Reston residents discussed what they liked and disliked about the village centers at the Reston Master Plan Phase II meeting Oct. 18. Photo by Reena Singh.
The village centers are all getting a makeover.
County Planning and Zoning officials held a community meeting at South Lakes High School Oct. 18 to find out what residents want to change about their village centers as a part of the Master Plan Phase II planning.
“It is a key in Bob Simon’s vision for village centers to be mixed use - where residents can live, work and play,” said county Department of Planning and Zoning official Heidi Merkel.
She explained the Reston Master Plan, stating why the county has taken it over.
“The arrival of Metro is clearly going to add a new dimension to the community that we need to plan for.”
Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins said the community meetings are a chance for dialogue.
“This may not get done in the short term,” she said. “This is about planning text so it is a little boring, but it is critical.”
DPZ official Faheem Darab spent time going over the county’s vision for all of the village centers except for Lake Anne, which has its own master plan to create. Changes in the Reston Master Plan Phase II will occur at Hunters Woods, South Lakes, Tall Oaks and North Point village centers.
In working with the principles of Reston, he said, the village centers - plus chosen convenience centers - will incorporate environmental sustainability, open spaces and housing for all ages and income.
“We want people to grow up here, raise a family here and retire here,” he said.
The county’s vision heavily emphasized pedestrian and bicyclist access and connecting through other modes of transportation.
Some residents mentioned finding a way to make every village center unique through artwork, landscaping or architecture so they do not compete with each other.
“It’s a great way to add a customer base to the stores downtown,” said Reston Citizens Association member Terry Maynard.
Walkability was another theme brought up by several groups during the small groups discussion at the end of the meeting.
“I predict that there will be some common themes that the county will be able to work with,” said Reston Association CEO Cate Fulkerson.
Maynard said he hoped more people could come to the meeting, but he said it was no fault of the county or advertising because the weekend was packed with special events. However, he did criticize the county for trying to get the project started by next summer.
“I’m not sure I like the idea that they’re trying to rush to put these ideas forth by next summer,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that haven’t been touched on. Not one square foot of park space has been added to Reston for the Phase II planning.”
The next meeting is 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 8 at Aldrin Elementary School.