RCA: Press Coverage

Reston: True to Its Values
As much as Reston changes, it tries to stay true to its founding values.
By Jason Hartke - July 29, 2005 - Reston Connection

Robert E. Simon Jr.’s 41-year-old vision of a European-style "new town" attracted hundreds of people and businesses, helping create a place called Reston.
Today, while Simon’s design has been filed in the archives of history, residents continue to benefit from his vision.
Having grown into one of the commercial centers of the country as well as a residential community dedicated to open spaces, preservation of trees, plentiful and nearby recreational and cultural activities, Reston continues to attract more people and more businesses.
As major development projects loom in Reston — including the extension of Metrorail to Wiehle Avenue, the redevelopment of the Lake Anne Village Center and further development of the Reston Town Center area — the way Reston grapples with development and other local concerns is also facing change.
With each step, Reston remains a community with its heart full of the values upon which it was built and its eyes on the future.

NOWHERE IN THE COMMUNITY is this more apparent than in a citizens movement to incorporate Reston. The movement was revived primarily because of a perceived inequity with the town of Herndon shaping Metrorail’s coming to Reston.
Seeking a stronger, more unified political voice for the community, the Reston Citizens Association has taken up a renewed effort to help Reston become a town, which failed once before by referendum in 1980.
Called "Res-TOWN in 2006," RCA’s goal of township centers on gaining control of Reston’s planning and zoning, which is now under the county’s authority.
Pointing to past development decisions, advocates for an incorporation say Reston hasn’t received the same influence as neighboring towns, like Herndon and Vienna, which combined have fewer people than Reston.
Another reason this effort has resurfaced is because, as RCA leaders argue, Reston is being split in two. Currently, citizens participate in one of two separate homeowners associations, the Reston Association or the Reston Town Center Association. RCA leaders say the division complicates local governance and produces a divergence in Reston’s development.
Opponents to the idea have argued that township will cost more and be more restrictive on development. Many people in the Reston business community, which opposed town status in the past, see township as another layer of government and taxation.
If town supporters have their way and Reston achieves town status, which is uncertain since the process is so laden with obstacles, it would have a mayor and town council by mid-2007 handling important development issues.

ONE SUCH ISSUE is the historic Lake Anne Village Center, where efforts have been underway to revitalize the area considered by many to be the symbolic heart of Reston.
Based on Simon’s vision, this area was the first to integrate housing, shopping, offices, open space and recreation in one location.
A bronze statue of Simon sits on a bench, welcoming visitors with a friendly smile at the lake's core — Washington Plaza. The plaza is alongside the north shores of Lake Anne and overlooks the lake’s signature fountain. And, in the summer on Saturday mornings, the village center hosts Reston’s farmers market.
With all its tranquillity and beauty, business owners worry about long-term viability because of insufficient foot traffic, especially in the winter, and have supported greater density to better sustain business.
In March, a study assessed the infrastructure and economic needs of the aging village center, and in May the views of stakeholders were heard in a series of focus groups.
In June, led by planning experts, a large, three-day community charrette, or workshop, was held to design revitalization plans based on community input. Each of the plans offered various increases in mixed-use density for the village center.
Property owners are now considering options, such as forming a limited liability corporation or a community development authority, to move together to hear from developers.
Change at Lake Anne is already pending. KSI Inc., a development company, has a purchase contract for the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and is expected to build two towers with a total of 120 housing units. How other change occurs depends on how the village center’s property owners move forward.
Lake Anne is not the only area of Reston where development is on the horizon.

AS PART OF BRINGING Metrorail to Dulles International Airport by 2015, the Dulles Rail Project plans to first run service to Wiehle Avenue by 2009.
The section of Wiehle Avenue just north of the Dulles Toll Road — Reston’s main commuter bus stop — would become a Metro station and bring higher density and mixed-use development to the area.
Opponents say the new rail stop and the added density would create more traffic and noise near the area.
Dulles Rail advocates say conversely that the project will help alleviate traffic. In addition, they say the new rail will provide better connections to Tysons Corner and Washington, D.C. to the east and to Herndon, Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County to the west.

THE AREA AROUND the Reston Town Center has added, and is in the process of adding, new high-rise condominium and apartment buildings as well as office and retail space.
Boston Properties plans to build 500,000 square feet of office space and 60,000 square feet of retail on the surface parking lot now bounded by Market Street, Library Street, Explorer Street and Bluemont Way. The office space is likely to occupy three separate buildings.
The area, which is the last undeveloped block in the complex, may also include housing units. Boston Properties has filed a development-plan amendment with Fairfax County and expects approval later this year.
Another plan to build two high-rise condominium buildings with about 400 housing units at Reston Town Center is underway by KSI, Inc., with the first building already under construction.
Across the street from Reston Town Center, a proposal to add 796 housing units at the intersection of Reston Parkway and Temporary Road has been made to the Reston Association Planning and Zoning Committee. The proposal, previously called Summit Apartments, contains two 16-story condominium buildings, which would reach taller heights than buildings at Reston Town Center.

TRYING TO KEEP UP with the changing times, the Reston Association has worked for nearly two years now to revise its governing documents, which set the rules and regulations for the association’s governance. The governing documents have not been changed since 1984.
Before being made final, the changes will go to referendum to be voted on by RA members in October. For passage, the referendum will need 40 percent turnout and two-thirds approval.
Several revisions have elicited opposition by residents, including the elimination of the assessment cap, the addition of a $250 resale fee each time a home is bought in Reston, the inclusion of commercial board members and members in the association and changes to the provision that handles clusters. The Association says the changes are necessary to provide for the future needs of the community, including residential and commercial growth, redevelopment, and revitalization.

RETURN TO PRESS HOMEPAGE