RCA Complaint to DPZ on Failure to Share Pertinent Documents to the Reston Task Force

                                                                                 

                                                                                  

                                                                                   23 June 2013

MEMORANDUM FOR: Heidi Merkel; Department on Planning and Zoning

SUBJECT:                     Distribution of Documents to Task Force Members

1.      On behalf of the Reston Citizens Association, I want to formally protest the way important documents relating to Reston and the planning process have been treated.

2.       On 3 July 2012, Sandy Stallman of FCPA sent you a lengthy analysis of parks, recreation and culture needs in Reston as part of the RMPTF process. But this was not widely distributed to members of the Task Force—certainly not RCA members.

3.      Instead, it was sent to by Ms. Stallman to an extensive list of county officials, Patti Nicoson and the Reston Association (italics added).   No effort was made by DPZ to distribute this more broadly to the Task Force although its contents—an extensive analysis of parks and recreation needs and many useful attachments—were directly relevant to our work.

4.      In June 2013 this documents was made public by RA as part of its efforts to understand the Baron Cameron Park Master Plan process.

5.      This is the second such incident.  In early April 2013, RCA discovered that the demographers in the Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) system had in December 2012 provided you with a document analyzing potential school needs under Scenario G.

6.      We can understand the need to protect sensitive internal FC communications.  However, the FCPS openly gave us the document, only retaining their proposed plan language on schools.  As noted above, the FCPA document went to RA but not to other groups represented on the Task Force, indicating it was not considered sensitive

7.      This is not the way to conduct an open and transparent planning process. We suggest that to make amends you put these and other related documents on the DPZ RMPTF website and notify Task force members of their availability.

                                                                                                  Dick Rogers
                                                                                                  Alternate RMPTF Representative
                                                                                                  Reston Citizens Association

                                 

                               

            Copy:  Patti Nicoson

                        Supervisor Hudgins Office: Goldie Harrison