Herndon Council Approves Metro Station Area Plan

• Corrections/clarifications made at 9:56 a.m. See paragraphs five and 12.

The Herndon Town Council passed the comprehensive plan amendment for the Herndon Metro Station Area Plan on Tuesday night, with a number of amendments.

About three and a half hours of the Feb. 28 Herndon Town Council meeting focused on the Herndon Metro Station Area Plan.

The changes to the plan, made by Councilman Bill Tirrell, included adding the word “potential” when referring to the area as a distinctive employment center, adding references to quality of life and the character and fabric of the town, and that the plan should complement reinvestment in other parts of the town, including downtown.

Tirrell also added that the Council will direct the town staff and Planning Commission, with assistance from the town’s consultants, to start work on a study of the benefits and advantages of adding the , to the town’s plans for the future transit oriented development. That part of the amendment was rejected and voted on separately.

As part of the approved motion to study the possible impacts of including Fairbrook, the town will not begin any zoning work on the approved Herndon Metro Area Plan. The process of studying Fairbrook could take six months or longer. No zoning work will begin on the approved plan until then. (*Editor's note: This paragraph is a correction/clarification added at 9:56 a.m. on Feb. 29.) 

Councilwoman Connie Hutchinson suggested additional amendments to the plan to look at the possibility of internal street networks within the properties being studied, which could help provide a closer drop-off point to the station, as well as including an off-site cell phone waiting area.

Hutchinson’s amendments also included having a minimum of two bus bays rather than setting two as the maximum, and a measure to solicit Fairfax County for an improved internal transit system within Herndon, leaving room for a bus system through public-private partnerships or through a for-profit company.

Councilman Jasbinder Singh said he believes there is still plenty of time to plan for Metro in Herndon, and the current plan is deficient. He said his problems stem from the density and financial analysis, as well as information about proffers. He said if he’s elected mayor he’ll start the entire Metro planning process over by hiring new architects and experts.

During the evening’s discussion Vice Mayor Lisa Merkel and Council members Grace Wolf and Sheila Olem argued that the Council should pass the comprehensive plan amendment and get to work on the new zoning right away then have the town address the Fairbrook property separately, so the properties within the approved plan can get to work.

Mayor Steve DeBenedittis’ preference, along with Tirrell and Hutchinson, was to keep the square footage of the nine properties included in the study at 6.9 million square feet, but to look at the Fairbrook property next, and possibly include it apart from the already improved square footage, before zoning work begins on the Herndon Metro Station Area Plan.

After approving the comprehensive plan amendment for the Herndon Metro plan, the Council voted on a motion to have the town staff, Planning Commission and consultants begin a study looking at possibilities, benefits and advantages of incorporating the Fairbrook property, without detracting from the nine properties included in the comprehensive plan amendment.

Now that a plan has been approved, the town staff, Planning Commission and Town Council will begin work on a study that could possibly include the Fairbrook parcel, after which, zoning language for the Herndon Metro Station Area Plan and related projects will begin. (*Editor's note: This paragraph has been changed for correction/clarification at 9:56 a.m. on Feb. 29.)

During the process the council will also set a policy as to how the town will address properties outside the plan’s core that may want to consider redevelopment at a later time.