Board Meeting – On May 22, 2023, President Mulston called to order the meeting of the Board of Directors (Board) of Reston Citizens Association (RCA) at 7:32 pm. This was a ZOOM meeting.
Individual Attendees via ZOOM were Lynne Mulston, President; Joe Leighton, Treasurer; Shawn Endsley, Secretary; Vincent Dory; Connie Hartke; and Dennis Hays. Michele Silver joined the meeting at 8:20 pm. Gary Maupin, Vice-President, was on vacation. President Mulston determined that a quorum of 6 of 8 members was present at 7:32 pm and the meeting could proceed.
There were no guests.
Adoption of Agenda – President Mulston asked for adoption of the agenda. Upon motion made by Director Hays, and seconded by Treasurer Leighton, the Board unanimously approved the proposed agenda.
Approval of Minutes – President Mulston asked for approval of the minutes of the April 24, 2023, Board meeting. Upon motion made by Treasurer Leighton, and seconded by Director Hays, the Board unanimously approved the minutes of the April 24, 2023, meeting.
Approval of Treasurer’s Report – President Mulston then asked for approval of the Treasurer’s Report. Upon motion made by Secretary Endsley and seconded by Director Hays, the Board unanimously approved the Treasurer’s Report.
Reston Comprehensive Plan (RCP) Task Force Updates – President Mulston, Vice-President Maupin and Director Hays were members of the RCP Task Force. President Mulston and Planning Commissioner John Carter met with the Fairfax County (County) Staff tasked with reviewing the RCP. County Staff appears to be adamant that the RCP follow the form of other Comprehensive Plans in the County. The County Staff expects to issue their report on May 24, 2023. Both President Mulston and Planning Commissioner Carter plan to meet with the RCP Chapter leads on June 6, 2023, and have indicated that they plan to push for the RCP to include both the graphics and maps that were included in the RCP draft. The inclusion of graphics appears to be a problem with the County Staff. The content of the County Staff Report is expected to be interesting.
The timing for final approval of the RCP is as follows. The County Staff Report will be issued on May 24, 2023. The Planning Commission will hold a public meeting on June 14, 2023, to consider the RCP and the County Staff Report. Supervisor Alcorn plans to hold a community meeting following the Planning Commission meeting and prior to a BoS public hearing. (Supervisor Alcorn has not yet established the exact date and location for that community meeting.) If the Planning Commission recommends moving forward with the RCP, then the BoS will hold a public hearing on July 25, 2023. Following the public hearing the BoS will take action on the RCP. (These dates were outlined in Supervisor Alcorn’s Hunter Mill District Newsletter issued on May 24, 2023.)
Reston Civic Center (aka Reston Town Center North (RTCN)/Bowman Towne Center (BTC)) Task Force Meeting – The RTCN/BTC Task Force met on May 9, 2023. Neither President Mulston nor Vice-President Maupin were able to attend. Secretary Endsley attended on their behalf. Chair Kate Hanley and eight Task Force members met at the Reston Regional Library. There were 25 members of the public in attendance including Planning Commissioner Carter. Supervisor Alcorn joined the meeting at 8:15 pm.
The purpose of the meeting was to receive information from the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) Reston District Police Station (Captain Oluwa), the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) (Jai Cole, Executive Director), and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) (Brian Schoester, Acting Director).
Captain Oluwa reported that the current staffing of the Reston District Police Station is currently above 80, but by 2032 the staff requirements are expected to be 177. Captain Oluwa reported that surface parking is the preference for the Reston District Station as opposed to the multi-level parking structure recently proposed. Based on expected growth the surface level parking requirements would be for 230 to 285 parking spaces. To further support the analysis that the Reston District Station needs to grow is that the Reston District Police Station Public Service Area (510) had the largest number of calls for service (CFS) in Fairfax County for 2021, 2022 and year-to-date 2023.
Jai Cole for FCPA reported that Reston/Herndon and Fort Belvoir have a need for a Recreational Center (REC Center). Executive Director Cole reported on the acreage requirements for several different REC Center scenarios. It was noted that funding for the Reston REC Center would not be available until 2033.
Finally, Brian Schoester from FCPS reported on the number of Elementary (13), Middle (4) and High (4) Schools serving the Reston area. He reported on the school acreage requirements for Elementary, Middle and High Schools. Based on current forecasts RTCN would need an Elementary School in the next 25 years.
In summary, the new requirements that need to be accommodated in RTCN are (1) an expanded police station, (2) a REC Center in Reston, and (3) a new elementary school. The issues associated with these requirements were (1) the reliability of the growth forecasts, (2) the funding for the REC Center, (3) the co-location possibilities in the RTCN area, and (4) the need to fit these requirements within the existing block layout.
There was no specific discussion on BTC.
On May 8, 2023, President Mulston and Secretary Endsley met with Commissioner Richard Kennedy with the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA). The purpose of that meeting was to provide Commissioner Kennedy with input from the Board on development in the RTCN/BTC area. President Mulston reiterated to Commissioner Kennedy that RCA wished to establish a dialogue with the FCRHA to ensure that community input is provided to the FCRHA as development is considered in RTCN. President Mulston considered it important that this community feedback be received early in any development process to prevent community ill-will and potential negative feedback. The meeting was constructive for both sides.
Parking Reimagined Update – Vice-President Maupin was absent, but President Mulston provided an update on the status of Parking Reimagined. Parking Reimagined would be an amendment to the Amended County Zoning Ordinance (zMOD). As noted below, zMOD was unanimously readopted by the BoS on May 9, 2023. President Mulston noted that despite citizen opposition the County appears to be moving quickly to approve Parking Reimagined. This amendment to zMOD appears to be a developer give-away. President Mulston noted that a letter to the editor from Terry Maynard will be coming soon.
zMOD Update – As noted above zMOD was unanimously reapproved by the BoS on May 9, 2023. This is in response to the March 23, 2023, Virginia Supreme Court decision that struck down zMOD that had been in effect since March 23, 2021. On April 19, 2023, the County filed a petition for rehearing of the decision to strike down zMod with the Virginia Supreme Court. According to Virginia statute and the Rules of the Virginia Supreme Court the Virginia Supreme Court will rehear and review the case if one of the justices who decided the case against the County certifies that there is good cause for such rehearing. Given that the decision was unanimous any one justice could decide to rehear and review the case.
Larry Butler Resolution and Plaque – Secretary Endsley asked that the Board approve the issuance of a plaque and resolution honoring Larry Butler for his 40 years of service to the Reston Association (RA) and Reston community. The wording of the plaque and resolution are included as Attachment #1. The following Motion was moved by President Mulston and seconded by Director Hartke.
Motion – The Board of Directors authorizes the wording of the plaque and resolution as outlined in Attachment #1 to these minutes and directs Secretary Endsley to obtain the necessary plaque for presentation to Larry Butler on June 29, 2023.
The Motion was unanimously approved by the Board.
Larry Butler and spouse and Mac Cummins and spouse have been invited to attend the Board’s dinner meeting on June 29, 2023, as guests of the Board.
Golf Courses Update – President Mulston noted that the County Staff has reiterated that it will not change the designations of both golf courses as golf courses in the RCP.
Reston National Golf Course (RNGC) – Director Hartke noted that new gas-powered golf carts had been delivered to RNGC.
Hidden Creek Golf Course (HCGC) – President Mulston reported there are no further updates on HCGC. President Mulston noted there were rumors of upgrades to HCGC, but there has been nothing definitive to support those rumors.
Hunt Club Property Redevelopment and Cemetery – Director Hartke informed the Board of redevelopment occurring on the Hunt Club property near Lake Fairfax. The property also includes a small cemetery. Planning Commissioner John Carter plans to walk the property. Zoning changes for the property need to be approved.
Other Business – President Mulston noted the following items for the Board’s consideration.
Candidate Forum Follow-Up – Secretary Endsley noted that a Republican challenger to Supervisor Alcorn had been endorsed by the Fairfax County Republican Party. The candidate is Indira Massey.
Board Candidates – Treasurer Leighton inquired as to the process to identify candidates for the Board. President Mulston asked that each Board member to solicit potential Board members from their individual networks. This process would be in lieu of a press release soliciting Board members. President Mulston also suggested that a table at the Reston Farmer’s Market be another means to solicit candidates.
Director Dory noted that the Farmer’s Market organizer has changed and the process for obtaining a table will be different. There is normally a fee for a table, but that fee might be waived if RCA’s status as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization is made known to the organizer. Director Dory sent information on the Farmer’s Market to the Board on May 22, 2023.
Closing – President Mulston noted the next meeting of the Board would be a dinner meeting at HCGC starting at 6:30 pm. As covered earlier, Mac Cummins and Larry Butler along with their spouses would be guests.
President Mulston then asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:48 pm. Upon motion made by Treasurer Leighton and seconded by Director Hays, the Board unanimously agreed to adjourn.