Final Reston Comprehensive Plan Study Review Meeting Set For Monday

RESTON, VA — On Monday, members of the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study Task Force are scheduled to hold their final meeting to discuss or endorse changes to the draft recommendations they submitted at the end of February. The task force will also draft the community health chapter of the report.

The meeting will take place at 5 p.m., on Monday, and will be hosted on Webex. Members of the public can call in and listen to the meeting by dialing 1-844-621-3956, and using the following access code when prompted: 2342 109 5431. The meeting will also be live-streamed on YouTube.

Since the task force originally released its draft recommendations in February, county staff has been making edits to the document that will guide development in Reston over the next decade.

The draft report covers 14 topic areas: planning principles, heritage resources, transportation, public facilities, land use, affordable housing, parks, environmental stewardship, public art, economic development, community health and equity. The final two principles — community health and equity — are something new for planning in Reston.

Related: New Vision For Reston Planning Proposed In Task Force Study

In May, the task force began meeting again to review and endorse recommended changes submitted by county staff. Monday's meeting will be the final one scheduled as part of the task force review process. In the coming weeks, county staff will complete its staff report and final recommendations.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn's office is finalizing the dates for a series of community engagements later this fall. This will give the public an opportunity to provide feedback on the recommendations before they're sent to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for final approval.

Shortly after being sworn in as the Hunter Mill representative to the county board on Jan. 14, 2020, Alcorn kicked off the comprehensive review plan process with the introduction of his first board matter. What followed was 45 meetings involving a 31-member task force made up of local leaders, community activists and representatives of organizations with an interest in planning and development. The goal was to update the county document that guides future growth in the Reston area for the first time since 2017.

Back in January 2020, Alcorn predicted the whole comprehensive review process would take 12-18 months. Of course, two months later, the county's focus shifted toward its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While that was going on, the task force met remotely and community health became a particular focus.

"The task force struck out on some new ground and looked at community health issues as informed by recent events, but also looking at the overall community health and not just physical health but also mental health issues in the community, and how those might be addressed through the comprehensive plan going forward," Alcorn said, in May.