The Biennial What’s Out/What’s In List for Reston

Happy 2026! Back by (semi-)popular demand for the first time since 2024, here’s our (semi-)annual list of what’s out and what’s in for our plastic fantastic planned community: 

OUT	IN
Jet-age lake cooled AC	Brownouts from jet-age wiring
Office parks becoming homes	Team huddles in the breakfast nook
DRB citations for Mocha Mousse trim (PANTONE 17-1230)	DRB citations for Cloud Dancer trim (PANTONE 11-4201)
"Civic plazas" (Reston Station)	"Central greens" (RTC North)
Dark sky lighting	Blinding motel LEDs
Planner-proposed roundabouts	Planner-proposed runarounds
Vowel-free apartment buildings (RIP VY)	Vowel-free cold plungeries
Boozin' at RTC	Booz Allen in RTC
Paid parking	Gated communities
Bears in Herndon	Karens in Loudoun
Pedestrian bridges over Wiehle	Pedestrian bridges between office buildings
Wondering when Taco Bell will reopen	Wondering when pools will close
Invasive plants	Invasive developers
Tired "web log" listicles	Wired newspaper listicles

This post was originally published in the Reston Letter.