A handful of Reston restaurants will be taking part in Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week next week.

About 250 restaurants from throughout the DC area will be participating this year. Each will be offering a three-course lunch for $22, a three-course dinner for $35, and for the first time, brunch for $22. In addition, a “rewards program” will be offered for those who book their reservations to any of the participating restaurants through the RWDMV website.

Reston restaurants that will be participating in the weeklong event include:

• M&S Grill (11901 Democracy Drive)
• The Melting Pot (11730 Plaza America Drive)
• McCormick & Schmick’s (11920 Democracy Drive)
• Morton’s The Steakhouse (11956 Market St.)
• PassionFish (11960 Democracy Drive)

There are also numerous participating restaurants elsewhere in Fairfax County including in Tysons Corners, Fairfax and McLean.

Some of the restaurants are planning additional specials beyond the discounted meal deals.

Our #RestaurantWeek menu incl specially priced wines to benefit the @foodbankmetrodc! Starts Mon Aug 14. Info: https://t.co/X7nEFYqzJG pic.twitter.com/rxDa9JruGQ

— PassionFish Reston (@PassionFishRest) August 9, 2017

For more information, follow the Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week page on Facebook.

The Fairfax County Police Department says a “group of men” were involved in an altercation Wednesday evening on South Lakes Drive.

According to the FCPD, the group assaulted a 19-year-old man at about 7:10 p.m. in the 11800 block of South Lakes Drive. Two other men then attempted to intervene, police say, and they were also assaulted. All victims sustained minor injuries.

Police say the suspects are a group of black men in their 20s, all between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10.

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

With a little over two weeks left before the Reston Bicycle Club Century ride, the number of registrants is nearing 1,000.

A total of 1,500 spaces are available for the event, which is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 27. Early registration has ended, but pre-ride discounted registration of $60 is still available through Aug. 18. Registration the day of the ride will be $75.

The 35th annual event will take riders through portions of Fairfax and Loudoun counties, start and finishing at Reston Town Center. Start times will be from 6:30-10 a.m., with all riders who plan to complete the full Century needing to be off by 9.

In addition to the 100-mile “Century” ride, participants can also choose the “Metric” (100 kilometers — about 62 miles) or “Half-Metric” (50 kilometers — about 31 miles) routes. The rides will be held rain or shine.

Volunteers are also being sought to help with rest stops, T-shirts, route marking and more.

For more information about the event, email [email protected] or follow the Reston Bicycle Club on Facebook.

An event this weekend will help get kids ready for that dreaded time of year — the end of summer and the return to the classroom.

The “Back 2 School Bash” is an opportunity for families to receive important information to help prepare children of all ages and grades for the coming school year. Students and parents will have the chance to learn about resources, programs and services provided by community agencies and partnerships that will help with the transition.

The free event will feature local schools, government and nonprofit providers of services, resources and activities for Reston community members. It is co-sponsored by Fairfax County Public Schools, Cornerstones, Reston Community Center, YMCA Fairfax County Reston, and Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Service.

The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at South Lakes High School (11400 South Lakes Drive).

Due to construction at the high school that is limiting parking, Fairfax Connector is offering free shuttles to the event. One shuttle will run between Dogwood Elementary and SLHS, and a second will run from Forest Edge Elementary School to Lake Anne Elementary School to SLHS. The first pick from Dogwood and Forest Edge will be at 10:45 a.m.

For more information, contact LaTanja Jones, collaboration and outreach director at Reston Community Center, by calling 703-390-6158 or emailing [email protected]. You can also follow the event’s Facebook page.

A Herndon man faces charges after police in Loudoun County say he was involved in a hit-and-run crash last week.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 45000 block of Bentgrass Terrace in Sterling at about 2:20 a.m. last Monday for the reported incident. The suspect in the crash, identified as 26-year-old Jose Bonilla, was later found driving on Cascades Parkway.

Bonilla was charged with obstruction of justice and public intoxication before being taken to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

Meanwhile, the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station reported the following crimes in recent days:

LARCENIES:

1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, cash from residence

1600 block of Cedar Hollow Way, jewelry from person

2300 block of Corporate Park Drive, computer from residence

11900 block of Freedom Drive, bicycle from residence

2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, merchandise from business

1800 block of Jonathan Way, bicycles from residence

11600 block of Lake Newport Road, bag from vehicle

2100 block of Mager Drive, license plate from vehicle

13200 block of Parcher Avenue, wallet from person

11000 block of Ring Road, purse from vehicle

11800 block of Spectrum Center, merchandise from business

2100 block of South Bay Lane, wallet from vehicle

2200 block of Springwood Drive, purse from vehicle

12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, merchandise from business

STOLEN VEHICLES:

1800 block of Wiehle Avenue, 2014 Hyundai Elantra

Anyone with information about any of these 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 winners of the 2017 Best Reston Business awards will be determined in a week of online voting, starting Tuesday.

Subscribers to Reston Now’s email list will receive a link Tuesday to access the ballot to make their choices in the 18 categories. The ballots will be available for one week, and winners will be announced Wednesday, Aug. 16.

Below are the finalists in each category.

• Best Apartment Building: The Avant at Reston Town Center, BLVD at Reston Station
• Best Architect or Designer: AKG Design Studio, Cindy Beyer Design
• Best Arts/Entertainment Venue: Lake Anne Plaza, Reston Community Center
• Best Bar/Happy Hour: Jackson’s Mighty Fine Food & Lucky Lounge, Lake Anne Brew House
• Best Builder, Remodeler or Contractor: HandyMensch Home Remodeling, My Kitchen & Bath
• Best Child Care or Preschool: Lake Anne Nursery Kindergarten, Reston Children’s Center
• Best Dentist or Orthodontist: Reston Serenity Smiles, Smilezone Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
• Best Fast-Casual Restaurant: Cafesano, Chick-fil-A Village Commons
• Best Financial Business: Baird, CST Group CPAs PC
• Best Fitness Business: Fusion 360 Inc., Potomac River Running Store
• Best Legal Practice: Berry & Berry LLC, Khanna Law PLLC
• Best Local Shop: Chesapeake Chocolates, Wine, Gifts and More; Reston’s Used Book Shop
• Best Medical Practice: Colleen Neumann Psychology LLC, Generations Medical Aesthetics
• Best New Business: Lake Anne Brew House, Lake Anne Coffee House & Wine Bar
• Best Pet Care: Just Cats Clinic, Villaridge Pet Sitters
• Best Private School: Berthold Academy, Reston Montessori School
• Best Real Estate Agent: Eve Thompson, Susannah Palik
• Best Sit-Down Restaurant: Jackson’s Mighty Fine Food & Lucky Lounge, PassionFish

To make sure you get a ballot, make sure to register for Reston Now’s email subscription.

It won’t be long before we see school buses on the roads and groups of kids shuffling off to school.

In a change from past years, students will return to schools in August. The Fairfax County Public Schools board decided last year to approve a new calendar that will start classes the week before Labor Day. According to FCPS, that change was made “to provide more instructional time before winter break, enhanced flexibility to help students and school staff members meet college application deadlines, and to end the school year earlier in June.”

The last day of the 2017-18 FCPS school year will be June 15. Graduations will begin June 7.

New teacher training will start one week from today, while full teacher workdays begin the Monday after that. One week later, on Aug. 28, kids will get to work.

Here are some more dates to remember as we head into the new school year.

• Students will be off Friday, Sept. 22; Monday, Nov. 6; Tuesday, Nov. 7; Friday, Jan. 26; Monday, Jan. 29; Monday, April 2; and Monday, April 16 for staff work, planning and development days
• Thanksgiving Break is slated for Nov. 23-24
• Winter Break will run from Dec. 18-Jan. 1
• Spring Break will be from March 26-March 30
• Other observed holidays will be Labor Day (Sept. 4), Columbus Day (Oct. 9), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 15), Presidents Day (Feb. 19) and Memorial Day (May 28)

FCPS has the equivalent of 13 days (78 hours) built into the calendar. A 14th missed day would not need required by state code to be made up; if there is a 15th missed day, April 16 would be considered as a makeup day.

https://www.facebook.com/RestonAssociation/videos/10154544432765793/

https://www.facebook.com/RestonAssociation/videos/10154544338765793/

https://www.facebook.com/RestonAssociation/videos/10154544320725793/

About 250 kids between the ages of 6 and 14 took part in the seventh annual Reston Kids’ Triathlon on Sunday at Ridge Heights Pool.

Kids ages 6-8, 81 in total, swam 50 meters, biked 1.1 miles and ran 7/10th of a mile. The top time among boys was 12:57; the winner in the girls’ division completed the course in 14:55.

The largest group of kids, 104, were in the divisions for ages 9-11. They swam 100 meters, biked 2 miles and ran 1 mile. The boys’ winner completed the course in 18:49, while the top-finishing girl did it in 20:57.

Sixty-four kids ages 12-14 swam 150 meters, biked 4 miles and ran 1.4 miles. The top-finishing boy completed the course in 26:30, and the winning girl did it in 32:07.

The event was put on by the YMCA Fairfax County-Reston, Reston Association, Reston Community Center and Fairfax County.

Full results from Sunday’s event are available at its website.

It’s hard to believe that August has already arrived.

Students will be returning to school later this month, much to their chagrin but maybe not so much for their parents. With that will come the shortening of pool hours, the ends of summer concert series and outdoor movies, and all other summer staples. The weather will become cooler, the leaves will turn and we’ll enter our next season.

But there’s still a long time before that! Make sure to enjoy the long days and the beautiful weather while you can and keep building memories.

Speaking of memories, you’ll likely remember these posts that have received the most clicks on Reston Now since last Friday:

1. ‘Hate Has No Home Here’ Sign Causes Controversy at Orchard Green
2. Crime: A Look at the July Incident Reports from FCPD’s Reston District Station
3. Reston Association Leaders To Initiate Talks with Boston Properts About Town Center Parking
4. Hundreds Take Advantage of Free Lunch Offer as Cava Opens in Reston
5. Op-Ed: County’s Doomed High-Density Residential Development Strategy

Feel free to discuss these topics and anything else that happened locally this week.

Enjoy the weekend!

File photo via Flickr

Children ages 6 to 14 will be participating in the annual Reston Kids Triathlon this weekend.

The triathlon is scheduled for 8 a.m. Sunday at Ridge Heights Pool (11400 Ridge Heights Road). Participants will be broken into three age groups to tackle the course: Ages 6-8 will swim 50 meters, bike 1.1 miles and run 7/10th of a mile; ages 9-11 will swim 100 meters, bike 2 miles and run 1 mile; and ages 12-14 will swim 150 meters, bike 4 miles and run 1.4 miles.

Those who are not participating in the event should still be aware of it, as traffic on some roads in the area may be affected between about 7:15 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sunday. 7:15-10 a.m. Those roads include Ridge Heights Road, South Lakes Drive, Soapstone Drive and Seahawk Drive.

There’s plenty of other fun around Reston on this summer weekend. Take a look at some of your options below.

(Editor’s Note: This is just a limited list of all the events taking place in the Reston area this weekend. If you have an event you would like to ensure is listed on the website, be sure to submit it to our Events Calendar.)

• The Fairfax County 4-H Fair and Carnival continues this weekend at Frying Pan Farm Park (2709 West Ox Road, Herndon), from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Parking is free today, and it will be $8 per car Saturday and Sunday.
• This weekend, the “Summerbration” series rolls on at Reston Station. Tonight from 7-9 p.m., Alfredo Mohica & Friends will perform. Saturday night from 8:30-10:30 p.m., there will be a free screening of “Moana.” The Summerbration events outside the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station will continue through the end of August. (Note: To receive free parking for these events, parking tickets need to be validated by personnel on the plaza. Find the sign that reads “Parking Validation Here.”)
• Saturday night, Reston Town Center will continue its summer concert series with Incendio, a Spanish flamenco and Latin fusion group, from 7:30-10 p.m. at the pavilion (11900 Market St.). Parking at RTC is free on the weekends.
• The Reston Farmers Market will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at Lake Anne Village Center.
• Lake Anne is also hosting Sunday Yoga on the Plaza each week, at 9:30 a.m.
• “Radcliffe Bailey: The Great Dismal Swamp” remains on display at Greater Reston Arts Center (12001 Market St.) through Aug. 18.
• Reston Community Center’s August exhibit, “The Heart of Art,” is on display at the Jo Ann Rose Gallery (1609 Washington Plaza N.) through Aug. 21. The opening reception will be Sunday from 2-4 p.m.
• Many restaurants and bars in Reston will have live music this weekend. These include: Vinifera Wine Bar and Bistro (11750 Sunrise Valley Drive) from 7-10 p.m every Friday and Saturday night; Crafthouse (1888 Explorer St.) every Friday and Saturday night from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.; and Tavern64 (1800 Presidents St.) every Friday from 6-10 p.m.
• Kalyspo’s Sports Tavern (1617 Washington Plaza N.) will have live music from Ron Honeycutt and Steele Rose Band tonight from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Saturday night, DJ Kram will play Top 40 hits.
• “A Grand Night for Singing” is being performed at NextStop Theatre Company (269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon) tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m.; with a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday. The show is being performed through Aug. 20. Tickets range from $17.50 to $55.
• Saturday morning at 10 a.m., Reston Community Center’s Family Fun Entertainment series will present The Magic of John Dodge. The free event will be at Reston Town Square Park, at the corner of Market and Explorer streets.
• On Sunday from 7-8 p.m., there will be an Art in the Park event at Reston Town Square Park with the Shenandoah Conservatory. Amor Saudade will perform “romantic and inspiring pieces from Brazil to Romania, jazz and classically inspired work.”

File photo courtesy Sean Bahrami/RA

A three-day sales tax holiday begins Friday in Virginia, giving customers a break on back-to-school supplies and other qualifying items.

From 12:01 a.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, the sales tax exemption will be in effect for school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and Energy Star and WaterSense products. According to the Virginia Department of Taxation, that includes the following items:

• School supplies, clothing and footwear 
  • Qualified school supplies — $20 or less per item
  • Qualified clothing and footwear — $100 or less per item
• Hurricane and emergency preparedness products  
  • Portable generators — $1,000 or less per item
  • Gas-powered chainsaws — $350 or less per item
  • Chainsaw accessories — $60 or less per item
  • Other specified hurricane preparedness items — $60 or less per item
• Energy Star and WaterSense​ products 
  • Qualifying Energy Star or WaterSense products purchased for noncommercial home or personal use — $2,500 or less per item

Before 2015, the three categories of items were available free of sales taxes on three separate weekends throughout the year.

Under current law, the sales tax rate is 5.3 percent — 4.3 percent for the state sales and use tax and 1 percent for the local option sales and use tax. In the Northern Virginia region, there is an additional 0.7 percent state tax for transportation.

For more details and a more extensive list of what items qualify for the tax exemption, check the Department of Taxation’s guidelines.

A Reston resident was awakened early Monday morning by a surprise banging on her front door.

The Fairfax County Police Department reports that a resident in the 10900 block of Wilder Point Lane heard the noise at about 4 a.m. Monday. She went to the front door and while no one was there, the door was discovered to have been damaged.

FCPD’s Reston District Station also reported the following crimes in recent days:

LARCENIES:

1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, wallet from residence

2200 block of Centreville Road, money from business

10100 block of Cottesmore Court, bracelet from residence

3100 block of Fox Hunt Lane, bicycles from parking garage

2500 block of James Madison Circle, computer from vehicle

12000 block of Market Street, property from vehicle

1400 block of North Point Village Center, merchandise from business

11100 block of South Lakes Drive, merchandise from business

1600 block of Wainwright Drive, electronic from vehicle

1400 block of Waterview Cluster, purse from vehicle

STOLEN VEHICLES:

None reported

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

In the Town of Herndon, police say a garage in the 300 block of Marjorie Lane was broken into July 23. According to the report, the thief entered through a secured door and stole a mountain bike valued at $240 along with $500 worth of additional property. The case is under investigation.

Attention lovers of fried delicacies, farm animal exhibits, midway games and more: It’s time again for the Fairfax County 4-H Fair and Carnival.

The 69th annual fair will kick off at 10 a.m. Thursday and run through Sunday evening at Frying Pan Farm Park (2709 West Ox Road, Herndon). The fun includes the carnival rides and games, a “Big Truck” event at 5 p.m. Friday, the tractor pull at 4 p.m. Saturday, and much more.

Admission to the fair is free. Parking is free Thursday and Friday, and it will be $8 per car Saturday and Sunday.

Advance ride passes are available for $18 through 8 p.m. Tuesday. Passes at the gate will be $25.

The fair is presented by Fairfax County 4-H, which will be presenting entries in 564 categories within 18 departments.

Video courtesy Fairfax County

This is an op/ed submitted by Terry Maynard, co-chair of the Reston 20/20 committee. It does not reflect the opinions of Reston Now.

Fairfax County’s development strategy of pursuing high-density residential development around Metro stations and other commercial centers (e.g. — Seven Corners, Lake Anne Village Center) will fail in its fundamental goal of generating large new tax revenues. This is due to the demonstrated fact that the cost of community services for residential services substantially exceeds the revenue it generates.

The need for massive new County tax revenues is driven primarily by the deteriorating fiduciary position of its four pension funds (civilian, police, uniformed, and education). At the beginning of the century, all four funds were essentially fully funded (97 percent to 102 percent), but they have deteriorated almost continuously since then. The FY2016 County annual financial report shows a $4.7 billion funding shortfall despite the quadrupling of County (and additional employee) contributions since 2000. That represents about a one-quarter shortfall in required funding across the four funds. This growing shortfall is why Moody’s issued a warning on the County’s AAA bond rating several years ago and the County made a commitment then to reach 90 percent funding by 2025. One obvious approach to addressing such a shortfall is to dramatically increase development that creates new taxable value. From Reston’s perspective, this has taken the form of two County zoning initiatives linked to the revised Reston Master Plan:

• The passage last year of an amendment to the PDC/PRM (Planned Development Commercial/Planned Residential Mixed-Use) zoning ordinances to increase the allowable density from FAR 3.5 to FAR 5.0. From a Reston perspective, this primarily affects the Herndon-Monroe and Wiehle station areas as well as the southern half of Reston Town Center. The zoning ordinance also covers Commercial Revitalization Areas (CRAs), including Lake Anne Village Center. The two ordinances focus on commercial and residential mixed-use development respectively, and the residential-focused PRM would allow up to as many as 200 dwelling units per acre (DU/AC) at FAR 5.0. No place in the Washington metropolitan area has that much density.  
• The recently proposed amendment to the Reston PRC (Planned Residential Community) which would increase the community-wide population density from 13 to 16 people per acre, about 21,000 people. More importantly, it places no limits (except Board discretion) on the number of DU/AC in “high density” development areas. This includes the Town Center north of the toll road and Ridge Heights to the south. Making the matter worse, the Reston plan was amended behind closed doors (not by the Reston planning task force) to eliminate any limits on high density multi-family development. Currently, the limit is 50 DU/AC.  

Aside from the many reasons Restonians do not want the intensity of residential development allowed in Reston, there is one vital reason for the County not to want to pursue this ultra high-density residential development strategy: The cost of community services (COCS) for residential development — especially high-density development — exceeds the tax revenues it generates. Residents require schools, streets and other transportation, parks and recreation, libraries, and much more. This is especially important in the ongoing dialogue about increasing residential density in Reston’s PRC zoned area.  

Research on this issue by the US Government, private sector, and academia is extensive and it virtually all comes to this same conclusion. All these studies highlight the importance of methodology, assumptions, other values than tax revenue in development decisions, etc., but none we have discovered suggest that residential development will ever generate a net gain in tax revenues for the County.   

Probably the benchmark study on COCS is an overview by the Farmland Information Center (FIC) of the American Farmland Trust in a public private partnership with the US Department of Agriculture last September. The overview records the results of analysis of the COCS by type of development in more than 150 communities, counties, etc., across dozens of states over more than two decades. The results of FIC’s studies show that, on average, for every dollar in tax revenues generated by tax revenues, the median residential development is a cost $1.16 in community services, a 16 percent loss. By contrast, commercial and industrial development costs $.30 in community services for every $1 generated in tax revenues, a better than three-fold tax revenue return for the County.

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