Reston 2020 Summary of the RTF Meeting, March 26, 2013

                                                       R. Rogers

                     28 March 2013

Reston Master Planning Task Force Meeting –26 March 2013

Summary: The Wiehle station access issue bubbled up in the prelimi-naries. County DOT discussed its approach to traffic mitigation.  Considerable time was spent by Heidi Merkel responding to comments on the draft DPZ planning text. The most significant issues raised were DPZ modification of the jobs-housing balance and developers pushing for more office density.  Next up on Monday 8 April is the DOT traffic analysis on Scenario G.

Wiehle Station

The introductory session was dominated by issues related to the station.  After briefly summarizing progress on the Silver Line (90% complete) and noting the possible complication of the delay in the Falls Church rail yard, Patty Nicoson reviewed her 15 March letter to Supervisor Hudgins “on behalf of the” RTF.  Patty noted that Hudgins had raised the station issue (Vornado access?) at a recent BOS meeting.  Andy Sigle, RA rep, said the issue was so pressing that the TF should devote 5 minutes at the beginning of every meeting to what progress is being made on access issues.  Basil Rathbone of FC DOT said some access projects are being held up by VDOT and the TF should have Chris Wells, FC pedestrian access person, in to talk.  (Comment:  All this was a good illustration of the impact of the RCA Wiehle access paper.) Patty noted the county Soapstone design consulting team, which has put 6 routing options on the table, may be coming up with two options at the end of April. 

                                                                       

Tiered Approach to Traffic Management

                                                                       

Dan Rathbone, FC Department of Transportation Senior Planner, spoke about how a tiered approach can mitigate traffic problems.  This involves in priority order:

--Low cost options to smooth traffic (signals, restriping, “impedance changes” to restrict speed).

--Medium cost actions, such as turn lanes and additional street grids

--Additional mitigation steps away from the specific intersection (road and bridge construction).

(Comment: Little attention was given to TDM measures. The presentation is not yet on the website, but should be shortly.)

Rathbone noted that DOT will follow up with action after the plan is adopted.  This will involve a refined analysis of the street grid, developers doing a Traffic Impact analysis (TIA), and as part of the zoning process asked to adopt the “tiered approach” to traffic management.

In response to a question re what will happen to the Wiehle station area after the Silver Line is completed to Dulles, Rathbone said this was “a good question” and that there may be a need now for temporary measures.

He noted that the TF needs to determine what is the acceptable level of congestion within the ½-mile range.

John Carter opined that you cannot just increase the flow of traffic in the station areas, but you need to accept slower traffic.  He said shared parking between uses would help and that urban standards requiring bus or pedestrian access should be employed.

Rathbone noted difficulties with VDOT on an urban approach to traffic management and noted that FC DOT has made presentations to the Board about adopting more urban standards.

                                                                       

It was stressed that the 8 April RMPTF meeting will involve DOT presenting their analysis of the traffic implications of Scenario G.

Review of DPZ Draft Plan Text

Heidi Merkel, Department of Planning and Zoning, noted that DPZ responses to various points raisedearlier were incorporated in the draft on the website.  The DPZ responses in the draft drew little comment. She focused her attention on TF member comments received subsequently to that.

One of the more significant developments was correction of the figures relating to existing job/housing balance.  In response to RCA questions, review of data indicates to DPZ that the balance now is 2.6 jobs to one household.  Perhaps the goal, Heidi said, should be 2.4 to 1.

A number of the comments reflected the view that there should be more office development in the ¼- ½ mile range from the station.  For example, it was questioned why p 14 talks of 75% residential in these areas. There was also concern that proposal for office development in these areas would use up the allocation for office in a broader area. (Comment:  The tone of many of the questions submitted was pro office development.)  In this context, the point was made that office space per worker, which the RTF has assumed should be 300 GSF, is now at 200 GSF and trending lower as companies cut costs and telework and other technologies make office space less needed.

The need for an entity for urban design review was noted. (Comment: The draft makes no mention of the role of RA in the TOD areas.)

Many of the question reflected narrow concerns:

--Under recreation include “tot lots.”

--We need more plazas (Bob Simon)

--Long discussion about whether higher education references should be to public, private or for profit colleges and universities

--Show Reston Station Blvd extending to Plaza America

--Don’t call the Reston TC station a “downtown station;” call it an “urban center station.”

--Robert Goudie again raised the issue of placing more residential at Wiehle and HM so the proportion of residential and commercial could stay the same, but TC could be more office.

(Comment: No clear decision was apparent in response to most of this. Presumably the staff will review the comments in the context of a new draft.)