Reston Cell Service Could Be Significantly Impacted By Delay In New Tower Installation

Updated (Feb. 10, 9:45 a.m.): This story was updated with information from Mike Leone, director of communications at the Reston Association.

RESTON, VA — Cell phone service for Verizon and Sprint customers in Reston could be significantly disrupted, after the Fairfax County Architectural Review Board deferred a proposal to install a much-needed cell tower.

Verizon Wireless currently has a cell tower on the top of The Fellowship House in Reston. The building is set to be demolished as part of the Fellowship Square development project.

Fellowship House residents are expected to move into the newly constructed Lake Anne House later this spring and summer. The next phase of the project will be the demolition of The Fellowship House to make way for new construction.

To ensure there would be no disruption to service, Verizon planned to install six concealed antennas as well as accessory equipment and cabinets on the roof of the Heron House, which is in the Lake Anne Historic Overlay District. The new tower would also serve Sprint customers as well.

Without the the new tower, wireless coverage would be disrupted within a 1.9-square-mile area in the vicinity of Lake Anne, according to Rick Novak of Site Link Wireless, who was representing Verizon at the Architectural Review Board's Dec. 9 meeting.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Heron House resident Nigel Phillips objected to the application, saying that a previous Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association board had given its approval to the antenna and the current board had not.

Phillips said the antennae would significantly impair the profile of the Heron House and asked that the proposal be tabled.

Martha Greene, who said she owned four Heron House units, told the Architectural Review Board that the roof of the building is fragile and the the proposal required more study.

Concerns about the physical state of the Heron House are not unfounded. In its cursory assessment of Lake Anne Plaza in 2021, architectural firm Samaha Associates reported the building needed an estimated $19,850,733 in physical improvements. One of the things that prompted Samaha's review was concern that the deteriorating concrete planters on the building's balconies were a serious hazard for residents.

When asked if there was a structural plan for the building, Novak said that a structural analysis had been provided to the vice president of the Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association (LARCA) board, which represents commercial and residential property owners.

Greene added that the building was a historically designated property and the proposed physical changes were not insignificant.

Architectural Review Board member John A. Burns said that based on the renderings and photos presented as part of the proposal, the antenna and supporting facilities would change the roof line of the building.

When asked if Verizon had investigated any alternative sites for the cell tower or whether light towers could be used instead, Novak told the county's review board that 40-foot towers were not an option and the Heron House was the best choice in the service area based on its height.

At Novak's request, the board deferred the application. Verizon would get back to the Architectural Review Board at a later date with a better design and following more input from the LARCA board.

LARCA said in a letter dated Feb. 3 that it did not support the proposal to install the antenna on the 15-story Heron House.

"LARCA understands that the Fairfax County ARB has not approved the previously submitted application for such antenna installation," the letter said.

Mike Leone, communications director for the Reston Association, said Thursday morning that RA's own architectural review board would've had to sign off on the plan to install the antenna and equipment on the Heron House roof.

The LARCA board would've been the party responsible for bringing the application to RA, but the association has not received a completed application to date, according to Leone.

Discussions about the Verizon application originated in the September-November timeframe, which was when Samaha's assessment of Lake Anne's infrastructure was first made public. It was also when LARCA residents elected their new board and the Gupta Family Foundation revealed its Lake Anne Rising proposal.

Leone also wondered if the new Lake Anne Fellowship House roof could be used instead of the Heron House.

"The new fellowship house isn't historical," he said. "Why can't Verizon just do a deal with the county and put the site on the new building? With what was on the old building, there should be no reason that they couldn't do a deal for the new building."

At the Dec. 9 ARB meeting, Novak said one of the things Verizon would be looking at was whether the Lake Anne Fellowship House could be a viable alternative.