Reston's largest civic organizations are lining up against a proposal to build 306 stacked townhomes on the Reston National Golf Course, arguing the developer skipped required steps in the county's land-use process and that the project would dump stormwater into neighborhood lakes.

The Reston Association Board of Directors, the Reston Citizens Association and the grassroots group Rescue Reston all filed formal opposition statements ahead of a Sept. 23 Fairfax County Planning Commission hearing on three related rezoning applications for the 166-acre course at 11875 Sunrise Valley Drive.

NVHomes, a unit of NVR Inc., and co-applicant War Horse Cities, which has owned the course since 2019, want to develop roughly 14 acres along the property's northwest and west edges under a plan branded "Evolution18." The project also includes a lighted multi-story driving range, indoor simulators, night-golf venues and a relocated Back 9 Grille restaurant. No photometric study, noise analysis or defined boundary for night play has been filed, according to the Fairfax County Times.

Procedural fight at the center

Opponents say the applications jump the line. In June 2012, the county's Zoning Administration Division told the property owner's counsel that converting the land to residential use would require three steps in order: a Comprehensive Plan amendment, a development plan amendment and then a Planned Residential Community plan amendment. That determination was never reversed.

The developer's lead application argues it can skip the first two steps by invoking a 1966 rezoning approval known as "B-555." Rescue Reston and county staff counter that the 1966 zoning was superseded in 1971, when the course was designated privately owned open space with a density cap of 13 people per acre. The Reston Letter reported that county officials have expressed skepticism about the developer's claim.

Michele Hudnall, board president of the Whitney Park East Cluster and a 25-year South Reston resident who has analyzed 812 county tax records on the project's financial impact, put it bluntly on Friday, Aug. 21: "306 dwelling units and a commercial recreation complex would be decided without the studies that ordinarily attach to a project this size. That isn't an oversight."

RA Board: Master Plan amendment must come first

In a joint statement, RA Board President Travis Johnson and CEO Peter Lusk told the Planning Commission that any change to the golf course "requires a change to the Reston Master Plan before any rezoning amendment application." The Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan explicitly recommends the course remain as a golf course on pages 65 and 120, according to RA's board packet.

The RA identifies 1,080 member households across 11 cluster associations adjacent to the course that would be directly affected. Proposed townhomes would sit as close as 20 feet from existing homes.

Johnson and Lusk also raised environmental concerns, noting the course currently absorbs rainfall, slows stormwater runoff and reduces erosion before water reaches Reston's lakes. Replacing that green infrastructure with impervious surfaces would undermine the Reston Master Plan's watershed priorities, they said.

The RA's opposition is codified in its Land Use Resolution 6, which states golf courses in Reston are "essential elements because of their integration into Reston's natural open space areas and because of the active recreational opportunities they provide."

Broad resident opposition

Two RA surveys show overwhelming resistance. A June 17 survey drew 255 responses, with 86% supporting RA spending time and resources to fight the proposal. A broader survey reported by the Restonian on July 31 found 91% of respondents urging the board to continue its opposition.

Reston Citizens Association President Lynne Mulston called the plan a "dangerous precedent" and referenced Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn's stated opposition to the project absent "overwhelming community support."

In 2025, the development team submitted a larger proposal for 700 to 850 townhomes across the entire course. The Planning Commission recommended adding it to the county's work program as a low priority, but the Board of Supervisors declined, citing lack of community support.

Reston National Golf Course did not respond to a request for comment from the Fairfax County Times.

What's next

The Planning Commission hearing is set for Wednesday, Sept. 23. The Board of Supervisors hearing is expected two to three weeks later. Residents can submit comments to county officials through Rescue Reston's advocacy portal at rescuereston.org/advocacy.