Supervisor Walter Alcorn has asked to hear from you, and we ask that you take a few minutes to use our Action Center to express your views to our County elected officials. We believe the developer-owners of both golf course properties may be planning an attempt to get the Comprehensive Plan changed during the upcoming North County Site Specific Plan Amendment Process, which should start by early 2022. YOU can help Supervisor Alcorn toss out any plans submitted for development by either golf course owner by writing today.
Read on for more background:
Reston National Golf Course developer-owners Weller and War Horse Cities have created the Reston National Neighborhood Study Group to “fully understand the challenges and opportunities facing our Neighborhood.” But, developers Weller and War Horse Cities, who have acknowledged that they bought Reston National Golf Course (RNGC) in 2019 at a price that reflects future development, are gambling that they can crack open the Comprehensive Plan for Reston to change the current land use designation of open space. The developers’ Study Group, paid for by Weller and War Horse Cities, equates “opportunities” with property development and “challenges” with convincing Reston residents that having more buildings instead of open space is in our interest.
Rescue Reston’s position is to NOT re-open Comp Plan for golf courses.
#NoCompPlanChange
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For more detail, read on. If you don’t need more, please go to our Action Center now.
This summer, the developers’ Study Group invited four of the 12 clusters surrounding RNGC for a “conversation about current issues and the future of Reston National.” These meetings focused on the developers’ expensive evaluation of invasive plants on the golf course and convincing residents that invasives on the golf course are also the neighboring residents’ problem. Attendees told Rescue Reston that the presentations were very poorly received—residents often walked out, telling presenters not to waste their time by obscuring their aim of developing the golf course. Reston Association is well aware of the invasive plant situation, which is a problem throughout Northern Virginia, and has developed a management strategy and organized both staff and volunteer resources to eradicate invasive plants.
In early September, the developers’ Study Group hosted a wine and cheese event for residents of the high-rise Faraday Park apartments on Reston Station Boulevard. Residents were asked to take a survey about Reston to win up to $600 in raffle prizes. One survey question asked residents how important open spaces are to them without revealing the company’s relationship to the golf course. We believe this tactic is in anticipation of filing a Site-Specific Plan Amendment during next year’s “open season” called the SSPA.
Be aware that the “Reston National Neighborhood Study Group” is funded by Virginia Investment Partners LLC, a shell organization made up of War Horse Cities and Weller Development. Greg Hamm, of New City Enterprises LLC, is the prime organizer of the Study Group’s efforts. As Rescue Reston has reported, the developers had previously anonymously surveyed Reston residents via Luce Survey and Shugoll Research companies. Their efforts are not coordinated with Fairfax County, Reston Association, or any other Reston group.
Rescue Reston welcomes hearing from supporters about the developers’ efforts to influence residents. If you are compelled to listen to the developers’ representatives—which currently seem to be focused on “helping” with environmental issues and may soon move to several other areas—please email us at info@rescuereston.org so we can gain a better understanding of their evolving tactics. We know their strategy is to divide and break down opposition to development of Reston National Golf Course.
We also want supporters to understand that we see a big difference between the aims of the owner/developers and those of the golf course management company KemperSports, which aims to manage RNGC “in a socially and ecologically responsible manner.” This is not just idle talk, but is backed up by action. This summer, volunteers planted Virginia native plants in riparian buffer and meadow areas within the golf course and monitored nest boxes from which over 90 Eastern Bluebirds and other native birds fledged.
Your elected County officials have told us that they want to hear from you about challenges to our open space—it only takes a few minutes to use our Action Center to contact them. In August, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn answered Rescue Reston’s questions: You can watch the entire 20-minute interview or specific segments of it here.
For accurate, science-based information about Reston’s environment, see the 2020 Reston Association State of the Environment Report and the other information on RA’s Nature & Environmental Overview site.
#NoCompPlanChange