Reston Association Slams Move To Increase Population Density (Video)

RESTON, VA -- One by one, Reston Association board members slammed the proposal to increase the population density of Reston through the controversial Planned Residential Community (PRC) zoning amendment, and demanded that Fairfax County do more to address their concerns before moving forward with it.

A meeting that was to be held earlier this week on the issue was called off after hundreds of Restonians packed the Lake Anne Elementary School cafeteria, prompting County Supervisor Cathy Hudgins to cancel the meeting until a bigger space could be booked as the crowd booed.

The PRC zoning amendment would increase the population density from 13 to 16 persons per square acre, which critics argue would cause an explosion in population that Reston is ill-prepared to handle based on its infrastructure.

>>Read more: Reston PRC Zoning Ordinance: 5 Things You Need To Know

In a meeting Thursday night, Sherri Hebert, president of the Reston Association, pointed out that the meeting was cancelled because "so many Restonians came out in their yellow shirts with their red notebooks," and estimated 400 were in attendance.

"The place was packed," she said. "You were definitely having a hard time getting into the door."

She then opened up the floor to the other board members, who each criticized Fairfax County's attempts to move forward with the proposed zoning amendment and expressed concerns about what it would do to Reston as a whole.

Board member Victoria White said that she was "excited" to see many people show up for the event, but would have liked to have seen more younger parents at the meeting to express their concerns.

"For those with kids in school, this matters," she said. "So we really need people to show up with school-age kids or don't have them yet."

Sridhar Ganesan, the board's treasurer, said there was "no reason to increase from 13 to 16 anytime soon."

"Anything that we do really needs to be supported by infrastructure plans," he said. "We are behind the community on this."

Board member Eric Carr pointed to Reston's history as a planned community mapped out 50 years ago. "When they did the math ... they came up with 13 per acre," he said, warning that increasing the limit above 13 could open up the golf courses for redevelopment.

"We all know that the very identity of Reston is at stake," said board member John Mooney, and board member Julie Bitzer called the move to increase the population density an act of putting "the cart before the horse."

"Whether that's infrastructure, education, recreational, some of those things were promised to us," she said. "But where are they? Are they being delivered? Are they even identified and funded?"

Added board secretary Michael Sanio: "Political leadership doesn't appear to be hearing us."

You can watch the Reston Association meeting below. Their comments on the PRC zoning amendment start at around 3:53:00.

Image via Fairfax County