by Reston Citizen John K.
Nusbaum
     My dad and mom bought 12 acres on
Hunter Mill Road in Oakton in 1948 so I had plenty of time as I grew
up to get acquainted with the area that would later be named Reston. There
have been many changes since the days when I would ford Difficult Run on
Lawyers Road and hunt small game in the beautiful wooded countryside.
       My
wife Maria and I have lived here in Reston for over 27
years now and over those years I’ve watched it change to meet the
needs of an increasing population. Lately the desires of some property owners
have produced serious issues that stand to impact Reston’s future in
very profound ways. 
Ambivalent Fairfax County administrators’ heads are
turned by special interests and big business so counting on their help in
protecting the essence of what makes Reston unique is getting harder
by the day.  
       Without question
the genie is out of the bottle, so now more than ever before
it’s the duty of we the residents to understand what is at stake
in Reston’s future and stand up for core values that we hold dear.

     Do we want Reston to
resemble Rosslyn where green space is almost nonexistent and
traffic gridlock grips roadways? Where property footprints stay
the same but affordable low rise structures give way to expensive high
rise ones?   In what kind of Reston do you want to
live, work and play?