Looming Density Cap Debate for Reston

by Jason Hartke - 5/10/06
Future density in Reston will hit a ceiling — a growing worry among county officials and developers alike.
As a planned community, Reston has a density cap written into the zoning ordinance. The current limit on Reston’s total density in the planned residential community (PRC) zoned area, which accounts for about 6,200 acres of Reston, is set at 13 people per acre.
Last week, Fred Selden, the county’s director of Comprehensive Planning, said Reston has reached a density level of 11.6 persons per acre. Under the restriction, Reston will only be able to accommodate about 3,200 more residential condo units.
“That’s in the zoning ordinance and it’s a constraint on future development,” said Selden, during a forum on transportation last Wednesday, May 3. “The zoning ordinance can be changed.”
The PRC includes the Reston Town Center district, but excludes parcels zoned industrial, like the area at the intersection of the Dulles Toll Road and Wiehle Avenue governed by the Reston Center for Industry and Government (RCIG) covenants, according to Selden.
Last February, Jim Zook, the county’s director of planning and zoning, had reported that the density in Reston had reached 12.51 people per acre, an upsetting figure among developers. Zook conditioned the statement, saying that the numbers were being reexamined and tabulated “development by development.”
Whatever the exact figure, the density cap for Reston is fast approaching, especially as several condo developments finish the zoning approval process and break ground.
Officials agree that until the cap is changed or lifted, residential development in Reston may be passed over by developers. In addition to a sagging condo market, some have blamed the density cap for KSI’s recent decision to back out of a purchase agreement for the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Reston.
The public debate will focus on what residents think about density levels in Reston - Is there too much? Too little? Or is it just right?
Reston residents around the Lake Anne Village Center are already feeling the impact the cap has had on redevelopment efforts. Residents facilitating plans to redevelop the area, where the county recently acquired Crescent Apartments for $49 million and may consider adding density, have argued that a density cap and the PRC designation is confusing, antiquated and no longer needed. To redevelop and add density, preliminary talks about a comprehensive plan amendment are already underway, according to county officials.
Before the cap is reached, broader talks to amend the zoning ordinance or eliminate it altogether will soon follow.

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