There’s less than a week left until Barnes & Noble will officially open its doors in The Spectrum at Reston Town Center.
Filling a space vacated by Office Depot in 2021, the nearly 28,000-square-foot bookstore at 11816 Spectrum Center will include a B&N Cafe, along with books, toys, games and gifts.
The grand opening next Wednesday (June 14) will feature a ribbon-cutting by author Tania James, who will also sign copies of her new historical fiction novel “Loot,” the company announced yesterday (Wednesday).
“We are delighted to open in Reston such a beautiful and impressive new bookstore,” Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt said. “In an especially happy turn of events, we return to the same shopping center we had anchored over a decade ago. Nowhere is the success of brick-and-mortar bookstores better demonstrated than the opening of this very large new Barnes & Noble in Reston. Our booksellers…have created an exceptional bookstore for their community.”
James lives in D.C. and works as an associate professor of English for George Mason University, according to her official bio. Officially released on Tuesday (June 13), “Loot” is described by its publisher as “an exuberant heist adventure that traces the bloody legacy of colonialism” from India to England.
The opening is a comeback in Reston for Barnes & Noble, which previously had a location in the center several years ago. It will be the company’s first new store in Fairfax County since 2019, according to the press release.
The store will join a local literary scene that includes the nearby independent store, Scrawl Books, in Reston Town Center and Reston’s Used Book Shop at Lake Anne Plaza.
Store manager Elisabeth Swift said she is excited to bring the bookstore to Reston, which she describes a “town of readers.”
“Opening a new Barnes & Noble is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I’ve looked forward to — creating an extraordinary team of dedicated booksellers, building a store together and embracing the community has been a fantastic experience for all involved,” she said. “We can’t wait to welcome readers into our stunning new bookstore.”
Photo via Barnes & Noble/Instagram
The opening timeframe for Reston Town Center’s new theater has been pushed again.
LOOK Dine-In Cinemas is now expected to open by the third quarter of 2023, which would be this fall, a company spokesperson told FFXnow. The opening estimate was first pushed in late 2022 and then delayed to sometime in the first half of this year.
A spokesperson for the company said that once a date is available, it will be shared on the cinema’s website.
In a statement to FFXnow, the spokesperson said it was not clear why the date changed, adding that sometimes things get pushed or delayed.
This is the first location in the D.C. area for the company, which is renovating the Reston theater. Other features of the “luxury” brand include a food, beverage and cocktail menu, according to the company’s website.
LOOK replaces BowTie Cinemas, which closed in May 2022 after more than a decade at 11940 Market Street.
A spokesperson for Reston Town Center said that there was no information to share on any openings in the town center, including CitySwing and the Peruvian restaurant Pisco Y Nazca.
Space-oriented cybersecurity company SpiderOak has expanded its web of operations to Reston Town Center.
The U.S.-owned and operated software company opened its Reston office (11911 Freedom Drive) last month.
CEO Dave Pearah told the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) that the company chose to relocate from Kansas and Chicago to Fairfax County because customers in the space industry were seeking “complementary solutions for space.”
“The fact that we’re now in the space cyber resiliency market is a fun, exciting, and a surprising evolution of the company,” Pearah told the FCEDA. “I think that’s also true for Fairfax County in general terms of space development. It has taken off in the last few years.”
The county is a major hub for the defense and space industry, hosting offices for corporations like Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Blue Origin.
Pearah added that the company was also drawn to the area because of the amenities in Reston Town Center.
“We are at this unique intersection of space, cybersecurity, and embedded hardware utilizing distributed ledger technology,” he said. “We need people with that same diverse mix of interests, which Reston delivers.”
The company is affiliated with Madison Dearborn Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm.
Photo via Adi Goldstein/Unsplash
Reston Town Square Park (11900 Market Street) and Reston Station (1901 Reston Metro Plaza) will soon come to life with summer entertainment organized by the Reston Community Center.
RCC has organized six series this year, varying from jazz ensembles to family picnics. Some events will feature pop-up treats in other neighborhoods.
“Reston knows it’s summer when the sounds of great music can be heard in our beautiful plazas,” RCC Board Chair Beverly Cosham said. “RCC brings people together to dance, socialize, visit an outdoor restaurant, or share a picnic basket. It’s a Reston tradition we keep expanding and look forward to every year.”
The first concert — a jazz show from singer Darden Purcell — will usher in Memorial Day weekend at Reston Town Square Park tomorrow (Friday).
A complete breakdown of the events is available below:
Take a Break
Thursdays, June 1 – August 31
7-8:30 p.m.
Reston StationBeginning with Don’t Back Down, a Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers tribute band, the Take a Break concerts fill the plaza atop the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. Other performers include Texas Chainsaw Horns, Loudoun Jazz Ensemble, Scott Kurt and Memphis 59. For the full schedule click here: Take a Break Concerts at Reston Community Center. Concerts are presented by RCC in cooperation with MSE Productions, Inc., and are hosted by Reston Station.
Darden Purcell and Friends
Fridays, May 26 – October 13
5:30-6:45 p.m.
Reston Town Square ParkJazz vocalist and series curator Darden Purcell brings her group to open the summer series of “Darden & Friends” in Reston Town Square Park. This concert will feature exciting new arrangements of Great American Songbook repertoire and jazz standards.
Fab Fridays
June 2 – September 1
7-8:30 p.m.
Reston StationKick off the weekend with Fab Fridays featuring the U.S. Army Blues Big Band, festive rhythms from Dogo from Togo, merengue with Latin pop band Ocho de Bastos and many more. See the full concert schedule here: RCC Fab Friday Concerts. Three hours of free parking are available in the ParkX garage with validation. Concerts are presented by RCC in cooperation with MSE Productions, Inc., and are hosted by Reston Station.
Family Fun Entertainment
Saturdays, June 17 – August 5
10-10:45 a.m.
Reston Town Square ParkBring the kids for magic, comedy, puppets, music and lots of laughs. Family Fun begins on June 17 with Guava Jelly. Other shows include Rocknoceros, Lohr Family Antics, The Uncle Devin Show and Turley the Magician. Family Fun Entertainment is presented by RCC and Reston Town Center Association in cooperation with MSE Productions, Inc. Reston Town Center garages offer free parking on Saturdays.
Sunday Art in the Park with the Shenandoah Conservatory
Sundays, June 11 – August 27
7-8 p.m.
Reston Town Square ParkWind down your weekend with classical, jazz and cabaret-style music provided by faculty and students from Shenandoah University’s acclaimed music conservatory. The series starts June 11 with Ellington Caravan paying tribute to Duke Ellington. This series will run through August 27. Visit Sunday Art in the Park for the complete schedule. Reston Town Center garage parking is free on Sundays. Sunday Art in the Park is presented by RCC and Reston Town Center Association in cooperation with Shenandoah University.
Family Picnic Days
Saturday August 5 – Temporary Road Pavilion
Saturday, August 12 – Pony Barn Picnic Pavilion
Saturday, August 19 – North Hills Picnic Pavilion
4-6 p.m.Bring a picnic, your family and friends to Family Picnic Day. Play family-friendly lawn games, enjoy local performers and have some fun! Family Picnic Days are presented by Reston Community Center and Reston Association.
(Updated at 2:20 p.m.) Reston Town Center’s family of falcons are officially live in more ways than one.
Town center owner BXP — formerly known as Boston Properties — announced yesterday (Thursday) that a webcam similar to the Giant Panda cam at the National Zoo in D.C. has been installed to keep an eye on the area’s resident peregrine falcons.
This year, the mother falcon laid three eggs on the rooftop of a building in the town center and had three female babies. The neighborhood has been home to falcons ever since a pair of chicks were found on Market Street in 2015.
“Reston Town Center is committed to supporting the conservation of declining populations by providing a thriving ecosystem and habitat for survival,” BXP said.
Peregrine falcons were on the decline due to the impacts of DDT, a pesticide that was widely used in agriculture until it was banned in the 1970s.
(Correction: This article initially said peregrine falcons are currently declining. The species has started to recover since DDT was banned, getting taken off the endangered species list in 1999.)
Identification bands are placed on the falcons in the town center.
The falcons have attracted local attention — including an attempt by Reston Now readers to name them “Free” and “Parking” in reference to opposition against paid parking at RTC in 2017. They are then named Robert and Anne after Reston’s founder Bob Simon and Lake Anne.
A spokesperson for BXP didn’t return a request for comment from FFXnow by press time.
Frequenters of Reston Town Center can expect more sip-and-stroll-style events this year.
At a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday (May 9), the board approved Reston Town Center Association‘s request to increase the number of licenses it has per year for designated outdoor refreshment areas.
RTCA can now host up to 50 events — up from 16 — this year through additional Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) licenses.
The organization’s president, Robert Goudie, told the board that the request came after an overwhelmingly positive response to sip-and-stroll events at the town center last year.
RTCA patrons can expect at least 12 Darden and Friends jazz events in the spring and fall, sip-and-stroll events on the first Saturday of the month, and the return of Reston Concerts on the Town.
Goudie said RTCA pilot-tested the sip-and-stroll concept last year. Physical barricades will also be added to designate the area — a move that Goudie says goes above and beyond what is required by law.
“We don’t want to turn Reston Town Center into a constant pub for all,” Goudie said.
The board voted unanimously in favor of the proposal.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity lauded the effort as a major placemaking initiative.
“That’s all I could think when you were talking,” Herrity told Goudie.
A data analytics and intelligence firm is the latest tenant to sign a lease at Comstock’s massive Reston Station project.
Babel Street will lease 10,200-square-feet of space at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza. The company offers advanced data analytics and intelligence for government and commercial clients with an aritificial intelligence-enabled platform. It’s currently located at 1818 Library Street.
Comstock is “thrilled to welcome Babel Street to our roster of tech and IT security office tenants at Reston Station,” the developer’s Chief Operating Officer Timothy Steffan said in a statement.
Having recently signed several new retail and experiential brands including VIDA Fitness, Puttshack, and Ebbitt House, the first ever expansion of the iconic Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, D.C., we continue activating the Reston Station neighborhood to be a dynamic mixed-used and transit-oriented neighborhood that provides exciting dining, fitness, and entertainment options for our growing list of corporate office tenants and residents alike.
Babel has other offices in Tokyo, Tel Aviv, London, Canberra and Ottawa.
Roughly 3,000 additional residences are planned at the mixed-use neighborhood, including 420 units currently under construction. Two hotels are also planned, along with a flagship VIDA Fitness and Spa facility, Puttshack, and Ebbitt House — the first expansion of the Old Ebbitt Grill brand.
The development’s tenants are Founding Farmers, Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse and Starbucks.
Barnes & Noble has revealed when its next chapter will open in The Spectrum at Reston Town Center.
The bookstore chain plans to host a grand opening on June 14, the company announced yesterday (Tuesday) in an Instagram reel.
The reel described the opening date as “tentative.”
“Mark your calendars because we’re going to have so much fun!” the post reads.
The bookstore takes space at 11816 Spectrum Center previously vacated by Office Depot. Barnes & Noble previously had a store at The Spectrum that closed in 2013.
The shopping center will also soon welcome Whole Foods Market, which plans to relocate from its current spot at Plaza America.
Photo via Barnes & Noble/Instagram
Reston Town Center will turn on the water for its iconic Mercury Fountain tomorrow (Saturday) for the first time in over a year.
Fountain Square and the neighboring pavilion are set to open with a celebration from 1-4 p.m. after a year-long renovation effort that brought the facility’s first improvements in more than 30 years.
“The improvements to the Fountain Square and Pavilion were completed just in time to usher in a lively spring and summer season of outdoor programming,” Boston Properties said.
The renovations included upgrades to the lower base of the fountain and a replacement of its mechanical system. But the original design of the upper base and statue remain unchanged. New trees and planning were also added along with the expansion of outdoor seating.
The town center’s pavilion had reopened in November for the winter ice skating season, including an “Ice-travaganza” event in February, but the renovation hadn’t been completed yet.
“They were able to do enhancements while having that open for ice skaters,” a Boston Properties spokesperson said.
Reston Town Center plans to host weekly concerts along with other events. A complete calendar is available online.
The breakdown of the festivities is below:
Reston Town Center will officially unveil the new-and-improved Fountain Square and Pavilion at RTC’s annual springtime tradition, Fountain Day. Mercury Fountain will be officially turned on for the season and kick off a fun, family-friendly celebration (rain or shine) that will include engaging activities, such as:
The Golf Truck by CitySwing
Live Painting Demonstration
360 Degree Photo Booth
The Marigold Bus Photo Booth
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Truck (Courtesy of BXP, While Supplies Last)For Kids:
Airbrush Tattoos
Caricaturists
Basketball TossEntertainment:
DJ Ralph
Stilt Walkers
Aerialist
Balloon Dancers
Bubble Guy
There will also be giveaways from Reston Town Center and its retailers “while supplies last,” per a media alert.
A developer that filed a plan for a new Reston Regional Library and affordable housing in the Reston Town Center North area is challenging Fairfax County’s handling of its procurement process in court.
The complaint, filed by Reston Civic Core LLC late last year, is being litigated even after developer Foulger-Pratt withdrew its offer of a public-private partnership for the same area — a move that leaves no immediate option for the redevelopment.
Foulger-Pratt offered an unsolicited proposal in October 2021 under the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act to redevelop two properties with up to 350 affordable apartments and a new library on land owned by the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
The county and FCHRA declined to comment, given that the issue is under active litigation.
“As a matter of policy, we don’t comment on matters in litigation,” said Linda Hoffman, a county spokeswoman.
In addition to retaining 30 units at Bowman Towne Court, Norton Scott’s plan called for 324 affordable housing units and a new library on mostly county-owned property next to the Bowman Towne Center property. It also included a public plaza, homeless shelter, performing arts amenities, and above-ground parking for the Hunter Mill District Supervisor’s Office and the police department.
The complaint formally alleges that the county violated Dillon’s rule and urges the county to accept its application for consideration. It also calls on the court to cancel the interim agreement with Foulger-Pratt — which has since been canned.
The county issued a call for competing proposals — as required by law. Norton Scott’s competing plan was rejected.
The county moved to sign an interim agreement with Foulger-Pratt in July, but the agreement was voided in February. Foulger-Pratt cited “significantly higher construction costs and recent interest rate hikes” as the primary reasons for scrapping the proposal.
Norton Scott argues that the because the proposal publicly posted by the county had 74 of 188 pages fully redacted, it barred the developer from developing an understanding of its competition.
“As a result of the heavily-redacted proposal, it was impossible for potential offers to gain a clear understanding of what the county sought when it invited competing proposals of the project,” the complaint says. “The lack of transparency runs counter to the principles of open competition and access to information that are at the foundation of public procurements.”
The developer also alleges that the county did not not formally reject its proposal and instead “determined that the proposal will not be accepted for detailed review,” according to legal documents.
“Under the PPEA, after accepting the proposal or consideration, the county was without authority to reverse course and not accept the proposal for consideration,” the complaint states.
At a later point, the county then stated the proposal was “ineligible for review.”
A task force with various stakeholders is currently examining key issues in Reston Town Center North.
Chelsea Rao, a senior vice president with Norton Scott, said it seems that the development’s team solution is not being considered at all.
“It seems silly that there is a task force looking for a solution that is not considering the option we have proposed,” Rao said.
The case is currently in the discovery phase.
