Virginia Tire and Auto may open next year at 199 Elden Street — the former Cardinal Bank branch spot.
The Herndon Town Council approved on March 13 the construction and operation of the vehicle service center nearly one year after Cardinal Bank closed its branch there during its merger with United Bank.
The vehicle service center aims to open next summer, an employee told Reston Now. Phoenix Steel Erectors’ work on the site is scheduled to begin in February, according to a Facebook post.
Virginia Tire and Auto has been expanding recently, with two other locations set to open in Richmond and Vienna. The new locations will bring the total number of dealership locations to 16.
A new tire and auto business is opening!
— Mayor Lisa Merkel (@MayorLisaMerkel) December 12, 2018
Maps via Google Maps
A grocery store shuffle is underway in Herndon following the departure of local Shoppers locations.
Giant Food at 1228 Elden Street has officially closed its doors and relocated to Centreville Road as of today, roughly 1.3 miles away from the former location. The store opened at 6 a.m. today, a customer service representative told Reston Now. The Elden Street location closed at midnight.
The new location at 2425 Centreville Road was previously occupied by Shoppers. H-Mart, a Korean grocery store operated by the Hanahreum Group in New Jersey, is scheduled to move into the Elden Street location. No opening date has been confirmed yet.
Giant Food has announced plans to move into other abandoned Shoppers stores. Shoppers closures went into effect after the parent company announced an intentional shift to move the business from retail to wholesale.
Photos via Giant Food
Another local business is leaving Elden Street.
Herndon Auto Care, which offers auto and light truck repair and maintenance services, will move from its current location at 1131 Elden Street to its sister shop in Sterling, the Dulles Shell Service Center. The address of the new location is 45410 Holiday Drive.
A business representative told Reston Now that the move was prompted by lease expiration.
“In the new lease, the landlord was asking for a substantial increase in monthly rent, which we could not accommodate,” the representative said. “The property has been listed for rent with a real estate company for other use[s].”
Photo via Herndon Auto Care
Sprouts Farmers Market grocery store is expected to take over part of the former Kmart footprint in Herndon, adding a second organic grocer to the Herndon Centre. The natural and organic grocer would join a shopping plaza that is also home to MOM’s Organic Market.
Demolition of the facade of the 84,000-square-foot store (494 Elden Street) is underway as Florida-based real estate investment firm Sterling Organization divides the former big box store into several businesses. The company purchased the location for $7 million in August last year. The rest of the shopping plaza is owned by A.J. Dwoskin & Associates Inc.
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. No overnight commuter parking will be allowed in the shopping plaza.
Town officials said they’re working with the developer of the property to add signalize the intersection near the shopping plaza, as new businesses are expected to generate additional traffic. The company has committed $165,000 in proffer funds to help install a future signal. The town expects to fund the remainder of the project through existing funds from its capital improvements program and future grant funding.
A representative for the project declined to comment on the development, including details about the project timeline.
Photos via Sterling Organization and Fatimah Waseem
Town of Herndon officials are seeking the public feedback as the town works to revitalize the South Elden Street area, a corridor that runs along Elden Street from Worldgate Drive to Sterling Road.
Officials plan to present what they described as a “moderate scale” redevelopment plan for the area at a meeting today (June 26) at 7 p.m. in the Town of Herndon Council Chambers (765 Lynn Street).
Ideas on how to revitalize the corridor are requested, including whether or not older properties in the area should be redeveloped and the desired mix of retail, residential, office and other uses.
Last year, the town jumpstarted an initiative to create a plan for the commercial corridor between Herndon Parkway and Sterling Road. In 2015, an amendment to the town’s comprehensive plan called for making improvements to South Elden Street. Possible changes include creating a shared use path for bicycles and pedestrians, dedicated turn lanes, a raised median, updated pedestrian signals and the placement of overhead wires underground.
If funding sources are received, the town could begin designing the project in 2024. A conceptual plan of improvements and the preliminary application for improvements has not been made public yet.
A public hearing is set before the Planning Commission on July 2 and August 6.
Photo via Town of Herndon
The Town of Herndon’s Council will consider a proclamation to officially recognize June as “LGBTQ+ Pride Month” at a public hearing tonight at 7 p.m. in the Herndon Council Chambers Building (765 Lynn Street).
The proclamation intends to “recognize the difficulties and prejudice the LGBTQ+ community has worked to overcome,” in addition to recognizing the work of advocates who fight for equality for all people.
The Town Council is also considering launching a Smart Cities pilot program in Herndon. Through the agreement with Vivacity D.C. Inc., a Delaware-based corporation, the town will evaluate smart city technologies, including remote-controlled LED lights with radio capabilities in downtown Herndon in an effort to reduce electricity and maintenance costs.
Upgraded infrastructure, to be installed by the end of the year, would allow the town to provide free public WiFi, improve mobile coverage and county pedestrian traffic, according to the draft pilot project agreement.
Specifically, Vivacity DC, Inc. will build a wireless network in the downtown area, replace 10 street light poles with LED smart poles, and upgrade 10 existing street light poles with LED lighting. The project also includes the installation of an electric vehicle charging station.
Town Council public hearings are webcast and are cablecast live on Herndon Community Television (HCTV).
File photoÂ
The redevelopment of Herndon’s historic center moved forward Tuesday as local lawmakers passed an agreement that would transform nearly 4.7 acres of town-owned land into a mixed use development.
The seven-member Herndon Town Council unanimously approved a comprehensive agreement with Comstock Partners that lays out responsibilities of both parties. Comstock plans to bring 281 residential apartments, 17,600 square feet of retail space, an arts plaza and walkways, an 18,000-square-foot arts center and a 761-space parking garage to the center.
The public-private redevelopment deal states the town will pitch in $3.6 million to help with the redevelopment effort, including $500,000 for environmental remediation, $500,000 for transitional public parking, $250,000 for the relocation of the arts center, $100,000 for culvert repairs and up to $100,000 for any off-site easements. The town will also contribute land purchased for $5.8 million
In return, the developer will provide 339 public parking spaces in the garage, the arts center, an arts work and recreation proffer and $505,000 in proffer funds for town recreational services. The total value of the contributions is roughly $12 million, according to the town.
Construction, which is set to begin in early 2019, is expected to be complete by early 2021. With the green light from the council, the developer must begin designing the project. Once the design is complete, Comstock will submit a site plan to the town for approval and seek design approval from the town’s Heritage Preservation Committee — a process that could take one year.
The site on which the development would take place is north of Elden Street, east of Center Street, west of Station Street and south of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. The space in question includes municipal parking lots and the home of ArtSpace, as well as the former Stohlman Subaru building on Elden Street.
As the development moves forward, the town plans to work with Comstock on a transitional parking plan. ArtSpace will be relocated off-site during construction of the project. The future of the Herndon Festival is unclear as the festival’s committee will evaluate options for relocation. During construction, parking will either continue to be located on-site or be transitioned to other locations in downtown Herndon. The town will work with Comstock on the transitional parking plan.
In a release, Mayor Lisa Merkel applauded the council’s decision as a major step forward in the redevelopment effort.
“After decades of discussion, vision and planning, the town is thrilled to be moving forward on a project that will revitalize our downtown and solidify Herndon’s position as a 21st century town where history and heritage are integrated into a thoroughly contemporary setting. We are grateful to the citizens, business owners and others with a stake in Herndon’s future who have dedicated so much time and energy to get us to this point, and we look forward to working with Comstock in bringing the town’s vision to reality.”
County officials project the purchase of the property will bring in roughly $300,000 per year from taxes and fees for licenses. The site is currently exempt from property taxes.
For more information about the plans, visit the town’s website.
Image courtesy of Anne Curtis
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) officials will hold a public meeting Thursday to show its place for a proposed design for the widening of Elden Street between Monroe Street and the Fairfax County Parkway in Herndon.
Officials hope the project will reduce traffic congestion, improve safety and enhance access to and from the busy Fairfax County Parkway.
Planned improvements include widening East Elden Street (Route 606) from four lanes to six between Herndon Parkway and Fairfax County Parkway, as well as improving access management from Van Buren Street to Herndon Parkway.
Other planned improvements include a new raised median with streetscaping between Van Buren Street and Herndon Parkway, moving utilities between Monroe Street and Fairfax County Parkway underground, and replacing the culvert over Sugarland Run with a new bridge.
The proposed design also features accommodations for cyclists and pedestrians, including enhanced facilities like on-street bike lanes between Monroe Street and Herndon Parkway, and off-street bike lanes from east of Herndon Parkway to Fairfax County Parkway.
VDOT officials say they hope to have plans approved by the spring, though it could take a few years to receive authorization for right-of-way funding, and to advertise to potential construction companies for the job. All in all, construction could begin in the spring of 2022.
The total costs of the project, including preliminary engineering, right-of-way and construction, add up to just under $35 million.
Thursday’s meeting will take place at the Herndon Senior Center, located at 873 Grace St. The public is invited to drop by to view the plans and talk with officials anytime between 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Comments can also be sent to VDOT directly anytime before Nov. 28. by e-mailing [email protected] or by sending mail to Mr. Hamid Misaghian, P.E., Project Manager, Virginia Department of Transportation, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA, 22030.
View the East Elden Street Widening project page online for more information.
Image: VDOT/Google Maps
