Fairfax County to Res-TOWN: Drop Dead

It's one thing if your own "downtown" doesn't want to become part of the nifty Ye Olde Towne of Reston, complete with costumed interpreters showing tourists how to paint stucco muave and a bell-ringing town crier reading printouts of this website on the hour. But now Fairfax County's top executive is calling the idea "radical."

Fairfax County Executive Anthony Griffin urged the rejection of what he called a “radical” proposal.

In perhaps the strongest public criticism to date of the campaign to incorporate the planned community, Griffin argued in a Nov. 27 memo to local lawmakers that the change would fragment the county, reduce revenues, seize private property and disrupt planning.

“Why should the unincorporated sections of other districts, many of which predate Reston by scores of years, not be able to become towns?” Griffin asked in the memo, rhetorically. “If Reston, then why not incorporate McLean, Centreville, Burke, Springfield, Annandale, Mount Vernon, Franconia and Merrifield, to name a few.

“The Board of Supervisors does not appear disposed toward Balkanizing the County.”

Yeah, but have you been to Springfield lately? We'd definitely be in favor of Balkanizing that lovely parcel of county-owned dirt.

Meanwhile, the Reston Citizens Association, the primary backer of the initiative, has met with members of the RA board and other groups.

The RCA is waiting until Dec. 15 to decide how to respond.

“It partly depends on the nature of the replies,” she said.

Yeah, because they've been so warm and supportive thus far.