Fairfax County officials’ concerns about safety dominated the county board’s latest discussions about phase two of the Silver Line project.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority reportedly wants to open the six-station second phase from Wiehle-Reston East to Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn next July. 

Mark Canale from the Fairfax County Department of Transportation provided the Board of Supervisors with an update on the project today (Tuesday) at the Transportation Committee meeting.

Currently, dynamic testing and safe breaking testing are taking place for the project, he said.

Canale said that there are “four issues that are ongoing right now.” The issues include problems with concrete and leveling.

This isn’t the first time the project has run into problems. Earlier this year, defective concrete rail ties put the tracks out of alignment.

“This is a big project and an important project,” Chairman Sharon Bulova said. “I think it’s absolutely critical that when something is not getting done correctly, that we don’t brush over it and that we hold the contractors’ feet to the fire.”

Braddock District Supervisor John Cook said that the safety concerns should be taken seriously. “It will kill us,” he said.

Cook stressed that he wants transparency and honestly around the issues so that they can get fixed.

“It’s pretty bad when your concrete doesn’t work,” Cook said. “That’s a bad thing.”

In addition to the issues facing the project, Canale said that riders can expect several weekend closures at the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station in the coming months as work on the Silver Line project continues.

The first closure — which has been approved already — would last from Oct. 5-7. The following month, riders can expect closures from Nov. 9-12 and Nov. 30-Dec. 2.

Photos courtesy Dusty Smith/Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project

More than 100 families neighboring Campus Commons, a mixed-use project on the southeastern corner of Wiehle Avenue and the Dulles Toll Road, are voicing their concerns about the proposed development.

Rescue Sunrise Valley, a group that includes representation from residents who live on Sunrise Valley Drive, as well as the clusters of Great Meadow, Winterport, Harbor Court, Whetherfield, Lakeport, and Boston Ridge, say that they are not opposed to development and instead are concerned about safety and the project’s impact on neighborhoods.

TF Cornerstones’ plan includes two residential buildings with a total of 630 units, an office building, and 26,000 square feet of new retail. Two mid-1980s office buildings will remain on the proprty.

Residents say that the proposal misses the mark on pedestrian safety, especially a proposed sidewalk that connects to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station that they say will “logjam traffic and up and down Sunrise Valley and put pedestrians at risk by sending them across nine lanes of traffic and dumping them on a concrete island in the middle of the off-ramp.”

“Anyone who drives, walks, or rides their bikes on Sunrise Valley near the Wiehle intersection knows this is a recipe for disaster,” the group wrote in a statement to Reston Now.

Residents want the developer to delay the proposal under neighborhood concerns are addressed. They created the group in response to the proposal and to inform unaware residents about the plan. Residents say accurate information about the proposal has been hard to come by. Others said the developer has not engaged with all neighboring residents to hear their feedback on the plan.

“We recognize that the developer wants to fast-track their plans because in their industry time is money, but for us, much more is at stake: our families and our neighborhood,” the group stated.

A TF Cornerstones’ representative told Reston Now the company has launched an extensive community engagement process over the last two years, including two meetings with Hampton Meadow residents, one meeting with Boston Ridge residents, and Reston Association. The development team has been before the Reston Planning & Zoning Committee four times since 2017.

“We have also broadened our outreach to include additional homes along Upper Lake Drive.  We are hosting a community meeting and have sent notification to the Harborside association, the Winterport association, and residents along Upper Lake Drive without an association,” said Ebony Young, vice president of corporate social responsibility. “We have made significant commitments for the project based on community input, and we look forward to the upcoming community meeting.”

The proposal heads to the Fairfax County Planning Commission on September 25. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is expected to take up on the plan on October 15.

Photos via handout/Fairfax Count Government

(Updated at 3:55 p.m.) Commuters who park at the Wiehle-Reston East garage may need to make alternative plans for parking beginning August 19.

The garage — which is often at capacity during peak commuter hours — is undergoing maintenance repairs. Up to forty spaces on parking levels G4, G5, and G6 will be taken away in order to make room for ongoing maintenance work.

In a release, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation said the garage is at capacity. Commuters should use other transportation options, including the Fairfax Connector, biking, walking and ride-sharing, the county stated.

The department offered the following transportation alternatives, including free parking at park and rides with bus service to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station:

From Herndon Monroe Park and Ride

• Route 551 – South Lakes Drive
  
• Route 924 – Herndon-Dranesville Road
  
• Route 926 – Herndon-Dranesville Road
  
• Route 929 – Centreville Road
  
• Route 950 – Herndon-Reston
  
• Route 951 – Sunrise Valley- Sunset Hills 
  
• Route 952 – Sunrise Valley- Sunset Hills 
  
• Route 980 – Herndon-Reston
  
• Route 981 – Dulles Airport-Udvar-Hazy Center-Wiehle-Reston East
• Route 983 – Dulles Airport-Udvar-Hazy Center-Wiehle-Reston East

From Reston South Park and Ride: 

• Route 585 – Reston South-Franklin Farm
  
• Route 553 – Reston South
  
• Route 557 – Reston South
  
• Route 559 – Reston South

From Reston Town Center Transit Station: 

• Route 505 – Reston Town Center
  
• Route 950 – Herndon-Reston
  
• Route 981 – Dulles Airport-Udvar-Hazy Center-Wiehle-Reston East
  
• Route 983 – Dulles Airport-Udvar-Hazy Center-Wiehle-Reston East
  
• RIBS 1 – Lake Anne-Hunter Woods
  
• RIBS 2 – South Lakes-North Point
  
• RIBS 3 – Lake Anne-Hunter Woods

Other Routes to Wiehle:

• Route 552 – Reston North: North Shore – Lake Fairfax 
• Route 553 – Reston South: Viking – Pinecrest
• Route 554 – Reston North: Wiehle Avenue – Center Harbor
  
• Route 556 – Bennington Woods – Wiehle-Reston East

An FCDOT spokesperson said that standard maintenance of the garage is scheduled. Access to parking spaces will be restored by early September.

A new apartment community near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station will begin leasing in the fall.

Lincoln at Wiehle Station, which is developed by the Lincoln Property Company, is located at 11500 Commerce Park Drive.

The three-acre development, which took up a part of Commerce Business Park, includes 260 units that face a surface parking lot bounded by Sunrise Valley, Commerce Park and Association drives.

The building is seven stories and includes an interior courtyard, a pool and publicly accessible pockets of open space.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the project in December 2016.

Map via Fairfax County Government

Prior to the Democratic primary last month,  a controversy over Comstock’s campaigning restrictions prompted local elected officials to push back against the developer’s longstanding policy at Reston Station Plaza.

But there has been little movement on the issue in recent days.

In a June 7 letter, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Sharon Bulova threatened legal recourse against Comstock, which she said was unfairly restricting public access to the property and possibly infringing on First Amendment rights. The county’s Commonwealth Attorney and the local American Civil Liberties Union also stepped in.

Bulova’s chief of staff Clayton Medford told Reston Now that Bulova plans to meet with Chris Clemente, Comstock’s CEO, to discuss access issues.

“The county is committed to looking into public spaces issues countywide to ensure members of the public have equal access,” Medford said.

No meeting has been scheduled yet. Clemente did not return requests for comment from Reston Now.

The issue stemmed over access to Reston Station Plaza, which was built through a public-private partnership.

Two candidates running for the seat of Hunter Mill District Supervisor complained about Comstock’s policies.

The plaza is atop the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station.

Photo by Fairfax Connector

Updated at 2:30 p.m. — The Herndon library event was canceled due to “facility issues.”

Learn About Feathered Friends at the Library — Kids ages 6-12 can learn about birds from wildlife ambassadors, who will bring a parrot, owl, crow, duck and rooster. The event runs from 10:30-11:15 a.m. at the Herndon Fortnightly Meeting Room 1. [Fairfax County]

Reston-Based Bechtel Wins NASA Contract — “Bechtel has been awarded a 44-month, $383M contract to design, construct, test and commission a second mobile launcher at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center… It will use the platform to assemble, process and launch the Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft on missions moon and Mars.” [GovConWire]

King Teddy Brings Modern Swing to Reston Tonight — People can enjoy free modern swing with dance instruction to music from the band King Teddy at the open-air plaza atop Wiehle-Reston East Metro station tonight from 7-9 p.m. [Reston Community Center]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

In anticipation of the Democratic primary tomorrow, Comstock Companies is now allowing campaigning and electioneering for two days at Reston Station Plaza after the county threatened legal recourse due to potential free speech violations.

Chris Clemente, Comstock’s CEO, told Reston Now that the company is inviting all candidates on the June 11 ballots to campaign at the plaza today and tomorrow “on their own schedules and without the need to coordinate schedules with Comstock.”

The temporary change comes after Comstock came under fire for its longstanding restrictions on soliciting, including campaigning and electioneering, at the plaza. The county says the forum qualifies as public space — even though Comstock leases the property from the county through a 99-year ground lease. Comstock disputes this claim.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Sharon Bulova lashed out against the company when she learned about the policy late last week. Bulova accused the company of favoritism and civil rights violation after she said it allowed Maggie Parker — Comstock’s vice president of communications — to post campaign signs but barred her opponents from approaching voters.

“Allowing one’s own employee to engage in such highly protected activity in a public area, while excluding other candidates from doing the same, is clearly wrong and cannot be tolerated,” Bulova said in the letter, which threatened legal action.

Parker said that she never campaigned at the plaza and purchased large advertisements from the company at the plaza and on Comstock’s building — a possibility that she said is open to all other candidates.

Ads cost between $2,000 and $3,500 per week.

Claire Gastanaga, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Virginia chapter, said the lease to the private company does not renege individual’s free speech rights.

Ray Morrogh, the county’s commonwealth’s attorney, directed the Fairfax County Police Department to decline any requests to prosecute individuals for campaigning at the train station and the plaza above it. 

“It would not be appropriate to prosecute anyone exercising their First Amendment rights in public areas,” Morrogh wrote in a May letter to the police department.

Clemente did not indicate what led to the two-day allowance for campaigning.

“Although we had hoped to provide the residents of the Hunter Mill District an opportunity to meet all the candidates in a casual setting during these last days of the campaign, we were unable to secure commitments from all candidates to participate in a coordinated event,” he said.

The debate over whether or not the plaza qualifies as a public forum was catapulted into the county spotlight after candidates running for Hunter Mill District Supervisor attempted to campaign at the plaza.

Over the past several weeks, candidates, volunteers for their campaigns, and a representative for a local advocacy group said they were kicked off the property and told to apply for permits.

Photo via Fairfax Connector

Lane Closures Planned on Eastbound Sunset Hills Road — The road near the Wiehle-Reston East Station will be closed several days this week to allow Silver Line Phase II crews to complete stormwater management work. Closures are in effect today (Monday) and Thursday (June 13) from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Friday (June 14) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. [Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project]

The Post’s Sietsema Reviews Bombay Velvet in Reston — Tom Sietsema writes that the upscale Indian restaurant in RTC West has “fine aspirations with an uneven start.” [The Washington Post]

Reston-based SAIC Has “Stout Revenue Growth” — “Amid the torch-passing between outgoing CEO Tony Moraco and CEO-elect Nazzic Keene on Thursday’s first quarter earnings call, Science Applications International Corp. (NYSE: SAIC) delivered stout revenue growth fostered by its acquisition of Engility Holdings Inc. The Reston-based technology contractor reported $1.6 billion in revenue for the quarter, a 37% increase from the prior year, fueled largely by growth attributed to the Engility buy, which closed in January.” [Washington Business Journal]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

(Updated at 5:45 a.m. on May 31 to state candidates did not receiving ad pricing information from Comstock).

Comstock Companies, the developer of Reston Station, will allow political campaigning and electioneering at Reston Station Plaza following a recent debate over the legality of the company’s longstanding policy to bar soliciting on its properties.

In a letter to Reston Now’s editor regarding the May 24 article, Chris Clemente, the company’s CEO, clarified Comstock’s position on the issue. His company’s vice president of communications, Maggie Parker, is running for Hunter Mill District Supervisor, and her campaign signs are plastered on the property.

“Given the local nature of the Hunter Mill District race, which is the first contested race since Reston Station existed, and the significant number of Hunter Mill District residents using the commuter facilities at Reston Station, it was decided that it would be appropriate to allow such activities for this political contest,” Clemente wrote.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County has stated that campaigning at the property is allowed by state election law, noting that Comstock leases Reston Station Plaza from Fairfax County under a 99-year ground lease.

“Comstock leases the Wiehle garage plaza from Fairfax County pursuant to a 99 year ground lease.  State election law doesn’t prohibit campaign activities including voter registration on private property,” according to the county.

Clemente said the company has barred all types of soliciting “out of respect for the thousands of daily visitors’ time.” He also noted that the county has not raised any issues with Comstock’s policy.

A county spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request from Reston Now about why this was the case.

Parker pushed Clemente to give other candidates running for the seat the opportunity to erect signs at Reston Station, Clemente said. Requests to have signs were submitted by Walter Alcorn‘s campaign on May 25 and Laurie Dodd on May 28. Parker also requested permission to use Comstock’s property for an all-candidate meet and greet event, which Clemente said Comstock fully supports.

Clemente, a former Reston resident and parent of current Reston residents, is backing Parker for the seat. In a 19-point letter to Reston Now, Clemente expressed his support for Parker, who he called a “champion of affordable housing” and a “strong proponent of limiting significant development in the Hunter Mill District.”

In a statement, Clemente wrote the following:

This is why I support Maggie Parker in this important race, because she has the skills needed to create solutions to complex issues that can sometimes be divisive, build consensus, and put the interests of the Hunter Mill District residents first, rather than hurling misleading accusations for political purposes. It’s refreshing to see a political candidate take the high road!

Parker said that she organized the forum because she wants to have all five candidates campaign in a safe and open environment and meet some candidates’ interest in coming to the plaza.

“A free-flowing meet and greet is one way to accomplish both,” Parker said. “I am confident that my message and experience will win out.”

Her campaign manager pitched the meet and greet idea to other candidates running for the seat on May 28. A date has not been set.

Alcorn, whose volunteers were recently barred from distributing campaign materials at the plaza, says the gesture comes too late: 

Comstock responded to our community pressure with a token gesture that is too little, too late as Comstock’s candidate has enjoyed weeks of unlimited and exclusive advertising. Democracy does not happen in 3 hour windows. Comstock is attempting to buy a seat on the Board of Supervisors for developers. Voters should also be alarmed that Comstock is using a public private partnership with the County to limit freedom of speech for all candidates but their own.

Both Dodd and Alcorn stated that they have not yet heard back from Comstock regarding requests for the pricing of advertising on the plaza.

The Hunter Mill District primary is set for June 11.

Comstock Companies, the developer of Reston Station, has barred political campaigning at Reston Station Plaza — a policy that clashes with the county’s official position on the issue.

Conflicting stances on the permissibility of political campaigning at the plaza has piqued some concerns about the privatization of public spaces in Reston.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County told Reston Now that state election law “doesn’t prohibit campaign activities including voter registration on private property.”

Comstock leases Reston Station Plaza from Fairfax County under a 99-year ground lease. This public-private partnership does not prevent political campaign activities, the county says.

The company, however, has adopted a longstanding policy that political campaigning is not allowed at the plaza, according to Maggie Parker, Comstock’s vice president of communications.

“It would be like me setting up shop on Walter [Alcorn’s] front lawn,” Parker, who is also a candidate in the race for Hunter Mill District Supervisor, said. 

Alcorn, who is also running for the seat vacated by longtime Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, said volunteers from his campaign were recently barred from campaigning outside of the Starbucks on the plaza.

He says a security officer told campaigners that political activity was not allowed at the site.

“It’s unfortunate that what should be publicly usable space is being operated as private space,” Alcorn said. “This is one of the challenging and frustrating things about where we are as a community. We’ve really privatized our public spaces.”

Parker, who has campaign signs plastered along a fence near the entrance to the garage at Wiehle-Reston East, said she is seeking Comstock’s approval for all candidates to campaign at the plaza before the primary election on June 11.

“Given the interest in the campaign, I would like an opportunity to challenge our management and have one day — maybe the Thursday before the primary — for all candidates to come out. I would love to work on that,” Parker said.

Jubal Thompson, general counsel for Comstock Companies, noted that Reston Station Plaza’s unique public-private partnership sets it apart from other Metro stations, which may allow political campaigning.

“Comstock has a 99-year leasehold interest for the exclusive use to the land and the improvements it makes to the property. So effectively Reston Station Plaza is private property with public access rights,” Thompson wrote in an email to Reston Now.

Alcorn also took issue with Parker’s campaign signs on Comstock’s property, which he says muddies the line between private and public interests.

Parker noted that her signs are on private property.

“My company is very enthusiastic and support of the campaign and the signs are all on private property,” she said. “I wouldn’t go stick my signs in someone’s yard without them agreeing.”

Comstock’s marketing team is open to selling sign space to any candidate, she added.

Photos by Fatimah Waseem

It’s time to gear up for Bike to Work Day on Friday (May 17).

More than 100 pitstops are planned from 6:30-9:30 a.m. through the D.C. Metro area, including one in Reston and one in Herndon.

The Reston pit stop will be held at the Reston Station Plaza at the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station (1862 Wiehle Avenue). A second pit stop is planned in Herndon near the entrance of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail at the corner of Lynn and Elden streets.

The first 20,000 who register and attend will receive a free T-shirt. Registration, which is free, is open online.

If biking alone isn’t your cup of tea, you can join a convoy led by experienced bicycle commuters. Convoys will travel along popular employment centers in the region. You can also try to track down a ride buddy by using the Washington Area Bike Forum.

Thousands of bicyclists are expected to commute via pedal power during the annual event, which is sponsored by Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.

The event takes place rain or shine.

For more information, visit the Bike To Work Day website, or for questions about the Reston pit stop, call or email Ashleigh from the Reston Association at [email protected] or 703-435-6577.

File photo

Lofts at Reston Station will debut new one-level elevator condominiums starting at $544,485  this weekend.

The redevelopment project by Pulte Homes brings 12 two-level townhouse-style condos and 32 one-level condos just a short walk from the Wiehle-Metro East Metro Station.

Megan Skupien, a spokeswoman for Pulte Homes, said the company has sold out its two-story condos.

Heading into the grand opening weekend, almost 50 percent of the one-level condos, which have two bedrooms and two bathrooms, are sold out.

“We couldn’t be happier as we head into the weekend,” Skupien said.

All infrastructure work has been completed, with the exception of topping off the remaining roads. Other road construction work will happen in cooperation with other developers and land owners.

Construction on the project, which is located at 1825 Michael Faraday Drive, began last spring. The county approved Pulte Homes’ proposal to replace an office building and parking lot with a residential development in November 2016.

Residents of The Lofts will be Reston Association members.

Photos by Fatimah Waseem

The regional wood-fired pizza franchise Matchbox just announced plans to move into Reston early next year.

The franchise just signed a lease for 1900 Reston Metro Plaza Drive in Suite 100, according to a statement from a public relations agency representing Matchbox.

“The space is 5,500 square feet and offers expansive patio dining,” the agency said in an email. “The veteran D.C. restaurant group is currently focused on regional expansion within the DMV, targeting smaller, neighborhood-focused properties.”

The email says the restaurant is planning on opening in Reston Station in early 2020.

Other upcoming Matchbox locations include one in Silver Spring opening tomorrow (Friday) and ones in Penn Quarter and Bethesda opening this summer.

If you can’t wait that long, your best bet is the Matchbox locations in Ashburn (44720 Thorndike Street) or the Mosaic District (2911 District Ave).

Photo via Facebook

Common Ground Childcare recently opened its second Reston location earlier this week.

The new location by the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station is the first expansion by Common Ground Childcare, which debuted in Reston in 1972, according to its website. It is geared toward kids ranging from infants up to the age of 2.

A ribbon-cutting on March 30 celebrated the opening of the new spot at 11480 Sunset Hills Road.

The original location at 1700 Wainwright Drive offers before-school, after-school and drop-in care for young kids.

Photo via Facebook