RESTON TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS AT JULY 27, 2010, MEETING

Subject: Reston Task Force committee meetings

Good afternoon all (Reston Task Force members),

At last Tuesday's Task Force meeting, a question was raised as to when the Task Force Committees for the Town Center, Wiehle and Herndon-Monroe should conclude their work. Today Patty and I agreed to add a full Task Force meeting for Tuesday July 27. It is our thought that the Task Force should discuss the committee recommendations at that meeting.

To facilitate discussion at that meeting, we ask that each committee plan to forward to Patty, myself and Sandi a document summarizing the committee recommendations by COB on Thursday July 15th. We will ensure that the Task Force members and public (via website) have at least 7 days to review the recommendations.

I understand that the July 4th weekend is in that time period but hopefully your committees can schedule one or two additional meetings in that timeframe.

On another note, I am looking to identify some meeting locations for your committees. More on that next week.

Finally, attached are guidelines for the committees that the Process Committee suggested to help address use of email among the committee members and FOIA concerns

Have a good holiday weekend.

Heidi
Heidi T. Merkel, AICP
Senior Planner
Planning Division, DPZ
direct phone: (703) 324-1383

FINAL Reston Task Force Committees Doc (5/17/2010)

Revised Draft North Town Center Vision and Straw Man, May 28, 2010

Note from Robert Goudie, Co-Chair, Reston Town Center Committee:

I attach a revised draft of the TCN section of what ultimately will be a broader Committee report on all of TC to include the Metro Station (north and south). Included is an updated straw man map reflecting what is in the report so far (modified the green space; did some greening of the streets as well; indicated by dotted line the new streets). The text edits I hope capture the things we talked about Tuesday (I’m providing a clean copy and not redline; a redline at this point would be meaningless and messy). I want to just briefly comment on the increased density trigger we have drafted based on last week’s discussion:

1. 50 du/ac on the 41-acre TCN site would yield @ 2,000 res units. So the fundamental idea we have structured is this: Inova may build up to the existing 0.7 non-res FAR so long as the needed infrastructure (grid and open space) is built; it may go up to 0.9 non-res FAR so long as in addition to the grid and open space there are at least 1,000 residential units on the ground (of course it could be more; this is a floor).
2. How was that number arrived at as a good-faith trigger? If you add in what is planned for the extended TCN area (Spectrum and RAJ, which is @ another 1500 units), that yields a total minimum of @ 2500 res units for the extended TCN area (with the trigger).
3. By way of comparison: the extended Urban Core, at 50 du/ac, yields about 4200 res units. Right now, on the ground, there is about ½ that. So the extended TCN (when built out according to the trigger and the Spectrum concept plan) would have roughly the same number of res units on the ground as currently exist within the extended Urban Core (probably slightly more, +/-). So that is some perspective for each of you to judge whether this is a trigger that meets your objectives.
4. One further comment on why we didn’t, for example, go up to the 2,000 units for the trigger. We all know the res market goes hot and cool based on supply/demand. If we lock in the trigger floor at too high a number you run the risk of land staying fallow for long periods if there is a cold res market. Folks won’t build the res and are then locked out from developing other things we may want because they haven’t met the trigger. That concern has to be balanced with setting a floor that actually gives you something you want regardless of market conditions, which is some meaningful mix of res and non-res. We thought 1,000 was a good-faith benchmark and of course nothing precludes Inova from going beyond that number; it is a floor/minimum to allow the 0.9 non-res FAR. So I hope all that is helpful background for the discussion.

Reston Town Center North (TCN) Vision Statement (Revised).Doc--05-28-10

Revised Reston TC Straw Man--05!28!10

Defense Intelligence Agency seeking half million square feet, Washington Business Journal, May 28, 2010

by Tierney Plumb

The Defense Intelligence Agency is on the prowl for a 523,000-square-foot space in Northern Virginia, a prize expected to go to one of four sites in Reston, Alexandria and Falls Church.

The Defense Department agency, which provides the Pentagon with intelligence on foreign threats, will remain headquartered at Bolling Air Force Base in D.C., but the new lease will consolidate the DIA’s other office space in the region, which includes a sizable amount at 3100 Clarendon Blvd. in Arlington, the Pentagon and classified locations.

The agency is seeking 250,000 to 310,000 square feet to be ready by February 2012, likely knocking out any build-to-suit options, sources say. The DIA wants to occupy the rest of the space by May 2013. It is working with the General Services Administration on the 20-year lease.

The site must be in Northern Virginia within four miles’ driving distance of an existing Metrorail station or one scheduled to be operational by 2013. That’s an unusual requirement: It allows areas near the incoming Silver Line Metro stops to compete (emphasis added). . . .

See the Washington Business Journal for the rest of this article.

RCA Resolution on Density in Reston, April 26, 2010

RCA Density Resolution --As Approved on 042610

Announcement: 2010 RCA Sustainable Reston Awards Program

We are happy to announce the opening of the Second Annual Reston Sustainability Awards, in which we will present four awards to two individuals and two organizations, that our judges feel exemplify the principle of Sustainable Development: “activities that meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of generations to come.”

Nominees must reside or be headquartered in Reston. If you know of a deserving candidate (including yourself or your own organization) please read the attached details and fill out and submit the nomination form.

If you have any questions, please contact us at sr.info@restoncitizensassociation.org.

2010 Reston Sustainability Awards Program

RCA Reston Sustainability Awards Nomination Form

Column: Accidental Master Planning, Part 2, John Lovaas, Reston Connection, May 26, 2010

Last time, we projected that the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force (with a moniker like that you know something’s wrong) is on a path to take Reston from 65,000 folks to upwards of 150,000 and to mega-urban commercial construction unless logic, vision and a sense of community soon join the profit and tax engines as equals in this process.

While the sharply limited mandate and piecemeal rather than comprehensive approach Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) dictated to the Task Force make the prospect of a favorable, livable community outcome doubtful, there are positive forces at work keeping hope alive. Principal among these are the several talented and caring people who somehow got onto the Task Force itself. Then, there is the Reston 2020 Committee, formed by the newly invigorated Reston Citizens Association (RCA), which is not only persistent, but has fine leadership and an unusually large group of committed residents fighting for the right to participate in shaping the future of their community. They also have created a dynamite, user-friendly blog, http://reston2020.blogspot.com, courtesy of Terry Maynard. To date, these citizen forces have successfully pressed the Chair to get ideas before the Task Force despite resistance from the developer clan.

But, the challenges to a community-friendly result are formidable. Take the example of the Town Center Subcommittee of the Task Force ably led by TC resident Robert Goudie. Their job would seem easiest of the three station subcommittees. But, flaws in the in-place Town Center grid — namely three 4-6 lane, east-west arteries cutting through it, frustrate pedestrian connectivity and effectively chop TC into three separate areas. Also, in north Town Center, besides developer pressure to keep density here at levels more appropriate nearer the rail station, the county is the problem — planning a giant new, fortress police station (and new Supervisor digs?), maintaining a foul fuel depot for county vehicles on prime land, and refusing to clean up a potentially beautiful, 5-acre Park Authority-owned plot on Fountain Drive.

And, the entirety of the corridor rail station areas is being looked at piecemeal with: ZERO planned park areas (according to RA and the Park Authority itself); no mention of basic public facilities like schools anywhere; and potential density including as many as 23,000 new residences. The lack of a vision for even the Phase I study area is ominous both for the study area and for study Phase 2. Imagine what it may look like when they finally add up all the pieces for Phase 1. Would you want to live there?

If the ugly scenario I am projecting is realized, will it be enough to get the attention of Task Force leadership and County staff? Will it be enough to get them to think vision and community, to listen to voices of the community which surround them on the Task Force and in Reston 2020, and to head in a new direction before visiting the Phase 1 disaster on all of Reston?


By John Lovaas
Reston Impact Producer/Host

Letter: Supervisor Hudgins to Hunter Mill District, May 25, 2010

Dear Hunter Mill Friends,

Today's meeting marked some notable accomplishments by our citizens and County staff. We recognized some of our outstanding high school athletes in gymnastics and swim and dive for winning their state titles. We thanked both individuals and organizations for their many years of service to the County. And, we recognized our County staff whose swift actions saved the life of a 5 year old.

On the business end, we adopted water systems principals recommended by the Consumer Protection Commission, and authorized a 2010 Transportation Bond Referendum which will be on the ballot in the fall elections.

The Board also approved the rezoning for Comstock Reston Station Holdings which permits transit-oriented development near the Wiehle Avenue Station. The project will contain; a public plaza that will welcome Metro riders; 20% of the residential units will serve workforce; Reston Association will have new members from these residents; and proffers for parks and schools. Office buildings will be LEED certified. The Comstock proposal is not a perfect plan but we are unable to go back to the drawing board if we hope to meet deadlines for the coming of rail. This one project can't solve all our transportation problems in the area, but you have my commitment I'll continue pressing for solutions as we move forward. (Emphasis added.)


Cathy Hudgins