Restonian -- News and Notes from the mauve New Tow

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Clap even louder!
2007-11-28 16:28:00
Looks like we spoke too soon yesterday. As construction was slated to begin on Metro's awesome combustible Silver Line, the Under-not-Over crowd is suing the feds to stop the project, arguing that they didn't give enough consideration to the tunnel option.The hugely grassroots Tysons Tunnel movement -- that coincidentally was bankrolled by Tysons developers -- was coincidentally joined in the suit by the Ratner Cos., a --you guessed it! -- Tysons developer.The 30-page complaint asks the court to "enjoin the defendants from taking final actions, granting any final approvals, or acting on any application for the project to enter Final Design or for Full Funding Grant Agreement or awarding or allocating any federal funds." Such an injunction would further delay the rail project, further jeopardizing its chances for federal dollars."They've had an entire year, we've asked our political leaders to intervene, and so far the political process has failed us," said Monett, who added that...

Metro's Silver Line: You like it! You really like it!
2007-11-27 17:19:00
People really, really love the idea of Metro's awesome planned Silver Line , according to a survey commissioned by project backers. But here's the funny part:Respondents claiming familiarity with the project were also, on average, familiar with some of the more controversial issues regarding the project — competitive bidding process and tunnel or elevated track through Tysons Corner — but not to the point they could explain it to others.This huge, divisive issue was reportedly one of the reasons the Feds were leery to green-light the project. Guess the "Under, not Over" crowd, funded by big developers in the Tysons area, didn't actually represent a huge public groundswell of support -- they just represented the narrow interests of the aforementioned developers. Who'd have thunk it?Meanwhile, construction on the Silver Line may well start soon, even in the absence of minor logistical details, like funding.Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project has announced they will begin initial ...

Reston's Vibrant Economy Part 6: No Boxters for you!
2007-11-27 17:05:00
Rolls-Royce, the British company whose North American headquarters once called Reston home, is coming back as part of a plant expansion elsewhere in the state. Unfortunately, the plant manufactures jet engines, not cars, so the Porsche Boxter will remain the Dulles Corridor car of choice for the upwardly mobile.This is not the first time Rolls-Royce has done business in Virginia. Its North American headquarters moved from Reston to Chantilly in 2000, Guyette said, and is returning to Reston in 2008. The HQ employs about 100 people.Guess they missed the Macaroni Grill.Meanwhile, ComScore, the Reston-based Web metrics company that issues projections about how awesome the Christmas retail season will be, has canceled an add-on stock offering following its IPO earlier this year, presumably because its stock has fallen from a high of $42 to somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 bucks or so. No Boxters for them, either!Have we mentioned that the Tall Oaks Giant is still closing?
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Meet Your Neighbors: Totally Pwnd Turkey
2007-11-23 19:35:00
If you were watching football on Thanksgiving, you missed a far more exciting competition:A Minnesota man basted a 72-pound turkey to trounce his sister in their annual sibling rivalry over who can prepare the biggest Thanksgiving bird. Last year, Andra Portnoy cooked a 47-pounder to take the lead after her brother could only find a 37-pounder, even though he lives in the nation's top turkey-producing state. Rich Portnoy roasted his tubby turkey in his 36-inch-wide, chef-caliber oven on Thursday to top the biggest bird his sister had ever cooked by 25 pounds.Pwned! Andra Portnoy conceded defeat from her Reston, Va., home, but noted that her brother's large oven gave him an edge.Sure, he might have a larger oven. But do cluster covenants ensure that the color of the soffit trim on his neighbor's house is exactly identical to his? We thought not.
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Let a thousand flowers Bloom! (Just not at Tall Oaks)
2007-11-21 18:35:00
Bad news for folks upset about the awesome Tall Oaks Giant closing later this month, leaving behind a stucco wasteland of broken dreams and busted franchises: A persistent rumor that the space would be filled by Bloom , an upscale Food Lion variant targeted at non-NASCAR-intensive suburban communities who might actually read the paper often enough to remember the whole bleached-meat scandal, is just that--a rumor.So says ABC Management, which runs Tall Oaks, at a community meeting convened by Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, which the Reston Times saw fit to cover but not post online. And folks are hopping mad!Judy St. Andre, a Reston resident for 33 years, started a petition that protests Giant's closing. [snip] Prescriptions will be transferred to the South Lakes Village Center Safeway, a move that has puzzled many residents. Hudgins said the action makes it hard to believe Giant is concerned about the communities it serves."I don't think they care about it. The fact that th...
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Ka-ching!
2007-11-19 18:44:00
With little fanfare or discussion, the Reston Association approved its budget for the upcoming year, including an increase in assessment fees from $437 to $475 in 2008 and $483 in 2009.At-Large Director Joe Leighton was the sole vote against approving the budget, based on what he said was an unacceptable increase of the assessment rates.An unusual number of people turned up to the meeting. You'd think they were there because of the 9 percent increase in assessments, right? Think again.The board heard a greater number of members speak than usual, with a large majority of them, 11, appearing before the board to champion an indoor tennis facility.The board has included two referendums in the budget, one of which will address an indoor recreational facility, though it is not specified to include tennis. The board will decide what type of facility will be presented on the referendum in the winter of 2008.Jerry Katz, a resident of Reston for 27 years, urged the board to begin work on a r...

Maybe they should have just done a term paper instead
2007-11-19 03:23:00
If South Lakes High School students wanted to learn about the democratic process, they're getting their chance in the current redistricting brouhaha, as they've been on the front lines of defending their much-maligned school.The Reston campus is diverse, they say, not "ghetto." Students don't flash gang signs in the hallways, and they don't have to walk through metal detectors to get to class."I think of this school as a family. When someone talks about South Lakes, I think, 'You can't talk about my family like that,' " senior Sierra Little said. She represented the school last week in a town hall meeting at Chantilly High packed with about 2,500 anxious residents.Ah, yes, last week's meeting. A definite example of democracy in action.Courtnee Elliott, a senior, said she attended Monday's meeting at Chantilly High because she wanted to stick up for her school and because, as someone interested in political science, she wanted a glimpse of the democratic process."It didn't ...
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Why does Reston Town Center hate America? (an in-depth investigation)
2007-11-16 19:31:00
A few weeks back, we learned that the Reston Town Center Association has thus far declined to support the push for a referendum on turning Reston into a nifty town, encircled by moats filled with fire-breathing dragons and mauve-colored city walls. But that's just the half of it.An exclusive Restonian investigation (OK, so maybe we just Googled "Reston Town Center" and "hates America ") has revealed that the Reston Town Center isn't just against a plebiscite election that may or may not contravene state law, it's against America itself! Read this chilling first-person account:This is what a photo of Reston Town Center looks like when you don't fill out a form to get a camera permit. For those who don't know, Reston Town Center (in Reston, Fairfax County, Virginia) is one of those shopping centers that use the illusion of a lively cultural district to lure you in to spend your money. I can't show you, but try to picture a neighborhood of streets, parking garages, offices, apartm...
More About: Hate , Investigation

In Russia, sites blog you!
2007-11-16 19:22:00
It's not often that our brilliant musings get discussed in Russia , but our recent excursion to Ashburn has apparently raised some eyebrows (scroll to the bottom of the page, assuming you can a) read Cyrillic and b) have absolutely nothing better to peruse online).Unfortunately, those six years of Swahili immersion do us no good here. Thanks to babelfish, though, here's a translation of their observations:These are remarkable place somewhere during the scaffolding, three days on the deer to the nearest place of the accumulation of work and exactly on the way of those taking off and sitting down themselves dzhambo of jet?What a country!
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The first victims of redistricting? Fire hydrants
2007-11-14 04:21:00
So, how did the first awesome hearing involving redistricting kids from a whole slew of Fairfax County high schools into South Lakes High School go? Let's go to the videotape!Parents parked on medians and in fire lanes in Chantilly High School's overflowing parking lot Monday night for the first of three town hall meetings to gather public input on a west county boundary study by Fairfax County Public Schools.By county staff's estimates, more than 2,000 people showed up to hear an explanation of the boundary study process and the problems the county hopes to solve with redistricting. Six high schools are in the study: Herndon, Oakton, Chantilly, Westfield, South Lakes and Madison.Call us cynics, but we're guessing that law-abiding Fairfax County soccer moms didn't block in fire hydrants with their minivans and Lexus SUVs because they really, really want their kids in South Lakes' IB program. Right?Groups from nearly every high school in the study, except South Lakes, have form...
More About: Fire , Redistricting , Victims , Strict

Reston's vibrant economy, pt. 6: We're #1! (In "For Lease" signs)
2007-11-13 16:43:00
Move over, Tysons, with your awesome traffic and carpet stores and Morton's steakhouse: The Reston/Herndon area has surpassed you in office space. Few places have epitomized the recent boom in commercial real estate better than the busy arteries that connect Dulles International Airport with the rest of the Washington region.In Reston and Herndon alone, 15 new buildings totaling nearly 2.8 million square feet of office space have risen since 2005. As an office market, the Dulles Corridor surpasses Tysons Corner in raw square footage.In your face, Tysons! And just in time for the economy to chug into overdrive... right?But now this fast-growing suburban business hub is headed for a pause.With federal contracting slowing from its recent boom, and as the national and regional economies soften, the current wave of construction projects is likely to leave empty buildings. Few new office projects are expected to get started in the near future, as developers focus on finding tenants. The ...
More About: Economy , Signs , Lease

The writers strike appears to be affecting the "Reston Heights" soap opera,
2007-11-12 16:37:00
Fairfax County planners postpone a decision on the Reston Heights mixed-use project on Sunrise Valley Road until after Thanksgiving. Won't the fall sweeps be over by then?
More About: Opera , Writers , Soap , Strike

Restonian actually leaves the house: The scene at the Tall Oaks Giant
2007-11-09 16:18:00
The writing's on the wall at the Tall Oaks Giant -- literally. When we visited yesterday to do a little something those crazy, old-media newspaper dinosaurs like to call "reporting," a faxed press release explaining the closure had been hastily taped to the front door. Turns out the store is closing because of declining sales over the past few years.The press release hasn't been posted on Giant's corporate site, which is a pity, because it's a masterful example of tone-deaf PR, full of phrases like "refocusing" and "modernization." In fact, it even invites Tall Oaks customers to see what the exciting new remodeled Giant stores they won't be getting in Reston will look like by visiting one... in Clifton. Or Silver Spring, maybe. Which our grandchildren will be able to do in a jiffy once the Silver Line's built.It's almost as if they're deliberately trying to shatter what little brand loyalty their customers might have. As a commenter pointed out earlier in the week, they're ...
More About: House , Scene , The House

The first time the words 'Lake Anne Plaza' and 'on fire' have been used in
2007-11-09 16:14:00
One of the long-time sellers at the Reston Farmers Market lost her barn and equipment to fire last month (second-to-last item). Follow the link for details on how to help J & W Valley View Farm by reserving springtime orders in advance.This concludes our public service announcement for the week. We now return you to our regularly scheduled snark.
More About: Time , Words , Fire , Anne , First Time

If you ever wanted to start that little antique shop/coffeehouse combinatio
2007-11-08 19:21:00
Once the Tall Oaks Giant closes its doors later this month, more than half the space in the shopping center will be vacant:By the end of this month, the total empty square feet will reach 49,366, double the amount of occupied space, which will be 24,634 square feet.Ouch. Of course, Reston's brilliant design aesthetic of literally pointing shopping centers away from major roadways might have a teensy bit to do with this. But for you budding entrepreneurs out there, there's a variety of floor space options available:The former Burger King space is available for either the complete package with 3,300 square feet or two separate spaces of 1,525 and 1,828. The price for that space is $36 per square foot.The space that used to house a Video Warehouse is available as a whole space of 4,320 square feet or separately as 2,745 and 1,573 square feet respectively. Those are available for $35 per square foot.Two additional properties are available for lease on the lower level, one with 1,980 s...
More About: Start , Shop , Wanted , Antique , Comb

Redistricting: Let the people speak! Or not.
2007-11-08 16:27:00
The first of three public meetings to discuss redistricting options involving South Lakes High School and Oakton, Herndon, Westfield, Madison and Chantilly will be held next week, Nov. 12 at Chantilly High School, to be followed by a Dec. 3 meeting at Westfield and another on Dec. 19 in Oakton. But no worries -- nothing's set in stone. Right, FCPS official Dean Tistadt?“We have no preconceived, already-developed plans on how to accomplish [redistricting],” he said.Maybe, but South Lakes' ongoing renovations, in progress for longer than most students have actually attended the school, will be finished next fall, putting the school more than 500 students under capacity, and there's no way the system will let that extra space stand empty. So folks at Herndon High School are worried that redistricting would pull kids from Reston's "astronaut schools" -- you know, the so-called "good" schools in North Reston -- out of Herndon and put them at South Lakes. Given that Herndon isn't...
More About: People , Speak , Redistricting , The People , Strict

This week, on a very special Reston Heights...
2007-11-07 16:05:00
The development-cum-soap opera was approved 9-2 by the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee. While the development company, JBG Retail, was tight-lipped about the project when talking to community members last week, some more details emerged during the hearing:The existing buildings on the site, which include a 7-Eleven, Wachovia Bank, and Chili's and a retail building with 14,000 square feet, will be demolished for the development, which will include retail, commercial and high-density residential space. The Reston International Center, which lies on the property, will remain.Well, this had better be good if they're razing the Chili's, that's all we can say. So what about the awesome plan to mitigate traffic problems?The proposal would put a maximum of 498 apartments, about 428,000 square feet of office space (including the existing International Center) and 145,000 square feet of retail space on the site. The development would also have more than 2,800 parking spaces.Problem s...
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Stay the course
2007-11-07 15:56:00
Hunter Mill incumbents held their seats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and Fairfax County School Board.For the supervisors seat, Catherine Hudgins took 57 percent of the vote, followed by Marie Huhtala, who took 23 percent, and Spike Williams, who took 16 percent. Interestingly, nearly 1,000 people, or 4 percent, wrote in another candidate's name on the ballot.On the school board, incumbent Stuart Gibson beat Christine Arakelian, 61 to 39 percent.You'll have to follow the link above to see the results of the real nail-biter of this election -- the Soil and Water District results. We can only hope the U.S. Supreme Court won't have to be called in to resolve any mauve-colored hanging chads.
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Reston's Vibrant Economy Part 5: At Least You'll Still Be Able to Get Your
2007-11-06 22:52:00
The Giant in Tall Oaks Shopping Center is closing on Nov. 28. The grocery store, which has been providing dented canned goods and the like for something like 33 years, joins a variety of other businesses which have shuttered their doors at Tall Oaks, including Hollywood Video and Burger King. (And when was the last time you heard of a fast-food place going out of business?)Frankly, Tall Oaks is starting to look a lot like the old Hunters Woods Shopping Center, only with a bit more stucco and a bit less Logans Run-style architecture. Pretty soon, it'll be like Hunters Woods' final days, with just a couple of open businesses surrounded by vacant storefronts. Only the grocery store was one of the final, canary-in-the-coalmine holdouts at the old Hunters Woods.Maybe they should do what they did at Hunters Woods -- raze the place and rebuild it as something completely different. Of course, in Tall Oaks' case, that would mean creating a village-like, pedestrian-friendly shopping plaza ...
More About: Economy , Part

Yeah, but think of the band programs
2007-11-05 13:58:00
In the midst of all the recent drama about redistricting at South Lakes High School, a Washington Post story about the IB program's Middle Years Program at Langston Hughes Middle School pointed out an unexpected surprise -- at least to those folks who keep carping about SLHS' "reputation":Past and present Langston Hughes parents are greeting an unexpected jump in SAT scores at South Lakes -- the biggest this year in Fairfax County -- as proof that they were right to go with the MYP, perhaps the most challenging middle school program in America for non-magnet schools.Of course, that progress didn't come easily. The moderators that oversee IB programs have provided plenty of criticism of specific programs at both schools. And then there's this:The letter published in the Reston Connection four years ago said the program at Langston Hughes Middle School promoted "socialism, disarmament, radical environmentalism, and moral relativism, while attempting to undermine Christian religiou...
More About: Band , Programs , The Band , Yeah

Is it a housing development or a soap opera? Maybe a little bit of both.
2007-11-02 19:15:00
This week on a very special "Reston Heights": Annoyed neighbors.A mixed-use high rise project slated for the intersection of Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive has already drawn fire for the trivial detail that it's on the wrong side of the highway from the planned Metro station there. Fortunately, the developers, the JBG Companies, are taking a transparent approach to dealing with community members:"To comment on specifics is impossible in a lot of different ways," Kelley said, explaining that approval of the PRC plan is a very preliminary step in the process.Oookaaaay. Well, then. Of course, a large mixed-use development like Reston Heights is the ideal use for a spot close to a future Metro station. So what about the idea of building an awesome pedestrian bridge to that future station, so residents don't have to drive the 0.2 miles (estimated travel time: 20 minutes) across the highway to get to it?They would like to build an elevated walkway from the development to the pl...
More About: Opera , Development , Housing , Soap

Bored of Supervisors, already...
2007-11-02 15:05:00
Three of the four candidates for the Hunter Mill district seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors -- incumbent Cathy Hudgins and two independent challengers, Mike “Spike” Williams and Marie Huhtala -- have actually debated twice in recent weeks. Who knew?The most recent debate was held in this faraway place called "Vienna," where they also have a preponderance of mauve along the main drag -- yet people there could care less about Reston. Can't they see what unites us is greater than what divides us? Anyway. The candidates clashed over the proposed Metro Silver Line, which may or may not happen, depending on how loud we clap. Hudgins basically argues that if the project doesn't move forward, the federal gubmint will take the bags of money it's got piled up for the project and take them elsewhere.Huhtala said she doesn't believe delaying the project would mean losing the federal funds.“I don't believe that. Are they really going to make Fairfax County wait behind Po...
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Reston Town Center to Reston: Drop Dead
2007-11-01 15:38:00
Buried in the news of an awesome planned event at which backers of making Reston a town handed over their 3,600-signature petition to elected officials was a bit of bad news: The Reston Town Center Association doesn't want to come out and play.In response to the letter, the Town Center Association said it would not be interested in transferring assets to a town. [Reston Citizens Association President Mike] Corrigan called the answer a “knee-jerk” reaction and disputed the necessity of having the community organizations on board.“Do they get to veto as to whether we get to vote on being a town? No,” he said.RCA also basically called the other groups chicken, saying they didn't want to support such a proposal until it looked like it might actually succeed. Maybe, but elected officials have said all along that the proposal, which would put the town status question to a referendum, assuming it's not totally illegal in the first place, needs input and support from other groups...
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The cost of mauve-colored beauty
2007-11-01 15:18:00
The Reston Association's homeowner assessments are going up again, to a proposed level of $475 next year and $483 in 2009 from the current $437 assessment.Why the increase? Apparently, for the R&R fund, which sounds like fun -- but, this being Reston, doesn't actually involve kegs and luau parties. Instead, it's all about bailing wire and chewing gum:The increased assessments are being considered to build up RA's Repair and Replacement Fund, which had a balance of $4.2 million as of Aug. 31. The proposed assessments would add $200,000 to the fund over the next two years.As it stands now, the R and R fund balance is not enough to handle projects that the RA will have to undertake in the coming years. “Looking forward, our facilities are getting older, and we know we're going to be drawing from that fund. Right now we don't have sufficient dollars,” Matthews said.Among the projects on the table: Dredging Lake Audobon (dibs on whatever they find at the bottom!) and renovation...
More About: Beauty , Cost , Mauve

You won't be able to take the Silver line there
2007-11-01 15:16:00
Metro is holding the first of a series of public hearings on proposed rate hikes for its overcrowded, catching-on-fire subway service on Nov. 13 in... Reston.We hope there's ample parking at the Bechtel Conference Center.
More About: Silver , Line

Clap louder!
2007-10-31 17:55:00
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is "optimistic" that Metro's Silver Line will actually happen, extending to Reston, Dulles Airport... and beyond!After the feds rejected the original plan for being too expensive, or maybe for not including enough blinking lights at the station curbs or latte-detecting dogs to prosecute people who bring food on trains or something, officials cut $300 million from the project and resubmitted it about a month and a half ago. Now they're waiting for a sign:"We have reason to think we will hear some sign, either, 'Hey, you met [the cost-effective standard]' or, 'You still have some more work to do,' sometime soon. But we feel very good about our submission right now," Kaine says.Awesome! Let's put on this song while we wait.

This Week in Crime: The least funny Police Academy movie yet
2007-10-31 17:48:00
Fairfax County Police had youthful-looking cadets ask 26 adults to buy them beer outside of various Reston businesses last week. Of the 26 people approached, four complied -- and were promptly arrested outside of the Hunters Woods Rite Aid, the South Lakes CVS, the Sunrise Valley Exxon station and the Sunset Hills 7-11.We wonder if the guy who made the funny noises was one of the undercover cadets.
More About: Funny , Movie , Crime , Academy

Another week, another endorsement
2007-10-30 16:31:00
Incumbent Hunter Mill supervisor Catherine Hudgins picked up another endorsement, this time from the Connection papers. At the same time, she got as much of a dressing down as a positive endorsement can give:But Hudgins has no one to blame but herself for the competitiveness in this three-way race. (Independent Green Geraldine Butkus, the third challenger, has had an inactive campaign.)Independent candidates Marie Huhtala and "Spike" Williams are running because Hudgins has come across as aloof or arrogant during some public meetings where constituents felt they weren’t being listened to — or respected. These meetings — whether the south Reston park-and-ride public-private development proposal or the Lake Anne revitalization efforts — attracted concerned constituents, some of whom, afterward, became angry constituents.Oh, snap!The Connection papers also urge Hudgins to support the referendum on Reston's town status, "whether or not she supports Reston as a town." As opposed...
More About: Week , Endorsement

Reston Real Estate: The High-Low Game, pt. 2
2007-10-26 17:24:00
The bargain of the year? What the real estate listing calls "a fixer upper townhouse" in Southgate Square, which can be had for a mere $179,900. That's a damn cry cheaper than our previous High-Low champ, another foreclosed Southgate Square townhouse with a $234,000 asking price.So, it's a "handyman's special," according to the listing. How bad could it be, really? I mean, if the ladder in the picture conveys, you'll be halfway there. Right?Property has substantial mold and water damage in the basement. Cash offers only.Oh. Never mind. The "cash offers only" must be Real tor-speak for "this house is uninsurable and unmortgageable," we're guessing. Only slumlords with a positive cash flow need apply.Meanwhile, this stunner on Foxclove Road is under contract for a mere $2.1 million. But before you feel too envious, just bear in mind that even the very affluent must make sacrifices during this difficult time for home sellers: the asking price was reduced by $250,000.If you're will...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Game , Reston

Hey, gang! Let's become a town!
2007-10-25 16:47:00
The Reston Citizens Association has gathered 3,600 signatures in its quest to push state lawmakers into putting the question of whether Reston should be incorporated into a town, complete with awesome landscaped city limit signs and its own police force empowered to taser anyone who violates cluster rules by putting trash out early, on the ballot.The bid has been called "non-partisan," which maybe explains why only the independent challengers for county supervisor and school board seats--Christine "If I thought Reston was bad, I wouldn't live here" Arakelian, Marie Huhtala, and Spike "I don't live in Reston" Williams -- bothered to show up to the press conference announcing the petition. In the past, elected officials have expressed concern that the town movement hasn't received enough input from the Reston Town Center, the Reston Association, and the Reston Community Center, among other groups. Which would, in fact, be a problem. If Reston incorporated and the Reston Town Center...
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