Three major development and redevelopment projects that are either underway or on the horizon may very well change the way Restonians live in the 40-year-old community.
These looming projects would expand the Metrorail system to Reston, greatly expand the number of high-end condominiums and apartments in the community, and potentially redevelop the historic Lake Anne Village Center.
THE FIRST phase of the $2.4 billion Dulles Rail Project would extend Metrorail service to Wiehle Avenue by 2009, with the second phase extending the mass-transit system to Dulles International Airport by 2015.
Residents and businesses surrounding the Wiehle Avenue Metro Stop, which is Reston's main commuter bus stop, could face substantially increased noise and traffic from the added rail.
The rail project will also allow real estate developers to build office buildings at a higher density along the Dulles Toll Road. Coupled with the added congestion during the project's construction, residents can expect traffic to increase dramatically.
On the other hand, Dulles Rail advocates say that the project would ultimately alleviate traffic in both Reston and the surrounding region. Advocates suggest it could remove as much as the equivalent of four highway lanes of the Dulles Toll Road.
Plus, extending rail to Reston would better connect the community to both Tysons Corner and Washington, D.C., offering commuters and families a relaxed commuting alternative to go to work or shopping.
IN ADDITION to the new businesses and residential units expected to be added along the Dulles corridor, a slew of new high-rise condominium and apartment buildings have opened or will open soon around the Reston Town Center area.
The apartments range in price from $1,500 per month to more than $3,000. Many of the condominiums are being sold for more than $1 million.
Two new condo buildings, adding roughly 300 high-end residential units, will open by summer of 2006. The apartment buildings, adding almost 400 new units, will open this fall.
Many of the new residents buying or leasing these Town Center properties are either retired or young wealthy couples.
These new properties mirror a recent trend throughout Reston to primarily offer expensive, luxury housing.
Originally, Reston was intended to be a "Open Housing" community that included apartments and homes for residents of all income levels. Increasingly over the past years, affordable housing in Reston has started to dwindle, with most recent developments offering housing like the new Reston Town Center properties.
THE SYMBOLIC heart of Reston and the community's founding ideals is the historic Lake Anne Village Center. Lake Anne was the first district in Reston that incorporated housing, shopping, offices and recreation into one place.
Now a movement is underway to redevelop and revitalize the aging village center. Advocates say the district needs a higher residential density to more easily sustain businesses at the plaza.
This could involve building high-rise apartment buildings around the village center. Several hundred new families, advocates say, would increase foot traffic and help achieve a critical mass of shoppers and restaurant patrons.
At least one developer has already begun planning the revitalization project, which could include building a parking garage and widening the plaza entrance by knocking down existing buildings.
Some residents worry the project could change the uncrowded, laid-back culture of the Lake Anne plaza. Others worry it could replace some of the small, independent businesses with corporately-owned chains.
A study of the village center's infrastructure and economic needs is currently being conducted. Once the study is completed in the next few months, the future of Lake Anne will become more clear.
That Lake Anne will be changed is all but certain. How much it will be changed and whether its character is maintained is far from certain.