The five candidates in the 2016 Reston Association Board of Directors elections discussed topics such as RA’s future, a planned code of conduct policy, transparency, communications and more at a RA Candidates Forum on Thursday.
Elections opened Monday and run until April 4.
There are five people running for three board seats. Read these previous profiles on Reston Now:
North Point: Dannielle LaRosa (unopposed)
Lake Anne/Tall Oaks: Sherri Hebert (unopposed)
At-Large: Eve Thompson; John Bowman; April Tan
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) signed a bill into law on Wednesday that will limit proffers, which local governments rely on to get builders to contribute to park, roads and other improvements in exchange for development.
As the bill went through the House and Senate, many local governments, including Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors and Reston Association, asked the governor to amend or not sign the legislation.
The law requires that proffers be limited to offsetting impacts that are directly attributable to new residential developments, such as traffic. The restrictions do not apply to high-density areas, commercial developments or neighborhoods near Metro stations.
The law is effective July 1, 2016.
This is important time in Reston, which is undergoing a period of multifamily housing growth as it turns towards being a transit-oriented community. However, most of that growth will occur near Metro stations, so the impact here remains to be seen.
Reston Association President Ellen Graves, who wrote a letter to the governor last month voicing the association’s opposition to the bills, said the final version looks to pretty much leave Reston alone due to parameters of Reston’s Master Plan.
“It’s good for us,” Graves said Thursday. “The final version excludes all pending zoning applications and all residential or residential/mixed use [applications] located in an area near existing or future Metro. ”
This is an op-ed from Reston resident Colin Mills. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.
It seems like you can’t open your computer or turn on your TV these days without hearing about this year’s presidential election. If you follow the news at all, you’ve been bombarded with stories about the candidates and their plans for the country.
But there’s another election going on right now, one that has a direct impact on our community, and you’ve probably barely heard about it at all. I’m referring to the Reston Association Board of Directors’ election taking place this month.
They say that decisions are made by the people who show up. And when it comes to deciding who’s on the RA board, far too few Restonians are showing up with their vote.
Even though the ballot and electronic information are mailed or emailed right to you, and even though voting online or by mail takes just a couple of minutes, turnout in these elections usually hovers in the 15-percent to 20-percent range.
It seems that a lot of Restonians don’t know about the election or think it’s important enough to vote. That’s a shame, because who represents us on the RA board matters a great deal to the future of our community.
There are countless ways in which the RA board affects the future of Reston, but today I’ll focus on one: the development and redevelopment of our community.
For better or for worse, Reston is changing. The Silver Line is a reality now, and every time you drive past the Wiehle-Reston East station or over by the Reston International Center, you can see that change is underway.
The new development sparked by the Silver Line will bring a lot of opportunities and challenges here in Reston. On the positive side, it will bring new jobs, an influx of younger residents, and exciting new shops and restaurants. On the other hand, it will also bring more traffic, more pollution, and more demands on our facilities, our infrastructure, our open space. Read More
This is an op-ed from Reston resident Terry Maynard. It does not represent the opinion of Reston Now.
It is time for that annual RA ritual: The election of members to the RA Board of Directors. There are three positions up for election this year, one At-Large position and two district seats.
The only contested election is the At-Large race among three candidates. I recommend voting for John Bowman, whom I have known and worked with for nearly a decade on the RCA Board, the Reston Master Plan Task Force, and Reston 20/20. He has also worked on RA’s Transportation Committee for several years.
I have found John to have an uncanny ability to look at Reston’s many issues from diverse angles and balance those considerations in making decisions that served all Reston, not just a single faction or location. In doing so, he communicates openly and listens to all points of view, values that need greater attention on the RA Board.
He also appreciates the financial burden we share in making Reston a better place, and he would oppose unwise future RA investments or expenditures, such as the exorbitant Tetra purchase. In brief, John believes in the principles that make Reston a unique master planned community, and he will work to advance them wisely and openly.
The two district representative candidates are running unopposed, but, yes, they both need your vote! Read More
Reston Association had been running Q-and-As this week with the five candidates for the 2016 RA Board of Directors elections. Voting begins Monday. Today’s chat is with Eve Thompson, who currently serves as Lake Anne/Tall Oaks Director but is running for re-election to an At-Large seat. Editor’s note: Thompson’s business, Reston Real Estate, is an advertiser on Reston Now.
Reston Now: What makes you want to serve — or continue to serve — on the RA Board?
Eve Thompson: Great question — I would say that the main reason is the desire to serve and the feeling that it’s important. Contributing to the governance of the community is important work.
RN: What is the biggest issue facing RA right now and do you have an idea to improve it?
ET: I think our biggest challenge is to maintain and strengthen what makes Reston “Reston” in the midst of so much development. I think one of the keys to maintaining the things that make Reston unique will be in the development of the Urban Guidelines for application within the “corridor” that runs from above Wiehle Ave and Sunrise Valley to Monroe. That is a major initiative to be accomplished in the next 12 – 18 months.
RN: How can RA members better understand what the board does and how can they be better involved in improving our community?
ET: It’s amazing that with untold volumes of information available to us that it is so hard to keep up with what’s happening. RA tries hard to make everything available in as many formats as possible. We have an outstanding website that has lots of information about the Board goals, programs, new development, etc. We have a weekly e-mail newsletter that covers a whole host of topics. And of course we have RestonNow, providing very current, topical information on the issues that are consuming RA’s time and attention.
What Members can do is to come and hear and speak, either in person or via email to the Board on the topics that concern them. Member input is invaluable.
RN: Some of the criticism of RA recently is wasteful spending, lack of transparency and rising assessments. What can be done to improve or at least improve perceptions of all of these things?
ET: I’ll take transparency first. The claim that the RA Board suffers from a lack of transparency is I believe, an enormous source of frustration for all of the current Board Members. It’s also a charge that’s very difficult to fight. The truth is that with very few exceptions everything that’s going to be discussed is discussed in open meetings. The use of Executive Session is limited to Personal and Contractual matters. It’s like being asked “So when did you stop beating your wife?” It’s a loaded question that presumes guilt — as a current Board Member I’m saying “Not guilty!” Read More
Reston Now is running Q-and-As with the 2016 candidates of Reston Association’s Board of Directors. Voting opens March 7. Today’s chat is with John Bowman, who is seeking an At-Large spot.
Reston Now: What makes you want to serve on the RA Board?
John Bowman: I view the opportunity to participate on the RA Board of Directors as a naturalprogression from my previous community service efforts.
I have been a Reston resident since 1985 and have followed a typical member behavior of progressing from: 1) not really being aware of issues that impact the RA community due to career and family focus; 2) to having awareness only to the amount of increases in the RA assessment; and 3) finally to having a sense of community responsibility the desire to give back.
My desire to give back to the community was aroused first by land use issues impacting south Reston and grew as I immersed myself into the county and state processes by which land use is controlled. I found that the average RA member who might have interest in an issue is ill-equipped to meaningfully influence land use outcomes. Read More
Reston Association Board of Directors elections begin March 7. Reston Now is running Q-and-As with candidates this week. Meet Dannielle LaRosa, who is seeking re-election to the North Point director’s seat. She is running unopposed.
Reston Now: What makes you want to serve — or continue to serve — on the RA Board?
Dannielle LaRosa: I love this job! I have enjoyed representing you, making sure that you are informed of changes in our community and making it my priority to protect your assessment dollars. During 2015, my efforts yielded savings of $50 to every member’s assessment; a proposed assessment increase of $65 was limited to $15.
I want to serve on the Board because I would like to continue to protect your assessment dollars, maximize the return you receive and ensure that funds are spent for the greatest good of the community. My extensive financial background brings a unique perspective to RA’s board. I will continue to focus on RA’s financial policies, systems and results. I’d also like to identify alternative payment options that will make it easier for our members to pay the annual assessment.
RN: What is the biggest issue facing RA right now and do you have an idea to improve it?
DL: The biggest issue is future development and how RA effectively manages that development while maintaining Reston’s unique character and community. RA’s land use attorneys will be critical in efforts to monitor and manage this development. It is also imperative that RA continues to foster effective relationships and provide numerous avenues for communication with our members, with developers and with the county. Members must know that their opinions are needed, are valued and will make a difference.
Reston Now is running Q-and-As with the Reston Association Board of Directors candidates as the 2016 board election begin March. 7. Today’s chat is with April Tan, who is one of three candidates running for the At-Large Seat.
Reston Now: What makes you want to serve on the RA Board?
April Tan: As a leader in her career, church and community in New York, my adopted grandmother, Peggy Joyce, taught me about volunteer leadership in the 1980s. Read More
Reston Now will run Q-and-As with the five candidates running for Reston Association Board seats this spring. The election opens on March 7.
Today’s Q-and-A is with Sherri Hebert, who is running unopposed for the Lake Anne/Tall Oaks seat.
Reston Now: What makes you want to serve on the RA Board?
Sherri Hebert: The simple answer is the old cliché — “I want to make a difference” — meaning I want to look back in 20 years and say “I am proud to have been a part of making Reston an even better place to live, work, and play.”
I want to preserve the very things that make Reston great — its village centers, its open space and recreational facilities, and its walkable and bike-able neighborhoods–and help make them even better in the future.
I also want more community involvement in RA and the Board’s activities. As a district representative, my responsibility would include informing residents of issues facing the Board and listen to and bring issues from them to the Board’s attention. Read More
Reston Association’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to at least listen to and discuss the plight of Longwood Grove homeowners, who say their peace and quiet at home in Reston is being disturbed 365 days a year from a noisy dog park nearby.
While RA can listen to members and discuss the matter with the Fairfax County Park Authority, it likely does not hold any authority as the off-leash dog area sits in Baron Cameron Park, which is owned by the park authority. Read More
Jefferson Apartment Group’s (JAG) plans for Tall Oaks Village Center will be delayed as the developer conducts a market study examining the area’s retail viability.
JAG’s plan, which had been slated to go before the Fairfax County Planning Commission in early May, is for 150 homes and about 7,000 square feet of retail space. It has not been well-received by community members or Reston Association, which said in a letter to county officials last summer that the plan fell “woefully short” on retail and community space.
JAG’s latest plan features a variety of townhomes, 2-over-2 townhouses and condos and about 7,000 square feet (up from the original plan for 3,000 SF) of retail, and what critics say is limited open space.
JAG representatives said at community meetings in spring of 2015 that Tall Oaks’ current 70,000-square-foot retail space — which went from 90 percent occupied in 2007 to 13 percent in 2015 — was not viable.
They said they shopped the store vacancies, including the 25,000-square-foot anchor/grocery store space, to retailers but there was no interest. Read More
Reston Association set to hire Christopher Consultants to do civil engineering work on the new plans for the Pony Barn Recreation site.
RA recently put out a request for proposals. Four proposals were received and reviewed, it said.
Christopher Consultants is a Fairfax-based group that has done work for Springfield Town Center, The National Zoo, Mount Vernon, Arlington’s Long Bridge Park, Dulles Sportsplex and many more.
The firm’s tasks will include development of a minor site plan, ensuring ADA compliance for site features, addressing Fairfax County code requirements, and coordinating with the Pony Barn Working Group.
RA says its Design Review Board will consider site plans for the renovations in late spring or early summer before submitting the plans to Fairfax County.
After discussing for over a year what should be done to remodel and repurpose the aging picnic pavilion and surrounding land at Steeplechase Drive and Triple Crown Road, the RA Board approved the renovation plan in July.
The remodeling plan began as an idea to add a concrete floor to the pavilion but in the end morphed into a total remodeling of the small park, including a playground accessible for people with disabilities, a tot lot, a paved pathway, a historical information kiosk, cooking grills and a deck to overlook a butterfly garden.
The makeover has also upped the price tag from $30,000 to about $350,000. Money is available in the capital budget, but RA has said it is also looking into partnerships.
The Pony Barn area was once the site of an actual pony barn in Reston’s early days. It currently has a swing set, a grill, a small parking area, a grassy area and a picnic pavilion with a mulched floor.
RA asked members for ideas at a series of meetings in summer 2014, where the mention of a Memorial Garden of Reflection, endorsed by the Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR) caused some friction among citizens.
By late 2014, that idea was tabled, and a Pony Barn Working Group was formed. The group came up with the current proposal.
Advocacy group Reston 2020 is offering a suggestion on how the planned redevelopment at Tall Oaks Village Center could better preserve green space and add more retail to serve the neighborhood.
Tall Oaks Village Center is planned for redevelopment by new owner Jefferson Apartment Group (JAG). JAG is planning to make the center mostly residential, with 156 residential units (garden-style condos, townhouses and two-over-two townhouses) and up to 7,000 square foot of retail on the site of the nearly empty 70,000-square-foot village center at Wiehle Avenue and North Shore Drive.
JAG tweaked its design last spring after citizens said they were disappointed in the early plan for only about 3,000 square foot of retail. Read More
More than 50 Longwood Grove homeowners are asking for Reston Association’s assistance in finally quieting the noise from the Baron Cameron Park Dog Park.
The homeowners told RA in a letter/petition on Feb. 1 that it “Despite neighbors’ best efforts to encourage the [Fairfax County] Park Authority to effectively manage and create a sustainable solution for coexistence, we conclude that the only viable option is to close and relocate the dog park.”
The Reston Association Board of Directors will discuss the homeowners’ request its monthly meeting on Thursday and may decide to more formally discuss the matter in March.
It is unclear what, if anything, RA can do about the dog park, which is located in a Fairfax County Park Authority Park and not on Reston Association property.
The issue is not a new one. The dog park has been at Baron Cameron since 2001. The Longwood Grove owners — who are separated from the park by noise-reducing fencing material, four lanes of Wiehle Avenue traffic and several hundred feet — have been bothered by the noise pretty much ever since.
In recent years, the neighbors have asked the park authority to move the off-leash area farther into the park or to shut down the location and move it to Lake Fairfax Park, which has much more separation from private homes.
In March of 2014, five Longwood Grove homeowners filed suit against the FCPA and Reston Dogs, Inc., a nonprofit group that formerly ran the dog area, saying the park constitutes a private nuisance.
The complaint cited several previous Virginia rulings dealing with the definition of a nuisance. It claimed the residents are likely to suffer “irreparable harm from the dogs barking and fighting” and have no legal remedy other to quiet the noise other than to ask for an injunction to shut down the park.
The case was dismissed by a Fairfax County judge in March of 2015.
The recent letter from the Longwood Grove residents to the RA Board says “the negative impact of this park feature on our neighborhood is severe. The barking has created years of ongoing stress: the noise disrupts our sleep, invades peace and quiet of homes throughout the day, and can often be heard after the park has closed.” Read More
Five Restonians will seek election to the Reston Association Board of Directors in 2016, RA announced on Tuesday.
There are three seats up for election: North Point, Lake Anne/Tall Oaks and an At-Large Seat.
Lake Anne/Tall Oaks Director Eve Thompson, the current board secretary, will run for re-election, but as an At-Large candidate. Opposing her will be newcomers John Bowman, who has been active in RA’s Transportation Advisory Committee and the Reston Citizens Association, and financial professional April Tan.
Ken Knueven, former RA Board President, currently fills the At-Large seat up for election. He cannot run again because RA Bylaws prohibit more than two consecutive three-year terms by board members.
North Point District Director Dannielle LaRosa, who was appointed to the board in summer 2014 when former North Point Director Tim Cohn resigned for health reasons. She was elected by North Point district residents in 2o15 to fill the remaining one-year of the term. She is now running unopposed for the full three-year term. LaRosa currently serves as the RA Board Treasurer.
Running unopposed for the Lake Anne/Tall Oaks District Director is Sherri Hebert, who has been active in the citizens group watching Tall Oaks redevelopment.
While two of this year’s races are uncontested, a 10-percent quorum is required to make the election official, RA says.
Voting will take place electronically and through mail in March. Results of the election will be announced at the Annual Members’ Meeting on April 12.
Look for profiles of candidates on Reston Now soon. Meanwhile, read their candidate statements.
Photo: RA Board meeting/file photo
