The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce will host a panel tomorrow morning (Wednesday) to help employers help navigate questions about whether they can require COVID-19 vaccinations as more workers return to offices.

Co-sponsored by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority and the accounting firm Miller Musmar, the hour-long discussion will be lead by attorney Maureen E. Carr, a shareholder of the law firm Bean, Kinney & Korman. She specializes in employment law and commercial litigation.

According to the event description, Carr will go over the legal rules and implications of businesses requiring their employees to get vaccinated:

Attendees will learn:

• How to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (?ADA?), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (?Title VII?), and other federal, state, and local employment laws.
• The latest Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) COVID-19 guidance to address vaccination issues.
• Potential legal consequences of requiring employees to be vaccinated.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued new guidance on May 28 stating that federal laws do not prevent employers from requiring all employees to be vaccinated in order to enter a physical workplace.

“In some circumstances, Title VII and the ADA require an employer to provide reasonable accommodations for employees who, because of a disability or a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance, do not get vaccinated for COVID-19, unless providing an accommodation would pose an undue hardship on the operation of the employer’s business,” the guidance said.

The Washington Business Journal reported yesterday (Monday) that a survey conducted in February by an employment law firm found that less than 1% of responding employers were requiring vaccinations, with another 6% saying they planned to implement a mandate in the future.

However, there are some signs that businesses could be warming up to the idea, particularly after a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by workers over a Texas hospital’s vaccination requirement.

“Employment law attorneys say more businesses are now seriously considering vaccine mandates than they were three months ago,” the WBJ said. “They anticipate the number of employers implementing a mandate will climb in the months to come, with health care providers likely to lead the way.”

The Reston Chamber event will take place from 8:30-9:30 a.m. tomorrow. Registration is required by 8 a.m. the day of the talk to receive the Zoom link. Chamber members can participate for free, while non-members pay a $15 fee.

New images show what future residents and visitors can expect from a $1.4 billion project near a forthcoming Reston Town Center Metro station.

As first reported by the Washington Business Journal, developer Brookfield Properties has released more details on the upscale housing coming to the Halley Rise residential, office, and retail complex under construction along Reston Parkway.

Preleasing for apartments in The Edmund — a seven-story apartment building with 353 luxury units — is slated to begin this summer before residents are welcomed in the fall, the developer tells Reston Now.

“As we meet this next major milestone, we’re a step closer to creating a visionary neighborhood that blends nature, technology, entertainment, and art, enabling residents, workers and visitors to curate their ideal day every day, in a vibrant and engaging community,” Greg Meyer, executive vice president and head of the D.C. region for Brookfield Properties, said in a statement.

The Edmund will feature common areas and outdoor seating as well as a pool, fitness center, coworking space, yoga lawn, and more. An interactive virtual tour offers a glimpse of one of the 1,600 units expected at the 36-acre mixed-used campus.

The luxury apartments will include mostly one-bedroom apartments, with 17% of the units being studios, 17% two bedrooms, and 3% three bedrooms, Brookfield Properties U.S. communications director Laura Montross said in an email.

Rental details are not yet listed with the developer’s website.

When completed, Halley Rise will have 1.9 million square feet of office space (about five and a half times the size of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool), 240,000 square feet of retail (just over four football fields), over five acres of public open space, and new public streets.

The development will be anchored by a Wegmans grocery store slated to arrive in 2023, slightly later than the late 2022 timeline that Reston Now last reported.

Real estate developer Akridge is looking to add 480 residential units and retail as part of the complex. That addition is currently scheduled to go before the Fairfax County Planning Commission for approval on Dec. 8.

Construction for Halley Rise began in October 2019, and it’s already showing off one of its amenities: self-driving vehicles within the complex. The service has also expanded in the DC region.

Halley Rise is one of several developments in the works in anticipation of the second phase of Metro’s Silver Line. Also near the impending Reston Town Center station, Boston Properties is working on the massive Reston Gateway project, which is undergoing some changes that were set to go before the Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday).

The board’s meeting package indicates that it will defer the public hearing on that application until July 13.

Reston newcomer CACI International is one of several companies in Reston and Herndon that were named among the best places to work in the D.C. area by The Washington Post’s eighth annual Top Workplaces survey.

Recognized in a virtual awards ceremony on June 17 and publicly announced on Friday (June 18), the list features the 200 highest-ranked companies in the region based on employee surveys conducted by the third-party engagement firm Energage LLC.

According to the Post, more than 3,500 area companies were invited to participate in the contest, and more than 65,500 employees filled out the questionnaire, which considered factors ranging from pay and benefits to retention and confidence in the organization’s leadership.

While the Post still identifies CACI as an Arlington-based company, the information technology contractor cut the ribbon on its new headquarters building near the future Reston Town Center Metro station at the end of May.

Ranked ninth in the “largest companies” category, which includes organizations with at least 1,000 workers in the D.C. area, CACI employs 7,743 people locally and recorded $5.7 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2020, putting it on the Fortune 500 list of the largest companies in the U.S. for the first time since its founding in 1962.

Here are the other Reston and Herndon companies that found a spot on the Top Workplaces list:

Large (500-1,000 employees)

• Deltek (#12)
• Noblis (#14): This is the Reston contractor’s eighth consecutive year on the Post’s list, according to a news release
• GAP Solutions (#19)
• Northwest Federal Credit Union (#27)

Mid-Size (150-500 employees)

• Acclaim Technical Services (#5)
• Procentrix (#6)
• B3 Group (#12)
• Ventera Corp. (#19)
• Dev Technology Group (#24)
• Amyx (#56)
• ATCS (#61)
• Brightspot (#73)

Small (50-150 employees)

• ThunderCat Technology (#9)
• Navitas Business Consulting (#19)
• Expedition Technology (#21)
• Northstrat (#23)
• Northramp (#28)
• Intact Technology (#40)
• Actualize Consulting (#49)
• Assured Consulting Solutions (#53)
• Electrosoft Services (#58)
• SeKON Enterprises (#68)
• HawkEye 360 (#69)

Family of Herndon Murder Victims Mourns — “A father is grieving after his two young children, a boy and a girl, and their mother were found dead inside an apartment in Herndon, Virginia, on Saturday — the same day the family planned to have a birthday party for the 10-year-old girl. Outside of the apartment where they died, there is a memorial for the family. A balloon flies for the daughter who was killed on her birthday.” [NBC4]

Reston Man Arrested at Crystal City Restaurant — “Arlington County Police charged a Reston man early Thursday morning for acting disorderly and assaulting a police officer at Crystal City restaurant, according to the daily crime report. Officers responded around 12:50 a.m., for the report of a manacting disorderly inside a restaurant in the 400 block of 23rd Street S.” [Patch]

Police Officer Says Prosecutor Withholding Evidence in Use of Force Case — “A Fairfax County police officer accused of using excessive force, including deploying a Taser, against a Black man has asked a judge to dismiss the case, claiming prosecutors have not disclosed evidence that would bolster his defense.” [The Washington Post]

Dulles Chamber Spotlights Local Eateries — The Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce launched a new “Taste of Dulles Corridor” promotional effort yesterday (Monday), highlighting a different local hotel or food establishment, including restaurants and breweries, in its weekly newsletter. The first venue to get the spotlight is Mile 20 at the Mediterranean Breeze in Herndon. [Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce]

Cicada Eggs to Trim Tree Limbs — “You’ll soon see a lot of this. Tips of tree branches are dying and breaking off. These are the places that cicadas laid eggs. No big deal. The trees have been through this before, and it’s just a minor trimming for most of them.” [Fairfax County Park Authority/Twitter]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Paul Olsen opened a second location of Weird Brothers Coffee at Worldgate Metro Plaza in October 2019.

The shopping center on Worldgate Drive was specifically marketed and named in anticipation of the Herndon Metro Station opening less than a quarter of a mile away as part of the Silver Line’s second phase.

Two years later, the Herndon station and the other Silver Line Phase II stops still won’t be operational for at least another eight months.

“At the time, we weren’t even considering expansion,” Olsen tells Reston Now. “We saw the Metro and…figured this is a great situation. But, then, obviously things changed. COVID hit a few months later. Then, we saw more Metro line delays.”

Olsen’s situation isn’t unique. Many businesses specifically set up shop near a future Silver Line Phase II Metro station thinking it would provide a boost, only for Metro’s opening to be continuously delayed.

“We initially thought that the Metro would open, at the latest, early 2020,” said Don Lee, co-owner of Alo Vietnam Restaurant in Herndon.

The restaurant is about a five-minute walk from the not-yet-opened Innovation Center Metro station. Alo Vietnam is also expected to start a location in Reston at Faraday Park.

“We did invest in 2019…thinking that we will carry the load the first year until the Metro opens,” Lee said. “Then, we will have a good location with a lot of foot traffic with tourists and from all the businesses around.”

Seven years ago this July, the most expensive transportation project in the D.C. region’s history began operations. The opening of the Silver Line and its five new stops brought Metro into Tysons and up to the Wiehle-Reston East station.

However, the intention was always to extend the transit system further into D.C.’s growing Northern Virginia suburbs. Construction on five additional stations, including one at Reston Town Center and two in Herndon, began even before Phase I opened and originally had a completion date of 2018.

However, issues proliferated, from design changes and defective panels to flawed rail ties and bad concrete. Soon, the opening got pushed to early 2020, but the problems kept coming and coming. Read More

There were 14 new COVID-19 cases in the Fairfax Health District today (Monday), as reported by the Fairfax County Health Department.

Even a month ago, that total would’ve been on the low end for a single day, but in June, when daily case counts have been more likely to dip into negative numbers than to enter double digits, it’s an anomaly, representing the biggest influx of new cases since 22 came in on May 30.

After adding 25 new cases in the past week, including 11 cases just last Wednesday (June 16), Fairfax County is now averaging three cases over the past seven days, the highest weekly average since June 8, according to the Virginia Department of Health dashboard.

Three people died from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus in the past week, and six more people have been hospitalized, bringing the respective totals up to 1,137 deaths and 4,137 hospitalizations. There have been 78,038 total cases in the Fairfax Health District since March 2020.

Even so, it has now been three weeks since Virginia lifted all capacity limitations over Memorial Day weekend, which typically brings an uptick in travel and social gatherings, and at least in Fairfax, the COVID-19 surge that followed other holidays during the pandemic has not emerged, likely due to increased vaccinations.

As of today, 725,862 Fairfax Health District residents, including people from the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That is 73.7% of adults and 61.3% of the district’s total population.

628,151 residents — 64.8% of adults and 53.1% of the population overall — are fully vaccinated, according to the county health department.

The Fairfax Health District is outpacing Virginia as a whole, which hit the 70% mark today for adults who have gotten at least one vaccine dose, making it the 16th state to meet the July 4 target set by President Joe Biden, Gov. Ralph Northam announced.

“Virginia has reached a significant milestone in the fight against COVID-19,” Northam said. “Thanks to the millions of Virginians who have rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated, the virus is in retreat, our economy is growing, and we are closer to putting this pandemic behind us.”

According to VDH, 4.9 million people — 57.8% of the overall population — have received at least one dose, and 4.2 million Virginians are fully vaccinated, which is 60.3% of adults and 49.3% of the state’s population.

With the demand for vaccinations slowing, Virginia has started to close its mass vaccine sites in favor of more mobile, targeted clinics. This will be the last week of operations for the community vaccination center at Tysons Corner Center, as it is scheduled to close on Saturday (June 26).

Until then, the site is accepting walk-ins from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.

Individuals 12 and older can register for an appointment there or at other Fairfax County clinics through the Vaccine Administration Management System. Other providers can be located through Vaccines.gov.

Top photo via CDC on Unsplash

Monday, June 21

• Paint Your Lost Dog (5-9 p.m.) — Grab a drink at Lost Dog Cafe in Dunn Loring and paint your favorite canine onto ceramic. All materials are provided, but bring a photo of your pup to transfer to the ceramic. Afterwards, staff will put it in a kiln and your work of animal art will be available a week later for pick-up.

Tuesday, June 22

• Storytime for Little Historians (11 a.m.) — Sit criss-cross applesauce at Lake Anne Plaza for a story about the Reston community. Every Tuesday this summer, Reston Museum hosts a morning storytime where little ones learn about the community they live in.

Wednesday, June 23

• Rainbows, Haloes, and Glories (7:30 p.m.) — Join the Analemma Society at Turner Farm in Great Falls to learn about sky phenomenons. How are rainbows created? What’s a halo? Why do green lights suddenly appear sometimes? Get the answers. This event is for all ages.

Thursday, June 24

• Boy Erased (7 p.m.) — Virtually meet Garrard Conley, author of the critically acclaimed book “Boy Erased” (now, a movie). In an event sponsored by the Fairfax County Public Library, Conley will talk about radical compassion and answer audience questions.

Friday, June 25

• Making Matters (6 p.m.) — This year’s Smithsonian Folk Festival is going virtual and will highlight maker culture from across the world. Learn Senegalese metalsmithing, Peruvian basket weaving, and much more.

• Campfire Summer (7 p.m.) — Celebrate summer with a campfire at the Walker Nature Center. There’ll be stories, s’mores, and fireflies. This is a family event, but make sure to bring a flashlight.

Saturday, June 26

• Inferno (8 p.m.) — Experience this walk-through artistic journey inspired by Dante’s “Inferno.” Held at Workhouse Art Center in Lorton, this walkable 45-minute interactive performance will mimic Dante’s walk through the afterlife.

Sunday, June 27

• Freedom 5k (8 a.m.) — Kick start the summer and the July 4th holiday with a 5k run and a 1k fun run starting from Fairfax Corner. The course runs past the Fairfax County Government Center and has been certified by USA Track & Field.

• Summer Sunday Concert  (5 p.m.) — Head over to the McLean Community Center for a Sunday evening outdoor concert featuring the jazzy New York-based JoJo & The Pinecones. This concert is family-friendly and is definitely music everyone will love to dance too.

• Growing Pride (2-7 p.m.) — Head to the Garden on Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria to celebrate pride and shop from more than a dozen LGBTQ+ makers and allies. There’ll also be food, live music, and workshops.

via Flickr/Steven Miller

It is officially summer, and with Virginia anticipating an end to its COVID-19-induced state of emergency, the next couple of months will bring an abundance of live music for Reston and Herndon residents to enjoy.

The season’s offerings will include the in-person returns of “Hunter Mill Melodies” and “Music at Arrowbrook Park,” two free outdoor concert series organized by the Fairfax County Park Authority for its 2021 Summer Entertainment Series.

Hunter Mill Melodies will be back at Herndon’s Frying Pan Farm Park with performances at Kidwell Farm (2709 West Ox Rd.) at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday in July and August.

Frying Pan will also host a children’s entertainment series at its visitor center pavilion (2739 West Ox Rd.) every Wednesday at 10 a.m. as part of the park authority’s Arts in the Park family-friendly series.

“This free entertainment series features a wide variety of musical acts from across the United States and from around the world,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said in a note. “The variety and quality of the acts is a reflection of Fairfax County’s diversity and community spirit, some of the many qualities that make this a wonderful place to call home.”

Music at Arrowbrook Park will bring eight free concerts to Arrowbrook Centre Park (2351 Field Point Rd.) in Herndon, covering a variety of genres, from folk to funk.

The full Hunter Mill Melodies and Music at Arrowbrook Park schedules are as follows:

Hunter Mill Melodies

• July 8: Phil Wiggins & Rick Franklin (Piedmont blues)
• July 15: Elena & Los Fulanos (Latin folk/rock)
• July 22: Nepalese Indian Cultural Nights (music of Nepal)
• July 29: Grupo Autoctono Tarkeada Virginia and Tradiciones Bolivianas (folkloric music and dance from Bolivia)
• August 5: Billy Coulter (roots rock, pop)
• August 12: Speidel, Goodrich, Goggin & Lille (rock)
• August 19: The United States Army Swamp Romp (jazz)
• August 26: Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen (bluegrass)

Arts in the Park

• July 7: 123 Andrés (children’s songs)
• July 14: Blue Sky Puppet Theater (puppets)
• July 21: Rocknoceros (children’s songs)
• August 11: Mr. Gabe & the Circle Time All-Stars (children’s songs)
• August 18: Fairfax Symphony Orchestra — Percussion Ensemble (children’s music)

Music at Arrowbrook Park

• July 10: The 19th Street Band (country rock)
• July 17: Scythian (Irish rock)
• July 24: High Noon (Southern rock)
• July 31: Daryl Davis (swing)
• August 7: Black Masala (funk/world)
• August 14: Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band (funk)
• August 21: Richard Phillips and Friends (folk, Appalachian blues)
• August 28: Eddie from Ohio (rockabilly)

The Fairfax County Park Authority announced on June 9 that its Summer Entertainment Series would return in person after going virtual last year.

According to the FCPA news release, the county started the initiative to create “a renewed sense of community” in the vein of small-town gatherings around bandstands in local town squares or parks. The performances are funded by private donations given to the Fairfax County Park Foundation.

For additional local live music options, community members can turn to the Reston Community Center, which launched multiple free summer concert series earlier this month, and Friday Night Live!, which will be back in the Town of Herndon starting July 2.

Reston Town Center, however, announced in April that it has canceled its Reston Concerts on the Town series for a second year in a row, citing the continued uncertainty at that time over whether Virginia would still have restrictions on large events over the summer.

Reston Concerts on the Town said that it had retained much of its planned lineup from 2020 and is now working to move those same artists to summer 2022.

“We miss you all and look forward to safely and joyously rocking out together in 2022!” the Facebook post said.

via Fairfax County Park Authority/Facebook

Hot Water Issues Return to Lake Anne Condos — “Ongoing lack of hot water is an issue again for nearly all condominium owners at the 27-unit, mixed-use Quayside building located at Lake Anne Village Center in Reston. Frustrated condo owners fear another four-month struggle, similar to Quayside’s first no-hot-water experience.” [Connection Newspapers]

Application for Development Near Herndon Border Rejected — The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted on June 15 to deny a rezoning application for a proposed housing development on a parcel along the W&OD Trail near the Fairfax County border and the historic Oak Grove Baptist Church. The rejection came after the applicant cut back on its proffers, including plans for an archaelogical survey and a commemorative sign. [Loudoun Now]

New Bicycle Racks Installed at Reston Town Center — The company Bikeep has installed new bicycle racks around Reston Town Center. With space available for five to nine bicycles at each station, the racks have no time limit or cost and are intended for short-term visitor parking, though the company plans to install lockers this summer “to provide long term parking for employees or more secure parking for visitors.” [Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling]

Longtime Herndon Teacher Retires — “Ann Godden moved to Herndon from Arlington more than 33 years ago and has been a staple part of the Herndon Elementary School community ever since…Godden is thankful for the school where she taught, and all four of her children ended up going to that school as well.” [Fairfax County Times]

Multicultural Festival Deadline Extended — “Calling all Vendors and Entertainers! Celebrate your roots with us at the 2021 Reston Multicultural Festival at Lake Anne Plaza on Sept. 25. The application deadline has been extended to June 25.” [Reston Community Center/Twitter]

Updated at 3:55 p.m. — The victims of this morning’s triple murder in Herndon’s Parkridge Gardens apartment complex were all members of the same family, Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard confirmed.

DeBoard said in a press conference at 3:30 p.m. that the man who died by apparent suicide earlier today in Reston made statements prior to his death that led the Fairfax County Police Department to contact the Herndon Police Department and request that they perform a welfare check in the 500 block of Florida Avenue.

A preliminary investigation and assistance from neighbors in the area led officers to a residence where they found the bodies of an adult and two children inside.

Police believe the individual who died by suicide in Reston “had a personal relationship with the adult victim,” DeBoard said.

DeBoard confirmed that there are no remaining public safety concerns, but police are awaiting results from the medical examiner’s office before sharing more information about how the homicide occurred.

She also said that the victims are not being identified yet, because police are still working to contact and interview next-of-kin, and there are no plans at this time to publicly name the juvenile victims.

“I think we will close this fairly quickly,” DeBoard said. “…We have to look at things like motive. We have to ensure that cause of death and all those things are determined without question, and we don’t want to release any of that information until we can put a finite answer on those questions.”

Earlier: An apparent triple homicide reported in Herndon this morning (Saturday) is suspected to be linked to a suicide in Reston, a Herndon Police Department spokesperson says.

A tipster alerted Reston Now that there was significant police activity in Reston Town Center around 8:30 a.m., reportedly after a man jumped off of a parking garage. Reston Now has reached out to the Fairfax County Police Department for confirmation.

According to HPD spokesperson Lisa Herndon, Herndon police received a call from their Fairfax County counterparts at 7:30 a.m. about the suicide, leading officers to go to the 500 block of Florida Avenue for a wellness check.

One adult and two juveniles were then discovered deceased in the home. Herndon did not provide details on what led police to believe the two incidents are connected, but she said the scene in the home is “clearly a homicide.”

“There’s no threat to the community,” Herndon said.

A news conference is currently pending notification of the next of kin, which Herndon says is the father of the family.

Before we head into the weekend of Juneteenth and Reston Pride, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on the site in recent days.

1. Parents’ petitions to recall Fairfax County School Board members gain traction
2. New law will change the rules of the road for drivers and bicyclists starting July 1
3. Fairfax County’s lone Muslim school board member reflects on uproar over Israel criticism
4. Police arrest suspects in attempted robbery in south Reston, near location of March fatal shooting
5. As Arlington seeks new logo, Fairfax County’s emblem has a complicated history of its own

If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip. Photos from around the Reston and Herndon area are also welcome, with credit always given to the photographer.

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

via Machvee/Flickr

Matchbox at Reston Station is targeting a mid-summer date for opening.

The wood-fired pizza restaurant, now owned by Reston-based Thompson Hospitality, is looking to start serving in mid-July, a restaurant representative confirmed to Reston Now.

Matchbox has delayed the opening of its new venue at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza Drive near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station a number of times.

The lease was signed in June 2019, and the company announced then that it would open its doors in early 2020. But it was postponed as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the restaurant industry hard.

Then, representatives said this past February that it would open sometime in May, but that also didn’t happen.

A Matchbox spokesperson didn’t comment on why the opening was pushed back another two months.

When it does open, it will be located in 5,500-square-foot space within a building designed by famed German architect Helmut Jahn. Once called the “Flash Gordon of American architecture,” Jahn’s work includes the United Terminal at O’Hare Airport and the J. Edgar Hoover building (FBI headquarters) in D.C.

He was killed in a bike accident just last month.

Google will anchor the complex at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza Drive, taking up about five floors of the 16-story building. Matchbox will also be near Big Buns Damn Good Burger Co, which did open this spring.

Matchbox went through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy late last year before reorganizing and being bought by Thompson Hospitality. The Reston-based food service provider, which previously managed a number of Matchboxes, stated that they were planning on opening new locations.

Matchbox is currently hiring for a number of positions at the Reston Station restaurant, including a assistant general manager, servers, bartenders, hosts, bussers, and dishwashers.

via Matchbox/Facebook

If you’re looking to rent in Reston, you’ve got options.

There are currently 83 homes listed for rent, according to Homesnap. You’ll find everything from lakefront properties to high-end condos, with plenty of townhomes in between.

Below, find a few recently listed rentals in Reston:

• 2024 Upper Lake Drive — 5 BD/4.5 BA single-family home — $5,900/month
• 11208 Wedge Drive — 4 BD/3 BA single-family home — $3,295/month
• 1793 Ivy Oak Square — 3 BD/2.5 BA townhome — $2,450/month
• 11307 Sundial Court #112 — 2 BD/1 BA condo — $2,200/month
• 12001 Market Street #428 — 1 BD/1 BA condo — $1,750/month

In the market? Check out the latest in Reston real estate.

The Fairfax County School Board is providing expanded support for adult education programs and services, particularly in Herndon and Reston.

The board provided consent for a lease renewal and expansion of Fairfax County Adult High School as well as the consolidation of Fairfax County Public Schools instructional and services programming in the Herndon and Reston area during a regular meeting yesterday (Thursday).

The consent follows the staff recommendation to continue and expand the existing lease at the Herndon Centre III shopping complex on Elden Street or another financially and functionally feasible location to consolidate other programs.

The programs considered for consolidation specifically include the Transition Support Resource Center, Adult and Community Education (ACE), ACE-English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and the Community Welcome Center, which would have student registration, ESOL assessments, and community liaison services.

“There is an increased demand for Fairfax County Adult High School services,” FCPS spokesperson Lucy Caldwell said in a statement to Reston Now.

“Currently these programs are operating in undersized spaces and at various locations in the Herndon/Reston area that unintentionally cap enrollment and create inequity of service delivery of these programs with like programs offered in other parts of Fairfax County.”

The effort to consolidate the spaces used by the programs is meant to allow FCPS to provide an appropriate classroom learning and training environment, according to Caldwell.

The consent item on the school board’s agenda also stated that there is an opportunity for the board to “capitalize on favorable lease rates available in the commercial real estate market today that ‘stretch’ buying power and permit the rental of additional space at a much reduced per square foot cost.”

A new lease would also allow the re-use or removal of three ACE trailers at Herndon Middle School.

A new lease could also provide a one-stop opportunity for students and families with a shared location for a welcome center with instructional programming that would allow easier access to ESOL assessments, student registration, and other community services.

The consent item stated that neither FCPS nor Fairfax County facilities are available to meet the needs of these programs, which could require as much as 30,000 square feet of space.