Rumors of Golf, Parks, and Housing

Since late last week, RCA Reston 2020 has been trying to chase down numerous rumors of secret negotiations between the County and Northwestern Mutual (NM) for a Solomon-esque solution to the Reston National Golf Course (RNGC) re-development issue.  

The quick background on the story:  In mid-2012, NM’s attorneys  claimed existing “by right” zoning authority to build 7,900 dwelling units—mid-rise apartments—on what is now the 168-acre RNGC.  In response to an inquiry from the golf course’s legal representatives, the County’s Department of Planning & Zoning (DPZ) said that no such right existed and that the RNGC was zoned for golf or open space.  The Reston community rose in opposition to the possible loss of its golf course and, overnight, “Rescue Reston” (RR) was born.  RR has hired attorneys to represent the community’s interests, especially the interests of the hundreds of homeowners who ring the golf course.  NM is appealing to the County’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA).  A hearing, once scheduled for late January, is now scheduled for May 22. 

So what has been going on during this period of delay?

We are hearing rumors of a secret deal being negotiated between the County and NM to set aside a substantial portion of the golf course for a large Reston central park.   In fact, one authoritative, but so far uncorroborated, source said that an option was being explored to have the developer proffer land for a park in return for being granted rental unit density.  Another source indicates that NM is testing the market among several major area developers to see if the golf course can be sold for commercial development purposes.  From these eyes, that sounds like NM or a commercial developer could develop more than 7,900 units—the current reported zoning limit—on whatever land is still left to “incentivize” a deal with the County. 

We have no added solid information on whether such discussions are ongoing, much less on the nature of any such offer by the County or proffer by NM.  Nonetheless, rumors on what such a deal might look like are rampant.  Some of those rumors suggest the northern fairways will be turned into housing (they are close to Metro stations).  Other rumors say the roughly one-quarter of the golf course land east of Soapstone Dr. will be a park, the west side will be turned into housing.   

It’s not any clearer who might be the steward for such a park, if one were created.  The obvious candidates are the County’s Park Authority and Reston Association. 

And it’s not clear who may be involved in these negotiations/discussions, if they exist.  A query to our Supervisor Hudgins on Friday first resulted in an evasive response; a follow-up on Sunday has generated no response so far.  RA says it has heard these rumors too, but it has not been involved in any such discussions, and it should be if they are ongoing.  “Rescue Reston” has no specific knowledge of any negotiations but is well aware of the rumors.   Reston Citizens Association (RCA) has not been a party to any such discussions either.  Who’s left???

So there are MANY things we do not know, yet there is reason to believe that such discussions are ongoing. 

We have learned from a long-serving member of the Fairfax County Planning Commission (FCPC) that zoning language from the 1970s does leave open the possibility for housing development on RNGC land.   In this “Dillon Rule” state, such a right—if it has been given—can virtually never be taken away.   For a recent example, look at the County’s approval for the redevelopment of the Town Center Office Building into a 23-story office building, including six stories of parking and first floor retail—all BEYOND the half-mile circle that is the normal maximum distance used for transit-oriented development (TOD).  This occurred because, again in the 1970s, the County amended the zoning ordinance to allow unlimited (yes, unlimited) development on that site—the only site with unlimited density in the County.

And all that puts the County in a quandary.  Assuming for the moment that the right exists to develop housing on RNGC, the County faces being sued either by NM if the BZA rejects the NM appeal or by Restonians (RR and maybe RA) if the County acquiesces outright to the NM position. 

The County really, really doesn’t like to be sued.  From the County’s perspective, it is never a good thing no matter the plaintiff or the issue.  So why not pursue a Solomon-like pursuit of something like half a loaf for both parties:  land for housing development and land for a large Reston park.  Maybe the County can make everyone happy, or at least satisfied enough not to sue. 

The notion of large park at the golf course, in fact, comes from County and RA analysis of future (and even current) Reston park needs.  A presentation made by a County/RA panel to the Reston Master Plan Task Force indicated that Reston needed at least one hundred acres of open land to create all the facilities it would need with the urbanization of areas around the Metrorail stations.  In fact, except for the W&OD trail and five acres of undeveloped parkland behind INOVA Emergency Care Center (Reston Access), there are no public or RA parks in the station areas, only the several small private parks and plazas in the Town Center area.  So a large chunk of parkland relatively near the Metrorail stations is needed to cope with the growth of Reston’s population and employment.  The RNGC land could be the place, although both the merits and demerits of that opportunity are numerous, starting with the impact on the surrounding residential areas.

That’s what we’ve heard.  What we think, based on the information at hand, is that some kind of negotiation is going on along the lines of the rumors—more housing density for a large park splitting the land between the two uses.  

We also think that the best way to make this important issue in Reston’s future open for discussion is to lay out what we know and let the community try to fill in the many blanks.   We need the help of all Restonians.  If you have any information that can shed light on this topic, please either let us know by email at terrymayn@yahoo.com or provide a comment on this blog post (anonymously if you choose).  And don’t hesitate to write letters or emails to local papers, the Board of Supervisors, or others demanding a public accounting of the County’s activities, if any, on a matter of such importance to Reston.  We also ask that our friends in the media—Patch, Times, Connection, the Post and Examiner, even other community bloggers like our BFFs at Restonian Central—pursue this story and present it to the public as quickly and thoroughly as possible. 

To reiterate, at this point, what we have heard is almost all rumor as we have tried to describe above.  Restonians have the right to know if the County intends to give away a large portion of one of Reston’s most important public open space assets—and how and why—and what the County will do for Reston in exchange.   We all need to ferret out the facts.  Restonians should not need to rely on rumors whispered from one party to another whether digitally or in person on such a vital community matter.

UPDATE:  For those of you who are interested in supporting Rescue Reston's opposition to the redevelopment of the golf course, they have a petition at  http://bit.ly/RescueReston asking the BZA to uphold the initial DPZ ruling that redevelopment is not permitted. 

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