Locally owned café chain Sweet Leaf is looking to open its seventh Northern Virginia location later this year at Reston Station.
According to a permit filed with Fairfax County, the restaurant will open at 1908 Reston Metro Plaza as part of Comstock’s BLVD development. Maggie Parker, Comstock’s vice president of communications, says the restaurant should be open in the fall.
“We’re very excited,” she said. “It’s a great restaurant — small, family-owned.”
Sweet Leaf was founded in McLean in 1991. It currently has locations in McLean, Tysons and Vienna, as well as three in Arlington.
The menu features healthful sandwiches, salads and grain bowls, and it also has breakfast options. The restaurant offers a “wide variety” of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, according to its website.
Parker also said Salon Nordine, which closed its Reston Town Center location in September, will open at Reston Station later this year. She said the full-service salon and spa will be the first street-front tenant on Reston Station Boulevard.
Salon Nordine currently has two locations, in Merrifield’s Mosaic District and in Gainesville.
Major League Baseball arrives for 2017 on Monday, with the hometown Washington Nationals hosting the Miami Marlins for a season-opening matinee.
Those who take the Metro down to Nationals Park for the game will be in for an added treat, as Reston Station at Wiehle-Reston East will be hosting a baseball celebration from 10 a.m. to noon. The fun will include live music, a cornhole competition, hot dogs and more. In addition, the first 50 riders who show their ticket stubs will get free parking passes for the station’s ParkX.
The Nationals will continue the series against the Marlins with a game Wednesday night. The festivities at Reston Station that evening will take place from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
For more information about upcoming events at Reston Station, visit its website.
Defense contractor Leidos is considering leaving its current headquarters in Reston Town Center (11951 Freedom Drive) for a new home, the Washington Business Journal reports.
Citing sources close to the company, the WBJ says the expansion in workforce brought about by the company’s merger with Lockheed Martin last year has it reevaluating its space needs. Leidos employees about 33,000 people worldwide, according to information it provides to investors.
According to the WBJ report, Comstock Properties’ 1900 Reston Metro Plaza is among the properties being considered as a potential new headquarters for Leidos. Still seeking an anchor tenant, the site was considered by Nestlé before that company chose Arlington for its U.S. headquarters. The Helmut Jahn-designed building, adjacent to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station, is currently in its final stages of construction.
WBJ says Boston Properties, owner of Leidos’ current home, has proposed new headquarters space for the firm as well.
Proposed rezoning of Golf Course Plaza, a three-acre parcel on the west edge of Isaac Newton Square, is scheduled for a Fairfax County Planning Commission hearing June 21.
The proposal, which first came to light in May 2016, would see the property (11480 Sunset Hills Road) become the home of a 392,600-square-foot multifamily residential structure with three levels of underground parking. Currently on the parcel is a three-story office building and a surface parking lot.
The residential building would feature 413 units. Developer Golf Course Overlook LLC seeks to rezone the property from I-5 (General Industrial) to Planned Residential Mixed-Use. According to the summary of Reston Association’s March land development tracker, it is “unclear whether any commercial uses would be retained” on the property.
The site is between the W&OD Trail and the fourth hole of the Hidden Creek Country Club golf course. It is about a third of a mile from the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. According to the land development tracker summary:
“The site is located in the Wiehle Station Transit-Oriented Development District and designated Residential Mixed Use, which seeks to retain a 75/25 mix of residential and non-residential uses respectively, at intensities of up to a 1.5 FAR [Floor Area Ratio]. Isaac Newton Square is planned to be home to 3,200 (of the 4,600) residential units for this district.”
A county staff report on the project is to be released June 6. Signs advertising the hearing are to go up May 31.
Images via Golf Course Overlook LLC
A developer has submitted an application to rezone another property off Sunset Hills Road near Wiehle-Reston East Metro station to residential use.
Faraday Partners LLC has made the request for 2.9 acres at 1808 Michael Faraday Court to become a multifamily dwelling area. The Washington Business Journal reports the proposed project is a seven-story apartment building with up to 261 units.
Quoting the statement of justification, the project is described as drawing upon “traditional motifs that are reminiscent in design, height and historic loft-style industrial buildings found in revitalized urban areas.”
Michael Faraday Court is a short road off Sunset Hills with no outlet. In addition to the property in question, it is home to the SkateQuest facility and an office building.
A 2-acre portion of the site is currently zoned I-5 (general industrial), while the other nine-tenths of an acre is zoned I-4 (limited industrial). The site is the former home of the Academy of Christian Education, which moved to Parkridge Boulevard last year.
This is just another in an ever-growing list of residential projects proposed for the corridor east of Wiehle Avenue. Others include:
- The JBG/1831 Wiehle project, which would bring 1,300 to 1,500 new residences on six parcels between Wiehle Avenue and Michael Faraday Drive
- 175 multifamily units and 13 townhouses at 11111 Sunset Hills Road, just east of Michael Faraday Drive and adjacent to the JBG/1831 Wiehle project
- The Lofts at Reston Station, 44 residences at 1825 Michael Faraday Drive (approved by Fairfax County in October)
Numerous additional projects are in the works on the west side of Wiehle Avenue as well. In 2014, Fairfax County reworked Reston’s land-use plan to encourage such development in the area of the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station, as well as the future Reston Town Center and Herndon stations.
“In the future, the three station areas could become home to a total of 30 million square feet in offices and 28,000 housing units,” the county said in its announcement of the plan’s revision. “The plan aims to make [the Wiehle-Reston East] station area an education-focused neighborhood with housing that is well-connected to transit by new walkable streets.”
There are some new apartments in town, and they’re called BLVD Residential at Reston Station. One guess where they’re located. I have to say, they look very nice based on those pictures in the development’s web gallery.
Here are some more details on them:
The developer is Comstock. This mixed-use development has 450 apartments and is located directly adjacent to the Wiehle-Reston East station. Units are luxury studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom plus den apartments. All feature top-of-the-line amenities like gorgeous wood cabinetry, stainless steel appliances and quartz countertops. Click here to see the floor plans.
In addition to the gorgeous apartments, the building includes:
- Rooftop pool and terrace, demonstration kitchen, bar and game room
- Rooftop fitness center, weight room and yoga studio
- Pet-friendly and smoke-free environment
- A Starbucks (which is very handy on that short walk to the Metro station)
RA ACCESS
While the building does not fall within Reston Association’s covenanted land, BLVD Residential is one of the first buildings in the TSA (Transit Station Area) to be brought into Reston Association through a supplemental declaration. What this means to residents is that they will have access to RA programs and services at alternative rates compared to other members. And design review for the property will be conducted with support from Reston Association staff using urban design guidelines developed for Reston Station.
(This story was updated at 3:55 p.m. to include comment from Comstock Partners.)
Northern Virginia will be the new home of Nestlé, as news has broken today that the Swiss food and drink company will move its U.S. headquarters from California to Arlington County.
The Washington Business Journal reports the company chose the location in Rosslyn over 1900 Reston Metro Plaza, which the WBJ says was another finalist for the headquarters. The Washington Post, meanwhile, reports the final decision was between the Rosslyn site and a location in Atlanta.
Maggie Parker, vice president of communications for 1900 Reston Metro Plaza owner Comstock Partners, said Nestlé representatives toured the local site before making their decision.
The 16-story 1900 Reston Metro Plaza building, now in its final stages of construction, was designed by internationally acclaimed architect Helmut Jahn. It will feature 365,000 square feet of office space adjacent to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.
The site that was chosen by Nestlé, 1812 N. Moore Street in Arlington County, is the tallest building in the D.C. Metro area at 35 stories. It has been vacant since construction wrapped up in late 2013.
Nestlé is spending nearly $40 million to set up in the top nine floors of the building, and it plans to employ 750 people at the site.
You may have heard the nation’s 45th President, Donald Trump, will be inaugurated Friday on the National Mall.
In celebration of the historic event, Reston Station Plaza is hosting a series of festivities including entertainment and games.
Beginning at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the plaza (1904 Reston Metro Plaza, at the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station), patriotic displays will include live music and presidential trivia. The fun is scheduled to wrap up at 7:30 p.m.
On Friday, events are scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. and Inauguration Day coverage will be displayed on a big-screen television throughout the morning. A Donald Trump impersonator is also expected to be part of the show.
For updates, watch the event’s Facebook page.
Those who are planning to use the Metro to travel to D.C. for the inaugural events are being encouraged to plan ahead and use caution on what is expected to be an extremely crowded day. Metro is once again selling commemorative SmarTrip cards for the event, and Wiehle-Reston is one of a number of stations at which special card sleeves will be distributed.
It looks as though another huge development could soon go up near Reston Station.
Developer Comstock Partners has submitted plans to Fairfax County for a new mixed-use development, to be located south of Sunset Hills Road and immediately north of Reston Station and the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station. The Washington Business Journal first reported on the new development last week.
If all goes according to plan, the new development would consist of 500 residential units, about 91,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and another 178,000 square feet for office or hotel use.
Comstock, which had its eye on the site earlier this year, will reportedly call the development The Promenade at Reston Station. Additionally, the developer plans to connect the new building to its adjacent developments via a “woonerf” on Reston Station Boulevard, WBJ reported.
Reston Station file photo from Oct. 2016
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors earlier this month endorsed a developer’s application for 44 new residential homes known as the Lofts At Reston Station, near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.
Supervisors are touting the Lofts as “a new urban neighborhood,” and the first development of its kind in the area northeast of the Metro stop, according to an announcement from the county.
Pulte Homes will bring the Lofts to 1.58 acres at 1825 Michael Faraday Dr., south of Sunset Hill Drive, which is just a third of a mile from the Metro station’s north entrance. The space is currently occupied by a one-story office building and a parking lot.
The 44 new homes will consist of 12 townhomes and 32 apartment units.
The development, according to the county, will “begin to establish the local street grid for this area of Reston,” which is a highly-sought-after area for developers as construction continues on the Silver Line.
Pulte will extend Michael Faraday Drive and Reston Station Boulevard along their property.
“Reston Station Boulevard is planned as the new ‘main street’ for the area surrounding Wiehle,” according to the county. “This road is intended to connect properties on the east to the station, and the plan envisions this road stretching west of the station to Plaza America.”
Supervisors also said Pulte will contribute $44,000 toward construction of a future traffic light at Reston Station Boulevard and Michael Faraday Drive.
Founding Farmers has pushed back its opening at Reston Station until mid-2017.
The Washington Business Journal reports that that the restaurant will be delayed until next summer.
It was exactly a year ago this week that Founding Farmers announced its plans to open a 10,000-square-foot restaurant in Reston.
Initial estimates from Reston Station developer Comstock and Founding Farmers said the opening would be late 2016 or early 2017, but a peek into the the space last week showed it is still empty and no work has begun.
Founding Farmers will have a large mezzanine, which is complicating the construction permits, Farmers Restaurant Group CEO Dan Simons said.
“The combination of engineering complexities (we’re building a fantastic mezzanine) and the typical permit process labyrinth combined to push the timeline longer than originally planned,” he told WBJ.
Founding Farmers Reston will be on the ground floor of a planned 200-room hotel at Reston Station. No hotel tenant has been signed yet.
Comstock, which is developing Reston Station, is also hoping to sign a large, upscale restaurant for the ground floor space of the office tower that is currently under construction on the plaza.
Farmers Restaurant Group, which has restaurants in DC, Maryland and at Tysons Corner in Virginia, is preparing to open a new property, Farmers & Distillers, in DC.
Rendering of completed Reston Station development/Credit: Comstock
Comstock is in the final stages of purchasing the Sunset Hills Professional Park to add to its mixed-use square footage near Wiehle-Reston East.
Sunset Hills Professional Park is a one-story office condo complex at Sunset Hills Road and Wiehle Avenue. The complex was built in 1981 and is mostly home to doctors, dentists and other medical services.
Construction is not expected to begin for three to four years as the project moves through the Fairfax County approval process. The tenants will be able to rent back during that time, a Comstock spokeswoman said.
The professional park is adjacent to both Comstock’s Reston Station mixed-use development as well as the under-construction Aperture Apartments from Bozzuto.
“This will enable us to further develop our grid of streets and pedestrian pathways to Reston Station,” said Comstock’s Maggie Parker.
The plans, now in the design phase, will include ground floor retail, a wide boulevard with trees, residential and office, she said.
“This is the beginning of the real consolidation of the Reston Station neighborhood, which will go from Plaza America to Michael Faraday Drive,” said Parker.
The new Aperature Apartments have sprung up quickly across Metro Center Drive from the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.
The latest word on the development from The Bozzuto Group is it will begin leasing in “early 2017.”
The Aperture will feature 421 apartments in a seven-story building, and has been approved for 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
No retail tenants have been announced yet. Residents will be members of Reston Association.
The apartments sit on the site of the former Reston Mini-Storage facility, and construction has been going on for less than a year.
Here are some of the amenities planned for the building:
- Clubroom with entertainment kitchen, communal table, fireplace, lounge seating, HDTVs, and courtyard views
- Direct outdoor connection from the clubroom with flowing courtyard entryway
- Pool with outdoor kitchen, firepits, and lounge seating
- Outdoor amphitheater and movie screening area
- Bike repair station with convenient bike storage space
- Pet play zone
- Library space for reading or working
- Three adjacent fitness spaces with stretching and group fitness rooms, weights and cardio spaces, and an active outdoor yoga space
- WiFi Lounge with Computers
- Underground Parking Garage
- 24-Hour Concierge
- Resident Storage Space Available
Photos: Top, Aperture, August 2016; Bottom, Rendering of final product/Courtesy Bozzuto
Reston Association’s Dog Park Working Group has a variety of solutions for keeping the peace at the off-leash area at Baron Cameron Park.
The ideas range from paid monitors to charging fee for users to installing noise mitigation and Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements.
The working group, which was formed last spring in response complaints for a group of RA members who live close to the park, will present its recommendations at Thursday’s RA Board meeting.
RA has no jurisdiction over the park, as it is on Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) land. The involvement of RA was to bring both sides together to suggest solutions to the FCPA The RA Board will discuss and vote on one of two motions:
- Move to approve, deny, or amend the short and long-term recommendations of the Dog Park Task Force on improving the operation of the Baron Cameron Dog Park for the benefit of the Dog Park users and surrounding neighbors; or
- Direct staff to send a letter, outlining Dog Park recommendations and request for a meeting to discuss such recommendations, to the Fairfax County Park Authority Chairs, and copied to the whole Park Authority Board; the Fairfax County Park Authority Director, Sara Baldwin; and Fairfax County Hunter Mill District Supervisor, Catherine M. Hudgins.
It’s a saga that has been going on for several years.
The problem is noise, say many residents of Longwood Grove, a subdivision located across Wiehle Avenue from the dog park. The Longwood Grove residents say they can hear dogs barking at the park day and night, and it is affecting their quality of life. Read More
Reston Station’s Urban Pop is welcoming a few new businesses this summer.
Here’s a look at who is new in the little glass booths by the Wiehle-Reston East Metro.
Scoop and Paddle — Cool off with a treat from this Kensington, Md., ice cream maker that specializes in homemade ice cream sandwiches. Scoop and paddle offers cups of vanilla ice cream ($4) or an ice cream sandwich big enough to share for $6. Flavors vary, but when we stopped by this week there were chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream and chocolate cookies with mint chip.
This is Scoop and Paddle’s first try at a shop. Until now, the company has done mostly catering and special events in its vintage VW bus and bright red ice cream cart.
Paradise Springs Winery — The Clifton, Va.-based winery will be selling its wares at Urban Pop.
Citizen Frederick — Need a haircut? This Frederick, Md., company is a combo of an old-timey barber shop, men’s grooming products retailer and clothier. The main store is in Frederick, but the company is setting up a one-seat shop at Urban Pop.
Urban Pop is open 3 to 8 p.m. weekdays.
Photo: Top, Citizen Frederick/Credit: Citizen Frederick via Facebook; Bottom, Scoop and Paddle/Reston Now.
