July 13, 2022

Neighbors,

One decision coming to me on the Board of Supervisors involves a potential new arts center on Sunset Hills Road across from the future Reston Town Center Metrorail station. This pending decision comes from a proffer approved by the Board of Supervisors back in 2018 concurrently with the rezoning approval of the Boston Properties Reston Gateway project. You can read the details of the proffer here – see proffers 34 and 36.

Here are my choices, either:

• One athletic field that could be located elsewhere – either on Park Authority property (Option 1), on top of the “Freedom Garage” also owned by Boston Properties (Option 2), or to give the Park Authority funding to build a field somewhere else in the Reston area (Option 3). All of these sub-options are detailed in proffer 34. Or,  
• A community-based performing arts facility to serve Reston and Fairfax County of up to 60,000 gross square feet in “Block J” of the approved development on Sunset Hills Road, as detailed in proffer 36. 

To help the Board of Supervisors with this choice, in 2019 the Reston Community Center had a community survey conducted by the University of Virginia’s Center for Survey Research that included a set of questions about the potential for this arts venue. In addition, the county undertook a feasibility study an arts center in Reston which included five public meetings of an in-person and online nature, all of which I attended.

A deadline was approaching at the end of this month for the Board of Supervisors to make a decision on the choices laid out in the proffer and how to move forward. This timeline did not allow sufficient time for community input on this decision, so I asked Boston Properties to request a six month extension of the decision deadline under the proffer interpretation process. Boston Properties agreed, and this extension has been granted. We will now have much needed additional time for a full community discussion on the choices outlined above, including a town hall on this topic that I will host later this fall. 

I look forward to your input on whether Fairfax County should move forward with the arts center recommended by the Reston Community Center – and if so, how it should be financed. Send an email to my office at [email protected].  

Regards,

Walter

• Children Under Age 5 Now Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccinations
• Community Levels By County
• Fairfax County COVID-19 Data Dashboard

There are many opportunities in our county to recycle and do our part for the environment. Here are some reminders of easy steps you can take:

• Glass: You can bring your clean glass containers to dozens of Purple Bin locations in our area, including in Reston at Baron Cameron Park, 11300 Baron Cameron Ave. and Reston South Park and Ride, 2531 Reston Pkwy. In Vienna, go to 431 Mill St. NE. Learn more. 
• Food: You can bring your food waste to several Farmers Markets for composting, including Herndon Farmer's Market on Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Learn more about composting, including other locations that take food waste. 
• Yard Waste: For curb collection of yard waste, you can use reusable containers, paper lawn bags, or tie branches up with string. Fairfax County prohibits the use of plastic bags for yard waste. Reusable containers like old trash cans are a great way to manage yard waste – especially branches and twigs. Learn more about yard waste. Your tree limbs and branches are ground by the county and you can pick up free mulch. Other yard waste, which is mostly grass clippings, is sent to a licensed compost facility.
• (Almost) Everything Else: 
• Cardboard & Mixed Paper
• Metal Food & Beverage Containers
• Plastic Bottles & Jugs
• Always and Never Recycling Information
• Index of “Recycle or Trash” Items

Register Your Neighborhood Today for National Night Out, Aug. 2

Don't forget to sign up for National Night Out (NNO)! The Fairfax County Police Department hosts this countywide in-person event on Aug. 2, which provides an opportunity for officers and the communities they protect to come together. Whether your community hosts a simple ice cream party or an all-out festival, National Night Out is a great way to gather with your neighbors, get better acquainted, and talk about issues of common concern. I am planning on stopping by several NNO events and look forward to seeing you!

Complete this form to register for the event. For more information, contact Reston District Station officer Katy Defoe.

Soapstone Connector Community Meeting, July 18 

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is hosting a virtual community meeting to discuss updates on the Soapstone Connector (shown) on Monday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m. The project seeks to provide a direct connection between Sunset Hills Road and Sunrise Valley Drive over the Dulles Toll Road (Route 267) in Reston. Staff will present the Revised Environmental Assessment, which was approved for public availability by the Federal Highway Administration on May 4, 2022. Learn more. 

Provide Input on Dulles Toll Road Amendments, Including Toll Rates

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) is hosting a public hearing and accepting public comment on proposed amendments to regulations that would, effective Jan. 1, 2023:

• Increase the toll rates for use of the Dulles Toll Road.
• Authorize collection of administrative fees to recover costs incurred by the Airports Authority to invoice toll road customers who use the pay-by-plate (license plate imaging) toll payment option.

How to provide input:

• The in-person public hearing is Monday, July 18, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Washington Dulles Airport Marriott, 45020 Aviation Drive, Dulles.
• Public comment can be submitted through Aug. 10 here.

Learn more.

Reston Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Meeting, July 18 

The Reston P&Z meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. Use this link to attend and participate. You may also call in and listen to the meeting, dial 571-429-5982 and use conference call ID: 830 241 075#. Agenda or for more information contact Shruti Nallappa

Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) Public Hearing Tuesday, July 19

A public hearing on the county's SSPA will be held Tuesday, July 19, 4 p.m. in the Fairfax County Government Center. The SSPA process allows anyone to propose site-specific land use changes to the Comprehensive Plan, the county’s guiding document for land use and development decisions. An evaluation of the SSPA process took place from Fall 2021 to Spring 2022, and the recommended changes were published in a detailed report in May. Learn how to view the public hearing and submit public hearing testimony:https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/boardofsupervisors/about-board-meetings. View the full list of recommended changes to the SSPA process and learn more about the evaluation process on the SSPA website. 

Reston Comprehensive Plan Study Task Force Update; Upcoming Meetings 

County staff review of the Task Force’s interim recommendations on the 14 areas of the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study is underway. Upcoming Task Force meetings to discuss county staff input and preliminarily endorse final drafts of various comprehensive plan sections:

• Wednesday, July 20, 7 p.m. The meeting is hosted on Webex. Use this link to attend and participate. Call in and listen to the meeting: dial 1-844-621-3956, and use access code: 2331 043 4467.
• Monday, July 25, 5 p.m. The meeting is hosted by Webex. Use this link to attend and participate. Call in and listen to the meeting: dial 1-844-621-3956, and use access code: 2343 484 2771.
• Tuesday, July 28, 5 p.m. The meeting is hosted by Webex. Use this link to attend and participate. Call in and listen to the meeting: dial 1-844-621-3956, and use access code: 2335 903 0777.

The meetings can also be viewed on YouTube. To learn more about the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study and the Task Force, visit the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study webpage. The archive of meeting details and agendas is here. The video archive of all past task force meetings can be found on my YouTube page. If you have questions or would like to provide input, please email [email protected].

Hunter Mill District Transportation Advisory Council (HMTAC) Meeting, July 27

The next Hunter Mill Transportation Advisory Council (HMTAC) Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 27 at 8 a.m. The meeting will be virtual on Teams, use this link to join the meeting.  Or call 571-429-5982 and use Conference ID: 873 083 852#.  Meeting agenda. The HMTAC meets quarterly on community transportation issues. For additional information or to be added to the HMD TAC email list contact Shyamali Hauth.

Big Screen on the Green, Thursday, July 14

Bring the kids and a blanket to the Vienna Town Green for the second Big Screen on the Green event of the season, Thursday, July 14, at 8:30 p.m. Watch "Encanto", and enjoy popcorn and refreshments, while supplies last. This event is free and open to the public. Learn more. 

Community engagement opportunities for the Parking Reimagined project are coming up this summer, as the project team continues to review an in-depth analysis of the county’s off-street parking and loading rates and regulations. Three virtual Open Houses are scheduled for July 20, Aug. 10 and 27. During these meetings, staff will provide an update on the Parking Reimagined project, including a presentation highlighting a revised regulatory framework, and proposed minimum parking requirements. Further explanation of the proposed regulatory framework can be found in the information white paper which was presented to the Board of Supervisors Land Use Policy Committee on June 14, 2022. Details for each of these events is available on the Parking Reimagined webpage, where you can also find the most recent project updates, under the Related Resources tab.

To stay informed about the Parking Reimagined project, subscribe to email updates by selecting ‘Off-Street Parking and Loading ZOA’ on the county’s email subscriptions page. 

4-H Fair and Carnival at Frying Pan Farm Park, Aug. 4-7 

Enjoy carnival rides, games and food trucks on the farm from Aug. 4 through 7. Over the next few weeks, more details will be released about wristband sales and discounts, the Big Truck Night and farm demos, plus a list of food vendors. Learn more.  

Fairfax Water’s 2022 Annual Water Quality Report

Fairfax Water's latest annual report on water quality is available. Residents who prefer a paper copy of the report may request a paper copy here

School Supply Gift Card Drive Through July 

The Fairfax County Department of Family Services Volunteer and Partner Services program is hosting a school supply drive through July for county high school students in need. They are requesting $50 gift cards to big box stores like Walmart or Target to purchase school supplies. For more information, contact Francesca Watson at [email protected] or call 703-345-8453.