The New Reston

The recent ruckus over the open space at Brown’s Chapel Park is only a small part of what’s coming with the redevelopment of Reston.  Developers and Fairfax County have their eyes on our collectively owned open spaces/woodlands and those that are privately owned.  They want Brown’s Chapel Park for a sports complex to serve the 935 new residential units at the Crescent Apartments (replacing the current 181 units).  They want 3 acres of woodlands at Lake Anne along Chimney House Road to be included with a redeveloped Lake Anne Plaza.  940 residential units will replace 346 units at Fairway Apts and eliminate much of the open space that is currently there.  There is not even a tot lot in the plans submitted by JBG. 

Recently in a newspaper article, Cathy Hudgins stated that Reston had accepted transit-oriented development (TOD).  TOD has been in the works for years now, but I expect if you ask everyone in your neighborhood if they had accepted TOD most would not know what you were talking about.  Members of the boards of Reston’s civic organizations have participated in charrettes, discussions, and helped write the RMAG (Reston Metrorail Access Group http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/sam_study.htm), but very little of that information has filtered down to the general population of Reston.  

Multiple sites of TOD are planned across Fairfax County.  The largest will be at Tysons Corner.  http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/tysonscorner/vision.htm

Another will be at Vienna Metro, MetroWest.  www.MetroWestva.com

The third is in downtown Merrifield, called Mosaic Merrifield.   http://www.mosaicatmerrifield.com/

And Reston is the fourth.   If you want a list of some of what’s planned here, have a look at John Lovaas’ column from this week’s Reston Connection:  http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=329282&paper=71&cat=110

These TOD developments include high-density and mixed-use—retail, office, and residential units in the same building.  These redevelopment projects also include TDM measures or travel demand management intended to limit the use of the personal automobile.  Some TDM measures are benign such as assisting in setting up carpools.  Some are not benign. 

At the Board of Supervisors hearing Clark Tyler of the Tysons Corner Task Force stated that the people living in the new Tysons would be held to mileage restrictions.  In the beginning those restrictions would be 20 to 30 miles, but eventually they would be cut down to 10 miles.  That information was given by Clark Tyler in a videotaped presentation to the Board of Supervisors.  When I went back to listen a second time, the video tape on the county website had been disabled. 

At the Board of Supervisors’ hearing concerning the revitalization of Lake Anne, Cathy Hudgins mentioned that the lack of parking in the comprehensive plan will have to be addressed.  She also added that in the future there would be more focus on mass transit and people would get to Lake Anne on their bicycles.  My husband doesn’t ride a bicycle.  My daughter has a four-year-old and infant twins.  How are they going to ride bicycles to Lake Anne?

At a recent meeting of the Alliance of Reston’s Clusters and Homeowners (ARCH),  Patti Nicoson, President of Dulles Corridor Rail Association, was asked about the impact of the Comstock Wiehle TOD plan at Wiehle Metro Station on the traffic along Wiehle.  Nicoson stated that in the future more people will be walking.  A member of the audience asked, ”In January?  In February?” 

People who take up residence at Vienna Metro, MetroWest, and operate commercial and retail shops there will have to sign the TDM plan which you can read here:   http://www.metrowestva.com/METROWESTldft2.pdf    If you live at MetroWest and your employer relocates to a spot not covered by mass transit, will you be forced from your residence?

A demonstration of the level of density proposed at Vienna Metro station http://www.fairgrowth.org/3Dbroch.pdf  and was put together by FairGrowth.  http://www.fairgrowth.org/
Similar density is planned for the strip along Dulles Toll Road from Sunrise Valley to Sunset Hills.  Twenty proposals are now on hold by the county APR pending Special Study and the Reston Land Use College.  http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/apr/2008northcounty/hunter_mill_chart.pdf

Reston’s redevelopment projects call for TDM measures.  The Fairway Apt plan currently under consideration by Fairfax County has only 1.6 parking spaces per residential unit.  Restricting parking is the prime method used by new urbanist planners to restrict the use of the personal automobile.  What would a family with two working parents do with only 1.6 parking spaces?  Sell their second car?  What if their jobs are not serviced by mass transit?

When speaking in favor of the Lake Anne Comprehensive Plan Amendment, RA Board President Robin Smyers asked for “teeth” in the transportation plan.  Wouldn’t you like to see the transportation plan?  Removing street parking from North Shore Drive and replacing it with bike lanes was mentioned as well as unspecified TDM measures in the Lake Anne CPA.  Wouldn’t you like to know what Robin Smyers meant by “teeth?”

The density of Reston is to be greatly increased by redevelopment.  Bob Simon said our population will go from 60,000 to 100,000.  Reston’s infrastructure cannot support the increase in density.  The only way to work around the lack of adequate roads is to put extreme TDM measures on the residents.   Restricting our right to move around freely may not be constitutional.  One court case could completely dismantle TDM and Reston would be left with what?  Too many people, too many cars.   

The Reston Land Use College is due to start June 16 at Lake Anne Elementary School at 7 pm.  The redevelopment of Reston, Reston’s rezoning, and the revision of the Master Plan is the focus of the Land Use College.   If you want to participate email Fairfax County DPZ Planner Loren Bruce at Loren.Bruce@fairfaxcounty.gov and ask to be included.