Reston HOA Needs To Find $37 Million To Pay For Lake Anne Plaza Repairs

RESTON, VA — A Reston homeowners association faces more than $37 million in repairs to its aging infrastructure, according to a new report from the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (FCDPWES).

Members of the Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association (LARCA) board asked Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn's assistance early in the year after several significant infrastructure issues within the community came to light. The most notable of these was when the Quayside condominiums went without hot water for several months last winter.

Architectural firm Samaha Associates conducted a cursory conditions assessment during several visits to LARCA-owned property in June and July. The HOA represents 131 unit owners, both residential and commercial, in the village center complex, which was built from 1963 to 1967.

In addition to its visual survey of the five buildings in the plaza area — the Market-deli, Chimney House (Commercial Plaza), Chimney House (“J” Building), Quayside and Heron House, Samaha reviewed available documentation. This included construction documents and plans, as well as meeting with LARCA representatives to see what recent work had been done.

Samaha and FCDPWES presented their findings during a meeting Monday night hosted by Alcorn at the Reston Community Center Lake Anne.

Samaha's survey found the buildings and parking lots in the Lake Plaza complex showed signs of aging that would require significant repairs. These included damage and distress to concrete surfaces and brick exteriors, as well as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems that dated to the mid-1960s.

Samaha divided its recommendations into five categories (Code 1-5), with Code 1 signifying issues that presented significant safety concerns that needed to be addressed immediately.

One of the initial warnings from engineers made while the assessment was being conducted over the summer concerned the planters on the balconies of the 15-story Heron House condominium building. The deteriorating concrete of the planters presented a serious hazard for residents.

Code 5 concerned issues that should be addressed when feasible, including repairs that owners/users might make to improve their property. Samaha's survey only looked at public spaces and did not include assessments of individual properties.

In the end, Samaha found that LARCA faced significant infrastructure challenges, which conservatively could cost an estimated $20 million to repair. On top of that, the report identified an estimated $17 million in additional, less critical repairs, bringing the total to $37 million.

In presenting Samaha's findings, F. Thomas Lee, a principal with the company, stressed the report was just a surface assessment. A deeper examination could reveal even more pressing structural issues, which would mean additional costs.

"Obviously, if things are deferred further, then there's a potential for greater deterioration and additional costs," he said. "There's also the understanding that if you deferred maintenance for longer, paying for it in a future year market may be more expensive due to escalation in costs."

Related: Lake Anne's Aging Infrastructure Reviewed By Fairfax County

Once the meeting opened up to questions, several suggestions were made about how to pay for the repairs, including applying for tax credits, leveraging the plaza's status as an historic district and turning to the county for assistance.

"This is really not something that the county can come in and say, 'Hey, you guys. Here's the answer," Alcorn said. "This is really going to have to be a community engagement exercise."

Toward the end of the meeting, Alcorn told the audience they were already facing hurdles beyond the monetary ones presented by the report that had to be addressed before the community could move forward.

"One of the challenges that, frankly, you have as a community, as LARCA, is coherence," he said. "The divisions in the community are well known. It's important, given the allegation of criminal activities."

In 2020, newly elected LARCA President Senzel Schaefer initiated a forensic review of spending by the previous board, according to RestonNow. This came after Fairfax County Police initiated a criminal investigation of the community association.

"The honest to God truth is, nobody will touch this community," Alcorn said. "I just wanted to say that. That's something else that you're going to have to do directly. So, I would encourage you to be thinking beyond those divisions to what's next."

Several meeting attendees broke into applause at Alcorn's remark.

After the meeting, Karen Jarvis, LARCA's secretary-treasurer, said she was not surprised by most of Samaha's findings.

"As a historical property this is kind of what you get along with it," she said. "I think some of the numbers and some of the things that are included, it's going to take time. That's why they gave codes. I'm anxious to get to read the report. This is my first opportunity to do that."

LARCA's next steps would be to look at the challenges that Samaha presented, think creatively and addresses the priority issues first, which Jarvis said was "completely doable."