Pedal Power

In this exciting photo from the Facebooks, RA President Kathleen Driscoll McKee shows how Reston Town Center employees are required to generate electricity to help charge all the whazzitcalled, iPads, at the Apple Store during last week's Bike to Work Day. Funny, but they look a lot smaller on the commercials on TV.

With 'Wherases' and 'Heretos', RCA Makes Statement on Density

The Reston Citizens Association has made an official statement on the density destiny density of future development in Reston. There's lots of "whereases" and "be it further resolveds" and whatnot, but the upshot seems to be: Higher density near Metro stations: good. Higher density just about everywhere else, except the Fake Downtown and "possibly" in the more desolate village centers: bad.

For those future Toastmasters in the audience, here's the full statement:

WHEREAS, the coming of the Metro Silver Line to the Dulles Corridor will bring increased density and population to Reston; and WHEREAS, RCA recognizes that increased density in appropriate places is central to the future of Reston and
WHEREAS, RCA supports the principles of Transit Oriented Development call for higher densities in the vicinity of transportation facilities, particularly transit stations; and
WHEREAS, the existing zoning for the properties along the Reston portion of the Dulles Toll Road would allow for a significant increase in population and density over that which exists currently; and
WHEREAS the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force has adopted the Planning Principles produced by RCA’s Reston 2020 Committee and endorsed by the RCA Board as the basis for its own planning principles; therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that RCA supports increased density to be placed appropriately within Reston, specifically within the Dulles Corridor, in the immediate vicinity of the transit stations, at Town Center, and possibly in the village centers, if the nearby neighborhoods support it; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that RCA cannot support the placement of increased density in areas of Reston not specified above; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that RCA supports protection and maintenance of stable residential neighborhoods and areas; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that RCA also supports protection of green space, open space, and parkland; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that RCA calls for the addition of such amenities, as well as cultural and recreational facilities, within the newly urbanized areas; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that RCA demands that adequate transportation, educational, police, fire, emergency, library, cultural and other essential public infrastructures to support any additional density be planned and funded in concert with any new development, and constructed
concurrently with that new development; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that RCA calls on the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force to make its recommendations in accordance with the principles outlined above in this resolution, as well as the Planning Principles produced by RCA’s Reston 2020 Committee.

There. Problem solved.

We couldn't find the appropriate Back to the Future clip on the YouTubes, so please to be enjoying this futuristic scene shot on a set with an uncanny resemblance to the Comstock Wiehle 'Civic Plaza,' only with more hoverboards, flying jeeps and natural light:

Fanciful Concrete Bollards, Buildings Behind Them, Approved By County

Not surprisingly, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the Comstock Wiehle Metro development during its meeting earlier in the week, so, yay, fanciful concrete bollards for all.

One of our commenters shared this about the future residents of the development:

The residents are to be RA members and the Comstock representatives said it last night in front of the BOS and I have confirmed it with one of the RA board.

Comstock is paying Fairfax County Parks and Rec, Fairfax county for the schools impact. Reston Association will receive a certain amount less than $300K for Parks and Rec. Not enough to make the obvious trail changes on Wiehle that will be required to protect pedestrians from the traffic.

We're not sure about that. After all, 300 large will buy an awful lot of fanciful concrete bollards, and those things are bulletproof.

Update: Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins said this about the proposal:

The Comstock proposal is not a perfect plan but we are unable to go back to the drawing board if we hope to meet deadlines for the coming of rail. This one project can't solve all our transportation problems in the area, but you have my commitment I'll continue pressing for solutions as we move forward.

Indoor Tennis Facility Would Cost $3.8 Million, Still Lack Juicery

Hey, remember that time the Reston Association was going to build an awesome indoor tennis facility at Lake Newport, minus the juicery we had been hoping for?

Yeah, that was awesome. A Restonian confidential informant has let us know that the cost estimates are in, and the project would cost $3.8 million. Here's the informant's take on the situation:

RA's Finance Committee believes either a mortgage or bond financing would be the best means to pay for this facility.

Current thinking is that the referendum, if authorized by the RA Board, would go to RA members next spring either before or after the Board election. Authorization by the Board is still a big "if."

Will the proposal get out of the Board's BAC committee and its super secret executive sessions where in color swatches for the lavatories are discussed? Only the "Shadow" or Kathleen Driscoll, really knows.

The informant did our work -- and by "work," we mean "snark" -- for us in that last paragraph, so there's really not much else to say, the end.

Comstock Wiehle Metro Development Public Hearing Today, Unless It's Postponed Again, Plus an Alternate Look at the Reston 'Town Green'

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the awesome, canyon-like Comstock Wiehle Metro station proposal at 4:30 today, unless it's postponed again, and the Acronym-Averse Master Plan Task Force (AAMPTF) will hold a meeting about the area surrounding the station at 7 tonight. So, um, yay "fanciful concrete bollards."

Meanwhile, following last week's discussion of the pristine lands north of Reston's Fake Downtown, please to be enjoying this alternate proposal for preserving green space submitted to the task force subcommittee by Guy Rando. It would provide an "greenway" from the Spectrum development -- and its proposed 1,450 new residential units, assuming the owners of the Washington Nationals can actually win something -- to the proposed civic center and gallery, and would have an amphitheater to host "Shakespeare-in-the-park and music concerts," plus an all-weather, vaguely Habitrail-like walkway from the Reston Parkway Metro station, past the post-apocalyptic ruins of the Macaroni Grill, through the park, and, ultimately, to the Home Depot parking lot. Sweet!

This is actually the first attempt we've seen to provide serious new pedestrian access from the Metro station to the places where people will actually (ugh) live, work and play -- something planners will really need to pay attention to, given the fact that the station is relatively far from the fake downtown and other planned development as it is. Who knows, maybe some fanciful concrete bollards will help out in a pinch.

Snakes on an Earth-Toned Real Estate Development: Copperheads Resume Reign of Terror

Both the Fairfax County Police and the Reston Association have sent urgent missives warning that "an unusually high number" of copperhead snakes have been spotted in the county, so we might as well lock all the doors, draw the shades and not leave the house until winter.

An unusually high number of copperhead snakes have recently been reported in Fairfax County. Copperheads are venomous snakes that are found here and throughout Virginia.

Copperhead snake bites have been reported across Fairfax County in the Dranesville (Riverbend Park), Hunter Mill (Reston), and Springfield (Clifton) Districts. Typically, reports of snake bites (and sightings) do not peak until between August and October when baby copperheads are hatching.

WE'RE DOOMED! Oh, wait -- there's good news, thanks to our pals at the RA.

The only report in Reston is that of a dog suffering a bite in the Lake Fairfax area. The dog survived.

All of which, of course, is just an excuse for us to post one of our favorite videos:


Update: Our favorite correspondent, the Peasant from Less Sought-After South Reston, shares this fun-filled activity for the kids. Too bad it's already over!

Area North of RTC Focus of Task Force; Macaroni Grill Doomsday Clock Inches Closer to Midnight

We have no idea what these three proposals for the fertile, unspoiled lands north of Reston's Fake Downtown actually mean, but the Un-Acronymable Reston Master Plan Task Force (UARMPTF) will meet tomorrow to get input on this pristine area.

On Saturday, May 22, the Reston Task Force will conduct another community meeting at 9 a.m. at Langston Hughes Middle School, to get input on the North part of the Reston Town Center, Cameron Glen area and the Police Station area development.

As these rocking illustrations suggest, creating a more urban grid of streets is obviously a focus, as it was during last weekend's community meeting about development in Arlington and Montgomery County. During that meeting, there was lots of talk about "connected street networks," including something called a "super block," which is a "large block filled with a number of through streets" that would be developed around the Wiehle Avenue Metro station to help accommodate traffic.

In the case of the pristine area north of RTC, Inova presented a straw man suggestion for redeveloping the area, which is the illustration in the center above, described as a "good-faith effort to balance the various interests that had been articulated in our first three meetings – police and other County needs; open space; creating a more vibrant use of this series of parcels; and optimizing chances for commercial success." Alrighty then!

There's also a talk of a village green and a new police station, but as we read this analysis of existing stakeholders, we keep thinking about the Macaroni Grill, already slated for demolition as part of a litigation-embroiled development that happens to sit in this exact same spot, and so it is with a heavy heart that we move the minute hand of the Macaroni Grill Doomsday Clock a minute closer to midnight:

Or, if urban redevelopment issues aren't your cup of tea for weekend fare, you could always go to Barnes & Noble on Sunday and see a paragon of conservative values talk about "stopping Obama's secular-socialist machine", or maybe that one hilarious time he gave his wife divorce papers while she was recovering from cancer surgery in the hospital, the end.

Bike to Work Day To Make the W&OD Even More Crowded

As we celebrate Bike to Work Day 2010, let's look back at this great moment in Reston cycling history, the end.

On the YouTubes: We Watch the Reston Association Videos So You Don't Have To

Wow, is it already time for another Reston Association video on the You Tubes? The dulcet tones of Andy Sigle tell us, yes it, is, so here we go.

"Are you thinking of replacing your windows?" Property covenants advisor "Julie" talks us down from that crackpot idea by walking through the process of submitting a DRB application. The short version: write down the dimensions of all your old and new windows -- and don't forget your color samples!

There's also video of folks from Software AG beating the ground with various path-fixin' implements as part of their (laudable) volunteer work around Reston's potentially flammable garden plots. But stick to near the end of the video for our favorite part: Andy Sigle taking a swing on a tennis court. What form!

Lake Anne Farmer's Market: It Pays to Read the Fine Print

Yay, the farmer's market is back at Lake Anne Plaza and OH GOD NO MAKE THAT NOISE STOP

This Week in Crime: Guilty Plea in Fox Mill Slaying, After Hours in the Fake Downtown, and Police Academy XXIII: The Great 7-11 Caper

A Fairfax man has pleaded guilty to the April 2009 slaying of his girlfriend in a Fox Mill home:

A Fairfax County teenager admitted Monday morning that he strangled and then stabbed 19-year-old Siobhan L. Russell to death in his Reston area bedroom last year, and he pleaded guilty to second degree murder.

Lee T. Wiggins, now 18, told police that he and Russell had been arguing about their relationship inside his house on Magna Carta Road on April 12, 2009. Fairfax Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Gregory O. Holt said that Russell reported that "he blacked out, and when he came to, he was on top of her."

Wiggins faces a sentence of five to 40 years in prison at his next hearing on Oct. 1 before Fairfax Circuit Court Judge David S. Schell. Wiggins' lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Karin Kissiah, said Wiggins had significant mental health issues and originally planned to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. Instead, Wiggins took responsibility for the crime and entered a straight guilty plea with no agreement on a sentence, Kissiah said.

A Reston man was charged with unlawful entry and being drunk in public after he was found wandering around a closed store in Reston's fake downtown:

A man was arrested after security personnel reportedly located him inside a closed business in the 1800 block of Explorer Street. [The suspect] was charged with unlawful entry and drunk in public.

Finally, two Reston businesses -- the 7-11 on Sunrise Valley Drive and the Rite Aid in Hunters Woods Plaza -- illegally sold alcohol to minors, Fairfax Police said after conducting one of their sting operations with police academy students, including hopefully that guy who made all the funny noises, the end.

Ask Restonian: What's the Highest Point in Reston? (Since the 1960s, Anyway)

We've been remiss in mentioning the most recent issue of the Reston Association's fancy Reston magazine, which celebrates all that is special and unique in Reston with.... this lovely cover shot of a bunch of beige, boring office buildings. Okay, then!

What reminded us of this breathtaking image was this question we received on our e-mail machine, which we frankly didn't know the answer to:

I have a question that maybe you or your readers could answer. What is the highest publicly accessible spot in Reston? I was up on the top floor of the "Democracy Tower" parking deck the other day and got to thinking that maybe there was a window out of a hallway or a terrace on top of one of those fancy condo building..... Any ideas where I could survey Reston's huge tracts of land??

Unless you can get yourself invited to a party at Bob Simon's place in the Heron House, this YouTube video might be the best, albeit vicarious, option. Any other thoughts, commenters?

Spectrum Landowner Sues Fairfax County; Macaroni Grill Death Watch Resumes

While we humble Restonians gnash our teeth and attend public hearings held by entities with ridiculously long acronyms to make sure we have a voice in the wave of development coming our way, the real stakeholders in Reston's future know how to get what they want: they sue.

A Lerner Enterprises Inc. affiliate is suing Fairfax County over the way the county allots density in the area just north of Reston Town Center.

The entity, Reston Spectrum LLP, filed suit in March in Fairfax County Circuit Court, arguing that it should be able to develop its site to the specifications the county approved in a 2006 conceptual plan.

The Lerner site sits between Route 602 and Fountain Drive and includes retailers such as Harris Teeter, Best Buy and Elizabeth Arden. Lerner wants to transform the 24-acre stretch into as many as 562 residential units and up to 406,000 square feet of retail or office use.

It secured county approval of a finalized conceptual site plan in 2008 using extra density from the neighboring Reston Regional Library, which was deemed a park in 1992, allowing it to transfer density to nearby developers.

Go Nats! Oh, wait, that's the wrong Lerner affiliate. This one wants to raze the Macaroni Grill and much of the other schlocky, big-box retail that should never have been built in the first place for a mixed-use development that, compared to some more recent proposals, seems homey and quaint by comparison. If there was any existing site worth razing and redeveloping in Reston, this would be it, as the current car-centric, big box retail couldn't be any worse in terms of sensible land use, awesome Macaroni Grill breadsticks notwithstanding.

Anyhoo, things about this project had been quiet since it was approved back in ought-eight, and now we know why. For us, this means we have to move the minute hand on the Macaroni Grill Doomsday Clock (tm) one minute closer to midnight.

Art Show or DRB Violation? You Make the Call

Please to be enjoying this lovely photo of an unruly mob of Restonians "tagging" some new high-rise construction site at Reston's Fake Downtown. Oh, actually, it was just the annual Reston Fine Arts Festival, a seriously good art show with an outstanding display of gutter shield technology at one of the booths. Some other "web logger" took pictures of many of the brightly colored displays, in case you wanted to see what you missed and/or could never afford to hang in your earth-toned abode, the end.

This Weekend: Pools, Art, and a Transit-Inspired Stroll Through Bethesda

An exciting weekend's ahead for us in Reston! Two pools -- Ridge Heights and North Shore -- open tomorrow, there's the fancy Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival in Reston's fake downtown, and in case you're not a fan of art, swimming, or transit-oriented development, there's this:

Metro is coming to Reston. You’ve heard it and maybe you can’t wait for the day you can hop aboard a train rather than sit in traffic.

But what will Reston be like once Metro arrives? Gridlock around the stations? Asphalt and concrete replacing trees and walking paths? YOUR “Live, Work, Play and Get Involved”-- gone? Not necessarily.

Learn how Metro will affect your neighborhood by attending Transit Oriented Development: A Tale of Two Counties and How a Connected Street Network Can Support a More Attractive and Walkable Reston. This discussion will take place on Saturday, May 15, 2010, from 9-11 a.m at South Lakes High School’s Seminar Room at 11400 South Lakes Drive, Reston.

You will hear how Arlington and Montgomery counties have both turned the areas around Metro stations into beautiful, tree-lined streetscapes, where people walk, bike, live and shop, where businesses thrive and how a connected street network improves traffic and access while it prepares areas for transit oriented development.

This event is co-hosted by Supervisor Catherine Hudgins, Hunter Mill District, Dulles Corridor Rail Association and Reston Association. For more information, call 703-715-4500.

Let's take a closer look at one of those two counties, courtesy of Doug Pew, who posted to the RestonPaths "web site" pictures from a fun walking tour of Bethesda, Montgomery County's premier transit-oriented development. Grab your 3-D virtual immersion goggles and join us around your Web machine TV screen in this nightmarish glimpse of Reston's future stroll around one of D.C.'s premiere suburban neighborhoods, won't you?

You had us at "above-ground parking garage," Bethesda. You did.

When people gush about Bethesda's high-end retail, we're guessing they're talking about this block.

Somehow, we don't think this is the photo on the cover of the Bethesda Chamber of Commerce brochure. But this is an example of an existing neighborhood just blocks from the Metro station. Too bad none of us reading this filthy "web log" can afford to live there.

Jaywalkers! Floor it!

We conclude our abridged version of the walking tour of scenic, if somewhat boring, Bethesda in the bowels of the Bethesda Metro station, which features underground bus bays, Zip cars, some really ugly lighting fixtures, and legions of unseen goblins ready to pounce on the unaware commuter, the end.

Update: The folks at Reston 2020 have posted presentations from the TOD seminar.

Reston Public Art Initiative Plans First Project: A Pedestrian Underpass

Hey, remember that time there was this awesome public art initiative that was going to bring bizarre concrete structures and other earth-toned "art" to all corners of Reston? Yeah, that was awesome. Well, the initiative is finally getting rolling, and their first project will be to "tag" a pedestrian underpass, much like other groups have done in the past.

In its first-ever project, the Initiative for Public Art-Reston (IPAR) is partnering with Hunters Woods Elementary School, the Reston Association and the Reston Community Center to create a permanent public artwork for the Reston community. A professional artist will work closely with students to design and create the artwork, which will be installed on two or four of the faces of the pedestrian underpass beneath Glade Drive, near their school.

Specifications for the Glade Underpass public artwork include that it be “a contemporary artwork in a permanent medium.” Some of Reston’s 26 existing underpasses already serve as sites for Reston’s most familiar public art, beginning with the murals of Gonzalo Fonseca under North Shore Drive, created as part of the development of the Lake Anne Village Center. Through the current project, IPAR aims at reviving and expanding Reston’s rich tradition of public art.

The artist selected to work with the students will receive a total grant of $28,000 to support the fabrication and installation of the artwork. According to IPAR’s public art manager, Anne Delaney, “professional artistic input and support will be generated competitively from among those responding to a “call for professional artists,” which has been posted on the IPAR website (www.publicartreston.com/publicart) and issued through other local media outlets. The application deadline is April 7, 2010.

Oops. Guess that deadline's already passed. Thanks, local media!

Anyway, whatever the kids wind up doing, it'll certainly beat this other recent proposal for "public art:"

Photographic Proof of New Lake Anne Eatery Emerges

Here is exciting photographic proof that Kalypso's Sports Tavern, which will have TVs and live music and Mediterranean food and whatnot, is indeed rising from the long-vacant ashes of the microwave tapas place at Lake Anne Village Center. According to this fancy "news-paper" article, its owners plan to open in late May or early June.

Fox Mill Expressway Gets 'No Speeding' Signs; Problem Solved Forever

Like Personal Injury Lawyers Road, Fox Mill Road is one of the semi-secret overland passages Restonians have passed down from generation to generation as a back-road way to get from our beloved beige community to someplace useful -- or at least Vienna and Fairfax City. Vienna placed a variety of "traffic calming" measures along its stretch of Lawyers Personal Injury Road years ago, and now the county is putting up "no speeding" signs along Fox Mill.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved placing signs warning of $200 additional fine for speeding along the segment of Fox Mill Road between Lawyers Road in Reston and Waples Mill Road in Fairfax.

The maximum fine for speeding in a residential zone is $200. The county allows the placement of the signs once traffic engineers confirm that a community has a problem with speeding. The signs cost about $500.

Problem solved.

This Week in Crime: Blue Plaid Shorts, White Collar Crime, House Parties, and Other Crimes Against Fashion and Humanity

Car thefts, house parties, assaults on police officers, and some awful blue plaid shorts. All in all, a typical week or two in Reston crime.

Let's start with the car larceny, shall we?

Police responded to the 2200 block of Sanibel Drive on Friday, April 30 around 11:26 p.m. for a vehicle tampering. A 35-year-old man saw someone inside his vehicle. Officers located the suspect walking nearby and an investigation determined he was in possession of stolen property. The suspect fled on foot and was not apprehended. He was described as Hispanic, between 20 and 22 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 150 pounds, with short brown hair. He was wearing a red windbreaker and blue, plaid shorts.

Talk about a fashion crime! Anyhoo, onward to the next bit of tomfoolery at the Hunters Woods Shopping Center.

On Sunday, May 2 around 5:17 p.m. an officer located an intoxicated man in the 2200 block of Hunters Woods Plaza. The suspect was arrested for drunk in public. While inside the police cruiser, the suspect allegedly kicked a window out causing injury to an officer. [A 48-year-old resident of] Barrel Cooper Court in Reston, was also charged with assault on a law enforcement officer and destruction of property.

Meanwhile, a house on Ridgegate Drive was the site of a hell of a party:

A home in the 12500 block of Ridgegate Drive was burglarized some time between 1 p.m. on Friday, April 23 and 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 25. An investigation determined a party took place at the home and several walls were significantly damaged. Police continue to investigate.

Could be worse. At least no one got beat up during that burglary:

A man was arrested for burglarizing a home in the 11100 block of Harbor Court and assaulting a 35-year-old man around 9:35 p.m. on Monday, April 26. An Arlington man was arrested, taken to jail and charged with assault and battery and burglary with the intent to commit assault.

And from blue plaid shorts we go to an appalling case of white-collar crime, where a Winchester man embezzled more than $1.1 million from a Reston IT firm:

Shortly after Jose "Tony" Gutierrez began working as an accountant for Transition Partners, a Reston IT consulting firm, he began stealing thousands of dollars from the company. He hid his work well, and the company couldn't figure out where its money was going.

One by one, the 40-employee company had to begin laying off longtime workers. But Gutierrez kept stealing, court records show. His jobless former colleagues, who all liked Gutierrez and never suspected him, began dipping into their retirement funds and ignoring medical needs.

And Gutierrez kept stealing.

Finally last year, a co-worker discovered his scheme. Soon, Transition Partners realized Gutierrez had embezzled more than $1.1 million, forcing 10 people to be laid off and driving the company to the brink of insolvency. He was arrested and soon confessed to the embezzlement.

Gutierrez spent nearly $300,000 renovating a Porsche sports car, court records show, as well as $187,000 on home improvements, cars for his wife and teenage daughter and nearly $48,000 on vacations.

Meanwhile, a former co-worker in his early 60s, with four children ages 15 to 22, was laid off, forcing him to deplete his 401(k) retirement fund, ignore medical needs and stop helping his children with college costs, Pettibone told Roush.

On Friday, Gutierrez was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Fairfax County judge, who called the incident "the worst case of embezzlement I've ever seen."

The 10-year term is unusual for a white-collar defendant in Fairfax, where large embezzlements frequently net scant jail time -- state sentencing guidelines called for probation for Gutierrez. Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Jane Marum Roush also ordered Gutierrez to repay the entire $1.1 million to Transition Partners.

"I'm truly sorry," Gutierrez told Roush. "My ethical compass just stopped working and I became lost."

Apparently so.

Photo Pfun: A Look at the Fanciful Civic Plaza of the Comstock Wiehle Metro Development

With the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors public hearing on the Comstock Wiehle Metro development this afternoon -- unless it's been postponed, as we've heard it may have been, even though the hearing is still on today's agenda -- we've gotten a first look at Comstock's revised agreement to limit automotive access to the windswept, light-free canyon what it's calling the "Civic Plaza."

Well then, problem solved! Comstock submitted another giant PDF of the proposal, which we've mined for some lovely drawrings of what our future signature Metro station/development might look like.

A generic streetscape. We dig the muted pastel watercolors.

Another street scene, done in the style of this famous example of mass transit project renderings.

Wait a minute -- Google Earth as public art? What happened to our rad '80s artwork?

That sound you just heard was our hearts breaking a little.

Yep, those are fanciful alright... so long as you consider "round" to be "fanciful."

At last, a rendering of the Civic Plaza itself, complete with Times Square-like TV screen over the subway escalators. We can't tell, but maybe it's this filthy "web log" that's on display in this picture.

Finally, that "world class" architecture we keep hearing about. Pier One's about to get one heck of an order!

Meanwhile, while all this is going on, the Reston Master Plan Task Force With the Ridiculous Acronymn is meeting again tonight, the end.

Update: The public hearing was indeed postponed, until 4:30 pm on May 25th. Rob Whitfield of the Dulles Corridor Users Group has a theory for the delay.

Flashback Monday: In 1966 Reston, They Weren't Breeding Like Rabbits, They Were Breeding Rabbits

We all know about the hilarity that occurred when a bunch of monkeys in a lab in Reston's Isaac Newton Square caught a trivial infection that wound up being so nice, they named it after our planned community, bringing fame and fortune to our fair community as far away as the Philippines before they closed the lab and put a daycare center for human children on the same, Ebolarific spot. But did you know that the first awesome animal experiments in Reston didn't involve monkeys? Nope, they involved rabbits. Enjoy this little bit of Reston trivia from 1966.

Occupying 10,812 sq. ft., Hazleton's Rabbit Breeding Division, headed by Doctor William H. Dieterich, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, is starting a program of breeding carefully controlled colony of rabbits destined for use in life science research. In this facility rabbits will he raised in a specially air-conditioned environment so as to produce specimens free from health imperfections which can distort research results. This facility should gain recognition as the most sophisticated rabbit breeding operation in the world. The care with which the animals are bred and raised will make a significant contribution to life science research in minimization of extraneous effects due to pre-research disease or contamination.

Aw, cute! Everyone loves bunnies. And it's nice they got to live in a nice, air-conditioned facility. It wasn't clear exactly what the rabbits were being bred for, but we can safely assume it probably had something to do with strapping bombs to dolphins. In the meantime, please to be enjoying this picture of 1966-era Hazelton scientists returning home after a long day of watching rabbits copulate.

"Another tough day at the office, Ed?"

"Yep. We even tried playing some Nancy Sinatra on the hi-fi, but Fluffy's mind just didn't seem focused on the job at hand."

Reston Real Estate: The High-Low Game, and One 'Healthy' House

Hey, gang! It's time to grab your maps and look for the "Honey, Stop the Car" signs sprouting along our earth-toned community's most prestigious roadways, as we play yet another round of everyone's favorite game of Reston real estate wheeling and dealing, the High-Low Game(tm)!

We start with this breathtaking "private oasis" on Burgee Court overlooking Lake Audobon, with lots of fancy windows and decks and whatnot -- all for a mere $1.495 million.

We know what you're saying -- "That's all well and good, but for that kind of scratch, the place better have a conversation pit."

There you go.

We're always happy when the most expensive house on the market in Reston isn't a soulless McMansion fronting Rt. 7, so it's all good. Besides, the mortgage is just $6,105 a month. Maybe if we sell a couple more of those fancy Google Ads to the "Who's Your Baby's Daddy?" people, we'll be in the ballpark.

Meanwhile, the market must just be going UP UP UP, as the least expensive non-condo in Reston is now at a ritzy $188,800. (We love it when agents use lots of 8s in their arbitrary pricing, presumably because the number eight is associated with good luck in Asian cultures, but we digress.) This townhouse on Pyrenees Court has a new vanity and is apparently "healthy," according to the breathless marketing prose. As opposed to the tubercular one down the street, we suppose.

Well, that's all the time we have this week. Tune in next time for the Reston High-Low Real Estate Game, where it's always a great time to BUY BUY BUY!

On The YouTubes: We Watch the Reston Association Videos So You Don't Have To

Wow, a double dose of Andy Sigle's dulcet tones in less than a week! This episode of Reston Today begins with an aerial video of Lake Anne Plaza for no apparent reason, but hey, it's cool to look at. Learn how to volunteer, how to be safe on Reston's "60 miles of trails," and watch new RA President Kathleen Driscoll McKee hang out in Reston's garden plots. Did you know all four of Reston's garden plots are located directly atop the transcontinental natural gas pipeline? No, but now that we do, we'll resist the urge to light up the next time we're out checking on our rutabagas.

Comstock Wiehle Proposal Made Minor Changes to Plaza to Win Planning Commission Approval

A fancy "news-paper" article sheds some light on the changes Comstock made to its planned Wiehle Metro development to win Fairfax County Planning Commission approval.

County planning staff had some concerns with Comstock's designs, particularly regarding vehicle access to the complex's main plaza, which staff contended should be primarily a pedestrian zone to make the complex welcoming to transit users.

Comstock wanted to allow limited vehicle access to portions of the public plaza, including a taxi stand for a possible hotel building and a drop-off area for the office buildings. Planners and Reston residents had expressed concerns that allowing vehicle access would interfere with community use of the plaza and turn into a de facto "kiss and ride" area for the new Metro station.

The recommended plan still allows some vehicle access to the edges of the plaza area, but it is further restricted than prior drafts of the rezoning plan.

The staff initially recommended denying the application and the Fairfax County Planning Commission put the project on ice for more than a month, until the staff concerns could be resolved.

The builder made adjustments to the planned use of the plaza and strengthened the plan language regarding environmentally friendly building design and encouraging transit use.

Comstock's revised plan does not address one of the primary community concerns, the amount of parking proposed for the facility. When complete, the proposed complex would have about 6,000 parking spaces, including the 2,300-space Metro parking garage and three private garages for the proposed new buildings.

"Restonians envision the Wiehle Avenue ... area as a 24-hour-a-day destination and a rich educational and cultural center, building on the educational institutions already in the area. It should not be a place for commuters to park their cars," said Richard Stillson, chairman of the Reston Citizens Association's Reston 2020 Committee, in testimony on the Comstock plan in March.

So less traffic in the sunny confines of the plaza, leaving more room for mushrooms and other sun-loving foliage to grow. Sweet! Skeptics will point out that Comstock escaped the approval process without having to make major changes, but as we've pointed out before, the developer has the county over a barrel.

"I know that not everyone is satisfied with the proposal as it stands," Commissioner Frank de la Fe (Hunter Mill) acknowledged, but he said the application had reached a point at which he felt comfortable approving it. Community groups will have ongoing input into the design of the buildings as the project is finalized, he said.

De la Fe also noted the importance of the project, which will allow people to exit the Metro station and enter a welcoming complex, rather than facing just a parking garage -- the alternative if the Comstock partnership is not approved.

"The piers for the Wiehle station are rising in the middle of the Dulles Toll Road as we speak," he said.

And that pretty much says it all.

Meanwhile, in the Anti-Reston: Herndon Incumbents Ousted From Town Council, Mayor Survives Write-In Campaign

Following yesterday's Herndon town council elections, our tolerant neighbor to the west may have just gotten a bit more tolerant.

Four challengers for Herndon Town Council had been elected to the board and two incumbents, Charlie Waddell and Dave Kirby, had not been re-elected. The sources said the winning candidates were Lisa Merkel, Connie Hutchinson, Sheila Olem, Jasbinder Singh, Grace Wolf and Bill Tirrell.

Mayor Steve DeBenedittis survived a last-minute write-in campaign, but the four challengers more or less ran on what we'll politely call an "anti-Arizona" platform and will have a majority on the council, which suggests that we'll have to go back to poking fun at the town's recreational activities instead of its AZ on the W&OD policies.

Comstock Wiehle Approved By Planning Commission, Public Hearing Scheduled May 11 (Maybe)

Well, well, well. The Fairfax County Planning Commission finally decided to stop kicking the can with an endless series of deferrals and recommended approval of the Comstock Wiehle Metro proposal last Thursday. According to an "electronic message" sent by Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors have now planned a public hearing for 3:30 p.m. on May 11, though the agenda's not yet been updated on the county's fancy "web site." So that's that.

Reston Association Discovers Secret of Time Travel, Uses It In Predictably Sad Way

The Reston Association must have a DeLorean hooked up to its fancy e-mail machine, as it bombarded Reston residents with a variety of wacky messages yesterday -- including this gem reminding people to vote in the referendum for its fancy headquarters facility, which ultimately failed before they went ahead and decided to move anyway.

No wonder they need to move to a more modern facility, as we have it on good authority that it takes 1.21 gigawatts of electricity to power such a time-bending missive -- something not possible with the electrical grids of 1960s-era buildings.

RELAC Opens the Floodgates (Maybe); Rate Hike Hearing Scheduled This Evening in Air-Conditioned Building

So, is Reston's favorite jet-aged tepid water-powered cooling system on or not? It may be hard to tell, but the company says it is.

With the steamy forecast for the weekend, we have the opportunity to utilize the changes you have suggested for starting the system. I wanted to let you know that we have started circulating chilled water. From what I have heard, Vantage Hill is currently not receiving chilled water, they have been doing maintenance to their system and plan to turn their valves on Monday. We have been checking the mains and bleeding air from the system but there may still be some work to do. We would expect that by day end (5/1) that all areas should be receiving chilled water. Any customers who are having issues can call our customer service at 877-987-2782 to set up an appointment with a technician.

Gregory Odell
Chief Operating Officer
Aqua Virginia, Inc.

Tonight is the second of two State Corporation Commission hearings on RELAC's proposed rate increase. The hearing will be held at 7pm at the Fairfax County Government Center -- which, we have it on good authority, is cooled by some crazy, johnny-come-lately technology called "air conditioning." What crackpots!