(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) Jeff Bezos’ commercial space flight company has found its landing spot in Reston.
Blue Origin, owned by the Amazon founder, is docking at 2001 Edmund Halley Drive, a company spokesperson confirmed to FFXnow.
“Blue Origin has grown to more than 6000 employees and continues to hire top talent,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement. “In addition to the growth we are experiencing at each of our current sites, Blue has opened new offices in Denver, Phoenix, and Reston, Virginia. These sites will allow us to recruit additional talent in these regions.”
FFXnow first reported back in March that Blue Origin was set to open an office and facility in Reston during the first half of this year. While it appears that goal was missed, the space flight company is on its way to a 33,000-square-foot space just off the Dulles Access Road and Reston Parkway.
Blue Origin’s new digs will be about two miles from the Wiehle-Reston Metro station and adjacent to the Reston Town Center Metro station, which will open (hopefully) this fall.
According to Blue Origin’s website, the Reston office will host a “Center of Excellence” to support the company’s “Advanced Development Program, New Glenn launch system, new space infrastructure product development, and the company’s Enterprise Technology team.”
While it’s unclear how many employees will be working out of the new location, there appear to be currently 23 jobs open. Those range from “Avionics Thermal Analyst” to “Propulsion Engineer.”
Each job listing includes the same phrasing about making history:
This position will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your commitment and detailed attention towards safe and repeatable space flight. Join us in lowering the cost of access to space and enabling Blue Origin’s vision of millions of people living and working in space to benefit Earth.
Back in March, Blue Origin held a jobs open house at a Reston hotel.
Blue Origin has two other area offices in D.C. and in Arlington. The small Rosslyn location will remain open, serving a different aspect of the company from the Reston site, according to the Washington Business Journal.
The company made news recently by saying it’s looking to increase the number of people it flies to space in 2022. To do this, Blue Origin will need to build more rockets.
Just last month, Blue Origin sent six more people to space for its fifth space tourism flight.
Metro Warns of Hour-Long Waits for July 4 — “Due to the reduced number of railcars available for service, capacity on Metrorail will be less than previous Independence Days. That means customers should be prepared for longer wait times, up to 60 minutes, and for crowding to occur, especially at the conclusion of the fireworks.” [WMATA]
Unhealthy Air Possible Today — “Code Orange unhealthy air is forecast for tomorrow (Thursday) for the metropolitan Washington region. Area residents are encouraged to limit outdoor activities.” [Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments/Twitter]
Police Make Arrest in Fairfax Shooting — Joshua Daniel Danehower, 33, of Arlington has been charged with second-degree murder after the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Fairfax City resident Gret Glyer. Founder of the online fundraising platform DonorSee, Glyer was reportedly killed while in bed with his wife on June 24. Police describe Danehower as an “acquaintance of the family” but didn’t comment on a potential motive. [Patch, NBC4]
Local Man Indicted for Fatal Alexandria Crash — “A 44-year-old Fairfax County man was arrested on June 22 and faces multiple charges for a February 22 crash on Duke Street that resulted in the death of a driver and injuries to other drivers.” A grand jury indicted Carlos Kami Adar McKethan for aggravated vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of phencyclidine, or PCP. [ALXnow]
Fairfax City Revises Official Seal — “Fairfax City Council voted unanimously during a Tuesday night public hearing to adopt a new city seal. The new seal replaces one containing depictions of a Confederate soldier and a British lord with no direct connection to the city.” [Patch]
Metro Police to Introduce Body Cameras — “Transit Police officers that monitor Metro stations and buses will wear body-worn cameras starting next year, the agency said Tuesday. The Department of Justice gave the Metro Transit Police Department a $905,000 grant for the cameras last year, but now is moving forward with the program.” [DCist]
Health Food Stall Now Open in Tysons — “#MakawSuperfoods’ grand opening is Friday at noon! The health food restaurant that offers fresh açaí bowls and smoothies, recently opened in @TysonsGalleria. For their grand opening, they will be offering a buy ONE get ONE 50% OFF deal and a FREE gift for the first 25 orders.” [Tysons Partnership/Twitter]
New Garden Proposed at Lincolnia’s Green Spring — “Green Spring’s Moon Gate Garden project will include a mix of traditional and modern design concepts to draw visitors into this new Asian-inspired garden. This new garden will provide sanctuary and inspiration for 200,000 visitors who come to this Fairfax County Park Authority site annually.” [FCPA]
Oakton Office Complex Changes Hands — “Network Realty Partners has acquired Redwood Plaza, a three-building office complex in Fairfax. Va., for $23 million…Located at 10560, 10580 and 10600 Arrowhead Drive, the trio of Class A office buildings were recently renovated with the addition of a new tenant lounge, which features arcade games, shuffleboard, craft beer on tap, and a 24-hour café.” [Commercial Observer]
It’s Thursday — Clear throughout the day. High of 87 and low of 68. Sunrise at 5:48 am and sunset at 8:40 pm. [Weather.gov]
Police Arrest Suspect in Car Part Thefts — “A 33-year-old Alexandria man is being held without bond after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of vehicle parts in residential parking garages in Fairfax County and Fairfax City…The first theft was reported on April 19 in the 5800 block of Trinity Parkway in Centreville.” [ALXnow]
Fairfax Man Charged for Loudoun County Bomb Threat — “An 18-year-old man from Fairfax was arrested on Tuesday and charged in connection with a bomb threat that was emailed to Dominion High School on May 19.” [Patch]
Fairfax County to Study Free Bus Service — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed staff to analyze the pros and cons of making Fairfax Connector buses fare free for all riders, building off of a recently approved program providing 50% discounts to low-income riders. The results will be presented to the board at its transportation committee meeting on Sept. 30. [Patch]
Affordable Housing Units Open for Rent — The Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development was recently notified of potential vacancies in apartments targeted toward lower-income residents. There are currently available units in Oakton’s Dwell Vienna Metro Apartments, the Passport Apartments in Herndon, and The Kingston and Hanover in Tysons. [HCD]
Construction Firm Makes Reston Office Its HQ — “General contracting firm Winmar Construction Inc., one of the largest private companies in Greater Washington, is moving its headquarters from Georgetown to Reston. Rockville commercial real estate firm Edge said Tuesday it represented Winmar in a lease for 7,000 square feet at 2100 Reston Parkway.” [Washington Business Journal]
Vienna Proposes Change to Historic Register Criteria — “At the request of Historic Vienna Inc., the Vienna Town Council on July 11 will hold a public hearing to change the definition of ‘historic’ as ‘at least 100 years old.'” The town currently limits its register of historic sites and places to properties that existed before 1900. [Sun Gazette]
Repaved Wakefield Courts to Reopen — “After months of repairs and conversion of existing courts to pickleball courts, it’s time to officially open the renewed and renovated Wakefield Park tennis and pickleball court complex…Please join us on Saturday, June 25, 2022, at 9 a.m. for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by a demonstration of [pickleball] and light refreshments.” [FCPA]
It’s Thursday — Possible light rain in the morning. High of 75 and low of 66. Sunrise at 5:45 am and sunset at 8:35 pm. [Weather.gov]
“Beltway Accord” Still a Mystery — More than two years after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and then-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced plans to rebuild the American Legion Bridge, an actual, documented agreement remains elusive. Conflict over Maryland’s Capital Beltway toll lanes project has been a source of anxiety in McLean, where officials broke ground on the I-495 widening last month. [Maryland Matters]
Advocacy Groups Meet Incoming FCPS Superintendent — “On Friday, April 15, representatives of several advocacy groups met with Dr. [Michelle] Reid, as well as Fairfax County School Board Chair Stella Pekarsky and Vice Chair Rachna Sizemore Heizer, to discuss their concerns about the superintendent selection process.” [FCPS]
Registration Opens for Kids’ Summer Program — “The Fairfax County Park Authority is accepting registrations for Rec-PAC this summer at 30 elementary school locations across Fairfax County. Rec-PAC is an affordable, structured, six-week summer program for children in grades one through six featuring a different theme each week.” [FCPA]
New Concourse Planned at Dulles Airport — “A new 14-gate concourse at Dulles International Airport could open as soon as 2026 under plans outlined Wednesday…The $674.7 million project…would be the most significant upgrade to the airport in more than a decade. The planned 400,000-square-foot building would replace the single-story structure that handles regional and commuter flights at Dulles.” [The Washington Post]
Reston Station Adds Wealth Management Firm — Comstock announced on Tuesday (April 19) that the office and private investment firm Cresset Manager has signed a lease agreement for 11,500 square feet on the ninth floor of 1900 Reston Metro Plaza. The company is expected to relocate its D.C. area office, currently in Reston Town Center, to the new space in the third quarter of 2022. [Comstock]
Annandale Baseball Diamonds Renamed — “On Saturday, April 16, 2022, the Fairfax County Park Authority joined the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Annandale-North Springfield Little League (ANSLL) to rename the Pine Ridge Park baseball facilities to the Kehrer Baseball Complex…The change was made to honor two longtime ANSLL volunteers Darryl and Dawn Kehrer.” [FCPA]
Design Update Coming on Richmond Highway Bus Service — The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will host three in-person meetings this spring on Richmond Highway BRT. The first one is scheduled for April 28 at Bryant High School and will provide updates on the design and intersection improvements at North Kings Highway and Shields Avenue. [FCDOT]
It’s Thursday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 66 and low of 44. Sunrise at 6:25 am and sunset at 7:53 pm. [Weather.gov]
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department determined that a two-alarm fire in Centreville earlier this month was caused by a mechanical failure in the motor of an air compressor.
Firefighters from Fairfax and Prince William counties were dispatched to the 14600 block of Lee Highway around 2:34 p.m. on March 10 for a building fire, according to a news release.
Upon arrival, they saw smoke showing from the commercial business building’s roof from the front and fire coming out of the second floor window in the back.
The fire was confined to one unit, the department said. Four occupants were in the unit at the time of the fire, but no injuries were reported. The unit didn’t have smoke alarms or a fire sprinkler system. An employee saw the flames and called 911.
Investigators determined that the fire caused approximately $200,000 in damages.
Cause of Two Alarm Centreville Building Fire Determined. @PWCFireRescue assisted. Damages of $200K. More: https://t.co/qYWK1dG7X1 #FCFRD pic.twitter.com/WSrqQkjJlv
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) March 23, 2022
Tysons Mass Vaccine Site Tweaks Hours — “Beginning Tuesday, March 1, the Tysons Community Vaccination Center (CVC) located at 7950 Tysons Corner Center, McLean, will be open five days a week, Tuesday-Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.” [Fairfax County Health Department]
Alleged Serial Killer Still Not Charged in Fairfax County — Local police and prosecutors have yet to find enough evidence to charge a man that police dubbed the “Shopping Cart Killer” in the death of California resident Stephanie Harrison, one of two women whose remains were found in Huntington in December. [WTOP]
Office Tax Base Continues Decline — While residential property tax assessments soar, Fairfax County is projecting only a 2.8% increase in revenue from commercial properties in fiscal year 2023, which starts July 1. County Executive Bryan Hill attributed the decline in the county’s commercial and industrial tax base, expected to make up just 17% of property tax revenues, partly to the pandemic-era shift to teleworking. [Washington Business Journal]
Metro Still Testing Theories for Derailment — “Metro is testing out its theories and looking for solutions to resolve a defect found in wheels and axles of several of the rail cars, Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld told board members. He did not elaborate on the suspected factors causing the malfunction or provide an estimate for when the rail cars might return to service.” [The Washington Post]
Newington House Fire Displaces Residents — A house fire in the 7800 block of Water Valley Court on Feb. 18 displaced five residents and caused approximately $162,500 in damages. Investigators determined the blaze was started accidentally by “improperly discarded smoking materials.” [FCFRD]
Reston Company Mum on Microsoft Sale Rumors — Reston cybersecurity company Mandiant Inc. declined to comment on a Bloomberg report that Microsoft has expressed interest in acquiring it. With most employees working remotely, the company is in the process of consolidating staff at its two-story office in Reston Town Center. [Washington Business Journal]
Inova to Hold Blood Drive in Springfield — “Please join @GSVFD and @InovaBlood for Blood Drive event on February 28 between 1:00pm and 6:00pm. Slots still available. Blood donations are critically low and only you can help give the #GiftOfLife. Please signup today” [FCFRD/Twitter]
Utility Work Planned on W&OD Trail — “Over the next month, Dominion Energy contractors will be pulling new underground cables between Sandburg St and Adahi Rd near Vienna; please be alert while travelling this section of trail.” [W&OD Trail/Twitter]
