Fairfax County and its consultant are close to finalizing a new look for signs that will greet residents and visitors as they enter Reston’s Lake Anne Village Center.
A concept design unveiled by Streetsense at a virtual meeting on Tuesday (April 14) swaps the current fountain-oriented logo for a simplified look with blockier font intended to evoke the neighborhood’s 1960s origins and defining Brutalist architecture.
“The logo design took inspiration from midcentury color palettes and forms, including some iconic signs at Lake Anne,” said Jodi Dubyoski, a senior urban designer at Streetsense.
Refined over months based on community feedback, the concept cements a consistent style, while also offering more flexibility through different color options, for example, that can be adapted “to different messaging needs,” she added.
Building on an economic visioning study completed in 2024, the county’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) retained Streetsense to develop a wayfinding strategy that could give Lake Anne more visibility, update its visual identity and make the area easier to navigate.
The wayfinding initiative launched last May with a public meeting and a survey to gauge the community’s interest in refreshing the Lake Anne logo, which was designed about a decade ago.
Based on an assessment of the approximately 44-acre Lake Anne revitalization area, Streetsense found that many of the neighborhood’s existing signs lack visibility for both passing drivers and pedestrians due to their location or encroaching foliage. Directional signage to guide visitors to businesses, trails and public parking is also limited.
The survey showed clear support for updating the logo, with more than half of respondents calling it outdated or not aligned with the community’s identity. However, they were also wary how much a redesign might cost.
“In general, respondents expressed openness to change but only if it’s meaningful, affordable, and not at the expense of more urgent needs,” the survey results said.
The wayfinding initiative, including the logo update, is being covered by funds allocated to DPD for placemaking and community building projects, according to Community Revitalization Section Director Elizabeth Hagg.
At the moment, county staff are focused on finalizing designs for two “beacon” signs that will be installed along Baron Cameron Avenue near the Village Road intersection. Streetsense’s proposed wayfinding plan recommends several other vehicular and pedestrian signs, but most of them are located on private property and would need support from those owners for implementation.
“I don’t know that we have a final cost estimate, because we’re still tweaking the design,” Hagg said at Tuesday’s meeting, noting that the county has started surveying fabricators to get an initial sense of the potential price tag. “… We’ve been mindful of keeping the costs down as well as keeping it low maintenance.”
As proposed by Streetsense, the beacon signs would consist of powder-coated steel tubing and aluminum with push through lettering that reads “Lake Anne” above “Reston VA | 1963” in smaller font.
Dubyoski said the goal of Tuesday’s meeting was to “get a temperature check” from the community, confirming support for the proposed design before the consultant issues bid documents for vendors to manufacture and install the beacon signs.
While attendance at the meeting was low, two community members who tuned in were both complimentary of the concept design.
“I think the color scheme came in nicely, definitely the best that I’ve seen, so I’m pretty happy,” one said.
“Functionally, it’s very legible, and it looks [Piet] Mondrian-esque,” said the other, referring to the Dutch abstract painter known for his line compositions.
Given the limited attendance, county staff confirmed that the meeting video and presentation will be posted online, though they weren’t available yet, as of press time. Comments and questions can be sent to the community revitalization office at revitalization@fairfaxcounty.gov.
Hagg noted that the county is also working with a contracted engineering firm “to drill down” on the signs’ proposed locations, which could be affected by utility and drainage conflict as well as right-of-way limitations imposed by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Once cost estimates are finalized and a bid package for a contractor is issued, the county will need to obtain land use permits from VDOT, a process that could take “many months.” After the permits are obtained, a fabricator to create can be selected, and the county can proceed with installation.
After the signs are installed, Fairfax County will be responsible for maintaining them.
“I don’t expect them to be high maintenance. The design is taking that into account,” Hagg said. “Mowing the lawn around them shouldn’t be a problem, but if a sign should get hit and knocked down, we’d replace it. There’s a lot of moving parts to get to the finish line, but the end is in sight.”
