At a regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Fairfax County held on Dec. 4, 2018, the Board authorized the advertisement of two Public Hearings on the Reston Planned Residential Community (PRC) District – Proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment. This meeting was not an opportunity for public input.
According to data available online by Zoning Administration Division Department of Planning and Zoning, the Public Hearing Date for the Planning Commission is Jan. 23, 2019, at 7 p.m. and the Public Hearing Date for Board of Supervisors is March 5, 2019, at 4:30 p.m. All dates are subject to change, the website notes. In addition, there is a Planning Commission Workshop, for Planning Commissioners’ questions & discussion only, on Jan.10, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. This is not an opportunity for public input, reports the Zoning Administration office.
IN AN INTERVIEW with the Connection on Dec. 10, regarding the Dec. 4 Board of Supervisors Meeting, Fred Selden, Director Planning and Zoning Fairfax County, discussed the PRC Residential Density Zoning Ordinance Amendment and its purpose.
"The proposed change to the PRC Zoning District has been under discussion for over a year and a half. It would allow an increase in the maximum overall density for the PRC District from 13 persons per acre up to and including 15 persons per acre,” Selden said.
"The purpose of the amendment is to implement the recommendations contained in the updated Reston Master Plan that was adopted in two parts, 2014 and 2015, after more than five years of community engagement. The Reston Master Plan supports mixed-use development in the Reston Town Center and Metro Station areas. It also retains the limited redevelopment potential of the Village Centers. It does not support redevelopment of the two Reston golf courses,” Selden added.
"The amendment would also allow the Board to approve residential development up to 70 dwelling units per acre for certain high density residentially designated properties in the Reston PRC District that are located within the transit station areas (TSAs) and planned for ‘mixed use,’ if the proposal is in accordance with the adopted Comprehensive Plan," states the online Transcript Board of Supervisors Highlights Podcast, Board of Supervisors Meeting – Dec. 4, 2018.
County staff reported in the meeting materials that Reston is unique from the other PRC Districts in the County because Metrorail serves it.
In response to the Board's decision to move forward with PRC hearings, the Connection requested a comment from
RESTON ASSOCIATION Board President Andy Sigle, in a Dec. 5, 2018 email response to the Connection requested for comment, wrote: "We are currently formulating a response and are not yet prepared to discuss in public the detail of what such a response might be. Rest assured, Reston Association remains committed to vigorously advancing the interests of its Members and nothing is off the table. We expect to coordinate with our community partners to develop a strategy going forward; whether it be continued reasoned dialogue, formal written correspondence or community activism in the form of hundreds of yellow shirts protesting at upcoming Board of Supervisor meetings. Again, nothing is off the table."
Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) could not be reached for comment, and none was provided by news deadline, Dec. 10, 2018.