News and notes from Reston (tm).

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

JBG's Resubmitted Fairway Apartments Proposal: Smaller, Shorter, More Underground

Byebyemauvescraper.jpg

The rumors were true: JBG will bring a redesigned plan for redeveloping the Fairway Apartment complex to the Reston Planning & Zoning Committee on Feb. 21. And according to our BFFs at Reston 2020, the mauvescraper is history.

The company's resubmitted proposal has been reduced from more than 900 units to 810 units, with no building more than five stories tall. Some of the parking, originally planned for garage structures, will now be underground. At this point, it's not clear what other changes have been made, or whether this will be enough to allay the raft of concerns the original proposal raised among virtually every local organization and county planners. It would be nice if JBG found a clever way to maintain the amount of open space in the earlier proposal, even though eliminating the mauvescraper suggests more units will be spread out across more space (one of the benefits of building up, instead of out). Guess we'll find out soon enough!

7 comments:

  1. I called the county transportation department and am trying to speak with someone about park and rides. I was told I need to speak with a manager named Karen. Has anyone tried to call the transportation department and been able to speak with this Karen? The other number given for the Connector goes to a voice mailbox.

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  2. Actually, I think a taller building with more green space around it is a better approach than more sprawly stuff (though at least some of the parking's being put underground).

    At the risk of waking the troll, it's not like the Heron House ruined the character of the low-rise neighborhoods surrounding Lake Anne.

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  3. Reston has a house for Herons? What's next -- a condo for coyotes?

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  4. @1:19: I agree, I prefer high rise to the blocky low style, but Heron House is pretty small, only 70 or so units, I doubt that would be cost effective ruses days.

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  5. Oops... These days.

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  6. Reston has enough high-rises as is. I don't want this place to turn into Arlington, because I actually like the ability to still see the mountains out west, and to still see the night sky.

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  7. Some times what we like, and what we want is not really what WE NEED for our future and futire generations, we have created enough sprawl and it is about time we come back to taller buildings and more green space!I agree with the person that wrote above "Actually, I think a taller building with more green space around it is a better approach than more sprawly stuff (though at least some of the parking's being put underground)."

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