Office Space Per Worker Will Drop to 100 Square Feet or Below for Many Companies Within Five Years, According to New Research From CoreNet Global, February 28, 2012

ATLANTA, Feb. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- New data released today from CoreNet Global show for the first time that for many companies, the average allocation of office space per person in North America will fall to 100 square feet or below within the next five years.

By 2017, at least 40% of the companies responding indicated they will reach this all-time low benchmark of individual space utilization, which has been the case in Europe for the past several years but is now heading for the Americas.

The average for all companies for square feet per worker in 2017 will be 151 square feet, compared to 176 square feet today, and 225 square feet in 2010.

"The main reason for the declines," said Richard Kadzis , CoreNet Global's Vice President of Strategic Communications, "is the huge increase in collaborative and team-oriented space inside a growing number of companies that are stressing 'smaller but smarter' workplaces against the backdrop of continuing economic uncertainty and cost containment."

CoreNet Global, which conducted the survey, is the worldwide association for corporate real estate and workplace professionals. . . .

Click here for the rest of this press release.

So while the Reston Task Force is assuming that each office worker will require 300 gross square feet (GSF) per office worker, US corporations are looking to drive the square footage requirement to 100 GSF per office worker over the next decade. 

The Task Force heard from local commercial real estate broker Jones/Lang/LaSalle that local companies are looking for spaces well below 200 GSF/office worker less than a year.  Even GSA is looking for space on the order of 115-180 GSF per worker they said. 

All of this means that the Task Force may recommend office densities as much as three times the requirement for the number of employees that are being forecast by GMU for the Dulles corridor.  Three times as many employees in Reston than intended would seriously jeopardize the residential/non-residential balance the community is seeking--and is generally required by transit-oriented development--in the urbanization of its Metrorail station areas. 

Is New Plan for Lake Anne On The Way?, Reston Patch, March 16, 2013

Hudgins says she hopes to move forward in redevelopment process this spring.

• By Karen Goff

Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins says she hopes to have narrowed down the list of proposals for Lake Anne-area revitalization within the next 60 days.

Hudgins told the Reston Association Board of Directors at a planning session this week that there is not an ultimate solution for redevelopment yet.

"Hopefully, in the next 60 days, we will be able to move forward," Hudgins said. "The good news is we have some good opportunities."

Click here for the rest of this story.

There is a lesson here:  The Lake Anne development effort has actually been going on longer than the Reston Master Plan effort.  The Board of the Reston Community Reinvestment Corporation issued a policy statement in 2004 calling for its redevelopment.  The County Board created a Lake Anne charrette in 2005, and so on.  Time just keeps on tick-tick-ticking away . . . . 

RCA Names Citizen of the Year, Reston Connection, March 13, 2013

Cate Fulkerson of RA, Leadership Fairfax, recognized.

Reston Citizens Association President Colin Mills presents Cate Fulkerson with the RCA’s Citizen of the Year award Thursday, March 7, at the Reston Community Center. Photo by Alex McVeigh. 

 

The Reston Citizens Association named their Citizen of the Year Thursday, March 7, at the Reston Community Center. Cate Fulkerson, Reston Association’s director of administration and member services, is this year’s recipient.

"Anyone who has ever called the RA with a problem can probably attest to the benefits she has provided. She’s also helped develop a generation of community and nonprofit leaders through Leadership Fairfax,” said Colin Mills, president of the RCA. “One thing that unites all Restonians, regardless of background or how long you’ve lived here, or your political persuasion or stance on various community issues, is that everybody loves Cate. She’s so deserving of all the praise that’s heaped on her. She’s professional, efficient, smart friendly, compassionate, responsive to people’s needs and she’s very dedicated. In short, she’s exactly the person you need to find when you need something done.” . . .

Click here for the rest of this article.  

Infrastructure Financing Options for Transit-Oriented Development, EPA, January 2013

This link will take you to this recently released report by the EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities, Smart Growth Program.  And here's a look at the cover:

This extract from the introduction provides some context for this research report:          

The challenges of funding and financing TOD infrastructure call for continued innovation and creativity in identifying appropriate funding and financing tools and combining those tools into comprehensive strategies. This report reviews the tools and strategies that local governments, in partnership with transit agencies and regional, state, and federal government can deploy to meet the challenges of paying for the infrastructure required to attract and support TOD. Some of these tools and strategies have rarely been applied to TOD infrastructure and might require modification to apply in TOD contexts.  The descriptions and examples in this report are intended to help local governments learn about these tools, encourage consideration of these emerging approaches, and, where appropriate, spur the development of modified tools.

RCA Board Member Replies to MWAA Critique of RCA Board Letter on Silver Line Cost Sharing, March 11, 2013

The letter unanimously approved by the Reston Citizens Association Board of Directors at its February 4, 2013, meeting calling on MWAA to share the income from its planned commercial development proceeds at Dulles Airport with its "funding partners" provoked a reply from MWAA CEO Jack Potter.  Terry Maynard, RCA Board member, replied today pointing out the errors in MWAA's critique of RCA's letter as well as MWAA's arguments as to why it couldn't contribute to funding Metrorail. 

The MWAA letter and Maynard's response are posted below in chronological order.

   MWAA Response to RCA Re Commercial Development of MWAA-leased Property by  

   Letter Re MWAA Response to RCA Letter on Non-Aviation Activities, Terry Maynard, RCA Board by  

Patrick Kane, Reston Visionary, 1936-2013

Like everyone who knew him, those of us at Reston 2020 greatly enjoyed and admired our friend Pat Kane and were routinely excited and often astounded by his visionary ideas for the future of Reston.  We will miss him dearly.  Below is his obituary as presented by the Reston Patch and a link the Patrick Kane Papers at GMU's Special Collections Archive, just a small part of his great legacy to Reston.

Rest in peace, Pat, and thank you for all that you did to make Reston a wonderful place to live, work, and play.

Obituary: Patrick Kane, Community Planner

Community planner's ideas impacted Reston, where he was a resident for 46 years.

By Karen Goff

Patrick Kane, a community planner who was instrumental in the development of Reston and was still concerned about the area 50 years later, died of lung cancer on Tuesday, his 77th birthday.

Kane was the founding president of the the Reston Board of Commerce (later renamed the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce) and chair of the Chamber from 1982-86. He was chosen as Lord Fairfax by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2010 for his contributions to the community.

"Pat was a guy who had more thoughts per square inch than anyone I have ever known," said Reston founder Robert E. Simon. "He was a good man. I enjoyed his sense of humor and was impressed by his imagination."

Karen Cleveland, the chamber's first executive director, recalls first meeting Kane in the late 1980s. He was memorable then - as well as more recently - as a man with an eye patch, a handlebar mustache and a "wonderful sense of humor," Cleveland said.

"We all adored Pat," she said. "Pat so loved Reston. Even more than that, I feel like he was the conscience of Reston in many ways. He never lost his enthusiasm and desire to make Reston the best it can be.

Kane's family said in a message on the website CaringBridge.com, that he read about Reston in 1966 and was intrigued by the new, inclusive community.

"The concept of Reston was that it should be a place where everyone can live, regardless of race, creed, economic status, and it attracted resident pioneers with a keen sense if social justice," the post reads. "It has been home to Patrick and his family for 46 years."

Kane's papers about the planning and development of Reston from 1967-2002 are part of the library at George Mason University, where Kane was an adjunct professor.

Kane founded his own planning firm, KRS Associates, in Reston in 1966.  In 1973, he formed The Corporation for Community Development, which was a consortium of firms and individuals working on planning projects.  Among some of the projects: A Future of Tysons Corner, prepared for TYTRAN; a plan for the downtown area of the Town of Herndon; and an assessment of the reinvestment potential of the Lake Anne in Reston.

"Pat Kane is one of the smartest people I know," said Del. Ken Plum. "He always had a bright new idea. He understood and loved Reston as a professional planner and as a longtime resident. He was deeply involved in the life of the community and a major contributor to its success. He also had a wonderful sense of humor."

In November 2012, Kane was diagnosed with lung cancer. He has been undergoing chemotherapy and battling side effects since December, his family said.

Funeral services will be held at St. Thomas à Becket Catholic Church in Reston at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

There will be a small reception at the church following the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggest donations to Gabriel Homes, Inc. Gabriel Homes, of which Kane was a co-founder, is a nonprofit organization promoting independence for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Northern Virginia.

Guide to the Patrick Kane Papers, 1967-2002, George Mason University, Special Collections Archive, Reston, VA, Papers.

WMATA Silver Line Service Plan Presentation, February 28, 2013

   WMATA Silver Line Service Plan Presentation--022813 by   Terry Maynard