Draft Guiding Principles For Reston - July 14
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Terry MaynardDraft Guiding Principles For Reston - July 14
Uploaded by
Terry MaynardGuiding Principles for Reston
(July 14, 2010)
Planning for future residential and commercial development will consider Reston as a
comprehensive unit. Development projects will be evaluated in terms of their ability to
meet the planning objectives, as well as the specific impacts of individual projects on
the surrounding neighborhoods. The following principles provide guidance for
development of Reston in the 21st century.
1. Ensure excellence in planning, urban design, and architecture
Ensure that development and re-development will be of the highest caliber in terms
of town planning, architectural design, compatibility, and livability. Redeveloped
areas should be designed as integral parts of the larger Reston community instead
of stand-alone developments. Require high standards for green neighborhood and
building practices for all public and private development. Integrate public art into
development.
2. Balance land use with infrastructure
Phase and fund the expansion and modification of all modes of transportation and
other infrastructure such as schools and public facilities in concert with
development. Convenient interconnectivity must be assured within the transit
corridor, between it and the rest of Reston, and across major roads, including the
Dulles Toll Road. Public and non-motorized transportation should be encouraged.
Infrastructure should be completed concurrently with development. There should
be an appropriate balance of jobs and housing in Reston as a whole.
3. Concentrate development near transit
Locate the highest densities for residential and commercial development in the
three Metrorail station areas, and the Town Center. The densities should step down
from the Town Center and Town Center station area, to the Wiehle Avenue and
Monroe station areas, and finally to the village centers. Incorporate transit oriented
development strategies to reduce dependence on the automobile. Support the
opportunity for future air rights development to provide additional crossings of the
Dulles Toll Road, to enhance access to the rail stations, and to link north and south
Reston.
4. Maintain the Reston Town Center as an active central place
Continue to develop the Reston Town Center as an integrated and vibrant urban
center for Reston and the region. Encourage mixed-use development between the
Town Center and the Reston Parkway Metro Station. Comply with the planning
principles of transit-oriented development as defined in the Comprehensive Plan.
Concentrate the highest densities, transportation facilities and a mix of uses in the
Town Center.
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5. Transform the rail-transit corridor
Transform the rail-transit corridor from the existing single use, industrial and office
corridor into a linear town within Reston. The linear town should be linked by Metro
rail, the Dulles Toll Road, Sunrise Valley Drive and Sunset Hills Drive, a grid of
streets, circulator buses, and bikeways and trails. Each of the three transit station
areas should have distinct roles. The linear transit corridor should include mixed-
use centers at each Metro station. The corridor should include a mix of retail,
advanced education, government, housing, and employment options, and cultural
and recreational attractions. Active and passive open space should be
incorporated into the corridor.
6. Augment and Enhance the Village Centers
The village centers serve as important building blocks of the Reston community and
a focus of each neighborhood. They should include a mix of retail, housing and a
limited amount of employment. Redevelopment should be pedestrian-oriented and
provide adequate transition to the surrounding neighborhoods. Pedestrian and
bicycle trails and convenient public transportation options, such as regular shuttle
buses, should link the village centers to the transit stations.
7. Maintain the character of the existing residential neighborhoods
Maintain the existing residential neighborhoods, which include a variety of housing
types and serve all income levels. Provide adequate transitions between new
development and adjacent existing neighborhoods to maintain the essential
character of the neighborhood. Provide traffic calming measures, residential
parking permit programs and street lighting as appropriate to preserve the
traditional character and safety of residential neighborhoods.
8. Provide housing for all ages and incomes
Continue to accommodate people of all ages, physical abilities, economic
circumstances, and families of all sizes and stages of family life. This includes
affordable and physically accessible housing.
9. Connect the Reston community and emphasize transit-oriented development
Enhance the public realm by providing a range of transportation facilities including
roads, bridges, sidewalks, bikeways, and trails that link activity centers and nodes,
as well as open spaces, parks, schools and recreational facilities. Encourage the
connections to the new Metrorail stations and strengthen the local feeder/circulator
bus system. Augment and enhance the pedestrian sidewalks, trails and bikeways.
Provide additional non-motorized transportation options and use transportation
management to reduce the reliance on the single use automobile. Enhance the
design character of the streets, open space and buildings - the public realm.
10. Provide high quality, active public open space
Expand and enhance the quality of publicly accessible and active open space
through development and redevelopment. Active public open space in the transit
corridor should include areas such as public plazas, outdoor recreational facilities,
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bikeways and trails. Active public open space does not include paved areas for
vehicles or private spaces closed to the public. The Town Center, Metrorail station
areas and the village centers should include a variety of active public spaces such
as plazas for entertainment, and spaces for small playgrounds. Public open spaces
should be designed and managed to attract residents, office workers and visitors by
offering a variety of activities and resting places in a visually attractive setting.
Provide direct access to a range of recreation spaces in the high-density areas and
the village centers. Recreation areas outside the transit corridor, such as ball fields
and golf courses, should be preserved and enhanced.
11. Plan for environmental sustainability and green technology
Incorporate green planning technology into the design of neighborhoods and
buildings, and the preservation of environmentally sensitive areas as a central
planning principle. Reduce the impact of development on the environment. As an
essential and unique feature of community building, protect the integrity of natural
resources by conservation, and restoration. Public and private natural, open space
areas including woodlands, meadows, lakes, ponds, streams, wildlife habitat,
drainage and catchment areas, and other environmentally sensitive areas should
be enhanced and preserved. Natural, open space areas should provide corridors
for movement of wildlife. Planning and design practices for public and private
development should provide for best storm water management practices, eliminate
invasive and exotic plants, preserve mature trees, reduce imperviousness, provide
significant tree canopy, and encourage energy conservation.
12. Address economic needs
Provide sufficient incentives to encourage property owners to pursue appropriate
redevelopment opportunities, including making proffers that benefit the community
in order to create the transit and pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use environment
desired for Town Center, the Metrorail station areas, and the village centers.
Timely development by State and County authorities of needed infrastructure is
critical both to promoting development and to protecting residents from adverse
impacts from that development.
