The Reston Recreation Center Market: Usage & Revenues under Different Pricing Strategies, Terry Maynard

   The Reston Recreation Center Market Under Various Scenarios--Combined--blog

Upcoming Public Input Opportunities Regarding Proposed Recreation Facility

Upcoming Public Input Opportunities Regarding Proposed Recreation Facility at Baron Cameron Park   Thank you for your interest in Reston Community Center's exploration of a possible partnership with Fairfax County Park Authority to build an indoor recreation facility at Baron Cameron Park. Please note that on Monday, June 3 the RCC Board of Governors announced the addition of a Long Range Planning Committee meeting to be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 10. This meeting will be an opportunity for members of the Board of Governors to discuss and raise questions on the Brailsford & Dunlavey Market Update that was released on June 3. There will be an opportunity for public comment.    An upcoming meeting schedule is as follows:    Monday, June 10 at 6:30 p.m. Board of Governors Long Range Planning Committee Meeting Monday, June 17 at 6:30 p.m. Annual Public Hearing for Programs and Budget Monday, July 1 at 8:00 p.m. July Monthly Meeting All RCC Board of Governors meetings occur at RCC Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Rd.). Comments also may be sent to RCCContact@fairfaxcounty.gov.  If you send comments for the RCC official record of input, please include your full name and address.

Local news coverage of June 3 RCC presentation on indoor recreation facility

In an article titled, "Report: New Indoor Pool Could Cost $20-33M," by Karen Goff,  Reston Patch reported:

A new indoor recreation facility in Reston would cost between $20.3 million and $33.5 million, but costs would be as much as 81 percent covered within 10 years.

Those are two of the main points made it Reston Community Center's market analysis update prepared by consulting firm Brailsford & Dunlavey. . . .

The Connection newspapers, in its article, "Reston Community Center Indoor Facility Study Unveiled," reported:

The Reston Community Center Board of Governors Long-Range Planning Committee heard the results of the latest study on a possible indoor recreation facility Monday, June 3. The facility, which has been put forward as possibly being located at Baron Cameron Park, has been under review by the center for a few years, as a result of an increased need for indoor aquatic, fitness and other needs.

Baron Cameron Park, located at Wiehle Avenue and Baron Cameron Avenue, has been the primary location for the proposed facility. The Fairfax County Park Authority, in a separate process from the Reston Community Center, is currently undergoing the master planning process, which could include the new facility. . . .

A couple of observations based on these reports deserve further community attention:

• Both of the options presented to the public were smaller than the options presented less than a month ago.  Option A shrunk from 62,850 SF to 52,000 SF; Option B shrunk from 98,000 SF to 84,900 SF.  The three options considered in the 2009 B&D report ranged in size from 119,000 SF to 173,000 SF--and included 4-8 tennis courts.  What does the community lose in moving forward with these smaller options?
• The estimated construction cost per square foot (CSF) has climbed much more than we would have expected for Option B ($390/SF vs. RCA estimate of $347-380/SF), but is in line for Option A ($395/SF vs. RCA estimate of $356-$424/SF).  What is driving the unexpectedly high CSF for Option B?

New Fairfax Bus Routes Coming by December, Tysons Corner Patch, June 4, 2013

Ahead of Silver Line opening, Supervisors sign off on changes and new routes for 40 percent of the Fairfax Connector system.

• By William Callahan

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a number of changes to the Fairfax Connector bus service, establishing new routes and shifting service throughout 40 percent of the bus system.

Forty routes are being changed or updated in order to meld bus service to the Silver Line Metro when the first batch of stations open in December 2013.

Supervisors unanimously approved the list of revisions, for which transportation officials have been soliciting public input for months in a series of public meetings. . . .

Click here for the rest of the story.

Agenda: Reston P&Z Committee Meeting, June 17, 2013

THE RESTON PLANNING AND ZONING COMMITTEE
MEETING AGENDA

Monday, June 17, 2013 – 7:30 p.m.
North County Government Center
Community Room
12000 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston, VA

1. Approve May meeting minutes.

2. Reston Master Plan Draft Areawide Text Review and Discussion.  Review  and discussion of the draft areawide plan text provided by Fairfax County Planning Staff.  Heidi Merkel of the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning will be in attendance to help review the draft areawide plan text with the committee.

3. P and Z Interim Appointment Process Discussion.  A discussion amongst the committee regarding how interim appointments of members should be addressed in accordance with the committee's bylaws.

4. Discuss any additional matters and adjourn.

Next meeting date: July 15, 2013

Agenda is subject to change without notice by order of the Chairman, Michael Romeo, (703) 579-7525, or Jared Willcox, Vice Chairman, (703) 638-7555.

June 4, 2013

RCA Comment and Suggestions on Latest Reston Areawide Comprehensive Plan Language, June 2, 2013

The third update of the Reston Areawide Comprehensive Plan text that this RCA comment addresses is available here.


   RCA Comment on Latest Draft Reston Areawide Comprehensive Plan Language

Reston Bus Service Changes on Board Agenda, June 4, 2013

The proposed changes in Reston bus service (as well as other service linked to the opening of the Silver Line in Tysons, McLean, and Vienna) are Action Item #1 at the Board of Supervisors meeting on June 4, 2013, at 9:30AM  (Board package--very large PDF file) in the Board Auditorium, County Government Center.  The Board discussion of the proposal is preceded by pro forma activities, including presentations to Fairfax citizens, and administrative items.  The discussion of the bus service is unlikely to start before 10:30AM. 

The current proposal is very similar to the proposal FC Department of Transportation presented to the public in early May.  A review of the presentation by Reston 2020 indicates that some gaps are still evident in the shift from various schedules throughout the day (eg--morning rush to mid-day, mid-day to evening rush, evening rush to late night).   For example, the final recommendations would end afternoon service on Route 558 one-half hour earlier than the county's last proposal in May (change from 3:30 to 3:00 p.m.).  As a result, the gap between mid-day off-peak and evening peak service on North Reston Routes 558 and 552/554 would increase from 30 to 60 minutes.  The corresponding gap on South Reston Routes 559 and 553/557 remains at 30 minutes.  This is a surprising change since the county's May 7th proposals presented to the Board's Transportation Committee reduced all the gaps between peak and off-peak service to 30 minutes, and standardized the hours of service in North and South Reston.

We have also heard, but not yet confirmed, that FC DOT plans to offer free bus service for the Tysons circulator system while charging normal fares for other routes covered in this change, including other services directly linked to use of the Silver Line.  Here is what a citizen observer reported from the May 7 County Transportation Committee (the Board meeting as a committee of the whole) reported:

A brief overview of proposed bus route changes was given. In response to a question from Supervisor Herrity, (County DOT Staff Chief Tom) Biesiadny declined to say if the County intends to have Tysons Circulator buses operate for free. I did not see any projected revenue and costs for the bus services changes. It appears that changes will benefit Tysons landowners at the further cost of Reston taxpayers.

If the County chooses free transit for Tysons, we believe this arrangement is grossly inequitable and unfair to the tens of thousands of County residents who pay for bus service everyday--and even the others who must pay added property taxes to subsidize Tysons transportation.  If true, it points again to the Board's tunnel vision obsession with Tysons at the expense of the rest of the County. 

On the last page of this action item is a summary of the net cost of each of the "optional services" proposed in the package.  The total one-year cost of these "optional" services is $2.5 million.  They do not include the Tysons circulator routes, which will cost $4 million per year according to the Washington Post.  Fare issues are not addressed in this presentation and Board action so far as we can determine.

Restonians have at least three opportunities to voice their views on the new routes and schedules:

• Send an e-mail to Supervisor Cathy Hudgins at hntrmill@fairfaxcounty.gov.
• Participate in Supervisor Hudgins'  "First Monday" session--an opportunity to interact directly with the Supervisor--on Monday, June 3, 1-3PM, Reston Regional Library.
• Send an e-mail to the full Board of Supervisors at bos@fairfaxcounty.gov.