Imagine, it’s a shivery January morning in 2014 and you are riding one of the first of Metro’s Silver Line cars to Tysons Corner.Don't worry -- the heat from the track fires will keep you warm.
As you step onto the platform five stories above Leesburg Pike, you look out over an area that Fairfax County officials imagine as a modern American city — a “walkable, sustainable, urban center.”We bet the residents of those fancypants apartments will enjoy their breathtaking views of car lots and the Walmart across the street. Wait, did we forget about that?
If all goes to plan by 2014, a 400-unit apartment building twice the height of buildings in downtown Washington is under construction beyond the tracks on one side. It’s next to an Exxon station, a McDonald’s and other single-use buildings surrounded by parking lots.
When you get off one of those first trains, reaching either side requires shuffling along a pedestrian walkway above six lanes of traffic. And keep in mind that a “block” in Tysons can be a quarter-mile or more, lined with auto dealerships and strip malls. That next street is a long way off, and the only shopping you can expect to do between here and there is for a Honda or a Mercedes...Don't worry, though, because they have, as they say in the movies, a plan. It's sidewalks:
When you step off the Silver Line in 2014, Tysons in all likelihood will still be a spectacle of imbalance, a place with the same number of Macy’s department stores (two) as grocery stores, where a glut of restaurants offer steak to the suit-and-tie crowd — the Palm, Fleming’s, Ruth’s Chris, Shula’s, Morton’s — but an apple can be hard to find.
Can a major American city — a place of authenticity, culture and even grit — evolve out of a 50-year-old place built with none of that in mind? More than 20 years into planning, it is unclear. But paramount to that effort will be sidewalks...But it will all be worth it, when we can stroll through authentic urban streetscapes like this:
Retrofitting Tysons into an urban street grid is a challenge on a scale that urban planners and academics say they have never seen.
Rolf Pendall, director of the Metropolitan Housing & Communities Policy Center at the Urban Institute, said twisting the bones of Tysons into a grid will probably be more difficult and expensive than it was to build places such as Philadelphia and Manhattan from scratch.
Some developers are not so focused on walkability.The solution? The article suggests that people might get sick of it all and move to Santa Fe. Seriously. And before you get really depressed, bear in mind that it's possible that Reston could someday have more square footage than our "American city" to the east. Let's just hope we don't get a Walmart to boot.
Take Lerner, owner of 20 million square feet of real estate and estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of $3 billion. His firm is sticking with its original plans, approved before the new guidelines came through, for an office building near a Metro stop. The county’s new blueprint for Tysons, approved in 2010, encourages more density but requires builders to contribute to public amenities such as parks, fire stations and libraries.
Another Tysons landowner, the defense contractor Mitre, is proposing 1.4 million square feet of construction but appears to ignore walkability and mixed-use principles emphasized in the new plan.
And the largest property owner in Tysons, Cityline Partners, recently sued a neighbor, Capital One, in a possible attempt to prevent it from proceeding with a dense urban plan next door. Capital One countersued last month.
People should be able to do the things they enjoy, near where they live.Among many other things, we think this -- apparently now open, according to several Confidential Restonian Operatives! -- is a perfect example of point #1. And the validity of point #2 has been confirmed by no less an authority than a fancy newsmagazine. So some five decades later, we're 2-0, thanks to a community that has stuck to those convictions, the end.
Many Americans want the stability of belonging to one community for a lifetime. They are tired of rootlessness.
Larry Butler's video linked on the WSSI web page and his statement that only a total of some 300' of stream needs repair should be of special interest to you if you are a person who believes your own eyes.In its own report (PDF), WSSI said that "our inspections found that the streams fared very well despite the extreme weather, especially in the areas where the vegetation had been established for a couple of growing seasons." WSSI did state that work needed to be done cleaning debris, repairing loose fabric, replanting, and redistributing sediment washed downstream. It also said the damage was more severe in the newly remediated stretches of Colvin Run, where "many of the newly installed plants washed away because their roots were unable to fully establish in this short timeframe."
Tropical Storm Lee was the first real test of the design and construction of the stream restoration work in The Glade that we all labored so long and hard to shape to an acceptable outcome. I went out last evening and again this morning to look for damage, of which there was plenty, e.g., all three new bridges I looked at in Reach 4 were damaged, with the replacement for the original "Stinky Bridge" just downstream from the Tot Lot recording the greatest washout, as shown in the attached photo. RA bridges, pathways, and other facilities also suffered damage....To be fair, it was a 500-year-storm. Save the Glade argues this matters because of the complex stream remediation agreement between the RA and WSSI, which established a fund for this sort of repair work that the watchgdog group believes requires some sort of oversight:
While it is true that the storm was not an unmitigated disaster for the restored streams and many stream sections are sound, I found much to be troubling, especially in the face of the "glow" being put on the outcome of the storm by WSSI/RA.
The damage that was done to the stream banks and structures represents "chinks in the armor" that are likely to lead to further damage by lesser storms in the future. If repairs are made only to the most spectacular failures, the integrity and longevity of the restored streams is open to question.There you have it. Also, as a tip, do not look up the term "stinky bridge" in the Urban Dictionary, the end.
Planning Magazine, which is essentially the Cosmo of the urban planning scene, minus all the fragrance strips stuffed into the pages, just ran a fancy article on Reston (PDF). It gushes over Fountain Square and its fancy "glass roofed pavilion, built in 1993, that distantly recalls the "crystal palace" at the core of Ebenezer Howard's garden cities." Which is exactly what we're reminded of every time we go to hear a Beatles tribute band or wait in line for one of those, whazzitcalled, iPads. And the complements keep coming!
Architect Robert A.M. Stern, who designed one of the residential complexes in Reston, has likened it to such older, walkable suburban cities as White Plains, New York, Stamford, Connecticut, and Evanston, Illinois.We should be proud to be called the "White Plains of the South," right?
We bring you shocking news from the most closely watched political race of this or any other season, the Reston Community Center Board of Governors 2011 Preference Poll. And in this bellwether election, the most talked-about issue has become the presence of canoes at the Wednesday forum:
On Wednesday evening, the six candidates in the Reston Community Center's 2011 Preference Poll will take to the CentreStage to outline what they would bring to the Board of Governors.Welcome to Communist Russia, where canoes bring you. But this is only half the story! Collected from a series of e-mails "obtained by Restonian," here are the real facts about Canoegate:
Candidate Rod Koozmin wants to bring a canoe on stage, and is miffed that executive director Leila Gordon has told him "no."
Koozmin says he wants to bring the boat because he hand made it in RCC's woodshop. The woodshop - expanding hours, availability and programming- is the central focus of Koozmin's campaign.
"I don't think bringing your canoe will work," Gordon wrote to Koozmin in an email obtained by Patch. "We have another candidate who builds things in the shop, and if you bring your canoe he should be able to bring his work, so I think it is best to just restrict this to the physical presence of the candidates."
More crowded than a GOP primary election in Takoma Park, a standing room only audience of...12...sort of filled the RCC for this evening's "meet the candidates" event, one that competed with such other simultaneously occurring RCC programs as dog obedience class, K-9 detection work, and the Narcotics Anonymous meeting. After a detailed explanation of upcoming RCC voting procedures, which if followed in 1960 in Chicago would have swung Illinois into Tricky Dick's column, we were greeted by our moderator, the one and only Lady Fairfax. All six candidates, whom I truly laud for their civic-mindedness, came up with such memorably snappy sound bites as "I'm not a one-issue candidate, I'm 3-D", "It's not for the glory that I do this", "I am aging in Reston wonderfully", and "Let's polish up the stainless steel around the pool."Of course, the real scandal is that only 12 people showed up. Have we mentioned that this group has oversight of unpopular multi-million dollar projects?
And, unless it were a stealth canoe that would prove useful in making waterborne getaways from the ABC store in South Lakes or transporting muffins at $16 a pop to Department of Justice conferences, alas there was nary a canoe in sight tonight.
It's been a while since the 'ole distillery packed up, moving its wares of swill favored by fraternity types at a nearby state college to Fredericksburg. But Reston is once again living up to the traditions of its forefathers from the drunken village of Wiehele, courtesy of Reston native Jason Zimecki and one, um, "Naked Jay."
Naked Jay Vodka debuts with a line of premium and uniquely flavored vodkas: Naked Jay Big Dill -- dill pickle flavored vodka, Naked Jay Whip Cream -- whipped cream flavored vodka, and an 80 proof original vodka. The American-made vodkas, distilled four times, are now available exclusively to the state of Virginia.It's not quite the apple hitting Sir Isaac Newton's head, which as grade school students everywhere know gave him the inspiration for a square full of low-rise, Ebola-producing businesses. But we'll take it. Let's hear more!
Naked Jay Big Dill Vodka, the boldest flavor in the lineup, is the brainchild of Reston, Virginia native, Jason Zimecki. Zimecki came up with the "Big Dill Idea" when he ran out of mixers at a football tailgate with friends. After mixing vodka with leftover pickle juice, an idea was hatched.
Naked Jay Big Dill exudes the delicious bite of dill pickles and the smoothness of Naked Jay Vodka. Zimecki prefers the product in a Bloody Mary, as a chilled shooter or in a Dirty Pickle.Who wouldn't?
Photos Available Upon RequestUm, thanks but no thanks.
Accenture PLC is moving its Northern Virginia office from Reston Town Center to The JBG Cos.’s 800 N. Glebe Road project, the developer confirmed Tuesday.Meanwhile, at Lake Anne Plaza, Millennium Bank is sending its customers letters via uniformed federal agents saying it plans on closing its branch there in December, leaving it branches in Herndon and Sterling. A few years back, Millennium had moved to a smaller space at Lake Anne, further back from the parking lot, but this news took our Confidential Restonian Operatives by surprise.
“We are very pleased that Accenture has chosen 800 North Glebe for its new Washington D.C. headquarters.” JBG said in a statement to the Washington Business Journal . “The global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company plans to relocate to this Ballston property in spring of 2012.”
Accenture will take about 100,000 square feet in the project, brokers in the deal said, about half of what it currently has at Boston Properties ’ 11951 Freedom Drive in Reston.
The folks at the National Weather Service got out their slide rules and, wedunno, fancy weather machines, and concluded that last Thursday's flooding was a "500-year rainfall." So mark your calendars for September 2511... which, coincidentally, may be almost exactly the same time that the first Pink Silver Mauve Line pulls into the particleboard wastelands of Loudoun County.
Of course, the Poindexters at NWS want to make sure that we understand that they're not being literal.
Return period doesn’t mean that we won’t see that kind of rain in those locations for several decades (or centuries). A 1 in 100 year rain means that there is a 1% chance of seeing that amount of rain in any given year. A 0.1% chance is true for a 1 in 1000 year event.We stand by the 2511 completion date for the final phase of the Silver Line, though.
As I walked through the parking lot I noticed David Benson calmly sitting on his 1991 Cadillac Broughan, waiting for a tow truck. Benson was very fond of his Cadillac but expects it will be totalled. He has already started to search for a similar model.The true tragedy, though?
As I spoke to Benson, he held his arm up as high as he could reach. “This is how high the water was over my car,” he said.
Benson plans to petition the Fairfax Board of Supervisors to replace the inadequate storm drain in the parking lot.
Benson also suggested that the runoff in the flooded parking lot was from the nearby Dulles Toll Road and the wide-spread development which surrounds the commuter lot in Reston. He said that pavement drains much faster than grass and the new Metro stop near Weihle Avenue will make this problem even worse.
I turned my focus from the waterlogged cars to photographing the flood-related debris and litter. It was everywhere. I work in Reston and I never see litter.Poignant. Lots of photos of water-on-car action at this link, if you're into such things. We especially enjoyed the "floating bug" found in the center console of a truck, the end.
As I walked out of the parking lot back to my car I noticed a new pair of Mickey Mouse sunglasses, perfectly positioned on the top of a small debris pile which rested on the asphault.
We love this detail of some hard-working employee, busy 
Jake Donaldson, 12, was reported missing around 6 p.m., believed to have been swept away by flood waters in his backyard in the 9700 block of Marcliff Court. Numerous police and fire personnel responded to the scene in the torrential downpour to search for the boy. His body was found around 8 p.m. in Piney Branch Creek at Lawyers Road.One more video. Watch to about 1:05 for a surprise -- albeit one we don't condone.
Detectives are continuing to investigate.
In another incident at around 7 p.m., police and emergency personnel responded to an apparent drowning of a 67-year-old man. He had been driving his Toyota Yaris in rising waters near Beech Mill Road at Club View Drive. The man, Arsalan Hakiri, was swept downstream in his car. As he apparently tried to get out, he was swept into the creek and drowned near Carrwood Drive.
Detectives from the Crash Reconstruction Unit are continuing to investigate.
Now that the water has filled the 100-year floodplain, I am looking for a map showing the 200-year floodplain.Update #4: Two Fairfax County residents have died in the floodwaters, including a 12-year-old near Lawyers Road in Vienna.
Dear Leader recently told one of the fancy printed out "web logs" newspapers serving our community about the ten places in Reston he'd show an out-of-town guest. They include various brutalist pieces of art like Lake Anne's concrete boat and pyramid, examples of mixed-use and cluster development, and appropriately, the Embry Rucker homeless shelter, the Nature House, and RCC's Center Stage -- all unique things about our beloved earth-toned community. He even calls Fountain Square in the Fake Downtown gritty urban core "a perfect example of a plaza." Just don't tell these folks!
We sincerely like Mr. Simon's list. Of course, our own Restonian Top 10 might be just a little different. For the second time in as many weeks, roust Kasey Kasem from his money pile of Scooby Doo residuals, because we're counting them down, and the earth-toned hits don't stop until we get to the top!
10. The Metal Bob statue. Modesty surely kept Mssr. Simon from mentioning what is seriously a nice, human-scaled tribute to the man that built this city. 
9. The Great Hole of Reston, better known as the Reston Station construction site. Soon fanciful concrete bollards will watch over the site like the statues of Easter Island, confounding tourists and commuters alike.
8. Maria's Passion Paradise*
(*German and Japanese tour groups only)
7. Terraset Elementary, to see a rational, energy-efficent future that never was. And also to pay homage to the Mole People.
6. McTacoHut, for an immersive fast-food experience that even the Mall of America food court can't beat.
5. RA Headquarters, better known as the Aegean Stables of Filing Cabinetry.
4. The Green Forest Nudist Colony, Reston's original Lost Colony, Colonial Williamsburg, and Moulin Rouge all rolled into one. 
3. The Apple Store, Gap, Unos, and all the other unique boutiques that can only be found in our Gritty Urban Core (and the 10,000 other MSAs/DMAs that meet the appropriate demographic and psychographic metrics, as well as ample off-street parking).
2. Tall Oaks Shopping Center, known to retail historians throughout the world as the "graveyard of international food stores."
1. The Macaroni Grill. Was there any doubt on this one? Like Venice, people simply need to see it before it sinks beneath the waves is converted into a mixed-use wonderland, the end.
Here's something that made us do the proverbial sitcom spit-take as we were reading the fancy "news paper" this morning: Our beloved, much anticipated, much angsted-about, much bollardy Metro extension may not become the Silver Line after all. They're considering making it a "cool, pale pink." Is it really fair to consider a color for our shiny new Metro line that we're not allowed to use as an accent trim on our homes?
Here's what the fancypants designer says:
He has told Metro that he wants to show the rail line to Dulles on the redesigned map as a “cool, pale pink” similar to the color of the District’s well-known cherry tree blossoms at the Tidal Basin. Never mind that the famous location of the trees is miles away from Northern Virginia’s extended rail line.Riiiight. I think we all know what we need to do.
Wyman said he thinks the cherry blossom color for the Dulles line sends a “welcome to visitors from Dulles” to the heart of Washington.
Besides making us hungry at inopportune moments, all the recent talk about sinews and Texas donuts have gotten us to wondering: What was the thinking behind determining where high-density development should be concentrated in Reston?
Glad you asked. Please to be enjoying this map from the original 1962 Reston Master Plan:
Flashbacks: A look at Reston's past.
The RNGC Caddyshackpocalypse
Bollards! Reston's mixed-use future.
