The early conversations of the Reston Master Plan Task Force offer little prospect for either the character or exciting innovation which marked the original Reston as a special “New Town.” Discussion to date revolves around one major issue absorbing the Task Force — quantity, i.e., how much new development and redevelopment should be allowed and under what rules. On one side we have the maximalists (Bob Simon and the developer interests) who chant density, density, density. The other side is more no-growth or no-change absolutists. I exaggerate, but not much.
A side issue is: Who should be allowed to play in the Master Plan game? The Task Force nominally represents the community, but in fact tilts sharply to the developer clan-county bureaucracy establishment which usually guides land-use decisions hereabouts. Others seek to establish more of an equilibrium in the process, giving Reston’s special brand of just plain residents a voice at the table equal to that of the established powers.
Sadly, with all the energy focused on the more versus less debate, there has been little conversation about the quality of what will come to our special place. . . .
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