Bus vs. Bike vs. Car! The Amazing Race, or Some Semblance Thereof, Comes to Reston

The most amazing road race, or some semblance thereof, will take place on Monday, when three "prominent" Restonians will see who can get from one corner of Reston to another the fastest using different modes of transportation. Think Around the World in 80 Days, except it's around Reston, not the world, and it won't involve hot air balloons... or will it?

To promote the May 20 Bike to Work Day in the D.C. region, Bruce Wright, chairman of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling, has issued a commuting challenge to several prominent residents of Reston. While Wright rides his bike Monday morning, Virginia Del. Kenneth R. Plum will drive his hybrid and Reston Association President Kathleen Driscoll McKee will ride a bus for a competitive commute of a little over three miles.

Fairfax County Supervisor Catherine Hudgins, who also is chairman of the Metro board, has been invited to meet them at the finish line at the Reston Town Center Pavilion.

The three plan to start at 8:15 a.m. Monday from Cobblestone Lane in south Reston. Each will be timed. Plum must park in long-term parking, as if he is going to be working at the Town Center for the day, then walk to the Pavilion. Wright must also park and lock his bike, then walk to the Pavilion. McKee’s travel time will include walking to and from the bus stops. But all three are allowed to choose their own routes, as long as they obey traffic laws.

Wright predicts he'll cross the finish line first on his fancy bike, which he might if he flies down the W&OD trail at warp speed. No word on whether Plum or McKee will also be required to wear spandex.

Update: As expected, cyclist Wright won handily, according to our BFFs at Patch. What was surprising was how long the bus took -- 52 minutes, compared to 13 on a bike and 19 in a car.

Tall Oaks Close to Signing New Anchor Store? Keep Clapping, and Don't Hold Your Breath for a Grocery

After two international grocery stores have come and gone, the Tall Oaks stucco wasteland shopping center is allegedly on the verge of attracting a new anchor, officials say. But odds are that it won't be another grocery store.

Marty Flax, senior vice president of Renaud Consulting, the shopping center's property management group, says the space "will probably not be home to a supermarket" in the future. He said he is close to signing an anchor tenant for the Compare Foods spot.

"Supermarkets have not been able to make it there," Flax said. "It is still a viable shopping center in Reston. But the way the center is situated, it is hidden. It really is a neighborhood center."

Since Tall Oaks earned the dubious distinction of losing its Giant store in 2007, not to mention a 7-11 and a Burger King -- two franchises that can survive just about anywhere -- the future of the shopping center has been uncertain. After Giant closed, nearby residents started a postcard-writing campaign to get upscale Food Lion clone Bloom to move into the anchor spot, but the company declined.

The problem has a lot to do with the low-margin economics of the grocery business -- because the companies make their money by volume, the big chains want bigger stores -- at least the size of the Giant in North Point or the Safeway on Elden Street. In fact, Giant left Tall Oaks as part of a region-wide consolidation of its smaller stores. And sadly, not even the magnetism of Compare's Susie de los Santos was enough to draw people to the smaller, less well-known international markets that followed in its footsteps.

Tall Oaks now has a nearly empty parking lot and a big, empty space, causing some residents to wonder about Tall Oaks' future as the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force prepares to assess the village centers' role in Reston.

"The community [near Tall Oaks] really depends on it," says Ken Knueven, Reston Association board member representing Tall Oaks and Lake Anne. "Tall Oaks needs a proper anchor. People who live near there want the basics.

"Tall Oaks seems to be the center that gets the least amount of discussion," he said. "I don't think it is malicious. Lake Anne and Tall Oaks represent the oldest part of Reston. The demographics are there though. I still think Tall Oaks could support a Trader Joe's, a Magruders, [or] a Safeway."

While big retail has struggled, many smaller restaurants are doing just fine at Tall Oaks. Mama Wok is a popular Asian food spot, and upscale restaurant El Manantial is thriving. El Manantial is seeking RA Design Review Board approval to expand and add patio seating to its space.

In fact, El Manantial -- an officially endorsed Restonian favorite -- wants to create an outdoor seating area somewhat reminiscent of a Paris streetscape. The plans are actually very pretty looking, although we hope the view improves from a perpetually empty parking lot.

As the focus of the Reston Master Plan process shifts to the village centers, it's possible that Tall Oaks could ultimately be replaced by something newer and shinier. We just hope that people don't buy into the "hidden" mantra and replace what is essentially a conventional strip mall-style shopping center with a new conventional strip mall-style shopping center that happens to be oriented to Wiehle Avenue. You could argue that's what helped at Hunters Woods, but that was a bigger shift from a completely different model of retail center that made present-day Tall Oaks look positively bustling by comparison in the final years before it was demolished and converted into the present-day bland strip mall nirvana.

Thinking long-term, we'd personally prefer out-of-the-box thinking to more boxy retail. After all, Tall Oaks has awesome signage, perfect for the permanent future home of the Reston Opera House or maybe an awesome rollerdrome or something, the end.

Dream of Reston! The License Plate Remains Elusive As It Enters its Fourth Year

The ongoing dream of joining Parrotheads and Radford graduates by placing a fancy Reston-themed license plate on the back of our respective Prisuses (or is it Priusi?) is apparently continuing into its fourth year, even as the threshold needed to get Virginia to approve the exclamation-point-adorned plates just got higher.

This year the process of getting a special license plate became tougher after the General Assembly increased the number of prepaid applications needed from 350 to 450, as of July 1.

"We just haven't reached the people yet," said Dan McGuire, who has lived in Reston since 1972. "We've advertised. We've gone on TV [and] had stories in the newspapers. We just haven't been able to connect."

According to the "news paper" article, McGuire has about 110 of the 540 applications needed for the Reston plate. But the last time a fancy "news paper" wrote about this, they said McGuire had about 150 applications. Did he receive negative 40 new applications since last fall?

But no matter. McGuire has some new allies in the attempt to represent Reston! at the DMV.

He has asked Del. Tom Rust (R-Dist. 86) of Herndon to carry his license plate legislation once he's collected his signatures. Rust said he has sponsored special plate legislation before, but not within the past six years.

"It's much more difficult to get one now," he said. "They have to get all the applications, which we didn't have before." The point of the applications, Rust said, is to make sure residents want the plate before the lengthy process of approval begins.

McGuire and those who recently joined his effort have until the General Assembly's 2012 session, which begins in eight months, to gather additional signatures.

"Reston is a special place and we are the most premier planned community in the world," said Jane Lee Wong, the North Point Director of the Reston Citizens Association, a nonprofit community organization. Wong joined McGuire's plate petition movement about a month ago.

"Our license plate is how we're going to advertise our community. We're going all out. We'll be reaching out to everyone."

Sweet! Contact information is available on the RCA's fancy new "web site." And maybe some of the residents of the 3,600 new residential units coming online soon will help bump up the signature count, the end.

Summer of Mauve: Reston Development Projects Already Under Consideration Would Add 1 Million Sq. Ft. of Office/Retail, Plus 3,600 Residential Units

If you prefer 100-plus-page zoning proposals to the latest bestseller as your beach read of choice, this is definitely going to be your summer. A whole host of projects that have been on the drawing board for years will be considered for green-lighting by county officials in the coming months. If all are approved, they will add a jaw-dropping 1-million-plus square feet of office and residential space, plus nearly 3,600 residential units, to our beloved beige community. So let's recap!

After demolishing a retail strip behind the Reston International Center, JBG is going forward with plans for the next phase of the Reston Heights Project. Already approved by the county, the plan includes 145,000 square feet of above-grade retail, 10,000 square feet of "below-grade retail" (for the Mole People), at least 230,000 square feet of office space and nearly 500 residential units. While the project was approved several years ago, the revised plan calls for "a new grocery and neighborhood retail into pedestrian friendly, urban-type streetscape with mid-rise residential above." It goes before the county's planning commission on Sept. 15.

The Reston Spectrum proposal -- also approved by county officials in 2008 -- is also moving forward, with a public hearing before the county planning commission on July 21. The proposal is divided into three sections, which include more than 1,400 residential units, 255 hotel rooms, 172,000 square feet of office space, and more than 245,000 square feet of retail spread across a number of buildings ranging from 120 to 180 feet tall. It also would spell the likely demise of the Macaroni Grill, for which there are no words.

Boston Properties' proposal to build a "luxury rental" building on the last undeveloped parcel of Reston's fake downtown gritty urban core will go before the planning commission on June 16. The building, which would be built between St. Francis, Bluemont and Explorer Street and Town Square, will include 359 units and 29,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor, plus six stories of parking.

Now that the 804-unit Fairway Apartments redevelopment proposal has cleared the Reston P&Z committee, the next step is a public hearing with the county planning commission on July 7.

And last but certainly not least, the RPB&M, LLC plan to create one 520-unit residential building, a 170,000 square foot office building and 8,000 square feet of retail near the Wiehle Avenue Metro station on Sunset Hills Road is still awaiting the results of a traffic study before it advances through the public hearing process.

Using our fancy Fairfax County Public School math skills, we figure that this all adds up to nearly 575,000 square feet of office space, 3,600 residential units, and 437,000 square feet of retail (which ought to be enough to squeeze a Cheesecake Factory in somewhere). And that's just the existing proposals that are currently on the books. Change is coming, and faster than many people expected.

Flashback Monday: A Land Before The Macaroni Grill

Please to be enjoying this ca. 1989 list of Reston's fine restaurants. Besides the conspicuous lack of the Macaroni Grill, what's striking is how few of these places still exist. Flippers? Fritzbies? Roy Rodgers? Il Cigno? Taco Amigo? All long gone. Though we would have probably enjoyed "La Salade." Sounds all fancy-like, and an ahead-of-its-time precursor to our current-day obsession with cupcakeries and saladries and whatnot.

Besides the usual fry pits fast-food establishments, the only name we recognize is Lake Anne's Jasmine Cafe. We're pretty sure if we were doing this "web log" back in 1989 (posting it to CompuServe on a 300-baud modem), we'd put on our suspenders and Peter Bogdanovich glasses and meet our vast army of Confidential Operatives at the "Executive Dining Room" in Isaac Newton Square, the end.

Fairway to Heaven: Fifth Attempt at Apartment Complex Redevelopment Approved by Reston P&Z

The (slightly) slimmed down proposal to redevelop Fairway Apartments has cleared its first hurdle, as the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee voted 10-1 this week to recommend approval. Fifth time's the charm! Although in this case, "approval" doesn't necessarily equate to "a rave review."

"This is a marked improvement," said Chairman Arthur Hill of the current proposal. "It is a reasonable use of the property -- not an outstanding one, but a reasonable one."

At this point, we think JBG will take "reasonable."

The current proposal consists of two five-story mid-rise buildings, one multi-family four-story building and 59 townhouses for a total of 804 units.

"This is still more density than currently exists," said John Schlichting, executive development officer for JBG. "But it will be more density coupled with larger green space."

That's definitely true -- those 804 units will replace the 348 existing apartments. But the proposal has been scaled down from the original 951-unit proposal that county planning staff resoundingly trashed last summer. Depending on your perspective, the original mauvescraper has either been eliminated or put on its side, and JBG has now included provisions for more open space.

JBG proposes to incorporate more than 38 percent of overall open space in the new complex, including two centrally located wooded areas, enhanced pedestrian connectivity and more than 47,000 square feet of preserved tree canopy. "High density can be experienced in a positive way," Schlichting said.

Also back in the proposal -- after JBG got dinged for shamelessly removing it in previous iterations -- are provisions for some affordable housing.

According to Diane Blust, president of the Fairfax Coalition for Smarter Growth, Fairway's 348 apartments currently are considered "relatively affordable" and replacing them with high-end units will eliminate "desperately needed affordable housing in the Reston area."

Alex San Andres, development manager for JPG, said that 12 percent of the proposed new complex's 673 multi-family units, or about 80, will be rent-controlled apartments reserved for "work force housing." He added an additional seven units will be reserved as "affordable dwelling units" to meet county housing requirements.

Good for them. Others expressed concern about the traffic impact.

"The massive scale of this project is just not Reston-like," said Richard Newlon, a member of the Reston Design and Review Board, who was in the audience of the Planning and Zoning Committee meeting. "When density impacts livability, that's when you have a problem," he said, referring to the hundreds and possibly thousands of residents who would inhabit the 804-unit complex.

JBG representatives said a traffic-impact study would be conducted once the site plan for the project is filed, pending its approval by the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning.

"That's all well and good," said audience member John Bowman of the Reston Citizens Association, "but the traffic impact of your units will not end at the doorstop of the complex. Reston already has seven failed intersections due to increasing traffic."

The Fairway proposal now goes before the county's planning commission in July. Although each new iteration of the redevelopment plan has chipped away just enough housing units and added back in just enough green space to move the needle, we'll give JBG credit for at least responding. Now it's up to the county to decide what to do about the additional traffic impact, and hopefully their response won't be some variation on "keep clapping." What could possibly go wrong?

Reston: The Magazine Proves Once Again It Was Worth Taking the Time To Learn to Read

Take a gander at what uniformed federal agents will be delivering to your home in the coming days! The summer issue of Reston: The Magazine is out, and it's chock full of light-hearted summer reading. Be sure to toss it into your beach bag when you head to the ocean The Water Mine your nearest RA pool.

At first, we were a bit worried about quality control at the Reston: The Magazine headquarters, as the word "DEAP" is prominently splayed across the cover. Turns out it's something about a "drowning education awareness program," which posits the radical idea that drowning is... bad?

Then an exciting column by the police spares us the trouble of finding a dictionary by defining what a bicycle is. If you said it is a "device propelled solely by human power, upon which a person may ride either on or astride a regular seat attached thereto, having two or more wheels in tandem, including children’s bicycles, except a toy vehicle intended for use by young children," then congratulations. You somehow managed to memorize Chapter 8 (§ 46.2-800 et seq.) of Virginia law, which will make you tons of fun at parties.

But that's not all! There's barbecue safety tips! And a program to learn how to make your own barrel to catch radioactive rain water! And an exciting opportunity to adopt a recycling bin! (Though frankly, we're waiting for the chance to adopt a fanciful concrete bollard.)

Like all great periodicals (The Economist and Soap Opera Digest come quickly to mind), Reston: The Magazine also has its share of what those of us in the business call "think pieces." Here's what Bob Simon had to say about community, and density, and how each feeds off the other:

One obvious characteristic of community is the greater the density the greater opportunity there is for community.... For the future, Reston will no doubt, with the advent of rail and beyond, find itself absorbing its share of the region’s population increase. If well planned for, the increase will reinforce the strength of its community without disturbing the quality of living in the vast majority of its neighborhoods. This can occur if the bulk of the population increase is directed, as it should be, to Town Center, the village centers and the metro station areas.

That's pretty heavy. If only there was something a bit lighter to serve as a mental palette cleanser, so to speak:

They had us at "Robert's Rules of Order."

The Surest Sign Spring Has Returned to Reston: Perverts on the Paths

What was it that Chaucer said about spring? "Whan that Avril with his shoorez soteeh/Perverts return to the pathes in Reston." Sorry, it sounds better in Middle English. But this fancy "electronic mail" has been making the rounds this morning:

Please share this email with anyone who uses the Reston paths.

I was on a walk last night about 7pm. I started at the basketball courts, behind Hunting Horn, near the beaver area and went right, towards Twin Branches. There were lots of families, dog walkers and runners on the path at the time. I saw many people, including a young woman about my age walking alone, like me.

I walked up the path and when I got to the bridge that crosses the Glade Stream I stopped for a little bit to watch the birds. While I was there I saw man sitting on the bench a little ways down the path. He was sitting on the bench with a hand in his pocket. Then he was picking up his legs as if stretching and moving around like he had been running. I left the bridge and as I passed him I said hello. He said hello back and I kept going.

A few minuets later the man jogged by me and went up around the bend. Very soon after that the young woman woman whom I had seen walking earlier came walking towards me and asked to use my phone to call the police. She said that the man who had been on the bench had run up behind her and told her "she shouldn't have left" and that he had been "masturbating" while watching her.

This man was in his mid 30's, athletic build, about 5' 7" or 5' 8", light skinned black with tattoos on his legs.
He was wearing a light grey or blue baseball hat, wire glasses, a black athletic shirt, silver and blue shorts down to the knee, and running shoes.

We met the police at the intersection of Glade and Twin Branches and filed a report with Officer Rocco.
He and two other officers went down the hiking trail across Twin Branches to see if the guy was still around.
I do not know if they were able to identify the man.

I think we all could use the reminder that although we live in a generally safe area it is always important to keep safety in the back of our minds. Travel with a buddy when possible and always bring a phone.

Regardless of the details of this incident, that's always good advice.

Reston Web Log Goes to -- Wait for it -- the Birds

Have you ever wanted to see a cormorant, whatever that is, spear a fish that's too big for it to eat? Well, thanks to a fellow Reston "web logger," you can do that and more. This web log exhaustively details all kinds of filthy wildlife action on Lake Thoreau, one of Reston's three favorite lakes. Loons, eagles, crows, ospreys -- you name it. We didn't need a web log to know Reston has loons, but it's exciting to get some actual photographic proof.

Lookit, here are some of those "Angry Birds" the kids with their fancy iPhones keep talking about:



In conclusion, the Internet has officially been won. Please to unplug your computer from the wall and go find a book or a "news paper" or something, the end.

(Shout-out to Secret Restonian Operative "Sean" for the link.)

Oh, Goody: Another Plan to Revitalize Lake Anne

So this fancy "picture e-mail" crossed our transom, promising exciting news about "commercial reinvestment" at Lake Anne, courtesy of Fairfax County and two fancy consulting groups. But it doesn't sound like the Cheesecake Factory is going to be crowding out the Farmers Market anytime soon, given that this is just a presentation that "includes an assessment of the current conditions affecting the non-residential uses in the LAVC and provide recommendations, informed by baseline data, public input and best practices to stabilize and sustain current establishments and to attract viable and complementary new non-residential establishments to the LAVC." Um, yay?

This is the first concrete thing to happen since Fairfax County Supervisors approved a redevelopment plan for Lake Anne back in ought-nine. That plan called for as many as 1,655 residential units, 80,000 square feet of retail and 235,000 square feet of office space, precisely 0.0 square feet of which has been built. Blame the ongoing slow-motion collapse of the global economy "market conditions," and of course, the Reston Association, which decided to move its own headquarters to a soon-to-go-bankrupt office park as opposed to Lake Anne as many had urged.

Our BFFs at Patch have already mocked the inscrutable wording of this announcement, but we're hoping that yet another group of consultants doesn't come up with yet another predictable yet vague series of recommendations, like creating a "restaurant row" (it already has one) or a "cluster for startups," as though the next Pets.com is going to have its servers cooled by refreshing lake water. For all the grousing about development and density, this is a spot that could actually use it, as the surrounding area never reached the density Bob Simon originally intended and has struggled to remain commercially viable ever since. Hopefully these recommendations will be a useful first step in making that happen, but who knows.

On the YouTubes: Smart Growth and Wedding Crashers II: This Time It's Personal

It's Friday, as the leading philosopher of our generation has famously opined, so why not "kick back" in front of the YouTubes with an enjoyable 11-minute video showing how "smart growth" has transformed Arlington into a hellish urban landscape, replete with congestion and chain retail globally recognized model of transit-oriented development, with some smooth jazz to sweeten your viewing experience. If we're lucky and keep clapping, things just might work out halfway as well in our own earth-toned community as the bollards start popping up, but even if you don't agree, you'll still want to fast-forward to the obligatory Cheescake Factory shot at 0:46. Who's hungry now?



If that's not your speed, please to be enjoying instead this gonzo-style video of some real-life hijinx, as a couple of lotharios and their consorts attempt to crash a wedding party at the Reston Sheraton. You may think this video is pointless, but what you don't know is that it's already been optioned for a major motion picture starting Vince Vaughn, Dame Helen Mirren and Yahoo Serious, the end.

This Week in Crime: Is a New Serial Hamburglar Behind Bars?

Fairfax County Police said Thursday that a Sterling man arrested in connection with a burglary on Fairway Court may be linked to more than 30 Reston-area burglaries over the past year.

Officers arrested a 39-year-old Sterling man and are investigating whether or not he may be linked to a series of more than 30 burglaries that occurred primarily in the Reston area over the past year.

Rasheed Yusuf Ali, of 45414 Gable Square, was charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of grand larceny after police observed him on North Shore Drive in Reston around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13. Ali was suspected of breaking into a home in the 11300 block of Fairway Court earlier that evening.

In addition to the Reston area, burglaries that may be associated with the suspect also took place in Loudoun County and the following police district locations across Fairfax County: Sully, Fair Oaks, Mason and McLean. The suspect in these incidents typically struck during the early evening hours when homes were unoccupied and dark. Jewels and cash were the primary items targeted.

Serial burglaries seem to be all the rage these days, following last year's arrest of Brad K. Edmonds, the North County Hamburglar (tm) who was nabbed last November after being linked to more than 100 area burglaries.

Will Ali be the Grimace to Edmonds' Hamburglar? Robble, robble.

Driscoll McKee Re-Elected President as the RA Seeks a Larger Role in the Master Planning Process

Following Tuesday's not-so-stunning election results, Kathleen Driscoll McKee was re-elected president by her fellow Reston Association Board members last night. Vice President Paul Thomas and Secretary Joe Leighton were also re-elected for another one-year term.

The not-so-new board has its work cut out for it going forward, and not just because of its glorious five-year plan. As the awesome county-led Reston Master Plan process continues, shifting from the areas around the upcoming Metro stations to the existing village centers, the board wants to be more involved in the Task Force We've Forgotten The Acronym For (TFWFTAF). That's an idea we'd like to think came from reading this filthy "web log", but it's really just common sense. A few weeks ago, the RA Board made this point more emphatically:

The Reston Association board will send a letter to Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, urgng her to let Reston Association be the lead community organization assisting the county as it undertakes Phase II of the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force.

Phase II will focus on Reston's residential areas and village centers, and what those areas need as Reston enters a new phase of development with the Metro Silver Line opening here in 2013.

There are other voices that need to be involved in the mix as well, including the Restons Citizens Association and its Reston 2020 offshoot. But we think it's clear that as the focus shifts from the new and the shiny to what to do with the established parts of Reston, the voices that need to be heard are those of the residents and the organizations that represent them. Because we know what can happen when that's not the case:

The Triumph of Art: Reston Resident Wins Most Important Contest of All Time

Lest you doubt the incredible creative energy that resides behind our earth-toned walls, let it be known that Mary Jo Ondrejka of Reston was one of three people who won the Washington Post's annual "Peep Show" contest, which involves creating art from children's candy and whatnot. Along with co-conspirators Bryn Metzdorf from Fairfax and Margaret Hartka from Parkton, Md., Ondrejka created this stunning reenactment of the "Chilean CoPeepapo Mine Rescue" (get it?) The best art should enlighten and challenge, and we think this does both, inasmuch as molded extrusions of marshmallow and high-fructose corn syrup can do either, so yay, the end.

Indecision 2011: Beamer Re-Elected to RA Board; Sigle Wins At-Large Seat

Apparently being the star of those fancy Reston Association videos does count for something, as dulcet-toned RA Today host Andy Sigle was elected to the at-large seat on the Reston Association Board of Directors, it was announced during tonight's RA annual meeting, which unfortunately our candystriping duties kept us from being able to attend, though our BFFs from Patch were there to record history in action. Cheryl Beamer also won re-election to the Hunters Woods/Dogwood seat.

At-large rep Richard Chew's seat was up for re-election, but he opted not to run for a second term. Other candidates in the race were Jason Carlo, Sridhar Ganesan, John E. George and Donovan D’Souza.

"I am proud to be elected," said Sigle, an executive at XO Communications and on-camera host of RA's Reston Today videos. "I look forward to working with everyone."

This is Sigle's first elected office. Beamer was elected to her second term on the RA board.

"I am very excited I will get to see some of these ideas through," said Beamer. "This is a great vote of confidence. A lot of good ideas came out of the campaign from my opponent [Victor Van Rees], and I intend to discuss them further."

Poor Amanda Andere, who was running to replace Tim McMahon as the red-headed stepchild apartment owner's rep on the board, didn't receive the required 10 percent of ballots, so a revote will be held starting April 15.

Sigle and Beamer will be on the RA board as it drafts its next five-year plan -- which sounds surprisingly Soviet, even for the RA. Expect plenty of references to potato crop yields and record numbers of tractors new earth tones, the end.

This Week in Crime: One Seriously Manic Monday, Plus a Cat-astrophe Continues

After a relatively quiet couple of months, Reston crime seems to be picking up again, what with the stabby birthday party at the now authentically gritty urban core and all. And we thought we'd have to retire this column!

Just consider Monday, which was kicked off by an early morning bank robbery off Sunset Hills Road in Reston.

Shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Monday, April 11, a man entered the Congressional Bank located at 1800 Michael Faraday Drive, approached a 43-year-old teller and displayed a handgun. He demanded money and left with an undisclosed amount of cash. There were no injuries. The suspect fled the bank and was last seen headed in the direction of Wiehle Avenue.

The suspect was described as black, 5 feet 3 to 5 feet 6 inches tall, stocky build, wearing all black clothing.

The police helicopter and K-9 responded to check the area.

If that wasn't enough excitement for a Monday, it was hardly lunchtime when fire and rescue personnel had to attend to a fire on Riders Lane.

The call came in at 12:34 p.m., and firefighters were on the scene within two minutes. The fire started in a second-floor bedroom of home in the 11000 block of Riders.

The blaze was quickly under control. An elderly man was treated at the scene, but there were no other injuries.

The fire, which was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials was ruled accidental on Tuesday It did an estimated $110,000 in damage.

But we can't save all the excitement for Mondays! A man was robbed at gunpoint on a Saturday night at Lake Anne Plaza.

Two men robbed a 25-year-old man at gunpoint in the 11400 block of Washington Plaza just after 11 p.m. on Saturday, April 2. They were described as black, between 20 and 25 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall and 150 pounds, wearing dark clothing. The victim declined medical attention.

Also, candy was stolen from a business on Baron Cameron Avenue. There are no words.

And finally, in our progressive neighbor to the west, a 50-year-old woman now faces 10 charges in connection with a house full of dead cats on Summerfield Drive in Herndon.

Pamela Louise Wykle of 1318 Summerfield Drive, Herndon was charged with six counts of animal cruelty, two counts of failure to properly dispose of dead animals and two counts of maintaining unsanitary conditions.

Officers determined that Wykle had left her Hendon home containing 27 live cats around the holidays and not returned since then. She had been staying with family members in the McLean area.

That's the house, above and to the right. Other than the now boarded-up door, it's not quite what you pictured, right?

Many Happy Returns: Founder's Day Festivities Celebrate Reston's 47th, Simon's 97th

Hey, nice cake! It was all part of the fun at Saturday's Founder's Day festivities, which celebrated Robert E. Simon's 97th birthday -- and Reston's 47th. What's Simon's secret to longevity and eye-pleasing earth tones?

"I drink a gin martini every day," he said.

But that wasn't all! Along with a scavenger hunt and other festivities, Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins announced a "new sustainability effort" on Founder's Day that will "ensure that Reston stays an innovative and environmentally conscious place," which we guess means that the goldenrod copy of DRB violations will be printed on recycled paper. And Secret Restonian Operative "Sean" pointed out that Dear Leader also took to the wireless (audio clip) to discuss our favorite community, and what it feels like to live near his bronze doppelganger. (Spoiler alert: His response was not "creepy.")

All joking aside, one thing we love about Reston's ur-creation myth is that Simon created our community at the age of 50. That's actually really inspiring! And it means we still have a few more years to get together that strip mall in Poughkeepsie we've been dreaming about, the end.

Reston Real Estate: The High-Low Game, Plus The High-Stakes World of Speculative Construction

Have you finished all your Founder's Day shopping yet? If not, maybe it's time to leverage pick up some prime Reston real estate for everyone on your Founder's Day list. So grab your checkbooks and join us for yet another round of everyone's favorite game of Reston real estate wheeling and dealing, the High-Low Game(tm)!

At the high end of the spectrum is this awesome gem on North Village Road in the "20194," as the kids today don't say.

REDUCED $200K!! Model showcase for THE DECK HOUSE, a post & beam architectural gem! Awarded for high quality construction featuring mahogany doors & trim, soaring wood ceilings, walls of glass & passive solar heating. Prime location on treed 1 acre between Lake Anne & Lake Newport, steps to lakes, tennis, pool, & shopping. 2-story solarium w/spa,chef's kit & designer lighting, totally remodeled!!

Actually, this house is quite lovely. At $949,500, we would totally live there, if we lived in a universe where "web loggers" got paid $949,500 for copy and pasting stuff and writing comments like "awesome" our tireless efforts. They had us at this futon:

BTW, Don Johnson called. He wants his comforter back from the sleepover after the Animotion LP release party.

Anyhoo! On the other end of the spectrum is this two-bedroom "flat" on Lake Anne. Priced at $219,900, it's not the cheapest condo in Reston, but it's the cheapest one with this kind of view.

This charming walk-up flat feels like a European Village. Great kitchen renovation, fire plc, water views and a wonderful life style. Listen to concerts from your balcony, walk downstairs to grab a beer & watch the game at the tavern, enjoy the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. Condo fee inclds ALL utilities & TV cable. This well run & maintained condo hasn't had a special assmt in 10 years!

Okay then. But if neither property is your cup of tea, fret not. The house featuring the refrigerator with a TV in it is still on the market!

Or maybe you've tired of the residential market. Maybe like our next president, you want to make your fortune in commercial real estate. Or maybe not:

When Chris Walker broke ground on an office building along the Dulles Toll Road at the peak of the commercial real estate market, he often imagined how people would describe the new building.

One description that never entered his mind: “Chris Walker’s empty building.”

But three years after the entrepreneur delivered the $55 million Reston building — one he hoped to be his swan song after a long development career — that’s exactly what they call it. His is the only office in the building.

Which is too bad. Dulles Corridor is one of the less ugly buildings that's cropped up along the Toll Road in recent years, plus it's close to some awesome public art.

Anyhoo, that's about all the time we have this week. Until next time, keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars DRB-approved overhead lighting fixtures!

Underground Metro for Dulles, Shutdown Suffering, and a Herndon Cat-astrophe: A Random Stroll Around Reston News

• Turns out Dulles Airport will actually get a fancy Metro station somewhere within the general proximity of the airport, after all. The airport authority voted to locate the station underground about 550 feet from the station, at a cost of about $330 million beyond what it would have cost to build an above-ground station nearly 1/4 of a mile away. County officials are not amused!

  Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova said she is concerned by Wednesday's Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board vote in support of the underground tunnel for the Dulles International Airport Metro station.
  
  “If the underground alignment endorsed by MWAA today results in an increase in the cost of Phase II, then MWAA should be responsible for funding the difference in a way that does not increase the burden on Fairfax County residents or on Dulles Toll Road users,” Bulova said.

  Given that a big part of the justification of the cost of the entire multi-billion Silver Line project was that scads of airport users would start using the Metro once the line was completed, the airports authority made the correct decision. But Bulova's right that the increased costs should be paid by Metro riders, not Toll Road users.
  
  
• Usually you have to go to flyover country America's Noble Heartland to get your daily dose of scores-of-dead-cats-found-in-a-house news, but our friendly neighbor to the west pulled through for us this week.

  Fairfax County animal control officers found between 20-30 dead cats in an empty home in the 1300 block of Summerfield Drive in Herndon late Wednesday.
  
  Fairfax County police spokesperson Lucy Caldwell said the animal control officers were called out to Herndon for a report of two large dogs running through the neighborhood. She said an officer saw the dogs run into the back yard of the home to try to catch them when the officer saw what she thought were the carcasses of dead cats in the home.
  
  While officers did not find any people, they did find the skeletal remains of between 20-30 deceased cats by about 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday. No living cats were found in the home, Caldwell said. She said there may be more dead cats in the home.
  
  “Apparently no one had been living in the house for some time,” Caldwell said, though the property is owned by a 50-year-old woman. She said police are not categorizing this incident as hoarding at this point, because there are many unknown factors about the situation.

  Is it too soon to call this a cat-astrophe?
  
  
• Fans of frottage, rejoice: The seriously awesome, if somewhat overcrowded, semi-annual book sale is on through the weekend at the Reston Regional Library.
  
  
• Ever wanted to make a suggestion about the Reston Association budget? Now's your chance:

  The Board of Directors is scheduled to adopt the 2012-2013 budget on Nov. 17, 2011. Members can submit suggestions for all aspects of Reston Association operations. Suggestions are due by April 22, 2011.

  You can get the handy suggestion form here.
  
  
• If the federal gubmint does shut down tomorrow at midnight, Fairfax County workers will lose $1.6 million per day in salary, which will trickle down to impact the local economy the number of dudes with smartphones hanging out at Jackson's.
  
  
• The craptacular Rave Motion Pictures Reston 13 in the fake legitimately gritty downtown, which was a nice theater when it opened nearly two decades ago, has a new owner. Bow Tie Cinemas plans extensive renovations, plus "Super Tuesday discounts," when tickets will be just... $6. God, we feel old.
  
  
• Books-A-Million will follow Blockbuster as the second major retailer to leave Reston when it closes April 17.
  
  
• Finally, from the almost-but-not-quite-ironic department: Franklin Farms resident Kevin Lee Cokayne was charged with selling marijuana. If your name is Mary Jane and you live in Fox Mill, you might want to stay away from bags of flour.
  

Reston Station Groundbreaking As Work Begins on Reston's 'Sixth Village Center'

And with this hawt shovel-on-trucked-in-earth action, construction officially begins on Reston Station, which Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins called Reston's "sixth village center." But will that village center wind up looking more like Lake Anne or, say, Tall Oaks?

Hudgins, who is also Chair of the Board of Directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, said Reston Station could be considered “Reston’s sixth village center,” alluding to Reston founder Robert E. Simon’s original vision that Reston be built as a walkable community centered around village centers.

“I hope we will measure up to the standards of Robert Simon for people to live, work and play here,” Hudgins said, “This is truly a significant part of Reston’s history, the [Dulles] corridor’s history and Fairfax County’s history. This changes Fairfax County from a bedroom community to a transit-oriented community.”

After years of hand-wringing and discussion, that change is officially here for Reston, as the $91.3 million garage, built as a private-public partnership between Comstock and Fairfax County, will become the foundation for a mixed-use complex with 850 residential units, 550,000 square feet of office space, 120,000 square feet of retail, maybe including that Cheesecake Factory we keep crossing our fingers for, and if the plans are any indication, more fanciful concrete bollards than we can count.

Expectations -- and the stakes -- are high for this project. If Comstock gets it right, Reston Station will set the standard for all the future development to come. If they get it wrong by, say, picking up discarded "public art" on the cheap, that, too, will set the standard for the future development to come. As Comstock CEO Christopher Clemente said yesterday:

“A partnership of this nature can only come about from commitment. We are here today because of the commitment of community leaders. This highlights what can be achieved.”

Here's hoping that commitment to Reston's high standards is upheld by both county leaders and Comstock.

In the meantime, Comstock has a fancy live "web camera" showing the construction on the project's site. Behold the excitement!

It doesn't look like much now, but it will soon enough.

And if you just can't get enough shovel-on-dirt action, please to be enjoying this fancy video from our BFFs at Patch:


You had us at "shovel."

On the YouTubes: Forget March Madness, Let's Watch People Lifting Heavy Objects For Sport

You may think you're a bit of a badass, what with riding your bike along the soon-to-be-artified W&OD Trail, but check out your fellow Restonians lifting heavy objects such as tires and whatnot during the first annual strongman competition at Crossfit Reston. And we can thank our community's unique aesthetics for making the event legit!

The brainchild of Barry Perkins, 44, former strongman and founder of the Edge 2.0 training group, the Capital Classic was the first competition of its kind in Fairfax County.

The Capital Classic Strongman Challenge concept began in Perkins' Reston backyard. He and his strongman buddies would get together to lift atlas balls and large tires to train for upcoming events.

Naturally, this didn't sit well with his suburban Reston neighbors.

"The neighbors did not like it at all," he said.

Maybe they should have tried lifting some earth-toned objects, as opposed to the neon yellow car you can watch a woman hoist in this exciting but unembeddable video.

Fun fact about your Restonian: We would have been right there power-lifting two-door sedans and whatnot in this fancy video, but tragically a last-minute paper cut kept us from entering. There's always next year!

This Week in Crime: Reston Town Center Starts Earning Its Reputation as a Real Downtown

Turns out that Reston Town Center is a bit more gritty and authentic than we originally thought:

Police responded to a report of an assault outside of the McCormick and Schmick’s restaurant at 11920 Democracy Lane shortly after midnight Monday, April 4. A 24-year-old Herndon man suffered apparent stab wounds following an altercation between him and an acquaintance during a birthday celebration the two were attending at the restaurant. The victim was transported to Reston Hospital but later flown to Inova Fairfax Hospital where he is in stable condition.

There was also a second man, age 28 of Fairfax, who suffered wounds when he tried to intervene. He was also transported to Reston Hospital.

Police have identified a suspect, who left the scene, but no charges have been placed yet. The investigation is continuing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Fairfax County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477 or www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org.

A business at RTC was also burglarized last Wednesday.

The T-Mobile store at 1837 Fountain Drive was burglarized around 2:47 a.m. on Wednesday, March 30. An investigation determined entry was forced through a door and merchandise appeared to be stolen from the store.

Okay, RTC, you've convinced us. Between the birthday stabbing and the burglary, you're a Fake Downtown no more.

Sign(s) of the Times: As Park and Ride Closes, Branding Opportunities Open Up

If you forgot to consult this handy map and found yourself at the closed gates of the Wiehle Avenue park and ride lot this morning, perhaps you saw all the fancy new "Reston Station" signs. But that's not the only spot where this "brand" is appearing!

Confidential Restonian Operative "Joel" sents us this fancy photograph of one of the adjacent buildings on Sunset Hills Road.

While the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors dickers with WMATA about Silver Line station names, the office building formerly known as 11465 Sunset Hills Road has claimed the high ground (and probably higher rents) by taking the name, "Reston Station."

Sweet! We can almost smell the smoke from the track fires carb-loaded platters of the Cheesecake Factory already!

Close Encounters of the Beige Kind: Here Is Your Actual Wacky April Fool's Post, Courtesy of the RTC

Just when we thought that the requisite April Fool's Day wackiness would pass Reston by this year, our BFFs at the Reston Town Center shared this highly credible photo of an alien sighting somewhere in the fake downtown gritty urban core, which we had a leading UFO and MS Paint expert verify and annotate so the average lay person can better understand the importance of this monumental sighting, har har.

On the other hand, if this isn't a joke, then someone should point E.T. towards Jacksons, where he'd blend right in so long as he's got a smartphone in one hand and a midscale beer in the other, the end.

Reston Park and Ride Jumble: Easy as 1, RIBS 2, 553

Please to be enjoying this helpful reminder of the various and sundry options available after the Wiehle Avenue park and ride lot closes for good this Sunday. If you think this hawtt mess might be an April Fool's joke, then you just haven't been paying attention.