Real alternatives for Lake Anne
John Lovaas
2008-07-11 14:19:07
During July, Fairfax County staff planning staff are drafting a new Comprehensive Plan for “revitalizing” Lake Anne. It turns out there are very good alternatives for this redevelopment (not the “tweaking Supervisor Hudgins promised).
County consultants from the firm BBPA recommend an extreme density model that staff are using, I fear, in drafting the new Plan. In addition, we have revitalization as proposed in a 2005 county Economic Study, the preferred alternative of a county-staged Charette in late 2006, and a Citizens Plan alternative drafted last Spring.
BBPA proposes up to 1,983 additional dwelling units within a few hundred meters of the Plaza’s fountain. About 900 high-end units would be high-end condos high on the Crescent Apartments property. The existing 181 affordable units would be leveled, replaced with units at the bottom of the hill. There would be 237,500 square feet of office space in buildings on and beside the current parking lot, along with 82,000 square feet of new retail (added to the existing 27,000 sq. ft.). BBPA makes NO provision for community space. Total open space in Lake Anne would be as little as 15 percent, the legal minimum. Overall density would be 2.0 FAR, nearly twice that of Reston Town Center.
The Lake Anne Citizens Plan would allow up to 900 new dwelling units, 100,000 square feet of office space (one mid-rise or two low-rise buildings) and 50,000 square feet of new retail—the latter all in an extension of the existing plaza onto what is now the parking lot. Community-use space would provide for the Reston Farmers Market among other uses. Minimum open space in this plan would be 30 percent. The Citizens alternative density would be slightly less than one-half the BBPA plan.
The Charette, attended by over 100 Lake Anne residents, resulted in a “preferred alternative” to revitalize Lake Anne. Charette participants proposed up to 660 new dwelling units, 70,000 square feet of new office space, only 24,000 square feet of new retail and 5,000 square feet of new community space. No estimate of open space was made. Density is estimated at less than a third that proposed by BBPA.
The 2005 Economic Study consultants provide an interesting additional alternative. “Interesting” because it was based on what economists believed the businesses at Lake Anne actually needed in order to be “revitalized." In theory, this is what revitalization was all about. The study proposed as a maximum 869 new dwelling units and 105,000 square feet of office space. They did not specify new retail. There was no mention of open space or density, both of which were beyond the study’s scope.
Implicit in BBPA are large-scale, above-ground “sculptured” parking garages, several of them. The Citizens Plan would require half the garage space of the BBPA proposal and the Citizens Plan is pedestrian oriented, while BBPA is vehicle oriented, with half the open space.
The BBPA report is available online at fairfaxcounty.gov as are the Charette and Economic Study reports. Contact me if you’d like a copy of the Citizens Plan. We can revitalize Lake Anne and be proud!
John Lovaas
Reston