As Fairfax County continues to plan for the future of Lake Anne, a newly conceived award will honor individuals who have helped turn Reston’s oldest village center into the community it is today.
Radhika Murari, owner of Lake Anne Plaza’s OmBaked CBD Boutique (11414 Washington Plaza West), is currently seeking nominations for the inaugural Lake Anne Good Neighbor Award.
She says the honor is intended to recognize residents and business owners who make Lake Anne Plaza feel like a welcoming home in accordance with Reston founder Bob Simon’s vision of the area’s village centers as intimate, walkable neighborhoods.
“This award honors our neighbors who live Bob’s vision and show up with kindness, lend a hand without being asked, and strengthen the unique spirit of our neighborhood,” Murari said. “It recognizes the quiet helpers, the everyday problem-solvers, and the neighbors whose generosity uplifts us all.”
Nominations can be submitted through an online form that will remain open until April 7.
Since this is the award’s first year, it will be limited to residents and business owners in the immediate Lake Anne area, but organizers might open up the nominations to all Reston residents in the future, Murari told FFXnow.
After receiving an initial “outpouring” of support for the community’s younger residents, Murari announced last Friday (March 27) that the award will include a separate kids’ category.
The award will be presented to the winner by Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn on April 18 at an 11 a.m. ceremony at OmBaked.
Founded in 1965, Lake Anne Village Center is designated by Fairfax County as a commercial revitalization area and is home to 579 people, as of 2025, according to the county’s most recent population data.
In addition to OmBaked, current businesses at Lake Anne Plaza include Lake Anne Brew House, Kalypso’s Sports Tavern, Reston’s Used Book Shop, New Trail Cycling, Elden Street Tea Shop and more. The plaza also hosts the Reston Museum, Reston Art Gallery and Studios, and a facility for Reston Community Center.
