Local police are searching for two masked men who authorities believed robbed a 7-Eleven in Reston early Tuesday morning.

An employee at the store reported he was robbed at gunpoint around 1:10 a.m. Two black men wearing masks entered the store at 2303 Soapstone Drive and took tobacco products and cash, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

The men were described as “average build” and with a height of between 5’10” and 6′.

Anyone with information about any crimes reported by FCPD should call 703-691-2131 or 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or text “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES(274637).

Score used treasures on September 15 at the Reston Community Yard Sale.

Around 85 families will sell a mix of items at the event, which is located in the parking lot behind 1900 Campus Commons Drive. A rain date has been set for September 16.

Organizers say the sale is a good opportunity to find items for a new home or college dorm.

The yard sale will take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Vendors can register online via Reston Association’s WebTrac system. Registration is $39 for RA members and $49 for all others.

All sales are final and no refunds will be issued unless the event is canceled due to rain.

Photo by Reston Association

New bike lanes along South Lakes Drive between Twin Branches and Ridge Heights and between Soapstone Drive and Colts Neck Road have ignited fury and concerns from area residents.

The area which has been re-striped is near South Lakes High School, prompting school officials to encourage commuters to exercise caution when traveling in the area, especially as county schools opened Tuesday. Signs and markings were installed on Monday.

Reston residents said the new lane configuration has resulted in confusion, especially during school hours. The lloss of one travel lane has caused significant backups, residents told Reston Now.

“As the density and overall population increases in Reston with residences and businesses our infrastructure for handling traffic at peak times shouldn’t be truncated by this so-called road ‘diet,'” said Joann Miller, a Reston resident. Miller suggested maintaining two existing traffic lanes in each direction and adding a dedicated bike lane in each direction, adding that she was in support of bike lanes so long as they were responsibly designed.

Confused by the new pattern, some commuters have traveled in the narrow right lane on the road. Others are avoiding the area altogether, when possible.

“I told my kids to take Soapstone [Drive] to get to the school now in order to avoid the confusion that these new lanes marketing are going to cause,” said Kathy Brown, a Reston resident.

Others in favor of the bike lanes said state’s communication about re-striping was limited and poorly executed as school begins.

“I have already noticed delays in turning left onto South Lakes Drive from my home next to South Lakes Village Center. With two lanes of traffic, it is easier to exit and turn left because half of the traffic is in the right lane. By taking away a lane, turning left will take longer because any traffic coming in the same direction will have to pass first,” wrote Pat Maloney, a Reston resident.

On Ridge Heights Road, state and local officials proposed redesigning the road between Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive due to concerns about speeding, limiting sight distance for cars turning onto Sunrise Valley Drive, and pedestrian access. According to the county, no convenient east-west bike route existed in the corridor.

Re-striping on South Lakes Drive involved converting the outside travel lane into a buffered bike lane, an alternative that county officials believe is an “effective safety improvement for people that are driving, biking and walking.” State and local officials have extended bike lanes on South Lakes Drive between Reston Parkway and Sanibel Drive. On-street parking on both sides of the roadway will remain without impacting capacity on the road.

Current roadway changes went into effect after community meetings earlier this year. Officials hailed the final alternative as a “compromise solution” that would create a safe east-west bike route and address road safety concerns. In a statement, a spokesperson for the county’s transportation department said the county does not expect the new roadway procedures will generate additional traffic, despite development in Reston.

But, in neighborhood groups and online platforms, residents say they want a do-over: returning the lanes to the original four-lane configuration. 

File photo

Reston Community Center’s Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center will remain open in late August and through early September, a period during which it is typically closed for annual maintenance.

For the last 39 years, the center has been closed for roughly three weeks during this time window. But ahead of next year’s renovation, there will be no maintenance period this year, according to Leila Gordon, RCC’s executive director.

When the major renovation project begins in January next year, the center is expected to close for several months. It recently added new sessions of adult and youth swim lessons, in addition to swim, open swim and drop-in classes it already offices.

A family splash event will also take place on Friday (August 31) from 7-9 p.m.

RCC will be closed on Labor Day (September 3).

Photo via RCC

Before we head off into the weekend, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now in recent days.

1. L’OCCITANE en Provence in Reston Town Center is Temporarily Closed
2. Entries for Abandoned Boat Raffle Due This Week
3. Herndon Man Wins Top Lottery Prize
4. Op-Ed: Worrisome Signs That Wheelock Never Intended for Hidden Creek To Remain a Golf Course
5. Developing: Man Hit With Possible BB Pellet While Walking Dog

If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip. We’re also looking for photos of Reston submitted by readers.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.

File photo

A winner of NBC’s America’s Got Talent will perform at the last summer concert at the pavilion in Reston Town Center on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. was the season six winner of the talent show, winning the largest vote total in the show’s history. He went washing cards from a living and volunteering as a singer in the community to winning the top title of the show.

“I am excited about my performance and my fans will have a good time. Together we will create some fun memories,” Landau said.

His show on Saturday will offer a salute to Frank Sinatra and the magic of Motown. Murphy has performed around the world, sharing the stage with the Boston Pops, George Benson, Christopher Cross and others.

Since winning the show, he released three albums. His latest album, “Landau,” released in December 2016, features his take on new versions of classic R&B and new compositions. He also co-authored a book with Rick Robinson titled, “Landau Eugene Murphy Jr.: From Washing Cars to Hollywood Star.” The book debuted at #1 on Amazon’s jazz book chart.

The live concert is free and open to the public.

Photo via Shaili Priya

The dog days of summer deserve a day just for the dogs before the pool season ends.

Reston Association is hosting a Dog Paddle on Saturday in the North Hills Recreation Area from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

People are not permitted in the water with the dogs and a current dog license is required. In order to participate, dogs must remain under control or will be asked to leave without a refund. RA may ask specific patron or dog owners to leave.

A waiver is required on side and admission is $10 the day of the event. Participants can register in advance online via RA’s Webtrac system where tickets are $6 for RA members and $8 for all others.

Photo by Sammy Monaghan for RA

This weekend, Silver Line trains will run between Wiehle-Reston East and Foggy Bottom and between Federal Triangle and Largo Town Center. No trains will run between Foggy Bottom and Federal Triangle.

As major track work on the Orange and Silver Lines continues, Metro is offering some additional alternate transportation options. Announced this week, four Route 5A buses will be added between the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride, Rosslyn and L’Enfant Plaza at 6:15 a.m., 6:55 a.m., 7:35 a.m. and 8:10 a.m.

Three more buses between L’Enfant Plaza to Rosslyn and Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride will run at 4:10 p.m., 4:$0 p.m. and 5:10 p.m.

After Sunday, service on the Orange and Silver Lines is expected to return to normal. This week, service was offered every 20 minutes along the area impacted by track work.

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10,000+ pull-ups — A student from Great Falls may have set new world records by doing 10,020 pull-ups in less than 20 hours at a Reston gym. [WTOP]

Reston Association sends PRC letter — The organization has penned a letter to Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins detailing the Board of Director’s standing after a series of meetings with the county. [Reston Association]

Let’s talk acquisitions — “Reston-based SOC Telemed (SOC), an acute-care telemedicine company, has acquired Houston-based JSA Health, a behavioral health telemedicine firm.” [Virginia Business]

Photo by Beth Allgaier

Following a series of meetings with county officials about a planned population density increase in Reston, Reston Association’s Board of Directors is urging the county to build more assertive, clearer statements into its planning and development mechanisms.

At a special work session Monday night, board members considered adding language to specify a population cap. After some discussion, the board concluded it was best to avoid locking in a specific number until other items were addressed. Acting CEO Larry Butler said it was better for RA to not take a position on the issue yet.

“This takes more of a position which I’m sure a lot of people in the community would like to see but I’m just saying that it has not been the tack of the board,” Butler said.

RA board president Andy Sigle said adding a specific population cap could be addressed in a subsequent letter. The letter itself raises the following points:

• Provide a clear statement that Reston’s Village Centers, with the exception of Lake Anne and Tall Oaks, are planned to reflect land uses that currently exist
• Like the Tysons plan, Reston’s plan should include periodic updates on how development and public infrastructure are being developed, binding commitments for additional infrastructure and a formal transportation operations analysis
• A review of the assumptions and methodology that drives the Reston Transportation Network Analysis
• Implementation of a collaborative mechanism between RA, the county, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, the Fairfax County Park Authority and Reston Town Center Association to create a plan to increase the capacity of Reston’s recreational facilities to serve new residents
• The addition of clearer, more assertive statements that ensure development and infrastructure capacity are developed simultaneously and as demands arise
• Establish a realistic plan to add increased school capacity to serve new student populations
• Remove the grid of streets road connection between American Dream Way and Isaac Newton Square
• Clarify that a land use category that applies to the Harrison Apartments and the Charter Oaks Apartments applies only to those two parcels

As one of the original members of the Coalition for a Planned Reston, the grassroots organization heavily involved in discussions with the county, board member John Mooney said RA must recognize that it has no legal power in these discussions. Mooney said the organization should exercise its political power to push for changes as necessary.

“There is a power to truth and we have insisted that we want reason to show what the truth is… we have made it not an act of the will but an act of reason,” Mooney said.

More information on the proposed zoning ordinance amendment is available online. The county has not yet released a schedule detailing when the amendment will be formally introduced at the county level.

File photo via Reston Association

No major incidents were reported by the Fairfax County Police Department this week.

Last Thursday (August 16), a burglary happened at the 1600 block of Apricot Court at 11 p.m. and the next day at 7 a.m. According to police, an unknown person entered the house through the garage door and took several personal items.

In a separate incident, a Reston resident was arrested and charged with grand theft auto on Saturday (August 18).

Omar Romero-Caceres, 37, was found by a deputy on patrol who spotted him with a vehicle taken from Fairfax County, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.

FCPD also reported the following incidents in recent days:

LARCENIES:

1700 block of Ascot Way, property from vehicle

2200 block of Astoria Circle, shoes from package

1600 block of Chimney House Road, earrings from residence

13300 block of Coppermine Road, tools from vehicle

1500 block of Deer Point Way, property from vehicle

2400 block of Fieldcreek Drive, tools from vehicle

9900 block of Georgetown Pike, beer from business

11600 block of Plaza America Drive, wallet from shopping cart

13300 block of Rowles Place, catalytic converter from vehicle

11900 block of Market Street, merchandise from business

12000 block of North Shore Drive, debit card from residence

11500 block of North Shore Drive, cash from vehicle

13300 block of Parcher Avenue, tools from vehicle

11600 block of Vantage Hill Road, credit card from vehicle

11400 block of Waterhaven Court, sunglasses from vehicle

STOLEN VEHICLES:

None reported

File photo

Reston Association is holding a raffle for abandoned and donated boats this week. In order to enter, individuals must email [email protected] with the subject line “BOAT RAFFLE” by Thursday (August 24).

The email must contain the name of the entrant, address and phone numbers. Entries are limited to one per household. Proof of residency and a general access permit application are required to be eligible to participate.

Winners will be randomly selected the week of August 27. Those selected can pick a boat on a first-come, first-serve basis. All boats must be purchased as they are. The raffle and boats are free.

Reston Association is, however, encouraging donations to Friends of Reston to help fund watershed education program. The organization is a non-profit entity that aims to support RA’s charitable, educational and scientific purposes, according to its website.

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