Google’s Reston employees will have quite the view once they move into their new office space next to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.
The tech giant will have the top four floors of the 16-story, Helmut Jahn-designed building at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza, Maggie Parker, a spokeswoman for Comstock Companies, told Reston Now.
Reston Now took a tour of the top floor for a look at Google’s future workspace.
On a clear day, Google employees will have views of Tysons to the east and Dulles International Airport to the west, Parker said. Looking south, they’ll be able to see the Fairfax County Government Center. The building offers a glimpse of Sugarloaf Mountain in Maryland.
The area around the building is also set for some changes in the future. Plans for a hotel, two residential buildings and an office building will give a new look to the land between Reston Station Blvd and Sunset Hills Road, Parker said.
While Google hasn’t officially announced its new Reston residence (the secret is out, thanks to permits), the company previously said it will significantly expand its operations in Northern Virginia as part of a $13 billion round of investment in new offices and data centers across the U.S.
“With new office and data center development, our workforce in Virginia will double,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post on Feb. 13.
Parker said she does not know how many workers from nearby offices (there’s one in Reston Town Center) or new jobs will fill the Google space.
Google won’t be moving into an empty building — a workspace called Spaces currently occupies the fourth and fifth floors.
CVS Pharmacy is the latest tenant to sign a lease with Comstock’s massive Reston Station project near the Wiehle-Reston Metro station.Â
The healthcare giant will lease 8,451 square feet of plaza-level retail space in Reston Station’s third tower, which is currently under construction. The $95 million tower features 180,000 square feet of office space and completion is slated for January 2020.
The storefront is at the entrance of Metro’s north pedestrian bridge to the station. Christopher Clemente, CEO of Comstock Holding Companies, Inc., said the tenant, which signed a twenty-year lease with three five-year options, will bring “virtually every item one needs for daily living” to residents, tenants, and commuters in the area.
“Bringing CVS to the Reston Station neighborhood is another great step forward for the Reston Station neighborhood,” Clemente wrote in a statement.
The company joins other retailers like Starbucks, Founding Farmers and Sweet Leaf Café on Reston Station’s Metro Plaza.
The new urban neighborhood includes the BLVD, a 447-unit high-rise, a 350,000 square-foot office tower, and Bozzuto’s residential building, Aperture. Additional development is planned and approved in Reston Station. Â
Photo via Comstock
Word on the street — StreetShares, a financial technology startup, has moved to new headquarters in Reston. It offers a marketplace to provide financing for small business. [Technical.ly]
Calling all volunteers — Reston Association is looking for volunteers to help out with the multicultural festival at Lake Anne Plaza on September 22. To volunteer, contact [email protected]. [Reston Today]
The weekender — Looking for things to do in Fairfax County this weekend? Local officials offer the following roundup of events in the area. [Fairfax County Government]
Summerbration concert tonight — Enjoy a free concert as part at Reston Station Plaza from 7-9 p.m. This week’s event The Swingin’ Swamis. [Reston Community Center]
Flickr pool photo by vantagehill
Easy, fun and raw — A professor offers tips on how to add more raw food to your diet from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. tomorrow at Reston Regional Library. [Fairfax County Government]
Rename Rock N’ Skate — The Reston Town Center Ice Skating Pavilion is looking for new names for its weekly ice skating series. The grand prize winner will receive 10 free admission tickets. [Reston Town Center Ice Skating Pavilion]
Summerbration concert tonight — Enjoy Latin music with free dancing and instruction as part of the weekly “Summerbration” concert series. Parking is free from 6:30-9:30 p.m. [Reston Community Center]
Nearby: If you have the energy for it — “Fairfax County has pledged to reduce the energy consumption of its facilities by 20 percent per square foot over 10 years as part of an operational energy strategy adopted by its Board of Supervisors on July 10.” [Fairfax County Times]
Search for missing woman continues — Susan Carstens, 51, was last seen in Reston on Wednesday. A search continues for the woman, who police believe may be endangered. [Reston Now]
Photo by Ruth SieversÂ
Silver Line concrete problem may not be critical — Preliminary tests on concrete panels show that major re-networking of the Silver Line extension to and beyond Dulles Airport might not be necessary. A whistleblower lawsuit raised concerns about improperly mixed concrete at Silver Line stations set to open in 2020. [WTOP]
Summerbration concert tonight — This week’s concert in Reston Station Plaza features the Jason Masi band. Parking is free from 6:30-9:30 p.m. [Reston Community Center]
Local company cracks cases — Parabon NanoLabs has helped solve five cold cases since early May with a new approach to genetic analysis. [NBC News]
Nearby: Local weekender — Need a roundup of what to do this weekend? From ice cream making to a concert with a mix of jazz and Indian classical music, there’s a lot to do this weekend. [Fairfax County Government]
Photo of Lake Thoreau’s public art display, submitted by Russ Evans
Discovering hidden gems — There’s a lot to discover at Reston Association’s trails, each of which is color-coded. [Reston Association]
Oasis Island Sounds concert tonight — In this week’s “Summerbration” concert, enjoy Reggae on the open-air plaza atop Wiehle-Reston East Metro. Parking is free from 6:30-9:30 p.m. for these concerts. [Reston Community Center]
Parked — July is National Parks and Recreation month, but Restonians actually live in a park 12 months of the year. [The Connection]
Nearby: New fire chief — John Butler, former chief of the Department of Fire and Rescue Services in Howard County will take on his new role. he hopes to address complaints that management isn’t doing enough to address sexual harassment and discrimination in county firehouses. [WTOP]
Flickr pool photo via vantagehill
Comstock has begun construction on the next office building in Reston Station, located on the southwest corner of the plaza. The eight-story structure, which has not yet been named, is a Class A office building with 180,000 square feet of office space and 8,300 square feet of retail space on the plaza.
The building is designed by HKS Architects with steel and glass structures. The company’s portfolio includes the design of Urumqi International Airport in Xinjiang, China and the King Hussein Cancer Center in Amman, Jordan.
Office space will be restricted to six floors, which sit atop an eight-story, above-grave concrete parking deck. It will also include a private patio with a sky garden and gym.
Construction prompted Comstock to close four of eight kiosks on the plaza. According to Maggie Parker, vice president of communications and community outreach for Comstock, the kiosks were intentionally designed to be temporary. Some vendors will relocate into vacant kiosks.
“They’ve given many budding entrepreneurs an opportunity to test their business models and have added a lot of vitality to our emerging development,” Comstock wrote in a statement.
Photo via Comstock
Day camps at Reston Association — Slots are available for RA’s day camps, which are offered in three sessions. The camp is geared toward children between the ages of 7 and 11. [Reston Association]
Tonight: Fun around town with community fitness — Celebrate the beginning of summer with a free community fitness activity tonight at Stonegate Community Center from 5:30-6:30 p.m. [Reston Community Center]
Summerbration with King Teddy — Enjoy a concert at the Reston Station Plaza featuring swing music by King Teddy tonight from 7-9 p.m. Swing dangers will offer free instruction. [Reston Community Center]
Happening nearby: sex education policy — “Parents are protesting a proposed new sex education policy in Fairfax County. Those opposed to it say the new curriculum would promote transgender issues and encourage the use of contraceptives instead of abstinence.” [FOX 5 DC]
Photo by Ruth Sievers
The “Summerbration” concert series at Reston Station Plaza will feature a new addition on Friday summer nights.
Professional dance instructors will offer lessons during select concert performances hosted by Reston Station. Lessons vary from swing dancing to African dance.
Reston Community Center’s executive director Leila Gordon said the center is “thrilled” to add professionals to the lineup. She said Reston Station Plaza is “becoming a destination experience for people.”
Dance instruction begins with Friday’s King Teddy Concert. Each concert runs from 7-9 p.m. and parking is free from 6:30-9:30 p.m. during the concerts.
The complete lineup, which includes dancers and instructors, is below:
June 15
King Teddy
Swing dancers – dancing and instruction
June 22
Cedar Creek
Country line dance instruction
June 29
Elikeh
African dancers – dancing and instruction
July 6
Four Star Combo
Sock hop dancers – dancing and instruction
July 27
Alfredo Mojica & Friends
Latin dancers – dancing and instruction
August 10
Scott Kurt & Memphis 59
Country dancers – dancing and instruction
August 24
The Swingin’ Swamis
Swing dancers – dancing and instruction
Photo via Reston Community Center
Looking for a big screen to watch the Washington Capitals play in game five of the Stanley Cup finals?  A free screening will be held tonight at Reston Station’s plaza (1904 Reston Metro Plaza) from 8-10 p.m.
Rock your red and watch the Washington Caps on the big screen battle for the Stanley Cup on Reston Station's Plaza. TONIGHT at 8pm. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/TLXSvpCtpJ
— Reston Station (@Reston_Station) June 7, 2018
Parking is $4.75 daily.
Here’s a previous video of a viewing on May 28:
Over the last several months, new eateries like Founding Farmers and Sweet Leaf Cafe have opened up shop in Reston Station Plaza.
Now, as summer approaches, the open-air plaza will be the home of “Summerbration,” a free summer concert and entertainment series. The event is intended to activate the space.
The first concert, featuring classic rock band Battery Lane, will take place today from 7-9 p.m. Complimentary parking is available from 6:30-9:30 p.m. for the concert series. Attendees should follow signs to ParkX.
The complete line-up is below:
- June 8: FarAway
- June 15: King Teddy
- June 22: Cedar Creek
- June 29: Elikeh
- July 7: Four Star Combo
- July 13: Oasis Island Sounds
- July 20: Jason Masi Band
- July 27: Alfredo Mojica & Friends
- August 3: Anthony Swamp Dog Clark
- August 10: Scott Kurt & Memphis 59
- August 17: Cristian Perez Band
- August 24: The Swingin’ Swamis
- August 31: Chris Vadala with the Rick Whitehead Trio
The event, which is free and open for all ages, is hosted by Reston Station and presented by Reston Community Center in cooperation with MSE Productions, Inc.Â
File photo
A cast bronze sculpture inspired by the power of Mother Nature was installed at Reston Station Plaza this month.
The piece, “The Force of Nature,” is by artist Lorenzo Quinn and is located on the north side of Wiehle-Reston East Station.
A statement from the artist is below:
“We humans think of ourselves as supreme beings, above all others and in absolute control of our destiny and our surroundings. We live with a false sense of security only to be awakened by Mother Nature’s fury, almost as if she needs to remind us of her presence and our responsibility towards her child (The Earth).
After having seen the ravaged coast of Thailand and the Hurricane that affected the Southern States I decided to create a sculpture dedicated to Mother Nature. This would be reminiscent of the early statues made as peace offerings to the Gods in the hope of quenching their anger. Â
In essence, people are not very different today from the people who lived thousands of years ago. We still devote ourselves to symbols in order to escape our destiny.”
Photos via Public Art Reston
Some Metro users say the Wiehle-Reston East garage is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. Limited spaces are available during weekday morning hours as construction continues in the area.
Beginning at 9 a.m., few non-reserved parking spots are available in the 2,300-space garage, Metro users said. The garage (11389 Reston Station Boulevard) includes reserved spaces, which open up to the public at 10 a.m. if they are unused.
Garage users said some drivers park their cars in reserved spots not assigned to them due to the challenge of finding space. Jude J. said police often issue tickets to those individuals ten minutes before the parking space opens up to the public.
“You’re lucky if when you enter the ‘lot full’ light is on, otherwise you’re stuck in a dangerous situation with cars going every direction trying to find a spot,” said Jude. She has been commuting for past year and a half from Leesburg to Washington D.C..
County and transit officials pointed to several possible explanations for the scramble for space. County data indicate the average paid utilization rate in March was 88 percent. The rate for reserved parking is $65 a month and $4.95 on weekdays, except Thursday when the rate is $3.
Robin Geiger, head of communications for the Fairfax County Department of Communications said temporary construction in the garage may explain why spaces are limited. Construction is expected to end next month, Geiger said.
In response to space constraints, the county is promoting other alternatives like the Reston South Park and Ride, as well as Fairfax Connector Routes 553, 557, 559 or 585 to Wiehle.
Comstock, the developer behind Reston Station which sits above the garage, built the garage through a public-private partnership with Fairfax County. The county retains garage ownership while the Washington Metropolitan Area Authority operates the facility.
Maggie Parker, a spokesperson for Comstock, said space may also be limited due to “increased activity” with events like the cherry blossoms in the District. WMATA indicated they have seen an increase in parking demand as a result.
Signs in the garage are programmed to display “lot full” when 15 spaces or less are available.
Parker also said it is possible that people are not driving down far enough into the garage, especially three levels down in the ParkX parking area.
The situation has some hoping for other parking alternatives, especially as summer swings in and the recent opening of restaurants like Founding Farmers and Sweet Leaf attracts more customers.
Founding Farmers, a 13,000-square-foot restaurant, is now open at 1904 Reston Metro Plaza.
The restaurant by Farmers Restaurant Group is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch.
Founding Farmers also offers on-the-go breakfast for customers at the “First Bake Cafe.” Reservations are available online. Validated parking is available in the Wiehle-Reston East parking garage, as well as valet parking for customers who pull up their vehicles to the plaza.
Here’s more from the restaurant:
Founding Farmers Reston will have many guest favorites, such as house-made pastas and our Southern Fried Chicken & Donut. Our chefs are also particularly excited to share a nice range of cuts from our Steak House, such as our classic 48-Hour Salt-Cured Prime Rib. Some of us can’t wait for the comforting and wholesome grain and protein bowls, or the decadence of our homemade desserts and hand-churned ice cream. Of course, we will be serving our large selection of craft cocktails made with spirits from our own distillery in DC, Founding Spirits.
The restaurant has been is built with the same sustainably-minded practices we use across Farmers Restaurant Group, pursuing LEED and Green Restaurant Association certifications. We also have amazing artwork from a great group of original artists to share with our guests and to help tell our story.
Sweet Leaf, a cafe adjacent to the new restaurant, also recently opened at Reston Station Plaza.
Photo via Founding Farmers Reston
Locally owned café chain Sweet Leaf will hold its official grand opening on Wednesday (March 28) at Reston Station from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The restaurant will open at 1908 Reston Metro Plaza as part of Comstock’s BLVD development. Founding Farmers, Sweet Leaf’s neighbor, is set to open on April 11.
Sweet Leaf was originally set to open late last year, but co-owner Andre Matini said they delayed the opening to match the timing of Founding Farmers’ launch day.
“We’re basically trying to open up when the entire plaza is ready. It’s a better time to open as the weather turns warmer, as more people are out, and the plaza is activated,” Matini told Reston Now.
A soft opening will be held tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Around 300 people are registered for the booked event, which will include free lunch.
Sweet Leaf was founded in McLean in 1991 and has other locations in Tysons, Vienna, McLean and three in Arlington.
The menu includes sandwiches, salads, grain bowls and breakfast options. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options are also available.
Customers can park in Reston Station’s garage. Two-hour parking will be validated at the store’s register. Two garage spaces will also be designated for customers who place online orders, Matini said.
Photos courtesy of Andre MatiniÂ
