Density: Where It Belongs and Where It Doesn't, Guy Rando, July 11, 2010

DENSITY:

WHERE IT BELONGS AND WHERE IT DOESN’T


In October 2008, at a meeting hosted by Supervisor Hudgins regarding the revision of the Reston Master Plan, Bob Simon made the following statement:

All the new development can be accommodated in three areas—Town Center,
the Village Centers, and in the corridor. The remainder of Reston should be left as it is.

At the RMPSSTF Vision Subcommittee meeting on June 23, 2010, Bob Simon made the following statement:

Say where you want Reston to be urban. The suburban areas stay the same.

You need to stick to the concept of where density should go and where it should not go.

Reston’s residential neighborhoods are to be left intact and not redeveloped.

The redeveloped areas should contain 25% open space as defined by the Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance, Section 20-300 (Definitions). See page 3 below.

What is to be avoided with future development in Reston is the repetition of the development plan at the Wiehle station area by Comstock in which the only open space is in shade most of the year and that open space is used as a vehicular circulating route. In addition, inadequate amenities for the residents are provided by Comstock. This has to be rectified to a human pedestrian environment.

There was and is no architectural reviewing body to oversee the project. There was no oversight by Reston Association’s architectural review board. This has to be rectified. The county has approved the first county dump in Reston.



Guy L. Rando
Urban Designer and Landscape Architect
1512 Inlet Court
Reston, VA 20190
(703) 437-3456






Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance, Section 20-300 (DEFINITIONS )
OPEN SPACE: That area within the boundaries of a lot that is intended to provide light and air, and is designed for either scenic or recreational purposes. Open space shall, in general, be available for entry and use by the residents or occupants of the development, but may include a limited proportion of space so located and treated as to enhance the amenity of the development by providing landscaping features, screening for the benefit of the occupants or those in neighboring areas, or a general appearance of openness.
Open space may include, but need not be limited to lawns, decorative planting, walkways, active and passive recreation areas, children's playgrounds, fountains, swimming pools, undisturbed natural areas, agriculture, wooded areas, water bodies and those areas where landscaping and screening are required by the provisions of Article 13; provided, however, that the area required for interior parking lot landscaping shall not comprise more than twenty-five (25) percent of the total required open space. Open space shall not include driveways, parking lots, or other vehicular surfaces, any area occupied by a building, nor areas so located or so small as to have no substantial value for the purposes stated in this definition. Within a residential subdivision, open space shall be composed of only those areas not contained in individually owned lots. For the purpose of this Ordinance, open space shall include and be qualified as LANDSCAPED OPEN SPACE, COMMON OPEN SPACE, DEDICATED OPEN SPACE, and USABLE OPEN SPACE, all as defined herein.
- OPEN SPACE, COMMON: All open space within the boundaries of a given lot that is designed and set aside for use and enjoyment by all residents or occupants of the development or by the residents or occupants of a designated portion of the development. Common open space shall represent those areas not to be dedicated as public lands, but are to remain in the ownership of a homeowners association or of a condominium in accordance with the provisions set forth in Part 7 of Article 2.
- OPEN SPACE, DEDICATED: All open space within the boundaries of a given lot which is to be dedicated or conveyed to the County or an appropriate public agency, board or body for public use as open space.
- OPEN SPACE, LANDSCAPED: That open space within the boundaries of a given lot that is designed to enhance privacy and the amenity of the development by providing landscaping features, screening for the benefit of the occupants or those in neighboring areas, or a general appearance of openness. Landscaped open space may include, but need not be limited to lawns, decorative planting, flower beds, sidewalks/walkways, ornamental objects such as fountains, statues and other similar natural or artificial objects, wooded areas, and water courses, any or all of which are designed and arranged to produce an aesthetically pleasing effect within the development. Landscaped open space may be either COMMON or DEDICATED OPEN SPACE as defined herein.
- OPEN SPACE, USABLE: That open space within the boundaries of a given lot that is designed for recreational purposes, to include but not to be limited to such uses as ballfields, multi-purpose courts, swimming pools, tennis courts, golf courses, play lots and playgrounds, boating docks, walking, bicycle or bridle trails, and shuffleboard courts.
See also, for example, Zoning Ordinance, Section 2-309 Open Space