Derechopocalypse 2012: In Search of Comic Relief

Update: Power's finally back on at Reston Town Center, according to our BFFs at Patch, who've done a bang-up job on this whole derecho thing. As the following "web cam" footage attests, hooking the power back up took careful planning -- and encountered setbacks:



Now it's back to the same old, same old:

(earlier updates follow)

Update: As of Monday morning, power still out at Reston Town Center and countless other locations around our earth-toned community. Thanks, Dominion Power! At great expense, we've established a fancy live "web cam" connection to RTC so we can observe the heroic restoration efforts unfolding there:

Oh, wait.

Ouch. THAT hurts. Also, the 22-story Midtown Condos in RTC is being evacuated because its emergency generator is running out of fuel. But don't worry -- Dominion's list of work sites for Monday has tons of locations in Herndon and Great Falls -- and a whopping three in Reston, on Hunt Club Road, Reston Avenue, and Lawyers Road. What, are they just looking at lists of street names and picking the toniest-sounding ones?

(earlier update)

Update: Seriously? Still no power in Reston Town Center on Sunday evening? We guess we should just be thankful that we didn't get the boil water order that we saw in third world countries Merrifield. Fortunately for us, the Sinclair ZX-81 that powers this "web log" runs on 2 AA batteries.

We think a lot of people are asking this question tonight.

Looks like someone managed to find the bright side to this whole mess.

Here's one way you can help others.

We're all due for a feel-good story. Especially one involving puppies.

(original post)

Yep, there's not too much funny about last night's unexpected storm, especially for the hundreds of thousands in the region who are still without power and may be for some time. Is there?

Okay, so maybe it's sort of funny imagining the Hyatt resembling an early 90s rave. Anything else?

NEED THREE MEN TO REPLANT A TREE THAT SOMEWHAT BLEW OVER IN STORM LAST NIGHT .......EASIER IF YOU ARE COMING FROM HERNDON/STERLING

NOT THAT FAR OF A DRIVE....

NEED TO PROVIDE WORKING CELL NUMBER IN RESPONSE .....

We guess this craigslist job posting we found on something called "LiveBloggerJobs" (don't judge!) is also kind of funny. Or maybe just overly optimistic. But that's pretty much it. Be careful out there.

Mauvescraper Now: 23-Story Office Building Inches Closer to Approval

The Fairfax County Planning Commission voted last night to recommend for approval the proposed 23-story office mauvescraper that would replace the existing Reston Fairfax County Times building on Reston Parkway.

The project will now go before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors as something of a mixed bag -- on the one hand, it has already been approved by the Reston Design Review Board and Reston Planning & Zoning Committee, and plans to build something tall there have been in the works since the 1970s. On the other hand, county staff recommended denying the project (PDF), as have Reston2020, ARCH, and the Reston Association itself, which opposed the project (while profiling it in its magazine). The main argument? It's too far from Metro, too tall, and should have a residential component like the proposed Spectrum redevelopment that will eventually surround it.

Three planning commissioners also voted no last night, although Hunter Mill rep Frank de le Fe voted to recommend approval. Here's one of the naysayers:

"A building this large that is three-quarters of a mile from the Metro is really automobile-oriented," said James Hart (at-large). "This has some county-wide implications if we approve a building this large this far from the station."

For their part, the developers think they've got a winner on their hands, even as office vacany rates slip elsewhere in the region:

Richard Wealen, managing partner of RTC Partnership, said in February the features of the tower — a contemporary design by Reston's Polleo Group — will make it a desirable location, despite nearby office vacancy rates.

They may have a point -- Reston Town Center's vacancy rates are still a ridiculously low 4 percent, even with the departure of Accenture, Sallie Mae, and others in recent years.

It's not clear when the county supervisors will vote on the project, so who knows when we'll be able to enjoy the view of gridlocked traffic the Macaroni Grill from the "outdoor 38,000-square-foot terrace and green roof on the sixth floor."

As The Silver Line Turns: For LoCo, the Final Countdown

As Loudoun County girds itself for a decision on joining the 21st century Phase 2 of the Metro Silver Line project next week, it appears that things could still go either way.

"It is absolutely crunch time," Ashburn Supervisor Ralph Buona (R) said. "We have got to finalize financing by Friday night. There will be more public input on Monday, and we will vote first thing Tuesday.

"I am cautiously optimistic," he said. "I would say we are 4-3 so far with two in play. We are doing everything we can to bring them over the finish line."

Earlier, three members of the LoCo Board had asked for an extension on the deadline for making a decision on participating in Phase 2, but the airports authority was all like, "naw, ain't gonna happen," so July 4 it is. These are the same three board members that gave the airports authority a reasonable list of 21 demands "considerations" they wanted in exchange for their support of the project; no word on whether "less talk, more rock" and "I'm not going to pay a lot for this muffler" were among the considerations.

Meanwhile, Gov. Bob McDonnell came to Loudoun to walk back his earlier opposition to the project say he's "completely supportive." But the state's transportation secretary sounds more like a regular at a 12-step meeting, except maybe for the part about making amends for calling pro-Metro lawmakers "idiots."

Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton said he is literally taking it one day at a time.

"We've got to look at this in stages," he said. "It has been a multiyear effort to get us to this point. We've got to get past the Loudoun County vote. Before the project can move forward, there has to be confidence in the government, we have to do everything we can to lower the tolls to the lowest amount possible. It is going to be difficult to get additional money out of Richmond until we do that."

Hey, at least someone's talking about the tolls.

So next week is going to be ... interesting! But at least it gives us an excuse to post this:


AWESOME.

The Second Most Embarrassing Story to Come Out of the Reston Zoo This Week, Following One Crazy Night (Even By Reston Standards)

Alert Twitter Operative "Mr. OhSoFly" shared this exciting photo of goats? -- we think they're goats, anyway -- on a rampage after escaping from the Reston Zoo last night. Probably not what the zoo needed following the arrest of its director on animal cruelty charges after an investigation that began back in February. Here's some Action McNews footage if you're into such things:



Hey, would you like to see another Action McNews story about a frostbitten spider monkey? Of course you would!


But loose animals weren't the only odd things afoot in Reston last night. There was a robbery at the gas station across from Lake Anne Village Center, a major accident in South Reston, and, apparently, some kind of fire at one of our favorite fry pits eateries. Fortunately, if the Twitter machine is any indication, we Restonians took it all in stride.

Keep calm and carry on, Restonians!

Sutton Ridge Condos Fire Leaves 18 Homeless, Causes $1 Million in Damage

An early morning fire at Sutton Ridge Condos caused $1 million in damage and has displaced 18 people. According to the ActionMcNews video above, an air conditioning unit may have been the culprit -- but that's not been confirmed.

A fire in Reston brought in over 100 firefighters to the emergency, where several condominiums were on fire.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responded to the three-alarm structure fire at 1:20 in the morning on Tuesday. The structure is made up of 18 separate condominiums and is located at 11404 Gate Hill Place.

It took firefighters 90 minutes to get the fire under control and nine of the 18 condominiums were affected by the fire. Five units suffered major fire, smoke, and water damage, and four other units received light to moderate damage. The other nine units were able to get back to their homes after electricity was restored.

The effort was assisted by Trey Brown, 17, and his two friends, who were out skateboarding in their neighborhood when they saw flames. Fire officials credit them with helping banging on doors and helping getting residents out. Trey called 911.

More video from our BFFs at Patch, if you're into such things:



Update on the cleanup ater the fire.

Another ActionMcNews report is calling Brown and his friends heroes.

Good on them.

Flashback Monday: The Outer Beltway That Never Was

In Reston's Ur-creation myth, our bucolic community was supposed to be situated on the east side of a "new outer beltway." Above, you can see the original proposed alignment of the Outer Beltway (large image here), as it was first conceived in the 1950s. Here's the thinking, as detailed in the Roads to the Future site:

Four decades of conceptual planning for a major bypass facility to serve the growth in travel demand forecast for the metropolitan Washington area have preceded the Western Transportation Corridor Study. Such a facility, referred to as "The Cross Country Loop", first appeared in April 1950 on a map prepared by the National Capital Planning Commission and called "Regional Proposals of the Comprehensive Plan".

On the Virginia side, an outer beltway was included in the Northern Virginia Regional Plan for the Year 2000, published in 1966 as the Northern Virginia Development Guide, prepared jointly by the National Capital Regional Planning Council and the National Capital Planning Commission. In addition to an outer beltway, the guide included another circumferential alignment farther out along the general alignments addressed in the Transportation Corridor Study.

The proposal died sometime in the 1980s, but you can see the stretch from Rt. 7 south eventually became Route 7100 Fairfax County Parkway Route 286 (WTF?) (One reason? Check out the proposed alignment north of Rt. 7, which would have run the highway smack through some of the county's fancy high-end housing stock in "Great" Falls, which simply Would Not Do.) Still, it's fun to imagine a giant cloverleaf exchange at Baron Cameron, surrounded on both sides by gas stations and fry pits instead of... well, gas stations and fry pits. Plus a Harris Teeter!

Mystery Sounds Part II: We'll Resist Using the Electric Boogaloo Reference For the Second Time in a Week

Is this freakish otherworldly sound coming from the shiny new Lake Anne Elementary air conditioning units... or something else? As IBM likes to say, you make the call.

Bollards, Reactivate! Reston Spectrum, Wiehle Metro Projects Apparently Moving Forward

So how's your summer going? Just chillin' at the pool, getting some vacation time in, and stone cold reactivating some long-standing development plans?

We're seeing signs that two Reston developments long in the works are preparing to move forward once again. Both projects, which had been "indefinitely deferred" at the request of their developers, have now been "reactivated," according to this fancy county newsletter. No public hearing dates have apparently been set, but it's a sign things are moving along as the Metro inches ever closer to our beloved earth-toned community.

First up is the Macaroni Grill-destroying Reston Spectrum redevelopment, which includes 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 space spread across a number of buildings ranging from 120 to 180 feet tall. Who knows, maybe the Lerners feel emboldened by the Nationals' strong showing this season.

Closer to the Wiehle Avenue Metro Station is this mixed-use project on Sunset Hills, proopsed way back in ought-ten by RPB & M, LLC. They've added a new (to us) partner, the Bozzuto Development Company, and are proposing one mid-rise, multi-family residential building with a maximum of 421 dwelling units, one office building of up to 174,987 square feet, and up to 10,000 square feet of support retail uses (whatever those are).

So there's the new hawtness, same as the old hawtness. And so it's with a heavy heart that we revisit the Macaroni Grill Doomsday Clock:

Once they hold a public hearing on the Spectrum redevelopment, we'll move the minute hand another step closer to midnight, the end.

On the YouTubes: Reston Town Center 2: Electric Boogaloo

Confidential Restonian Operative "Sarah" shared this exciting YouTube video of an authentic unexplained spontaneous mass breakdanceoff that took place amidst all the skewered food products at the fake downtown gritty urban core during Taste of Reston this past weekend. Not since Lucinda Dickey's seminal performance in this masterwork have unsuspecting suburban audiences been exposed to such master moves -- and the juxtaposition of the specter of overdevelopment as a key plot point in both that 1984 film and modern-day Reston just makes the poppin' and lockin'* all the more resonant.

But enough of our yakking. CRO "Sarah"'s one-word review?

"GRITTY."

We couldn't agree more.

And if that's not gritty enough for you, then there's the lynx on a leash, snapped in its natural environment (near the Gap) by alert Twitter Operative/wildlife photographer "Smellie."

Who knows, maybe it was looking for Swiper.

(Disclaimer: this performance may not contain either poppin' or lockin'. We regret the inconvenience.)

Flashback Monday: What Could Have Been (And Thankfully Wasn't)

Looking at this exciting scale model, you'd be forgiven for thinking you're looking at plans for the Shopping Bag building in Tysons Corner... except, wait. Trees. They don't do trees in Tysons. So where do they like trees and stuff? Oh, yeah -- Reston.

That's right -- this is a scale model of an earlier plan for Reston Town Center, which borrowed from the storied architectural traditions of "Fairfax County's downtown" by having overscaled buildings positioned too far away from each other and with too little relation to each other in an incoherent, car-focused cityscape, only with some junior architect deciding at the last minute to run out to Toys R Us to pick up some Playmobil trees to signify token respect for Reston's love of "open space." Nice!

We've seen an aerial perspective of this early model before, but it's only at the ground level that we can see how narrowly we missed building another Tysons Corner right in the middle of our earth-toned community. And as it's grown, Reston Town Center has certainly managed to look more organic and -- dare we say it? -- citylike than this ever would have, the end.

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

June has come, and with it this, the latest exciting video installment of RA Today, as we join dulcet-toned Andy Sigle in this monthly sampling of the zeitgeist of our favorite earth-toned community.

Are you renting in Reston? Well, did you know that renters qualify to use RA facilities, including pools, playgrounds, and the Walker Nature center? You even get to receive your own complementary copy of Reston: The Magazine, courtesy of your slumlord property owner, who pays RA dues and whatnot on your their property. So that's pretty sweet.

Moving right along! We learn from Claudia Thompson-Diehl about the importance of coexisting with "resident wildlife" -- everything from baby birds and deer -- the deer we don't shoot with arrows, anyway -- to groundhogs, foxes, and snakes. We get to watch some pretty sweet images of all the "perfectly harmless" snakes that call Reston home -- all perfectly harmless, that is, except for the copperheads. We learn that "juvenile" copperheads have a yellow tail, and probably act all sullen and listen to Megadeth on their headphones and whatnot.

Finally, we go to the Lake Anne Farmer's Market, which now has nearly 30 vendors. Along with the requisite B-roll footage of pan flute players, we see the kettle corn place, which is required by law to be present at all outdoor festivals and markets (though the farmer's market apparently got a waiver on the other vendor required by law, the gutter covering sales booth).

And with that, we come to the end of another 5 minutes and 16 seconds of video excitement, as always a fleeting reminder that, even as the days grow longer, our time on this planet grows ever shorter. Happy summer!

Breaking: Arrest Made in Winterthur Murder

Fairfax Police have made an arrest in last weekend's murder of Bharat P. Patel at Winterthur Apartments in South Reston.

Detectives arrested Abir Ali, 20, of Prince George’s County, Maryland for the homicide of Bharat P. Patel. The arrest occurred at noon on Thursday, June 14, following a search of his home. Ali is being held by the Office of the Sheriff in Prince George’s County.

Police have not made a mug shot or other details available.

Update: Channel 4 had this additional nugget about Ali:

Patel was originally from India. The Dunkin' Donuts he co-owned had opened four days earlier. He and his wife had both worked at the shop until closing Friday night. When she went into their apartment, he stayed outside to talk to someone.

Ali was known to the Patels. He helped them with the opening of the Dunkin' Donuts.

And here's some Action McNews footage, mostly B-roll:

Our Apocalyptic, Traffic-Clogged Future, In Handy Bar Graph Form

Please to be enjoying the soothing colors of the data points on this fancy bar chart (larger, possibly legible version here) that shows the number of hours of utter gridlock we have to look forward to at some of Reston's most sought-after intersections -- including most of the spots you would imagine on Sunrise Valley and Sunset Hills Drive, where gridlock could consume as much as four hours a day once Reston's bollardy development is completely built out.

Earlier this week, the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force With the Unpronounceable Acronym (§) reviewed the results of a fancy transportation analysis based on the most pessimistic optimistic projections of residential and job growth -- assuming an additional 17,620 households and 43,000 jobs added in Reston by 2030.

But fear not! If the "full build" of transportation improvements -- including fancy "grade separations" (think cloverleafs), overpasses and underpasses -- is actually funded and constructed, the impact of congestion will be lessened, as seen by the fancy dark blue bars on the chart above. Just ignore caveats like this one:

All in all, it's just another reminder that we need to push county officials to push developers to actually fund the traffic improvements everyone seems to agree will be needed to accommodate growth. Or maybe by 2030, it won't matter because the country will be bankrupt and we will have reverted to an agrarian, barter-style economy we'll all be going everywhere on fancy Jetsons-style moving sidewalks. We can only hope!

You can read the full report here, if you're into such things.

Not a Good Week in Winterthur: Fire in Apartment Complex Apparently Caused by Gas Explosion (Update: Electric Explosion)

Twitter operative "Liseth" posted this photo of a fire in Winterthur. Reston Patch is reporting that it's the result of a gas explosion in the same building block where Bharat P. Patel, this past weekend's murder victim, lived.

Update: The cause is now believed to be an electrical explosion outside of the building. No injuries were reported.

As the Silver Line Turns: As Loudoun Deadline Nears, They Get Letters

As the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors continues to consider whether to fund Phase 2 of Metro's Silver Line into their particleboard Valhalla, the Washington Post "news paper" has written a fancy editorial, with strong words and whatnot, urging Loudoun to make a smart decision.

Some residents of Loudoun fear the traffic and urbanization that the Silver Line would bring. They like the county the way it is — suburban and prosperous. But growth is coming Loudoun’s way regardless; the Silver Line would only ensure that Loudoun enhances its prosperity as it grows.

I'mma let you finish, Washington Post editorial, but we've provided a handy pictorial guide of what that growth would look like either way. But go on!

The project’s opponents have been encouraged by right-wing groups with scant knowledge of Loudoun and no stake in its future. Their only interest is ideological: they oppose tax increases for any purpose. A group funded by the conservative Koch brothers has sponsored thousands of robocalls in the county, saying the Silver Line would mean a “bailout to rail station developers.”

We suppose that the Koch brothers would also have opposed building the transcontinental railroad, the interstate highway system, the Golden Gate Bridge, or, for that matter, the Metro system and Dulles International airport themselves. Maybe things would be simpler that way. But America would be a poorer, less vibrant place — hidebound, parochial and stuck in old ways.

Sounds about right.

Meanwhile in our hidebound, parochial, and stuck in old ways progressive county to the west, anti-Silver Line folks allegedly plastered cars parked at a supervisor's church with letters urging her to "be strong" and vote against the project.

To make the unethical truly dishonorable, these cowards behind this flier couldn’t even stand behind their words. No identification of who it was that felt the need to litter on our personal vehicles and on the Church’s private property, no ability to address directly the people who write this clearly biased and ridiculously ill-supported drivel. If they are so proud of Mrs. Volpe and are so convinced of the correctness of their cause, why are they skulking around in the dark? Why are they so afraid of standing up and being recognized?

Sounds like the Koch brothers invested in a Xerox machine as well as a speed-dialer. Good for them!

The Loudoun Board held a fancy work session on the project last week, where they learned the annual cost of servicing the debt from their share of Phase 2 would range from $11-19 million.

“To me, this looks pretty affordable,” said Supervisor Matt Letourneau, who pointed out that the finals costs could amount to less than two cents on the real estate tax rate, in terms of cost to taxpayers.

Funny how the screw has turned since the airports authority dropped the labor agreement that was of tantamount importance to right-wing think thanks keeping ordinary Loudoun citizens up at night.

Despite continued disagreements—including an unknown divide among supervisors about whether to even participate in the project—Clarke, the board's vice chairman, said she believed the board made significant progress in its review.

MWAA sent a letter to the county regarding its decision to abandon a preference for a project labor agreement in which it indicated it was prepared to begin procurement on the project on July 5 if Loudoun opts in by July 4. It's estimated that passengers could be riding the Silver Line to and from Ashburn by 2018 without delays.

What additional fun and games will we see as this decision comes down to the wire? Only the Koch brothers Shadow knows.

Get Mabel on the Party Line: Something's Fishy About the Reston Pool Phones

What exactly is going on with the phones at the Reston pools? We understand that health code regulations require each pool to have a working landline, so they can ring up Mabel on the party line if'n someone gets a lungful of water-laced chlorine or whatever combination of chemicals is actually in the cement pond, but it's 2012: Phones, by and large, are expected to work these days, especially if they're connected to the wall with old-timey wires. In the spirit of Woodward and Lothrop Bernstein, we stopped by our nearest Reston pool to investigate:

Nothing to see here, folks. Phone's working fine!

Flashback Monday: Reston: The Map: Part II

Here's the second part of the fancy initial map of Reston, once again festooned with a DRB-approved accent color -- let's call it Soylent Evergreen. While the flip side of the map focuses on the early development around Lake Anne, this section shows the bustling Reston industrial district, complete with the ole' distillery, as well as the earliest construction in Sought After South Reston, which is where they decided to stick all the single-family homes at first (click here to enlarge). Let's take a closer look!

Looks like Isaac Newton Square started out as more of a right angle. Also, note the still-extant railroad tracks where spandex-clad cyclists reign supreme today.

There's the 'ole distillery, identified by its most famous, and at least partially potable, product.

The "Reston Executive Offices" sure sound fancy, and were located right where Reston Avenue (now Reston Parkway) dead-ended at Sunset Hills Road. The map isn't exactly precise, but we're pretty sure there's some nondescript office mauvescraper there now.

Finally here's the horse stable that was a major selling point in early-days Reston, before it collapsed -- presumably when the GIANT MUTANT HORSE pictured here accidentally stepped on it, the end.

Have You Seen This Man? Police Seek Suspect in Winterthur Murder

Fairfax Police are looking for an Indian man believed to be involved in the early Saturday death of Bharat P. Patel, 40 of Winterthur Lane in South Reston. It's the first time we've seen an honest-to-goodness wanted poster from the Fairfax Police, although the details of what happened are somewhat sketchy.

Officers responded to the 11900 block of Winterthur Lane in Reston for a fight on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at approximately 12:45 a.m. The officers did not find any fight. Approximately one hour later a missing person report was made at Hunter Woods Plaza. An investigation lead the officers back to Winterthur Lane where a body was found with trauma to the upper body.

The deceased has been identified as Bharat P. Patel, 40 of 11913 Winterthur Lane. The cause and manner of death are not available.

Here's the information on the suspect:

The above pictured man is a suspect in a murder that occurred on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at approximately 12:44 a.m. in the 11900 block of Winterthur Lane in Reston, Virginia. He should be considered dangerous.

The suspect is described as an Indian male, 25-35 years old; approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall with a thin build. The suspect was wearing a gray long sleeve shirt with a thin orange stripe down the sleeves and blue jeans.

If you have any information about the person in the above images, please contact Detective Robert Bond of the Homicide Squad at 703 246 4057 or Robert.Bond@fairfaxcounty.gov Callers who wish to remain anonymous can leave any information with Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637.

We believe this is the first murder in Reston since the December 2011 shooting of Colvin Morris at Crescent Apartments near Lake Anne.

Update: Patel was an owner/franchisee of the Dunkin' Donuts that opened last week in Hunters Woods Shopping Center.

Some Action McNews footage, if you're into such things:



Twitter operative "JKREW" posted this photo of Action McNews trucks converging on the Hunters Woods Dunkin' Donuts.

"Grand opening of a Dunkin Donuts... Owner gets murdered. Vulture news crews. Gotta love Reston, VA," he writes.

Reston Real Estate: The High-Low Game 2012

Hey gang! It's late spring, which can mean only one thing. It's time to pull the CLOSE TO FUTURE METRO STATION signs out of the garage and play everyone's favorite game of earth-toned real estate wheeling and dealing, the High-Low Game(tm)!

First up is this understated 8-bedroom cottage off Personal Injury Lawyers Road on Stoneledge Court. Technically, it's not in Reston proper, but for the buying price, you could probably spring for a nonresident pool pass or six. Reduced (!!) to a mere $3,999,000, the portico of this "country club style residence" (or "embassy style residence," the breathless listing copy calls it both) will be a perfect place to stand, cocktail in hand, and make sure the lawn service does a decent job edging the shrubs, or whatever it is that lawn services do.

On the, shall we say, "other" side of the spectrum is this charmer on Northgate Square. For $139,900, you don't get much in the way of breathless real estate prose beyond the fact that the unit "backs to trees," but this next photo is what those of us not in the real estate business like to call "a deal sealer":

Good as sold. Thanks for playing the High-Low Game(tm). Until next time, keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the ARMs!

As the Silver Line Turns: Union Bust Gives Project a Boost (Maybe)

Now that the airports authority has decided to drop the much-reviled labor agreement from Phase 2 of the Metro Silver Line project, all's right in the world, and we can just count the days until we can hop on a train at Wiehle and be whisked off to the fertile particleboard fields of Ashburn to... uh... we dunno, shop for $14 chicken cutlets at Wegman's, right?

Let's hope so. But the move was seen largely as appeasing Gov. McDonnell, who has flip-flopped on the state's $150 million share of the project, and as reactions to the decision came in, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, who will make a decision about supporting the project by early last month, were notably absent. Guess they're awaiting further orders from their corporate overlords Tea Party backers constituents.

Still, Loudoun’s supervisors have not given clear indications of whether they will vote to support the second phase of the project and to put in the county’s share of construction costs, which, according to the latest estimate, are expected to total about $270 million. The board is expected to take a vote July 3.

Loudoun Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) said the MWAA’s vote was welcome news — but by no means a guarantee of Loudoun’s support.

“The PLA was a barrier to entry to even have a discussion,” he said. “The way I would characterize it is that the chances now go from zero percent to fifty-fifty.”

We're sure Letourneau's constituents are relieved that union thugs will no longer threaten to hold up the line in Wegman's as they buy their "cold cuts," or whatever it is union thugs eat for lunch. Actually, given that one of them showed up at a hearing wearing a Viking helmet, maybe they are.

Bob Costantino approached the microphone wearing a Viking helmet and said, that during their time, Vikings were known for pillage, plunder, and thievery.

“It’s my contention that Metro Silver Line Phase Two, in the context of Loudoun County, is virtual railway robbery,” Costantino said.

Speaking of plunder, between this decision and all the fun in Wisconsin, this hasn't been a good week for labor unions. Of course, the same cabal of billionaires was heavily involved in both decisions, including a fun robo-calling project targeted at the minivan moms of Loudoun County.

Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group that was founded with support from David and Charles Koch, and advocates for lower taxes and smaller government, are encouraging residents in robocalls to tell their supervisors they don’t want a tax increase to pay for Metro’s extension.

“Loudoun cannot afford this bail-out to rail-station developers,’’ according to the script. “If the Loudoun County board opts out, the rail will still be built to Dulles Airport, and commuters will still be within five miles of Metro. Come tell the board of supervisors to opt out and save taxpayers billions of dollars.”

Fortunately, as salaried, skilled, white-collar wage slaves "information workers," we don't have to worry about such petty things as "labor unions" and "living wages." They're relics of an industrial era, or at least for people who aren't lucky enough to live in the DC area, where the high-paying jobs will constantly flow, and we have far more in common with the right-thinking billionaires attempting to destroy the middle class create jobs. Wait, what's that?

Exxon Mobil is relocating its Fairfax County operations to Houston beginning in early 2014, taking 2,100 jobs out of a region already experiencing a slowdown in hiring as employers brace for cuts in federal spending.

The loss of private-sector jobs — many of them high-paying, white-collar positions — comes as Lockheed Martin and other defense and government contractors are eliminating headquarters positions in anticipation of Pentagon budget cuts.

In recent years, Fairfax County has been especially aggressive in its push to attract major corporations, but even the 1,200 jobs created by familiar nameplates such as Volkswagen, Hilton and Northrop Grumman are not enough to offset the latest loss.

Huh.

Breaking: Reston Town Center No Longer Such a Gritty Urban Core

At great personal risk, Twitter operative "Gary" violated the Reston Town Center's draconian photography regulations and shared this exciting photo of the "Mercury Fountain," or whatever it's called, spewing soapy bubbles. "Gary" suspects that someone put dishwasher liquid in the fountain as a wacky prank, but we're wondering if it's all the authentic urban vibes from such edgy, marginal inner-city establishments as Banana Republic and Uno's manifesting themselves in physical form. All in all, the overall message seems to be welcome Ashburnites, and don't worry about that dirty Metro train, the end.

Coincidences in the News: As Cutwater Court Project Rises, DRB Gets Term Limited

Hey, remember that time last year that there was a bit of excitement on Cutwater Court, what with one family planning to tear down an existing lakefront home and build a new larger one, only the neighbors weren't happy and the DRB got involved (or overinvolved, depending on who you ask) and the Action McNews van showed up, and then everyone pretty much forgot about the precedent this would set for piecemeal redevelopment in Reston neighborhoods, which is only more likely to happen as our original groovy earth-toned homes age and Metro makes the property they sit on more valuable?

Yeah, that was awesome. Well, our BFFs at Patch recently dropped by the neighborhood and found a bunch of chopped down trees, plus lots of hard feelings.

When bulldozers knocked down the Lendmans' home at 2004 Cutwater the first week of May, it marked a milestone in a saga that has taken nearly three years.

The Lendmans had to file and refile plans with Reston Association's Design Review Board. Several neighbors spoke at many DRB and RA Board of Directors' meetings, complaining about a number of things. Among them: that the house's footprint was too big, it disregarded the environment and that there was a conflict of interest in using a DRB member, Richard Newlon, as the project's architect.

Discussions were heated. Feelings were hurt. Sides were taken.

Turns out the DRB finally approved the project back in February. The owners say the neighborhood feud added at least $50,000 to the overall cost of the project.

However, all the heat and noise has led to real changes. Last year, the RA Board of Directors sent the DRB new guidelines governing conflicts of interest. Now, they've put in term limits for the board and the Covenants Committee.

Board and Committee members will now be allowed to serve three three-year terms. Those currently serving on the board are considered to be in their first term.

Term limits had been discussed in recent months with varying opinions. Those in favor of unlimited service said DRB members who served a long time had a great depth of knowledge and history on the subject. Some favoring limits cited the limits on the RA Board of Directors (two consecutive terms) as a way to guard against favoritism and conflicts of interest.

Something tells us this isn't a coincidence. It certainly will add credibility to the DRB, albeit at the expense of institutional knowledge and one gutsy recent decision. Plus, given all the recent finger-pointing, we wonder how hard it's going to be to find new architects familiar with Reston willing to get thrown in that briar patch serve on the board.

Flashback Monday: Reston: The Map

Please to be enjoying this map, rescued from the earliest days of our beloved earth-toned community (click here for a larger version). We're not sure what to make of the tree-like logo at the top of the page, but we certainly applaud the use of a DRB-approved accent color as a highlight; let's call it Rotting Avocado. Note the conspicuous lack of Wiehle Avenue and the fancy circular visitor's center, where people could marvel at a scale model before being shown around. We never knew that there was a garden shop in the later location of the grosery. Also, was that stretch of North Shore that snakes below the Delong Bowman House the part that would become the not-temporary Temporary Road, or something completely different? (Maybe they called it Permanent Road back then.)

We're impressed by the size of the sailboat in Lake Anne; perhaps the U.S. Navy lent Gulf Reston a tall ship to draw in the customers.

The iconic gas station at Lake Anne was still "coming soon", but it looks like they had their priorities straight. Also, there was this helpful comment, which serves as sort of a roadmap of things to come:

Next week: the early-days map of Sought-After South Reston, mutant horses and all!

Meanwhile, in the Anti-Reston: Lines, Lines, Everywhere Lines

Twitter user "Alex" shared this fancy photo from the top of the Ferris Wheel at this weekend's Herndon Festival, providing a bird's eye view of the event's most popular draw: waiting in lines to wait to stand in lines. On the plus side, Tilt-a-Whirl!

Crescent City? CItyCenterDC Developer Submits Proposal for Massive Lake Anne Redevelopment

Hines, a global developer of high-end properties, including CityCenterDC, a fancy mixed-use development currently under way downtown (pictured at right), has submitted a proposal to redevelop the county-owned Crescent Apartments at Lake Anne. More specifically, it would build a 1,330 unit community, including 275 affordable apartments developed by AHC, a nonprofit developer of affordable housing.

It's the largest redevelopment proposal in Reston to date -- bigger than the contentious 805-unit Fairway Apartments project recently approved by the county. More specifically, it would increase the number of housing units at the 181-unit Crescent Apartments site more than sevenfold.

Hines and AHC submitted the proposal as part of the county's solicitation for proposals to redevelop the property, in an attempt to jumpstart the long-delayed revitalization of Lake Anne. Bear in mind this was reported by a real estate "web log," so it's not clear if there are other proposals under consideration -- and there may well be, given that 16.5 acre parcels in established communities don't come up for redevelopment every day. The county is supposed to select the developer for the property by July 2.

It's an interesting conundrum. Unlike Fairway, this redevelopment is in a spot the county is actively trying to have redeveloped, and redeveloped at a density that would make Lake Anne Plaza less of a ghost town in the winter revitalize Lake Anne Village Center. The county would also get more affordable housing in the bargain -- 275 units, compared to the 181 in the current county-owned complex. At the same time, there are the same questions as at Fairway about the impact of a large community on traffic, given its lack of proximity to Metro.

On the bright side, at least we now know there's actually developer interest in Lake Anne -- and high-end developer interest, at that -- and that county officials won't have to glumly announce that their bid for proposals came up empty-handed. That's something that might have been hard to predict back in 2009, when the redevelopment plan was approved by county officials smack dab in the middle of a recession. So we've got that going for us.