Reston Spring

Reston Spring
Reston Spring

Saturday, July 17, 2010

RTF Wiehle Committee Meeting Summary, July 13, 2010

Process:
Next week the Wiehle Committee will continue discussion of density, what kind of incentives can be offered to encourage mixed use, and what sort of flexibility should be built into the process to give property owners room to maneuver.

Substance:
A new street grid map was distributed.

The committee devoted the entire meeting to a good discussion of general issues. Bill P went around the table to solicit opinions from each.

Hard to summarize such a complex discussion, but there seemed to be agreement on dense mix use development in the four quadrants around the station, bus access to the south side of the station from South Reston (not in current plans), a pedestrian underpass under Wiehle on the south side, extending the grid to Lake Fairfax business center and a high residential component.

There was a general consensus that Isaac Newton should be heavily residential, possibly with some major athletic fields included in it. However, one member raised the possibility of a major shopping center there(most do not see Wiehle as a destination shopping area).

Some disagreement about whether the priority for Wiehle and the Sunrise/Sunset should be to keep traffic moving or to be pedestrian friendly.

One cautioned that at Tysons too high a price has been put on residential such as requirements for a high percentage of affordable housing.

Some discussion of parks/open space. A suggestion for a green band along an expanded W&OD trail and better links to Lake Fairfax Park. Mark Looney suggested bonus density if active recreation parks are provided with the alternative being a $ contribution to improvements in adjacent Lake Fairfax Park.

Looney also raised the issue of the down side of a Soapstone extension on the North side. Some active businesses are there including the health care offices.

Summary prepared by Dick Rogers, RCA Reston 2020 Committee

No comments:

Post a Comment

Your comments are welcome and encouraged as long as they are relevant, constructive, and decent.