Reston Comprehensive Plan Study
Reston Comprehensive Plan Study
I, the undersigned, a resident of Reston, VA, support Reston Association’s Comprehensive Plan positions and ask Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Fairfax County Planning Commission, to adequately address each of the following 19 positions in the final Reston Comprehensive Plan.
Overview
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a recommendation in January 2020 by Hunter Mill District Supervisor, Walter Alcorn, to initiate a process for additional study and community input on the 2017 Reston amendment of the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan. The plan review and community engagement process are expected to take 12-18 months. Residents will be able to provide feedback about the plan during public task force meetings.
Reston Association is represented on the 21-member task force by former Board Director John Mooney. RA COO, Larry Butler, is also involved with the task force as an alternate. At the conclusion of its work, the task force will provide a report to the Planning Commission and the county Board of Supervisors.
Click here for more information on the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study.
Click here to view the Fairfax County Staff Report.
If you have a comment or concern, or an idea you would like to share regarding the Reston Comprehensive Plan Amendment or task force, please email landuse@reston.org.
Upcoming Meetings
Planning Commission: Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Board of Supervisors: Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 4:30 p.m.
Supervisor Alcorn's Plan Amendment Motion
On Feb. 11, 2014, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan for the Transit Station Areas in Reston. This act was the culmination of a multi-year effort that included a Task Force and other forms of citizen outreach and engagement.
Following that, on June 2, 2015, the Reston Phase II Plan amendment (for Village Centers and Residential areas) was adopted by the board. That second Plan Amendment sought to align the recommendations in the Comprehensive Plan with the existing development in Reston.
Since that time, more than 30 re-zonings have been approved including millions of square feet of development in Reston’s transit station areas. And there has been a lot of discussion in the community about how Reston is changing, and how Reston should and should not change in the future. In reviewing the existing Comprehensive Plan, I believe that there are a few areas that would benefit from additional study and community input.
As such, I move that the board authorize a plan amendment for Reston that focuses on the following areas:
Projected population thresholds for Reston, and how to ensure that population, infrastructure and the environment are all in balance
Land use in the village centers (Hunters Woods, South Lakes and North Point) – including clarification of what type of future redevelopment proposals might require an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan
The adequacy of existing plan language to generate additional affordable housing, and improvements to plan language to encourage preservation and enhancement of existing communities that now provide affordable housing
The adequacy of existing and planned pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure for accessing Silver Line stations
The adequacy of existing Comprehensive Plan guidance to facilitate urban-scale mobility and development design in the TSAs while protecting the stability of nearby neighborhoods
Existing Comprehensive Plan transportation improvements to ensure that they are aligned with planned development
How the Comprehensive Plan could better facilitate enhancement of Reston’s natural environment, encourage energy efficiency and support sustainable green neighborhoods
How the Comprehensive Plan could address concerns about monopolization of ownership in Reston, and ways to encourage diverse ownership and/or management over the long term
Whether the historic practice of promoting privately-owned and managed open space sufficiently addresses public needs during the next 50 years of Reston.
I further move that staff work closely with me to develop an approach and timeline for the plan amendment.
Reston Comprehensive Plan Study Task Force
The link below contains the FINAL DRAFT chapters of the Reston Comprehensive Plan that have been endorsed by the Task Force. The Task Force held its final meeting on August 22, 2022, and the final draft is now available for community review and input.
A community Task Force made up of 31 members of the Reston Area was formed in May 2020 to discuss and analyze any potential changes to the Comprehensive Plan for Reston, which guides future planning and land use decisions for the area. Chaired by Fairfax County Supervisor Walter Alcorn, the Task Force worked closely with Fairfax County staff to develop recommendations for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the Reston Area. RA Board Members and staff have participated on the Task Force and been active in the review process.