A public space activist group is trying to fight increased density in Reston.
Reclaim Reston, a grassroots organization comprised of Reston residents, on Monday asked the Fairfax Board of Supervisors to issue a moratorium on proposed zoning ordinance amendments from the county’s Department of Planning & Zoning, as well as on approval of any development projects that haven’t yet been submitted.
“Many of the members of the public who have already signed the Reston Moratorium petition have expressed concerns that the things that attracted them to live in Reston, such as ample parks, trails and recreation facilities, quality schools, and reasonable commute times, are at risk as new development proceeds apace,” said Bruce Ramo, a member of Reclaim Reston.
The proposed zoning amendments would change the population density cap in Reston’s Planned Residential Community District, bumping the overall limit on people per acre in Reston’s PRC from 13 to 16. It would also allow for the Board of Supervisors to be able to approve individual developments in excess of 50 dwelling units per acre in TSAs within the PRC and when in accordance with Comprehensive Plan recommendations.
Reclaim Reston fears that the proposal would harm the safety, health, well-being and property values for citizens in the area. Ramo explained that he recognizes the County’s priority is economic development, but said other things are suffering because of this hyper focus.
“The engine driving greater density is far more powerful than that for the schools, parks, roads and other infrastructure needed to support the new residents and to maintain the overall safety and quality of living for the existing population,” Ramos said.
The DPZ says the current limitation of 13 persons per acre in the Reston PRC “cannot support the amended Master Plan.” It says an increase to 16 persons per acre would allow for up to 18,737 more people in the long term, beyond the current cap.
Reston’s PRC District is currently at about 11.9 persons per acre.
The letter from the group to the county states the following:
“We believe that it is critical for the Board of Supervisors to invoke a temporary moratorium on both zoning changes for increased density in Reston, and approval of new Reston development projects (not yet submitted to the County), pending a firm plan linking planned growth and infrastructure funding.”
When asked if Reclaim Reston is willing to comprise with the County and increase the population cap incrementally, Ramo said no.
“A moratorium means a moratorium,” he said. “Keeping the community’s hand on the spigot of density is the best means currently available to us to assure that that the County complies with the requirement of the Reston Master Plan for phased development and infrastructure.”
People in agreement with Reclaim Reston can sign the petition online.
Lake Newport, North Hills, Lake Audubon and Autumnwood were winners at the Reston Swim Team Association meet Saturday. Several individual and relay records were beaten as well, making for an exciting day.
Lake Newport Lightning 626, Hunters Woods Blue Marlins 486
While Lake Newport got the win, the Hunters Woods team toppled some long-standing records.
Blue Marlins teammates J. Ham, C. Yang, P. Pan and M. Beach set a new record in the boys’ 15-18 200-meter medley relay with a time of 2:01.23, besting a time set in 1997. A new team record in the boys’ 15-18 50-meter backstroke was also set by Jack Henry Ham with a time of 28.95, topping a record from 1986.
Anna Redican, of the Lake Newport team girls’ 15-18 50-meter, beat her own backstroke record from June 10. Her time of 32.66 was about two-tenths of a second better than her previous time.
For Lake Newport, double event winners were Aiden Smith, Finley Smith, Jack Edgemond, Mara Redican, Raj Vats and Zoe Van Winckel. Triple event winners were Anna Redican, Deanna Tipler, Joseph Redican, Julia Wang, Michael Zhou, Nathan Ho and William Kohn.
For Hunters Woods, double event winners were Abigail Skinner, Fiona Elster, Grace
Meade, John Evans, Kacy Darling, Megan Lee and Megan Slater. Triple event winners were Andrew Li, Gwyneth Wagner and James Skelton.
North Hills Hurricanes 556, Ridge Heights Sharks 533
Gabriel Huang of North Hills set a new team record of 21:05 for the butterfly stroke in the boys’ 8 and under 25-meter. The old record was set in 1999.
For North Hills, double event winners were Evan Zhang, Evelyn Brabant, Joseph Sciortino, Katie Cazenas, Lacey Turner, Marlee Czarny, Samantha Sciortino and Zariya Khan. Triple event winners were Corey Clark, Fiona Shaw, Gabriel Huang and Sarah Sciortino.
For the Ridge Heights Sharks, double event winners were Charles Buckreis, Edith Chaddock, Ella Handerahan, Ethan McCrea, Hailey Brown, Hailey Wang, Ian Hansing, Marc Sipher, Paige Sogandares, Ryan Erickson and Spencer Blase. Triple event winners were Evan Blase, Josh Zhang and Shilai Li.
Lake Audubon Barracudas 657, Glade Dolphins 466
For Lake Audubon, double event winners were Ben Lammers, Catherine Evans,
Daniel Spigarelli, Dennis Jackson, Erik Harriot, Jaelyn Cafiero-Bladek, Kian Elliott, Max Daum, Mitchell Vikhman, Sasha Osinovsky, Sophia Randall, Wyatt Barcus and Zachary Bell. Triple event winners were Emily Fritz, Marley Mulvaney, Matthew Fritz and Troy Elliott.
For Glade, double event winners were Amelia Flavin, Evan Pan-Wang, Lillian Swartzbaugh, Mary Barker, Nicholas Bowen, Phoebe Warstler and Sam Joyner. Triple event winners were Amanda Wagner, Andy Carro, Clara Landeryou, Marco Anguizola, and Sophia Landeryou.
Autumnwood Piranhas 520.5, Lake Anne Stingrays 515.5
For Autumnwood, double event winners were Anne Kennedy, Curtis Bushee, Delaney Kirr, Logan King, Megan Luczko, Sara Norford, Shea Willson, Vikrant Mahajan, William Bertoni and William Bolster. Triple event winners were Andrew Freeman, Andrey Smiryagin, Deep Murthy and Sophia Kennedy.
For Lake Anne, double event winners were Allie Cramer, Charlotte Holmquist, Fred Zhang, Ian Henry, Joseph Dealey and Morgan Stup. Triple event winners were Aaron Cramer, Andy Chen, Jacqui Go and Sean Henry.
Information and photos provided by Radhika Murari
Captions, from top: From left, Sophie Mulaire, Allysa Gilbreath and Page Schiavone of North Hills race to the finish in 50-meter butterfly; Karan Murari of the Glade Dolphins plays The Star-Spangled Banner with help from fellow Dolphin David Clark; Wyatt Barcus of Lake Audubon works the backstroke.
At its meeting Thursday (view agenda), the Reston Association Board of Directors will hold public hearings on a hunting request and a pipeline easement.
In 2014, the Board voted to allow residents of Sourwood Lane to hire a hunting service to help control the deer population in the area. Clearance to hunt was provided for three years, and now residents of 11624, 11626 and 11632 Sourwood Lane are asking for three more.
According to applicants Larry and Jan Gsellman, Rodney Jones, and James and Margo Sterling:
“During the first permit that ends in August 2017 a total of approximately 14 deer were removed from the two herds that had traveled our property. In spite of this we continue to see significant damage to plantings. The purpose of the renewal of the hunt is to continue reducing the deer population in and around our properties [to] a level that is sustainable.”
The applicants say they want to curb the spread of tick-borne Lyme disease and stop devastation of vegetation in the area. Suburban Whitetail Management of Northern Virginia would conduct the hunts, as it has in previous years.
A notification letter was sent out to residents in the area. Four responded with messages of approval, including one that said “deer sightings in the neighborhood have fallen off significantly [since 2014], and I feel sure the program has reduced the local risks of disease and potential traffic accidents.” Two responded negatively, including one who expressed fears about the danger of hunting to people, pets, structures and vehicles in the immediate area.
Any hunting would have to take place at least 50 yards from an occupied residence, with the exception of the requesting lot owners’ residences, and 50 yards away from any street, sidewalk, trail, pathway, bus stop, playground or other public place.
The other public hearing on the meeting’s agenda is a request from Williams/Transco Pipeline for an exclusive easement and right of way over a Reston Association common area. The area of interest is located off North Shore Drive, next to RA’s Golf Course Island plot. The discussion about this request began in the fall of 2016 and remains unresolved.
Williams/Transco currently has a 135-foot-wide easement to their pipelines, but they are requesting more easement so they can add additional equipment, such as valves. If this request is granted, Williams/Transco will have exclusive access to the allotted parcel of land.
During a board meeting on May 25, the Reston Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to continue negotiating with Williams/Transco and to hold a public hearing at their next meeting on June 22. A panel of the Design Review Board approved a site plan submitted by Williams/Transco, with the exception of a few enhancements which Williams/Transco agreed to change.
The meeting will be held Thursday, beginning at 6:30 p.m., at RA Headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive). It will also be streamed live on RA’s YouTube channel.
Maps via Reston Association
A Herndon man is one of three suspects arrested early Saturday morning after a Loudoun County sheriff’s deputy responded to a larceny in progress in Sterling.
The incident took place at a store in the 24000 block of Dulles Landing Drive, where security reported at about midnight that three suspects had stolen several electronics items and forced entry into the jewelry case. An LCSO deputy confronted the suspects, at which time police say one of the men lifted his shirt and revealed a handgun. The deputy took the man to the ground and the weapon was secured.
The suspects were identified as Anthony A. Moaf, 20, of Herndon; Jalen P. McMahan, 22, of Centreville; and Angel L. Gaskins, 24, of Centreville. Moaf was arrested and charged with impersonating a police officer, carrying a concealed weapon, grand larceny, destruction of property, public intoxication and conspiracy to commit a grand larceny. McMahan was charged with grand larceny, conspiracy to commit a grand larceny, possession with intent (Schedule IV), possession of a controlled substance (Schedule IV) and manufacturing possessing/distributing narcotics. Both men are being held at Loudoun County Adult Detention Center with bond.
Gaskins was charged with grand Larceny, conspiracy to commit a grand larceny and public intoxication. He was released on a secured bond.
In other crime news, a woman in the 13300 block of Coppermine Road in Herndon reported an indecent exposure between 4:30-5 a.m. Saturday. She said a black man was standing on a fence near her residence when he exposed himself and touched himself inappropriately. Officers did not find the suspect, who was described as being about 5 feet 9 inches, between 140 and 160 pounds.
FCPD also reported in the past week:
LARCENIES:
2100 block of Astoria Circle, gun from residence
2400 block of Centreville Road, cell phone from business
2200 block of Ferdinand Porsche Drive, property from business
13100 block of Fox Hunt Lane, license plates from vehicle
12000 block of Glade Drive, merchandise from business
1500 block of Moorings Drive, bicycles from residence
1900 block of Reston Metro Plaza, merchandise from business
11800 block of Saint Trinians Court, medication from vehicle
2100 block of San Moritz Circle, Four-wheeler from residence
11100 block of South Lakes Drive, groceries from business
2300 block of Soapstone Drive, food from business
2000 block of Sunset Hills Road, golf cart from business
STOLEN VEHICLES:
None reported
Anyone with information about any of the incidents reported by FCPD should call 703-691-2131 or 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or text “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES(274637).
Reston Association is searching for members of the community to volunteer for a number of committees.
Members are needed for the Covenants Committee, Fiscal Committee and Elections Committee, as well as the Design Review Board. Residents appointed to a committee must serve for three years, unless otherwise stated.
The Covenants Committee oversees property values by ensuring that their physical appearances are properly maintained. The committee does this with the help of the Use and Maintenance Covenants, which are outlined in the Reston Deed of Dedication. According to RA, the covenants “were developed, in part, to ensure that properties are kept in good repair, acceptable in appearance and substantially similar to their original condition. The covenants require that the property, and any improvement or alteration, be kept in good condition so that it does not have a detrimental or adverse effect on other properties in the community.”
RA members who live in the Hunter Woods/Dogwood district are encouraged to apply for this committee.
The Fiscal Committee is responsible for RA’s monthly financials, draft budgets and annual audits. According to RA, it “advises the Board of Directors on the sound fiscal management of Reston Association’s resources.” People with financial backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply.
The Elections Committee is primarily in charge of the annual Board of Directors elections, when three board members are elected each  spring. Members of this committee do not meet as regularly as other committee members.
The Design Review Board is in charge of supervising the exterior alterations made to properties in Reston. Members use the Reston Association’s Design Guidelines when inspecting the various properties. There is one current opening on the DRB, for a 20-month term through March 2019.
Anyone interested in a position must apply by July 14 at 5 p.m.
