First Look: Plans for St. Johns Wood Redevelopment

Bozzuto Development’s plans for redevelopment of St. Johns Wood Apartments are taking shape.

Last fall, the developer filed a proposal with the Fairfax County Planning Commission to redevelop the nine-building, 250-unit garden apartment neighborhood in North Reston into a new complex of 635 new apartments and 34 townhomes.

St. Johns Wood is located at Reston Parkway and Center Harbor Drive close to North Point Village Center. It is one of the few rental complexes in the nearby Buzz Aldrin Elementary School district.

St. Johns Wood is more than a mile from the future Reston Town Center Metro station, so the density of the neighborhood is going to have to be specified as the plan moves forward.

The current Reston Master Plan specifies the neighborhood is high density, but the Phase 2 of the Reston Master Plan, which will be considered by the Fairfax County Planning Commission on Wednesday, recommends lower density. The plan update also calls for Reston neighborhoods, should they be redeveloped, to retain the same character and density.

Bozzuto did not submit a redevelopment proposal during the Reston Master Plan review process. The company did recently submit a letter requesting the right to develop at higher density as permitted under the current Reston Master Plan or a site-specific exception for the property.

The letter may be discussed at the planning commission meeting on Wednesday, where further details on the project will likely be discussed.

Bozzuto reps made a presentation to the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee on Monday and are scheduled to present to the Reston Association Design Review Board on Tuesday.

Bozzuto last met with those groups in December, and the preliminary plans were criticized as too urban for the location, Reston 2020 reports on its website. Reston 2020 also has the full development plan.