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The Fairfax County Planning Commission voted 10-0 on July 8 to recommend adding a 70-townhouse redevelopment option for a 3.5-acre office property at 1850 Roland Clarke Place in Reston.
Stewart Investment Partners requested the comprehensive-plan amendment. The property is occupied by a five-story office building constructed in the early 1980s, with most of the parcel used for surface parking. It sits about half a mile from both the Wiehle-Reston East and Reston Town Center Metro stations, borders the Dulles Toll Road to the north and is otherwise surrounded by townhouses, apartments and the Westin Reston Heights Hotel.
The amendment would create a planning option, not final redevelopment approval. The owner would still need to submit a detailed rezoning application. Amanda Williams, an attorney representing the property owner, emphasized that distinction during the hearing: “We are really only at the highest level [of planning]. We do not have a concurrent, detailed rezoning plan.”
The existing comprehensive plan permits a mixed-use redevelopment with 75% apartments or condominiums and 25% retail or commercial space. The proposed townhouse option would reduce the permitted floor-area ratio from 3.55 to 1.15, or by about two-thirds compared with the mixed-use option.
That lower intensity became the central dispute. County planning staff considered townhouses a reasonable use because the parcel lies at the edge of the Wiehle-Reston East Transit Station Area. The property owner’s attorney also said the concept followed discussions with nearby residents and would better match neighboring communities.
Some residents and commissioners, however, argued that reducing development capacity between two Silver Line stations would sacrifice housing supply and transit-oriented development potential. Joshua Webb, a nearby resident, suggested a middle-ground plan with roughly 200 homes and neighborhood-serving retail. “This site sits between two Silver Line Metro stations, exactly the kind of location where we in Fairfax County should be embracing transit-oriented development,” Webb said.
Planning Commission Chair Phil Niedzielski-Eichner said, “We need to be optimizing density around Metro stations.” John Carter, the Hunter Mill District planning commissioner, acknowledged the competing considerations: “There’s always a question of what’s appropriate to the area.”
Residents of the Valley & Park townhouse community opposed greater density in part because they said the neighborhood has only one entrance and exit, through Roland Park Place. That access configuration was reported as a resident concern and was not independently verified in the supplied material.
Commissioners also addressed the site’s public-space and environmental issues. Before voting, they recommended deleting language that could have allowed required park space to be supplied off-site, keeping that obligation tied to the property. Commissioner Mary Cortina raised concerns about providing park space on-site and about possible noise from the Dulles Toll Road. County staff said noise mitigation would be considered during the rezoning process.
The Board of Supervisors was expected to consider the comprehensive-plan amendment on Aug. 25. If the board approves it, the proposal would still return for review through a detailed rezoning application.