Dessert! It’s sometimes the best part of the meal.

Reston is riding the national frozen yogurt and cupcake shop trend, with places to satisfy your sweet tooth in just about every neighborhood.

We asked readers for nominations for their favorite ice cream/fro yo spot, bakery or other place to eat sweet. These are the six finalists.

So vote for your favorite and help the store win a Best Reston Business Award. This poll will be open through May 15.
 

Reston has dozens of restaurants. Everyone’s got a favorite for one reason or another — they love the food, or the atmosphere or the service or the location.

But which Reston spot fits the bill on all of the above?

We have six finalists that Reston Now readers nominated for Best Overall Restaurant in our Best Reston Business Awards.

Based on the nominees, Best Overall doesn’t necessarily mean most expensive or highest profile. Just simply the best overall. So cast your vote and help your favorite win the title.

This poll will be open through May 14.
 

Practically every restaurant serves them — but who really makes the best burger in Reston?

We asked Reston Now readers their thoughts, and the six restaurants listed below came out as finalists for the title.

Cast your vote for your favorite burger in the poll below to help the restaurant earn a Best Reston Business award.

The poll will be open through May 13.
 

To the Editor:

As a Restonian of nearly 30 years with extensive community involvement in the many organizations, events, and associations that make Reston’s quality of life special, I must challenge the myths and misrepresentations presented by Terry Maynard in his recent editorial.

Let me state unequivocally that Reston is a great community with an outstanding park system. Since parks were a key feature of Reston’s original master plan, the concept of Great Parks, Great Communities was well-established many years ago.

Over the last 50 years, the planned community of Reston has held true to its values of live, work and play.  Bob Simon planned the play portion as a central feature of Reston by creating a local park system operated by the Reston Association, the largest community association in the country. Supplementing this park system is a system of tax districts, county, regional, and private park and recreation offerings that add to the livability and appeal of Reston. These include Reston Community Center, the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, the YMCA and others.

All of these entities contribute to a comprehensive park system in Reston. Growth-focused demands and shifting leisure patterns will require changes to the park system that are already being coordinated among the multiple providers.

During the recent Reston Transit Station Land Use Study (Reston TSA Phase I) and Plan Amendment process, these organizations worked hand-in-hand to examine the entire park system and identify recreational needs related to the anticipated growth. During this effort, it was recognized that the existing park system addresses the community’s broadening recreational needs well and has potential for added capacity through better use of space, technology and scheduling, and through dedication of new urban parks and active recreation spaces in the transit areas.  These new urban spaces are essential to meeting the growing demands

Here is my perspective on the comparisons upon which Mr. Maynard relies:

• In 2012, FCPA was a finalist with the New York Parks Department for the National Park and Recreation Association Gold Medal Award.  FCPA won that prestigious national award (for the third time).

• Comparisons of park systems are tricky because they are all different and formed to meet specific community needs.  Data is not collected in consistent ways and parks are counted in various ways.  A more relevant comparison could be between New York City Manhattan Borough and Fairfax County.

Using data from Fairfax County and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation (Note: Manhattan only), this is how they compare:

2010 Census population 
NYC: 1,585,873; Fairfax County: 1,081,726

Total land area in acres 
NYC: 14,610 (23 sq. mi.); Fairfax County: 250,240 (391 sq. mi.)

Acres of owned parkland 
NYC: 2,779; Fairfax County: 23,594

Population Density/mile
NYC: 68,951; Fairfax County: 2,766

Percentage of total land area as parkland 
NYC: 19 percent; Fairfax County: 9.5 percent

Acres of parkland per 1,000 residents 
NYC: 1.8; Fairfax County: 21.9

Number of fields (rectangle and diamond)
NYC: 155; Fairfax County: 261

Number of fields per 10,000 residents 
NYC: 1.0; Fairfax County 2.4

I am also including new and accurate metrics that contrast with those Mr. Maynard cites. These paint a different story and add clarity to this important community discussion:

The Fairfax County urban parks service level standard is based on residents and employees. The actual standard, misstated in the editorial piece, is one-point-five acres per 1,000 residents plus one acre per 10,000 employees. This standard is adopted in the County Comprehensive Plan for the county’s urban areas including transit station areas.

Mr Maynard continues to refer to the suburban standard, which is not how we now look at these areas and amenities and that is why it is expressly contained in the Comprehensive Plan for Reston and Tysons Corner developments.

Using this standard, the planned net growth for the Reston Transit Station Areas (TSA) through 2040 generates a need for approximately 55 new acres of urban parks. In Tysons, the planned growth through 2050 generates the need for an additional 154 acres of urban parks.  The pace and volume of future development will be the primary determinant of how many and when future urban parks are developed.

The newly-approved Reston Transit Station Areas Plan recommends a total of 12 athletic fields to serve the future growth in the TSA through 2040, with three fields to be located in the TSAs (one field per TSA) and the remainder to be provided through a combination of expanded capacity of existing fields that serve Reston and the provision of new fields that serve Reston.

As growth occurs, the generated need for parks and active recreation will need to be addressed through the development process and public and private contributions.

Realistically, the greatest opportunity for expanding capacity and adding fields is at Reston’s two district parks  — Baron Cameron and Lake Fairfax. The FCPA has begun to plan for growing needs through the revision of the Baron Cameron Park’s master plan. The draft master plan allows for significant capacity expansion over the existing fields through use of full size fields that accommodate more flexible use, lights, and synthetic turf. Lake Fairfax Park will be similarly examined for potential added capacity through a master plan revision process that is planned for next year.

Other opportunities to meet the full range of community recreation needs will be explored in concert with the various park providers that serve Reston.

Yes, Reston, we have Great Parks and a Great Community. I am very proud of the progress and planning represented by the park system we have today, and look to the future with anticipation and optimism. This not a cliché, you just have to look beyond the numbers.

Over $30 million has been invested by the Park Authority in Reston (Small District 5) parks in the past six years, and we are excited about what the future is going to bring. We will certainly take advantage of any opportunities that are presented to us through future land acquisition opportunities, development proffers, public/private partnerships, and bond programs to meet our diverse park needs.

Sincerely,

William G. Bouie
Chairman
Fairfax County Park Authority Board

Pets are family members too. That’s why Reston has no shortage of pet supply stores, pet sitters, groomers and other services to make Fluffy, Fido and their owners happy.

We asked Reston Now readers which Reston-based pet care businesses they liked best. These are the six top vote-getters.

Vote for your favorite so everyone can know which pet business is the Best Reston Business. This poll is open through May 13.
 

Which is the best new business in Reston?

We asked Reston Now readers which fresh face has had the greatest success right from the start. Readers chose the below six finalists.

We define “new” as opening its doors since Jan. 1, 2013.

So show some love in this poll, which will be open through May 13.
 

Reston has no shortage of Realtors. But good Realtors — you know, the one that found you your dream house, negotiated a sweet deal, sold your previous home in days and held your hand through contingencies and credit checks — deserve our praise.

Below are the six finalists nominated by Reston Now readers to earn our Best Reston Business Real Estate Agent Award.

Voting for the best in real estate opens today, so vote for one of the candidates below. Voting will be open through May 12.
 

For a good chunk of the year, Reston is a great place to eat outdoors. We’ve got patios at Reston Town Center and lakeside views at Lake Anne Plaza, to name a couple of places where the best al fresco ambiance can be found.

So what’s your favorite? We asked for nominations last week, and the ones listed below were the most popular. Vote in the poll now and help your favorite spot earn some attention just as outdoor dining season kicks into high gear.

This poll is open until May 12.
 

Restonians are an active group. That’s why you had lots of picks for your best places to work out.

Below are the finalists for Best Gym, Trainer or Fitness Facility. Finalists are those who received the top number of votes in our nomination period.

So make your pick in the poll below, and your favorite place to lift, stretch, run or down dog can win one of our inaugural Best Reston Business awards.

Voting in this category begins today and will close on May 12.
 

Looking for a new home in Reston? Start with these open houses this weekend.

11702 Olde English Drive
2BR, 2BA Condo
$289,000
Open Sunday 1 to 3 p.m.

2025 Golf Course Drive
3 BR, 2.5 BA TH
$458,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

2056 Winged Foot Court
3 BR, 2.5 BA TH
$442,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

1334 Dasher Lane
5 BR, 4.5 BA SFH
$1,050,000
Open Saturday 1 to 4 p.m.

1599 Stowe Road
4 BR, 3.5 BA SFH
$819,900
Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

11872 South Lakes Court
4 BR, 3.5 BA Condo
$439,000
Open Sunday 1 to 3 p.m.

2161 Cabots Point Lane
3 BR, 3 BA TH
$637,500
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

1146 Round Pebble Lane
5 BR, 3.5 BA SFH
$999,000
Open Saturday, 12 to 3 p.m.

For complete real estate information, visit Reston Now’s Real Estate Section.

“Great Parks, Great Communities” is the clichéd theme of the Fairfax County Park Authority.  And the theme may be true, but the Park Authority is promising — a promise it may well not fulfill — Tysons and Reston urban areas among the most poorly parked-served areas among the top cities in the country.

It raises the question, will poor parks mean poor communities?

As Reston Now suggests in its April 29 article, county park availability standards for the newly urbanizing areas of the Dulles Corridor are less than half of the county-wide “suburban” standard — and the Park Authority plans to put fewer parks in Reston’s station areas than in Tysons because we have parks and facilities elsewhere.

Here’s where we are in the arithmetic of public parks.  The county standards described in Tysons’ and Reston’s plans shoot for providing about 1.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents.  That’s about 154 acres of parks in Tysons and 95 acres in Reston — if fulfilled.

Now let’s see how that stacks up. A national non-profit, the Trust for Public Lands, tracks park availability annually for the 100 largest cities in the country. When Fairfax County’s urban park standard is included in the ranking of acreage per 1,000 residents, both Tysons and Reston rank in the bottom 5 percent of all the cities.

If Tysons and Reston achieve the county urban goal, they would bracket New York City’s Manhattan Borough near the bottom of the list. Yet Manhattan has two and one-half times the density planned for Tysons and more than three times the density planned for Reston.

Moreover, despite having some of the most expensive real estate in the country, Manhattan has been able to set aside 18.3 percent of its land for parks.  That’s more than 10 times the share planned for Tysons (1.4 percent) and more than three times the goal for Reston (5.6 percent).

And the county has no intent to meet its own standard for Reston because, as the Reston Comprehensive Plan says, “Need generated in the TSAs should primarily be met through the integration of urban parks, recreation, and cultural facilities within the mixed use developments of the TSAs. To supplement these parks and facilities, elements of the larger Reston area’s robust park and recreation system (outside of the TSAs) may be able to be improved to help meet the needs of future residents and employees.”

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