An organization that stands to benefit from a potential townhome project plans to communicate with neighbors and share its stance with planning leaders.

The board of directors for the Reston Association, which provides recreational amenities and sets standards for building exteriors, agreed yesterday (Thursday) to draft a letter to get input from residents near the Fannie Mae redevelopment project (11600 American Dream Way).

It’s looking to send the letter to the Reston Planning & Zoning Committee, an advisory board to the Fairfax County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, as the committee looks to vote on a project that involves potentially adding townhomes there.

Board members expressed their interest in having the townhomes be added to the Reston Association, where dues-paying members contribute an annual fee that covers maintenance and operational costs of amenities such as pools and tennis courts.

The organization also stated that it wants to preserve public access to the property, noting that a current arrangement allows people to traverse through the development along American Dream Way to access Plaza America Shopping Center at Sunset Hills Road.

The Planning & Zoning Committee deferred a vote Tuesday (Jan. 25). RA acting CEO Larry Butler said key concerns noted by community members involved the number of townhomes in the project and public access to the shopping plaza.

In other news:

• Irwin Flashman announced his candidacy to run for a board of directors position.
• Director Bob Petrine said the fiscal committee is looking to see whether RA should continue waiving a credit card surcharge that the association absorbs for members when they pay their assessment fee, and the committee could give a recommendation to the board.
• The board agreed to add Reston Arboretum, a yet-to-be-built development at 12700 Sunrise Valley Drive consisting of 40 townhomes, to the Reston Association.
• The board approved a contract with Titan Pool Service for $176,555 for a Ridge Heights pool project.

A residential project at the Reston Arboretum could break ground by the end of this year.

Pulte Homes’ plans are currently going through the final process with Fairfax County to obtain platted lots and grading permits, Julie Pulliam, a spokeswoman for Pulte, told Reston Now.

Pulte expects that process to be completed by the end of this year, which will then mark the start of the land development process, Pulliam said.

The project now calls for 40 townhomes instead of the originally planned 44 single-family attached residential units and a parking garage, Pulliam said. Model units are expected to open in late 2020. Pricing for the townhomes has not been finalized yet, Pulliam added.

The four-story office building currently there will remain on the property at 12700 Sunrise Valley Drive, which is less than half of mile away from the future Herndon Metro station.

The project does not have an estimated completion date yet, Pulliam said.

Image via Google Maps

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will vote on a plan to add a residential component to Reston Arboretum on Oct. 16.

Pulte Homes Corp. seeks to rezone the property from industrial uses to planned development commercial, which would allow the property to be used for office and residential uses.

The proposal calls for 44 single-family attached residential units and a parking garage. A four-story office building, which was built in 1998, will remain on the property. The site has been marketed as within walking distance from the Herndon-Monroe Park & Ride and the future Herndon Metro station.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the project, with one abstention. The project is located at 12700 Sunrise Valley Drive and the vote is docketed for around 3:30 p.m.

Photo via Google Maps