Controversial St. Johns Wood Plan Will Get More Time for Tweaks

Karen Goff October 4, 2016 at 2:30pm

Bozzuto’s plan to more than double the size of St. Johns Wood apartments will not go before the Fairfax County Planning Commission later this month.

The plan — which has received heavy criticism from nearby North Reston residents — will turn the 250 units in nine garden-style buildings into 467 units and 46 townhouses. They will be rental units.

That’s scaled down from the starting point for 625 units in 2014 and then 511 units and 51 townhouses in an amended plan earlier this year.

The public hearing, scheduled for Oct. 26, has been moved at Bozzuto’s request to a date TBD, according to the planning committee agenda. This will give Bozzuto more time to tweak the plan and respond to citizen concerns.

Some of the complaints from residents: poor design; too much development too far from the future Reston Town Center Metro station; traffic on Center Harbor and North Village Drive; and parking on side streets.

St. Johns Wood is in a wooded, residential area across from North Point Village Center.

Bozzuto reps have said the complex at Reston Parkway, North Village Road and Center Harbor Road was identified for high density as far back as when Reston was first planned in 1964.

Meanwhile, Reston Association’s Board of Directors has sent a letter to Bozzuto detailing its concerns about the redevelopment plans. RA president Ellen Graves says the St. Johns Wood application “does not conform to the site-specific, detailed and unambiguous recommendations of the Reston Master Plan.”

RA does not have approval capabilities of the application. It can take a stance, but the decision ultimately comes from the Fairfax County Planning Commission and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

See the entire RA document below.

FINAL 092816 RA Letter Regarding St Johns Wood Application (1) by Karen Goldberg Goff on Scribd