News and notes from Reston (tm).

Monday, April 26, 2010

Deferred Comstock Wiehle Decision Deferred Again

Screen shot 2010-03-22 at 11.46.44 PM.jpgAfter deferring a decision several times, the Fairfax County Planning Commission has once again deferred a decision on the awesome Grand Canyon of the East Comstock Wiehle Metro development until this Thursday, the 29th. Unless, of course, the decision on Thursday winds up being to defer it yet again.

The county is in a bit of a bind here. Its own staff has recommended denial of the massive plan as originally submitted, but it's dependent on Comstock's participation to have an awesome parking garage built by the time the Wiehle Metro station opens. We have no knowledge of what's going on sub rosa, but here's hoping that Comstock is working behind the scenes to address the concerns raised by planners and members of the community so we can have a development we can all be proud of. Or at least a plaza that gets enough sunlight to keep the foliage from resembling an early Yes album cover.

Just keep the rad '80s art, K? Thx.

7 comments:

  1. To get out of the bind the County finds itself in, RCA and its Reston 2020 Committee proposed at the Planning Commission public hearing a month or so ago (seems like eons) that the Commission accept the plan for the 2,300 space underground garage, kiss n' ride, and bus terminal, but defer approval on the grotesque above ground plans until something Reston-worthy was presented.

    We're still waiting.

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  2. Now wouldn't that be cool? We build the underground parking garage and bus terminal with nothing above ground the but the ramps leading downwards. And what do we do with all of that surface area? Turn it into park. Maybe even put in a frisbee golf course.

    Or maybe that's where we could put in our new $100m rec center. I'm sure that would be a huge business draw. All of those folks in Tyson's could hop on the train and wind up at an indoor swimming pool complete with indoor tennis courts. Oh, yeah, and a roller rink too!

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  3. The Reston 2020 Committee suggestion to defer the decision is stupid. Keeping the County/Comstock feet to the 2013 fire is the only way.

    A phased development will only fill the additional time with haggling and an outcome the anti-developer 2020 committee wouldn't like anyway.

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  4. Comstock isn't feeling the heat yet.

    I have heard their last concessions to get the staff to recommend a conditional approval were merely window dressing and promises to close the traffic circle during metro rush hours . . . nothing substantial.

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  5. The 2020 committee isn't anti-developer. Some of us had coffee with a developer just last week. And a very pleasant morning it was.

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  6. The new changes proposed by Comstock were not included in the Proffer Statement and aren't legally binding. Illuminated bollards, indeed. The county wants traffic off the plaza. Let Comstock build a two-level plaza, the one below for cars and the one above (in whatever passes for sun) for pedestrians.

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  7. Has everyone who posts here against this "world Class" plan written the planning commission about this?

    Please do so . . .

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