County Staff Releases Final Version Of Reston Comprehensive Plan Amendment For Review

RESTON, VA — On Wednesday, the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development released the staff report for the proposed Reston Comprehensive Plan, which was the culmination of more than three years of public engagement.

The proposed plan amendment was designed to protect and guide the harmonious development, as well as extend the existing residential densities at Reston's three Village Centers — Hunters Woods, South Lakes, and North Point — while keeping higher, mixed-use density around the Reston Transit Station Areas, according to the staff report.

In addition, the amendment aims to protect, maintain and provide transitions between the higher density of the transit areas and the residential neighborhoods.

County staff provided this summary of its recommendations for the proposed Reston Comprehensive Plan in its report:

• Maintain existing residential densities in the Village Centers. The proposed Plan removes the residential redevelopment option for the current non-residential portions of the Village Centers and adds language which requires an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan for any residential option (up to 20 dwelling units per acre).
• Preserve existing market and committed affordable housing units across the whole of Reston. This amendment introduces Plan language encouraging the preservation of existing market rate and committed affordable housing units consistent with county-wide policy.
• Introduces the concept of Biophilia and the certification of Reston as a Biophilic Community. A Biophilic City designation is defined as “cities that contain abundant nature; they are cities that care about, seek to protect, restore, and grow this nature, and that strive to foster deep connections and daily contact with the natural world.” The proposed Plan includes guidance to emphasize the importance of biophilic design in all future planning and development in Reston.
• Includes a chapter entitled “Planning A New Town.” This chapter provides a focus on the equity, community health, and economic development elements that are key to establishing and maintaining a complete community; and highlights key guidance found in more detail in the other chapters of the Reston Plan regarding Equity, Community Health, and Economic Development.

More detail about the staff's recommendations can be found in Appendix A of the staff report.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn kicked-off the plan review process when he proposed it as a board matter during his first meeting in January 2020 as a newly sworn-in member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Related: Fairfax Supervisors Get Last Look At Draft Reston Comprehensive Plan

Over the subsequent two years, a 31-member task force made up of members of the Reston community conducted 58 meetings, before delivering a 162-page draft amendment for public review.

The lengthy document covered a number of topic areas, including planning principles, heritage resources, transportation, public facilities, land use, affordable housing, parks, environmental stewardship, public art and economic development. In addition, the task force added chapters about community health and equity, which are not currently included in the Fairfax County Plan.

Related: Reston Comprehensive Plan Amendment Raises Fairfax Board's Concerns

Several members of the board of supervisors expressed concern over some of language contained in the draft document, especially in regard to community health and equity.

"To be frank, I'm very concerned that we have what I would consider should be policy plan chapters in the policy plan in the Reston plan," said Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith, who chairs the board's land use committee. "When I think of equity and I think of the policy that this board approved called One Fairfax, our equity chapter needs to be in the policy plan, because we are 'one Fairfax. We can't say that we're going to put these things that are so important to this board in separate sections of the policy plan."

Related: Reston Plan Study Expanded Amid Concerns By Some Fairfax Supervisors

In January, Alcorn introduced a measure to expand the scope of the plan amendment based on the feedback he received from the other supervisors and the county's Department of Planning and Zoning. Alcorn's proposal, which was approved by the board, addressed topics such as community health strategies, revised guidance related to heritage resources, and the land use and density of Reston's village centers.

After receiving input from the supervisors, members of the task force, and the public, county staff presented an initial final draft to the supervisors at the end of April. The general consensus among supervisors was that the draft was an improvement over the document that they first reviewed last October.

The next step for the plan amendment will be Fairfax County Planning Commission's public hearing, which is scheduled for June 14. At the end of the public hearing, the commissioners will vote on whether to recommend the draft amendment to the board of supervisors, who have scheduled a public hearing for its July 25 meeting. This will be the final chance for the public to provide feedback on the amendment before the supervisors vote on its adoption.

Reston Comprehensive Plan Review Schedule

• Community Meeting with Hunter Mill Planning Commissioner John Carter : June 6, at 6:30 p.m., at South Lakes High School Lecture Hall, 11400 South Lakes Drive, Reston.
• Planning Commission Public Hearing: June 14, 7:30 p.m.
• Board of Supervisors Public Hearing: July 25, at 4 p.m.