Now available for free download: ParkRTC, an app you are going to need in a few weeks.
Reston Town Center is planning to begin paid parking in its seven garages on Aug. 1. It is encouraging town center visitors to get the free app from Apple or Google Play.
The app, which RTC owners Boston Properties calls a “significant enhancement” for customers, will store your credit card info and will be able to automatically pay for parking, which will cost $2 an hour on weekdays, say Reston Town Center representatives. Weekends, holidays and special events will remain free.
According to Reston Town Center’s FAQs on the subject:
“Reston Town Center has invested in this state of the art, virtual system which will allow you to quickly arrive at your destination and return to your car simply by entering a few digits on your mobile device. The ticketless parking system is based on license plate recognition, making it easier for you to enter and exit Reston Town Center.
A parking guidance system which uses red and green LED-based space indicators and electronic display boards will also guide you to available parking spaces.” Read More
PR Barbers, one of several men’s grooming salons to open in Reston in the last year, will be moving to a new location.
The salon, currently located at 11944 Market St., will move to 1826 Discovery St. That storefront has been empty since the fall of 2014, when Yogiberry frozen yogurt closed.
The new space is both smaller and backs up to PR and Partners, PR Barbers’ sister store, at 119o2 Democracy Dr.
PR Barbers began as Joe Grooming, a full-service, high-end men’s salon, last October. It was the first brick-and-morter store for Joe Grooming, the McLean-based maker of men’s hair and grooming products.
By February, Joe Grooming was taken over by PR at Partners owner Reg Laws.
There is lots of new competition for men’s styling in Reston. Roosters men’s grooming opened on Market Street in April. There is also a new barber shop at North Point, as well as other longtime salon and barber options around town.
No word on when the move will take place or whether a new lease has been signed for the Market Street space.
Photo: PR Barbers’ current spot on Market Street/PR Barbers via Facebook
The FedEx Office location at Reston Town Center is moving a couple blocks away.
FedEx Office, current located at 11811 Freedom Dr., has filed permits to renovate 11904 Market St. The Market Street address is currently home to Davelle Clothiers.
Davelle, meanwhile, is moving to a new space in the same building. The storefront will face the parking garages rather than the Mercury Fountain.
Fed Ex’s move is the latest in a series of vacancies near Market Street/Presidents Street as it prepares for demolition.
The AT&T Store on that part of Market Street recently moved to Library Street at Reston Town Center, and Brighton Collectibles closed its doors in May.
Boston Properties plans to construct a 17-story office building with ground-floor retail and underground parking at Market and Presidents Streets.
The redevelopment was approved last year. A Boston Properties spokesman said the start date for the project has not yet been determined.
Photo: FedEx Office at Reston Town Center/Credit: Joe Bissmeyer
The Washington, DC area comes in second only to New York City in walkability, according to a study by The Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis at The George Washington University School of Business.
The report even gives Reston a shoutout for creating a walkable suburban area from where there was only farmland years ago.
The study looked at the 60 largest walkable urban areas — WalkUPs to the study authors — and found a trend:
“For perhaps the first time in 60 years, walkable urban places (WalkUPs) in all 30 of the largest metros are gaining market share over their drivable sub-urban competition — and showing substantially higher rental premiums,” says “Foot Traffic Ahead: Ranking Walkable Urbanism in America’s Largest Metros.”
“This research shows that metros with the highest levels of walkable urbanism are also the most educated and wealthy (as measured by GDP per capita) — and, surprisingly, the most socially equitable.”
The authors point out eight types of WalkUp categories — Downtown, Downtown Adjacent, and Innovation Centers among them.
They break down the suburbs as Suburban Town Centers (formerly older small towns that became part of the suburbs), Redeveloped Drivable Suburban (such as Tysons Corner), and finally, Greenfield or Brownfield, where WalkUPs developed on undeveloped land or reclaimed land (such as Reston Town Center, which was once, indeed, a green field).
The study points out that in two of the top-three-ranked walkable urban metros, Boston and Washington, DC, half of the occupied WalkUP space is located in suburban jurisdictions.
“This development pattern makes Boston and Washington, DC, more likely models for future walkable urban development,” the study says.
The DC area also comes in second to New York in the study’s social equity ranking, meaning “metro areas with the highest walkable urban rankings have the highest social equity performance, as measured by moderate-income household spending on housing and transportation and access to employment. “
“Of the top-ten metro regions ranked by social equity, eight also ranked in the the top ten for current walkable urbanism,” say the study authors. “The most walkable urban metros also have the most social equity.”
“Moderate-income households in the high-ranked walkable urban metros have (1) the lowest transportation costs due to having less expensive alternatives to evermore-costly cars and trucks, and (2) have greater employment accessibility due to increased density and transit accessibility to these jobs. These two measures balance the higher costs of housing in the most walkable urban metros.”
See the entire report on Smart Growth America’s website.
It is about six weeks until paid parking will go into effect at Reston Town Center.
Visitors will have to pay $2 an hour on weekdays — weekends will still be free — and some stores and restaurants say they will validate for at least a few hours of free parking. Still, hundreds of Reston-area residents say they will stay away just on principle.
Many store owners, particularly those who run locally owned businesses, are concerned with what a downturn in customers, combined with validated parking eating into profits, will do to the bottom line.
They should look towards Montgomery County as a cautionary tale.
Last week, downtown Rockville Town Square business owners told Rockville City Council members that parking spaces requiring payment are to blame for their declining sales. Unless something changes, “you’re going to have a lot of boarded up businesses,” the owner of the Ben & Jerry’s franchise said and Bethesda Magazine reported.
Rockville Town Square is a mixed-use destination — retail, as well as an arts center and public library, among others — that charges $2 an hour for parking seven days a week. However, stores validate for two hours of free parking with purchase. Read More
The Taste of Reston — the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce’s annual celebration of all things food and drink — returns to Reston Town Center Friday and Saturday.
Market Street will become a smorgasbord of food options and the Reston Town Center Pavilion area will become a lively beer garden at the two-day event.
Here’s a preview of what’s on the menu:
- American Tap Room
BBQ Pork Sliders - Big Bowl
Chicken Pot Stickers - Buffalo Wing Factory
Wings - Delsur Baked Goods
Saltado - GreenFare Cafe
African Vegetables & Thai Quinoa & Cauliflower Mash - Gregorio’s Trattoria
Meatball sliders - M&S Grill
Crab Taster Totters - McCormick and Schmick’s
Crab Cake Sandwich - Mon Ami Gabi/ Community Canteen
Tomato and Blue Cheese Salad/ Dog Bones - Nomini Bay Oyster Ranch
Charbroiled and raw oysters - Not Your Average Joes
Grilled Pork Tenderloin - Neyla Mediterranean Bistro
Chips & Mohammara dip - Obi Sushi
Shrimp Teriyaki Roll - Paradise Catering
Funnel Cake - Paradise Catering
Chicken, Beef, and Shrimp Kabobs - Pitango Gelato
Gelato - Robeks Fruit Smoothies
Strawberry smoothies - Tavern 64 Regional Kitchen
Bahn Mi BBQ Pulled Pork - The Melting Pot
Chocolate Covered Strawberries - Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro
Smoked Berkshire Pork Belly - Udon Food
Fried Rice Vegetables
Of course, beer, wine and live entertainment are also a big part of the festival, which runs from 3 to 11 p.m. on Friday and noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday.
Alcohol will be sold in the pavilion and on trucks on Library Street, as well as in the Taste of Reston lounge. Bud Light; Devil’s Backbone; Shock Top Belgian Wheat; Stella Artois; as well as four craft brews. A selection of wines from The Wine Cabinet will also be available.
Live entertainment will take place on four stages, including a family fun zone for the kinds. Check out the schedule.
Note: There are no carnival rides as in past years due to construction at the surface lot, ordinarily the site of the rides and games.
Admission is free, but tickets are needs for food and drinks. You can buy tickets on site or online in advance. Parking is also free in RTC’s seven garages.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue crews rushed to Midtown Condominiums at Reston Town Center Sunday after an underground transformer sparked.
While smoke was visible from street grates, there were no visible flames despite the two-alarm call that brought more than a dozen fire trucks to scene at 11990 Market St. shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday.
Power was out in the building, and most residents (as well as employees of Subway and Roosters on the ground floor) self evacuated.
Market Street, Explorer Street and the area around Reston Town Square Park were blocked off until about 2 p.m.
Residents said they were back in the building with generator power Sunday afternoon.
There is family fun this weekend at both of Reston’s large gathering places.
Chalk on the Water, Lake Anne’s third annual chalk art festival, is Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lake Anne Plaza.
All ages are invited to sign up for remaining spaces and create chalk murals on the bricks of the plaza. Everyone is also invited to just browse the street art.
Register on Chalk on the Water’s website. Plots start at $10.
Participants have a chance to win cash prizes for various categories, awarded by community judges. Funds raised from the festival will be donated to the Initiative for Public Art Reston.
Sunday at Reston Town Center is for all things yoga. The eighth annual Love Your Body Yoga Festival will feature free yoga classes from a variety of local teachers from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will also be classes for kids in a separate tent, and a marketplace for vendors.
New to the festival this year is a Farm to Table tent, where local farmers, distributors and food artisans will prepare and offer healthy food. Among the vendors:
- Second Spring Farm – ecologically grown vegetables
- Golden Valley Guernseys – premium raw Guernsey milk
- Prior Unity Garden – garden design, installation, classes
- LivingClean with Paula – growing sprouts & microgreens
- 100 Bowls of Soup – nourishing soup & stock
- EatLuv – handcrafted clarified butter
- Fairfax County Farmers Markets – 11 weekly markets
Photo: Chalk on the Water 2015
Coming soon to Reston Town Center: doggie playtime — as well as a few bunnies, lambs and other farm animals.
Reston Town Center will host special animal-focused events on Tuesdays and Wednesdays this summer. The animals will be fenced off in the pavilion.
Here’s what’s happening:
Dog Days of Summer, Wednesdays, July 6-Sept. 29, 4 to 7 p.m.
Dogs and owners can frolic in the RTC Pavilion as it is transformed into an off-leash play area. There will be treats, toys, areas to cool off, pet-friendly giveaways, and more. Free. Rain or Shine.
Zoosday, Tuesdays, July 5 through Sept. 27, 4 to 7 p.m.
Enjoy an award-winning animal and miniature animal petting zoo with hands-on, educational experiences. There will be kid-friendly giveaways plus activities like Legos and Play-Doh. Free. Rain or shine.
The Taste of Reston — the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce’s annual celebration of all things food and drink — returns to Reston Town Center next Friday and Saturday, June 17 and 18.
Market Street will become a smorgasbord of food options and the Reston Town Center will become a lively beer garden at the two-day event.
Here is what you need to know:
Taste of Reston hours are 3 to 11 p.m. on Friday and noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday.
Parking is free in Reston Town Center’s seven garages.
Admission is free, but tickets are needs for food and drinks. You can buy tickets on site or online in advance.
There will be a wide variety of dishes from your favorite restaurants, including Not Your Average Joe’s, Obi Sushi, Community Canteen, McCormick & Schmick’s and many more. See the list of food vendors on the event website.
There will be no shortage of beer and wine. Alcohol will be sold in the pavilion and on trucks on Library Street, as well as in the Taste of Reston lounge. Bud Light; Devil’s Backbone; Shock Top Belgian Wheat; Stella Artois; as well as four local craft brews. A selection of wines from The Wine Cabinet will also be available.
Live entertainment will take place on four stages, including a family fun zone for the kinds. Check out the schedule.
Volunteers are still needed. Check in to see if you and/or a team from your company can help.
Note: There are no carnival rides as in past years due to construction at the surface lot, ordinarily the site of the rides and games.
The Reston Town Center pavilion will be a place of peace, spirituality and stretching this Sunday.
That’s when the eighth annual Love Your Body Day festival returns to Reston, and the space will be a sea of mats as students of yoga and other spiritually focused practices take part in the all-day event.
Love Your Body Day is the brainchild of Maryam Ovissi, founder of Reston’s Beloved Yoga. the event also kicks off Virginia Yoga Week by inviting teachers from other studios to take part and share the experience with both experienced and new yogis.
Ovissi will kick off the first yoga event at the main stage (in the pavilion at 10 a.m. Sunday). Classes are free and for all levels. Donations for participation in specific classes will benefit Cornerstones.
Here is the main stage schedule:
- 10 – 11:15 a.m. Opening Flow with BelovedYoga
- 11:15- 11:45 a.m. Virginia Yoga Week & Yogaville
- 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Down Dog Yoga
- 12:15- 12:45 p.m. Blue Nectar
- 12:45 – 1:15 p.m. Raj Studio – Kundalini
- 1:15 – 1:45 p.m. Honest Soul
- 1:45 – 2:15 p.m. Yoga 4 All Bodies~ Iyengar
- 2:15 – 2:45 p.m. Pure Om
- 2:45 – 3:15 p.m. Easy Day
- 3:15 – 3:45 pm Lululemon Ambassador Flow
- 3:45 – 4:30 pm CommUNITY Kirtan
There will also be a children’s area nearby. Here is what is happening there:
- 10:00 – 10:25 a.m. Story Yoga (ages 2 to 8)
- 10:30 – 10:55 a.m. Kids Flow Yoga (ages 5 to 10)
- 11:00 – 11:25 a.m. Adaptive Yoga (all ages)
- 11:30 – 11:55 a.m. Stress-Buster Yoga for Teens (ages 12-18)
- 12:00 – 12:25 p.m. Family Yoga and Kirtan (all ages)
- 12:30 – 12:55 p.m. Kids’ Kundalini Yoga Adventure (Ages 3 to 10)
- 1:00 – 1:25 p.m. Partner Yoga (ages 4 to 10)
- 1:30-1:55 p.m. Garden Yoga (ages 4 to 10)
- 2:00 – 2:25 p.m. Dream Goals Class with Ivivva (ages 6 to 14)
- 2:30 – 2:55 p.m. Fun with YoKid (ages 5 to 10)
- 3:00 – 3:25 p.m. Art of Living
- 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. Laughter Yoga Party (all ages)
There will be live music (kirtan) and yoga discussions. See the Love Your Body website for the full schedule. There is also a vendor area with craft items, yoga-related products, healthy food and more for sale.
Love Your Body Festival/file photo
Roosters Men’s Grooming Center, the latest in a series of men’s salons to open in the past year in Reston, is now taking clients on Market Street at Reston Town Center.
The salon opened last month in a previously unfinished space at 11990 Market St., on the ground floor of Midtown Condominiums. Roosters joins PR Barbers, which opened last fall on Market Street, and North Point Barber Shop, new to North Point in May.
Roosters, a national franchise, is offering high-end grooming just for men, including hair cuts and “color camouflage,” beard trims, head shaving, hot towel shaves and more.
Roosters says it aims to combine the “charm and comfort of of an old school barbershop updated for the modern man.”
Some of the special offerings: Roosters Club Cut ($45); Signature 7-Step Facial Shave ($38); Head Shave ($45); and Camouflage (gray blending, $40).
Roosters’ hours are Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call (571) 325-2888 or visit Roosters website for an appointment.
One of Reston Town Center’s longest-running tenants is moving — but just to another location at RTC.
Davelle Clothiers, which has been located at 11904 Market St. for 25 years, will open a new space this summer. The new shop will be just across the lobby of the same building, and will face the parking garage rather than the fountain, Davelle management says.
The locally owned men’s clothing store is currently holding a moving sale, where all merchandise is 30 to 60 percent off.
When the store relocates later this summer, it will be into a larger space with much more offerings, says Davelle’s website. Look for a custom design studio, an expanded shoe department and refreshments, among other changes.
Wouldn’t it be fun if your dog can hit the bars with you?
Nova Pets Alive and World of Beer are hosting an event just for you and Fido.
Join them for Yappy Hour on Monday, June 6 from 3 to 7 p.m.
There will be beer, treats and fun while supporting Nova Pets Alive, a nonprofit that supports animals and their companions in Northern Virginia.
World of Beer is located at 1888 Explorer St. at Reston Town Center.
Can’t make it on June 6? Nova Pets Alive will also host Yappy Hour at World of Beer on July 4, Aug. 8 and Sept. 5.
Market Street will be lined with works by painters, sculptors, jewelry makers and other artists as the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival returns to Reston Town Center May 21 and 22 its 25th year.
More than 200 festival artists from across the nation have been selected by jurors to exhibit and sell their works.
Complete list of festival artists.
Among the artists: 28 artists from the D.C. metro region, including Reston-area artists Ann Barbieri, Laura Edwards, Dana Ann Scheurer, and Connie Slack.
Festival organizers say about 30,000 visitors are expected to check out the festival this year, though the forecast is for lots of rain on Saturday. Here is what you need to know:
Hours and Prices — The festival is open from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, and 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 22 at Reston Town Center, 11900 Market Street, Reston, VA 20190. A gate donation of $5 to GRACE is suggested and provides a festival program and dining certificates for local restaurants. Parking is free.
Launch Party — There will be a Festival Launch Party in the Reston Town Center Pavilion on Friday, May 20 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The party will feature fun food and beverages and a silent auction. Tickets are limited, so purchase soon if you want to attend. Tickets are $100 each and can be purchased online. Read More
