The Board of Directors (Board) meeting of the Reston Citizens Association (RCA) was a Zoom meeting held on November 30, 2021. President Mulston called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm.
Attendees were: Lynne Mulston, President; Gary Maupin, Vice-President; Shawn Endsley, Secretary; Joe Leighton, Treasurer; Vincent Dory (left at 8:26 pm); Connie Hartke; Dennis Hays (joined at 7:40 pm); and Yavuz Inanli (joined at 7:40 pm) and Brian Steiner. President Mulston determined that a quorum of 7 of 9 members was present and the meeting could proceed. There were seven guests: Sarah Selvaraj-D’Souza, Donna Martin, Janice Berger, Tammi Petrine, Robert Petrine, John Pinkman and Julie Bitzer.
Adoption of Agenda – President Mulston asked for adoption of the agenda. Upon motion made by Secretary Endsley with a second by Treasurer Leighton, the Board unanimously approved the proposed agenda.
Approval of Minutes – President Mulston then asked for approval of the minutes of the October 27, 2021 meeting. Upon motion made by Director Hartke and seconded by Director Steiner, the Board unanimously approved the October 27, 2021 minutes.
Approval of Treasurer’s Report – President Mulston asked for approval of the Treasurer’s Report. Upon motion made by Vice-President Maupin and seconded by Secretary Endsley, the Board unanimously approved the Treasurer’s Report.
County Site Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) Survey – President Mulston asked the Board to consider a proposed letter on requesting resident completion of the SSPA Survey. Prior to that discussion President Mulston asked Director Hartke to review the SSPA process. Director Hartke noted that residents can make nominations for amendments to the Comprehensive Plan. The County is finishing up the South County 2-year process and is preparing for the North County SSPA process. The North area of the County incudes the Dranesville, Hunter Mill, Providence and Sully Supervisor Districts. Nominations for Amendments to the Comprehensive Plan for the North part of the County is expected to occur in the Spring of 2022 or soon thereafter. Director Hartke also reviewed the other elements of the SSPA process. Those details on the SSPA process can be found at: https:/www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning-development/plan-amendments/sspa . One of the questions raised was the membership on the Task Force(s) that would be reviewing the nominations for an SSPA. The number and composition of the Task Force(s) have yet to be determined.
Director Hartke subsequently informed the Board via email on December 1, 2021 that the two Reston golf courses did not fit the criteria for proposals that would be excluded from the SSPA process. (In other words, both golf courses appear to be eligible for nomination for amendments to the Comprehensive Plan.)
President Mulston then indicated that as part of the SSPA process the County has prepared a survey for resident feedback on the process. The County’s website has the following information on the survey:
An evaluation of the SSPA process is taking place this fall and winter that will consider the current process and identify potential improvements. The survey has launched to gather community and stakeholder feedback that the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors will utilize as they review the current process and identify appropriate changes. The survey will close at midnight on Friday, December 10, 2021. The survey is available in multiple languages, including Spanish, Korean, Farsi, Vietnamese, Chinese, and many other languages. Survey findings will be used along with a staff analysis to help inform discussions with the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors on potential process changes. Changes, if any, are expected by mid-2022.
The survey can be accessed at: https:/www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning-development/plan-amendments/sspa . After discussion the Board unanimously agreed that residents should be encouraged to participate in the survey and that the responses should indicate that the SSPA process is too short for community evaluation of the nominations and resolution of those nominations into SSPAs.
Lake Anne Village Center – Director Dory requested that the Lake Anne Village Center be added to the monthly agenda. Given the recent media interest in ongoing issues at the Lake Anne Village Center Director Dory felt that the Board should be apprised of those items at Board meetings. President Mulston agreed to include the Lake Anne Village Center on the monthly Board agenda. Director Dory also asked for assistance in obtaining contact information for members of the Lake Anne of Reston, A Condominium Association (LACRA). Sarah Selvaraj-D’Souza, a guest, agreed to help Director Dory obtain this information.
Comprehensive Plan Task Force Updates – President Mulston, Vice-President Maupin and Director Hays are members of the task force working on the Comprehensive Plan. President Mulston is responsible for drafting the Land Use chapter of the Comprehensive Plan. The remaining 12/13 chapters are in various stages of completion. Vice-President Maupin and Director Hays both indicated that completion of all of the chapters of the Comprehensive Plan is expected in April/May 2022.
President Mulston noted that the initial draft of the 13/14 chapters of the Comprehensive Plan is being completed for review by the Task Force. Once this review is completed; the draft of the Comprehensive Plan will be provided to the Fairfax County Staff for their review and comments. After the Fairfax County Staff has provided their comments and edits, the revised Comprehensive Plan will be returned to the Task Force for its review of the Fairfax County Staff edits. Director Hays noted that this review process is very important as 3rd party (including developer) input is expected from this review process.
President Mulston noted that the Task Force is meeting weekly and members of the community can attend.
WMATA (Metro) Status – President Mulston asked Director Inanli to update the Board on the status of Metro’s operations and Silver Line expansion. Director Inanli noted that Metro’s services have been impacted by the removal of the 7000 series rail cars due to the recent derailment. Metro expects that these service disruptions will not be resolved until year-end 2021. The opening of the Silver Line expansion is expected in 2022. Director Inanli noted that Metro has received COVID relief funding to assist in its operations.
Golf Courses Update –
Reston National Golf Course (RNGC) – President Mulston asked Director Hartke to provide an update on RNGC. Director Hartke noted that the Owners/Developers have included local Churches in their campaign to obtain support for development of RNGC. The discussion with local churches has focused on the inclusion of affordable housing in the development plans. It should be noted that there has been no explicit understanding as to what affordable housing means in those development plans. All of their activity is expected to support a nomination for a SSPA for RNGC in 2022.
Hidden Creek Golf Course (HCCC) – President Mulston reported no developments with respect to HCCC. There is hope that the developer will ultimately put HCCC on the market for sale.
Other Business – Wheelock presented a development plan for the former Fannie Mae property to the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee. Several community members spoke about concerns to the environment and impacts to the stable neighborhood. A community outreach meeting is scheduled for December 1, 2021. It is expected that a revised plan will be presented in the near future. Any revisions will need to be reviewed by the Board.
Closing – President Mulston indicated the next meeting of the Board may be on December 28, 2021 at 7:30 pm should circumstances warrant the need for a meeting. President Mulston then asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 pm. Upon motion made by Director Hays and seconded by Vice-President Maupin, the Board unanimously agreed to adjourn.