Herndon Residents Sound Off on Metro Related Redevelopment

Herndon residents sounded off at Monday night’s Planning Commission public hearing on the town’s comprehensive plan amendment for redevelopment surrounding Metro.

The newest version of the plan calls for a 4.5 floor area ratio on the south side of Herndon Parkway and a mixture of 3.5, 1.5 and 0.7 FARs on the north side of the parkway.  An area of land to the east, bordered by Herndon Parkway, the Dulles Toll Road and Fairfax County Parkway will have an FAR of 3.0.

Floor area ratio, or FAR refers to the square footage of the building in relation to the lot, and is a measure of how dense a piece of land may be. For example an FAR of 1.0 would mean the square footage of the building would be the same amount as the square footage of the lot of land it sits on.

In recent weeks the consultants working on the project from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. completed traffic and financial impact studies. The plan suggests a land use mix of 3 percent retail, 50 percent office, 41 percent residential and 6 percent hotel.

Public improvement costs for the area are estimated at $79.7 million, to be paid for through a mixture of proffers, town revenue and other sources.

Traffic improvements would happen throughout the area and would include extra lanes and turn lanes on many streets, an extension to Worldgate Drive from Monroe Street to Herndon Parkway and a road that will run through the land area just north of Herndon Parkway.

Pat Voltmer, who lives in a neighborhood adjacent to the study area, said Herndon’s plan favors developers and consultants who seem to want to turn the area into an urban Metropolis. She said she and her neighbors have expressed their desire for simple access to a Metro station and nothing further.

Voltmer said the plan being looked at offers nothing positive to Herndon’s residents or businesses and would compete with the downtown area. She said the town should focus on a Metro station that reflects Herndon’s small town spirit. She said it should also have good connections for residents to get there, and likes the .

Matt Dykstra said his biggest concern is making sure there is adequate bike and pedestrian access to the area. He said many people live far enough away that they may not walk, but it would be an easy bike ride.

Town of Herndon Senior Planner Kay Robertson said they are trying to ensure that there are pathways available. She said there’s a regional trail that goes through the town and the town will work to make sure the connections to that trail and to the Metro happen.

Planning Commissioner Paul LeReche said one of his top concerns that he is paying attention to is connectivity to the station area for pedestrians and cyclists.

Planning Commissioner Robert Burke said the topic of non-vehicular access to the station is among the top concerns brought up among Herndon residents when it comes to redevelopment near the Metro.

The town’s pedestrian and bike committee have already put together a recommendation for the Planning Commission to consider during the process of the Metro comprehensive plan amendment and it’s something they are keeping in mind, said Planning Commissioner Melissa Jonas.

Herndon resident Barbara Glakas said she supports the comprehensive plan amendment for the Metro. She said she also supports the internal bus service that Voltmer mentioned. She said she hopes the town can get proffers to help support the infrastructure needed.

Glakas said there are already many tall buildings along the entire Dulles Corridor and this will just add to that. She said the town will never be the economic engine of Herndon, but the Dulles Corridor could be.

She said there are no developers involved at this point and if they do want to build something new it still has to come before the town for approval. She said this is a vision for the future and the town should be open to it. “Herndon is not a farm any longer,” she said.

Doug Schuster said he seconds the thoughts of Voltmer. He said it’s easy to get caught up in the development and what it will look like but he’s now asking himself why the town should do anything in the area. He said they already have a nice office development and traffic flows fairly well. He said the town can work to accommodate Metro without making any major changes.

Schuster asked if the town has done cost benefit analyses on what would happen if the town did nothing, as well as for the current plan. He said he questions what the town gets in return for more development.

LeReche said the plan isn’t being created to push the area into redevelopment but to guide developers if they choose to move forward with redevelopment. He said the first stepping stone of the process is to get a plaza touch down from the Metro to the Herndon Parkway. He said if developers choose to redevelop they will have to fall in step with the plan the town puts forth.

Town Councilman Jasbinder Singh said he would like the consultants to prepare a document that lays out all of the assumptions they’re working with in their analyses. He said it would be helpful to see, and he’ll look forward to seeing those assumptions.

The Planning Commission continued the public hearing to Oct. 3, when residents will have another opportunity to voice their thoughts on the comprehensive plan amendment for Metro redevelopment. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Mary Ingram Council Chambers, 765 Lynn St.