More than 600 homes and businesses around Lake Anne lost their only source of air conditioning when Reston RELAC LLC stopped providing service for 2026, forcing condo owners into a months-long approval process to install individual units before summer heat arrived.

The Reston Association Board of Directors voted Dec. 11, 2025, to stop enforcing a deed covenant that had barred affected property owners from adding their own AC. Since Jan. 1, RA has received more than 80 applications from residents seeking Design Review Board approval for new units as of early April, according to the association's RELAC resource page, with one or two requests arriving daily.

Two condo associations bear the heaviest burden. The Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association, which manages five buildings including Heron House, Chimney House and Quayside, pursued a community-wide engineering solution rather than unit-by-unit filings. A feasibility study found Heron House lacks the mechanical and electrical capacity for rooftop equipment, so LARCA proposed mini-split systems on balconies paired with interior air handlers, FFXnow reported in April. Kenneth Kosteva, an associate principal at engineering firm WJE Associates, said rooftop units at Quayside and Chimney House would have "minimal to none at all" impact on plaza views.

At the 152-unit Vantage Hill Condominiums, the situation grew urgent. Director of property management Sarah Helander warned residents in a March 31 notice that the existing electrical system "cannot safely support the additional load" and that a full upgrade requiring DRB approval, Fairfax County permitting and Dominion Energy coordination would not be finished until spring 2027.

Vantage Hill's condo board found an interim fix. At a May 12 meeting, the board passed a resolution allowing residents to purchase and run their own AC units on the condition that no other major appliances operate simultaneously, the Fairfax Times reported. Reston Association Acting CEO Peter Lusk said RA has acted as an advocate to speed the process, though it does not manage private properties like Vantage Hill.

The crisis traces back years. RELAC's chilled-water loop, built in the 1960s, faced rising maintenance costs and repeated summer failures. A 2023 suspension threat was averted when resident Simon McKeown led a nonprofit effort to take ownership, but McKeown died in December 2024. The contractor hired to maintain the system subsequently backed out, and the owners declared the utility unsustainable.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn's office has been working with affected residents, and Fairfax County maintains a dedicated resource page for former RELAC customers. RA has also been working with the Reston Community Center to provide cooling centers and transportation for residents without AC.

Both LARCA and Vantage Hill were scheduled to present formal DRB applications at the board's April 21 hearing. No ruling on either application has been publicly confirmed. Residents with questions can contact LARCA community manager Vanessa Lazo or Helander at Abaris Real Estate Management.