RA Headquarters Referendum: Brother, Can You Spare $15 Million?

You know how your "house," assuming you still have one and haven't been forcibly relocated to Targetville, isn't exactly worth what it was a year or so back? As your friendly neighborhood Realtor(tm)(R) will tell you, that means it's a great time to buy -- unless, that is, you're a homeowner's association looking for new office space in a vibrant planned community. Turns out the Reston Association, which won approval to spend up to $5 million on new earth-toned digs a few years back, just can't find anything at that price level, because now they want to spend up to $15 million. So later this month, watch your mailbox for a referendum ballot on the issue.

You see, the RA's lease will expire on its current headquarters in Isaac Newton Square in 2010, and with the Metro station on its way, that building is expected to be redeveloped into something big and shiny and awesome with Macaroni Grills and other chain retail and whatnot. But apparently no one's clear on how much space the RA wants for its new pleasure dome headquarters, or even if it would be located in Reston! (They might save some money if they move it to Chantilly.) Anyway, they had some sort of meeting where they said they wanted to put it to a referendum, and the Reston Alliance of Reston Clusters and Homeowners (ARCH) said something like, "Whoa, dudes, how about giving us a few minor details, like how much space you think you'll need to hand out pool passes, and will it be staffed by a wacky, wisecracking fix-it guy like that dude with the toolbelt in One Day at a Time?" and generally harshed the whole buzz, because they're buzzkills.

In conclusion, be sure to vote for the referendum, or whatever, when it comes in the mail so the RA can build a giant floating fortress in the middle of Lake Anne, which will then be immediately demolished because its window trim isn't an approved shade of teal, the end.