A deeply divided Fairfax County Planning Commission voted on Wednesday (June 4) to recommend that the Board of Supervisors authorize staff study the possibility of housing on the Reston National Golf Course site.
The 8-4 split reversed a preliminary 6-1 vote with four abstentions taken on May 15, when commissioners indicated support for county staff’s recommendation not to move forward with the proposal.
During Wednesday’s meeting, sharply differing viewpoints emerged among the commissioners on whether the proposal is fully fleshed out and whether additional housing justifies a reduction in open space.
Reston National’s owner, a subsidiary of Baltimore-based War Horse Cities, has partnered with developer NVR in seeking a Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan amendment that would permit residential or mixed-use development on part or all of the 18-hole golf course at 11875 Sunrise Valley Drive.
In their application, War Horse and NVR say they would develop 86 acres with housing, while preserving the remaining 80 acres as recreational or park space, or another “public use.”
Constructed in 1970, the 166-acre golf course has been the subject of redevelopment discussions for years. War Horse Properties purchased the site in 2019 from RN Golf Management LLC for $23.75 million — more than four times the price of the previous sale in 2005.
Providence District Commissioner Jeremy Hancock, who advocated for the county to authorize a full study at the May 15 and June 4 meetings, acknowledged objections from residents, many of whom have argued that replacing the golf course with housing would negatively affect surrounding neighborhoods and take away a valued amenity from the Reston community.
But without further staff study, there’s no way to know whether the concerns can be addressed, Hancock said.
“I am concerned with the inability to study these issues,” he said.
On the other side, Hunter Mill District Commissioner John Carter, whose district includes Reston, argued that the proposal submitted as part of the county’s Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) process “doesn’t have sufficient detail,” he said.
“It does not provide an example of outstanding neighborhood planning,” Carter said. “[It] simply covers the area with an unknown amount of development.”
The commission ultimately voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors add the proposal to Tier 3 of staff’s comprehensive plan amendment work program, the lowest level of urgency. The final vote broke down as follows:
- In favor: Hancock, Chris Landgraf (Franconia), Timothy Sargent (at-large), Evelyn Spain (Sully), Candice Bennett (at-large), Walter Clarke (Mount Vernon), Alis Wang (Mason) and Alyssa Batchelor-Causey (Dranesville)
- Opposed: Carter, Mary Cortina (Braddock), James Thomas (Springfield) and chair Phillip Niedzielski-Eichner (at-large)
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to take a final vote on all 43 SSPA nominations submitted by property owners and developers next Tuesday, June 10. The proposals that get authorized will be added to the staff work plan for further exploration.
Though they voted against the Reston National proposal, both Niedzielski-Eichner and Cortina acknowledged the site’s long-term future may not be as a golf course.
“The community has to look seriously at what may be alternative uses,” Niedzielski-Eichner said. “At some point, we’re going to have to visit that question.”
“I’m not saying that the golf course is off-limits forever,” Cortina said. But she argued that open-space preservation on a large scale needs to remain part of the “grand bargain” that brought transit service and more intense development to other parts of Reston.
The proposal has been opposed by the Reston Association and several other resident organizations, and opponents vastly outnumbered supporters at the planning commission’s May 15 public hearing on the matter.
There was no additional public testimony taken at the June 4 hearing, but that didn’t stop residents from turning up in large numbers. At one point, Niedzielski-Eichner admonished the audience for vocalizing its displeasure with the discussion.
“If we can’t maintain civility, we’ll operate without the audience,” he said. The threat seemed to calm the waters.
Critics of the proposal contend the current property owner purchased the site with the intent of pursuing redevelopment, just as the previous owner had done without success.
Niedzielski-Eichner seemed to be in agreement with that theory, suggesting War Horse Cities is unlikely to expend the effort needed to modernize its golf facilities and compete in the market.
“We have a reluctant owner,” he said.
Regardless of the outcome of the supervisors’ action, it appears the property owner is moving forward with an alternate plan for development that it contends is permitted under the site’s current zoning.
War Horse Cities and NVR officially filed an application on Tuesday (June 3) to amend the Planned Residential Community (PRC) District that governs Reston and allow 288 stacked townhouses, including 17 designated affordable units, on approximately 14 acres that have been zoned for residential uses since September 1966, according to a statement of justification.
As part of the PRC Plan proposal, the developers say they will make extensive renovations to the golf course. The proposal would reconfigure the course for 12 holes, add a restaurant called the “Back 9 Grill,” and introduce lighted, “technology-enhanced” amenities, including a multi-story driving range, a putting course and a training area.
“The Applicant is proposing the PRC Plan to reimagine Reston National Golf Course not only to keep up with the expectations of the modern golfer and ensure economic viability, but also to encourage greater participation in the sport across diverse groups, including families and younger players who cannot play during work and school hours,” the application said.
