A “Rescue Reston” group has launched a grassroots campaign that includes selling yard signs, to help garner opposition to a plan to develop the Reston, Va. course with as many as 1,000 housing units. “If [the developer] does not have the vision for how to make Hidden Creek the gem of a golf and tennis club that it should be, then they should sell to those who do have the vision,” the group’s website says.
As concerns grow that a developer will turn Hidden Creek Country Club, one of the two golf courses in Reston, Va. into a new residential development, a local activist group is creating yard signs as part of a grassroots effort to prevent it from happening, Patch.com reported.
“Rescue Reston” has unveiled new yard signs that read, “Hidden Creek: $1,000,000 View or 1,000+ Houses?” The group will give a sign to anyone who makes a donation of $25 or more, Patch.com reported.
At a meeting of the Reston Association Board of Directors in September, Wheelock Communities proposed a development that would include up to 1,000 housing units, Patch.com reported. Local activists have vigorously opposed the move, arguing that it would take away a lot of green space available to the community.
Wheelock’s proposal includes a “Grand Park” to soothe concerns residents have that Reston will lose green space, Patch.com noted. The conceptual plan for the 160-acre property calls for “an unprecedented, 100 acre Grand Park that the entire Reston community will be able to enjoy and determine its vision.” It would include the addition of 2.5 to 3.5 miles of new trails, plus a trailhead for access to the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park that has been developed in Northern Virginia, including facilities and parking.
But that plan, Patch.com reported, appears to avoid discussing the most controversial aspect of the proposal: more housing. RestonNow reports that the project would involve between 600 to 1,000 new residential units, and residents flooded a hearing on November 8th to voice their opposition to the proposal.
Fairfax County, Va. currently restricts Hidden Creek Country Club as a golf course only, Patch.com reported. However, that has not stopped developers from eyeing the property as an attractive redevelopment opportunity in Reston, where real estate continues to be red-hot.
Rescue Reston slammed the plan on its website, arguing that despite the proposal for open space, 40 percent of the golf course would be turned into housing, Patch.com reported.
“Speculative developers will not stop trying to pave over green spaces when they might make millions by building more housing,” the group’s website says. “Let’s not give them an opening to take away our green space in Reston. If Wheelock does not have the vision for how to make Hidden Creek the gem of a golf and tennis club that it should be, then they should sell to those who do have the vision.”