| Reston
Heights Plan Deferred |
By Jackie Allder
Observer Staff Writer |
| The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors deferred until Jan.
28 a decision on a plan to build more than 1 million square
feet of residential, commercial and office space near the
intersection of Sunrise Valley Drive and Reston Parkway. The
JBG Companies had submitted a Planned Residential Community
conceptual plan for the 10-acre plot of land. |
| Hunter Mill district Supervisor Cathy Hudgins recommended
the deferral because she said there had been a few last-minute
changes to the proposal that needed further review. Until
March 2007, PRC plans like this did not go before the board,
but the board changed the approval of the PRC plan from an
administrative to a legislative process. |
| The Reston Heights development would include 498 residential
units, more than 400,000 square feet of office space, about
145,000 square feet of retail and more than 2,800 parking
spaces. |
| Ben Tompkins, who represented The JBG Companies at Monday's
board meeting, said the project would provide a "much-needed
amenity basis for south Reston," and that the developer
plans to pursue Leadership in Energy and Environment Design
Silver status, which is earned by "green" buildings
that meet specific energy efficiency requirements. |
| Additionally, he said, JBG has committed to providing 12
percent workforce housing in the development and to contributing
more than $200,000 toward the future widening of Reston Parkway
and other transportation improvements. According to Fairfax
County, workforce housing units should be affordable to residents
earning up to 100 percent of the area median income. |
| However, three of the four residents who spoke at the public
hearing said they had concerns about traffic problems the
development would create along Sunrise Valley Drive. Reston
resident Marie Huhtala, who ran unsuccessfully for the Hunter
Mill district seat on the board last year, said the Reston
Heights project would generate thousands of new trips each
day on the already-congested Sunrise Valley Drive. |
| The JBG Companies said they would complete a full traffic
analysis at the time of their site plan submission, but Huhtala
recommended that the board require that analysis be completed
earlier in the process. The site plan would be submitted in
about six to 12 months, according to Tompkins. |
| Nancy Murphy, a member of the Hunters Green Cluster Association,
which is located near the proposed project, said her neighbors
are not against the construction, but they are concerned that
the density would overwhelm Sunrise Valley Drive. |
| "The road is not equipped to handle this type of traffic,"
she said. Murphy suggested a 30 percent reduction in the density
of the project would be better for the surrounding area. |
| Reston resident Shirley Carr said she had concerns about
the size of the project. "It just seems that it's too
dense now and it's only going to get more dense," Carr
said. |
| Huhtala also said local development has always included
a nice balance with green space and construction, but this
project seemed to threaten that balance. "It would be
a concrete canyon," she said. |
| Responding to the public comments, Tompkins said JBG has
completed a traffic study that showed Sunrise Valley Drive
could accommodate the additional traffic, but he knows transportation
improvements will be needed. However, he said, "although
we recognize there's a problem today, the problem exists without
this development." |
| In addition, David Ho, who owns the Popeyes restaurant that
is adjacent to the proposed development, shared his concerns
about the possible effect the construction could have on his
business, and Tompkins said they would work with Ho to alleviate
any of his concerns. |
| The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will resume discussion
on this item at the Jan. 28 meeting. |
