Herndon Woman Killed in Crash on Dulles Access Road — “Police said Megan E. Bell, 28, of Herndon, was the driver and only occupant of a Honda Civic involved in the single-vehicle crash that occurred at 2:34 a.m. along the Dulles Access Road (Route 267), a quarter-mile west of Route 123 in Tysons, according to Virginia State Police.” [The Washington Post]
Campus Commons Project Up for Vote — The Reston Planning and Zoning Committee is reviewing the project, which has received criticism from citizen-led organizations, tonight at 7:30 p.m. [Reston Planning and Zoning Committee]
Vehicle Car Payments Due — The county mailed out more than 800,000 annual bills to vehicle owners, and because Oct. 5 falls on a Saturday, this year’s deadline to pay your bill is Monday, Oct. 7. We have many ways to pay and extended hours to help make the process easy for everyone. [Fairfax County Government]
Photo by Jay Westcott
The Reston Planning & Zoning Committee voted to approve the the redevelopment of Isaac Newtown Square.
In a 12-1 vote, the committee motioned that the Fairfax County Planning Commission and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approve the plan for the urban neighborhood.
Peter Lawrence Companies is seeking to bring 3,200 residential units to the site, as well as up to 260,000 square feet of office, 66,000 square feet of retail, and a full-size athletic field.
The committee directed the applicant and the county to take environmental concerns voiced by the community into account as they develop the proposed athletic field.
“The committee asked that they make the field the best field possible, one that is environmentally sensitive, and a field that is open, useable, reliable and dependable in all seasons,” said chairman Rob Walker.
The committee, which meets on a monthly basis, also recommended that the commission and the board approve plans for block D of the Halley Rise Development.
Decisions on Block 6 of that development and Reston Station Promenade
Photo via Andrew Painter
Lane and Ramp Closures This Week — Lane, shoulder and road closures are planning on several local roads this week due to work on phase two of the Silver Line. Impacted roads include Sunset Hills Road, Sunrise Valley Drive, and Herndon Parkway. [Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project]
Committee Takes On New Development Proposals — The Reston Planning & Zoning Committee meets tonight to vote on three developments in Reston: Isaac Newtown Square, changes to Halley Rise, and Reston Station Promenade. [Reston Planning & Zoning Committee]
Hopes for the Silver Line and Revenue Boosts — “Diminishing fuel-tax returns of about 45 percent have hampered Virginia’s infrastructure-funding efforts, but higher tax rates approved by the General Assembly this year will boost those efforts, Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine told the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce at an Aug. 7 panel discussion.” [Inside NOVA]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Three major development proposals head to the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee for a vote on Monday (August 19.
The committee, which meets at the North County Government Center at 7:30 p.m., will vote on plans for Isaac Newton Square, Halley Rise and Reston Station Promenade.
Peter Lawrence Cos and MRP Realty are partnering to redevelop Isaac Newtown Square, an aging office park at Sunset Hills Road and Wiehle Avenue, into a mostly residential neighborhood with around 2,100 units. The plan also includes an athletic field.
One Reston Co. LLC and Two Reston Co. LLC’s Halley Rise project — which is the site of the future Wegmans — is also on the docket. The developer is seeking the committee’s approval for changes to two blocks of development, which is located north of Sunrise Valley Drive and south of the Dulles Toll Road.
Finally, the board will consider changes to Comstock’s Reston Station Promenade project, which is north of the BLVD and Comstock’s development atop the Wiehe-Reston East Metro Station. Changes are largely limited to one building.
The complete agenda is available online.
Pool Schedule Season Five Begins Next Week — A number of changes are coming to the timings and hours of Reston Association’s pools beginning Monday. [Reston Association]
A Debrief on the Reston Planning & Zoning Committee — Reston Association’s Chief Operating Officer Larry Butler discusses the role of the committee, a volunteer group that meets the third Monday of each month at the North County Government Center (1801 Cameron Glen Drive). [Reston Today]
Enjoy Four Star Combo Tonight — “The sound of The Combo is high-energy 1950’s Rockabilly and Honky Tonk played without any pretense of modernization or any kind of damn-fool ‘fusion’ of styles.” The band will perform at Reston Station Plaza from 7-9 p.m. [Reston Station]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
The Reston Planning and Zoning Committee will revisit TFC Cornerstone’s Campus Commons proposal next month.
The committee failed to approve the project, which is located on the southeastern corner of Wiehle Avenue and the Dulles Toll Road, at a meeting on July 15 amid concerns about the proposed pedestrian connection across Wiehle Avenue.
The developer plans to add 630 residential units spread across a mid-rise and high-rise building on the site, along with a new office building at the corner of Wiehle Avenue and Sunrise Valley Drive. The developer will preserve two office buildings from the 1980s on the site and add roughly 26,000 square feet of retail.
Some residents pushed the developer to build an underpass that connects Comstock’s project on the other side of Wiehle Avenue to Campus Commons.
But TFC Cornerstone plans to install at an at-grade crosswalk at Wiehle Avenue — an option that the company Vice President Ken Houle said is the safest and convenient pedestrian crossing.
“We have studied the issue extensively with multiple industry experts and FCDOT, looking at both regional and national precedents. There is a consensus among the experts that an at grade crosswalk is the preferred pedestrian solution,” Houle told Reston Now.
He noted that TFC Cornerstones also plans to contribute land to construct a westbound lane on Sunrise Valley Drive as part of proposed infrastructure improvements.
Residents from Upper Lake Drive — which is neighbors the site — said the developer did not engage with the neighboring community before proceeding with the project.
They expressed concerns about the spillover effects of the new development on their community, including shared parking on Upper Lakes Drive, neighborhoods streets being used as a cut-through, and increased noise and light.
Residential units will not be under the Reston Association’s purview — which residents said should prompt the developer to pay for maintaining the neighborhoods paths if they are used by residents of Campus Commons.
Hoele said they launched an “extensive public review process” over the last two years, including meeting with adjacent communities, the Reston Planning and Zoning, meetings and Reston Association.
In response to concerns, Hoele said the company plans to widen the geographic area of its outreach and schedule an additional public session with Upper Lake Drive residents.
If the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee approves the project next month, Campus Commons heads to the Fairfax County Planning Commission in September.
A timeline for the development of the project has not been made public.
Photo via Kenneth Houle/TFC Cornerstone
(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) The Reston Planning and Zoning Committee will start considering a new high-rise residential development along New Dominion Parkway at its meeting tonight (March 18).
NS Reston LLC wants to add a multi-family condominium building on a 36,553-square-foot parcel on the north side of New Dominion Parkway and directly south of the Reston Regional Library.
This will be NS Reston LLC’s first meeting with the committee, according to tonight’s agenda.
The Fairfax County Planning Committee will hold a public hearing on the proposal on May 16.
The committee is also set to vote on the Reston Crescent project — more commonly known as Halley Rise. The Fairfax County Planning Committee will then take up the proposal with a public hearing in May.
The Reston P&Z Committee will also hear an update on the redevelopment plan for Isaac Newton Square that would convert the office buildings into a mixed-use project.
A hearing for the county’s Planning Commission has not been scheduled yet, according to the Reston P&Z Committee agenda.
Tonight’s Reston P&Z Committee meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the North County Government Center (1801 Cameron Glen Drive).
Image via Google Maps
At its meeting tonight (Dec. 17), the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee will hear presentations on two projects.
1900-1902 Campus Commons LLC’s proposed development, known as Campus Commons, would add an office building and two residential buildings with ground-floor retail space at 1900 and 1902 Campus Commons Drive. The plan retains the two existing buildings at the site on the south side of the Dulles Toll Road and east side of Wiehle Avenue.
“Campus Commons will bolster a pedestrian-focused environment integrated with a system of public urban park spaces to achieve the transit-oriented design goals of the Comprehensive Plan,” the agenda for tonight’s meeting says.
APA Properties No. 6, L.P. and MRP Realty plan to present a redevelopment concept for Isaac Newton Square.
The proposal would convert the office buildings into a mixed-use project, changing the spot into a mostly residential area with a few commercial spaces. The project would include several development blocks and approximately eight acres of publicly-accessible open space, which would include a large neighborhood green that could be used for public events and athletic purposes.
The number of dwelling units and square footage are unknown at the moment, according to the document.
Public hearing dates have not yet been scheduled for the projects.
Tonight’s Reston P&Z Committee meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the North County Government Center.
Images via Google Maps
Two residential projects are up for a vote by the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the North County Government Center.
Woodfield Acquisitions is seeking to redevelop Roland Clarke Place, a 3.6-acre of land less than one mile from both the Wiehle-Reston East and Reston Town Center Metro Stations. The developer seeks to replace the office building on 1941 Roland Clark Place with 310 residential units in one building. The second office building at 1950 Roland Clarke Place would be redeveloped at a later date.
Plans include courtyards, pocket parks, a dog park and a trail that loops around the property. If approved, the project would be developed in two phases. A public hearing date before the Fairfax County Planning Commission is set for October 11.
The committee will also consider a second proposal by Pulte Home Company, LLC to rezone intended for industrial use to allow for planned commercial development. Plans include building 40 single family attached units and a parking garage. The project is located at 12700 Sunrise Valley Drive.
The existing office on the property will remain. Open space amenities include a tot lot, a wildlife observation area, a central green space, and a gathering place with public art for future residents and employees of the office building. According to the application, the plan is intended to transition between existing and planned high-intensity development surrounding the future Herndon Metro Station and single-family houses across Sunrise Valley Drive. A public hearing before the Planning Commission is set for September 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Photo via Google Maps
Reston’s Planning and Zoning Committee will vote on three major projects at its 7 p.m. meeting tonight in the North County Government Center.
Votes are scheduled for Reston Crescent, a 26-acre property where nearly 4.2 million square feet of development is planned Reston Gateway, a mixed-use project north of the future Reston Town Center Metro Station, and the replacement of the fire station at 1820 Wiehle Avenue.
The agenda of tonight’s meeting is linked here. The committee’s next meeting will take place on June 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the North County Government Center.
Photo via Boston Properties
The Reston Planning and Zoning Committee is seeking members to serve on the advisory body, which is intended to ensure development in Reston is in concert with its designation as a planned community.
In order to serve on the committee, members must be residents of Reston and over 18 years old. The 15-member body has five regular positions and  three associate positions that are expiring this year
Regular members have three year terms while associate members serve one-year terms that begin in January. Meetings are held the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room of the North County Government Center (1801 Cameron Glen Drive). The position is a volunteer-based only.
Applications are being accepted online. The deadline is Dec. 16.
The committee does not have any statutory authority; however, it is seen by local government authorities as a source of advise on land use matters. The future scope of the committee is likely to shift from initial residential development to considerations of redevelopment activities, especially the development of commercial and industrial space, according to the committee’s website
At its meeting tonight (agenda), Reston’s Planning & Zoning Committee will hear presentations on three major upcoming projects.
Two projects are scheduled to be voted upon at the meeting:
- Renaissance Centro 1801 LLC — Currently the 1.51-acre home of a three-story office building, 1801 Old Reston Ave. 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. This project has a Dec. 6 hearing scheduled with the Fairfax County Planning Commission.
- Kensington Senior Development LLC — Currently the home of Good Beginnings School, 11501 Sunrise Valley Drive is proposed as the new home of a senior-living facility. The 65,000-square-foot building would include 96 beds within 70 units. This project has a Nov. 30 hearing scheduled with the Fairfax County Planning Commission.
The committee is also scheduled to hear an informational presentation on the CRS Sunset Hills LC project. Comstock Partners plans to convert the Sunset Hills Professional Center, a one-story office condo complex at Sunset Hills Road and Wiehle Avenue, into a mixed-use development featuring approximately 460 residential units and 40,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. The project would also include two parcels to the east, known as the “Kfoury Parcels,” which would be developed to add approximately 300,000 square feet of office uses. Comstock also plans for an approximately 400,000-square-foot full-service hotel and 80 high-end residential units on another adjacent property. In total, the planned project includes about 1.24 million square feet of proposed redevelopment, exclusive of affordable-housing provision bonuses.
That project does not yet have a county hearing scheduled.
Tonight’s Reston P&Z Committee meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Reston Association headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive).
File image of 1801 Old Reston Ave.
County Remains Among Richest — U.S. Census Bureau estimates for 2015 have Fairfax County’s median household income at $112,844, more than twice the national figure. The county trails only Loudoun County ($125,900) and the independent City of Falls Church ($122,092) in the national rankings. [WTOP]
Reston P&Z Committee Meets Tonight —Â The Reston Planning & Zoning Committee’s monthly meeting will be held tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the North County Governmental Center (1801 Cameron Glen Drive). Matters to be discussed include JBG/EYA’s project near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. [Reston P&Z Committee]
Wanted: School Bus Drivers — Fairfax County Public Schools has 85 openings for bus drivers. A job fair will be held Friday, Aug. 11, at Stonecroft Transportation Center (4641 Stonecroft Blvd., Chantilly). [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Connolly Plans Telephone Town Hall Tonight — Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) will answer questions by phone tonight beginning at 8 p.m. [Rep. Gerry Connolly/Twitter]
Gas Grill Safety Tips — Fairfax County Fire and Rescue wants citizens to be safe when they fire up the grill to make summer meals. With that in mind, they shared a video from the National Fire Protection Association that includes tips on where to place the grill, how to turn it on safely and more. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]
A number of major redevelopment proposals will be discussed at the next Reston Planning & Zoning Committee meeting.
Most notably, JBG and EYA Development will give an informational presentation on their plans for a mixed-use, transit-oriented development at 1831/1860 Wiehle Avenue and 1840/1860 Michael Faraday Drive. The project includes nearly 1.7 million square feet of development, consisting of 840 multi-family units, 60 single-family attached residential units, 130 independent living units, 205,917 square feet of office space and 260,945 square feet of ground-floor retail.
Also on the agenda for the public meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday at the North County Governmental Center (1801 Cameron Glen Drive):
- Renaissance Centro 1801. The rezoning is to replace the existing office building at 1801 Old Reston Ave. with a 20-story high-rise featuring for-sale condominiums. The P&Z Committee may vote on this project Monday. A county Planning Commission hearing is scheduled for Sept. 28.
- TF Cornerstone — Campus Commons Drive. This will be an informational presentation on two development options that are being proposed at 1900-1902 Campus Commons Drive, including up to 1,097 residential units.
- Thompson Hospitality. This will be an informational presentation on a proposed hotel at 1741 Business Center Drive, in the Lake Fairfax Business Center.
The Reston Planning & Zoning Committee is an advisory body without statutory authority. However, it is looked to and listened to by local government authorities for its opinions and advice on land use matters.
Layout of 1831 Wiehle project via JBG
The dozens of residents in attendance at Monday’s Reston Planning & Zoning Committee meeting were asked to raise their hands if they oppose the county’s plan to increase density limits in the Reston Planned Residential Community District.
The response was practically unanimous.
After hearing — many for the second time, after a May 3 meeting — the Fairfax County Department of Planning & Zoning’s presentation, numerous attendees spoke up to share their concerns. One of the most repeated was a thought about the seemingly short timeline of the county’s plan to amend the zoning ordinance.
“The County and the community need to understand the implications for Reston of the zoning ordinance amendment and quite possibly amend it so that it is consistent with Reston’s vision and planning principles,” said Terry Maynard, co-chair of the Reston 20/20 committee and an outspoken opponent of the proposal. “This will take time, not the headlong rush the County and Board [of Supervisors] seem to be in to get this amendment passed with three public meetings in three weeks this month.”
The third public meeting on the DPZ’s proposal is slated for Wednesday, May 24, at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria at Lake Anne Elementary School (11510 North Shore Drive). The DPZ says it is hoping to bring the plan before the Board of Supervisors in July, followed by a Planning Commission public hearing in September and the Board public hearing in October.
The DPZ says the current limitation of 13 persons per acre in the Reston PRC “cannot support the amended Master Plan.” It is planning to recommend the Board of Supervisors change that limit to 16 persons per acre. It says that would allow for up to 18,737 more people in the long term, beyond the current cap.
Reston’s PRC District is currently at about 11.9 persons per acre.
