Fairfax County Supervisor Walter Alcorn introduced a motion today to amend the land use plan for the Lake Anne area to allow the Reston Community Center to be included in the redevelopment of the Crescent Apartments.
Under the Comprehensive Plan’s current base guidance, non-residential uses are limited to 2,000 square feet for Land Unit D where the Crescent Apartments are located. His motion directs county staff to review the plan to permit an increase in allowed non-residential space including public facilities.
“Increasing non-residential space to a maximum of 30,000 square feet including a public facility such as a community center would allow for redevelopment of the Crescent with a community center to be considered,” Alcorn’s motion said.
Current Land Use Guidance for Crescent Site
The current plan guidance for redeveloping the Crescent site allows for up to 750 multifamily units and up to 2,000 square feet of non-residential uses such as offices, ground-level support retail, civic, or other complementary non-residential uses, excluding the existing gas station on North Shore Drive.
While the amendment would allow for a community center, the change would only permit this option, but the ultimate redevelopment plans for Crescent have not been determined yet.
“It’s not a done deal in terms of the size for it, but this will help bring the community into the discussion for exactly what community facility might go there,” Alcorn said.
The Reston Community Center’s strategic plan calls for exploring expansion opportunities for a new facility, the center’s officials said in memo to Supervisor Alcorn.
“This vision includes consideration of a 30,000-square-foot warm shell specifically within the Crescent Redevelopment Project to accommodate future RCC needs and programming growth to address the population growth in Reston and to relieve current facility pressure at Lake Anne,” according to the center’s memo. “This direction aligns with the Board’s adopted community outcomes related to cultural and recreational opportunities, economic opportunities, and thriving communities.”
Later this year, the county plans to hold a community meeting on the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment authorized by the Board of Supervisors today.
Modernizing the Crescent Apartments: Advancing Affordable Housing
In January, Supervisor Alcorn advanced a motion to launch the redevelopment of the nearly 60-year-old Crescent Apartments. His action initiated the transfer of this Board of Supervisors-owned property to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The board approved the transfer at their July 15 meeting last year.
The Crescent currently provides 181 units of affordable housing, but the aging buildings require extensive renovations or replacement. The property’s redevelopment would support the construction of new affordable housing and market-rate units, advancing the Board of Supervisors’ goal to create 10,000 new affordable housing units by 2034. Additionally, the site’s redevelopment would complement revitalization efforts for Lake Anne as envisioned by the county’s economic visioning study that concluded last year.
Last year, the county's Department of Housing and Community Development held community meetings with residents to get their input on on planning and design principles for the redevelopment.
In 2006, the Board of Supervisors purchased the Crescent Apartments to preserve this affordable housing, as well as bring more residents to the Lake Anne area in support of revitalization efforts. Today, the apartments provides 150 units for households earning 60% of area median income or below and another 71 units for households with extremely low incomes at 30% of AMI or below.
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