Reston National Owners Postpone Zoning Appeal

The fight for the future of Reston National Golf Course will continue into 2013 as the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals hearing scheduled for Oct. 24 has been deferred until January.

The hearing was deferred at the request of the golf course owner, RN Golf Management.

The looming appea which are adamant the 166-acre golf course should remain open space. Reston Association and Reston Citizens Association have vowed to fight redevelopment, and a grassroots organization, Rescue Reston, has mobilized since July.

"We will not be moved," said Rescue Reston executive director John Pinkman. "We live here, we are not going anywhere. If anything, this delay helps us get better organized and communicate our message to others who have are just becoming aware of this crisis. Not understanding that, is a major miscalculation and an underestimation of our resolve; as was the tactic of trying to slide this redevelopment through quietly."

The issue dates back to last April, if the golf course was zoned residential.

When the zoning officials said the golf course was not residential and to designate it residential would involve a change to the county master plan, the owners filed the zoning appeal.

Frank McDermott, the attorney representing RN Golf Management's case to the Board of Zoning Appeals, said earlier that the BZA does not decide development. The case before the BZA is only to determine by law the zoning for the Reston National.

"This appeal to BZA will not result in a change in the status quo," he said. "The BZA cannot make that decision. It can only interpret zoning ordinances and entitlements."

No plans for residential development have been made public yet, but Pinkman says it is important that residents galvanize now to be ready for the fight.

"If the BZA overturns the zoning decision, this is the crack in the dam," said Pinkman, who has lived in Reston for more than 30 years, said at the September rally "If you can do it once, you can do it twice. If you can do it in Reston, you can do it anywhere."

"Act now!" he told attendees at a rally on Sept. 29. "It is important we be ready for this."

To see RN Golf Management LLC's appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals - as well as other documents pertaining to this issue - click here.