Dear Ms. Weiland,

Thank you  for contacting me regarding the South Reston Park and Ride re-development proposal,  which the county has rejected. We  have decided not to pursue this development for several reasons, including  insufficient provision of workforce housing, incompatibility with the  surrounding community, and a lack of funds for maintaining the parking  garage.  You and your neighbors raised many of these concerns at a town hall meeting that Supervisor Hudgins  hosted in December and in letters sent to my office. I appreciate your input.

This  development proposal also raised concerns about the openness of the PPEA  process.  While this proposal was  still under review by county staff, I asked Cathy Muse, the Director of the  Department of Purchasing and Supply, to explore ways to make the process more  open and inclusive.  On April  17th, at a meeting hosted by Supervisor Hudgins at Hunters Woods  Elementary, Cathy Muse will discuss how the county will make this process more  inclusive.

I will  continue to advocate for the creation of more workforce and affordable  housing, which is a critical component of the transportation solution.  I will also continue to support land  use policies that focus development around transit, including bus hubs. I will not pursue these policy goals  irrespective of impacts on existing neighborhoods, however.  It is both possible and desirable to promote smart growth land use policies while protecting established  neighborhoods, which sometimes necessitates rejecting a proposal like this  one.  Thank you for your  involvement in the process.

Sincerely,

Gerald E.  Connolly

Good Morning All,

Supervisor Hudgins wanted me to share the following:

"Staff has completed their extensive analysis of the non-solicited Public-Private Educational Facilities and Infrastucture Act (PPEA) of 2002 proposed to develop a mixed-use project at the Reston South Park and Ride facility, located on approximately 10.6 acres. After review, using the criteria adopted by the Board of Supervisors in October 2003, staff has recommended that the County not move forward on this unsolicited proposal".

An official letter is forthcoming and a follow-up meeting is being planned for a date and time after the Spring break.

Goldie A. Harrison
Legislative Assistant
Hunter Mill District
12000 Bowman Towne Drive
Reston, VA. 20190
(703)478-0283

All,

Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) will hold a public meeting April 17 at 7 p.m. at Hunters Woods Elementary School to explain details of the staff report on Clark Construction's bid to develop workforce housing on a Reston park and ride lot.

We hope to see you there, as we are not confident that this issue has completely gone away.

-th-