You have probably heard the news by now: Reston is getting its first Wegmans.

The 80,000-square-foot Wegmans will be a part of Brookfield Properties’ $1.4 billion development by the Silver Line’s planned Reston Town Center Metro station.

The nearly 4 million-square-foot mixed-use development dubbed Halley Rise, formerly known as Reston Crescent, will be located on the northwest corner of the intersection of Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive.

The project includes new housing, offices and public green space.

The developers are now eyeing neighbors for Wegmans in the 250,000 square feet of planned retail space, which could support between 20 to 30 tenants. A bowling alley concept, movie theater, fitness center and restaurants are all under consideration, the Washington Business Journal reported.

The Wegmans could open as soon as 2022, which is when the first phase of the project is slated to be done. The second phase is aiming for completion in 2026.

With the new development beginning construction in 2019, let us know your thoughts about Halley Rise and the new grocery option.

Photos via Halley Rise and Fairfax County and handout via Brookfield Properties

Updated at 11:09 a.m. — The previously closed northbound lanes of Route 602 are now open, Fairfax County police confirmed.

An accident involving two vehicles on Route 602 by Bowman Towne Drive is causing lane closures and delays.

Both northbound lanes on Route 602  (Reston Parkway) are closed at Bowman Towne Drive.

So far there have been no reports of serious injuries.

Units on scene of a two vehicle crash on Reston Parkway at Bowman Towne Drive in Reston. Both lanes of NB Reston Parkway are closed at Bowman Towne Drive for unknown time. #fcfrd #traffic #vatraffic pic.twitter.com/dVwD0QJ9lP

— Fairfax Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) December 12, 2018

Map via VDOT

This story has been updated

Drivers can expect lane closures along the Dulles Toll Road this week as construction continues on the second phase of the Metrorail Silver Line project.

Most of the closures avoid prime rush hour times.

The closures started on Sunday (Dec. 9) and are scheduled to last until Saturday (Dec. 15), according to a post from the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.

The post reminds drivers to use caution; remain attentive to all signage, barricades and speed limits; and obey all police and flagger instructions. Work is subject to weather changes.

The Dulles Toll Road has alternating right and left lane closures of varying lengths from just west of the Route 28 overpass to the Reston Parkway overpass.

The schedule for this is:

• Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Drivers heading eastbound on the Dulles Toll Road can expect left lane closure with stops every 20 minutes from the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride to the Reston Parkway overpass. This will take place from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, westbound on the Dulles Toll Road has a triple left lane closure with 20-minute stoppages from the Wiehle Avenue Overpass to West of the Reston Parkway overpass. This is scheduled from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

Eastbound on Herndon Parkway will have a right lane closed from 1,000 feet east of Van Buren Street to 800 feet west of Exchange Place.

The times for this are:

• Monday to Thursday: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Friday: 9:30 a.m. to noon

Eastbound on Sunset Hills Road will have alternating right and left lane closures from 400 feet west of the Town Center Parkway to the Bechtel Building Entrance. The civil work will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday and from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Friday.

Several spots westbound on Sunrise Valley Drive will have closed right lanes from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday and from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Friday, including:

• from Dulles Technology Drive to Dulles Station Blvd
• from Thunder Chase Drive to Millburn Lane
• from Reston Parkway to 200 feet west of Edmund Halley Drive

Edmund Halley Drive will have a right shoulder closed from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday and from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Friday.

As crews continue construction for the second phase of the Metrorail Silver Line project, road closures and detours will be along the Dulles Toll Road this week.

Most of the closures avoid prime rush hour times.

The lane, shoulder and road closures started on Monday (Nov. 26) and are scheduled to last until Sunday (Dec. 2), according to a post from the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.

The post reminds drivers to use caution; remain attentive to all signage, barricades and speed limits; and obey all police and flagger instructions. Work is subject to weather changes.

Eastbound on Dulles Toll Road has right and left lane closures of varying lengths from west of the Route 28 overpass to the Reston Parkway overpass.

The schedule for this is:

• Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

There are also three left lane closures with stops every 20 minutes from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Thursday and Friday. Those closures are less than half of a mile west of Centreville Road to the east end of Herndon Station.

Starting at 10 p.m. on Friday, traffic eastbound on Dulles Toll Road near the toll plaza by Route 28 will be detoured to the right lane of the eastbound Dulles International Airport Access Highway. A second right lane will be closed as a safety buffer. Directly after the Centreville Road overpass, traffic will be allowed to re-enter the toll road lanes. This will last until 6 a.m. on Saturday.

Meanwhile, westbound on Dulles Toll Road there are alternating right and left lane closures of varying lengths between the Route 28 and Reston Parkway overpasses.

These will be in effect:

• Monday to Friday: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Drivers heading westbound on the road will also experience three left lane closures with 20-minute stops from almost a quarter of a mile west of Van Buren Street to the west end of Innovation Center Station at 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Herndon Parkway East has a right lane closed 1,000 feet east of Van Buren Street to 800 feet west of Exchange Place. This takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from Tuesday until Thursday and then from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Friday.

Other roads affected include the Dulles International Airport Access Highway, Autopilot Drive, Dulles Greenway, eastbound on Sunset Hills Road East, westbound on Sunrise Valley Drive and southbound on Moran Road.

Wegmans cements deal in Reston Crescent project — The supermarket chain will set up shop by Reston Parkway. [Washington Business Journal]

Try out American mahjong — Drop in to try out the game using tiles instead of cards for free at the Reston Community Center. [Reston Community Center]

“Green is the Secret Color to Make Gold” — There are only a few days left to see the photography exhibition by Caitlin Teal Price. [Greater Reston Arts Center]

Keep an eye on the Metrorail’s schedule — Riders can expect reduced hours and track work tomorrow and over the weekend. [WTOP]

Photo by Bill Burton

The driver involved in a fatal pedestrian crash that happened in late May is facing a speeding charge.

According to a Fairfax County Police Department release, Michael Peter Fruitman, 67, of Herndon was charged with speeding 20 mph above the posted speed limit of 40 mph. Fruitman was issued a summons pending a future court date.

On May 21, Glanetta Miller Nunn, 71, of Reston was hit by a car and killed as she tried to cross Reston Parkway at Bluemont Way. Fruitman, the driver of the 2016 Hyundai Elantra that hit her, was traveling northbound on Reston Parkway. He remained on site as police investigated the incident. Nunn was pronounced dead at the scene.

Information about a second fatal pedestrian crash that happened in early June has not yet been released. In that incident, a 63-year-old pedestrian was hit and killed by a car at the intersection of Baron Cameron Avenue and Fountain Drive. 

Photo by Fairfax County Police Department

Several major crime incidents surfaced over the last week. As we reported over the weekend, a Reston doctor was arrested on May 19 for assaulting an adult male patient during two separate visits. Police believe there may be other victims, but no new information has been provided.

Yesterday, a 71-year-old woman was struck and killed by a car as she crossed at the intersection of Reston Parkway and Bluemont Way. The crash remains under investigation.

One week ago, a former Langston Hughes Middle School teacher was charged with indecent acts with a child. Although the teacher was arrested last year,  police only recently released details of the incident after a report by the Washington Post.

The Fairfax County Police Department also reported the following incidents:

Larcenies:

1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, laptop computer from vehicle

1700 block of Clubhouse Road, cell phone from vehicle

2200 block of Colts Neck Road, cash and property from business

11400 block of Isaac Newton Square, purse from vehicle

12000 block of Kinsley Place, wallet from business

1800 block of Michael Faraday Drive, plumbing material from construction site

11100 block of South Lakes Drive, merchandise from business

11100 block of South Lakes Drive, merchandise from business

12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, purse from business

11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, beer from business

Stolen Vehicles:

None reported

File photo

New Year’s Eve Glow Skate at Reston Town Center — Glow sticks will be available from 6 – 11 p.m. on New Year’s Eve at the RTC Ice Skating Pavilion’s ‘Glow Skate.’ [Reston Town Center via Facebook]

‘Color Me Happy’ at Reston Regional Library on Jan. 10 — Relax, unwind and color your cares away at the library’s adult coloring session. Coloring pages and pencils will be provided. The session takes place from 7 – 8:30 p.m. in Reston Meeting Room 2. [Fairfax County Government]

A Look Inside: One Reston Town Center — Akridge, a commerical real estate company, plans to deliver an “iconic landmark” at 1760 Reston Parkway that include a six-story atrium lobby, an outdoor plaza on the seventh floor and a rooftop lounge and terrance. [Washington Business Journal]

Where to Eat, Shop and Explore in Reston and Herndon — The Washingtonian breaks down the best place to have a bite or swing by shopping the local area. Top picks include ArtSpace Herndon, Frying Pan Farm Park, Herndon Historic Walking Trail and Scrawl Books. [The Washingtonian]

Tishman Speyer, a New York-based real estate company, hopes to transform more than 14 acres of land in the southwest quadrant of the Dulles Toll Road and Reston Parkway into a vibrant, mixed-used development driven by the power of the adjacent Reston Town Center Metro Station.

Reston Crossing, the name of the transit-oriented development, would bring six new buildings organized around a central park and other public amenities to the land, which is currently home to two office buildings.

The proposal, filed with the county early this month, requires rezoning the land from medium industrial use to planned development commercial to allow for up to nearly two million square feet of development.

Elizabeth Baker, a senior land use planner with Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh, a northern Virginia law firm that specializes in commercial real estate development, said the transit-oriented project is set apart from nearby buildings that are more suburban-style, traditional office buildings built in the 1980s and 1990s.

“With the coming of the Silver Line and the plan that was adopted by the county… we’re just trying to implement that vision,” Baker said.

The plan calls six buildings includes one on the west with up to 30,000 square feet of retail, pedestrian access to the Metro Station South Pavilion, a U-shaped residential building with up to 380 multi-family residential units that overlook the central park, a building on the southeast with between 180 and 230 residential units, and a building on the south with up to 250 residential units.

“With a variety of park experiences, some landscaped, others hardscaped, and a well-developed system of paths, passive, and active recreation facilities areas, the Central Park is a major community amenity. Office, residential and retail uses front onto the Central Park, allowing it to be a gathering space for workers, residents, shoppers, and visitors alike,” according to the Dec. 8 proposal.

Of the overall development, office development would range from 38 percent to 58 percent, residential development would range from 36 to 59 percent, and retail uses would range from three to six percent. The plan is intentionally flexible due to changing market conditions.

Renderings via handout

Fairfax County Department of Transportation officials are seeking public input on nearly 300 transportation projects that are vying for roughly $100 million in funding.

Local residents can provide feedback on proposed projects at a public meeting on Thursday, Oct. 12 from 7-9 p.m. at the North County Governmental Center (1801 Cameron Glen Drive). The meeting will include a formal presentation about unfunded projects and a question-and-answer session.

Residents can also take an online survey by Nov. 9 to indicate preferred projects, or mail a printed copy of the survey to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (4050 Legato Road, Suite 400, Fairfax, VA 22033).

Feedback will allow the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Fairfax County Department of Transportation to prioritize unfunded transportation projects in line for funding through fiscal year 2023, according to the county’s website.

Unfunded projects in Reston include those listed below:

Read More

Work to rehabilitate bridges and close joints on Reston Parkway will affect drivers this weekend and next.

The bridges over the Dulles Toll Road will have the work done Friday night through Monday morning each weekend, causing delays and detours in the area. In total, the closure schedule is:

• 10 p.m. tonight through 9 a.m. Sunday: Southbound two right lanes closed
• 8 p.m. Saturday through 3 a.m. Monday: Northbound two right lanes closed
• 10 p.m. Friday, April 28 through 9 a.m. Sunday, April 30: Southbound two left lanes closed
• 8 p.m. Saturday, April 29 through 3 a.m. Monday, May 1: Northbound two left lanes closed

While the northbound work is being done this weekend (8 p.m. Saturday through 3 a.m. Monday), traffic traveling in that direction will not be able to make the left turn onto the westbound Dulles Toll Road. Those cars will be detoured via Sunset Hills Road and Wiehle Avenue.

The work will include bridge deck resurfacing, repair of deteriorated concrete on abutments and piers, repaving of the roadway leading up to the bridges, and joint closures. In addition, the southbound bridge will receive repairs to the concrete barrier that separates the road from a shared-use path.

All work is weather-permitting, the Virginia Department of Transportation says.

According to VDOT, the northbound bridge was built in 1959, and the southbound bridge was constructed in 1976. Both were widened in 1989, with the northbound bridge’s deck also replaced at that time.

As part of the overall project, the Monroe Street/Van Buren Street bridges and the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride ramp bridge are also scheduled to have work done at a later date. All work is expected to be completed by summer, VDOT says.

Giving Back to Emergency Responders — Firefighters from Station 25 presented a certificate to a Reston woman who adopted a fire hydrant in her neighborhood. The woman was involved in a serious motorcycle crash in 1994 and credits emergency crews including fire units with saving her life, and she has loved and supported them ever since. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]

Guinea Pigs on Twitter Thanks to Local Students — At Ideaventions Academy, a specialized STEM school in Reston, students have built a computer and are using censors to get classroom pets to tweet out randomized messages. You can follow along @PepperNCaramel. [WUSA]

County Map Shows Youth Crash Locations — A map released Thursday by Fairfax County plots the locations of all 1,840 vehicle crashes involving youth drivers (ages 15-20) in 2016. In Reston, locations including Sunrise Valley Drive, the intersection of Wiehle Avenue and Sunset Hills Road, and the intersection of Reston Parkway and Route 7 had the most incidents. [Fairfax County]

Another Capital BikeShare Station Opens — An 11-dock Capital BikeShare location has opened on Town Center Parkway near Sunset Hills Road, at the RTC West complex. [Capital BikeShare/Twitter]

Map courtesy Fairfax County

A public hearing on a proposed condominium high rise across Reston Parkway from the Town Center has been tentatively scheduled for this fall.

1801 Old Reston Avenue, currently the 1.51-acre home of a three-story office building, has been proposed by property owner Renaissance Centro as the site of a 20-story high rise with up to 150 living units. Of those units, 126 would be market-rate and 24 would be workforce dwelling.

The condos would represent the first for-sale living units in or near Reston Town Center since 2007, Washington Business Journal reports.

The property’s website touts that the building “will feature well-appointed units and elegant amenity areas.” Among the amenities listed are a grand lobby, a resident lounge and party room, a fitness center, and a rooftop amenity package.

According to the proposal, the building would be a maximum height of 254 feet, inclusive of a mechanical rooftop penthouse.

The Old Reston Avenue property is flanked by The Harrison to the north and Stratford House to the south, both of which were also built by Renaissance Centro. The company also built the nearby Carlton House.

The property would need to be rezoned from commercial to planned residential mixed-use. The real-estate development company recently filed a rezoning application with the county.

According to the Fairfax County website, the public hearing before the county Planning Commission has been tentatively scheduled for Sept. 28.

A car crash with injuries snarled traffic on Reston Parkway Friday afternoon.

Fairfax County Police said the crash occurred southbound on Reston Parkway near Fox Mill Road about 3:30 p.m.

As of 4:30 p.m., police were still clearing the scene and traffic remained jammed.

Meanwhile, many side roads in the Reston-Herndon-Dulles area are already seeing heavy traffic because parts of the Toll Road are inaccessible because of 1,500 motorcycles rolling through here on the 9/11 Ride.

Sit tight or make alternate plans if you are planning to take these roads home this afternoon.

A utility pole caught fire near Home Depot about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, knocking out power to the area around Baron Cameron Avenue and Reston Parkway.

The intersection and nearby traffic lights were closed for about two hours, making for slow traffic at one of Reston’s busiest intersections.

Readers report Verizon/Verizon Fios service was also disrupted due to the fire. It is still out in some areas as of Thursday morning.

There were no injuries and officials are investigating the cause of the fire. Dominion Virginia Power says all power has now been restored.

Photo courtesy William Ho