Patrick F Kane

     Patrick F. Kane is a planning consultant, active for forty years in the evolution of the community and revitalization of Reston. This paper was prepared for use in lectures and classes (as noted in resume) he offers on the impact of Reston on the shape of contemporary human settlement patterns. The paper will be offered to APA for publication in Planning.

     Reston was a real estate development which was a bold experiment as an alternative to homogeneous suburban development of the era employing the ideas of the Newtown movement.  Mr. Simon is often quoted as saying that Reston is philosophy, not topography.  Many of the ideas and concepts of the new community of Reston, though not particularly new, have been adopted or used in marketing programs by real estate developments throughout the country. Some of these ideas and concepts are:  Newtown, community, mixed use, live and work town homes, pedestrian-friendly village centers, Include and covenants with architectural controls.  Although incorporated in marketing efforts, the ideas themselves have not always been followed.

     The initial investor provided the physical plan which established the framework and in some cases financial support, to allow residents to create and sustain the organizations and institutions that built the community. Elements include worship communities, a community theater, choral groups, community antenna which later evolved into a cable network, leagues and sports clubs, triathlon, prestigious Northern Virginia soccer tournaments, and a major arts festival.

     Walking options existed, however the automobile frequently won. 

     No provision was made for management of quasi-public spaces.  No one entity was responsible for ongoing promoting and marketing. Although the Reston Association was charged with maintaining value, it is not entrepreneurial and focuses on rule enforcement. Complex interrelated investments need institutional marketing and promotion.

     In large-scale real estate development, as aging occurs, housing generally results in declining value.  The quality of Reston kept prices high.  Younger residents could not afford to move in.  Younger residents are needed to recharge institutions.  At one time, the community mirrored demographics of the region.  Although highly reputed, this planned community has no provisions for ongoing planning.  The original plan was basically a land use allocation, not a comprehensive plan, but it was supported by Simon’s seven goals:

• That the widest choice of opportunities be made available for the full use of leisure time.
• That it be possible for anyone to remain in a single neighborhood throughout his life.
• That the importance and dignity of each individual be the focal point for all planning.
• That people be able to live and work in the same community.
• That commercial, cultural, and recreational facilities be made available to the residents from the outset of the development—not years later.
• That beauty—structural and natural—is a necessity of “the good life” and should be fostered.
• Since Reston is being developed from private enterprise, in order to be completed as conceived, it must also, of course, be a financial success.

     Any proposed change must be defended by demonstrating its compliance with the Master Plan, which has as many interpretations as it has interpreters. Change is inevitable but not in planned communities.  This is a result of not using the “-ing” suffix in planning.  Virginia uses proffers; in reinvestment, original investment is equivalent to a proffer.  The deal in real estate investments seeks to secure low-cost “farm land” and create value by the addition of infrastructure and amenities. 

     In the initial days, Lake Anne provided the marketing image, which built the values elsewhere.  When these properties were sold, the need for marketing no longer existed.  No provisions were made to maintain the quality of the original marketing tools.  The same thing is true of Town Center, the high-quality of finishes and type of activities supported by real estate interests can no longer be justified when all the land is sold.  Just as Lake Anne Plaza is currently having difficulties, so also might Town Center in the future.  

     Privately owned spaces that effectively function as public spaces, plazas, open spaces, etc, require a mechanism to engage the public sector as partners in the ownership and management.  These issues are occurring in planned community clones throughout the country, but because these are still immature, the problems have yet to be faced.  Reston, again, has the opportunity of providing a model to manage an aging common space.

     As successful as Reston is, there are many things that must be done to prepare for the future.  The first step will be to prepare a revision of the Master Plan and do so in the context of a comprehensive plan, not a land use plan.  In order to accomplish this, the responsibility for updating the Master Plan must be defined.  If, in fact, this is the responsibility of the Reston Association, the organization will need additional staff and/or consultant resources.  The planning process should begin with a work plan, which identifies the task’s responsibility, estimated duration, interrelationship with other tasks, and budget.  A planning process of this magnitude will need a significant budget, probably well beyond the current resources available for such an undertaking.

     Some of the issues that the comprehensive plan should address are: 

     Accommodating and taking advantage of the opportunity that the extension of rail into the corridor offers.

     Reconfirming or challenging the concept of villages and village centers as a building block for the community.  This requires definition of a village.  Lake Anne is a Village Center with problems.  It lacks critical mass of interacting commercial uses and large enough proximate residential population to support these businesses.  The other commercial centers can be retrofitted to function as villages, as defined in the comprehensive plan.

     Rebalancing the number and types of dwelling units with the employee base.  The Chamber of Commerce estimates that there are 35,000 jobs in Reston.  We do not know if that includes non-Chamber members such as schools, government agencies, or nonprofit organizations.  RA estimates 21,155 dwelling units now.  The last number RA has for the Town Center is 2,750 dwelling units.  The housing must also reflect the individual lifestyle needs of the employees and, more importantly, of the present residents who are in the position of down sizing, or otherwise changing their personal situations--empty nesters, building nesters, and free flyers.  Reston has a number of residents who are committed to the community but they do not have the kinds of housing choices to meet their needs. 

     Significant amount of the properties in Reston have now reached maturity and either are fine and must be protected, or are in need of reconfiguration to meet changing market, lifestyle, and demographic conditions.   Both of these situations will require a comprehensive program to encourage or assist the property owners to reinvest.  Reconfiguring of the townhouses creates a wonderful challenge.  Few can accommodate additions, and it may be necessary to consider connection adjoining townhouses to meet the needs of tomorrow’s market.

     The marketing of Reston has been carried out by those with real estate to sell.  There is very little new real estate is left to sell, with the potential exception of air rights.  A procedure must be created to continue a marketing program to maintain the value of existing property and justify reinvestment.  The technique to accomplish this should be part of the revised comprehensive plan.  The recent opening of the Air and Space Museum Annex and the continuing expansion of the Dulles Airport create many opportunities for attracting tourists, a market sector that has not previously been addressed.  Reston itself has an international reputation and attracts many visitors already.  With the exception of the struggling Reston Museum, the story of Reston is not marketed.

     The responsibility for maintaining and promoting the quasi-public spaces such as the Lake Anne Plaza and the spaces within the Town Center must be established. 

     Governance has been an ongoing issue of concern to Reston.  The efforts to create a municipal form of government have generated lots of controversy, be it town, city, or village related.  The issues confronting Reston, particularly as it relates to common property and its interdependence with the other communities within the region, suggest that a hybrid form of government be created.  As difficult as it will be to receive approval from Richmond for any type of self government, a hybrid form should not be that much more difficult. 

    The Washington metropolitan area suffers from a lack of any regional approach to issues of significance to everyone in the region.  Reston should not continue this insular approach and should address its future in the context of the needs and opportunities of the region.  This includes regional transportation, regional housing, and regional land use policies.

     The future of Reston requires attention to revising its plan within the context of the region.  This plan must deal with accommodating and benefitting from a rail extension and the improvement of viable villages. The covenant restricts residential use adjacent to the Toll Road which should be the location of the rail stops.