CITIZENS ADVISORY WORK GROUP #1

CITIZENS ADVISORY WORK GROUP #1
Guy L. Rando Kathy Kaplan
Reston, Virginia


February 11, 2010

Fairfax County Planning Commissioners
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
Reston Association Planning and Zoning
Reston Association Board of Directors
Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force

Re: Comstock Wiehle Reston Station, RZ/FDP 2009-HM-019

Greetings:

The following letter presents our concerns with the Comstock Wiehle Reston Station proposal as submitted in the January 14, 2010 CDP/FDP and Proffer Statement. At the end of this letter you will find 3D views produced from images provided by Comstock.

The lack of public space and open space, the capacity of the current transportation system to absorb the proposed increase in traffic, a lack of connectivity to nearby trails and other pedestrian pathways, and the negative impact on the surrounding community leads us to the conclusion that this development should be rejected as designed.

There is a clear discrepancy between the amount of development proposed in the Comstock Wiehle development plan and that which can be calculated by observation of the CDP/FDP, the illustrative booklet, and exhibits. The CDP/FDP lists nearly1.3 million sq ft of development, yet calculating the footprints and proposed building heights produces an amount of 3.5 million sq ft. While the area of parking structures may not count towards FAR calculation, they should be added into the total development numbers.

The RCIG covenants and restrictions were administered by Reston Association, a clear indication that RA retains property rights. Those property rights belong to the homeowners of Reston. The deed cannot be vacated or nullified without the permission of the homeowners who own those property rights. It also appears that stripping the lands of Town Center from Reston Association was a violation of the deed. Those lands were part of the Deed of Dedication of Reston and Reston homeowners were never allowed to vote to relinquish Town Center as part of Reston Association.

There is essentially no open space in the Comstock proposal. Human beings require open space. Open space is a requirement for development in Fairfax County’s guidelines. In Block 1 of the proposed development there are 1,000 sq ft of open space and most of that is sidewalk. That is unacceptable.

Sandy Stallman, Manager of Fairfax County Park Planning Branch, states that for 444 residential units there must be 0.00148 acres of parkland per person, or 1.43 acres. That parkland must be on site. Reston Association homeowners are not required to provide parkland for residents of new developments in the corridor. Comstock is responsible for providing parkland for new residents.

The vehicular and pedestrian plaza in the center of the development is about the same size as Lake Anne Plaza. Through the center of the plaza two lanes of traffic will circulate constantly. The exhaust fumes will be trapped in between the 17 and 19 story buildings and the connected above-ground parking garages and a carbon monoxide chamber will be created poisoning people in the plaza. In addition, the plaza will be in shade most of the year, creating a wholly dismal, unhealthy, and claustrophobic environment not suitable for any sort of community event.

The land Comstock Wiehle Station will be built upon is public land owned by Fairfax County. However, areas of that land that will be set aside for residential recreation will be private and not open to the public. This is not a reasonable use of public land.

The Proffer Statement dated January 14, 2010, states that Comstock “shall establish” their own community associations. Residential properties in the RCIG need to come under the umbrella of Reston Association and be subject to the Deed of Dedication of Reston with the Design Review Board in control. The residents of Reston want all new development to fall under Reston Association.

The January 14, 2010, Proffer Statement limits the lifetime amount of fines to be paid by Comstock because of failure of the TDM program to $200,000. That is the limit of Comstock’s liability. That means if traffic is not sufficiently mitigated by their TDM measures, we will have to live with the traffic congestion and wait until such time that VDOT can afford to make road improvements. VDOT Chapter 527 TIA reports that there will be unsatisfactory delays of traffic along Wiehle and Sunset Hills Roads from the traffic associated with Comstock Wiehle Station and the area will be gridlocked.

Under the terms of the CDP/FDP Comstock is under no obligation to build anything beyond the below-ground parking garage until the “market dictates.” The residential building will not be built until Phase 5, almost the last phase. In the January 14, 2010 Proffer Statement the residential component has been reduced from 40% to 37.5%. The county’s comprehensive plan calls for transit-oriented development in the station area. There is no TOD without an adequate residential component. Residential units should be increased, not decreased.

Comstock will get all the benefits from this development. The community will get no benefits from this development. Were new TOD buildings placed over the Toll Road using air rights, as proposed in the Reston-Herndon Suburban Center and Transit Station Areas of the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan (page 30), the area of the park and ride could be the site of parks and recreational facilities set over a green roof above the underground parking garage. That would produce a more acceptable living environment for the residents at Comstock Wiehle, a number including density bonus that could be over 1,300 people.

At the current time Comstock Wiehle Station is not subject to review and evaluation by the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force which has been charged with planning redevelopment in the Dulles Corridor. Because of its size and density it should be included with the other APR nominations deferred to Special Study by the Task Force.

Comstock Wiehle Station as a template will begin the transformation of the Dulles Corridor into a Great Wall resembling Hong Kong. Comstock Wiehle Station cannot be supported by current infrastructure. It violates the Deed of Dedication of Reston. It does not belong in this internationally renowned planned community.

Comstock Wiehle Station development proposal does not fulfill measurable community criteria for quality of life, open space, and clean air and should be rejected.

Please see the 3D images on the following pages of this letter.

Sincerely,


Guy L. Rando
Urban Designer and Landscape Architect
1512 Inlet Court
Reston, VA 20190
(703) 437-3456
RandoforLakeAnne@aol.com


Kathy Kaplan
Poet and Naturalist
11223 Leatherwood Drive
Reston, VA 20191
(703) 476-0516
kwkaplan@aol.com

My Daughter Dancing Yesterday at her 16'th birthday Party

Unused Reston trucks sincde the last snow-maybbe as long as a month?

A lot of Reston trucks have not been used since the last snow or longer. I'm often seeing four at a time as if Reston workers never ride two or more in a truck. There is some s-10's I'm often seeing on the trails four at a time. The trails are not built to sustain vehicle traffic and as a result of vehicles are often deteriorated, broken up on the edges.

Is What we need in Reston is more Flexable Thinking!

Is what I'm thinking we need in Reston is more recreational facilities but flexible thinking! If you say to me that well we don't have enough places for the children to swim so we need to build 50 more lanes so they can swim at between 4 and 6 is what I'm thinking is what about them swimming at 7 or 8 o'clock instead? I'm a swimmer and often find myself swimming in a virtually empty pool by scheduling my swimming at NON PEAK times.



If I were a tennis player who was unhappy that there was no place to play tennis between November and March what about indoor table tennis? What id we set up about a dozen tables right inside our great big community center room and started playing indoor table tennis?



The only reason we don't is because the staff would complain. The staff there are virtually taking over the building expanding their offices at a alarming rate until there may be no more room left at RCC.



The problem is RCC has taken all of our money! We pay about five cents on the hundred dollars of real estate value while McLean pays only 2 cents. Fairfax has taken all of our money! There is nowhere else to go as far as community center. We need to all stand up and holler Cathy Hudgins give us back our money! The old elected RCC board (three back) tried to move in this direction but were prevented by Cathy. The RCA tried to get Reatonincorperated but Cathy prevented it. Meanwhild is what we need is flexable thinking! There's a old Russian Proverb that went If you can't eat the Fish eat a creyfish-Rod Koozmin

Thinking generallhy about urban planning and the new master plan I'm thinking that we may very much want a viable Master plan but what in the world ma

Thinking generallhy about urban planning and the new master plan I'm thinking that we may very much want a viable Master plan but what in the world makes us think we will ever have a successful Master plan?


Where in the world would we go to look for a successful model where there is urban growth?



In my life and places I have been I can only think of Holland. The Dutch had gone through natural disasters and the ravishes of war and moved from being a agricultural country and increased in population in the fifties and emerged in the late sixties as a very pleasant country very much balanced out in terms of parks, transportation, layout of the old sections with apartments overlooking farmland.



I just don't know where we would look for examples of urban growth in Northern Virginia. Annandale where I had lived back in the fifties is horrible and I think is the worse example of an urban center in Northern Virginia.



Mclean where i had lived in the early sixties has absolutely nothing to show as a model of excellence as far as any sort of planning.



I am left to look at Vienna which seems to have some pleasant areas as I sit in gridlock traffic when going through frequently.



And all I can think of as successful locally is revitalization's of older sections of cities. I think the revitalization of the old part of Charlottesville is pleasant. The revitalization of the inner Harbor of Baltimore is pleasant allowing one to wander and find whatever one likes, if it's the old village of little Italy, the water, the diverse eating places. But they had a lot to work with initially.-Rod