RA: 23-Story Tower 'Incompatible' with Reston

Update, Thursday 8 p.m.: The County Planning Commission discussion and decision scheduled for Thursday has been deferred to May 17.

Original story: The Board of Directors says it agrees with a Fairfax County staff report that the proposed 23-story office tower and mixed-use development at 1760 Reston Parkway

The RTC Office Tower project does not need RA Board approval to progress, but the board is voicing its opinion because of the project's location within the boundaries of Reston Association.

The RTC Partnership is seeking to demolish the existing five-story "Reston Times" office building and construct a 23-story, 418,900 square foot mixed-use office building, to include office (413,700 SF), retail uses (2,600 SF) and/or an eating establishment (2,600 SF).

After several deferalls, the issue is scheduled to be discussed at the Fairfax County Planning Commission meeting on Thursday. It has already been approved in concept by RA's Design Review Board and the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee.

The RA board sent a letter to the county planning commission this week, saying the building is "incompatible with the existing and planned development in the vicinity of the site" and violates the Reston's principles. To see the complete letter, see the PDF attached to this story.

"RA believes the intensity and building height should be reduced to levels that would be more consistent with the character of the existing and planned developments in the surrounding Reston area," the board said.

"RA believes that when considering any development and/or redevelopment within the Reston community,  strong deference should be given to the Essential Elements of Reston, which refers to the community’s original design and planning foundation principles: 1) Environmental Stewardship; 2) Commitment to the Arts; 3) Accessibility; 4) Planning & Design Excellence; 5) Recreational Amenities; and 6) Housing Opportunities.  "

The board also said while it appreciates the mixed-use plans, it would prefer a greater percentage be allocated to residential use, including affordable units. It also said the proposed high-density complex is too far from future Metro stations. 

A March county planning staff report pointed out:

* The building would be more than 125 feet taller than any of the proposed surrounding buildings and taller than any of the existing buildings within the Urban Core.

* The proposed non-residential development is "approximately 5.8 to 8 times greater in mass than envisioned under the Comprehensive Plan with respect to intensity of use. To be in conformance with the Plan recommended intensity range, the subject site should be developed with approximately 51,400 to 72,000 gross square feet of development and the proposed intensity should be reduced by at least 346,900 SF of development."

* Traffic would be impacted by a net of 3,000 vehicle trips.

"Based on the discussions above regarding the height and intensity proposed with the subject application, staff believes the proposal is not compatible with the existing and planned development in the vicinity of the site. Staff strongly recommends a reduction in intensity and building height that is more in character with the surrounding development."