A home on Grey Squirrel Lane in Reston was heavily damaged by a fire Saturday night.
The fire broke out around 9:00 p.m. in the rear of the home, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. The residents were home at the time but were able to safely get out.
Firefighters engaged in an “aggressive” fire extinguishment effort, but much of the home was left badly charred.
The fire marshal’s office is now investigating the cause of the blaze.
Photos from scene of house fire 11900 block of Grey Squirrel Lane in Reston. Still hitting hot spots. Video update shortly #fcfrd #news pic.twitter.com/8yU3JZMkG6
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 15, 2018
Units on scene 11900 block of Grey Squirrel Lane in Reston. Heavy fire showing on arrival. Bulk of fire knocked down. Hitting hot spots. #fcfrd #news pic.twitter.com/KMx5tEZjOS
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 15, 2018
Map via Google Maps
Before we head off into the warm weekend (temperatures could hit above 80 tomorrow again), let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now in recent days.
- Fairfax County Board Approves Expanded Reston Station Project
- Comstock’s Expanded Reston Station Project Heads to County Board for Final Consideration
- Updated: Newly Elected Reston Association Board Members Highlight Need for Transparency, Improving Infrastructure
- One Day After Election, Vacancy on Reston Association Board Surfaces
- Herndon Councilmember Jeff Davidson Dies After Car Crash
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. Have a good weekend.
Aperture, a five-story, 421-unit building on 11410 Reston Station Boulevard is now officially open. Local officials and professionals behind the project held an official grand opening earlier this month.
The project is the product of a joint partnership by Reston-based developer Chuck Veatch and Bozzuto Group. It includes studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, as well three courtyards, outdoor cooking stations, a library, a gum and a lounge area.
Developers aimed to create an art-infused community that mixes city and suburban living in a lower-density setting.
Rents for a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment unit with 628 square feet start from $2,010. The rate for a two-bedroom apartment with 1,034 square feet starts from $2,475.
The building includes a Reston Wall, which offers a nod to Reston’s history and developers. Zachary Oxman’s steel sculpture, “Convergence” in the entrance.
Aperture is one of the first residential projects to open next to the new Metro Station.
Photos via Bozzuto Group and Marion Myers
No rush for rush hour service — “Metro plans to stick with rush-hour service cuts implemented last summer for years to come, an update to the rail fleet plan to be presented to the Metro Board Thursday suggests.” [WTOP]
A life line — Coffee pod maker Keurig Green Mountain is partnering with Reston-based LifeFuels to increase sales of its high-tech, battery-operated water bottles. [WTOP]
In it for the ride — Young adults ages 10 and up with special needs get a tour of Frying Pan Farm Park Today, as well as a wagon ride and a chance for some social dancing. [Fairfax County Government]
In school sports — South Lakes High School JV Boys Soccer and Girls Soccer teams secured wins over Herndon High School yesterday. [South Lakes Athletics]
Photo by Jami Ojala
I-66 slows traffic — Major construction for the toll project will create sluggish conditions, so all rides between Loudoun County Transit stops and the Wiehle-Reston East stations will be free. [WTOP]
R-E-S-P-E-C-T — Spencer Alston, a lacrosse player at South Lakes High School, received the 2018 Lou Peterson “Respect the Game” award. [The Connection]
Walk it off — Hundreds walked together at Walk MS Reston at Reston Town Center earlier this month. A total of $177,109 was raised in order to end multiple sclerosis. [The Connection]
Flickr pool photo by vantagehill
Major redevelopment is underway as Comstock Partners continue to complete the massive Reston Station development on the northe side of the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station.
On Tuesday (April 11), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an expanded version of the project, which calls for a further 1.7 million square feet of development, including a mix of residential units, a hotel and office towers.
The project is part of a public-private partnership with the county, which owns seven acres of the roughly 12-acre development. Changes include the addition of 362,450 square feet of development for the buildings on the Reston Station Plaza, increases in the heights of building, and the addition of a hotel to respond to “industry feedback,” said Cooley LLP’s Mark Looney.
The Promenade, an extension of Reston Station, would redevelop a Bank of America, medical buildings and 30 office condominiums on the corner of Sunset Hills Road and Wiehle Avenue into high rise buildings with up to 540 units, a 14-story office and a 23-story, 280-room hotel with 80 private residences.
Under amended plans, the county’s 1.3-acre portion of the project, previously designated for Reston Station, will be included in The Promenade in order to better unify the block.
Around 17 percent of the units will be affordable at levels of affordability ranging from 70 to 100 percent of the area median income. Comstock also plans to provide $1.9 million to the county’s affordable housing trust fund.
Comstock’s plans also include a woonerf, a shared street system that is used by pedestrians, bicyclists and cars, but does not contain sidewalks, curbs and traffic lights.
The county’s land use plan for the area north of the station includes 2.4 million square feet of development and roughly 1,900 housing units.
“Lots of trees gave up their lives for this application,” said Sharon Bulova, chairwoman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
Comstock plans to begin construction on its next office building at 1906 Reston Metro Plaza this spring. Plans for another 180,000-square-foot office are under county review.
Photos via Comstock
Founding Farmers, a 13,000-square-foot restaurant, is now open at 1904 Reston Metro Plaza.
The restaurant by Farmers Restaurant Group is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch.
Founding Farmers also offers on-the-go breakfast for customers at the “First Bake Cafe.” Reservations are available online. Validated parking is available in the Wiehle-Reston East parking garage, as well as valet parking for customers who pull up their vehicles to the plaza.
Here’s more from the restaurant:
Founding Farmers Reston will have many guest favorites, such as house-made pastas and our Southern Fried Chicken & Donut. Our chefs are also particularly excited to share a nice range of cuts from our Steak House, such as our classic 48-Hour Salt-Cured Prime Rib. Some of us can’t wait for the comforting and wholesome grain and protein bowls, or the decadence of our homemade desserts and hand-churned ice cream. Of course, we will be serving our large selection of craft cocktails made with spirits from our own distillery in DC, Founding Spirits.
The restaurant has been is built with the same sustainably-minded practices we use across Farmers Restaurant Group, pursuing LEED and Green Restaurant Association certifications. We also have amazing artwork from a great group of original artists to share with our guests and to help tell our story.
Sweet Leaf, a cafe adjacent to the new restaurant, also recently opened at Reston Station Plaza.
Photo via Founding Farmers Reston
A bedroom community awakens — A look at how younger people are leaving cities and settling in communities like Reston. [U.S. News & World Report]
For job seekers — Reston Association has officially posted a job listing as it continues to search for a new CEO after Cate Fulkerson’s sudden departure from the position this year. [Association Career]
So[lar] awesome — Virginia’s capacity to generate solar electricity is expected to triple over the next year. Can the Commonwealth handle that power? [WTOP]
Going mobile — Joining the rest of the digital world, Metro plans to enable customers to pay for trips by using a mobile device next year. Of course, there isn’t an app for that (yet). [WMATA]
$20 million for Expel — The cybersecurity startup based in Herndon has raised the funds led by a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Funds will fuel the company’s product development and go-to market efforts. [Washington Business Journal]
Photo by Lauren Pinkston
A 12-year-old student from Edlin School (10742 Sunset Hills Road) will appear on the NBC show “Genius Junior” on Sunday (April 15).
The show, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, airs every Sunday at 9 p.m.. Teams complete challenging brain teasers like spelling complex words backwards, relaying directions to a destination through rote memorization and memorizing the U.S. highway system.
Vinay Ayala, a seventh grader, is playing for the team, “The Fellowship of Genius Schmenius,” also known as FOGS. Other team members include an eight-year-old from Andover, Ma. and a nine-year-old from Kingsland, Ga..
Ayala enjoys building model cities and was part of a team that won first place in the national Future City competition earlier this year. He aspires to become an engineer.
“I love to memorize things,” Ayala said, noting that he can memorize a deck of shuffled cards in fifteen minutes and recite them in correct order.
The winning team will take home a grant that NBC promises will “set the stage for a big and bright future that lies ahead.”
Photo via NBC
Few crime incidents occurred over the last week, according to a pool of crime reports in the Herndon and Reston area.
A 31-year-old woman was arrested on April 3 in connection with a carjacking on the 400 block of Woodgrove Court.
According to the Herndon Police Department, Victoria Ann Johnson was arrested for failure to report an accident and stolen automobile, two counts of felony carjacking and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
In a separate incident, local police continue to search for a suspect in connection with a robbery and abduction on April 2 at Paisano’s Pizza (12056 North Shore Drive).
The Fairfax County Police Department said a man forced a store employee to walk across a parking lot at gun-point around 9 a.m. that day. Once they reached the store, the suspect demanded cash. An undisclosed amount of cash was taken.
Police said the suspect was a black man in his late teens to early 20s, about six feet tall. He was wearing dark clothing and a black mask during the incident. The investigation is ongoing.
FCPD also reported the following incidents:
Larcenies:
1300 block of Deep Run Lane, property from residence
2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, merchandise from business
11900 block of Market Street, merchandise from business
11700 block of Stratford House Place, key from vehicle
11600 block of Stoneview Square, ring from residence
Stolen Vehicles:
None reported
Anyone with information about any of the crimes reported by FCPD should call 703-691-2131 or 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or text “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES(274637).
The results of Reston Association’s elections for four new members of the Board of Directors will be announced today at the annual members’ meeting at RA headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive).
In this year’s board election, which ran from March 5 through April 2, thirteen candidates vied for four positions. Three of the open seats are for at-large positions and another is for the South Lakes District.
The meeting, which will run from 7-9 p.m., will include a report about the state of Reston Association, future projects and current initiatives and programs. A program is available online.
The new board will meet for its initial meeting tomorrow (April 11). New members will be officially sworn in. The agenda also includes the distribution of conflict of interest forms and a discussion about the board’s plans for the next three months.
The annual members’ meeting will be streamed live on RA’s YouTube channel.
Photo by Reston Association
The hunt for HQ2 — The Fairfax-Loudoun bid could become one of the hottest tickets in town if Amazon becomes its anchor tenant. [Washington Business Journal]
All aboard Reston Station — Changes proposed to Comstock’s massive Reston Station project head to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for consideration today. [Reston Now]
A job for you — A free teen job fair and resume building workshop is set forSaturday, April 21 at South Lakes High School. [The Connection]
Photo by Bako Glonti
The Reston Historic Trust and Museum is hosting the 54th annual anniversary of Reston’s founding.
Founder’s Day is set for Saturday, April 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will include moon bounces, children’s activities and face painting.
Musical entertainment will be provided by Terrasset Elementary School, Langston Hughes Middle School’s jazz ensemble, Aldrin Elementary School, Lake Anne Elementary School and other local groups and schools.
At noon, local elected officials like state Sen. Janet Howell, state Del. Ken Plum, and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Sharon Bulova will deliver remarks. Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins is also scheduled to speak.
Public Art Reston is also hosting a public tour around Lake Anne. The event will also include a book-signing event in the afternoon by local authors LaVerne Gill, Donna Andrews, and Samantha Mina. Artist Zachary Oxman will also provide commentary the impact of Reston on his art.
Founder’s Day is also supported by Reston Community Center and co-sponsored by Reston Association and Public Art Reston.
A complete program is available online.
Photos via Reston Historic Trust and Museum
Jeff Davidson, a councilman in the Town of Herndon, died Saturday after suffering injuries from a car accident in late March.
The announcement was made by the Town of Herndon’s Mayor Lisa Merkel.
“The Council and I are keeping his family in our thoughts,” Merkel wrote in a Facebook post.
Police said Davidson was injured in a crash on Catoctin Hallow Road in Frederick, Md.. The car he was driving crashed into a guardrail and drifted into a southbound lane. The car then crashed into a pick-up truck, police said.
The other driver was not injured.
Davidson lived in Herndon since 1986 and retired from federal service, with a position as a leader and manager at the U.S. Department of Defense, according to his website.
Information on funeral arrangements have not yet been made public.
Photo via Jeff4Herndon
Election results released tomorrow — The winners of Reston Association’s Board of Directors’ election will be announced at a meeting tomorrow. [RA]
Girls to the rescue — Registration for the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department’s summer camp for girls is open. The academy, which is open to all high school students except seniors, runs from July 9 through 13. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy]
Congrats to Tia Baller — The South Lakes High School point guard won all-state honors. [South Lakes Basketball]
Pony Barn renovations march forward — There’s no horsing around here. A plan to renovate the picnic pavilion goes before RA’s Design Review Board tonight. [RA]
Celebrating one year — Scout & Molly’s Boutique in Reston Town Center will celebrate its one year anniversary on April 28. [Scout & Molly’s]
HQ2’s frenemies — The possibility of landing Amazon.com Inc’s second headquarters has united Alexandria and Arlington. [Washington Business Journal]
Photo by Lauren Pinkston
