The ABCs of Reston

Whenever I talk to Restonians, one of the questions I hear most often is, "What exactly is RCA, and what does it do?" 

I can understand the confusion!  Better men than I have struggled not to drown in the "alphabet soup" of Reston organizations. Just trying to remember all the acronyms can drive you crazy. 

In order to help clear up the confusion, I will explain the differences between some of them here.  For simplicity's sake, I will stick to the "Big Three" organizations in Reston:the, and the RCA.


The Reston Association (RA) is the homeowner's association.  It covers most of the areas commonly thought of as Reston, although not the Town Center (which is governed by its own association, RTCA), Deepwood (a neighborhood near Hunters Woods that does not belong to RA), or the Reston Center for Industry and Government (which includes the buildings directly on either side of the Toll Road, such as Plaza America and the International Center).

Depending on the outcome of the Master Plan process, the RCIG area may become part of RA.  RA is charged with maintaining Reston's natural environment, common areas, and outdoor recreation facilities (like tennis courts, swimming pools, and paths), as well as administering the covenants that spell out what homeowners can and can't do with their property. 

It also hosts community-focused events, such as community yard sales and Newcomer's Nights.  There is a series of RA committees that advise its Board of Directors on community issues such as transportation and the environment.  RA is funded by a yearly assessment that all Reston homeowners must pay.

The 2011 annual assessment is $540 per household. (RA also has a 501(c)3 sister organization, the Friends of Reston, which funds community projects.  Most recently, they raised money to pay for construction of the Nature house.)

The Reston Community Center (RCC) consists of two facilities, at Hunters Woods (the flagship location) and Lake Anne.

These facilities offer indoor swimming, performing arts events, educational and recreational programs, and community gathering space.  The RCC also puts on some events outside its buildings, such as the Multicultural Festival, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, and the summer concert series at Lake Anne. 

The RCC is run by a local Board of Governors, which ultimately answers to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.  The Board of Governors is charged with budgeting and setting the policy direction for the Center.  The RCC is funded by Small Tax District No. 5, which is a real estate tax levied on all residences and businesses in Reston.

 The funds from the tax district were originally used to finance the construction of the Hunters Woods center, and are now used to fund the maintenance of RCC's facilities and the administration of its programs.  The current tax rate is 4.7 cents per $100 of assessed property value. (Like RA, RCC has a 501(c)3 sister group, the Friends of RCC, which raises money and donates volunteer time to support RCC's mission.)

The Reston Citizens Association (RCA) was founded in 1968 to serve as Reston's voice on political and social issues, and to ensure that Bob Simon's founding goals for Reston were maintained as Reston continued to build toward its future.

I discussed in my how we've sought to fulfill that goal over the years.  RCA has a series of issue committees designed to formulate plans and advance advocacy on issues that our Board of Directors deems important.

 Currently, we are engaged in issues such as the future planning of Reston (through our 2020 Committee) and increasing access for the disabled to Reston's facilities (through our Accessibility Committee).

 Every citizen of Reston is a member of RCA, whether they realize it or not.  Unlike RA and RCC, which have paid professional staffs, RCA is an all-volunteer organization.  And unlike RA and RCC, RCA is not funded by a dedicated tax or assessment of any kind.  RCA is funded entirely by donations from Reston citizens.  (RCA does not have a 501(c)3 sister group yet, but we're looking into it.


There are a number of other hard-working and strong Reston civic organizations, such as IPAR, ARCH -- truly, the list is endless, and I couldn't hope to cover them all in one blog post.

If people are interested, I can discuss the role of some of those other organizations in a future post.  But I hope this clears up what RCA is and does, and how it differs from RA and RCC.  But if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!