Reston 2020 Committee Reston Citizens Association April 7, 2014

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We are now in the final stages of the Baron Cameron Park planning process.

April 26, 2014

Last chance for substantial public input before a decision.

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The Agenda
Summarize the draft plan and its context. Break up into small groups for brainstorming. Present small group ideas & identify the more

important points from the small group effort. Large group discussion of key issues:
Playing Field Capacity Rec Center Dog Park Traffic

Wrap it up!
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This 10-year master plan is the first prepared by FCPA since it acquired the park in 2011.
The Conceptual Development Plan

covers a variety of important topics:

*Vehicular Access, Parking, &

Circulation *Athletic Fields Picnic Pavilion & Restroom/ Support Facility *Off-Leash Dog Area Garden Area Playground Multi-use Courts Natural Resource Management Trail Network, Pedestrian Access, and Fitness Stations Vendor Pad Stormwater Management *Indoor Recreation Center Option

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BCP is located in north Reston away from most current & future transit.

Baron Cameron Park (BCP) is the only district County park in Reston.

Lake Fairfax, a county-wide park, borders Reston to the east. 2 other district parks nearby are Fred Crabtree and Great Falls Nike. Several small local county parks in Reston. W&OD trail thru Reston is an NVRPA park. RA has numerous parks as part of our common area, including Browns Chapel.

BCP is in an area of single-family homes except at Lake Anne Village Center.

Buzz Aldrin ES is along the north border. RAs Browns Chapel park is on the southwest edge of BCP BCP is one mile from the nearest edge of any Metro transit station area. Nearly 2 miles from any Metro station. Some walk from nearby neighborhoods.

Almost all park users travel there by car.

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BCP has 11 athletic fields & other facilities that are well used.
10 rectangle fields and one

diamond field.
2 rectangle fields (#5 & #8)

are youth-sized fields. The fields are in generally marginal condition. The baseball field is lighted. A controversial dog park along

eastern park edge. Small picnic & playground garden area in the middle, plus garden plot area in southeast. About 335 parking spaces & access paths along field edges.
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Draft conceptual plan calls for reducing number of rectangular fields to add other facilities.
To allow for a softball diamond, multi-use courts, & expanded picnic, playground, & parking facilities, 3 rectangular fields removed.
Two fields (1 youth & 1 adult) removed from the current southern grouping of six. The north youth rectangular field would be replaced by parking. Result: Six full-size rectangular fields OR Five full-size with 2 youth fields.

All fields to be turfed & lighted. There would be about 700 paved parking spaces available & a new northern entrance. Would add network of trails plus fitness stations. No substantial changes in dog park, garden plot area, or natural areas.
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Adding a recreation center would further reduce the number of rectangular fields.
A rec center & its parking

removes space for 2 full-size adult rectangular fields from the south end of the park.
Four adult fields OR 3 adult and

2 youth fields would remain. Rec center would require addition of another 150 parking spaces. Total ~850.

Adding the rec center & shifting

the dog park would mean fewer multi-use courts & a smaller picnic/playground area than under the base plan.
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The planned reduction in rectangular fields would limit playing capacity growth -- & some could be lost with a recreation center.
Baron Cameron Rectangular Field "Community Use" Capacity under Different Scenarios
Field Characteristics Existing Configuration Grass, No lights Basic Plan Capacity Turf, Lighted With 2 youth fields Turf, Lighted Plan with Rec Center Turf, Lighted With 2 youth fields Turf, Lighted Annual Capacity per Field (Hours) 1,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 Number of Fields Adult Youth TOTAL Fields Fields FIELDS 8 2 10 6 0 6 5 2 7 4 0 4 3 2 5 Net Field Change Adult -2 -3 -4 -5 Capacity Calculation Total Capacity Change in Youth (Hours) Field Capacity 10,000 -2 12,000 20% 0 14,000 40% -2 8,000 -20% 0 10,000 0%

The Reston Master Plan anticipates population growth of ~13,000 people/decade over 3 decades in the station areas alone, >20%/decade to Restons current population. The Reston Master Plan calls for just three new athletic fields in the station areas with the surrounding areas providing fields to meet Restons expanded needs. Another two fields could be added if two new elementary schools are located in the Metro station areas. About 1,800 school-age kids included in growth. County urban standard calls for twelve fields for forecast urban growth. Reston could also add as many as 10,000 new residents in its village centers as they redevelop over the same timeframe. Lake Anne Crescent apartments redevelopment will add >1,600 people alone.
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The recreation center option raises a host of issues for the BCP plan.
RCA Reston 2020 continues to oppose the construction of a

recreation center at BCP:

The right place is where the people will be, Town Center North. The new Reston Master Plan says the rec center may be located

in Town Center North. RCC Board has said Town Center North is a suitable location. RCA Board has identified numerous unanswered questions about the RCC recreation center proposal last year.

Others have expressed concern about the traffic on Wiehle a

recreation center would add. There are other issues about the proposed rec center, but these are generally not relevant to locating it in BCP as proposed as an option in the draft plan.
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Existing Wiehle Avenue congestion adds important traffic considerations to the plan.
Pros:
The base plan doubles parking

Cons:

(~700 spaces) & would reduce park-related parking in Longwood Grove. (~850 spaces with rec center.) The addition of a new north park entrance could ease access for park visitors.
A left-turn lane is available to

More vehicles entering/ exiting

reduce added northbound Wiehle congestion.

the park would add to existing Wiehle congestion. Added vehicles could create a greater accident risk. Added vehicles & new entry would delay Longwood Grove residents trying to access Wiehle.

700 parking spaces appears to exceed the number of spaces required to meet the needs of park users, suggesting the continued use of the park as a Park & Ride lot for bus-to-rail commuters.
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The BCP dog park has become a passionate issue.

Area residents have complained about the noise created

by the dogs, especially at early & late hours. Area dog owners greatly value the opportunity for their dogs and themselves to socialize at the dog park.
Some suggest a larger dog park, divided for large & small

dogs, with extended length for running are also important.

There are several location options: Keep the dog park where it is & improve soundproofing. Move it to the interior of BCP away from nearby neighborhoodsa master plan option. Move it to another County park, such as nearby Lake Fairfax Park which already has a dog park in its plan.
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Next StepsSmall Group Activity

Separate into breakout groups to generate ideas re:
What are the strengths of the BCP plan (see p. 3 for range

of plan topics)? What are the weaknesses of the plan? What is missing from the plan (opportunities)? What are the risks in the plan (threats)? Spend about 20-25 minutes generating ideas in each of these four topic areas. Record all your ideas on the easel & tablet. This is not a time to analyze, criticize, or lionize ideas . Highlight several (less than a dozen) ideas you think are most important. A representative from each group will summarize the groups ideas in about 5 minutes, highlighting what the group thought was most important.
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Community Discussion & Wrap-up

Everyone will have an opportunity to identify the most important ideas generated by all the groups by placing a dot sticker by that idea. Finally, as a large group, we will discuss several key issues:

Should the number of rectangular fields be reduced to accommodate new features and facilities? How can more fields and capacity be preserved? Should the recreation center remain an option in the BCP master plan? How should the dog park be handled? Should an additional park entrance be added at the north end of the park? What other key topics ought to be addressed in a community response?

Reston 2020 will follow-up by writing a letter to the FCPA and others summarizing the results of our discussions.

We will include key findings and recommendations. We will describe our participative process for coming up with our conclusions. We will attach ALL the small group ideas, identifying the ones forum participants thought were more important.

Thank you all for your participation!

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Key RCA & Reston 2020 materials on BCP and rec center plan-related topics.
Reston 2020 Statement at RCC Board of Governors Annual Community Input Meeting, February 10, 2014
http://reston2020.blogspot.com/2014/02/reston-2020-statement-at-rcc-board-

of.html Basic Parks and Athletic Field Comparison: Reston Station Areas vs. Manhattan, Terry Maynard, Co-Chair, Reston 2020 Committee, February 9, 2014 http://reston2020.blogspot.com/2014/02/basic-parks-and-athletic-field.html The Reston Recreation Center Initiative: Unanswered Questions on Need, Facilities, Location, Financing, and Decision Making, An RCA White Paper, May 20, 2013 http://www.scribd.com/doc/142696774/The-Reston-Recreation-Center-ProposalFinal Minutes: RCA Community Forum on Proposed RCC Recreation Center, March 27, 2013 http://reston2020.blogspot.com/2013/04/minutes-rca-community-forum-onproposed.html

For more, go to the Reston 2020 blog: http://reston2020.blogspot.com/

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Background Slides

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The Upper Potomac Planning District already is looking at park facilities shortfalls by 2020.

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