage system.
Later this year — most likely by August — RTC garages will start using an app-based system called Park RTC, says RTC spokeswoman Marion Myers.
Myers says there is already evidence that people are parking at Town Center and taking shuttles to Dulles International Airport or Whiele-Reston East’s Metro station and leaving cars for hours or even overnight.
With a Reston Town Center Metro station coming in 2020, there needs to be a new system in place, she said.
“We are looking for some solutions to protect parking for office [employees] and store customers,” said Myers. Read More
Fairfax County Police said they have located a Herndon woman who had not been seen in a week.
Detectives with the Major Crimes Division, Cold Case Section asked for the public’s help late Monday in locating Ana Gloria Ramirez Villalta, 22.
Villalta has a history of mental health issues, police said.
Villalta was last seen Monday, March 7, around 10 p.m. in the area of the Fairfax County Judicial Center near the 4100 block of Chain Bridge Road.
Police announced Tuesday about noon that she has been located and is in “good health.”
After months of construction and inspections, Lake Anne Brew House — Reston’s first nanobrewery — has an opening date in mind.
Co-owner Melissa Romano wrote on the company’s Facebook page on Tuesday that the brewery had passed its final Fairfax County Department of Health Reviews and is ready to start brewing beer.
“Our inspectors were incredibly complimentary of our space and we are both beaming with pride and simultaneously exhausting huge exhales!,” wrote Romano. “Jason will brew the flagship batches later this week in anticipation of a mid-April opening, so be on the lookout for more posts and photos soon.”
The Romanos purchased the former Singh Thai space at 11424 Washington Plaza W at Lake Anne Plaza nearly a year ago. They have done extensive renovations to the space and patio, but Melissa Romano said in October the permitting process took longer than expected because a nanobrewery is new territory for the county.
Melissa Romano says they will be “working around the clock” to brew and prep.
“We will host soft openings for our Kickstarter contributors before opening to the public, but hope to be serving everyone by mid-April,” she said.
Nanobreweries are a growing segment of the craft beer market that typically produce fewer than three barrels at a time. A barrel is typically 31 gallons or two kegs.
Look for updates on an exact opening date soon.
Photo by Michelle Schoening for Lake Anne Brew House
Fairfax County is considering relocating one of its two county septage receiving sites from Colvin Run in Great Falls to the Lake Fairfax Park Maintenance Area 6 on Hunter Mill Road in Reston/Vienna.
There are 21,000 homes in this area of the county, mostly in Great Falls and Oakton, whose septic tanks must be emptied into a sewer line once every five years (or about 6,000 visits to the current site annually). The current location also receives regular deliveries of restaurant grease.
Officials said the current site floods, smells and has a pipe that is too small to receive the sewage. After looking at six area locations, they determined the Lake Fairfax one is the most appropriate place to built a new, secure, odor-controlled facility. That land is on park land, but not in an area of the park accessible to visitors.
However, Hunter Mill-area residents said at a recent meeting that Hunter Mill is the exact wrong place to build the sewage dump. Among the issues: Two-lane Hunter Mill Road, and its one-lane bridge, cannot handle the increased traffic; the Lake Fairfax site is close to trails and streams; and the sewage should stay closer to its customers in Great Falls.
A report prepared by an environmental consulting firm said, among other things, it would cost more than $700,000 less to renovate the Colvin Run site rather than build a new plant at a cost of $3.4 million.
Where do you think the septage site should be?
Photo: Proposed site of new facility on Hunter Mill Road
St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday, March 17. Where are you celebrating the luck of the Irish?
Here are some ideas if you are looking to celebrate in or around Reston:
Ned Devine’s
2465 Centreville Road, Herndon
Ned’s is promoting “The Biggest and Best St. Patrick’s Day Party Around.” The Irish pub will have live acoustic musicians, including Celkilt, onstage from noon to 9 p.m. Irish dancers will perform at 4, 6, and 8 p.m. Live band My Hero Zero performs at 9 p.m. Traditional Irish food, Guinness, and green beer served all day.
Clyde’s of Reston
Reston Town Center
Clyde’s will have Irish food and drink specials throughout the day. There will be an evening St. Patrick’s Day party, with a DJ starting at 10 p.m.
Kalypso’s Sports Tavern
Kalypso’s Sports Tavern, Lake Anne Plaza, Reston
Irish food and drink specials all day. Live music: Mark Scott, 4 to 8 p.m. Live music by Sam Gunderson, 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
PJ Mulligan’s
2310 Woodland Crossing Dr, Herndon
This Irish pub opens for Kegs & Eggs at 9:30 a.m. Lunch and dinner menu starts at 11 a.m. and goes until midnight. They’ll have giveaways and drink specials all day. Live music by Bobby Flynn.
Ex-Trump Girlfriend Is 1982 Herndon High Grad — Former model Rowanne Brewer, who graduated from HHS in 1982 and was briefly Trump’s girlfriend in 1990, said Trump asked her 25 years ago if she thought he would make a good president. [Inside Edition]
Prison Time For Man Who Embezzled From Herndon Firm — A Leesburg man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison for embezzling nearly $3 million from his Herndon employer and falsely reporting the funds as legitimate corporate expenses. Victor R. DeAnthony, Jr., 47, of Leesburg, was president of the systems engineering and integration company Insequence, Inc., headquartered in Herndon, from 2004 until he was terminated in 2013. [Patch]
SLHS Part Of Genesys Works Program — South Lakes High School is among five Fairfax County Public Schools that have teamed up with Genesys Works, which provides opportunities for underprivileged high school students to participate in meaningful year-long IT internships in businesses. This expansion is funded in part by a $500,000 contribution from AT&T. Genesys Works provides extensive training and year-long IT-focused internships at major corporations during their senior year in high school.
Fairfax County Police are searching for a Herndon woman who has a history of mental health issues.
Detectives with the Major Crimes Division, Cold Case Section said they are looking for Ana Gloria Ramirez Villalta, 22. She has not been seen since last Monday.
Villalta has been treated for a mental health condition and may be in need of medical attention. She speaks Spanish and may have difficulties communicating in English.
Villalta was last seen Monday, March 7, around 10 p.m. in the area of the Fairfax County Judicial Center near the 4100 block of Chain Bridge Road. She was wearing a gray shirt, blue jeans and possibly wearing a dark-colored-jacket.
Anyone with information pertaining to the whereabouts of Ana Gloria Ramirez Villalta is asked to contact Detective John Farrell at 571-233-8166 or Crime Solvers electronically by visiting http://www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES (274637)** or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.
Metro Riders on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines had a heck of a morning Monday, with offloading, a fire on the tracks, major delays, single tracking and a whole host of headaches.
Metro GM Wiedefeld issued a statement this afternoon as an explanation and advice on how to manage the ride home this evening. There will still be some issues, he warns, including Silver Line trains that will operate between Wiehle-Reston East and Ballston only. Customers should use Orange Line trains to complete their trip between Virginia and DC, said Wiedenfeld.
Dear Metrorail Customer,
I know that it was a tough commute this morning for our Blue, Orange and Silver line customers. I want to provide you with an update so that you can plan for the commute home.
About 4:30 a.m., the Rail Operations Control Center received a report of a fire in the tunnel outside McPherson Square Station. Buses were called in to substitute for trains through downtown until the fire department cleared in the 6 a.m. hour. Metro restored limited rail service using a single track between Foggy Bottom and Federal Triangle stations.
I know that many of you experienced delays of 30 to 60 minutes on Blue and Orange line trains this morning. Silver Line trains were turned back at Ballston Station to reduce congestion downtown, and some trains bypassed stations to ease delays for the greatest number of customers.
Hopefully you received timely notification of the disruption through our communication channels: wmata.com, MetroAlerts email and text messages or the news media. (If you are not signed up for MetroAlerts, please take a moment to sign up at wmata.com/metroalerts.)
Unfortunately, the fire damaged several cables that will need to be replaced tonight in order to restore full service for tomorrow. Single tracking will continue throughout the day and will affect the evening commute. If you have the ability to consider alternate travel options today, I encourage you to do so.
I have directed that repairs start at 9 p.m. tonight when ridership is lower. At that time, rail service will be suspended on both tracks between Foggy Bottom and Federal Triangle.
Rail service plans for the rest of today are as follows:
Blue and Orange line trains will continue to share a single track between Foggy Bottom and Federal Triangle during the afternoon and evening hours. This will result in delays in both directions. You should consider travel alternates if possible, such as the Yellow Line between DC and Virginia or Metrobus options if available.
Silver Line trains will continue operating between Wiehle-Reston East and Ballston only. Customers should use Orange Line trains to complete their trip between Virginia and DC.
During the evening rush hour, Blue and Orange eastbound trains will skip Farragut West and McPherson Square to reduce delays. Listen for station announcements, check platform signs or sign up for MetroAlerts for details.
Starting at 9 p.m., all rail service will be suspended in both directions between Foggy Bottom and Federal Triangle to allow for repairs. Metro will provide shuttle bus service between the affected stations. Please allow additional travel time.
We are working closely and cooperatively with the NTSB, FTA and DC Fire Department to determine the cause of this incident, and I will remain personally engaged in our response.
I apologize for the delay, inconvenience and crowding you experienced this morning — and that you may experience again later today. Be assured that as we respond to these matters as they arise, we continue to advance plans to improve safety and service reliability to reduce recurrences in the future.
Sincerely,
Paul J. Wiedefeld
General Manager and Chief Executive Officer
Photo: Packed Metro platform March 14 in DC/Credit: Johab Silva via Twitter
To properly memorialize Reston Founder Robert E. Simon, the Reston Historic Trust, the Initiative for Public Art Reston and other local groups are greatly expanding Founders Day into Founders Week April 3 to 10.
Simon died in September at age 101. His 102nd birthday would have been April 10, 2016.
The celebrations will be a combo of art exhibits, films, and the traditional party on the plaza.
The community Founders Day celebration on April 9 will feature a little (and a big) something extra — the addition of a ferris wheel and a recreation of a historical piece of Reston public art.
Founders Day at Lake Anne Plaza, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 9 . Free.
Join the Reston Historic Trust and Museum to celebrate Robert E. Simon, Jr. and Reston. Founder’s Day will feature a 50-foot Ferris wheel sponsored by Reston Association (RA), children’s activities, children’s art projects in cooperation with the Initiative for Public Art – Reston (IPAR), musical entertainment for all ages provided by local artists and schools, guided walks around Lake Anne Plaza in cooperation with IPAR and RA, and remarks by local elected officials.
On this special Founder’s Day, Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association (LARCA) and IPAR partnered to commission a new version of The Wooden Horse originally created by artist Gonzalo Fonseca in 1965. The sculpture was first installed on grass, as in a pasture, and was later moved to a brick walkway, not far from the building, another sculpture created by Fonseca.
Because both sculptures were made of wood, they have been lost to the effects of time. Like the other sculptures at Lake Anne Plaza, The Horse was meant to be played on. This new version of The Wooden Horse was constructed by Reston artist Marco Rando.
Here’s an overview of what else is on the Founders Day slate:
Emerging Visions: Contemplating Community at Greater Reston Arts Center, 12001 Market Street at Reston Town Center. Free.
Naked Pizza is slightly changing its brand — and the company is giving away pizza to celebrate.
There will be free pizza at the Reston location — 1675 Reston Parkway — on Wednesday, March 16.
Naked Pizza is a national franchise that prides itself on fresh ingredients, no artificial colors or preservatives and crust made from a 10-grain ancestral blend.
The company is now renaming itself NKD Pizza.
“To drive home the fact that we strip out all the typical junk found in mass produced, processed pizza (and to prevent any potential misinterpretations of which Naked we were talking about) we shortened our name to NKD Pizza,” says a statement on the company website.
Here’s how to get your free pizza: visit the Reston location between noon and 9 p.m. on Wednesday and get a free 10-inch pizza for carryout. If you are in Arlington (Pentagon Row) or McLean on Wednesday, the offer is good there was well.
The Reston Zoo will reopen for the season March 19 with a new name and new owners.
Welcome, Roer’s Zoofari.
According to the Roer’s Zoofari Facebook page:
New owners Vanessa Stoffel and Jacob Roer are excited to join the greater Reston/Vienna/Herndon community and reopen the Reston Zoo as Roer’s Zoofari.
Visitors to Roer’s Zoofari can expect many of the same wonderful hands-on experiences that have been offered in the past as well as new animal encounters and renovations.
Roer’s Zoofari is a an opportunity for people of all ages to discover and connect with animals and the environment.
Stoffel has many years of experience operating animal parks. She has been the CEO of Bearizona, a wildlife park in Williams, AZ, since 2009, according to her LinkedIn page. She also serves as a board member for the Zoological Association of America, a group that advocates for the industry and zoos.
The Reston Zoo, which features farm and exotic animals on land off of Hunter Mill Road, has been in the news the last several years after former zoo director Meghan Mogensen was found guilty of animal cruelty and possession of narcotics in Fairfax County General District Court after she improperly euthanized a sick wallaby at the zoo in 2012.
Mogensen is the daughter of former owner Eric Mogensen. The zoo faced criticism whether Meghan Mogensen was qualified to be running the zoo.
The zoo hired a new director last July. Eric Mogensen has also responded to the 2012 incident and other animal mistreatment allegations in a July op-ed on Reston Now.
Reston Now will check in with the new owners to see what changes they have planned for the zoo when it reopens for the season.
Photo: Reston Zoo/file photo
Nearby: New Coffee Truck and Restaurant — Herndon held an official ribbon cutting for veggie-friendly GreenFare, and a new coffee truck has come to town. [Herndon Connection]
Financial Team Gives Back — Reston’s The Wise Investor Group at Robert W. Baird & Co., is donating more $14,000 to Raising Enthusiasm for Science, Engineering and Technology (RESET). RESET is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to use hands-on experiments and classroom activities to introduce the joys of STEM education to pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students.
RCC Meeting Tonight — The community is invited to Reston Community Center’s Board of Governors Community Relations and Program/Policy Joint Committee Meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at RCC Hunters Woods. Come here about RCC’s five-year strategic plan.
Photo: Sunset at Lake Newport/Credit: Nick Dowsett via Twitter
How’s your commute going this morning?
Metro is reporting significant delays and issues on the Silver, Blue and Orange lines.
As of 8:30 a.m., Silver Line trains were operating between Wiehle-Reston East and Ballston only, Metro reports. Riders are asked to transfer to Orange Line trains at Ballston.
But then there is more trouble. Once on the Blue and Orange lines, Westbound trains will skip McPherson Sq & Farragut West to reduce delays. Meanwhile, trains are trains are single tracking between Foggy Bottom and Smithsonian due to earlier fire department activity at McPherson Square.
Metro officials said earlier that delays of 30 to 60 minutes should be expected.
One rider tweeted it took him three hours to get from Reston to downtown DC this morning.
Doesn’t come as a surprise but @wmata service is particularly deplorable today. Wiehle-Reston to Fed Center SW should never take 3 hrs.
— Derek Doyle (@Derek_Doyle89) March 14, 2016
Follow @metrorailinfo on Twitter for up-to-the minute info. And good luck!
Chick-fil-A’s planned store at North Point Village Center will be 58 percent bigger than the current Burger King building that occupies that location.
Chick-fil-A plans to tear down the Burger King building to build the new restaurant. In its place, it plans a new restaurant with an exterior that better coordinates with existing buildings at North Point, according to a Fairfax County Planning Department staff report.
The Burger King space at 1490 North Point Village Center has been vacant since March of 2014. Chick-fil-A filed its applications with the county in November. Chick-fil-A has an existing location at 12160 Sunset Hills Rd., about 2 1/2 miles away.
The staff report recommends approval of the project, which will have a public hearing before the county planning commission on March 16 at 8:15 p.m.
Some of the development conditions include:
- Screening the trash dumpsters
- Adding secure bike racks
- Installing water-efficient landscaping
- Using environmentally conscious building materials
- Using EnergyStar-certified appliances
The Reston Planning and Zoning Committee has expressed concern that going from the drive-thru to the shopping center’s exit will involve a complicated U-turn. Chick-fil-A reps said the North Point exit lane will be widened to 12 feet, but that the area between the drive-thru and the village center exit would not be changed.
The five candidates in the 2016 Reston Association Board of Directors elections discussed topics such as RA’s future, a planned code of conduct policy, transparency, communications and more at a RA Candidates Forum on Thursday.
Elections opened Monday and run until April 4.
There are five people running for three board seats. Read these previous profiles on Reston Now:
North Point: Dannielle LaRosa (unopposed)
Lake Anne/Tall Oaks: Sherri Hebert (unopposed)
At-Large: Eve Thompson; John Bowman; April Tan
