10 Acres Of Open Space Included In New Reston Town Center North Plan

RESTON, VA — Reston residents can expect to find a new community survey in their email box from Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn on Tuesday. The survey seeks to gather public input on the latest configuration of the Reston Towne Center North project.

Alcorn hosted a town hall meeting Monday night to answer questions and receive feedback about the latest project design and its central green.

"We have the central green that was expanded at the suggestion of neighbors here," Alcorn said, at Monday's meeting. "What we're going to see is not just that park. There is a larger component of greenery and open space in Reston Town Center North."

View: Reston Town Center North Survey

The RTCN area broadly encompasses the land to the north of New Dominion Parkway and Bowman Towne Drive, to the east of Town Center Parkway, to the west of Fountain Drive, and to the south of Baron Cameron Run. The various blocks of land are owned by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Inova Health Care and the Fairfax County Park Authority.

The concept of the central green goes back to the 1974, when Gulf Western, Inc. transferred ownership of a 10-acre strip of land in the western part of the RTCN area to the county. That land was to be preserved in its natural state, according to the agreement.

Related: Reston Town Center North Final Recommendations Submitted To Board

Fairfax County and Inova, which own approximately 25.6 acres (55 percent) and 21.4 acres (45 percent) of the 47-acre site, respectively, signed a memorandum of understanding with the RA in 2016 saying that they would preserve 10 acres of open space in RTCN.

That 10 acres would consist of a combination of a public recreation center, the Central Green, tree save and/or urban park, and athletic fields, including related uses, according to an RA release.

In the designs presented by the county and Inova at Monday night's meeting, the 10 acres of open space are achieved by combining Edgewater Park, the central green, tree save areas in Blocks 3 and 4, and a county recreation center and athletic fields located south of Bowman Towne Drive.

The 3.5 acre central green was larger than the 2.7 acre area included in a design approved by RA's Design Review Board in 2018.

The next stage of the RTCN development process is the solicitation of public feedback through the online survey, which started Monday and will run through July 10.

Although the survey is anonymous, it does include voluntary questions about demographics, according to Alcorn, adding that he would give some weight to responses from residents in the areas closest to RTCN.

Once the survey is completed, the design team will incorporate the public input into the plan it intends to submit to the county for approval in mid-January 2025. To reach that goal, a draft plan would need to be finished sometime in November.

"Reston Association looks forward to working with the County in shaping the vision for 10 acres of open space in Reston Town Center North," said Mac Cummins, CEO of the Reston Association, in a letter to Alcorn (See below.) "We are energized by the potential this open spaces offers for RA members and the broader community, especially since Parks, Recreation, and Open Space were recently designated as a Land Use Category in the updated Comprehensive Plan."

"The immediate priority for RTCN is a new Embry Rucker homeless shelter (with some permanent supportive housing units) and a new regional library," Alcorn said, earlier in the month. "These facilities are on track for completion by 2029. My hope is that the central green will also be completed by then, at least the first phase."

The following is a letter that Reston Association CEO Mac Cummins sent to Supervisor Walter Alcorn on Friday.

Dear Supervisor Alcorn,

Good afternoon. I am writing to you to express our interest and excitement for the upcoming discussions around open space planning and programming at the Reston Town Center North portion of larger Reston community. We understand that the meeting scheduled for Monday, July 17 is a kickoff meeting to start the process of programming and design of that space. RA is looking forward to collaborating with you and Fairfax County on this effort to determine the best possible uses for the 10 acres of open space contemplated in the project documents and 2016 memorandum of understanding between Reston Association, Inova and the County.

Reston Association is looking forward to working with the County and being part of the
discussions in the planning for this open space as it is “a key element of the Comprehensive
Plan's recommendations for RTCN.” We are invigorated by the opportunities this parcel can
provide for Reston, whether through green space, athletic fields, some kind of community
facility or a combination of several of these. This open space provides opportunity for
Restonians to enjoy public open areas and tree canopy that is such a large part of Reston’s
unique character and helps to preserve Reston’s green space for years to come. Members of
our staff will attend the meeting on Monday night to hear about how the process and decision making will work going forward and how RA can collaborate on this exciting venture for our
community.

Sincerely,

Mac Cummins

CEO, Reston Association