Demolition crews have clear-cut the remaining trees and removed parking lots light poles at what used to be the Reston International Center convenience center.
It’s taken about nine months of work to get ready to construct Phase 2 of Reston Heights — to be called VY at Reston Heights — but it looks as though crews are finally ready to dig and build.
But one structure remains: the stand-alone Popeyes chicken restaurant.
Several Reston Now readers have asked why: Is this a shining beacon of culinary excellence? That’s subjective. A historical building? Not unless “bland 1970s strip mall” is worth preserving.
It’s a matter of business. When JBG began purchasing and assembling the parcels for redevelopment, the owners of the fast food spot at 11850 Sunrise Valley Dr. simply held out.
A bank, two small strip mall centers and the stand-alone Chili’s building all were purchased as the redevelopment was approved by Fairfax County in 2008.
Meanwhile, the 15-story Reston International Center, once the signature high rise of Reston, is also under different ownership and will stay.
VY will be an extension of Reston Heights, where the Sheraton Reston and Westin Reston Heights are located, along with offices and the Mercer Condos. Read More
Another giant crane will set up in Reston later this week as construction on the Reston Town Center Metro station continues.
The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project says crews will be assembling a tower crane in the median of the Dulles International Airport Access Highway (DIAAH) between the Fairfax County Parkway overpass and the Reston Parkway overpass. That will affect lanes on both the access highway and the Dulles Toll Road.
Construction will take place Friday, April 29 through Monday, May 2.
The crane will be used for construction of the Silver Line’s future Reston Town Center Station, which is scheduled to bring Silver Line service to the spot in 2020. Read More
Bozzuto Development and Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins will present a revised proposal for St. Johns Wood Apartments at a community meeting on Wednesday, May 4.
The meeting is at 7 p.m. at the Hunter Mill District Office, 1801 Cameron Glen Dr. in Reston.
The St. Johns Wood plan has been through a couple of changes since first plans were shown to community members more than a year ago.
The 14.3-acre development currently consists of nine three-story, garden-style apartment buildings containing a total of 250 multi-family residential units.
Bozzuto first submitted an application to Fairfax County in 2014, proposing to redevelop the property with three mid-rise residential buildings containing 625 multi-family units and 34 single-family attached townhomes.
But based on meetings with Fairfax County, the Reston Association Design Review Board, and members of the Reston Planning & Zoning Committee, the developer revised the plan to reduce the scale and scope of the multi-family residential buildings.
Bozzuto eliminated one of the previously proposed multi-family buildings, adjusted the massing of the two remaining residential buildings to improve their compatibility with surrounding uses, and is making an effort to preserve more wooded area on the property. Read More
Reston’s development pipeline was laid out on display boards Wednesday at South Lakes High School as Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins presented “Reston’s Blueprint for the Future.”
“There’s a lot going on in Reston,” she said. “The applicants are anzious to move forward. This is a good chance to give people a peek and give them a sense [of development plans].”
One plan not yet on the books is Boston Properties’ vision for a 20-acre parcel between the current Reston Town Center and the future Reston Town Center Metro station, scheduled to open in 2020.
BP’s Peter Otteni said the preliminary plans for the space, which current houses two office buildings, is transit-oriented development with a Floor-Area ratio of 3 to 4 (an indicator of density).
BP’s preliminary plans include a hotel, office, residential and a large park in the middle.
Otteni says the park will be more than twice as large at Town Square Park at Reston Town Center,
“It’s not just a nod to open space,” he said of the expanse that would connect the rail station all the way through to the W&OD and then over to town center. “It will be a major park.”
Another new development sketched out is the transformation of Reston Crescent, an office park at Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive. This development concept by Brookfield connects the south entrance of the Reston Town Center station to mid-rise and high-rise housing, along with plans for a hotel.
On the south side of the Wiehle-Reston East Metro, plans have been filed for housing at what now is an office park at Wiehle Avenue, Sunrise Valley Drive and Centennial Park Drive.
Planners will keep the existing buildings and parking garage, as well as a Cardinal Bank branch, and build to mid-rise residential buildings and a hotel at the site.
Also in the renderings stage: housing at 1831 Michael Faraday Court. This industrial/office block less than a half-mile from Wiehle-Reston East could be transformed into 230 multi-family units and 13 townhouses
See this previous Reston Now story for a comprehensive list of planned development.
Restonians are invited to look into the future of Reston development at an open house Wednesday at South Lakes High School from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins has scheduled the community meeting, titled “Reston…Blueprint for the Future,” to give residents an opportunity to gather information on proposed, planned and anticipated development activity within the Transit Station Areas.
It is not known whether Hudgins or other county officials will be introducing any new projects.
The open house is at South Lakes High School, 11400 South Lakes Drive, in the cafeteria, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, here is a list of development already in the works:
RTC West – under construction on Sunset Hills Road.
1831 Wiehle Avenue – application recently received by county to convert office building into residences.
1760 Reston Parkway – 23-story office building already approved but will go back to supervisors for tweaks.
Signature Residences — Apartments under construction on last remaining Reston Town Center parcel.
Reston Heights Phase II (VY) – under construction on Sunrise Valley Drive. Read More
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is seeking a zoning change in order to build a 16,558-square-foot location at Crowell and Hunter Mill Roads.
The LDS Church has filed a special permit exception with the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals. The church is seeking to build a place of worship on land designated residential on the Vienna-Reston line.
Land Use attorneys and other church representatives are holding a community meeting Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 2719 Hunter Mill Rd. in Oakton.
Lori Greenlief, a planner with McGuire Woods, which is representing the church, said the parcel is 7.15 acres of land. It is across Crowell from where the Oakcrest School is building a new home and down the road from where Fairfax County is considering building a new septic tank dumping site.
Both of these developments have caused traffic concerns for Hunter Mill-area residents.
The church plans a one-story building with 292 seats and 233 parking spots.
Area LDS churches in North Reston (which is expanding its parking) and Oakton will not be closing if the project is approved, Greenlief said.
Greenlief said the church has completed a traffic study, which showed minimal to no impact during peak weekday morning and evening traffic. The main activities at the church will take place on Sundays, she said.
A BZA public hearing has tentatively been scheduled for June 15. Because it is a special permit, the church would not have to go through the Fairfax County Planning Commission or the Board of Supervisors for final approval.
This is an op-ed by Reston resident Terry Maynard. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now. Something on your mind? Send a letter to [email protected].
Restonians are once again faced with the prospect of the burden of an added local “tax service district that could add hundreds of dollars to their annual property tax bill every year. The one we already have, Small Tax District 5, supports our Reston Community Center in providing cultural and educational activities for the community. The proposed new one would solely subsidize developer profits while increasing county tax revenues.
As this discussion continues, Reston Association has shared a questionnaire online with its weekly RA NewsLine (click on “Transportation Tax Survey) for residents to provide feedback on the Reston special transportation tax district idea. I urge all Restonians to vote “NO.” The following provides an explanation why.
The basis for the proposal lies in planned development in Reston’s station areas, growth that will exclusively benefit Reston’s station area landowners. Assuming that all Reston developers are as successful as Boston Properties per its 2015 annual report, their likely profit will total more than $53 billion over 40 years after building costs. That includes more than $9 billion from their future development as well as more than one billion dollars per year from their existing Reston holdings. That is an average of $1.3 billion per year!
The central green area planned for Reston Town Center North may not be big enough for meaningful programming — but it remains to be seen whether the county or Reston Association will look for ways to expand the outdoor space.
John McBride, Reston Association’s land use attorney, gave an overview of the potential planning issue for Town Center North to the RA Board on Wednesday.
A land swap and reorganization were approved by the county Board of Supervisors last year with a goal of eventually turning the 50-acre parcel into a new home for the Reston Regional Library, the Embry Rucker Community Shelter, recreational amenities and housing. Read More
Jefferson Apartment Group’s (JAG) public hearing before the Fairfax County Planning Commission will not happen until sometime this summer at the earliest.
The developer, which purchased the ailing shopping center in December of 2014, has had two spots on the planning commission docket this spring, both of which have been delayed. JAG is now slated for a hearing on June 23.
JAG representatives said in February they needed additional time to conduct a market study examining the area’s retail viability.
JAG’s current plan is for 150 homes and about 7,000 square feet of retail space on the parcel at Wiehle Avenue and North Shore Drive. That plan has not been well-received by community members or Reston Association, which said in a letter to county officials last summer that the plan fell “woefully short” on retail and community space.
JAG’s plan features a variety of townhomes, 2-over-2 townhouses and condos. The retail space has been expanded from the original plan for 3,000 square feet of retail. Read More
The Pennsylvania company planning a large senior citizens housing development for the Hunters Woods area has asked to postpone the public hearing before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors until April 26.
The plans for IntegraCare’s 230,000-square-foot facility were slated to go before the supervisors for final approval last Tuesday.
In February, the Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended for approval plan amendments that move along the application.
The 4.3-acre lot at 2222 Colts Neck Rd. — the former site of United Christian Parish Church — was first approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for 210 senior housing units in 2007.
IntegraCare, which has facilities in Pennsylvania and Maryland, plans to retain 91 of the 210 previously approved independent living units and to add 79 assisted living, 24 memory care, and 16 high-acuity assisted living/memory care rooms.
The building will be 230,000 square feet in two wings, one along Colts Neck and one along Reston Parkway. The estimated completion date is 2020.
The assisted living facility will feature multiple dining venues, a theater, salon, barber shop, physical therapy unit, fitness center, library and computer center, Club room, sun room, outdoor fitness stations, raised gardening area, and an arts and crafts center, and a Memory Care garden, according to a county planning department staff report. Read More
Two more restaurants have signed on to join Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant at JBG Companies’ RTC West development.
RTC West announced on Thursday that Nando’s Peri-Peri and Mezeh Mediterranean Grill will open Reston locations at the mixed-use development on Sunset Hills Road.
Nando’s, a flame-grilled chicken restaurant that began in South Africa but has several DC-area locations, has signed for 3,400 square feet of the converted retail space. Mezeh, which JBG calls “an all fresh and natural take on Mediterranean fare,” has signed for 2,124 square feet of space.
JBG is in the process of redeveloping several floors of existing office buildings to add more than 40,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space in walking distance of the future Reston Town Center Metro station (set to open in 2020). There is the potential of up to 1.4 million square feet of development for RTC West, which is expected to open the first phase in 2017, JBG reps said in a release.
“Within easy walking distance to the future Reston Town Center Metro station, RTC West is ideally positioned to be a walkable and active mixed-use neighborhood,” Greg Trimmer, a JBG principal, said in a release.”JBG has a strong presence in Reston, and we believe it’s an excellent submarket for further investment and a wonderful community for enhanced placemaking.”
The first phase of development converts 15,000 square feet of office space into street-level retail and adds 25,000 square feet of new retail on the southwest corner of the nearly 14-acre campus.
Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins has scheduled a community open house titled “Reston…Blueprint for the Future,” for April 20.
Hudgins’ office says “the Open House will provide an opportunity for the Reston community to gather information on proposed, planned and anticipated development activity within the Transit Station Areas.”
“In addition, Fairfax County Government agencies will also present other area projects at this event,” Hudgins’ office says. “The overall goal is for property owners and/or developers to share with the community a comprehensive vision of what is being considered for the future of Reston.”
A request for more information has not been returned, so no word if the blueprint includes any information about a new redevelopment plan for the Lake Anne area.
After years of meetings, Republic Land Development’s plan for the Fairfax County-owned Crescent Apartments was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in March 2015. Republic pulled out of the deal at the end of 2015.
It is anticipated that the county will open up another Request for Proposals or formulate a new vision for redevelopment in the area, but nothing has been announced yet.
The open house is at South Lakes High School, 11400 South Lakes Drive, in the cafeteria, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins/File photo
The owners of two office buildings at the corner of Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive are seeking rezoning to become a mixed-use development.
Brookfield Properties, which owns One and Two Reston Crescent at 12000 and 12018 Sunrise Valley Drive, has filed a proposal to change the zoning from industrial to Planned Residential Community.
In place of the two office buildings, Brookfield plans 2,260 residential units, 1.18 million square feet of office space, a minimum of 64,000 square feet of retail space, and possibly a 160-bedroom hotel, according to Fairfax County records.
The application is currently under review by Fairfax County staff for quality control before official acceptance.
The site of the planned development is between one-quarter to one-half mile from the future Reston Town Center Metro station, slated to open in 2020. Development in that zone, considered in the Reston Town Center Transit Station Area and designated Transit Station Mixed Use, seeks to retain a 50/50 mix of residential and nonresidential uses at a relatively low-denisty 2.0 to 3.0 Floor Area Ratio.
The current six-story buildings were constructed in 2007.
The location is about one-half mile from JBG Companies’ Reston Heights, where the second phase of development is under construction. Vy will include 498 residential units; 145,000 square feet of above-grade retail, 100,00 square feet of below-grade retail; and 428,225 square feet of office space.
It is also less than a half-mile from Reston National Golf Course, which has undergone its own rezoning battle that seems to be over for now.
Chick-fil-A’s planned store at North Point Village Center will be 58 percent bigger than the current Burger King building that occupies that location.
Chick-fil-A plans to tear down the Burger King building to build the new restaurant. In its place, it plans a new restaurant with an exterior that better coordinates with existing buildings at North Point, according to a Fairfax County Planning Department staff report.
The Burger King space at 1490 North Point Village Center has been vacant since March of 2014. Chick-fil-A filed its applications with the county in November. Chick-fil-A has an existing location at 12160 Sunset Hills Rd., about 2 1/2 miles away.
The staff report recommends approval of the project, which will have a public hearing before the county planning commission on March 16 at 8:15 p.m.
Some of the development conditions include:
- Screening the trash dumpsters
- Adding secure bike racks
- Installing water-efficient landscaping
- Using environmentally conscious building materials
- Using EnergyStar-certified appliances
The Reston Planning and Zoning Committee has expressed concern that going from the drive-thru to the shopping center’s exit will involve a complicated U-turn. Chick-fil-A reps said the North Point exit lane will be widened to 12 feet, but that the area between the drive-thru and the village center exit would not be changed.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) signed a bill into law on Wednesday that will limit proffers, which local governments rely on to get builders to contribute to park, roads and other improvements in exchange for development.
As the bill went through the House and Senate, many local governments, including Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors and Reston Association, asked the governor to amend or not sign the legislation.
The law requires that proffers be limited to offsetting impacts that are directly attributable to new residential developments, such as traffic. The restrictions do not apply to high-density areas, commercial developments or neighborhoods near Metro stations.
The law is effective July 1, 2016.
This is important time in Reston, which is undergoing a period of multifamily housing growth as it turns towards being a transit-oriented community. However, most of that growth will occur near Metro stations, so the impact here remains to be seen.
Reston Association President Ellen Graves, who wrote a letter to the governor last month voicing the association’s opposition to the bills, said the final version looks to pretty much leave Reston alone due to parameters of Reston’s Master Plan.
“It’s good for us,” Graves said Thursday. “The final version excludes all pending zoning applications and all residential or residential/mixed use [applications] located in an area near existing or future Metro. ”
