As the Reston Task Force Turns . . ., A Concerned Restonian

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As the Reston Task Force Turns…

 

I have been following the meandering trail of the Reston Master Plan Task Force off and on now throughout its three-year odyssey.  I’ve read the occasional press coverage of the meetings, but it has dwindled as it has become apparent nothing is happening.  I read the Reston 2020 blog, which actually provides some timely information that reflects that group’s views--which I generally share.  I even occasionally visit the County website for the task force effort to catch up, but it's worse than RA's for finding anything.  I’ve even attended meetings I thought might be important, none of which lived up to its promise.  It may actually be worse than watching Congress DO NOTHING and flame on about everything. 

Yet what the task force is SUPPOSED to be doing is very important to Reston’s future.  It is supposed to be developing a plan for growth around Reston’s three new Metrorail stations that (a) offers an opportunity to exploit the economic potential offered by the Silver Line while (b) also meeting the needs and values of the community beyond the station areas. 

It hasn't even come close.  Overall, their focus on allowing large-scale commercial development has overwhelmed any consideration of the needs and values of the rest of the community.

So what has the task force accomplished?

Well, they did pass a vision and planning principles statement a year and a half ago.  Bravo!  It accomplished in about three-dozen pages what Bob Simon accomplished in a half-dozen paragraphs 50 years ago.   Still, I’d have to agree that it’s pretty meaty and hits on key themes important to Reston. 

Two years ago, it created three committees to generate visions of each of the three Silver Line station areas in Reston that produced two and one-half reports. 

--The half report was on the Herndon-Monroe station area and said nothing much is going to change there.  The end.

--The Reston Parkway station report flew off the charts in terms of development potential based on an outdated and outrageously optimistic economic forecast from GMU’s Center for Regional Analysis, the local home of developer-sponsored regional economic research.   (No conflict of interest there.)  

--The Wiehle station group actually sought out a broad range of public inputs and compiled a reasonably balanced report, although it, too, was overly influenced by the excessive GMU growth forecast.  (And why the county staff and task force insisted on using the “high” GMU forecast as the basis of plan development, I’ll never know.)

The good news:  The task force hasn’t yet approved any of the reports, but it could at any time--maybe just to spite the community.

So now what is happening?

When the county examined the traffic impact of the development potential suggested by the three committee reports, the so-called “Scenario E,”  (all these proposals are alphabetized “scenarios,” at least until they run out of alphabet a decade from now) traffic will come to near-complete paralysis in the Reston Parkway and Wiehle station areas during the evening rush hour.   Apparently, there is some county or state limit on just how bad traffic congestion can be allowed to get.  Three and four minute delays at an intersection exceed that requirement.   Oops!

So the planning staff came up with “Scenario G.”  This scenario seems to reduce commercial development, focusing the remainder in the immediate station areas.  It also adds more housing because within a half-mile of the stations because, in general, a better balance between housing and commercial space eases traffic.   So far, however, the planning staff has not detailed the full scope of allowable development so the task force is a little perplexed about just what the staff is proposing.  And the transportation staff won’t have a full assessment of the new proposal for four months!  (Yes, Scenario G could still fail the traffic test!)

But that didn’t matter:  You should’ve heard the crescendo of outraged cries from developers and land use attorneys at the last meeting as some of us did.  This plan would mean no “tear down” and re-building, just less desirable infill construction—if any!—they said.  Limiting development for traffic reasons is “the tail wagging the dog!”—they added.  This will prevent Reston from achieving the visions laid out by the task force’s committees!—they raged.  In the only counterpoint offered, one task force member noted that congestion is a major Reston problem now, not a hypothetical one for the future.

 Is that it?  Isn’t community mobility throughout the entirety of Reston an important quality-of-life issue?  Doesn’t getting from one side of Reston to the other in a car over the Dulles corridor-choked bridges through the station areas mean anything?  If not by car, will local public transit take everyone—including the very young and very old—everywhere they need to go safely anytime they need to go with little delay?  Why should residents be burdened unduly so corporations can make more money?  Why are two-dozen developers being allowed to dictate to 60,000 residents, including some 20,000 property owners, the future of development in the heart of our community?  What are corporations willing to give up to compensate for the additional burden placed on local driving?  (Apparently not density!) 

                . . . And what’s next?

So the drama and tension builds, but the task force won’t meet again until next year.  It’s not clear that any resolution is in sight.  Will the county staff stand firm on meeting some minimal traffic requirements that forces a plan with reduced development potential?  Will the county cave to developer demands for greater development opportunities?  Will the interests of current and future Reston residents even be part of the equation? 

Stay tuned--as the melodrama that is the Reston Task Force turns (ever so slowly and randomly)! 

I don’t know the answer to any of these questions and I am increasingly discouraged that anything good for the Reston community will come out of the task force.  I also can’t imagine being a member and going to all the mindless meetings over the last three years.  It is ugly!  And more balanced Restonians than me aren’t paying any attention to what’s happening.  Maybe I shouldn’t either, but I’ve lived here a long time and I’d like to believe we can build a better Reston, not just a bigger one, for our children and others.   I doubt, however, that will be the outcome, if there ever is one. 

One of my New Year’s resolutions is stop going to any more task force meetings.  They are just two hours or more of my life that I will never get back.  Hopefully, the news media or Reston 2020 will keep me informed on what, if anything happens--ever.  Otherwise, count me out. 

In the meantime, Happy Holidays and a Great New Year to Reston 2020 and all of Reston!

                                                                                                A Concerned Restonian