Commentary: Reston National in Retreat or Stalling, John Lovaas, Reston Connection, October 17, 2012

Suddenly, Reston National Golf Club’s corporate masters have pulled back from the Oct. 24 hearing they demanded as a matter of urgency before the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals. Lawyers for Northwestern Mutual Insurance sought the hearing hoping to overturn a ruling by a Fairfax County zoning official that barred the Golf Club from turning some or all of its 166 green acres into condominiums or other residential development without going through lengthy Fairfax County processes to change the approved use of the land. Reston National took the position that Reston’s original, wide open zoning already permits residential development on that land. The zoning administrator disagreed.

Why the sudden change by the corporates? My suspicion is that they are taking a course of action often used by developers or a friendly supervisor when a proposal has caused considerable upset in the community. The idea is to delay for a few months, trusting that the intensity of the upset will dissipate. With luck, folks in the community will barely notice it when the deed is finally done. . . .

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