Introduction to Facebook — Learn the basics for how to use Facebook during a one-hour session from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Reston Community Center. [AARP]
Nose to toes yoga — Young kids can try out yoga poses while enjoying books and songs with a children’s yoga instructor from 10:30-11:15 a.m. at the Reston Regional Library. The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Reston Regional Library. [Reston Regional Library]
Crash closed Elden Street — A crash on the 1000 block of Elden Street closed the road for about two hours on St. Patrick’s Day while police conducted an investigation. The road is now open. [Herndon Police/Twitter]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Quickway Japanese Hibachi is coming to Dulles Park in Herndon.
Quickway Japanese Hibachi combines the teppanyaki cooking technique — a type of grilling style — with a quick service restaurant setting, according to its website. The menu features different varieties of hibachi, bento boxes and sushi rolls.
The regional fast food chain leased a 1,200 square-foot space in the shopping center, according to a commercial real estate agency. An exact address has not been announced yet.
In addition to the Herndon spot, the hibachi chain also is “opening soon” in Silver Spring, Md. and Spotsylvania, Va.
Image via Google MapsÂ
A new neighborhood shopping center near Elden Street is almost done with construction.
Located at 900 Alabama Drive, the Elden Corner Center backs up against the Herndon Middle School and is across the street from another shopping center, which includes a hair salon, deli and several other stores.
Sanjay Bajaj, the project’s applicant, told Reston Now that construction is slated to finish next week on the 10,000-square-foot retail center, which includes more than 50 parking spaces.
Plans from Capital Realty Advisors, LLC indicate that about tenants have leased about three-quarters of the shopping center, including:
- a boutique
- a bakery
- a hair salon
- Boost Mobile
- Peruvian Chicken
Two spaces are still available — an end spot with 1,453 square feet and one in the middle with 1,130 square feet, according to a listing on LoopNet, an online marketplace for commercial property. Tenants are responsible for their build-out, the site says.
Updated at 3:25 p.m. — Herndon police tweeted at 3:18 p.m. that all of the lanes are now open.
Earlier: Plan on giving yourself more time if you’re going to drive on Elden Street by the Town Hall today.
The Herndon Police Department tweeted at 9:41 a.m. that utility work in the downtown area has traffic alternating one lane on Elden Street between Spring and Center streets.
The utility work will continue until around 3 p.m., police say.
Drivers should expect delays.
UPDATE: Utility work is project to continue until about 3 pm. Updates as available. #herndonpd https://t.co/RbqtuWLZ8P
— Herndon Police (@HerndonPolice) March 8, 2019
Image via Google Maps
Back in December, Reston Now kicked off a “Then and Now” series to highlight how areas in Reston and Herndon have changed over the decades.
With help from Fairfax County’s Historic Imagery Viewer, which offers aerial views of the county dating back to 1937, Reston Now puts together a review of how each area has evolved.
Our look into the Lake Anne area started the series, which has since explored Reston Town Center, Reston Station and Herndon’s Elden Street — to name a few.
A tip from a Reston Now reader led us to the intersection of Hunter Mill and Hunter Station roads where a small farmhouse was recently demolished to make way for a residential development.
Last week, we highlighted the struggling Tall Oaks Village Center, which is slated for redevelopment into a mostly residential neighborhood.
Now, we want your input for our March 8 story.
Have an idea for a spot that’s not listed? Tell us in the comments section below.
Photos via Fairfax County Historic Imagery Viewer
Baskin-Robbins is no longer dishing out ice cream at its store on Elden Street in Herndon.
A spokesman for Dunkin’ Brands, which owns the ice cream chain and franchises Dunkin’ Donuts, confirmed that the shop at 1258 Elden Street in Herndon has closed. He did not answer questions about when the store shuttered its doors or why.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to our loyal guests,” according to a statement from Baskin–Robbins. “We recommend guests visit our location at 13344 Franklin Farm Road in Herndon.”
Baskin-Robbins also has a location in Reston at 1446 Reston Pkwy.
Image via Google Maps
Whether you’re celebrating with friends or significant others, Reston Now has rounded up some Valentine’s Day events this week that don’t involve dinner plans.
With all of the chocolate and candy temptations, why not focus on self-care with physical activity set to love songs and break-up hits?
New Trail Cycling, which opened in December at Lake Anne Plaza, will have themed rides all about love.
The first one titled “Love vs. Break-Up Hits” is scheduled for the classes at 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14). On Saturday (Feb. 16), get ready for the “Battle of the Exes” at 11 a.m.
- Feb. 12 and 13Â Valentine’s Day gift with purchase —Â Spend $100 at a Reston Town Center retailer or restaurant on Feb. 12 or 13 and receive a bouquet of flowers by bringing your receipt(s) to the flower cart located in front of the ice rink on Market Street.
- Feb. 14 Craf-Tea Thursday — Head to the Elden Streat Tea Shop to learn from Tess Rollins how to make two Valentine’s/Palentine’s Day paper cards while enjoying themed snacks and a pot of tea from 10-11 a.m.
- Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day Bingo — From 10:30 a.m. to noon, come to the Tall Oaks Assisted Living to play bingo.
- Feb. 14 Annual Valentine’s Day Horse Carriage Rides — The annual event at Reston Town Center takes place from 4-9 p.m. The proceeds will benefit Relay for Life. Rides cost $5 per person and kids under age 5 ride for free.
- Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day Painting — For $50 per person, you can enjoy painting and wine for two at Pinot’s Palette in Herndon from 7-9:30 p.m.
- Feb. 15 Valentine’s Gala — Food, dancing and more can be expected at Let’s Stay Together first annual Valentine’s Gala. The semi-formal gala will take place from 7-10 p.m. at the Embassy Suites on Woodland Park Road. Tickets start at $125.
- Feb. 17 Valentine’s Makesperience — Enjoy a couple’s dinner at 5:30 p.m. and sign up for a makers class at Nova Labs. Classes include jewelry-making, woodworking, t-shirt making, laser cutting and creating tea lights.
- Feb. 17 Galentine’s Day Party — Scrawl Books plans to host a post-Valentine’s “Galentine’s Party” to benefit Cornerstones and the Laurel Learning Program. Authors Orly Konig and Erika Marks will discuss books, writing and life while drinks and hors-d’oeuvres are served.
The Herndon Planning Commission is still seeking funds for South Elden Street improvements that are meant to increase visibility and pedestrian safety.
The improvements would add an 8-foot, shared-use path on the western side of Elden Street running from Sterling Road to Herndon Parkway and improve the existing five-lane section to be a four-lane section with 11-foot-wide travel lanes, a raised median and protected turning lanes.
It would also add enhanced crosswalks at the intersections of Elden Street and Alabama Drive, the intersection at Dulles Park Shopping Center and the intersection of Elden Street and Sterling Road.
The Town of Herndon has until Oct. 1 to adopt a policy for the work under a previously approved $65,000 grant or repay the grant to the state after that date.
In August, the Town of Herndon also submitted a SMART Scale application to the Virginia of Department of Transportation for a statewide funding program. VDOT will let them know if they get are awarded the funding this spring. If it is, the project could get completed in 2029 with a 10-year timeframe.
While the street project is already in the town’s comprehensive plan, an amendment is needed to reflect the work as part of the proposed Major Street Network, which includes a timeframe to 2030.
The commission unanimously approved the comprehensive plan amendment at last night’s meeting.
Images via Google Maps and Planning Commission
Spring Street is shut down between Elden and Locust streets due to an accident.
Herndon Police tweeted that the street closed shortly before 10 a.m. today (Jan. 22).
Drivers and pedestrians should follow police direction, according to the tweet.
TRAFFIC ALERT: Spring Street shut down between Elden and Locust due to an accident. Follow police direction. Updates as available. #herndonpd #herndonva pic.twitter.com/T9DXrXJY9U
— Herndon Police (@HerndonPolice) January 22, 2019
Map via Google Maps
A mixed-use development project along Herndon Parkway hit some design snags and a zoning issue as the developer tried to move the project forward at the Herndon Planning Commission meeting on Monday (Jan. 14).
Penzance Properties plans to build a mixed-use development at 555 Herndon Parkway. Located on the south side of Herndon Parkway, the site is between Van Buren Street and Spring Street and north of the future Herndon Silver Line Station.
The 90,000 square feet of office space currently occupying the site is slated to be razed.
The Planning Commission staff report notes that the development plan needs one modification to abide by a zoning ordinance. The report also provided dozens of suggestions and areas to focus on to improve the project.
The Architectural Review Board reviewed the plans at its Dec. 12 meeting and said in a memo to the Planning Commission that the architecture and urban design of the project need more definition and revision.
ARB noted that the project is especially hard to review “since it is the first development of this size and scale in Herndon and the first time the ARB is evaluating architecture as part of a development plan review process.” Its “broad and general level” review a list of critiques, including a lack of facade detailing, insufficient material variety on the residential floors and roofline, an undefined pedestrian scale and an “overall stark and sterile design.”
A transportation impact study on the project expects minimal impact on intersections, with 25 percent of the anticipated travel connected to the four office buildings and 35 percent related residential.
Out of the three development alternatives, the transportation study analyzed the alternative with the highest trip generation. That option includes up to 406,000 square feet of office space, 380 residential units and 27,767 square feet of retail and a 250 room hotel. The buildout is slated for 2022.
“Herndon has long planned for intersection improvements on Spring Street between Herndon Parkway and Fairfax County Parkway and at the intersection of Herndon Parkway and Van Buren Street,” according to the study’s examinations of the 2017 conditions. “These intersections operate at or near capacity under existing conditions.”
The Town of Herndon is studying three alternate bus bay location plans that include bus layby lanes, passenger car layby lanes and a signalized pedestrian connection crossing Herndon Parkway east of the site.
Penzance Properties has scheduled a neighborhood meeting for Jan. 23 and mailed invitations to neighboring properties, according to the staff report.
The Planning Commission also took up a proposal to create a design concept for street improvements on South Elden Street between Sterling Road and Herndon Parkway.
A revised resolution would add an 8-foot, shared-use path on the western side of Elden Street running from Sterling Road to Herndon Parkway and improve the existing five-lane section to be a four-lane section with 11-foot-wide travel lanes, a raised median and protected turning lanes. It would also add enhanced crosswalks at the intersections of Elden Street and Alabama Drive, the intersection at Dulles Park Shopping Center and the intersection of Elden Street at Sterling Road.
These changes are meant to increase visibility and pedestrian safety.
The Town of Herndon has until Oct. 1 to adopt a policy for the work under a previously approved $65,000 grant or repay the grant to the state after that date.
The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on Monday, Jan. 28.
Images via Herndon Planning Commission
It’s been nearly two years, and Aslin Beer Company is still waiting for approval to move into its planned tasting room and bar in Herndon.
The company is waiting on the Department of Public Works to approve grading plans as a deadline looms for the Heritage Preservation Review Board to consider approval of the project at its upcoming meeting next month.
In the summer of 2017, the brewery was told it would have to leave the Town of Herndon due to the limitations of its current space (257 Sunset Park Drive). So Aslin found a new home at 771 Elden Street, which was the location of the former Napa Auto Parts, and planned to open the Aslin Tasting House later that year, Reston Now previously reported.
Originally, the new location planned to have 2,500 square feet of interior tasting room space and another 2,500 square feet of outdoor space — including a rooftop deck and bar, bocce ball court and covered deck.
Then last year on Dec. 10, Aslin resubmitted plans with a revised design that include terrace seating and a rooftop bar.
Herndon’s Heritage Preservation Review Board held a work session last Wednesday (Jan. 2) that included discussion on the redesign and amendments, which the board had previously approved.
Ira Saul, an attorney representing Aslin, “stated no additional structural changes would be made, other than the removal of the cantilevered deck area on the second floor and removing the exterior stairway for an internalized stairwell to the second floor,” according to draft minutes from the meeting.
Saul said that a second-floor fireplace with a stone veneer, second-floor rain screens and a second-floor overhead trellis near the rear of the building that appeared to have been removed from the submitted design would be included in future drawings. Additionally, the two different color schemes in the submission will get clarified in the future to have just one color scheme.
Board Member Ossolinski requested that the formal application submission include perspective color renderings of the structure — as had been provided during the original case review and subsequent approval — to help clarify the differences between the new and the revised design.
Once the Department of Public Works approves the grading plans — a prerequisite to Heritage Preservation Review Board approval — the beer company will be able to submit the final application by the Jan. 14 deadline for the board’s February meeting.
Aslin Beer Company declined to comment for the article.
“The town remains committed to working with Aslin’s owners through this process,” Anne Curtis, the chief communications officer for the Town of Herndon, told Reston Now.
Images via Google Maps and the Town of HerndonÂ
Toronto-based singer-songwriter Shawna Caspi is coming to Herndon for a performance next Tuesday.
Caspi is set to perform on Jan. 15 as a part of The Folk Club of Reston/Herndon, a volunteer organization that meets on Tuesday evenings at 7:15 p.m. at Amphora’s Diner Deluxe (1151 Elden Street).
Classically trained, Caspi shifted to folk singing, which she pairs with a fingerpicking guitar style.
In September 2017, she released her fourth album, “Forest Fire,” which delves into “burning things down and building them up again” with bluegrass instrumentation.
Her song “Not So Silent” from her 2014 album “Apartments for Lovers” was selected for the Silver Award in the folk acoustic category of the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest presented by the Songwriters’ Association of Washington, she wrote on her website on Tuesday (Jan 8).
Her travels as a musician inspired Caspi to paint. “Shawna loves the landscapes of her travels, and while weaving them into her songs, she has also been portraying them on canvases, painting one-of-a-kind works of art inspired by the rich scenery she sees on tour,” according to her bio. So far, she has sold more than 100 original paintings.
The upcoming Herndon show has a suggested donation of $10 for members of the Folk Club and $11 for nonmembers.
Heading back on the road in just one week! #Teaneck NJ, #Bethesda MD, #Herndon VA, #Darlington MD pic.twitter.com/OgsSh9dS2j
— Shawna Caspi (@shawnacaspi) January 4, 2019
Image via World One Video on YouTube
Construction is slated to finish next month on the Elden Corner Center in Herndon.
Construction is currently underway on the commercial retail building at 900 Alabama Drive.
Sanjay Bajaj, the project’s applicant, told Reston Now that construction will be done by February. The more than 10,000-square-foot retail center will have eight stores and roughly 54 parking spaces, Bajaj said.
“Currently, the center is about 62 percent leased out,” he wrote in an email.
Three spots in the center are still available to lease from the CoStar Group. Plans from Capital Realty Advisors, LLC indicate that a hair salon, bakery, Boost Mobile and Peruvian Chicken have already leased the other spaces.
Elden Corner Center is just one of several projects currently under construction in Herndon.
Stanley Martin is building a two-over-two stacked townhouse development with 64 units between Herndon Pkwy and Van Buren Street. The Metro Square development is across the street from Haley M. Smith Park and will be next to the Herndon Metro Station.
More homes are on the way. The Residences at the Station will offer several single-family homes with “historic styling” featuring front porches and detached garages.
Across the street from the Pines Shopping Center (650 Elden Street), the development by Doll Homes will include an improved streetscape, off-street parking and paver driveways, according to Herndon’s development site.
Virginia Tire and Auto, which is taking the spot at 199 Elden Street that was vacated by a Cardinal Bank branch, faces construction. Demolition is underway of the existing bank building, along with construction of an 11-bay service station, according to Herndon’s development site.
The vehicle service center aims to open next summer, an employee previously told Reston Now.
Images via CoStar Group and Stanley Martin
Shoppers at Herndon Centre might have noticed a few recent changes to its food offerings.
Several locations in the shopping center have welcomed new grocery stores and restaurants this year — some of which relocated there — along with closures.
Mayuri Indian Restaurant moved to Herndon Centre in July to 390 Elden Street after it closed its Hunters Woods Village Center location in 2016. The restaurant closed its original spot of 10 years after the lease ended, according to the restaurant’s website.
Mayuri’s Herndon Centre spot used to belong to Baker’s Inn Indian Bistro & Cafe, which opened in 2016, according to its Facebook page. While its closing date is unknown, the restaurant was still open in late June, according to Yelp reviews.
Tipicos Gloria relocated about 150 feet from its spot at 482 Elden Street to 470 Elden Street about five months ago, an employee told Reston Now. The Central American eatery’s vacated spot is slated to open early next year as Ramen and Rice, Reston Now previously reported.
As for grocery options, ethnic grocer Lotte Plaza Market opened Dec. 7 at 490 Elden Street.
Sprouts Farmers Market grocery store is expected to take over part of the former Kmart space at 494 Elden Street. Demolition is still underway for that site.
Florida-based real estate investment firm Sterling Organization is dividing the former Kmart spot, Reston Now previously reported. Renderings of the project submitted to the Town of Herndon show the site will be the future home of LA Fitness, MOD Pizza and IHOP.
Curry Leaf Fresh Market closed at 378 Elden Street earlier this year. A sign on the door, as of Dec. 17, indicates that the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority “is considering establishing a retail store at this location.”
380 Elden Street, which used to be a Sprint store, has signs indicating the space is available for retailers.
Korean grocery chain H Mart will hold its grand opening this Saturday in the Elden Street Marketplace.
Located at 1228 Elden Street, H Mart is taking the spot vacated by Giant Food in November after it relocated to Centreville Road.Â
H Mart, which is operated by the Hanahreum Group in New Jersey, describes itself a “one-stop shop for everything Asian and more.” The grocery chain has more than 60 stores across 12 states, including California, Illinois, Georgia and New York.Â
The Herndon opening will mark H Mart’s seventh store in Virginia, with stores already in Falls Church, Annadale and Fairfax, according to the website.
The grand opening starts at 9 a.m. on Dec. 22 and will include free gifts for its Smart Card members and giveaways.
Photo via Google Maps