Board Meeting – On October 26, 2022 President Mulston called to order the meeting of the Board of Directors (Board) of the Reston Citizens Association (RCA) at 7:30 pm. This was a ZOOM meeting.
Individual Attendees via ZOOM were: Lynne Mulston, President; Gary Maupin, Vice-President; Shawn Endsley, Secretary; Scott Arwood; Vincent Dory; Dennis Hays (joined at 7:36 pm); Yavuz Inanli and Michele Silver. Joe Leighton, Treasurer; and Connie Hartke, Director, were absent. President Mulston determined that a quorum of 7 of 10 members was present at 7:30 pm and the meeting could proceed.
Adoption of Agenda – President Mulston asked for adoption of the agenda. Upon motion made by Secretary Endsley, and seconded by Vice-President Maupin, the Board unanimously approved the proposed agenda.
Approval of Minutes – President Mulston asked for approval of the minutes of the September 27, 2022 Board meeting. Upon motion made by Director Silver, and seconded by Director Dory, the Board approved the minutes of the September 27, 2022 meeting by a vote of 7 to 1 with Director Inanli voting No.
Carry-Over Action – President Mulston asked Director Dory for his motion that was not considered at the Special Board Meeting on October 17, 2022. Director Dory moved “That Director Inanli be removed from the Board due to his actions in sending correspondence to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) that violated the trust of the Board.” Director Arwood seconded the motion. President Mulston then asked for comments from the Board. There was discussion from members of the Board that essentially the action of Director Inanli violated the trust of the Board and that the Board should publicly speak with one voice. President Mulston noted her correspondence was sent to the FCRHA reiterating the Board’s support for the letter sent by the Board’s counsel Kathleen McDermott. There was no supporting correspondence from Director Inanli. President Mulston then called the questions and asked for a vote on the motion. The vote was 7 to 0 in favor of the motion with Director Inanli abstaining. Director Inanli was removed from the Board.
President Mulston, Vice-President Maupin and Director Hays thanked Director Inanli for his many years of service on the Board and wished him well in his future service to the community.
Approval of Treasurer’s Report – President Mulston then asked for approval of the Treasurer’s Report. Upon motion made by Director Hays and seconded by Vice-President Maupin, the Board unanimously approved the Treasurer’s Report.
Reston Comprehensive Plan (RCP) Task Force Updates
RCA Comments – President Mulston subsequently noted that individual comments needed to be submitted via the Fairfax County (County) website by October 28, 2022. Organizational comments will be expressed in January 2023 at the time that the County Staff review will be completed. Vice-President Maupin agreed to help President Mulston draft the comments for submittal.
Other Comments – Director Hays noted that developers and the Reston Chamber of Commerce are starting to exert their pressure. That pressure may not be reflected in comments on specific areas of the RCP. Vice-President Maupin noted that Supervisor Alcorn and the County staff were integrally involved in the drafting of the RCP despite comments that have arisen to the contrary. As the RCP moves through the process, sections of the RCP may be subject to significant changes and/or removal.
Planning Commission Meeting – The Planning Commission workshop on the RCP was held on September 29, 2022. The expected approval by the Board of Supervisors (BoS) is scheduled for November/December. This will most likely change as County Staff comments are not expected until January 2023. Approval of the RCP by the BoS requires 6 votes.
Reston Civic Center (aka Reston Town Center North (RTCN)/Bowman Towne Center(BTC)) Unsolicited Proposal – President Mulston asked Director Hays to update the Board on the status of the unsolicited proposal from Foulger Pratt, LLC. Director Hays noted that on October 20, 2022 the FCRHA approved moving forward with an interim agreement with Foulger-Pratt despite the lack of expressed community support. The vote to move forward was unanimous with only Commissioner Feng abstaining. President Mulston indicated that she would write Commissioner Feng to thank him for his diligence in reviewing the need for the interim agreement. President Mulston expressed the Board’s thanks to Vice-President Maupin and Secretary Endsley for their participation at the October 20, 2022 meeting. Vice-President Maupin noted that County Staff said it could possibly be 2 to 3 years before any actual work takes place on the site.
Director Hays noted that once the Interim Agreement is completed it is expected that the County will engage in community involvement. He noted that RCA needs to work with other community organizations such as Reston Association to impact change on the ultimate agreement with Foulger-Pratt.
MWAA Proposal – Dulles Toll Road (DTR) Rate Increase – Director Dory reported that there had been no response to our letter regarding the DTR rate increase. It is expected that the MWAA Board will approve the rate increase and eliminate cash payments at its November 16, 2022 meeting with an effective date in January 2023.
Golf Courses Update – On October 15, 2022 Rescue Reston held a rally commemorating 10 years of grassroot support in defending Reston’s recreational open space from unplanned development. Over 100 community members attended the rally that included as speakers John Pinkman, Director Hartke, President Mulston, Paul Hartke and Supervisor Walter Alcorn. The community has supported maintaining both golf courses as recreational open space and Supervisor Alcorn has so noted. The developers have indicated they will continue to pursue their plans for these golf courses.
Reston National Golf Course (RNGC) – No actions have occurred to date; however, Weller Development has indicated that they intend to pursue their property rights with respect to RNGC.
Hidden Creek Golf Course (HCGC) – President Mulston reported no new developments with respect to HCGC.
Other Business – President Mulston noted the following items for the Board’s consideration.
Bylaws Update – Treasurer Leighton suggested to President Mulston that the Board should consider an update to its bylaws in order to prevent the issues that arose with Director Inanli. Treasurer Leighton has been tasked to bring suggested language to the Board’s attention for discussion,
Development Software – President Mulston noted that the free use of the Google development software would last for six months. After that time the cost would be $23,000 annually. The Board was supportive of proceeding to use the Delve software so long as no commitment was required after 6 months. Director Hays noted that the software could allow the Board to prepare professionally looking information for the six-month time that the software is available. (The link to the Delve Software is included as follows: https://www.sidewalklabs.com/products/delve )
Closing – President Mulston indicated the next meeting of the Board would be scheduled for November 28, 2022 at 7:30 pm. President Mulston then asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:47 pm. Upon motion made by Vice-President Maupin and seconded by Director Hays, the Board unanimously agreed to adjourn.