Fairfax County Government is currently mulling over changes to its sign ordinance that has everyone from schools and parks to local realtors concerned.
At a Planning Commission meeting last night (Wednesday), the commission deferred a decision on the new sign regulations until Jan. 16 to allow for more discussion on the impact of the ordinance.
Currently, county staff are reviewing changes to the zoning ordinance to make the language content-neutral. The change is in response to the United States Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in Reed vs. Town of Gilbert, which ruled that localities that define sign categories based on the message expressed, or content-based, is unconstitutional unless it furthers a compelling governmental interest.
Rather than allow free reign for Fairfax residents of businesses to erect signs regardless of content, a proposed amendment would clamp down on sign regulations across the board.
Changes to the sign ordinance are widespread but often minor corrections. One of the biggest changes is that one freestanding building identification sign is permitted for each detached building and such signs must be limited to identifying the name of the building or the individual enterprises located therein, the address, trademark or identifying symbol of the building occupant.
According to county staff, minor signs (formerly referred to as temporary signs) were the largest challenge in the zoning ordinance rewrite.
“While staff acknowledges that the proposed language could negatively affect some developments that are currently exempt from regulation, we continue to recommend the language found in the draft text as it provides the closest level of regulation as the current provision.”
A representative from real estate investment company Macerich said at the meeting said the company had a laundry list of concerns but has been working with county staff to whittle those issues down. Another local realtor at the meeting said the new ordinance could push the open house signs and corner signs off of local lawns and into the already crowded right-of-way spaces.
The sign ordinance changes sparked concern with the inclusion of language that would remove government exemptions from sign ordinances.
“Staff has received comments from both Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), neither of which is in favor of eliminating the current exemption status. Of particular concern to the Park Authority is the limitation on the size, number and location of minor signs permitted for non-residential uses in a residential district. These signs are used to announce summer concert series, camps and other activities at the parks. The schools have raised concerns with the proposed height of permitted freestanding signs for non-residential uses in residential districts which is proposed to be limited to 8 feet in height.”
As a result, staff said at the Planning Commission meeting that there would be modifications to the ordinance allowing some exceptions for schools and parks.
Planning Commissioner Phillip Niedzielski-Eichner said at the meeting he was generally in favor of holding Fairfax County government accountable to many of the same sign regulations as the public.
“There’s something to be said with us being able to model our behavior consistent with what we expect from the private sector,” said Niedzielski-Eichner. “There is a different benefit to be realized to the public with the park authority and public school [having] latitude with signs, but frankly I’m comfortable with them doing it within a regulatory context… not unfettered.”
Photo via Flickr/Alan Levine
This is a sponsored post from Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate. For a more complete picture of home sales in your neighborhood, contact her on Reston Real Estate.
I don’t typically hold to the notion that one time of year is better for selling your home versus another. For as long as I’ve been selling real estate, I have always had at least a couple of transactions around the winter holidays, but conventional wisdom says that there is something magical about spring.
As of this writing there are 87 days until spring. I have two listing appointments this week with sellers that want to go over what they should do to get their property ready for the spring market.
They’ll be surprised when they find there is a long list of “to do’s” to get a house ready for the market.
The first place to start is by cleaning. I don’t the mean the vacuum & dusting kind of cleaning. I mean the scrub the grout with a tooth brush kind of cleaning. I mean you do your best imitation of your crazy Aunt Saddie with the obsessive compulsive cleaning disorder kind of cleaning.
Some clients opt for hiring a cleaning crew; if you’re going to do that you should de-clutter your house before bringing in a cleaning professional. And if your “to do” list includes painting, save the professional cleaning for the last item on your list.
So what does the typical seller “to do” list look like?
- Reduce contents of all closets by half. Stuffed closets speak to prospective buyers — they say “this house doesn’t have enough storage.” This may not be the case; maybe you’re just really bad about getting rid of the excess we all seem to accumulate.
- Neutralize your home. Pre-pack most of your personal items like family photos, your ceramic frog collection and other things that can distract buyers from seeing the house.
- Be prepared to put furniture and other items in storage.
- 50% of the houses I see prior to listing need to be painted — go neutral.
- Clean everything — every, nook, cranny, light switch cover, door jamb, door knobs, everything.
- Do not overlook the utility areas of your home, they should be thoroughly cleaned and organized including the area around the furnace and water heater.
A super clean and orderly home says “I have been well maintained.” A clean house reduces buyer anxiety.
One of the first things I do for clients after signing a listing agreement is to drop off 100 office sized boxes to be used to de-clutter, or as we like to call it, pre-packing.
A home that is free of clutter makes room for the prospective buyer to mentally picture themselves with their own possessions in that home; which in turn helps to move the buyer from thinking to acting…writing a contract.
The more you can do to clean, organize, neutralize, paint and upgrade, the faster your home will go from being on the market to sold.
Community remembers Ellen Moyer — Moyer, a lifelong Reston resident, a prominent community member, a graduate of South Lakes High School and a local agent, passed away suddenly while celebrating Rosh Hashanah with her family. [Around Reston]
The end is near — Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that the location of the company’s second headquarters would be revealed by the end of the year. [The Hill]
Family splash tonight at Reston Community Center — Take a dip in the pool and enjoy a night of family fun at the Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center. The entry fee is $13 for Reston residents and $26 for all others. Groups of six or more must pre-register by calling 703-390-6150. [Reston Community Center]
Not out of the woods yet — Although forecast models show Hurricane Florence may not bring excessive rain to the area, county officials urge residents to continue monitoring the storm, which could dump rain in the area over the weekend and early into the week. [Fairfax County Government]
Nearby: A local police officer’s suicide — In order to spread awareness about postpartum depression disorders and suicide, the local police department shared a story about late Detective Shelane Gaydos, a mom of four who killed herself in late 2015. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Flickr pool photo by vantagehill
Updates to Reston Association’s disclosure document fees for home resales will go into effect on Aug. 20 following the Board of Director’s approval of the new fee breakdown last month.
The Property Owners’ Association Act requires homeowners to provide interested purchasers with legally required information about the property, common areas and the homeowners association.
State law allows RA to charge fees to prepare disclosure packets, which must be completed within 14 days from the day payment is received. According to a statement, fee increases were instituted to account for inflation over the last five years.
Fee increases vary between roughly $17 to $39 depending on the type of document to be disclosed. The new fee schedule is below:
Additionally, the fee for electronic disclosures is $264.08 and $293.42 for paper or CD disclosures.
Photo via Reston Association
(This story was updated at 9:23 a.m. on Aug. 7 to include fees for electronic and paper/CD disclosures).
Interested in buying a new home or designing your own? Get a glimpse of the best new construction homes that Northern Virginia has to offer — on Saturday, May 12 at 12 p.m.!
Join the Keri Shull Team for an exclusive luxury tour around the latest and greatest new construction communities of Loudoun County including Toll Brothers, Beazer Homes and NVR Homes.
Hosted by New Construction Specialists from the Keri Shull Team, this luxury tour around Loudoun will take you through these new communities, while going over the ins-and-outs of building or buying a brand new home.
Perfect opportunity to discover your new home, meet your future developer or find your next inspiration!
Ride in style with the Keri Shull Team — Saturday, May 12! Wine and hors d’oeurves are included free of charge.
What’s Included With Your $49.99 Refundable Deposit
- Executive limo van transportation from Reston Limousine
- Boxed lunch from Pinstripes
- Keri Shull Team wine opener
- Expert guidance from the areas top new construction agents
- Private arranged VIP tour; exclusive insights for this tour only
- $250 Moving rebate from Town and Country Movers
- $100 credit towards labor from Charles Graves Painting
- Free staging consult if you have a home to sell
- Lifetime membership to our exclusive client events
For your deposit to be refunded, you must buy any home within the next 12 months from your tour date. Space is limited to 20 attendees, so sign up today before it fills up! Click here to register.
Event details
- What: VIP New Construction Limo Tour
- When: Saturday May 12, from 12-3 p.m.
- Where: Toll Brothers, Beazer Homes, and NVR Homes
- Cost: $49.99 refundable deposit
- Contact: [email protected]or call 571-969-7653
Space is limited to 20 attendees, so sign up today before it fills up! Click here to register.
Interested in buying a new home or designing your own? Get a glimpse of the best new construction homes that Northern Virginia has to offer — on Saturday April 7 at 12 p.m.!
Join the Keri Shull Team for an exclusive FREE luxury tour around the latest and greatest new construction communities of Loudoun County including Toll Brothers, Beazer Homes, and NVR Homes. Hosted by New Construction Specialists from the Keri Shull Team, this luxury tour around Loudoun will take you through these new communities, while going over the ins and outs of building or buying a brand new home.
Perfect opportunity to discover your new home, meet your future developer or find your next inspiration!
Ride in style with the Keri Shull Team — Saturday, April 7! Wine and hors d’oeurves included — absolutely free!
Attendees of New Construction Limo Tour will receive our exclusive guarantee: Move up to any of our new construction listings and we will sell your current home for free!
Event details
- What: New Construction Limo Tour
- When: Saturday April 7th, 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
- Where: Toll Brothers, Beazer Homes, and NVR Homes
- Cost: FREE
- Contact: [email protected] or call 571-969-7653
Space is limited, so sign up today before it fills up! Register at: Loudouncountytour.com.
Wheelock Street Capital acquired Charter Oak Apartments in partnership with local investment firm Canandaigua & Pratt Holdings this month.
The news comes as Wheelock Communities, an affiliate of the company, acquired Hidden Creek Country Club in October. The club is adjacent to the apartments, which are located at 11637 Charter Oak Court.
The real estate firm has no immediate plans to redevelop the apartment community, which has 262 units and a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments.
“As for future plans, they have retained Gates Hudson to manage the property in its current form,” wrote Jeff Laliberte, Wheelock’s managing director, in a statement to Reston Now.
“We plan to invest additional capital into the property in the coming years and look forward to continuing to provide the Reston community with attractive housing options,” he added.
At the adjacent golf course, however, the company’s affiliate has hinted at possible redevelopment, including “new housing choices,” in the future.
A company representative would not disclose the terms of the apartment acquisition, including the purchase price.
Photo via Charter Oak Apartments
Former NFL Pro Bowler Charles Mann has joined Verity Commercial, a Reston-based commercial real estate services firm, the Washington Business Journal reports.
Since retiring from football in the 1994, Mann, 56, helped broker major deals, including the lease for Southland Industries at the Brick Yard Business Park in Prince George’s County, Maryland and the $7.9 million sale of Franklin Farm Medical Office, according to the report.
Before turning commercial real estate, Mann was a former Washington Redskins defensive end and played 12 years in the National Football League. After graduating from Strayer University he shifted to business development by working for companies like Mechanical Design Group, according to the report. He launched a government contracting firm called Charles Mann Enterprises three years ago.
He will handle sales and business development at Verity Commercial.
For the complete report, visit WBJ’s website.
Editor’s Note (Nov. 30): This story has been updated to include Mann’s history with the Washington Redskins.
LeAnn Rimes Headlining Tysons Concert Series — Nine concerts are planned in June and July at The Plaza at Tysons Corner Center. Highlights include LeAnn Rimes (July 28) and James Arthur (June 22). [Tysons Corner Center]
SLHS Sports Teams Have Big Week — Boys tennis and boys soccer both have playoff matchups tonight, while varsity baseball and outdoor track and field have their regional events later this week. [Fairfax County Public Schools]
New Herndon Official to Start June 1 — Tammy L. Chastain has been hired as the town’s new deputy director of Public Works. [Town of Herndon]
Real Estate Professional Marks 40 Years — Carol Welsh marked the anniversary with Long & Foster’s Reston office last week. She is an active member of the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors. She is a lifetime member of the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors’ Million Dollar Sales Club and Top Producers Club. She is also a member of the Founder’s Club of the Long & Foster Gold Team, and she is an accredited staging professional. [Long & Foster]
County Libraries Sharing Backpacks — The packs include a parking pass for Virginia State Parks, items to help kids explore the outdoors and much more. There are 32 available for loan from the county’s library branches. [Fairfax County]
On Monday, construction is set to begin on 210 new senior living units in Reston.
The units, to be called Hunters Woods at Trails Edge, will be located in place of the former United Christian Parish Church at 2222 Colts Neck Road.
Of the 210 units, 90 will be designated as independent living, 81 for assisted living, 15 for special needs, and 24 assigned to memory care.
The project will offer 20 percent of the independent living units as affordable units, and 4 percent of the assisted living beds will be available for residents who are eligible for the Virginia Department of Ageing and Rehabilitative Services Auxiliary Grant Program.
The project will offer 20 percent of the independent living units as affordable units, and 4 percent of the assisted living beds will be available for residents who are eligible for the Virginia Department of Ageing and Rehabilitative Services Auxiliary Grant Program. Read More
- Address: 1720 Lake Shore Crest Dr. #31, Reston, VA, 20190
- List Price: $285,000
- Open House: Sunday, April 9, 2-4 p.m.
Enjoy this sunny, 966-square foot, top-level condo with two-story ceilings and a loft with hardwood floors, perfect for an office space or guests with a Murphy bed that conveys. It includes a balcony overlooking trees, a built-in bookcase and gas fireplace, washer and dryer, master bedroom with a walk-in closet, and vaulted ceilings.
This residence is just a few blocks from Reston Town Center, and the Wiehle-Reston East Metro stop is less than three miles away.
The community features a swimming pool, an exercise room, a lake, and a bike and jogging path.
The HVAC and hot water heater were replaced in 2014 and the windows and roof are the responsibility of the condo association.
Directions: From the Dulles Toll Road, exit on Reston Parkway North. Take a left on Baron Cameron Avenue, a left on Town Center Parkway, the first right on Edgemere Circle and the first right on Lake Shore Crest Drive. The residence, #31, is on the top level.
For more information, contact listing agent Melissa Terry, of Keller Williams Realty, at 703-475-5896.
Reminder: Community Meeting on Street Designs Tonight — Bike lanes, crosswalks and center turning lanes will be among the topics of conversation at a Fairfax County Department of Transportation community meeting tonight at Dogwood Elementary School. Colts Neck Road, North Shore Drive and Twin Branches Road are being considered for the changes. [Reston Now]
Local Students Named to Honors Choir — A total of 77 Fairfax County middle-school students have been named to the 2017 All-Virginia Middle School Honors Choir, which will perform April 27-29 in Blacksburg. Among the honorees are Chelsea Camacho, Hannah Carter, Violet Sather and Thalia Tran from Langston Hughes Middle School; and Johnny Park, Hannah Townsend and Mackenzie Trimble from Herndon Middle School. [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Fellowship Square Foundation Names New Director — Christy Zeitz (pictured), formerly the executive director of HomeAid Northern Virginia, is the new executive director of the Fellowship Square Foundation. Zeitz was also the former director of development for the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance of Reston. The Reston-based Fellowship Square Foundation provides affordable housing and supportive services to low-income seniors and persons with disabilities. It operates four properties, including Lake Anne Fellowship House and Hunters Woods Fellowship House in Reston. [Fellowship Square Foundation]
Home Listings Down in County, Sales Up — The number of active home listings in Fairfax County in January was 1,977. That number is down 17.4 percent from a year ago. Meanwhile, 794 homes were sold in the month, up 6.9 percent from January 2016. The average sale price was $545,772, up 8.1 percent. [Fairfax County]
Photo of 1900 Reston Metro Plaza courtesy James Schaeffer Jr. on Facebook; photo of Christy Zeitz courtesy Fellowship Square Foundation
Real-estate investment firm Pantzer Properties has purchased an apartment complex in Reston for $32 million.
Homestead at Reston (12265 Laurel Glade Court) consists of 200 units in 17 buildings off Glade Drive, adjacent to Dogwood Elementary School. It was previously known as Reston Glen.
Sales firm Berkadia, who brokered the transaction between Pantzer Properties and Texas-based sellers Crescent Real Estate Equities, announced the deal in a press release Tuesday.
“Reston Glen is well positioned in one of the most dynamic submarkets of Washington, D.C.,” said Scott Melnick, Berkadia senior managing director, in the release. “Pantzer Properties will be able to take advantage of economies by adding this property to its already significant roster of Northern Virginia holdings.”
According to the press release, the complex was built in 1974.
New York-based Pantzer Properties also owns The Point at McNair and The Point at Dulles, both in Herndon, along with numerous other residential properties in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. Reston Now has made a request to Pantzer Properties for more details about the transaction, and this article will be updated if and when more information is made available.
How Expensive Are Reston’s Costliest Available Homes? — Two single-family homes, two condos and a townhouse make up Realtor.com’s top five most expensive homes currently on the market in Reston. Spoiler alert: They’re all priced over $1 million. [Reston Patch]
Reston Historic Trust Gets an Executive Director — Beth Didiano started work Tuesday as the Reston Historic Trust and Museum’s first full-time executive director. Didiano previously served in similar roles in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. [Reston Now]
Reston Association Plans Trip to National Gallery of Art — A chartered bus trip to the National Gallery of Art in D.C. is being offered next week by RA. The Thursday, Jan. 12 excursion costs $29 for Reston residents and $34 for nonresidents. Advance registration is required. [RA/WebTrac]
It looks as though another huge development could soon go up near Reston Station.
Developer Comstock Partners has submitted plans to Fairfax County for a new mixed-use development, to be located south of Sunset Hills Road and immediately north of Reston Station and the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station. The Washington Business Journal first reported on the new development last week.
If all goes according to plan, the new development would consist of 500 residential units, about 91,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and another 178,000 square feet for office or hotel use.
Comstock, which had its eye on the site earlier this year, will reportedly call the development The Promenade at Reston Station. Additionally, the developer plans to connect the new building to its adjacent developments via a “woonerf” on Reston Station Boulevard, WBJ reported.
Reston Station file photo from Oct. 2016
