The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday, Sept. 15, on a plan to redevelop nearly 48 acres north of Reston Town Center into a mixed-use civic district. The Planning Commission recommended approval 11-0 on July 22.

Jointly submitted by the Board of Supervisors and Inova Health Care Services, the proposal covers 47.9 acres across 11 blocks bounded by Baron Cameron Avenue, Town Center Parkway, New Dominion Parkway and Fountain Drive. The project has been in planning for roughly 15 years, according to the Reston Connection.

The master plan calls for a new Reston Regional Library, a relocated Embry Rucker Community Shelter, health and human services facilities, up to 1,000 residential units, commercial development, an athletic field, a recreation center and a 3.6-acre Central Green as the project's signature public space. A future elementary school is also planned for a later phase.

The first phase would bring the new library, the relocated shelter, portions of a new street network and the initial Central Green. Inova would build the green to an interim condition during that phase. The library is targeted to open in early 2030, with the shelter expected several months later, Patch reported.

If the supervisors approve the proposal, land swaps would allow site preparation to begin in late 2026, and the county intends to move into site plan and public improvement plan work this fall, attorney Timothy Sampson told commissioners at the July 22 hearing.

"The urgency that is on everybody to deliver that library and that shelter is acute," Sampson said at the hearing.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said in an email to Patch on July 23 that the rezoning includes the future road network and Central Green and is a necessary step before future site-specific rezonings for the library, shelter and other county facilities.

Retiring Hunter Mill District Planning Commissioner John Carter, who cast one of the 11 votes in favor, noted the project's long timeline. Full buildout will span decades. Carter said the most recent Capital Improvement Program delayed the completion target by a year, from 2049 to 2050.

Reston Association CEO Peter Lusk voiced the association's support at the hearing but asked the applicants for additional commitments as future phases advance. Those included more than the minimum required affordable and workforce housing, LEED Gold or higher sustainability standards, additional electric vehicle charging infrastructure and natural turf for the athletic field.

County planning staff recommended approval, concluding the proposal conforms with the county's Comprehensive Plan and zoning requirements. Individual buildings will return to the Planning Commission through separate applications as funding becomes available.

Residents can contact Alcorn's office at (703) 478-0283 or [email protected] to weigh in before the hearing.