Town, Residents Continue Discussion on Metro Station Planning

Though the information presented was similar to past meetings, residents continued to ask questions about Metro-related redevelopment in Herndon Wednesday night.

Kay Robertson, senior project planner for the Town of Herndon, said from past meetings the town has come up with a number of priority items that local residents would like to see. She said people would like to ensure the station area stands out from others so when people get off the train in Herndon they know it's a historic place. 

"Many people have expressed the importance of retaining a town scale and town feeling," Robertson said. "There is some importance attached to linking patrons from the transit-oriented development area to the downtown."

Transit-oriented development, often referred to as TOD, is development that has a focus on multiple forms of transportation and finding ways to get people out of their cars. The development has a focus on ensuring there are sidewalks, bike paths, bus stations, rail stations and other ways for people to get around without a vehicle.

Robertson said residents want the area to compliment the other commercial elements in the town, not compete with them. She said residents are looking for a mixed-use area, which would include a combination of uses such as hotel, office, retail and residential.

The meeting focused on floor area ratio as well. The term is used to gauge how dense a development will be. A development with an FAR of 1.0 means the square footage of the building is exactly the same as the size of the lot, while an FAR of 2.0 means the building is twice the square footage of the size of the lot.

The Town of Herndon is looking at two separate area plans for the land surrounding the Metro station. Both plans include a buffer area between the redevelopment along the future Metro site that will stay at the current density of 0.7 FAR

The less dense plan would include densities of 2.5 FAR for the remaining study area and building topping out at about 10 stories tall. The plan with higher density would include building densities of 3.0 FAR and 4.5 FAR, with the highest densities closest to the station and toll road, and maximum building heights of about 15 stories.

Town staff said the plans that are being shown to area residents and stakeholders are just illustrations and are not what is going to happen. Robertson said it's a way of showing residents what type of overall impact they could see if the area was redeveloped at two different densities.

Robertson said an economic consultant worked with the town to figure out the breakdown of the different uses that could be brought to the area and what might work best for the local economy.

Robertson said in the plans created by consultant Vanasse Hangen Brustlin the road loop that surrounds the green plaza just outside the station landing could be used as a kiss-and-ride and bus loop.

She said the town is also currently looking to create a pedestrian and bike trail in the Sugarland Run Stream Valley, which is a resource protection area that sits along the west side of Fairfax County Parkway. The town applied for a grant for the project this week.

Town residents said they were most concerned with ensuring the tallest buildings are far away from the existing single-family neighborhoods nearby, and the impact on area traffic.

Herndon resident Frank Martin said town staff and officials should make it clearer that this plan is for the zoning in the area, and doesn't guarantee that any of the development will happen as it is laid out in the illustrations. Planning Commissioner Melissa Jonas said residents should also keep in mind that development will not happen in a short amount of time, but will likely span out over the next few decades.

To learn more about the Herndon Metro Station Area Plan visit http://www.vhb.com/herndonmetrorail/. Herndon's Planning Commission will be listening to public comment on the plans at its meeting on Monday, Dec. 6. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Mary Ingram Council Chambers, 765 Lynn St.

Those who wish to speak can sign up by calling 703-787-7380 or by e-mailing planning.commission@herndon-va.gov by 2 p.m. Dec. 6. Comments from the public will also be taken after all registered speakers are finished. Speakers are allotted three minutes to present their comments.