When the discussion turned to transportation at a recent Reston Association Board of Directors meeting, someone suggested that Reston start its own bus service.  In another community, the idea may have been met with a chuckle or even disbelief, but in Reston, the comment raised not a brow. For 47 years, we’ve been activists and creators, turning dreams into reality and we have done it with volunteers who saw a need, formed a group or organization and met the need.  There are literally hundreds of examples – from the Reston Citizens Association and Reston Interfaith in the 1960s to the Reston …

By now, everyone in Reston has heard about the Task Force that is working to update the original, 46-year-old Reston Master Plan.  Since December 2009, the 24-members of the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force have focused on the development surrounding the future metro stations.  That’s Phase One and Vice President Paul Thomas, is representing Reston Association.  Once the Task Force agrees ona list of guiding principles to present to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Phase Two, which will examine development around Reston’s five village centers, will begin. At that point, …

Since February, Reston Association and the Reston community have entertained three different international delegations that share the same goal. They want to learn how to build a successful planned community in their home countries. Each group had a planned community already underway.  The Brazilian urban planners, designers and architects were building a community outside Brasilia, the nation’s capital. The 23 urban planners, professors and project managers from South Korea are creating a massive community described as an “Innovative City” and “Happy Town.” Finally, a contingent of design …

The campaign season officially began last week for the candidates running for a seat on the Reston Association Board of Directors.  Last Friday, the elections committee certified the field of five running for one at-large seat and two running for the Hunters Woods/Dogwood district seat.    The ballots arrive in mailboxes March 7 and the voting period lasts until April 1. Candidates are: Cheryl Beamer (Hunters Woods/ Dogwood), Victor Van Rees (Hunters Woods/Dogwood),  John George, Donovan D'Souza,  Jason Carlo, Sridhar Ganeshan, Andrew Sigle (all at-large). Now, it’s your turn.  Two …

Coming in next week’s mail for the greater percentage of the residents of the Reston community will be the 2011 Annual Assessment.  All the Members of the Reston Association (RA), slightly over 21,000 households and apartment owners, pay this annual rate.   When a person purchases a home within the boundaries of Reston Association, the deed of trust automatically enrolls the purchaser as a member of the association, which is mandatory for all property owners, including the apartment owners.  All  property owners are billed annually for the assessment. Thus all renters, whether in an apartment…

I don't usually offer maternal advice in public, but, in this case, I believe it is worth sharing. Recently, my son told me that he was thinking about buying a home in Reston and wondered with all the talk about the master planning process whether this would be a solid investment. I was elated that my 25-year-old Patrick was considering settling permanently in Reston, yet taken aback by the inherent implication that somehow the recommendations of the task force could  adversely affect the stability of our homes in Reston.  Delving further into Patrick's concerns, he framed the issue this way…

 Just in case you need a more tangible reminder that Metrorail is coming to Reston, try finding a parking place at the Wiehle Avenue parking lot.  VDOT officials have been announcing for months that the lot would be partially closing in November as crews begin preliminary utility work.  About one-fourth of the 820 parking spaces in the lot will be closed to make way for the future parking garage for the Wiehle Avenue Metrorail station.  Perhaps you are like me and never need to park in this lot, but the changes will affect traffic and bus patterns throughout the community.  The Fairfax …

Those who expect moments of change to be comfortable and free of conflict have not learned their history. - Joan Wallach Scott, US Historian, Institute for Advanced Study Sometimes, change comes in an instant.  Other times we have to wait.  I was just in California last week for the birth of a delightful grandson — a glorious event for which we had all waited - and in the instant of his arrival, he changed the lives of everyone around him forever.  While it's not nearly as manifest or thrilling, we face the same change process in our daily lives and in the evolution of organizations.  We plan…

Once in a while, my role provides the opportunity to tell you about something completely wonderful.  So, this time, I'm taking you behind the scenes of this year's Halloween House and Trick or Treat Trail—one of Reston's most popular community events of the year. The story of our Halloween Trail, as it was formerly known, is the story of community. Here is a little history about this event.  It began about a dozen years ago as a way provide a fun activity for the whole family and to raise funds to support the Walker Nature Education Center . This was long before the launch of the capital …

For the past few months, I've written about the impact of a Native America nation's decision-making process on the Reston Association Board of Directors' approach to making decisions in the face of massive and certain changes. To recap, the Iroquois Confederation, a group of five tribes that joined together to avoid war, made major decisions by asking the question of what would the impact of their decision be seven generations later.  I found this idea of "seven generations" while researching another article and was immediately struck by its implications for Reston and for the posterity of …

We talk a lot about change—how we manage it, whether we can support it, and sometimes, how to avoid it.  Yet, here is one idea we should consider—that change is always with us.  It is coming on the rails of the Metro Silver line; that will bring more residents. Change commences with the January lifting of the covenants in the Reston Center for Industry and Government, and change will come because nothing in life remains static.  The hallmark of what is going on now in our community is change.   Do we reject everything new in order to retain the familiar?  Had anyone in Reston taken that …

  When you think of "Reston Association," what comes to mind? Some of you may envision the trails, pools or tennis courts. Others may think of the open spaces, lakes and nature outside your back doors.  To a few, the RA name may recall the diversity and quality of our neighborhoods.  Or you maybe like me, when you think of Reston Association, you realize it is not a homeowners' association, at all.  While that's how we started 46 years ago, we have grown up.  Reston Association has evolved and changed to meet the needs of our community.  Reston Association is far more than a homeowners …

When Reston's first residents moved "out here" 46 years ago, they lived in brand- new homes. They swam in brand-new pools and walked freshly cut pathways. Likewise, the businesses that followed were new. However, almost half a century has passed, and despite the quality maintained through our residential covenants, most properties – particularly rental and multi-family homes - would benefit from some updating and are poised for redevelopment. When Metro arrives in three years,  or once the covenants are lifted along the Reston Center for Industry and Government next January, you can look for …