Golf Course Study Group To Look At How Quality-Of-Life Gaps Affect Reston Property Values

RESTON, VA — Reston National Neighborhood Study Group will be examining "quality of life" gaps between north and south Reston and the implications those purported gaps may have on property values.

The study group's announcement comes just over a week after the Hunters Green Cluster rejected the group's proposed invasive plant species mitigation pilot plan at the nearby Reston National Golf Course.

“Our study into the health of our shared tree canopy was a critical first step toward solving a significant issue,” said Greg Hamm, manager of the Reston National Neighborhood Study Group, in a release. “As we move forward, we’re looking at, not just the status quo in Reston, but the roadmap for the next 30 years.”

Hamm, who is president of New City Enterprises, which represents Reston National Golf Course owners Weller Development Co. and War Horse Cities, has been meeting with property owners around the golf course since May 2021 to discuss the invasive plant species issue.

For its latest venture, the study group has hired research and data company DataStory and real estate research firm Tracy Cross & Associates to look at the quality-of-life differences between the communities located north and south of the Dulles Toll Road.

Some of the issues that will be examined include neighborhood walkability, distance to critical amenities, and aging infrastructure. The group plans to finish its study in April and follow it up with a round of community meetings.

Connie Hartke is the president of Rescue Reston, a community action group that has fought development on both of Reston's golf courses. She told Patch in February that the invasive species proposal was a pretext for redevelopment at Reston National.

Hartke sees the study group's latest notion of a "quality-of-life gap" existing between north and south Reston as divisive, calling it self-serving and unfounded.

"We are One Reston," she said. "While most of north Reston may be newer, that does not make south Reston any less desirable. The majority of those who choose to live there enjoy the suburban feel and the amenities while being only a few minutes from everything that all of Reston has to offer."

Hartke pointed to a number of amenities located south of the Toll Road, including VY Reston Heights, Hunters Woods and Fox Mill Shopping Centers, South Lakes Village Shopping Center, and the upcoming Halley Rise and Phase 2 of Reston Station projects. South Reston residents can also enjoy nearby outdoor recreation areas, two lakes, the Walker Nature Center, and the Reston National Golf Course.

"The Study Group was formed and funded by the Baltimore developers who bought the golf course to provide a basis for its commercial development," Hartke said. "It is laughable that their plan to protect Reston's quality of life and home values is to destroy rather than preserve one of our valuable recreational amenities and pieces of open space."

Patch reached out to Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn for comment on the study group's latest proposal, but his office declined the request. Instead, it reaffirmed the supervisor's stated position that he would only back redevelopment of Reston National if it had overwhelming support from the surrounding community.

Previous Reporting:

• Reston National Group Surprised By Rejection Of Proposal: Letter
• Hunters Green Cluster Says No To Invasive Species Plan: Letter
• Invasive Species Pilot Program Proposed For Hunters Green Cluster
• Opinion: Tree Canopy Restoration Needed Around Reston National
• Alcorn: No Golf Course Redevelopment Without Public Support
• Golf Course Redevelopment Seen As Goal Of Invasive Species Focus
• Invasive Species Growing Concern For Reston National Golf Course