With two proposals to transform hotels into housing, local officials are exploring more creative ways to reach affordable housing goals.
In Herndon, a Residence Inn is slated to convert into a 17-unit affordable housing project spread across 11 buildings. Owners say the buildings are too difficult to maintain and industry demands haven’t kept with hotel brand standards.
“The physical layout of the various buildings on the property, the interior unit configuration, and the good condition of the underlying building structures, presents a unique opportunity with the Town of Herndon to repurpose the current building as multifamily units,” a March 2 application to the town says.
The Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão isn’t expected to open until late 2022, but it’s already making a big splash in Reston Town Center.
As the business expands, a spa and salon that has called RTC home for 21 years is relocating to another spot within the town center. The steakhouse is expected to take over space formerly taken up by Big Bowl, but it needs more space.
A number of public spaces in Reston Town Center will get a facelift.
As reported last month, work on Fountain Plaza and the pavilion will begin this spring. Now, Boston Properties is offering a first look at the planned upgrades.
The renovations will be the first major updates to the town center’s public spaces in roughly 30 years.
Alan Ward, a principle at Sasaki Associates, is leading the design team of the project. He deferred comment to Boston Properties on the overall project, but said in a statement that the spaces will meet the needs “of today and into future.”
Annandale Chick-fil-A Opens Today — “Chick-fil-A will open Thursday, April 7, at 7130 Little River Turnpike, Annandale…To celebrate the grand opening, the restaurant will surprise ‘100 local heroes making an impact in Annandale with free Chick-fil-A for a year.'” [Annandale Today]
Starkist HQ in Reston Now Open — Relocating from Pittsburgh, the tuna manufacturer opened its new corporate and administrative headquarters at 1875 Explorer Street in Reston Town Center on Tuesday (April 5). The office can accommodate more than 70 employees, and the company is marking its arrival with a community distribution event for the Reston-based nonprofit Feed the Children. [Starkist]
Commonwealth’s Attorney Expands Diversion for Non-Violent Crimes — “Under the program, called Taking Root, Fairfax prosecutors and defense attorneys can jointly recommend to judges that certain people accused of crimes be assigned to intensive programming instead of being prosecuted…The new program expands on existing diversion programs in Fairfax that have narrower eligibility requirements.” [DCist]
Masks No Longer Required at GMU — “In a message to the school community posted Tuesday, university president Gregory Washington announced GMU had switched to a mask-optional policy on all its campuses. He said the decision reflected low transmission and positivity rates in Fairfax County and nearby communities.” [WTOP]
Great Falls Group Has Ideas for Beltway Bridge Design — “When the construction dust settles, the orange cones are gone and work crews have relocated to snarl traffic elsewhere after completion of the 495 NEXT Project, the Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA) hopes an extra-nice-looking bridge will take Georgetown Pike over the Capital Beltway.” [Sun Gazette]
Vienna Could Get Specialized License Plate — The Town of Vienna plans to introduce a town-themed license plate after the Virginia General Assembly unanimously approved a bill from Del. Mark Keam letting localities cover the fees for the first 350 prepaid orders required by state law. The law takes effect on July 1, and the town council will then move to decide on a design. [Sun Gazette/Inside NoVA]
Squirrels Trigger Car’s “Check Engine” Light in Franconia — “Craftsman Auto Care — Alexandria, an auto repair shop at the Festival at Manchester Lakes shopping center, found three baby squirrels sleeping under the hood of a customer’s vehicle…As for the check engine light, it turned out that the babies’ mother squirrel had chewed through wiring in the vehicle.” [Patch]
It’s Thursday — Rain until evening. High of 55 and low of 46. Sunrise at 6:45 am and sunset at 7:39 pm. [Weather.gov]
Reston’s annual Founders Day will return on Saturday (April 9) to Lake Anne Plaza.
While the event celebrates Reston’s diversity and rich history, this year’s festivities give a special nod to Uruguayan artist Gonzalo Fonseca, who designed many of the sculptures at Lake Anne.
Fonseca was an internationally recognized artist, world traveler and polylingual, according to Reston Museum, which will house an exhibit paying tribute to the artist.
Work is underway to understand the state of homelessness in Fairfax County.
The county conducted its annual Point-in-Time Count this past January, where public and nonprofit workers travel to shelters, transitional housing, and other sites to document the number of people experiencing homelessness on one night.
“We’re analyzing the results, and we’ll be publishing the results along with the other D.C. region communities in May,” Tom Barnett, the deputy director of the county’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness, told FFXnow.
A familiar sight of tents returned to Reston Monday night (April 4), as a local advocacy organization seeks to raise awareness about homelessness and the lack of affordable housing alternatives in the area.
Right outside Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn’s office, Reston Strong set up tents to push officials to find solutions to homelessness. The campaign, coined Neighbors in Tents, launched formally in February.
The Fairfax County School Board is set to require recess at the middle school level for the first time starting next school year.
Under a health and wellness policy revision to be voted on this month, middle schools would be required to have a 15-minute supervised recess break, and elementary school students will get two recess breaks per day, totaling at least 30 minutes.
Franconia Townhouse Fire Under Investigation — Fairfax County fire investigators are still working to determine the cause of a townhouse fire that occurred in the 6500 block of Gildar Street on Saturday (April 2). The blaze didn’t cause any injuries, but four people have been displaced, and there was an estimated $93,750 in damages. [FCFRD]
Fairfax City Police Search for Missing Woman — “Fairfax City Police are still searching for information Tuesday on the disappearance of Amanda Childress, 43, who may have also been the victim of an assault…Investigators said the assault may have happened in the 10400 block of Eaton Place on March 6.” [ABC7]
GMU Dedicates Memorial to People Enslaved by Namesake — “The Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial is located on the campus’s recently renovated Wilkins Plaza, named for the late civil rights leader and George Mason University professor journalist Roger Wilkins. On Monday, several hundred people assembled in Wilkins Plaza for the monument’s dedication.” [Patch]
ACLU Lawsuit Over Mask-Optional Law Continues — A federal judge denied a motion to dismiss a challenge of Virginia’s law making masks optional in schools. The Fairfax County School Board filed a brief supporting the 12 families with immunocompromised children, while the Fairfax County Parents Association, a community group that grew out of the Open FCPS campaign, has backed the state. [WTOP]
Reston Woman Wins Cherry Blossom Race — “Sunday marked the first Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run since 2019, and with it, a local became champion for the first time since 1983, according to race officials. Susanna Sullivan of Reston, Virginia, won the elite women’s race.” [WTOP]
County Police Recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month — “Pinwheels will be displayed outside Public Safety Headquarters and at our district stations throughout April in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month. Pinwheels are a reminder of the carefree spirit of children and symbolize the happy childhood every child should have.” [FCPD/Facebook]
It’s Also National Poetry Month — Fairfax County is celebrating National Poetry Month by having community members read poems “that showcase the diverse and compelling work of contemporary American poets” throughout April. The series kicked off with County Executive Bryan Hill reading “Crossing” by Jericho Brown. [Fairfax County Government/Twitter]
It’s Wednesday — Light rain in the morning and overnight. High of 65 and low of 51. Sunrise at 6:46 a.m. and sunset at 7:38 p.m. [Weather.gov]
The Celebrate Fairfax! Festival, a summer highlight featuring bands, carnival rides, and more at the Fairfax County Government Center, once again won’t occur — but this time, there’s a replacement.
The nonprofit Celebrate Fairfax!, Inc. announced Friday (April 1) on Facebook that it will switch the festival from one large event to different events staged throughout the county.
“Similar to many other organizations we are embracing change as we evolve,” the organization’s announcement said. “Along those lines, we will not be hosting the traditional Celebrate Fairfax! Festival at the Government Center. Instead, we will be focusing more broadly on Fairfax County as a whole, by bringing a part of the festival into each of the County districts.”
The lights are about to go dark at Reston Town Center’s longtime movie theater.
Bow Tie Cinemas did not renew its lease for this year, according to a representative for Boston Properties.
The movie theater did not return multiple requests for comment, although a source who chose to remain anonymous says the theater is expected to close some time in May.
But moviegoers have no reason to fear: Boston Properties says that another theater is coming to the town center.
Geological testing will take place at the Hunters Woods Ballfield, as Reston Association gears up to upgrade the athletic facility.
Testing is slated to begin on Thursday (April 7). A small drill rig will be used to complete the work via the cluster’s parking lot.
The work is the last step required by Fairfax County to move forward with the field’s redevelopment. It’s also required prior to site plan approval.
The Fairfax County Police Department has adopted some new equipment to improve how quickly it can process crimes.
It includes a National Integrated Ballistic Information Network system to automate ballistics evaluations, where bullets and firearms can be matched from separate scenes, providing key links for crimes.
The department is also “piloting a rapid DNA Test Machine to help uncover timely information for crime investigations,” Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said in a March 31 digital newsletter.
Two residents have been displaced by a house fire that happened over the weekend in Herndon.
On Sunday (April 3) at around 12:30 a.m., fire units responded to a fire at a single-family home on the 1700 block of Whitewood Lane.
The fire also caused roughly $25,000 in damages.
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said crews said the fire started in the basement, but was quickly brought under control.
Defamation Trial Over Domestic Violence Op-Ed Starts Next Monday — “Johnny Depp, 58, and Amber Heard, 35, who were briefly married from 2015 to 2017, are set to begin their long-anticipated defamation trial with jury selection that day. The trial is expected to last through the end of May, and the case has drawn national and international attention.” [Inside NoVA]
D.C. Area TV News Anchor Dies — “For decades, Bruce Johnson’s voice could be heard emanating from TV sets around the Washington region, delivering the day’s news with both gravitas and humor. Johnson, who spent 44 years at local CBS affiliate WUSA9, died of heart failure Sunday morning, according to the station.” [DCist]
Vienna Softball League Raises Funds to Repair Field — “Caffi Fields, three fields that are home to the Vienna Girls Softball League, undergo annual maintenance with thousands of dollars costs shared between the league and Town of Vienna. But the league says more extensive repairs are needed to make the fields more usable, prompting the launch of a community fundraiser.” [Patch]
Letter Highlights Herndon’s Ties to U.S. President — “President John Tyler (1790-1862) was born in Charles City County, Virginia, located along the James River, west of Williamsburg. His family had long roots in Virginia, dating back to Colonial Williamsburg…Their descendants, however, reached all the way to today’s Herndon.” [Herndon Historical Society/Patch]
Springfield Girls Hockey Team Competes in Nationals — The St. James girls hockey team was the only Virginia group competing in its division at a youth national championship tournament this past weekend. They played on Thursday (March 31), Friday (April 1) and Saturday (April 2) in West Goshen, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. [USA Hockey]
County Joins “City Nature Challenge” — “The challenge begins at 12:01 a.m. local time on April 29 and runs through 11:59 p.m. on May 2. Residents can take part by going outdoors in their neighborhood, backyard or a park, then look to see what’s there and take photos of wild plants, animals and fungi. Upload the photos through a free app provided by iNaturalist.” [Sun Gazette/Inside NoVA]
Goat Gets Stuck in Fence at Frying Pan Farm — “There’s always that one kid. Some farm visitors noticed that one of our goats had decided to move to the next pasture and got stuck in the fence. Eric to the rescue! He’s worked at the farm long enough to know this game and easily helped free the goat from the fence.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]
It’s Tuesday — Rain throughout the day. High of 59 and low of 47. Sunrise at 6:48 am and sunset at 7:37 pm. [Weather.gov]
