In a sense, Thomas D'Alesandro had been gaining the land development knowledge needed to complete projects such as the Reston Town Center all his life.
When D'Alesandro was born, his grandfather, Thomas D'Alesandro II, was mayor of Baltimore and had launched the revitalization of the city's downtown with the redevelopment of Charles Center, a commercial district, and the Inner Harbor, a retail-driven tourist area on the waterfront.
D'Alesandro's father, Thomas D'Alesandro III, followed the family tradition and became mayor of Baltimore while the boy was still in high school.
"I was introduced by them to urban planning," D'Alesandro said. "I didn't think anything about it. When I got hired [by Mobil Land Development] I realized not everyone knew about zoning and urban planning. I grew up with it."
D'Alesandro, through his relationship with Mobil Land Development, and then Terrabrook, has been involved off and on in the creation of the Reston Town Center district since the late 1980s.
In that time, he has also been active in the community he helped to create by serving on several organization boards including the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, GRACE (Greater Reston Arts Center), the Fairfax Council of the Arts, the Washington Airports Task Force, the Reston Association and the Reston Hospital Center.
"He is a great corporate citizen of Reston and he has been involved in every aspect of the community," said Tracey White, president of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. "When I talked to a number of folks about nominating him [for the Best of Reston], generally the reaction was, 'He hasn't won yet?' I think everyone thought he had already won."
D'ALESANDRO first became interested in Reston as a student at the University of Virginia business school. He applied for a summer internship as an financial analyst with Mobil Land Development, which owned Reston from 1968-1996. The following year he was hired outright.
At that time, the company was working on the first phase of the Reston Town Center district, which includes the urban core, traditionally called the Reston Town Center, as well as the residential neighborhoods, community amenities, retail centers and office developments that immediately surround it. The district's boundaries, more or less, consist of Baron Cameron Avenue to the north, the Reston Parkway to the east, the Dulles Airport Access Road to the south and the Fairfax County Parkway to the west.
"I didn't know how big this was. When I got to the interview for the internship, I couldn't believe what they were doing. They were building an entire city," D'Alesandro said. "I had never thought of this as a career, but in a way I had grown up with it. It felt comfortable."
In what some would call a sign, when touring Lake Anne, D'Alesandro noticed that the Heron House looked remarkably like the Charles Center in his hometown. They were designed by the same person.
In 1996, when Terrabrook took over, D'Alesandro stayed on and with the exception of two short stints out of state, has been here ever since. D'Alesandro is now vice president of Terrabrook and the eastern region manager. He and his family called Reston home for eight years before purchasing a house just off West Ox Road.
"I've spent 23 years developing Reston and Reston has spent 23 years developing me," he said.
"HE'S GREAT. He's a very interesting man, has an inquisitive mind and I find him fascinating," White said. "He has his hand in everything."
Professionally D'Alesandro was attracted to the idea of staying faithful to Reston's master plan and to creating a pedestrian-friendly core, while also preserving the natural environment. But he has also been interested in developing Reston as a community beyond its physical boundaries.
To that end, he has been involved with several community boards and has overseen Terrabrook's donations to many organizations such as Reston Interfaith, the chamber, GRACE, the Reston YMCA and area schools.
"I was involved in creating the physical community, but it's much easier to see yourself connected to groups and wanting them to succeed," D'Alesandro. "The Fine Arts Festival, for example, sponsored by GRACE is one of the most successful festivals in the country. Each year, we have to turn down artists because there isn't enough space."
Community involvement is a trait he can also thank his family for. He said his father, now in his 70s, still serves on several boards and committees.
"It's interesting that he started as an intern for Mobil Land, left a couple times and came back," White said. "He is one of the special people that's a steward for the community. He held together Bob's [Robert Simon, founder of Reston] vision."