tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post6247530662923058047..comments2024-02-29T14:00:40.184-05:00Comments on Restonian: News blog from Reston, Virginia, the mauve-colored New Town (tm): On the YouTubes: Meat the RA Board CandidatesRestonianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15519884797760354007noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-9187451039972315652010-03-09T09:30:10.693-05:002010-03-09T09:30:10.693-05:00Smyers is clearly the one with a vendetta.Smyers is clearly the one with a vendetta.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-37840113722254283172010-03-09T08:29:21.505-05:002010-03-09T08:29:21.505-05:00That slate is exactly who we should be voting AGAI...That slate is exactly who we should be voting AGAINST!HCKDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-79772339064118997632010-03-09T08:14:51.457-05:002010-03-09T08:14:51.457-05:00And she's cashing out... so much love for Rest...And she's cashing out... so much love for Reston.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-34245693733624333512010-03-09T08:06:28.763-05:002010-03-09T08:06:28.763-05:00Wow, the existing board getting into it... wonderi...Wow, the existing board getting into it... wondering if the President's endorsement will help or hurt...?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-7034291735092393482010-03-08T22:35:29.666-05:002010-03-08T22:35:29.666-05:00From: Robin Smyers
Date: March 5, 2010 10:16:23 P...From: Robin Smyers <br />Date: March 5, 2010 10:16:23 PM EST<br />To: undisclosed-recipients:;<br />Subject: Good Candidates to Support - Please VOTE<br /><br />Dear Friends and Fellow RA Members,<br />The RA Board of Directors candidates’ ballots have been mailed and it is very important that those whom we elect are people of integrity. There have been unfounded attacks on RA recently, led by a special interest group looking out for its own agenda, rather than looking out for Reston as a whole. This coalition has put forth a partisan slate of candidates who, if elected, could cause much harm to Reston.<br /><br />Please give your consideration to the following non-partisan candidates who have experiences that would make them thoughtful and contributing board members and who are enthusiastic about Reston and willing to put in the work needed to guide us in the years ahead. <br /><br />If you live in Lake Anne/Tall Oaks or in North Point, you have the opportunity to vote for two of these three excellent candidates. <br />If you live in South Lakes or Hunters Woods/Dogwood, you can only vote for David, but he’s terrific!<br /><br /> *On a personal note, even though I will soon be leaving Reston, my heart and passion for this community will never fade. This community is worthy of the enthusiasm these fine candidates are willing to dedicate to our members and your vote counts!! This community deserves leaders who have no personal agendas, vendettas, but bring educated ideas and openness to this important time.<br /><br /><br /> <br />DAVID ROBINSON FOR AT-LARGE DIRECTOR<br /><br />1622 Bennington Hollow Lane<br />Reston, VA 20194<br />Home: (703) 707-0909<br />Email: DJR1622@yahoo.com<br /> <br /> <br />KEVIN DANAHER FOR LAKE ANNE/TALL OAKS DIRECTOR<br /> <br />1795 Ivy Oaks Square<br />Reston, VA. 20190<br />Home: (703) 709-5283<br />Email: danaherforreston@comcast.net<br /><br />MIKE COLLINS FOR NORTH POINT DIRECTOR<br /><br />11408 Gate Hill Place<br />Reston, VA 20194<br />Home: (571) 969-4903<br />Email: mike4ra@gmail.com<br />Facebook: Mike Collins for Reston AssociationAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-82468163295080358152010-03-07T19:37:22.514-05:002010-03-07T19:37:22.514-05:00" I just don't understand why Reston'..." I just don't understand why Reston's rental market is so over-inflated compared to adjacent communities. "<br /><br />It's what the market will bear, Bico. Obviously some people think living in Reston *is* worth more, or noone would be paying that much. Seriously, though, once you move and have nothing left to whine about, what will you do with all your free time?<br /><br />If you want to move, MOVE! You've made it clear overandoverandover that you do not like it here. Why do you need to clog this board with your constant bitching and moaning?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-84906695817035227032010-03-07T19:18:16.927-05:002010-03-07T19:18:16.927-05:00Tree cutting is the jurisdiction of the Covenants ...Tree cutting is the jurisdiction of the Covenants Committee. FFX flew the entire County every other year from '46 to 2000 and every 4 years since. Demonstrating what trees were cut is easy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-76054330610918073762010-03-07T18:08:08.961-05:002010-03-07T18:08:08.961-05:00"Don't let the door hit your ass on the w..."Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out." Yep. Spoken in true Restonian fashion from someone who is delusional enough to think Reston, which is 20+ miles outside the city with no Metrorail access, few sidewalks, and no sense of being "urbane" or "chic" is worth the same price as Arlington, a place within walking distance to Metro, a place with lots of character and charm, a place with SIDEWALKS, and a place that is nearly walking distance to the District. What is with this notion that suburbs are supposedly "better" for families, anyways? The only way the public school systems inside the Beltway are going to improve is if upstanding middle-class families start flooding back INTO the city (as they have been in the past few years). If I can pay $1,350/month for a 1-BR place in Arlington with hardwood floors, built-in bookshelves, a nice view from the balcony, and a short walk to the train OR a 1-BR place in Reston with wall-to-wall carpeting, a broken shower, a broken stove, and separated from businesses by a busy high-speed roadway, then why wouldn't I move? What's the appeal to Reston if you're young and broke?Broke in Charter Oak (BiCO)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-64471569372416815122010-03-07T16:42:30.566-05:002010-03-07T16:42:30.566-05:00Anon 4:19
Does the DRB even know what your neighb...Anon 4:19<br /><br />Does the DRB even know what your neighbor did? If not, send a letter anonymously to the DRB about your neighbor's Paul Bunyan exploits. It may sound sneaky to be anonymous, but if you file a complaint with your name on it, the RA would have to inform your neighbor who filed the complaint if she asked. Hate to come off like the East German Stasi on this whole thing of reporting anonymously, but on the other hand we all have to co-exist with our neighbors, even the ones who are brain dead. <br /><br />This is what I'd like to see the DRB put more emphasis on -- major offenses such as people who blatantly disregard the rules on protecting the tree canopy, rather than agonizing over the exact shade of blue somebody can paint their shutters. A neighbor on my street did the same thing to his trees, and I regret like hell that I didn't file an anonymous complaint to the DRB about it before he did his second round of tree cutting.<br /><br />And even if the tree-cutting on your street happened some time ago and all the evidence has been removed, even down to the stumps being ground out, the DRB can still find evidence of what was on that lot simply by going to Google Maps for a satellite view of your street. The satellite photos of Reston seem to be at least a couple of years old, and were taken in winter, so the amount of trees on anybody's property is pretty damn obvious.<br /><br />Send the letter.Peasant From Less Sought After South Restonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-79075301850389955082010-03-07T16:19:16.473-05:002010-03-07T16:19:16.473-05:00Does thumbing your nose at the DRB work? I wanna ...Does thumbing your nose at the DRB work? I wanna do that. They let my neighbor cut down 21 trees without permission and haven't done a thing about it. She hasn't replanted even one. I want one of those cut out things.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-7285237240574754622010-03-07T15:36:54.893-05:002010-03-07T15:36:54.893-05:00Wasn't it Guy Rando that drove around for year...Wasn't it Guy Rando that drove around for years with a big cut out on his truck thumbing it's nose at the RA or DRB Board? That doesn't seem productive.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01679908825471021092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-71669503516513754362010-03-07T15:25:57.717-05:002010-03-07T15:25:57.717-05:00There is plenty of room for development, but it ha...There is plenty of room for development, but it has to be done in the right way. There has to be open space. There have to be amenities for new residents. There has to be adequate infrastructure (roads) in place to accomodate the additional traffic. <br /><br />"By rights" does not exist in areas in Reston covered by the Reston deed. Every development proposal must be reviewed by the DRB. <br /><br />Have a look at Guy Rando's facebook page.<br />http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=info&ref=nur&id=100000690407654#!/profile.php?v=info&ref=nur&id=100000690407654<br /><br />And have a look at the Specific Planning Principles he wrote:<br /><br />http://reston2020.blogspot.com/2010/01/citizens-master-plan-for-dulles.html<br /><br />If you live in the Lake Anne/Tall Oaks area you can vote for Guy Rando.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-72270531883734158412010-03-07T14:51:05.291-05:002010-03-07T14:51:05.291-05:00Hi new poster here--and after reading several post...Hi new poster here--and after reading several posts have decided to post with an approximation of my name, wouldn't want anyone to think I lacked courage. <br /><br />So interesting to read all of this...I have to say what mystifies me the most is how do people think they will stop development from happening? My understanding of Fairway is that they can "by rights" redevelop that and the Reston Heights area. How could an RA Board member stop that? Wouldn't it be better to try and influence it to the betterment of all of Reston? I'm worried by candidates that make rigid statements about what they will and won't do. That doesn't seem to be in the best interest of Reston. Am I wrong?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01679908825471021092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-3672754027756440302010-03-07T14:39:05.997-05:002010-03-07T14:39:05.997-05:00"Why wouldn't I move? "
BiCO, don&#..."Why wouldn't I move? " <br />BiCO, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out!<br /><br />Seriously, enjoy Arlington. And when you get a little older and find a partner and adopt a couple of kids, then it would be interesting to hear your tune.<br /><br />HCKDHCKDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-19873481223113423672010-03-07T13:46:19.917-05:002010-03-07T13:46:19.917-05:00Well said BiCO...Well said BiCO...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-61504988529392606232010-03-07T12:10:38.231-05:002010-03-07T12:10:38.231-05:00Anonymous @ 8:32 AM: My personal beef is that I...Anonymous @ 8:32 AM: My personal beef is that I'll soon be expected to pay well over $1,300/month for a 1-BR apartment in Reston when I toured a few apartments yesterday within a mile's walk of the Ballston Metro for that same price point. I just don't understand why Reston's rental market is so over-inflated compared to adjacent communities. Reston and Arlington should NOT have comparable pricing; Reston should be cheaper. This place in Arlington I toured had parquet hardwood flooring throughout, a huge balcony (some with views of the National Cathedral), built-in bookshelves, and was in a quiet leafy neighborhood (Cherrydale) just north of Ballston and a closer commute to my office in McLean. Why wouldn't I move? <br /><br />Anonymous @ 10:08 AM: Reston was initially intended to have had 80,000 residents. It currently has just 65,000 (estimated) and is already choked with traffic during the evening rush. Imagine how much worse it will be with just 15,000 more, let alone with 35,000-50,000 more residents. You're 100% correct that the street system here is inadequate. There aren't enough north/south arteries over the Toll Road, and most of the roads are narrow and meander aimlessly. Temporary Road WILL become a choke point in the future, and if a light is ever put in at North Shore & Temporary I'm wondering if traffic on Temporary will back up to the intersection of Temporary & Reston Parkway. It's not my fault that Reston's street network wasn't laid out in an efficient grid, as was Arlington. This is why I drove right through the heart of Ballston, Virginia Square, and Clarendon yesterday without any hassle whereas I hit heavier traffic on Reston Parkway. To those boo-hooing about "Arlingtonizing" Reston have any of you ever BEEN to Waverly Hills, Cherrydale, or other single-family-detached-dominated leafy residential neighborhoods near to Metro, or are you just relying upon hysteria? Those neighborhoods were nicer than Reston!<br /><br />Anonymous @ 10:18 AM: You're 100% correct. Reston still isn't nearly at the point yet that it was originally intended to have been, but the NIMBYs don't want to hear that. If you all wanted "lots of elbow room" then why didn't you all move to Loudoun County? Fairfax County has over one million people already and will likely attract a good chunk of the two million MORE people expected to move to Metro DC in the coming years. Folks in Reston can continue to be NIMBY, but what will happen? People will put up more cul-de-sacs in Loudoun County and commute THROUGH Reston or TO Reston, making our traffic situation twice as bad as it currently is. I'd rather have those residents HERE to minimize their usage of vehicles instead of encouraging them to DRIVE HERE or DRIVE THROUGH HERE! Then again, since I'm moving shortly I'll be out of all of your hair anyways.Broke in Charter Oak (BiCO)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-2595720681969154002010-03-07T10:18:24.221-05:002010-03-07T10:18:24.221-05:00Simon's original plan was to have at least two...Simon's original plan was to have at least two residential towers - possibly up to three at Lake Anne. That would have been a lot of residents using North Shore. Reston was desigend to be a planned community -- Simon's concept focused on more people per acre -- more townhomes, mid-rises, high-rises, and yes, detached single family, as well as commercial -- all mixed. If you look at his original idea of the seven Village Centers. we aint even close yet. Go to the on-line George Mason Archves of Reston -- very revealing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-48780652096084191592010-03-07T10:08:46.729-05:002010-03-07T10:08:46.729-05:00Traffic is better in Arlington because Arlington, ...Traffic is better in Arlington because Arlington, like a real city, actually has roads, a grid of streets. Reston was designed to be a suburb. The fellow who laid out North Shore Drive recently told me he did it so people would drive 10 mph because of all the kids who would be playing in the area. There was a plan here and TOD wasn't part of that plan. Neither was having 125,000-150,000 residents. Reston was designed for 80,000 people<br /><br />Go ahead and go to Arlington, BiCO, and don't look back. We'll never forget you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-59271897492633413402010-03-07T08:32:07.051-05:002010-03-07T08:32:07.051-05:00BiCO... my wife and I live in Reston and love it.....BiCO... my wife and I live in Reston and love it.. we go to Arlington cuz the Town Center is a bit fake and corporate for us... can'te wait to have metro and get best of both worlds... heck, even go into DC... BTW we have a single family home, and look forward to this new development...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-64650202765168667242010-03-07T00:40:00.401-05:002010-03-07T00:40:00.401-05:00(Reads thread while shaking head. Reflects fondly ...(Reads thread while shaking head. Reflects fondly upon upscale apartment in a high-rise he toured today near Ballston for the same monthly price his Reston apartment will be renting for in a couple of months). Do I want transit-oriented development or a bunch of 50-something NIMBYs? By the way, Arlington has roughly four times the population of Reston. The traffic today was heavier in RESTON than it was in Arlington. Just some food for thought before you people go with your "Arlington = EVIL" comments.Broke in Charter Oak (BiCO)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-38393548266211767652010-03-06T22:30:41.270-05:002010-03-06T22:30:41.270-05:00Anon 10:28 PM -- agreed... well said.Anon 10:28 PM -- agreed... well said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-83765445463528188742010-03-06T22:29:34.514-05:002010-03-06T22:29:34.514-05:00cliche should have been spelled cliquecliche should have been spelled cliqueAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-77311819449065418952010-03-06T22:28:17.549-05:002010-03-06T22:28:17.549-05:00Anon 9:10 & Anon 10:12 so "clubhouse"...Anon 9:10 & Anon 10:12 so "clubhouse" really meant "cliche" as in "we belong and you don't." Ya, I definitely see that. Though I think its unintended and not malicious. A negligence in not making strangers to the HQ welcome.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-30751904280741501292010-03-06T22:12:39.230-05:002010-03-06T22:12:39.230-05:00Anon 10:01 LOL. I think the term "clubhouse...Anon 10:01 LOL. I think the term "clubhouse atmosphere" was intended to say "outsiders not welcome -- our way, or no way..."<br /><br />I can see that...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-8923371962517214432010-03-06T22:01:40.088-05:002010-03-06T22:01:40.088-05:00Anon 9:10 what's a "clubhouse atmosphere?...Anon 9:10 what's a "clubhouse atmosphere?"<br /><br />RA staff has a lot of folks who've been there a long time who tend to dress informally. The furnishings, carpet, paint and paper are worn and slightly threadbare.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com