Reston developers are using a 1966 legal precedent to obtain approval for the construction of 308 stacked townhomes on 15 acres of Reston National Golf Course.

NVR Inc. and Virginia Investment Partners 2019 LLC filed three applications with Fairfax County seeking a PRC Plan Amendment for the 166-acre course's southwest corner. The Fairfax County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the applications in November. A county staff report is expected by mid-October 2026.

The developers' central argument surrounds a 1966 rezoning case known as "B-555" which approved residential uses on 15 acres at up to 20 units per acre. That approval was never voided, even though the golf course was built on the land in 1970 and surrounding neighborhoods developed afterward. The developers say B-555 gives them by-right authority to proceed through a PRC Plan Amendment rather than the Site-Specific Plan Amendment process.

The SSPA route already failed. In June, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 10-0 to exclude the golf course from the 2025 SSPA work program, citing lack of community support. Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn opposed adding the course to the program, citing his 2019 pledge to oppose residential development without community approval.

Michele Hudnall, president of the Whitney Park East Cluster HOA board and a 30-year market analyst, relayed at a Reston Association board meeting in April that Alcorn's office told residents the developers' administrative-review argument "appears not to be in conformance with the administrative procedure in Article 8" of the county's zoning ordinance. Alcorn's office has not issued a direct public statement on the current PRC applications.

Hudnall, a 25-year South Reston resident, presented a financial analysis at that same meeting estimating 812 nearby homeowners could lose a combined $74.9 million in market value, with 93 families potentially going underwater on their mortgages. She calculated Fairfax County would lose $763,855 per year in existing tax revenue starting on Day 1 of development. Her figures drew on county tax records and filed application documents but have not been independently verified by county assessors.

"Can a 60-year-old approval override 55 years of subsequent development and two failed public processes?" Hudnall asked the board. "That is a precedent-setting question for every open space designation in Fairfax County."

RA opposes; developer cites course upgrades

Reston Association formally opposes the application under its Land Use Resolution 6, which holds that golf courses are essential to Reston's open space network and recreational opportunities. The RA board had scheduled a discussion in June on dedicating staff time and financial resources to advocacy on the issue. The outcome of that meeting has not been confirmed.

The developers' attorney, Mark Looney, told The Reston Letter that the course hasn't seen major capital investment and that revenue from the housing project would fund course upgrades and programs like youth golf education.

Beyond the 308 residential units, Hudnall's summary of filed engineering drawings at the April 30 meeting described a two-story, 35-foot lighted commercial driving range, night golf facilities, a standalone restaurant on Soapstone Drive, indoor simulators, and lighted training facilities.

How to weigh in

If the applications clear the Planning Commission, the case moves to the Board of Supervisors for a final vote. Residents can testify at the Wednesday, November 4 Planning Commission public hearing. The three application numbers filed with the county are RZPA-2025-HM-00034, RZPA-2026-HM-00007, and RZPA-2026-HM-00008, as cited in RA board meeting records.