After nearly a year re-imagining, Reston Association’s Pony Barn working group has formed its final conceptual plans for the renovation of the recreational area.

RA last year set aside $30,000 for the renovation of the area at Steeplechase Drive and Triple Crown Road.

The park, once home to an actual pony barn, is mainly a picnic pavilion, open grassy space and small play area. RA sought community feedback last summer, where ideas from a memorial garden of reflection to an archery range were suggested.

In December, the group nixed those ideas in favor improvements to existing facilities and the addition of a butterfly garden.

The final plan calls for an improved pavilion area with upgrades to the play areas, picnic tables and new barbecue grills. The proposal also calls for new fencing and landscaping.

The proposal will be presented to RA’s Board on July 30. If approved, the plan then will go to the RA Design Review Board on Aug. 18.

Photos: Top, final concept renderings for Pony Barn/Courtesy RA; Bottom, Pony Barn Rec Area/file photo

Reston is about to undergo a major residential development spurt. That is why Reston Association is proposing a new model for adding properties to the association that could have some residents paying half as much as current members in annual assessments.

RA CEO Cate Fulkerson presented some of the details at RA’s regular board meeting last week. The changes come as RA is in the process of adding Comstock’s BLVD apartments at Reston Station, the first of what will likely be several new multifamily developments added to RA.

BLVD, which will begin leasing later this year, will have 540 units. It will be the first residential development in the area along the Dulles Toll Road that was formerly zoned industrial. Since no residential development was there before, properties will be new to RA’s jurisdiction.

“Currently, new or existing properties along the corridor do not fall within RA’s jurisdiction (RA covenanted land) therefore assessments from those residences are not collected by RA,” says a statement by RA. “Those properties also do not fall under RA’s design guidelines and could potentially create an appearance of ‘two different Restons’ if the properties are not properly maintained.”

Under the new model, developers would have the opportunity to join RA. The association would receive an initiation fee and/or proffers from developers in exchange for RA providing certain services such as overseeing the future administration and design review process of the properties, RA says.

Because much of the new development, including BLVD, will have on-site amenities such as swimming pools, RA would reduce the assessment fee to half the amount paid by full members of the association. The 2015 assessment fee for full members is $642.

Fulkerson said new RA members in the former industrial corridor area would not have the same access to RA amenities that full members possess, but would benefit from various RA services.

“While all of the details have not been worked out yet … the key point under consideration has to do with services more than amenities,” said Fulkerson.

Fulkerson said all residents, regardless of whether they are members or not, have access to Reston Association’s pathways, open spaces, ball fields and other public amenities. The services RA would provide to new members are administrative in nature, such as design guideline oversight.

“Members who receive the half-price discount would not qualify for the reduced rates that full members get on things like tennis and pool passes,” she added. “We feel this is fair to both our existing members and any potential new members. “We also don’t anticipate providing reduced camp or other programing rates for members who are receiving the lesser assessment rate.”

By adding new properties to RA, the association would have greater control over the design guidelines of the properties. The new assessments and initiation fees would bring revenue to the association and allow the new area  to become part of “one Reston,” says RA.

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Before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors votes in June on the final changes to Phase 2 of Reston’s Master Plan, Reston Association’s Board of Directors wants to ensure that language is in place to allow Tall Oaks Village Center to undergo significant changes.

RA has a motion on its agenda for this week’s regular Board of Directors meeting whether to “reaffirm or change the Association’s original position requesting that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors delete Tall Oaks Village Center from the list of Village Centers and added to the list of Convenience Centers thereby allowing it to be redeveloped to residential and convenience center uses.”

RA formally voted in February to change Tall Oaks to convenience center designation.

The 40-year-old village center has not been a vibrant retail center for several years and is only about 13 percent occupied. In December, Tall Oaks was sold to the Jefferson Apartment Group (JAG), which plans to redevelop the location as 154 condos and townhomes and about 8,500 square feet of retail.

Meanwhile, the latest draft of the Reston Master Plan Phase 2, which the Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended for approval in mid-May, suggests  removing of the requirement for Reston’s village centers to undergo comprehensive plan amendments in order to redevelop.

The draft also adds language for Tall Oaks to recognize that the redevelopment plan may include a significantly reduced non-residential component.

Other convenience centers in Reston include the former Reston Visitors Center that RA is seeking to purchase, the Soapstone convenience center, Sunrise Valley convenience center and the Home Depot shopping center.

A convenience center designation for Tall Oaks would make it easier for developers to proceed without having to preserve existing retail space. JAG representatives said at April community meetings that there was virtually no interest from retail tenants to move to the space as is now.

Many residents maintain that Tall Oaks could return to life if it had the right management. Some have started an online petition to maintain a balance of retail and residential at Tall Oaks.

A 63-year-old man who was participating in the Jim McDonnell Lake Swim at Lake Audubon died on Sunday after losing consciousness during the event.

The lake swims are an annual Memorial Day weekend event organized and hosted by the Reston Masters Swim Team. Swimmers take part in a two-mile open water loop around Lake Audubon.

Dr. Kennon Woods, a dentist from Raleigh, N.C., was removed from the water about 11:45 a.m. by on-site emergency medical staff using an aquatic vehicle, Reston Association said. CPR was initiated and he was transferred to an ambulance and taken to Reston Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from cardiopulmonary arrest.

While Woods’ death took place at an RA lake, it was not an RA-sponsored event.

RA issued this statement:

Reston Association works with the Reston Masters Swim Team each year prior to this event to ensure procedures are in place. Specifically, RA advises and coordinates logistics for borrowing boats and other equipment.

The Reston Masters Swim Team is responsible for safety measures and forming the Emergency Action Plan, which reportedly functioned as planned on Sunday. The swimmer was removed from the water within one minute, allowing EMS to immediately transport him to Reston Hospital.

The Jim McDonnell Lake Swim has been held for the last 28 years. It is named in memory of avid Reston Masters swimmer Jim McDonnell, who died in 1998 of lymphoma.

Lake Audubon will be the site later this summer of an open water swim and the swim portion of the triathlon at the 2015 World Police Fire Games. It will also hold the swim portion of the Reston Triathlon in September.

Reston Association and Comstock are hosting a happy hour outdoor party for a good cause on Thursday.

The Backyard at Reston Station will be held on the outdoor plaza from 4 to 7 p.m.

There will be live music by Gina DeSimone & The Moaners, plus food trucks, including EatCarolinaQ, Feelin’ Crabby Food Truck , South Meets East and Sweetz Cheesecake.

All beer and wine sales benefit Friends of Reston. Friends of Reston is the non-profit that assists Reston Association with camp scholarships, bike racks, recycling bins, community gardens, nature education and tree plantings throughout the community.

Reston Station is the complex adjacent to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station at Wiehle Aveue and Sunset Hills Road. There is free parking in the surface lot across the street or at paid garage parking for under $5.

Photo: Reston Station Plaza/Courtesy Comstock

Reston Association says it will be “substantially impacted” if the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals decision on Reston National Golf Course is allowed to stand.

Reston Association, as well as the county Board of Supervisors and citizens advocacy group Rescue Reston have filed appeals in Fairfax County Circuit Court after the BZA ruled in April that potential development at the 166-acre course does not necessarily have to go through a comprehensive plan amendment.

That ruling could open the door to the public golf course eventually being redeveloped as residential, RA, along with many citizens, say would be unfortunate for Reston’s open space.

“The BZA decision in this manner will directly contribute to unplanned residential development of 166 acres that has clearly been identified as, and designated for, open space and golf course uses on the detailed development plans approved by the Board of Supervisors,” RA says in its appeal.

“If upheld, the BZA decision will have significant adverse impacts to the RA. Unplanned residential development of the golf course will substantially impact the RA’s financial and management resources, by increasing its burden to operate and maintain a sufficient number of environmental and recreational facilities to serve the appropriate number of residential dwellings.  More frequent stream restoration and lake dredging will be required — at significant cost to RA.”

The golf course’s owners, RN Golf Management, first inquired with Fairfax County Zoning whether the course is considered open and community space or residential in 2012. After the county affirmed open and community space, RN Golf appealed the ruling. After delays of more than a year, the BZA finally heard testimony in a January hearing and issued its decision in April.

The golf course owners have not shown any plans for what, if anything, they intend to build at the course.

Other key points of RA’s filing:

The BZA decision will affect more than just the course. It will affect any redevelopment within about 450 acres, including the golf course, private residences and RA common property such as lakes and streams.  Residential development would have a serious negative affect on stormwater management, RA says. The 450 acres is the area covered by the three development plans from the early 1970s that include the Reston National and the houses that surround it.

Allowing residential development would harm the “interconnected balance of recreational, open space and residential uses .. specifically approved by the Board of Supervisors in 1971.

Any change in a development plan normally requires the consent or inclusion of landowners. “RN Golf maintains that no development plan amendment is required to convert the golf course to residential use, therby depriving property owners such as the RA of the aforementioned protections against an unplanned change to their common scheme of development.”

See the entire filing on RA’s website.

A group of Reston residents has started an online petition to demand that Tall Oaks Village Center remain a village center — and not a residential development.

The petition, posted by “Concerned Residents of Tall Oaks” is aimed at Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and Reston Association CEO Cate Fulkerson.

“Tall Oaks community needs and deserves a Village Center with retail that we can walk to and green space where the community can gather,” the petition says. “A balance of residential and retail in a plaza-like setting would be a good compromise.”

Tall Oaks has been losing retail tenants at a fast clip the last several years. It is currently at 16 percent capacity, land use attorney Mark Looney said in a presentation to residents in April. In 2007, it was 92 percent occupied.

The village center was sold to McLean’s Jefferson Apartment Group in December. The company is in the early stages of envisioning what to do with the 40-year-center. Preliminary plans include 154 new homes in a combination of mid-rise condos and townhouses, as well as 8,500 square feet of retail.

The plans were presented to Tall Oaks-area residents at two meetings in April. They were not well received. Many residents said a retail center would be successful if it had the right management and that more residents will choke traffic on already slow Wiehle Avenue.

“Tall Oaks community needs and deserves a Village Center with retail that we can walk to and green space where the community can gather,” the petition says. “A balance of residential and retail in a plaza-like setting would be a good compromise.”

Changing the county zoning from commercial to residential may be more flexible under changes to the Reston Master Plan.

Many of those who signed the petition list their reasons why they want Tall Oaks to remain retail.

“Please represent the people of Reston instead of developers,” said one commenter.

Wrote another: “I grew up down the street from Tall Oaks and loved it when it had a Giant and a 7-Eleven. Being able to walk with my mom or ride my bike to the store to get something was awesome. My parents still live there and I pass Tall Oaks every day, and I’m sad because I remember what it used to be. Would love it if they could bring something similar back. Plus, when Robert E Simon designed Reston it was for a planned community where everyone is supposed to be within half a mile of a village center.”

Photos: Top, current empty spot at Tall Oaks; Bottom, Jefferson Apartment Group rendering of residential development.

Are you ready to attend a party at the Comstock Center on the banks of Lake Newport?

That could be the name of the former Reston Visitors Center, commonly referred to as the Tetra building, according to terms of the deal to add BLVD Apartments to RA.

Reston Association members recently approved by referendum the purchase of the Lake Newport-area building from Tetra Partners commercial real estate for $2.65 million.

RA announced earlier that it would be getting a $650,000 contribution from Comstock Partners as part of the deal to add the 540-unit BLVD Apartments to the association.

As part of the terms of that deal, Comstock will have naming rights to the Tetra building for 10 years, RA says.

Some of the terms of the deal, which are open for a discussion at the first of two public hearings on May 28 at 6 p.m. at RA headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.:

RA will be paid $300,000 (as required by Fairfax County proffer for recreation), as well as an additional $350,000, which will be used in the refurbishment of the Tetra property. Comstock will get certain building naming rights for a period of 10 years, RA said.

The offer of RA recreational packages for purchase by tenants of the apartment units at a fee annually established by the RA Board of Directors.

Comstock will market the RA recreational packages to its tenants.

At such time the apartment units are converted to condominiums, the payment of a certain percentage of the RA annual assessment rate.

In fulfillment of additional county proffer requirements, RA will be responsible for the administration and staffing of the design review process in coordination with Comstock and, under the direction an Urban Redevelopment Review Panel, responsible for administering design guidelines for the area. Reston Association will be paid an annual fee for such services by Comstock.

The RA Board of Directors voted in March to start the process to add BLVD, which will have one-, two- and three-bedroom luxury units at Reston Station, adjacent to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. BLVD is expected to begin leasing later this year.

Under RA Bylaws, properties can be added to the association with written consent of fee simple owner (in this case, Comstock Properties) and a two-thirds vote of the board.

The Board of Directors passed a motion several years ago to make adding new construction in Reston a priority for the association. Properties within Reston Town Center are not in RA territory.

New buildings such as The Harrison, which recently opened on Reston Parkway, and BLVD, as well as planned new and replacement construction at the Crescent Apartments site, are slated to be RA members.

The second hearing will be held June 25.

Photo: BLVD Apartments/file photo

Reston Association’s Board of Directors says it will appeal the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals’ recent ruling that could allow developers to forge ahead without a comprehensive plan amendment.

The owner of the golf course, RN Golf Management, appealed the county zoning office’s 2012 answer that the 166-acre course is zoned open and recreation/community space. The case was heard by the BZA in January at a Fairfax County Government Center packed with supporters of Reston’s open space.

On April 15, the BZA overruled “the zoning administrator to the extent she says a comprehensive plan amendment is a precondition [to development].”

That leaves open the possibility that residential development could occur at the course at Sunrise Valley Drive and Colts Neck Road. That would affect golfers, of course, but also hundreds of homeowners who purchased nearby because of golf course views and nearby open space.

The RA Board voted unanimously (At-Large Director Jeff Thomas was absent) at a special meeting Monday to go ahead with the appeal to the Circuit Court. Citizens advocacy group Rescue Reston is also preparing an appeal, and on Tuesday the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors also voted unanimously to fight the BZA decision.

The deadline for the appeals is Friday.

“The decision reflects RA’s position that any redevelopment of PRC zoned land within Reston, including the Reston National Golf Course, must be reviewed and compared to the existing zoning development plans, and any proffers or conditions attached to the development plans,” RA said in a statement.

“This review and comparison is mandated under Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance Section 16-202 with the purpose of protecting the Reston community from unplanned changes to the development pattern previously approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. If the redevelopment is not in substantial conformance with the approved development plan, then a development plan amendment must be approved by the Board of Supervisors.”

RA says that during the three years of the Reston National situation, county staff did not find copies of the three development plans, which include the Reston National Golf Course and surrounding residential communities.

“A zoning determination for the golf course was issued in June 2012 without these three development plans being available,” RA said. “Because they were unavailable at that time, the golf course owner appealed to the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), seeking a “blank check” for residential redevelopment of the golf course.”

The missing plans were a big discussion during the six-hour January BZA hearing. RA says while the BZA did not provide a “blank check” to the landowner in its decision on April 15, it also “did not confirm that the three development plans later found by county staff in the zoning archives are, in fact, the approved development plans. As such, RA will be appealing the BZA decision.”

Ads RA: “The primary purpose of appealing the BZA decision to the Circuit Court is to have the court confirm that these are the official approved development plans which, until and unless amended, govern the use and development of the golf course, as well as the residences surrounding it. These development plans clearly show golf course and open space uses.”

There was both a high turnout and a narrow margin of passage in the Reston Association referendum to purchase the Tetra building.

The referendum passed, RA announced Monday night, and the association will now move forward to close on the purchase by late July.

According to RA’s official vote tally, 5,676 ballots were returned out of a possible 17,511 eligible households. There were 2,926 votes in favor of the purchase (52.9 percent). That’s just 323 votes more than the 2,603 that cast a “no” vote. There were 147 abstentions, which did not count in the vote tally.

The nearly 33-percent turnout was actually quite large for a RA vote. For instance, in the 2015 board elections that wrapped up in March, ballot returns were between 15 and 20 percent, depending on district.

RA will now move forward to secure a $2.7 million loan for the property and organize a committee to get member input and envision a transformation of the 33-year-old building.

The 3,128-square-foot building and its 3.47 acres housed Reston’s Visitor’s Center for 20 years. Since 2003, it has been office space for Tetra Partners, a commercial real estate firm that purchased the building for $750,000.

RA plans to repurpose the building  for community and event space and a lakefront park.

Part of the refurbishment will be paid by developer Comstock, which will contribute $650,000, and by the seller, Tetra Partners, which will pay $275,000 for new roofing, HVAC system and other repairs.

The property off of Baron Cameron Avenue sits in between Lake Newport Tennis and Brown’s Chapel Park and will give RA 98 acres of contiguous space.

The referendum capped a contentious couple of months, where RA faced vocal opposition to the purchase. Opponents objected to the purchase price, which was more than double the $1.2 million recent Fairfax County tax assessment. They also questioned RA’s information that commercial development would happen if RA did not make the purchase.

RA Chief Financial Officer Robert Wood said Monday the association talked to three banks about loan terms. The most favorable terms came from Access National, which is offering RA a loan of $2.7 million with an interest rate of 3.35 percent locked in for 10 years, at which time RA would most likely refinance.

The task force will be made up of one resident from each of RA’s districts (Lake Anne/Tall Oaks, Hunters Woods/Dogwood, South Lakes and North Point); three residents of the neighborhoods adjacent to the property; and a member from each of RA’s advisory committees.

RA estimates that it will create revenue of more than $100,000 annually from event and meeting rentals, as well as after-camp and after-school child care programs.

Reston Association members have approved the purchase of the former Reston Visitor’s Center.

Nearly 33 percent of eligible member households voted in the member referendum, which ended on Friday. There were 5,676 ballots returned, and the vote passed with 52.92 percent of the vote, Reston Association President Ellen Graves said.

The vote authorizes RA to purchase the 3.48-acre property and its 3,128-square-foot building for up to $2.65 million. RA plans to repurpose the building — which from 1983 to 2003 served as Reston’s Visitors Center and currently serves as offices for Tetra Partners commercial real estate — for community and event space and a lakefront park.

Part of the refurbishment will be paid by Comstock, which will contribute $650,000, and by the seller, Tetra Partners, which will pay $275,000 for new roofing, HVAC system and other repairs.

The property off of Baron Cameron Avenue sits in between Lake Newport Tennis and Brown’s Chapel Park and will give RA 98 acres of contiguous space.

The referendum capped a contentious couple of months, where RA faced vocal opposition to the purchase. Opponents objected to the purchase price, which was far more than the $1.2 million recent Fairfax County tax assessments, as well as RA’s information that commercial development would happen if RA did not make the purchase.

“I understand the significance of the outcome of the referendum,” RA CEO Cate Fulkerson said. “I have great respect for all who participated, either in community meetings or by voting.”

At a special meeting on Monday, Fulkerson and Graves expressed the association’s sadness that the deal will go forward without Tetra founder Bill Lauer, who died suddenly last week.

“It was a great pleasure working with him,” said Fulkerson. “He will be sorely missed in the community.”

The board also voted last night to allow RA to sign financial terms for the property’s mortgage. RA Chief Financial Officer Robert Wood said the association talked to three banks. The most favorable terms came from Access National, which is offering RA a loan of $2.7 million with an interest rate of 3.35 percent locked in for 10 years, at which time RA would most likely refinance.

Graves said a community task force will now form to get community input and form a concept plan for the property.

The task force will be made up of one resident from each of RA’s districts (Lake Anne/Tall Oaks, Hunters Woods/Dogwood, South Lakes and North Point); three residents of the neighborhoods adjacent to the property; and a member from each of RA’s advisory committees.

Fulkerson said her main goal now if to “mitigate expenses so it has little or no impact on member assessments.”

RA estimates that it will create revenue of more than $100,000 annually from event and meeting rentals, as well as after-camp and after-school child care programs.

Preliminary estimates by RA say that member assessments could be impacted as soon as 2018.

Friday, May 8 is the last day to vote in Reston Association’s Tetra referendum. Cast your ballot online by 5 p.m. if you have not done so already.

RA has met the quorum needed for the referendum on the purchase of the 3,128-square-foot building to be valid.

As of the end of last week, RA had recived 4,060 ballots back. The association needed to hear from 1,751 (10 percent of the eligible 17,511 homeowners).

The referendum asks members if RA should be authorized to borrow up to $2.65 million to purchase the 32-year-old former Reston Visitors Center (now office space for Tetra Partners commercial real estate) and repurpose it for community space.

The 3.47-acre property sits adjacent to other RA-owned open space, including Brown’s Chapel Park and Lake Newport Tennis. Acquiring the property will give RA 98 contiguous acres of open space and fend off commercial development of the property, which sits on the banks of Lake Newport.

Opponents of the purchase say the sales price is too high since the most recent Fairfax County tax assessment was $1.2 million. They also say that environmental restrictions and easements ensure there is almost no chance of commercial development on the site.

Results of the referendum will be announced at a special RA meeting Monday at 6 p.m. at RA headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.

According to Virginia law, the conditional sales contract is still valid despite the sudden death this week of Tetra Partners president Bill Lauer.

It’s getting down to the wire for the Reston Association member referendum on the purchase of the former visitors center.

Haven’t voted yet? You have until Friday at 5 p.m.

RA needs a quorum of member approval to borrow and spend up to $2.65 million on the 3,123-square-foot building on the shores of Lake Newport. RA will spend additional money to repurpose the building, currently office space for Tetra Partnerships, into event and community space. It forecasts bringing in more than $100,000 annually from event rentals. It also says purchasing the building, which sits on 3.48 acres adjoining other RA community space, will preserve open space and fend off possible commercial development.

There is a vocal opposition that says the purchase price is far too high as the most recent Fairfax County tax assessment was $1.2 million. The opposition also says the site sits on a resource protection area and cannot be redeveloped commercially.

Reston Association pools kick of the 2015 season beginning Saturday, May 9.

Ridge Heights Heated Pool

Weekdays 1-8 p.m.; Weekends 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Lake Thoreau Pool & Spa

Weekdays 1-8 p.m.;  Weekends 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

RA says the North Shore heated pool is undergoing a front entrance improvement project and is currently scheduled to open May 23. Over the weekend, the deck of North Shore was briefly flooded when water was left running.

The remaining pools will open May 23. See the full schedule on RA’s website.

Still need to buy your pool passes? Visit this link on RA’s website.

Ridge Heights Pool/file photo