After more than a month of uncertainty, Lake Anne residents received clarity last week on their options for cooling their homes next summer.
The Reston Association (RA) Board of Directors signaled at its meeting last Thursday (Nov. 13) that it will declare the longstanding ban on individual air-conditioning units in the Reston Deed no longer in effect, starting in mid-December.
Introduced by Lake Anne and Tall Oaks Director Irwin Flashman, the proposed declaration follows the Reston Lake Anne Air Conditioning Corporation’s (RELAC) announcement on Oct. 9 that it will permanently cease operations, ending 60 years of providing cooling services to properties around Lake Anne.
Viewed as an innovative geothermal system when it launched in June 1965, RELAC became unsustainable in recent years due to “rising operating costs, aging infrastructure, and a decline in participation,” owners Mike Coleman, Craig Nyman and Mark Waddell said when announcing the end of operations.
“I think we are all aware with the issues confronting us with regard to RELAC,” Flashman said before introducing the declaration, which he characterized as an effort “to move the discussion further along.”
The declaration states that, with no prospective new owners emerging with “a realistic proposal” to take over the utility, the Reston Deed’s prohibition on individual AC units for all residents with access to RELAC “is no longer effective, as there is no one who has the capacity and authority to operate the system.”
The board unanimously authorized RA staff to publicize its intent to formally adopt the declaration at its Dec. 11 meeting, which will begin at 6:30 p.m.
South Lakes District Director Jennifer Jushchuk asked staff to confirm that the declaration will be “circulated among [RA] members and there is an opportunity for us to hear from members.”
“Peter and I are ready” to launch a communications campaign, RA CEO Mac Cummins said in response, referring to chief operating officer Peter Lusk.
Regulated by the State Corporation Commission (SCC), RELAC drew water from Lake Anne, chilled it and circulated it to individual properties every summer. It served approximately 600 homes and 25 commercial properties, according to RA.
The system faced challenges over the past couple of decades as maintenance costs climbed and some residents complained that it was inefficient. However, attempts to repeal the Deed’s provision banning individual AC units via referendum in 2008, 2015 and March 2024 failed to secure the necessary support.
That last referendum was held after RELAC’s owners announced in December 2023 that they would no longer provide cooling services.
A group of local residents led by Simon McKeown established a nonprofit known as springRELAC to take over the utility’s operations for the 2024 season with the goal of eventually assuming ownership as a co-op, but those plans were upended by McKeown’s death last December.
A Maryland contractor who helped run RELAC this past summer and was considered as a potential new owner ultimately withdrew his offer.
RA’s plan to essentially void the RELAC provision will allow all Lake Anne property owners to install individual AC units without needing to obtain a medical exemption, an option currently only available to people with health concerns. As of late October, RA had issued 101 medical exemptions.
According to RA, all members, not just those in RELAC’s service area, can weigh in on the planned declaration by attending the Dec. 11 board meeting in person or virtually, or submitting a comment online that will be shared with the board prior to the meeting.
The declaration will take immediate effect if it’s approved.
