Politics & Government

Hudgins: Zoning Inquiries, Appeals Not New

There are many reasons - and they aren't all massive redevelopment - that Reston National owners are looking into zoning specifics, Hunter Mill Supervisor says.

Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins , the owners of, is "not a new thing."

"My interpretation is the property owner is asking what he can do with the property," said Hudgins. "It can be for future develpment, but it can also be for refinacing or to sell. The property owners asked for interpretation. The staff gave it. It is not a new thing.

"Twelve or 13 years ago, the question was raised 'was this open space an entitlement or could it be used for other uses?'" said Hudgins. "Staff said it is open space unless you want to get a PRC [Planned Residential Community] amendment."

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More than a decade later, Reston National is still a golf course.

RN Golf Management will go before the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals on Oct. 24. Last April,  

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The April request was actually a follow-up by Cooley LLC attorney Mark Looney to a 2010 inquiry. It appears Looney did not get a response from the county then.

Said Looney in his April letter to Eileen McLane of the county planning and zoning office: "After exhaustive research of the official Fairfax County records, neither we nor County staff could find evidence of any written statements signed by or accepted by the rezoning applicant of the then-property owner, including any proffers, develpment conditions or any such restrictions that would preclude the property being used for and developed permitted or permissible uses."

To see Fairfax County's list of permitted and permissible uses in a PRC such as Reston, click here.

In its June 2012 response to Looney's most recent inquiry, the county said that any changes would have to go through the county master plan, as well as the Reston Master Plan and 

Hudgins says she thinks Reston National, as well as the other golf facility at, are a nice addition to the community.

"I think if you look at the amenities Reston has, the two golf courses enhance what we have," she said. "We have residential enhanced by open space."

Hudgins says the county uses a guideline of 25 percent open space.

"We rarely give space up," she said. "We are always looking to bring in."

Reston Association President Ken Knueven said there are no RA documents that require a certain amount of open space within Reston.

"The original County documents that established the old RPC (now PRC) zoning may have had some basic requirements," he said. "One figure we do know is that RA has 20 percent of the open space in Reston (roughly 1,350 acres/6,750 total acres)."

When you add that number to cluster open spaces, county parks, school open spaces and, of course, the golf courses, the ratio climbs significantly higher.

Meanwhile, RA is sending a letter of support to residents of the clusters adjacent to Reston National. Those clusters have organized Rescue Reston and are


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