DRAFT TRANSPORTATION PLAN IDEAS– February 12, 2010

Preamble

Reston will grow and change over the next 30 years. Some will lament that parts of Reston will no longer be
suburban. Others will enthusiastically support a new Reston urban core. It will probably be impossible to resolve
deeply entrenched philosophical positions on this subject. However, change is going to take place. The only
question to us is can we direct this change in such a way that very high standards of livability and design can
direct this process of change such that Reston in 2040 is still an exceptionally good place to live. Persons who
cannot find their philosophical vision sustained will have to adjust to Reston as it is or leave it.

The amount of future development in Reston will be basically dependent upon two primary factors -.
• How much development of each type is approved to be built, and
• Market forces at play.

To the extent that the quality and livability of Reston remain high, office buildings, stores and residential units
will remain full and vibrant. To the extent that quality standards are not kept high, and livability is allowed to
deteriorate, Reston will quickly lose its market appeal in the face of very stiff outside competition, and newer
areas with more amenities will push Reston aside.

Central among the many critical factors relating to livability is accessibility and mobility throughout Reston. If
the overall transportation system serving all parts of Reston breaks down, Reston will decline rapidly. The
transportation system includes all modes in proper balance – rail transit, bus and other types of public transit,
bicycling and walking stand out. The private, single-passenger automobile will have an important role, but during
peak hours, the Reston Core will choke if the private auto continues to dominate. All the other modes,
particularly modes of public transit, must be greatly enhanced relative to accommodations for the private auto.

In non-peak hours, and outside the Reston core, the private auto will continue to play a vital role. We cannot
solve the peak hour Reston Core challenge, however, with high dependence upon the private auto.

Plan Phasing

The adequacy of the Reston transportation system remains the Achilles Heel of all development in Reston. We
can assert today that Reston’s Core will never be totally free from serious traffic congestion during peak traffic
hours. Nevertheless, Reston’s future, for both residents and businesses, is dependent upon managing traffic
effectively to the extent possible. Reston’s business and employment areas will remain economically viable only
up to the point that transportation congestion creates a condition that residents, shoppers, employees and
employers are no longer willing to tolerate. At that point, the market place will offer them more favorable
solutions and they will move from Reston. When a point is reached that traffic demand cannot be effectively
managed, then all new development must pause, or stop completely, until the required level of control can be
reestablished.

All Reston businesses and property owners, both commercial and residential, must work in close partnership with
all Reston citizens and government officials to address transportation problems and find solutions. Solutions to
the Reston transportation congestion cannot be solely the responsibility of the business community and
commercial property owners. That means that all of Reston must contribute its fair pro rata share to the cost of
implementing transportation solutions. Some combination of tax district assessments and tax increment financing
must provide funds to augment that funding that may be available each year through conventional Fairfax County
and Virginia standard funding practice. However, standard practice, as we have heretofore known it, will not
suffice to protect Reston’s future. Totally new capital funding approaches and project management must be
brought to bear from now on. (See the discussion of the “Reston Capital Improvements Escrow Fund” below.)
The current transportation system serving Reston must be carefully and specifically surveyed, inventoried and
fully documented in great detail. Analyses must be made of anticipated future transportation demand generated
by various levels of additional new development, and the extent to which planned new transportation facilities
and services, and the proposed new urban land use pattern, will ameliorate or compensate for expected new
demand.

Today’s existing level of service must be established as the base level of service that is acceptable to Reston
residents and employees in the future. To the extent additional development cannot be accommodated within the
existing transportation system without significantly degrading it, that development cannot be permitted. At such
time as new facilities, services or procedures are programmed and funded to be implemented to accommodate the
additional demand, then new development can commence again. At such time as additional new development is
projected to again cause an overall service level degradation below the base level, all new development must stop
until the constraints are resolved. Thus, the acceptable level of new development is always performance-based
depending upon an accurate measure of the current situation.

This process assumes that the various applicable levels of government will work conscientiously with the private
sector to expeditiously implement the new facilities, services and processes that are required as soon as limited
financial resources will permit. Past Fairfax County practices of constraining infrastructure development as a
means to reduce the pace of development won’t work. However, with an aggressive, viable capital improvements
program in place to foster needed infrastructure, phasing new development so that it is constrained only until it
meets measurable acceptable levels of performance can be legally sustained.

Reston Infrastructure Improvement Escrow Fund

In order to begin the process that will allow Fairfax County to implement a series of future capital projects that
will greatly enhance long-term property values throughout Reston over and above those periodically programmed
by Fairfax County and the Commonwealth of Virginia, all future development or redevelopment projects must, at
the time of rezoning or required site plan amendment, make a one-time contribution (proffer) of a fair and
equitable monitory amount to a Reston Infrastructure Improvement Escrow Fund. This proffered amount
may be in addition to other proffered items deemed essential to the specific project. This fund, to be utilized only
throughout the Reston Plan area, must be established by Fairfax County to assure the collective long-term ability
of Reston-focused entities to fund a wide variety of important future Reston infrastructure improvements.

Such projects as the RMAG-recommended Soapstone Road extension and its associated bridge, and a subsequent
grade-separated extension of this Soapstone extension across Sunset Hills Road to connect with Isaac Newton
Square illustrate the type of appropriate infrastructure projects that might be funded in this manner as the Fund
revenue balance and the assigned project priority permits. This specific improvement is well beyond what any
single private development entity could be asked to provide, but could be taken on as an appropriate community-
financed project. Such an improvement would provide greatly improved bus access to the Wiehle station as well
as pedestrian and bicycle connection with the W&OD Trail and thus much of Reston to the north of Sunset Hills
Road

Also contributing to such a escrow fund should be a portion of the Reston-wide funds raised via Reston Small
Tax District Five, or some similar entity. In addition, via some form of a tax increment financing mechanism, a
portion of all future Fairfax County increased tax revenues resulting from increased property values Reston-wide
that are associated with new Reston development and infrastructure improvement should be reinvested into this
Escrow Fund. A mechanism must be established to formally estimate future project costs and to set formal
priorities among all potential infrastructure improvement projects based both upon their cost effectiveness and the
essential timeliness of the project. A capital improvements program plan must be established based upon these
priorities and projected revenue forecasts to govern the scheduling of subsequent infrastructure improvements.
Thus the burden for providing an adequate and effective system of public facilities infrastructure, services and
programs must be equitably shared by all new development, all Reston property owners, and Fairfax County
through the reinvestment of a fair portion of its new Reston and countywide tax revenues.

Since Reston has always been a generator of a revenue surplus for Fairfax County due to its vibrant commercial
and residential tax base, and the fact that it covers services and facilities internally many of the costs of which
would traditionally fall to Fairfax County general funds, it appropriate for Fairfax County to treat Reston a bit
differently from conventional County subdivisions. Thus, a tax increment funding approach represents a
reasonable re-investment back into a profitable County profit center so as to continue its future economic growth.

While Fairfax County will always have final authority concerning a Reston Capital Improvements Program, it
may be beneficial for Reston to establish a community development authority or community development
corporation, or similar entity, in a manner similar to that proposed for Tysons Corner and other key urban
activity centers in the County. It is essential that Reston businesses and residents, as the primary taxpayers
funding this essential program, have a key role in developing it and administering the details of its day-to-day
operations. While there is always some concern about creating another bureaucratic level of governance,
important decisions concerning what improvements should be made and how much funding should be allocated
to them must be carefully considered within the purview of the total Reston community. Staff resources will be
needed to administer such a program regardless of it place in the governmental structure.

General Infrastructure Development

Transportation - General

1. More vehicular and pedestrian/bicycle crossing points across the Dulles Highway must be planned for and
given very high priority for implementation in order to form as effective a transportation grid as possible
within the Reston Core area. Such projects as the long-planned Town Center Parkway – Edmund Halley
Drive Extension, and a Soapstone Drive – Isaac Newton Square Extension must be built. Other linkages may
be possible. Currently, with few available crossing points, all north-south traffic must be funneled through the
few available highly limited and restricted passageways. (See further discussion below)

2.

Bus Transit

1. A highly developed shuttle and feeder bus system that will serve the Reston area very effectively must be
aggressively developed as an alternative to the use of the private auto especially during peak travel hours
(not just weekday commuting hours). To compete effectively with the private auto, the bus system must –
• Serve remote park-and-ride areas on the periphery of Reston with frequent effective shuttle bus
connections to the Reston Core.
• Have a dedicated, exclusive right-of-way in high traffic volume core areas. Otherwise the bus will
bog down with the rest of bumper-to-bumper traffic congestion. If the bus does not have preferential
treatment, there will be no incentive for motorists to use the shuttle buses. Under those conditions, bus
transit will continue to be of marginal value as it is today. However, with preferential bus access giving a
distinct time and money savings associated with using the shuttle bus, motorists will see the value of bus
travel to, from and within the Core.
• A set of reserved (dedicated) traffic lanes (both directions) must be set aside on Sunset Hills and Sunrise
Valley Roads between the Monroe Street and Hunter Mill Road. There is sufficient land area here to
accomplish this.
• Likewise, such a set of dedicated lanes must be provided on Fairfax Parkway and Reston Parkway at least
between Sunrise Valley Road and Baron Cameron Avenue. On Wiehle Avenue and Hunter Mill Roads,
 these lanes must be provided at least between Sunrise Valley Drive and Sunset Hills Road. On Monroe
Street, dedicated lanes are needed between Fox Mill Road and Herndon Parkway.
• It is also possible to fit buses with special transponders that give them preferential treatment at traffic
lights and for making turning movements.

Parking Policies

1. For the remote parking – shuttle bus concept to work, adequate free or significantly reduced-rate parking
must be provided at these park-and-ride lots on the periphery of Reston. At the same time, free parking within
the Town Center and other Core area locations must be eliminated during peak demand hours.
• The South Reston Park-and-Ride lot provides an obvious opportunity to house a multi-level
parking structure to accommodate traffic from south of Reston. Again, with greatly reduced parking cost
on the periphery of Reston relative to the peak-hours parking rates in the Core, and with frequent,
effective bus service, the periphery parking/shuttle bus option should be obviously beneficial to the
typical motorist. The commuter will benefit from a distinct cost savings and a quicker, less stressful
commuter trip to their Core-area destination.
• In a similar manner, the Monroe Street Park-and-Ride structure should be expanded to serve a
greater number of autos coming to Reston from the west in addition to its role as a rail transit station.
• A new park-and ride parking facility should be located off the Fairfax Parkway to the north of
the Reston Core, and another along Sunset Hills Road between Hunter Mill Road and Wiehle Avenue on
the east.

While this proposal may seem drastic, it is both achievable and ultimately will prove to be much cheaper to
implement than attempting to accommodate thousands of additional private autos within Reston Core areas.
Town Center and other Core parking rates should be uncomfortably high during peak traffic times, but can be
reduced, or be free, after peak usage hours (such as after 6 PM on week days) so as to attract after-work usage
by the general public. Without this approach, the future development potential of the Reston Town Center and
other Core business areas must be greatly restricted.

Building owners desperately seek prime tenants for their Town Center and other Core buildings. If the Reston
Core gets the reputation for being inaccessible due to on-going traffic congestion, prime tenants will go
elsewhere.

The need to provide and maintain fewer very expensive-to-build parking spaces within the Core will greatly
benefit Core area property owners, and will significantly off-set any small additional tax costs they will incur
contributing to a general Reston infrastructure fund.
2.

Pedestrian – Bicycle Access

1. Central to an effectively functioning Reston Urban Core must be a concerted effort to build into the
entire fabric of the Core area an exceptionally good pedestrian / bicycles walkway-pathway system. If the
walking and the bicycle trips to, from and within the core are safe, comfortable, pleasant and even enjoyable,
many hundreds of Restonians will take advantage of this commuting opportunity to the benefit of their health
and pocketbook as well as the general Reston transportation system. Giving very high priority to the
implementation of this goal will carry Reston a long way in ameliorating the pervasive levels of traffic
congestion. Special attention must be paid to –
• Safe, well-designed and well-lighted street/roadway crossings – make them grade-separated where
possible
• Safe, patrolled, lighted, and reasonably sheltered and comfortable walk and accessways
• Points of interest or diversion along the way – shopping, landscaped areas, natural features
 • Facilities for bicycle storage, and showers and dressing areas especially for bicyclists.
TDM Measures

1. Aggressive TDM measures must be utilized to the maximum extent possible. It must be a formal
development project goal in each case to reduce dependence upon private auto usage, and thus reduce its
parking requirements to the extent possible,

2. Implementation of and day-to-day administration of TDM strategies may very well be an appropriate
task under the direction of the Reston community development authority or corporation discussed above.
Organizing car and van pools, providing special-need vehicles on demand, and encouraging and organizing
tele-work programs are among the TDM opportunities such an organization could address.