Vote for sound leadership of the Reston Community Center!

Don’t let your special Reston Tax Assessment Continue to be Wasted!

Elect Laurie Dodd and Bob Petrine in the Reston Community Center (RCC) Board Preference Poll

 Voting opened Sept. 3^rd (three days ahead of the previously announced Sept 6^th start date) and will run to 5:00 PM, Friday, Sept. 27^th

• As a Reston resident or business, you pay an extra tax of 4.7 cents / $100 RE assessed evaluation to support RCC. This equals $140 on a $300,000 or $235 on a $500,000 home every year! Are you getting value for your hard-earned tax dollar?
• Reston Community Center is owned and run by Fairfax County, but Reston alone pays for it.  
• The RCC Board of Governors has not been a sound steward of our tax dollars and needs new leadership.

Here’s How to Take Action:

• Reston residents should receive one ballot per household in the mail. Ballots can be mailed in or dropped off in boxes at Hunters Woods or Lake Anne Centers.  Or vote online @ RCC’s website (http://restoncommunitycenter.com/home) using code printed on your ballot.  NOTE:  Mailed ballots MUST be received by Thursday, Sept. 26^th to be counted.

• Because 3 seats are to be filled in this election, the 3 candidates with the highest number of votes will win.  Three incumbents advantaged with name recognition are running again.  For this reason, please consider voting ONLY for Bob Petrine AND Laurie Dodd.  Voting for 3 seats may well defeat Laurie and Bob’s efforts to represent a NEW perspective on this Board. 

 
LAURIE AND BOB WILL WORK TO MAINTAIN RCC’s FACILITIES & PROGRAMMING AND PROMOTE A LOWER TAX RATE.

   Candidate Profiles

LAURIE DODD

   

• Laurie and husband Steve have lived in Reston for 23 years, raising two children here.

• ^{An attorney with her own practice, she has been a leader in many local groups.}
• ^{She has been on the board of Reston Swim Team Association, Reston Children’s Center, and her church.}
• ^{She has volunteered with Coalition for a Planned Reston, Rescue Reston, Reston Runners, Embry Rucker Shelter, RA Community Gardens, and PTA.}
• ^{She has testified at numerous meetings of RA, the Board of Supervisors, and the School Board.}
• ^{Laurie ran for the Democratic nomination in the Hunter Mill Supervisor in 2019, finishing second among five candidates.}

^{“During my campaign, I spoke with hundreds of people in Reston. I know Reston residents want to be engaged in shaping the future of Reston Community Center, which has provided cultural, educational, and recreational experiences for our families. I will bring fresh eyes to RCC to see that its programs and facilities are effective and efficient, providing opportunities for people from different social, economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds to come together.”}

BOB PETRINE

 

• ^{Bob and his family have lived in Reston for 43 years and knows our town.}
• ^{He and his wife have raised their two children here.}
• ^{Bob has worked in finance and strategic planning throughout his career.}
• ^{Bob has been involved in Reston and DC Metropolitan civic issues for years.}
• ^{He has served on Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee.}
• ^{He was appointed by Supervisor Hudgins to the Riders Advisory Council to WMATA’s Board of Directors – 2009-2010.}
• ^{He has been treasurer of Fairway Cluster for 5 years.}
• ^{For the past 3 years, he has been very active in challenging efforts to amend the County’s zoning ordinance that would eliminate those protections afforded Reston as a planned residential community.}

^{“This is my opportunity to give back to the community that has provided my family and I with innumerable cultural activities and events that have broadened our perspectives opening us to other cultures and societies which have deeply enriched our lives.  I intend to use the executive skills and experiences that I have developed in corporate finance and strategic planning over the past 5 decades to ensure RCC’s fiscal responsibility and program effectiveness.”}

Oppose the Massive Redevelopment of Campus Commons

Reston needs your help!   Stop the destruction of our South Reston neighborhoods!   This summer, Reston Planning & Zoning Committee (RP&Z) rejected a proposal for a massive redevelopment of the Campus Commons site at the corner of Wiehle Avenue and Sunrise Valley Drive. However, the developer is pushing ahead to fast-track the addition of 1.1 million square feet of multi-family residential and office space. The proposed project is directly across Sunrise Valley Drive from neighborhoods of single-family homes and two-story townhouses. The proposal is currently slated to come before the Fairfax County Planning Commission for a public hearing on Wednesday, September 25, 2019 and proceed to the Board of Supervisors in October 2019. Figure 1:  Aerial View from the Corner of Wiehle and the Toll Road Looking Southeast The Proposed Plan: Two 29-story and 8-story residential buildings with over 600 units for an estimated 1,300 residents, and  A 14-story office building capable of housing at least 1,240 employees. No reasonable approach for the traffic that will be generated on Wiehle Avenue and all along Sunrise Valley Drive, an area that is already heavily congested at peak travel times. Their only solution?  Re-stripe one block of Sunrise Valley Drive and two blocks of Wiehle, then re-time the traffic lights to ease congestion.  Significant Impact to Established Neighborhoods, Cross-Reston Traffic/Safety and Tree Canopy: The developer rejected proposals from RP&Z and Reston Association to build a tunnel under Wiehle Avenue so people could move quickly and safely to and from the Metro station.  Instead, they have proffered a new crosswalk across Wiehle at the Dulles Toll Road that will be accessible from Campus Commons up a steep embankment, impeding access to those with disabilities.        Figure 2:  Proposed access to crosswalk across Wiehle Avenue from Campus Commons The developer’s proposal offers only the absolute minimum amount of parking legally required for the more than 2,500 people who will live and work there, which will lead to overflow into the neighboring residential areas.  All the mature trees on the site will be removed, violating Reston’s Planning Principles which state, “Natural resources and ecosystems, including natural areas, will be protected . . . Tree canopy will continue to be an important component of the Reston visual experience.”  What can you do?  Three things: Attend the community meeting on Thursday, 5 September, at 7:00 pm at the North County Government Center. Wear yellow!  Ask the developer questions. Challenge their assumptions and statements. Stand up for Reston’s values of green space, tree cover, and quality of life. Write to the Fairfax County Planning Commission (Plancom@fairfaxcounty.gov) to express your opposition to this project that will add thousands more vehicles to roads already badly stressed and congested. (We’re attaching a letter already sent by one Reston resident as an example.) Attend the Planning Commission meeting on 25 September as a show of support to the many South Reston residents whose quality of life will be adversely affected by this over-development.  For more background information, please go to Rescue Sunrise Valley’s website. This is a group started by nearby residents. The site provides explanations about the many issues raised by this proposal and the developers’ reluctance to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the community. This deeply flawed development proposal may be in a Transit Station Area, but its failings will affect the lives of everyone who lives, works, or travels through Reston! ** Sample Letter to Fairfax County Planning Commission **

Stop the Proposal to Build an Assisted Living Facility in a Resource Protection Area (RPA)

Planning Commission Hearing on Assisted Living Facility: Ongoing Need For Citizen Input To Request Dismissal of Orr/Benchmark SE 2018-HM-024 

There have been numerous developments over the past few weeks. The applicant has requested an indefinite deferral.  Applicant’s letter can be found at www.ProtectHMR.com.  The Planning Commission will be addressing the applicant’s request at the September 12, 2019, hearing originally scheduled for Decision Only.

Citizens have been informed by county staff that the applicant has not submitted any new information to try and address the Planning Commission's numerous questions and stated concerns since their July 18th public hearing.  A critical issue highlighted at the public hearing by citizens was the applicant’s failure to locate and identify a natural spring flowing into Angelico Branch that had been documented as far back as 1987. They have yet to offer any explanation for this significant omission in its topographic and wetlands surveys.

Contrary to the applicant's claims, they have not met all of the standards for approval.  These shortfalls have been extensively documented with the help of community input during this process. We’re asking concerned citizens to request a denial of the application as opposed to an indefinite deferral (which could be picked back up) and removal of any approvals, such as the change in the RPA delineation and Preliminary Letters of Certification regarding the site’s septic system suitability.

It is our understanding that only the Board of Supervisors (BOS) would have the authority to require another RPA Delineation Study be completed in order to correct inaccuracies submitted by the applicant’s December 31, 2018, RPA Delineation Study.  We’re hopeful that such a motion would subsequently be considered by the BOS.  Please email the Planning Commission (Plancom@fairfaxcounty.gov) making these requests. 

  The Hunters Valley Association (HVA) encourages everyone’s attendance at the September 12th hearing.  No public comments will be allowed, the decision will be made promptly at 7:30, then feel free to leave. By your attendance, the Commissioners will see the public’s ongoing high level of interest and concern in this inappropriate and inaccurate application.

           See also this InsideNOVA article on the hearing regarding this proposed development. 

URGENT: Community Meeting Tonight on Massive Redevelopment at Wiehle and Sunrise Valley

Your support is needed at a community meeting this evening (Monday) at 7PM in the North County Government Center to discuss the massive redevelopment proposed at the southeast corner of Wiehle Avenue and Sunrise Valley Drive.  

TF Cornerstone is proposing three new buildings on this property, to include a 29-story residential building, a 14-story commercial building, and an 8-story residential building; the two smaller buildings currently on the property will remain.  The 29-story and 14-story buildings will dwarf the neighborhoods at this intersection, as they are immediately across the street from single family homes and multiple townhouse clusters.

If approved and built, this development will house over 2,600 new residents and employees, overwhelming an already-packed Sunrise Valley Drive.  There simply are no/no road improvements that could even remotely address this increased level of traffic density.  Eastbound traffic on Sunrise Valley is already so backed up in late afternoon that it's nearly impossible to turn out of the Upper Lake Drive on either of its intersections with SVR.  (Upper Lake is a horseshoe-shaped road.)  

TF Cornerstone has invited all affected neighbors to a community meeting on Monday, August 26 at 7 PM at the North County Government Center community room (1801 Cameron Glen Drive in Reston.   If you know of other individuals or groups who would be interested in engaging on this proposal, please feel free to forward this post to them.

The company is already on the Fairfax Planning Commission's schedule for a public hearing on September 25, 2019 and has told residents that it is working to schedule a Board of Supervisors public hearing on October 15, 2019. A copy of the development plan and proffer statement for the rezoning application are included, below.  
 

https://liquidfiles.cooley.com/link/Z0X56q7bKVVyOMTQpI0ni6
https://liquidfiles.cooley.com/link/Gex8fsJlSpT3PxZmSVGGZb

In addition, there are two posts on Nextdoor by Upper Lake neighbors who met with RA and with TF Cornerstone's land-use attorney that provide additional background info for you (see links below).  It is useful to note that one of my Upper Lake neighbors replied on Nextdoor that she had never gotten a notice from TF Cornerstone about this meeting.

Meeting with TFC's attorney

Meeting with RA