On this cold, wet March day, I’m going to limit myself to three short subjects: The big decision on Reston zoning density; upcoming Virginia elections; and, finally, the departure of Washington Nationals’ outfielder Bryce Harper.
By the time you read this, our aging Board of Supervisors (BOS) will have decided up or down on retiring Supervisor Cathy Hudgins’ proposal to jack up zoning density in Reston. As the decision approaches, all I know is that the Planning Commission recommended to the BOS that it postpone action on the zoning proposal, and that it direct County staff to undertake a review of the Reston Master Plan in order to project the potential population of Reston if it were implemented at maximum allowable densities, something feasible but astonishingly not yet done. The Commission decided, wisely in my opinion, that the county should know the impact of the proposed zoning change and the plan itself before proceeding. The BOS could simply approve the Hudgins’ zoning proposal, perhaps as a gesture to a retiring colleague, and let Master Plan implementation plow merrily along. Or, the BOS could adopt the Commission’s recommendation in its entirety, delaying a zoning change and allowing the Master Plan review to proceed. The latter would provide a sounder factual basis both for the zoning decision and a plan more in line with the community’s vision. Or, the Board could defer action on the zoning proposal and ignore the Commission’s proposal to review the Master Plan—this will leave in place a Plan potentially leading to a Reston population of perhaps 175,000, based on buildout at allowable maximums! Not ideal.
Meanwhile, I’ve been using some of my time to contact and even interview candidates for local offices in this year’s Nov. 5 elections. To date, I have met with three of the four declared candidates for Hunter Mill District Supervisor to replace retiring incumbent Cathy Hudgins. Also, I’ve interviewed one of the three candidates to replace Pat Hynes as the Hunter Mill District Rep on the Fairfax County School Board and one of four announced candidates for At-Large School Board seats. Five more interviews on my Reston Impact community TV program (broadcast Sundays and Wednesday evenings on Comcast 28 as well as on YouTube) are set for the next few weeks, and I am scheduling interviews for the four announced County Board Chairman candidates. Interestingly, of the 15 candidates for the four local offices, only three are incumbents, relatively short-term ones at that. For a change, we are getting a lot of new blood in public offices very much in need of an infusion of new energy and ideas IMHO. Of the 15 announced candidates, nine are women. The revolution in Virginia continues, at least in this area! More on the candidates in days ahead.
Lastly, Bryce Harper finally has moved on. He’s even gotten a large contract that will carry him through age 39. I wish him well. He was interesting to watch, especially when he was hustling and hot which was not always. He hit just .243 in 2016 and .249 in 2018, and was only mediocre defensively. IMHO, the Phillies paid way too much for our hero. The good news is that the Phillies money will free up cash the Nationals can use to replace Bryce and fill other key positions as well. The playoffs are not out of the question in 2019!