RESTON COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT CORPORATION

Board Meeting

Dec. 8, 2005
Lake Anne Office Building
11484 Washington Plaza West
Reston, VA 20190

MINUTES

Board Members Present:
Kurt Pronske
Van Foster
Walt Peter
Anne Strange
Howard Green
Rick Thompson
Bob Simon
Robin Smyers

Observers:
John Marcario The Reston Times
Kimberly Dillard LAVA
Matthew Jackson LAVA
Nabil Faltas

President Pronske called the meeting to order at 7:35PM and welcomed Ms. Smyers to the Board representing the Reston Association.

Public Comment Period
Kimberly Dillard of the Lake Anne Village Advocates (LAVA) commented that LAVA had discussed potential participation in the RCRC, which had been a topic of the November RCRC Board meeting. She said that LAVA felt the best role was to serve as a liaison between the RCRC and the Lake Anne community represented by LAVA members.

Mr. Green asked for further information on the status of the LAVA organization and its membership. Mr. Foster noted that part of RCRC’s role is to provide liaison between the community and the County, and that interposing another organization between the RCRC and the community would be undesirable; consequently, it would be preferable if LAVA were on the Board to represent the community around Lake Anne.

President Pronske commented that Board membership might be appropriate and consistent with the advisory group that the Board sought last year. He asked LAVA to provide for the next meeting information on the organization so the Board could determine if LAVA would be an appropriate Board member.

Approval of the November 11 Minutes
Mr. Simon moved and Mr. Thompson seconded that the November minutes be approved. The motion passed unanimously.

Progress on Preparation of Design Guidelines
President Pronske reported on his meeting with Supervisor Hudgins, Bob Fields of HCD and supporting staff. Fred Seldon, Director, Planning Division participated via speaker phone. The Supervisor supports the design guideline initiative and has tasked her staff to seek sources of funds. Mr. Seldon noted that creating the design guidelines will require someone with urban planning expertise.

The final report on the charrette has not been received from the NVRC; Supervisor Hudgins is looking into the matter.

Existing Land Use Designations
President Pronske opened a discussion of the current land uses deisiganted under the Comprehensive Plan for the Lake Anne Center area with an update on the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church property. The contract developer, KSI, is continuing their studies based on a taller building with a smaller footprint. Because of the designation of the GSLC property as a church site, a change to the Comprehensive Plan will be necessary. The County has not faced a Comprehensive Plan change in this area of Reston recently and it may take some time to decide what needs to be done.

Mr. Green commented that modifications to the master plan should be integrated with the larger revitalization program. Mr. Simon noted the potential lengthy process that might be required to change the plan for the entire revitalization area and said that it would be unfortunate if this interfered with desirable developments that need to proceed more quickly.

Mr. Pronske presented overlay drawings showing the land use designations and zoning for the Lake Anne area. Although the basic designations appear to support the concepts developed by the charrette, some changes may be necessary. One issue is the limit of 50 dwelling units and 60 people per acre, which appear to be inconsistent.

Review of Goals and Guiding Principles
The Board briefly reviewed the Lake Anne Revitalization Area Policy Statement adopted by the Board in January 2004. None of the Board members present felt the statement needed change, but the discussion was deferred to the next meeting to ensure that all members had a chance to review and comment. Ms. Smyers noted the importance of continuing to emphasize the unique nature of the Lake Anne Center and the RCRC’s key role in representing the need for the revitalization program.

The meeting adjourned at 8:55 PM.