Reston citizens will have another chance to weigh in on the future of Reston Town Center North at a community meeting Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. at  South Lakes High School.
The meeting is a continuation of the conversation on Sept. 19, where county officials discussed the community’s needs regarding Embry Rucker Community Shelter, Reston Regional Library and the North County Human Services Building, which houses mental and social services.
In late September, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a land swap between the Fairfax County and Inova. The swap will help the county organize the 49-acre site better in order for it to be rezoned and redeveloped in parcels.
First up: Parcels 7 and 8 (see attached map), which houses Embry Rucker and the library. Both are aging and in need of expansion, officials said at previous meetings. A Request for Proposals for those facilities was put out to developers several months ago. The county has not yet released the results.
Fairfax County voters approved $10 million in funding for the new library as part of a 2012 bond issue.
Citizens attending the September meeting spoke up about adding a nursing home to replace Cameron Glen Care Center, which closed in 2014. Many also wanted to make sure the library got proper attention — and that citizens would not be shortchanged if the library was temporarily relocated during construction.
The redevelopment of all parcels will take up to 10 years, Andrew Miller, Project Coordinator of the Public-Private Partnerships Branch of the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, said at a previous meeting.
The Town Center North project also includes the county’s acquisition of Reston Towne Green, a five-acre parcel from the Fairfax County Park Authority. In exchange, the park authority has rights to build a 90,000-square-foot recreation center in RTC North. It also ensures that Reston Town Center North will have a 2.6-acre public park in the center of the development.
Eventually, the proposed redevelopment, which runs from New Dominion Parkway to Bowman Town Drive and Town Center Parkway to Fountain Drive, may also include building residences, a performing arts center, offices, and retail, among other amenities.
Inova owns the parcels with Sunrise Assisted Living, the Emergency Care Center and the former Cameron Glen building. Inova has no immediate plans for redevelopment, a representative said.
Graphic of Reston Town Center North grid courtesy Fairfax County
The future of the Reston Town Center North area took a step forward last week when the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a land swap between the county and Inova.
The 49-acre site is currently a jumble of parcels owned by both the county and Inova. By authorizing the swap, the two will now be able to more uniformly align the parcels and begin redevelopment.
The approval includes the county’s acquisition of a the Reston Towne Green, a five-acre parcel from the Fairfax County Park Authority. In exchange, the park authority has rights to build a 90,000-square-foot recreation center in the area. It also ensures that Reston Town Center North will have a 2.6-acre public park in the center of the development.
The park authority agreed to the land swap in April.
According to the terms of the contract, if the Town Center North area remains undeveloped, the supervisors would reconvey the Reston Towne Green parcel back to the park authority.
The proposed redevelopment to the area, which runs from New Dominion Parkway to Bowman Town Drive and Town Center Parkway to Fountain Drive, includes replacing the Reston Regional Library and Embry Rucker Community Shelter, as well as building mixed-use (residential, a performing arts center, offices, retail, among other amenities).
The county recently held a Request for Proposals for developers on the first phase of redevelopment, on the blocks including the library and shelter.
Andrew Miller, Project Coordinator of the Public-Private Partnerships Branch of the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, said at a community meeting two weeks ago that development will likely take more than 10 years.
The goal now is to realign the land — some owned by the county (eventual blocks 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 in the graphic above) and the rest (eventual blocks 2, 4, and 6) by Inova, Miller said. Then there will be rezoning for the individual parcels when it is decided what to do with the land.
Phase 2 of redevelopment would include county-owned blocks 1, 3, 5 and 9. The county would like to see a new Health and Human Services building on that land, as well as housing and retail. Other ideas put forth at the meeting: a performing arts center, a fire station and transitional housing.
Inova owns the parcels with Sunrise Assisted Living and the Emergency Care Center. Inova has no immediate plans for redevelopment, a representative said.
Years from now, the 49-acre area from Baron Cameron Avenue to Reston Town Center could be a vibrant mix of residences, community spaces and services, including a new public library and recreation center.
But first, the parcel needs to be reorganized, rezoned and re-imagined.
Fairfax County on Saturday held the second of what will likely be many community engagement and information sessions about Reston Town Center North.
A land swap between the county and Inova is in its final stages of approval and a Request for Proposals (RFP) has been put out to developers for the first phase of redevelopment, which would include the Reston Regional Library and the Embry Rucker Community Shelter.
County officials said the first round of RFP was mainly a call for developers to see who had the finances to take on redevelopment. An RFP later this year will call for specific plans.
Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins said the goal right now is to get community input about what the needs will be for Reston in the decades to come.
“How can we keep that vision alive in Reston?” she said. “I look at that swath of land as an asset that has been given to us. We have been able to acquire it and put it to use. What our are needs in the future? If we look at it as an extension of Reston Town Center, what do we do there?”
Saturday’s presentation included information from the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, which offered a look at Reston’s number of people living in poverty (5 percent); in need of affordable housing (35 percent of renters spend more than 30 percent of monthly income on rent); and in need of county services.
They underscored the need to include a new human services facility to replace the current one in the Town Center North area.
Andrew Miller, Project Coordinator of the Public-Private Partnerships Branch of the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, said development will likely take more than 10 years.
The goal now is to realign the land — some owned by the county (eventual blocks 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 in the graphic above) and the rest (eventual blocks 2, 4, and 6) by Inova. Then there will be rezoning for the individual parcels when it is decided what to do with the land.
“We need to hear from the citizens what services are needed,” he said.
Citizens attending the meeting spoke up about adding a nursing home to replace Cameron Glen, which closed in 2014 and ensuring the library gets proper attention. They also met in small groups to offer feedback on what the area needs.
Some key points made by Miller:
Density will stay about the same (FAR .9), with higher density allowed in the parcels closest to the Reston Town Center. Read More
What county services should be offered at Reston Town Center North?
That will be the subject of a community meeting hosted by Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins on Sept. 19 (9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Reston Community Center Lake Anne).
The county is preparing for the redevelopment 49 acres from New Dominion Parkway to Bowman Town Drive and Town Center Parkway to Fountain Drive. The area encompasses the current Reston Regional Library, the Embry Rucker Community Shelter, the North County Human Services Center and the former Cameron Glen Care Center site.
The county issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) this summer for the first phase of redevelopment. The RFP application deadline was Aug. 20. The county has not announced the next step in the process or who was chosen for the project.
The county eventually envisions a mixed-use district, with renovated or relocated space for the library and shelter, as well as offices, hotels, a performing arts center and at least 1,000 new residences.
The Fairfax County Park Authority also plans to build an indoor pool and recreation center at Town Center North. Park Authority Board Chair Bill Bouie said earlier this year the recreation center would primarily be funded with bonds, including an $87.7 million bond in 2016 and an $88 million bond on the ballot in 2020. He said the park authority would seek developer proffers to help pay for the facility. Typical proffers are around $800 per residential unit, he said.
The North County Human Services building (1850 Cameron Glen Drive) houses such offices as Adult and Aging Services, Child Protective Services, Foster Care and Adoption Services and Child Abuse Prevention Services.
Hudgins’ office says the discussion at the Sept. 19 meeting will include Fairfax County Deputy County Executive Patricia Harrison, who will highlight the proposed health, housing and human services community input process.
Fairfax County Deputy Executive Rob Stalzer and Andrew Miller, Project Coordinator of the Public-Public Private Partnership Branch will discuss the county and Inova’s (which owns some of the land) general plans, including the (RFP process and potential development scenarios that may be considered for Town Center North.
The county envisions a mixed-use district, with renovated or relocated space for the Reston Regional Library and Embry Rucker Community Shelter, as well as offices, hotels, a performing arts center and at least 1,000 new residences.
“Participants have the opportunity to identify critical needs that should be addressed in the redevelopment of the County owned property, as well as the larger site,” Hudgins said in a statement. “It is important to continue the conversation on how best to maintain a vibrant and livable community for all.”
