RA Board Meets Tonight — The Reston Association Board of Directors will hold its monthly meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at RA headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive). The meeting will also be streamed live on RA’s YouTube channel. [Reston Association/YouTube]

Free Concert Tonight at Lake Anne — The “Take A Break” concert series at Lake Anne Plaza will continue tonight with a performance by rockabilly group Four Star Combo. [Lake Anne Plaza]

Herndon Man Killed in Maryland Crash — Hui Xu, 34, was struck head-on by a wrong-way driver at about 2 a.m. Wednesday on Route 50 near Annapolis. [NBC Washington]

Swim League Marks 35 Years — In an event Saturday, the Herndon Swim League celebrated the anniversary with a championship competition, an all-star swim, an alumni swim and the handing out of scholarships. [Connection Newspapers]

Connector Seeks Feedback on Possible Changes — Two meetings will be held in August to discuss proposed changes to Fairfax Connector routes and to gather community responses. One of the routes up for discussion is Route 551 (South Lakes Drive). [Fairfax Connector]

After being deferred “indefinitely” in April, the proposal to redevelop St. Johns Wood is again showing signs of life.

Reston’s Design Review Board will meet with representatives of the Bozzuto Group for a work session Tuesday evening. The discussion is scheduled for 6 p.m., prior to the start of the DRB’s regular meeting, at RA headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive).

According to Mike Leone, Reston Association communications director:

“The work sessions are an opportunity for the Design Review Board members and the applicants to discuss and suggest revisions to a set of proposed plan. Unlike the full DRB board meetings, it is an informational meeting that allows everyone to ‘roll their up their sleeves’ and work together on ideas. The Design Review Board does not render any decisions at these sessions; therefore, no minutes are taken. The applicant does provide notice to the adjacent property owners and affected parties, so the work sessions are held as an open meeting so members can observe the sharing of new ideas and plans.”

Leone said RA has requested new drawings for the plan from the applicant but hasn’t yet received them.

The most recent redevelopment proposal from Bozzuto featured 481 multifamily units within two buildings on the 14.3-acre North Point property, where there are currently 250 multifamily units in nine buildings. At a work session with DRB in April, just days before the plan was deferred, both DRB members and residents spoke out about what they see as an imposing development being planned for a residential neighborhood.

“How do you insert this relatively high-density anomaly into an existing setting, an existing neighborhood that doesn’t have anything like this at all, and [the development] obviously scares people?” DRB member Neal Rosenberry said at that meeting. “It’s literally scary to think of this thing landing in that neighborhood up there.”

Leone said the work session will be recorded and the video will be available on Reston Association’s YouTube channel later this week.

After repeated member comments on the issue, the Reston Association Board of Directors will consider taking a more aggressive role regarding the paid-parking situation at Reston Town Center.

According to the agenda packet for Thursday’s meeting of the Board, they will consider moving “to authorize Reston Association (RA) Board President Sherri Hebert and Vice President David Bobzien to engage with representatives of Boston Properties and Reston Town Center (RTC) to inform and discuss with them the pressing requests from RA Members that further consideration be given to RTC’s paid parking system.”

In May, members Suzanne Zurn and Paul Steidler addressed the Board and asked directors to take a position against paid parking at the Town Center. Steidler again addressed the Board on the matter at its June meeting.

In her statement, Zurn — who has created an online petition about the issue that has nearly 10,000 signatures — argued that the ParkRTC system has negatively affected the Reston community.

“Not only is the system complicated and the data tracking creepy, it’s also deterrent for attracting new or occasional visitors,” Zurn said. “The livelihoods of our neighbors who work there and its local business owners have been hurt by significant reductions in revenue, fewer work hours and dramatically less tips. One only needs to look at the barrage of negative comments that appear on every RTC Facebook post to understand how the community feels.”

As of June 5, Boston Properties stepped back from 24/7 paid parking at RTC, allowing for free garage parking after 5 p.m. each day, along with one hour of free parking prior that time. Monday morning, Reston Town Center posted on its Facebook page that its parking garages now feature “easier-to-use” park-and-pay kiosks that do not require use of the ParkRTC app.

Reston Town Center is not under the purview of Reston Association; however, Zurn says she is hopeful RA can “engage in the conversation and use [its] clout to convene a community conversation about parking at RTC.”

Among other topics at Thursday’s meeting:

• the Board will consider releasing the remaining capital funds, more than $1.5 million, for the Central Services Facility renovation project
• CEO Cate Fulkerson will give an update on the status of staff’s 2017 goals
• a report will be given on the input obtained from RA’s member-listening sessions
• the 2017 State of the Environment Report will be given
• the Hook Road Working Group will be up for approval

Reston Association’s Board of Directors will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at RA headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive), and the meeting will also be broadcast live on RA’s YouTube channel.

Office of Government Ethics Director Has Reston Roots — In a letter to the editor, John Lovaas salutes Walter Shaub, an SLHS grad. He also commends the Reston Association Board of Directors for its recent work to attend to matters of ethics. [Fairfax Times]

Parking Lot Resurfacing — Resurfacing of the Lake Newport soccer fields parking lot is scheduled to begin today, and the project is anticipated to take three days to complete. The lot will be closed during that time. For further information, email [email protected]. [Reston Association]

Reston-Based Swim Team Sets Records — Members of the Fox Mill Woods Swim Club broke two marks at the Northern Virginia Swim League’s recent All-Star Relay Meet. [Reston Patch]

Toll Road Lane, Ramp Closures — Once again this week, there will be plenty of activity on the Dulles Toll Road, Airport Access Highway and Dulles Greenway as work continues on the Silver Line. [Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project]

Toll Road Ramp Detour Starts This Weekend — The ramp from the eastbound Dulles Toll Road to the Fairfax County Parkway will be diverted through the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride parking lot. The detour is expected to remain in place through 2017 to allow Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project crews to perform utility and road work on the ramp. [Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project]

Wombat Hoax Spreads on Twitter — A Twitter account posing as Roer’s Zoofari has been claiming this week that a wombat escaped from the zoo. A lot of people fell for the gag. [Reston Patch]

Trip to Pro Tennis Match Slated — Reston Association will have a group outing Tuesday night to see Martina Hingis and the Washington Kastles face the New York Empire. [Reston Association]

Sobriety Checkpoint Saturday Night — Police departments from Fairfax and Loudoun counties will be working together at a sobriety checkpoint Saturday night from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the Centreville/Chantilly area. [Fairfax County Police Department]

A state grant will foot half of the $14,590 bill for a recent hazard analysis of Lake Anne Dam.

A $7,295 grant from the Virginia Resources Authority will be put toward the evaluation, which was completed by consulting engineers GKY & Associates. Reston Association helped bring this grant to fruition.

RA says that prior to seeking the grant money, it had three potential construction solutions to bring the dam into compliance with state regulations, which would have cost between $2 million and $4 million. But according to RA:

Additional and more recent guidance provided by the state allows for evaluating certain aspects of the dam, including the spillway capacity and downstream impacts. RA opted to pursue an evaluation under this new guidance, which could result in a solution without excessive costs associated with extensive renovations to the dam.

The grant is part of a decision by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to provide $1.15 million for dam safety and floor management statewide. In a press release, McAuliffe cited the importance of the grant money and how “dam failures can be tragic for families and economically devastating for communities.”

“For almost the entirety of [Lake Anne] dam’s existence, it’s been considered a significant hazard dam,” said Larry Butler, RA’s senior director for Parks, Recreation and Community.

Butler explained that over the past few years, as the state changed dam safety regulations, Lake Anne’s dam was re-classified as a high hazard dam.

“More than half of the dams receiving funding are classified as high hazard, meaning they pose the greatest risk to life and property upon failure and are a priority for the Commonwealth,” said Clyde E. Cristman, director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, in the state press release.

Lake Anne was one of the dams to receive their grant as part of a 50/50 matching program. The other half of the evaluation’s cost will come from RA’s capital budget.

Members of the Pony Barn Working Group weren’t pleased last year when Reston Association gave them a stop work order.

Now, they’re looking to get going again.

Representatives of the group will address RA’s Board Operations Committee at their meeting tonight as they seek approval from the Board of Directors of a new design plan, as well as the release of the remaining funds allocated for the Implementation & Construction phase of the project.

The Pony Barn Parks are located at the corner of Steeplechase and Triple Crown roads in the Hunters Woods section of Reston. There is a picnic area and pavilion on the north side of Triple Crown Road, with a butterfly meadow on the south side.

According to information provided by the Pony Barn Working Group:

Access to and through the park is limited by the lack of sidewalks. The pavilion and other amenities are not accessible to people with disabilities. The gravel parking lot is an impediment to people with strollers, wheelchairs and bicycles. The picnic pavilion remains much as it was almost 30 years ago with fewer amenities. Despite its many limitations it is used by RA summer camps, Girl Scout troops, students at Hunters Woods School, families and friends having get-togethers, and parents swinging their little ones. People frequently park at the Pony Barn lot so they can walk through the Glade Valley Stream Park.

A pavilion replacement was first approved by RA in 2013, at a cost of $30,000. RA later approved, as part of the 2016-17 capital projects budget, $350,000 for a full-scale renovation project. That money has been locked up since last July, however, when RA put major capital projects on hold in the wake of the controversy over the Lake House purchase.

Now that an independent review of that purchase has been completed and RA is working toward remediation, the Pony Barn group is bringing its project is back to the table.

Since the project was put on hold last summer, the Board did allow stormwater management planning work to continue. Project cost estimates were provided to the working group in January, according to information they will present to the BOC, and it was “determined the costs were too high.” Civil engineers were then “instructed to minimize the footprint to reduce grading and related costs,” according to the working group.

The revised design the working group will present reflects many of the original goals of the project, including a focus on accessibility and the addition of a butterfly meadow overlook. A handful of items have been removed, however, including:

• a paved pathway access from Triple Crown to Steeplechase
• the paving of the natural trails to the Glade Stream Park and around the meadow connecting to county path on Steeplechase
• the installation of an accessible playground at another suitable park

Cost estimates of the new design are about $233,000 for construction and just over $40,000 for maintenance. Adding in the nearly $65,000 that has already been spent in planning, the total cost of the project would be about $338,000.

Graphic via Reston Association

Vendors Sought for Multicultural Festival — Reston Community Center is seeking arts and crafts vendors, food vendors and civic organizations of all cultures for the 17th annual Reston Multicultural Festival. The festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 23 at Lake Anne Plaza. Applications are being accepted through July 28. [Reston Community Center]

Covered Bridge Renovated — In its latest “Reston Today” video dispatch, Reston Association shows off the work that has been done on the covered bridge on the RA trail system near Lake Anne. [Reston Association/YouTube]

Metro Work This Weekend — The Silver Line will only run to Ballston this weekend. In addition, new Metro hours go into effect tonight. The system will close at 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights, but is only open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sundays. [WTOP]

Toll Road Work Rescheduled — Due to poor weather, the detour diverting traffic heading to the Fairfax County Parkway from the eastbound Dulles Toll Road exit ramp through the Herndon-Monroe Park & Ride north parking lot was canceled last night. It has been rescheduled for Sunday night, July 16. [Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project]

Sediment levels in Lake Audubon and Lake Thoreau will be checked later this month.

The lakes will be surveyed by Wetland Studies and Solutions Inc. to measure their sediment levels. Reston Association says the surveys will help the budget the funds needed to dredge the lakes over the next two years.

Nicki Bellezza, RA’s watershed manager, is responsible for monitoring, managing and maintaining the association’s lakes, ponds, streams and watersheds. Anyone with questions about the surveying process is encouraged to email her.

Visitors to Lake Anne in recent weeks likely have noticed the absence of its trademark fountain.

The fountain, owned by Reston Association, has been out of commission since early June. It was taken to the nearest factory-authorized service center — in Jessup, Maryland — a week ago.

“Currently, RA is waiting to hear back from the service center with the cause of the problem and how long it will take to repair it,” said Mike Leone, RA’s director of communications. “Unfortunately, at this time we have no further information.”

Susan Cassell, of Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association, was told last week that the fountain was pulled from the lake due to “repeated electrical malfunctions.”

In a 2015 interview with Washingtonian magazine, Reston founder Bob Simon said the fountain was inspired by the Jet d’Eau in Switzerland’s Lake Geneva.

File photo

It’s late at night and a resident pulls into their cul-de-sac after a long evening at work. Once they turn into their street, they find their block crowded for the umpteenth time with unfamiliar cars, followed by a new group of people temporarily staying in their neighbor’s home for a couple of days.

How would you react?

The scenario above describes the situation that has been increasingly reported throughout Reston, as more residents have begun to rent out their homes for profit over short periods of time through services such as Airbnb, Homeaway and Roomarama.

Fairfax County is currently in the process of developing stricter regulations for residents who wish to rent out their homes through such services. The County is looking for feedback on what residents think about the proposed regulations.

As of July 1, Virginia state law will give local governments the authority to require registration for these rentals.

According to the survey, the proposal would address:

• Where these rentals would be allowed in the county
• How often they could be rented out
• What types of properties could be rented out
• How many people would be allowed to stay in a property at any one time

If you’d be interested in participating in the survey, fill it out here.

Reston Association is making efforts to clamp down on those whose rental habits might be a disturbance to their neighbors. Currently, following County legislation, only those who own single-family homes are allowed to rent their space for less than 30 days.

At a community feedback meeting at Reston Association headquarters Wednesday evening, the home-sharing issue was named as a challenge RA will face going forward.

“I view this as one of the greatest threats to the way we live here in Reston,” said Rick Hamilton, of the Polo Fields cluster. “From the description of what goes on in the one [discussed at the May 26 RA meeting], that is frightening.”

Some Reston Association members have strong feelings about the community’s relationship with Fairfax County — and specifically, Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins.

“In terms of what Reston looks like, what Reston feels like — she’s moving Reston away from it,” Stephen Canner said. “We don’t want that.”

Canner was speaking to RA Board directors and CEO Cate Fulkerson during an informal feedback-gathering meeting Thursday evening at RA Headquarters. Canner and others expressed their displeasure with how they feel Hudgins and other members of the County Board of Supervisors are allowing developers to take over Reston.

“They’re moving us in a different direction, trying to make us look like Arlington,” Canner said.

Victoria White, Hunters Woods/Dogwood District director, said Board president Sherri Hebert and vice president David Bobzien have been having weekly meetings with Hudgins to try to facilitate more communication. Eric Carr, At-Large director who moderated the meeting, said it’s the start of a conversation to try to improve Reston’s standing with the County.

“One of the underutilized resources we have is our ‘soft power,'” Carr said. “We don’t have any legislative power, we’re not a municipality, but boy, can we be annoying — in a good way.”

Carr said it is important for Reston Association members and the Board to stay vigilant in letting the County know the problems Reston citizens have with new developments and other legislation. Some members also expressed displeasure with what seem to be futile attempts to get their opinions heard during county meetings, citing particularly the recent public meetings on the Planned Residential Community zoning ordinance amendment.

John Mooney, At-Large director, harkened the St. John’s Wood public meetings — which resulted in the project being deferred indefinitely — as he reminded residents that their well-formed and -organized thoughts on specific plans do matter.

“You have to have the community involved on policy level issues and zoning ordinance issues, but you also have to have communities get really informed, bust their butts understanding what’s going on in particular projects,” he said. “You have to have those two levels of citizen interactions … for political change to happen. It can’t happen with just one line of attack or one line of engagement.”

Mooney said that in addition to the meetings taking place between RA Board leadership and Hudgins, there are staff-to-staff meetings and other interaction going on with the County. Members in attendance said they’d like to know more about how those conversations are progressing.

Members continued on to say it is difficult to learn any information about what is happening within Reston Association, because of a lack of communication and what they view as a confusing website. Most agreed they get more information from local media and from Nextdoor than they do from RA itself. Carr agreed that work needs to be done to better reach members.

“We have an extensive site, but we’re not reaching you the same way other avenues of information are reaching you,” Carr said.

Mike Leone, RA’s communications director, said he is working to increase Reston Association’s presence on Nextdoor to push more news out to the community more efficiently. Attendees were also encouraged to sign up for RA’s email bulletins and other local newsletters.

For kids who love movies and swimming, pools around the area are offering the perfect evening summer activity.

Reston Association’s “Dive-In Movie” series starts Thursday, when the Lake Audubon Pool (2070 Twin Branches Road) will stay open after hours, from 8:30-10 p.m., for a screening of “The Secret Life of Pets.” Movies will continue on select evenings throughout the summer at various other pools in Reston.

The event is free and the venue will provide popcorn and drinks. Families are encouraged to bring their own pool floats so they can relax while they watch.

“Anybody is welcome to come. If they don’t have their pool passes, they can sign up as a guest,” said Ashleigh Soloff, Reston Association events coordinator. “Kids like the event because they like to be at the pool at night when the pools are usually closed. We have the pool lights on so they can still swim.”

Soloff said the movie will be canceled, though, in case of rain.

For future movie titles and locations, or for weather-related updates, email [email protected] or call 703-435-6577.

Following the four Reston Association district meetings held last month, the Reston Association Board of Directors is hosting a communitywide meeting Wednesday.

The meeting will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. at RA Headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive). All RA members are invited to attend.

At the recent district meetings, members were invited to “provide feedback and hear updates on a variety of district and community-related topics,” according to the Association’s website. The discussions that took place during those meetings will be shared.

For those who can’t attend or want to make sure their voice is heard, the Board of Directors is also still inviting RA members to fill out a form to provide additional feedback about the priorities and strengths of the Association.

The deadline for providing comments is Friday. The form is available to download here. Once completed, submit by email to [email protected] or by mail to:

Reston Association, ATTN: CEAC
12001 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20191

If you’ve wanted to reserve a Reston Association garden plot but there’s never been space, now is the time to put down roots.

Patricia Greenberg, RA’s environment resource supervisor, says that “for the first time” there are open plots available with no waiting list.

“There are nine plots available right now, of different sizes and in different locations in Reston,” Greenberg said. “It’s an incredibly popular program, and [right now] there is only a waiting list for the plots in South Reston, and that’s only two or three people.”

Plots are available to Reston Association members only, and are available at half-price since the growing season is already half over. Discount prices to reserve available plots for the rest of the season are as follows:

• 119.9 square feet and below: $15
• 120 to 199.9 square feet: $25
• 200 to 280.9 square feet: $37.50

Gardeners get right of first refusal for their plots, Greenberg said.

“They can renew the same garden plot rental every November, unless they notify us that they do not want the garden plot,” she said.

Anyone interested in reserving a plot should call 703-437-7658 or email [email protected].