Supervisor Hudgins –
Attached
is a letter from Reston Association’s Board President Ken Knueven,
providing comments to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on the
Draft Comprehensive Plan Text for the Reston Transit Station Areas as
approved by the County
Planning Commission.
In
order to maintain Reston's identity, its unique character, its
environmentally sensitive development pattern, and its close-knit sense
of community, while at the same time accommodating major urban
transit-oriented redevelopment along
the Dulles corridor, Reston Association has endeavored over the past
year to achieve the following three objectives (listed in priority
order):
1.
Ensure that Reston remains a unified and close-knit
community, with all new residents being members of either the RA or the
RTCA. This membership will have significant benefits to the new
residents and will greatly enhance the
ability of RA to continue to efficiently pursue its mission.
2.
Influence the type, quality, character and extent
of new development by ensuring RA (as an entity) has a "place at the
table" in future planning, zoning and redevelopment negotiations.
3.
Ensure that the unique characteristics, standards
and priorities that make Reston "Reston," are contained in the
Comprehensive Plan text.
Substantial progress has been achieved toward the fulfillment of all three objectives.
First, a more open and frequent dialogue is occurring with your
office, the senior County Planning staff, the Planning Commissioner, and
the Reston Planning & Zoning Committee. The County Planning Staff
are including RA in discussions regarding how
to implement the Comprehensive Plan. RA's goal in these discussions is
to obtain a commitment of County help in negotiating standard "Reston"
proffers, which will: (i) ensure that all new residents are members of
either RA or Reston Town Center Association
(RTCA); and, (ii) address RA open space and recreation facility needs
through dedications or monetary contributions.
Second,
there is now a general consensus among County Planning Staff and your
office, that new residents within the Dulles Corridor should be members
of either the RA or the RTCA. The details of whether that involves
subjecting
new land to Reston covenants and the Reston Design Review Board or
using some other mechanism for community input and enforcement of
high-quality design have yet to be addressed. We are aware that these
review process issues will be discussed in future "Comprehensive
Plan Implementation" stakeholder meetings which will be scheduled by
your office. Reston-wide "Standard Proffers" and new processes for the
community's review of planning, zoning and development applications
within Reston have been drafted by RA staff. These
should help focus the discussion in a manner more favorable to the
interests of RA, as well as create a defined process understood by the
development community and County staff.
Third,
the January 9, 2014 version of the Comprehensive Plan text is, on
balance, favorable to the interests of RA. The Association's roles,
responsibilities or membership are referenced no less than twelve times
in the recommended
Comprehensive Plan text. Urban densities have been limited to only the
Phase One area, even where adjacent land is within one-half mile of a
transit station platform. This is crucial to sustaining the existing
private open space and stable neighborhoods
which are located within one-half mile of transit stations.
Thank you for your consideration of the attached letter.
Regards -
|
|
Cate L. Fulkerson,
CMCA
Chief Executive Officer
Reston Association
12001 Sunrise Valley Dr., Reston, Virginia 20191-3404
(703) 435-6512 www.reston.org
|
RA Position on Comp Plan Amendments, January 23, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments are welcome and encouraged as long as they are relevant, constructive, and decent.