The Fairfax County Planning Commission has recommended for approval Pulte Homes’ plan to rezone a one-story industrial building into 44 residences at 1825 Michael Faraday Court near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.
After a planning staff report recommended denying the application and the commission held a public hearing last week, the panel delayed making a decision until Wednesday.
Hunter Mill planning commissioner Frank de le Fe said he still had some issues with the plan for the Lofts at Reston Station — which jams 12 2-over-2 townhouses and 32 multifamily units into fewer than two acres of land.
The staff report asked the developer that a few units be removed to allow greater ease of movement and parking for emergency vehicles and trash trucks.
Pulte said that removing units would affect the number of homes set aside for workforce housing, de le Fe said.
“I really don’t like to go against staff on this,” de le Fe said Wednesday. “While not perfect, [the application] represents compromise. In this case, the compromise centers around design for two units at the end. If we did not keep them, the applicant has made it clear it would be difficult if not impossible to meet WDUs [Workforce Dwelling Units set aside for a lower price] with three bedrooms. WDUs are very necessary.”
The plan will next go to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for final approval.
The parcel is about one-third of a mile from the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station, and will eventually be connected by interior streets, including an extension of Reston Station Blvd, plans show.
The staff report also takes issue with the configuration of open space; the amount of surface parking (27 spaces, which they say should be in structured parking); a poorly designed pocket park; and lack of landscaping in connecting to public space.
Rendering of multifamily building along future Reston Station Blvd at Michael Faraday Drive/Credit: Fairfax County
Another multifamily project is closer to approval for the area south of the Wiehle-Reston East Metro.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended for approval Thursday Lincoln Property Company’s plans to build 260 multifamily residences on what is now a parking lot at Sunrise Valley, Commerce Park and Association drives.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission held a public hearing Sept. 23, but delayed decision until a few proffer conditions could be worked out.
The developer has now committed to a contribution at the highest level of the scale ($2200) per unit to go to the Reston Road Fund — which will be used to help make more than $2.6 billion in transportation improvements here over several decades. The developer also agreed to work out issues with building a sidewalk on Association Drive and a possible additional contribution to the Fairfax County Park Authority.
The park authority issue came about because the proposed plan is very urban in nature, with limited open space (about one-third of an acre) that will be used as small pocket parks. The lack of room for active play should be offset with $50,000 more towards county athletic fields. The developer has offered $25,000, in addition to $462,852 it has already committed for fields.
Lincoln Property’s project is a seven-story building with trails connecting bikers and walkers to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. The plans call for a pool and a natural play area, among other amenities.
Read more details in the county planning staff report.
The project is adjacent to Vornado’s large plan to transform more office buildings nearby. Phase I of that plan, to build a 200-unit multifamily building, was reviewed by the planning commission Wednesday, but the PC deferred decision on the project until Oct. 6.
The Vornado development will eventually be 1.5 million square feet of mixed-use development featuring the existing office buildings, two residential buildings (one of them 24 stories); a 22-story office tower; a retail promenade; a hotel; and five parks.
The Lincoln plan now moves on to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for final approval. A date for that hearing has not been set.
Rendering of Lincoln Property Company’s multifamily building at Commerce Park/Credit: Fairfax County.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission deferred a decision until next week on the first phase of redevelopment of Commerce Executive Park on the south side of the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.
The first phase of Vornado’s plan calls for a 200-unit residential building, as well as interior roads, pedestrian paths and a cycle track. Eventually, the plan is to redevelop the existing office buildings into 1.5 million square feet of mixed-use development at Wiehle Avnue Sunrise Valley Drive and the Dulles Toll Road.
The planning commission held a public hearing last night, but deferred decision until Oct. 6.
Only one person, John Hawthorne, an attorney representing IGS LLC, the owner of a nearby office building, testified at the public hearing. He said this development would cause undue hardship and injury to IGS because of the office park’s private roads and infringement on that owner’s private property. He also spoke out with the same issues last week at the public hearing on Lincoln Property’s residential project on the other side of his building.
Over the next two weekends crews will complete maintenance and improvements to the Reston North/Wiehle Avenue park-and-ride lot.
That’s the long,skinny lot near the intersection of Sunset Hills Road and Isaac Newton Square.
Here is the schedule, weather permitting:
- This weekend (Aug. 27 and 28), crews will rope off sections of the lot to cut vegetation for better parking and aisle access.
- The lot will be closed entirely from 5 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3 through 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 5 in order to refresh pavement markings and make signage improvements.
About 35 new signs will be installed, with existing signs replaced, removed or relocated to designate legal and illegal parking, the Virginia Department of Transportation said in a release.
The lot will also be increasing its capacity. Pavement markings throughout the lot will be refreshed, with some reconfigured to add six additional spaces. The new lot capacity will be 340.
The lot formerly served as parking for buses that would take commuters to Metro Stations at Vienna and West Falls Church. It now serves as free parking for the 300+ commuters who arrive early enough to find a space there instead of in the pay ($4.85 daily) garage adjacent to the 3,000-space Wiehle-Reston East station. It sees few cars on weekends as parking in the garages is free on those days.
Photo courtesy VDOT
Crowded cars. Waits of up to a half hour at the Wiehle-Reston East station. Clogged roads.
Welcome to the first workday of the first Metro Safety Surge, where Metro shuts or significantly alters service on a section of the system in order to make repairs.
Riders on Silver and Orange Line trains will be affected by track and other safety work through June 16.
While Metro warned in advance that trains would run every 18 minutes, social media statuses showed that waits were much longer for some riders.
Others who opted to drive to work reported clogged major roads.
Metro officials will brief the media this afternoon about how things went on Day 1. Metro says entries west of Ballston were down 26 percent as riders sought other ways to get to work (or telecommute). About 1,000 fewer riders (3,924 compared to 5,002) than on a typical Monday boarded at Wiehle-Reston East, Metro said.
Metro will hold 15 of these Safety Surges over the next 10 months as it undertakes much-needed repairs on an accelerated schedule
Photo: Waiting for a train at Wiehle-Reston East June 6/Credit: Chris Pyburn via Twitter
A large swath of land close to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station may join the growing list of development projects in Reston.
According to the Washington Business Journal, Fraser Forbes Real Estate Services is marketing 23-acres south of the Dulles Toll Road to potential developers.
The land currently houses a collection of low-rise office buildings on and around Association Drive off of Sunrise Valley to Wiehle Avenue and backing to the Toll Road.
The area owned by eight different property owners, the WBJ reports. Fraser Forbes is marketing the site as the potential for up to 3 million square feet of mixed-use development.
“This group had been interested in doing something for a couple of years, it’s just taken this long for it to come together,” Fraser Forbes CEO Rich Samit told the WBJ.
“We ultimately don’t know what the specific mix will be, but we have a pretty big canvas to work with and ultimately it’s what’s in the eye of the beholder — it’s going to be market driven.”
Samit estimates the combined properties will sell for in excess of $100 million.
Samit said the site has a range of potential development scenarios, including as a town center with several hundred thousand square feet of retail and a variety of for-sale housing, office or potentially hotel uses.
An extension of Soapstone Drive is planned to eventually pass right through Association Drive. This will offer an additional crossing of the toll road and alleviate traffic on Reston Parkway, Wiehle Avenue and other main roads. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the project in 2014, but it is many years away from being built. A community update meeting is planned for June 15.
Other planned projects nearby along Sunrise Valley include turning an office park at Sunrise Valley and Commerce Park Drive near the Metro Station’s south entrance into 500 residential units, a 175-room hotel, 400,000-square-feet of office and office and ground-floor retail.
Also on the docket: Sekas Homes‘ plan to turn the former American Press Institute buildings into townhomes; JBG’s expansion of Reston Heights; Lincoln at Commerce Park, which plans a 260-unit residential building on the same stretch of Sunrise Valley; and 49 urban-style townhouses at 11720 Sunrise Valley Dr. across from Reston National Golf Course.
Fairfax County Police said they issued 30 citations around the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station Wednesday morning as part of their “Street Smart” pedestrian and bike safety campaign.
Fairfax County Police Department have teamed with “Street Smart,” an annual public education campaign, to promote traffic safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists through education, enforcement and awareness.
In weeks prior to the special enforcement event, the Street Smart team was on foot around the Wiehle-Reston Metro station. Officers wore bright yellow shirts and handed out educational materials while wearing billboards.
On Wednesday, a large traffic sign was placed near the metro station to alert that special enforcement efforts were taking place. Officers then conducted special, high-visibility enforcement in the areas surrounding multiple pedestrian control devices (e.g. crosswalks and electronic signs).
Fairfax County Police Officers observed and cited 30 traffic safety violations for illegal actions that included failing to yield right-of-way to pedestrians legally crossing; pedestrians crossing against signal; turning right on red where posted prohibited; and illegally stopping on roadways and in travel lanes to discharge passengers. and more
Police said citations were issued to both pedestrians and motorists.
One of the entrances to the parking garage at the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station will be closed for two weeks beginning on Monday, May 2, in order for crews to install a fan.
The closure affects the Reston Station Boulevard entrance (the first left) into the garage.
Customers who use the Park-and-Ride facility should enter and depart the Metro station from the primary entrance located next to the Kiss-and-Ride entrance.
With timed lights and a backup accessing Kiss-and-Ride at peak hours, this also may cause some headaches for commuters.
Fairfax County says the fan installation should be complete by May 15.
Fairfax Connector routes will not be affected by the ramp closure at the auxiliary Park-and-Ride entrance on Reston Station Boulevard, and Fairfax Connector riders should not anticipate any delays.
Map courtesy of Fairfax County
Another residential building is being planned for the area around the Wiehle-Reston Metro Station.
Wiehle Station Venures LLC, has filed rezoning and development plans for Lincoln Commerce Park at Commerce Park Drive, Association Drive and Sunrise Valley Drive.
The application seeks to develop a surface parking lot and turn it into 260 residential units across the street from the Sunrise Valley convenience center, and, beyond that, Reston National Golf Course.
The property is also close to Soapstone Drive, where a future 
toll road crossing is planned.
A portion of the property (approximately 1.99 acres) will remain Industrial District I-3 and provide parking for the condo office building.
The developer is seeking a special exception to to permit commercial off-street parking to serve the office condo building.
The Planning Commission public hearing is scheduled for May 12.
This is one of several potential developments located south of the Dulles Toll Road.
Among the others in the works (mostly still in the first steps of development applications):
Major development Commerce Park, which is adjacent to the Lincoln Commerce Park project.
That plan calls for 500 residential units, a hotel, office and retail. CESC Commerce Executive Park, L.L.C. has a rezoning/final development plan, concurrent with special exception amendment for 1850 Centennial Park Drive, 11400 Commerce Park Drive, and 11440 Commerce Park Drive to rezone from light industrial to Planned Development Commercial to permit the development of the multifamily buildings, as well as the 175-room hotel, a 400,000-square-foot office building and additional retail.
Two existing office buildings will be retained (totaling 356,496 square
feet). The Application also includes an option to convert the proposed hotel to multifamily residential, and the proposed new office building to multifamily residential and/or hotel.
A plan by Sekas Homes for 37 townhomes on the site of the former American Press Institute building
JBG’s application for building 504 residential units and other development at 1831 Wiehle Ave., currently an office building.
Farther down Sunrise Valley, Reston Heights’ second phase of development is underway. That development by JBG — called VY at Reston Heights — will have 498 residential units in mid-rise buildings and a 10-story building that mixes office space, parking and retail space.
Metro officials said they have successfully cleared snow and ice from train rails, which means the Silver Line will be back in service Wednesday morning.
Trains began running at 5 a.m. All other rail lines are open as well.
Metro officials had announced late Tuesday afternoon that they were still unsure about the Silver Line’s status for Wednesday.
Trains will operate every 8 minutes between Wiehle-Reston East and Largo Town Center stations. In the downtown core of the system where stations are served by multiple lines, trains will serve stations about every 4 minutes.
Fairfax County Police say there is no evidence that an increase in the number of robberies in the Reston area this year is due to the opening of Metro’s Silver Line in Reston 15 months ago.
Last week, Capt. Ron Manzo, commander of the Reston District Station, told Reston Association’s Board of Directors that there had been a 100-percent increase in robberies compared to this point in 2014. The number has increased from 16 to 32.
Several Reston Now readers commented both on the article and on Reston Now’s Facebook page that Metro must be the reason for the increase.
Katy DeFoe, the Reston District Station’s Crime Prevention Specialist, said none of the robberies Capt. Manzo spoke about happened within a quarter-mile of Wiehle-Reston East. There was a robbery nearby on Roger Bacon Drive on Oct. 24, however.
DeFoe says the number of robberies includes nine commercial/bank robberies, including two bank robberies in the last two weeks. Neither bank was in the immediate vicinity of Wiehle-Reston East.
Of the 32 robberies, there have been seven arrests. All suspects arrested had a local (Fairfax County) address, said DeFoe.
DeFoe credits the rise in the number of robberies to a rise in reporting of crimes.
“I am not sure the number of incidents has gone up,” she said. “It is just being reported more. We have done a lot of work to get people to report to us.”
Overall crime is down 3 percent in the Reston District, said DeFoe.
Fairfax County Police Chief Ed Roessler told Reston Now in 2014 that combining an increased population with urban-style gathering spots does increase the chances for crime. But it doesn’t mean it has to increase actual crime rates — especially as Wiehle-Reston East stands now, where there is currently little development right at the Metro station.
Offloading. Trains out of service. Delays. Complaints about the Wiehle-Reston East Kiss-and-Ride.
Just another morning on Metro these days. Fifteen months after the Silver Line opened in Reston, it seems many daily commuters have joined the chorus all over the DC area bemoaning the many rail service issues.
There has been no shortage of headlines lately about problems with the Metrorail system, not to mention real-time tweets of frustration during rush hour. A Metro riders union has also recently formed.
Metro says it’s trying to catch up, but even the maintenance is causing problems. This weekend alone, “reconstruction of the Metrorail system” will result in “service adjustments” on every line other than the Green Line. The Orange, Silver, Blue, Yellow and Red lines will all see 24 minute lags between trains.
Metro acknowledged last week that service breakdowns may be responsible for steadily decreasing ridership.
The rail system also announced Thursday it has formed Amplify, a “customer community” where riders can share opinions and help shape the direction of Metro, WMATA said in a statement.
Are you sticking with Metro or are you driving to work more often this year as a result of less reliable service? Take our poll and tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Photo: August Metro offloading at Arlington Cemetery/Credit: Katie Watson via Twitter
Metro’s Silver Line is turning one July 26.
In honor of the anniversary, the Silver Line Express is offering free rides to Washington Dulles International Airport on Sunday and Monday.
The ride from Wiehle-Reston East to Dulles usually costs $5 each way.
Metro says more than 272,000 riders have used the bus service since it began on July 26, 2014. That is an 80-percent increase over previous service that ran between the airport and the East Falls Church Metro Station.
“This special promotion of free rides marks one year of enhanced passenger experience for travelers to and from Dulles International on the Silver Line Express bus,” Airports Authority Deputy Vice President for Planning and Revenue Development Chryssa Westerlund said in a release. “Dulles is the gateway to the world, and we are marketing the Silver Line Express bus to make sure travelers are aware that, with this service, the world is easier to get to than ever.”
The Silver Line Express operates every 15 minutes during weekday peak hours and every 20 minutes off-peak between Dulles the parking garage at the Wiehle-Reston East.
For schedules, maps and additional information visit the Silver Line Express website.
Phase 2 of the Silver Line, expected to be completed in early 2019, will take passengers all the way to Dulles, as well as stops in Loudoun County.
After a delayed Metro commute (backups all along the Orange, Silver and Blue lines) Tuesday night, some commuters trying to leave Wiehle-Reston East’s parking garage and Kiss-and-Ride lane found themselves with nearly an hour wait.
There is a short light that controls traffic to leave the Kiss-and-Ride area and the parking garage. Many commuters have complained that the wait is frustrating.
“Forty minutes to to exit the Reston Metro Parking lot is unacceptable,” one driver said on Twitter Tuesday.
Said another: “The delay here alone makes it faster to drive.”
Garage officials say they are listening.
Wednesday morning commuters noticed there was a person directing traffic to get into the 3,300-space parking garage.
Comstock owns the garage in a public-private partnership with Fairfax County. Comstock spokeswoman Maggie Parker said Wednesday they are working on the traffic flow.
“Fairfax County and Comstock have been working with the timing to improve egress from the Kiss and Ride,” Parker said in an email. “It was reset last Thursday and appears to have improved the situation. A new camera detection system is being installed. Once in operation, the system will go to dynamic timing.”
How was your experience at Wiehle-Reston East on Wednesday? Tell us in the comments.
Beware of backups on Wiehle Avenue near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station through Friday.
Fairfax County officials are reporting a short cycle for the traffic lights at Wiehle and Reston Station Boulevard.
That is affected traffic both trying to leave the station area and access it Thursday morning.
Officials said repairs to the lights are expected on Friday.
