Lululemon, a Canadian athletic apparel retailer, is coming to Reston Town Center.
The business will take over the former location of bebe, a women’s clothing store, at 11957 Market Street. The store closed in early September of 2016.
Company officials did not immediately return a request for comment, but a spokesperson for Boston Properties said the new business should open by late summer of this year.
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Red Velvet Cupcakery in Reston Town Center has officially shuttered its doors.
The store, located at 11939 Democracy Drive, closed on Sunday (May 27). Owner Aaron Gordon announced the closure in early March. His decision was driven by Boston Properties’ paid parking structure.
There are no immediate plans to open another brick-and-mortar location. The store has another location in the District.
Gordon said he was thankful to the community for their support and cherished the eight years his store served the Reston community.
“We did our best to fight paid parking in RTC and we are proud to have played a large role in forcing the owners to reduce the paid parking hours, which costs them tens of millions yearly. We only regret we were unable to force them to scrap their greedy money-grab entirely,” Gordon said. “Finally, we want to send out our best to our many neighbors and friends [whose] businesses were destroyed by paid parking like Busara, The Bike Lane, Neyla, M&S Grill, Appalachian Springs, Origins and many, many more to come.”
Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls will open in the cupcakery’s former location.
Photo by Fatimah Waseem
A peek inside Reston’s trauma center — Take a look at how experts and employees at Reston Hospital Center’s trauma center work together to help seriously injured patients. [WUSA 9]
The DMV on wheels — The DMV2GO wireless office will be at the main pavilion in Reston Town Center today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to offer services ranging from driver’s license renewals to license plate applications. [Reston Town Center]
‘Trends in TV Viewing’ presentation tonight — “Allan Hide from Fairfax County’s Department of Consumer and Cable Services will cover “enabling devices” (including Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick, Blu-ray players, and game consoles) required to access streaming and online TV services. He will also share tips on ways to lower your cable bills.” [Reston Regional Library]
Stateside: Police investigate death of inmate — “Police say they are investigating the death of a 68-year-old inmate in Virginia. The Washington Post reports the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center inmate was found unconscious in his cell Wednesday morning. Police say preliminarily, there are no signs of foul play.” [WTOP]
Flickr pool photo by vantagehill
Attention, food lovers: Taste of Reston, the area’s largest outdoor food festival, is coming to Reston Town Center on June 15 and 16.
The event features samplings from the region’s eateries, live music, beer and wine gardens and a family fun zone. Admission is free, but tickets for tastings can be purchased online or on the day of the event.
Garage parking will remain free throughout the event, which runs from Friday, June 15 from 3-11 p.m. and on Saturday, June 16 from noon to 11 p.m.
The event is produced by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce and was voted as the best food festival of Northern Virginia by Virginia Living last year.
Participating restaurants include Agora Restaurant, Choolah Indian BBQ, Founding Farmers Reston, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant and Trader Joe’s.
Live entertainment will take place in several areas: the main pavilion, which will include regional bands; Library Street stage, which offers interactive entertainment for kids; and the Explorer Street Local & Live Lounge, which will feature acoustic artists.
Volunteers can sign-up online.
Photo by Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce
PassionFish, a seafood restaurant in Reston Town Center, will be closed next week for renovations.
The restaurant, which is located at 11960 Democracy Drive, will offer discounted menu items on Sunday. The closure begins on Memorial Day and the store should be open by June 5.
Earlier this month, the restaurant began offering free complimentary valet parking for dinner guests on a nightly basis.
“We are still hearing from people who refused to come due to complications of the new parking and we are hoping this will provide a solution for diners at PassionFish,” said Jaclyn Benton, banquet coordinator at PassionFish.
Photo via Passion Fish/Twitter
Busara Thai Restaurant (11964 Market Street) has permanently closed its Reston Town Center location.
The restaurant, which served up authentic Thai cuisine, closed on Saturday, May 19, ending 13 years of business in Reston’s urban core.
An employee with the restaurant told Reston Now the decision was driven by the shift from free to paid parking in Reston Town Center.
“Revenue just went down the drain,” the employee said. The owner was not immediately available for comment.
A representative for Boston Properties said a new tenant has not yet been identified. The restaurant has one other location at 8142 Watson Street in McLean.
Photos by Fatimah Waseem
Reston Town Center was turned into an extensive gallery, performing arts stage, and crafts area as the 27th annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival came to town on Friday through Sunday.
More than 200 juried artists from across the country had booths at the festival, which is one of RTC’s biggest events of the year.
Photos by Charlotte Geary
The College Board is expanding its offices in Reston Town Center and adding 120 new jobs with the help of a $750,000 state grant.
The nonprofit organization, which administers the SAT and other college exams, has more than 600 employees at its Reston headquarters (11955 Democracy Drive). The company has one other main office is in New York City, along with several regional offices.
“Fairfax County has been a great home for The College Board,” wrote Jeremy Singer, the chief operating officer at The College Board, in a statement. “Our team in Reston will continue to play a critical role in our efforts to a clear a path for students in Virginia and across the country to own their futures.”
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority worked with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership to secure the project. Grant funding came from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund.
The company has added 74,000 square feet to its current offices in Reston.
Photo via Google Maps
Reston Concerts on the Town, a weekly free summer concerts series at Reston Center, is back for its 28th year. The event, which includes concerts from June 2 through August 25 on Saturdays from 7:30-10 p.m., features local and national acts.
Parking is free and the event is made possible by a grant from Reston Town Center Association and support from Boston Properties, RTC’s owner.
The 2018 lineup is available online.
A number of new performers include the Blues Beatles, a blues band based in Brazil; Good Shot Judy, a band that performs swing and jazz; the T Sisters, a trio of sisters from California who have formed an acoustic band; and the U.S. Navy Sea Chanters, the U.S. Navy’s official chorus.
Returning favorites, as described by organizers, include:
- Leonard, Coleman & Blunt—The former lead singers of The Temptations, The Platters & The Drifters and their big band will take you on a musical journey of your favorite Motown and doo-wop hits. They’ll kick off the series on June 2.
- Scythian – These raucous roots-rockers blend Celtic and klezmer for a high-energy, dynamic show. Come see these world-class fiddlers rock Reston on July 14.
- Local jazz favorite Chuck Redd returns on June 23 with very special guests: jazz harmonica virtuoso Hendrik Muerkens, renowned trumpeter/vocalist Byron Stripling (played Satchmo on national tour) and bassist/vocalist Nicki Parrott
- Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band—This Louisiana-based Grammy-winning zydeco band will shake things up on August 4.
- Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.–This 2011 winner of America’s Got Talent, went from car washer to jazz superstar. Back by popular demand, Landau and his big band close out the series on August 25.
Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and picnics to the concerts. The event takes place in RTC’s pavilion (11900 Market Street).
Photos via Reston Concerts on the Town
A developer is seeking to build a 128,000-square-foot multifamily residential building on the north side of Dominion Parkway.
According to plans submitted to the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning on May 14, the multifamily building is planned between the Winwood Children’s Center and the Paramount condominiums on Fountain Drive.
Preliminary plans include 59 multifamily dwelling units, serving roughly 124 people, on the 0.8-acre site. The developer, NS Reston LLC, also plans to build a three-level underground garage with 131 spaces and six surface parking spaces near the main entrance of the property.
“The proposed multifamily building will be an attractive addition to the perimeter of the Town Center Urban Core and provide additional residential units to reinforce the live, work, play environment of the Town Center and the surrounding area,” wrote John McGranahan Jr, who represents the applicant.
Proposed amenities include a rooftop terrace with a swimming pool and 0.25 acres — thirty percent of the property — will remain as open space.
Access to the property is planned from two entrances along New Dominion Parkway. The application has also requested a waiver to reduce the number of required loading spaces from three to two.
The application has not yet been accepted for formal review by the county, said Brian Worthy, a spokesman for Fairfax County government. Once accepted, applications are scheduled for public hearings and other steps of the planning and zoning process.
Photos via Google Maps
The Justice Department and the Virginia attorney general’s office are joining a whistleblower’s lawsuit that accuses a subcontractor of intentionally using defective concrete for the $2.7 billion Silver Line project.
In 2016, Nathan Davidheiser, the whistleblower, filed the lawsuit against Universal Concrete Products Corp., alleging the company urged him to falsify records when concrete failed quality testing. Results showed concrete was prone to cracking and water erosion, according to the lawsuit.
The documents in the case, which include text messages ordering falsification of data, were unsealed Wednesday.
“Make something up and make sure it’s a good number,” one supervisor said, according to the lawsuit.
Davidheiser worked as a lab technician for Universal Concrete, which has a contract for the Silver Line project worth $4 million, according to the lawsuit.
Last month, the Silver Line project came under fire after it was revealed that major concrete issues in thousands of locations. Metro officials said they plan to coat panels every decade to boost their durability, an added cost that would be shouldered by the contractor.
Photo by Fatimah Waseem
Calling all pets and pets owners: The Pet Fiesta is coming to Reston Town Center on Saturday, May 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m..
Sponsored by RTC and NOVADog Magazine, the outdoor festival brings together business, rescue groups and pet owners for activities and demonstrations. The event, which is open to all, also includes face painting and onstage entertainment. Animals will also be available for adoption.
This year, a dog walk around Reston Town Center and the Washington & Old Dominion Trail was cancelled due to a lack of registrants.
Volunteers can sign up online. More information is available online.
The event benefits GoodDogz, a non-profit organization that aims to educate future dog owners on dog selection and supports rescue groups.
Photo via Gooddogz.org
Boston Properties is ready to kickstart the first phase of Reston Gateway, 22-acre site next to the future Reston Town Center Metro Station, a company executive said.
During the company’s quarterly earnings conference call Wednesday, BXP Chief Executive Officer Owen Thomas lauded a recent lease signed with Fannie Mae for the mixed use project. Fannie Mae will anchor two office building in the project, which also includes 3.5 million square feet of development.
The new mixed use project is designed to complement “the amenity base and community environment of the highly successful Reston Town Center,” Thomas said.
Fannie Mae plans to occupy the building in the first quarter of 2022. A mid-sized hotel, more than 600,000 square feet of residential development and 90,000 square feet of ground floor retail is planned on the site.
BXP President Doug Linde said he was pleased by the strength of Reston Town Center, which he called “a magnet for private sector contractors and technology tenants.”
“We have recently signed two expansion and extension deals with technology tenants for 112,000 square feet. One tenant grew 30% and the other grew 40 percent. And we are negotiating a third expansion and extension this time growing 115,000 square feet tenant to a 160,000 square feet. We are also in early renewal discussions with tenants for more than 300,000 square feet of space,” Linde said.
The company opened the Signature, a residential high-rise in Reston Town Center, in January.
So far, 11 percent of residential units or 86 of the 508 units are leased, Linde said.
Overall, the real estate investment trust reported an income of $176 million, up from $97 million this time last year.
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If you’re a pedestrian, you probably know to look left, right and left again before crossing the street — at least in theory.
In some parts of Reston Town Center, some pedestrians might be adding another unconventional step: waving a flailing yellow flag.
According to the local blog Restonian, signage near the Hyatt Parking Garage indicates a crosswalk pilot program has begun at the edge of Reston Town Center.
Instructions encourage pedestrians to grab a yellow flag from the edge of the crosswalk and wave it until approaching vehicles come to a complete stop, according to the news blog.
Signs caution that the flags are “just a safety tool” and that “pedestrians are reminded to look both ways, make eye contact with the driver and exercise caution before entering all crosswalks.”
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The big boom — Big change is taking place in formerly quiet places. Reston is on the list of places where dramatic transformations — and price hikes — are coming. [Washingtonian]
A full plate — Reston Association’s Design Review Board will consider several major projects during today’s 7 p.m. meeting including an art spillway project by local students and upgrades to South Lakes Village Center. [RA]
Post-election analysis — RA’s elections committee is also set to meet this evening to discuss improvements to the elections process. [RA]
Balducci’s is coming soon — The food lover’s market is expected to open sometime in May in Reston Town Center. [Balducci’s]
Photo by Lauren Pinkston
