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Oak Hill ❖ Herndon RememberingRemembering ‘Beloved‘Beloved Mr.Mr. Newsom’Newsom’ News,News, PagePage 44 Classifieds, Page 13 Classifieds, ❖ Sports, Page 10 ❖ Entertainment, Page 8 ❖ Janice Jewell, Herndon High School English department chair, plants a flower May 19 in the school’s Senior Courtyard in memory of Joel Newsom, an English teacher who died Jan. 2. Opinion, Page 6 Metro Planning Marches On News, Page 3 Making Housing PERMIT #86 PERMIT Affordable, Green WV Martinsburg, PAID News, Page 3 Postage U.S. PRSRT STD PRSRT Photo By Alex McVeigh/The Connection Photo www.ConnectionNewspapers.comMay 25-31, 2011 online at www.connectionnewspapers.comOak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ May 25-31, 2011 ❖ 1 If you do not get The Oak Hill/Herndon Connection delivered to your home… FIRST CLASS MAILED SUBSCRIP- TIONS are now avail- able for the first time with timely postal carrier deliv- ery: $30 for six months. Help us meet the costs of pro- viding first- rate community journalism on newsprint to your house- hold. Call 703-778- 9426 (or -9427) or e-mail circulation@ connectionnews papers.com 2 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ May 25-31, 2011 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Herndon Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic News 703-778-9414 or [email protected] Photo by Photo This area plan is the latest to be considered Alex McVeigh for land uses around the proposed Herndon- Monroe /The Connection Metrorail Station. Photo Contributed Visitors to Reston Interfaith’s “Green and Graceful” townhouse explore the kitchen, which was built with Metro Planning floors, counters and cabinets made with recycled materials. Marches On Making Housing Town staff, consultants give ducted a study to see if that was necessary. update on Metro progress. “We were asked to see if it was necessary to relo- Affordable, Green cate Herndon Parkway to accommodate traffic, but By Alex McVeigh our finding was that it was not necessary,” he said. The Connection “Our finding does not preclude the Town Council or Reston Interfaith showcases Planning Commission from adopting a change, “Green and Graceful” townhouse. s planning for the coming of the Metrorail to though, and there could be positive benefits.” Herndon continues, the town hosted an in Hughes also said changes to Van Buren Street. A By Alex McVeigh formational meeting Monday at the council Worldgate Drive and Spring Street would likely be of the efforts to restore the chambers to introduce the latest area plan and an- needed by 2025, though “many could argue they’re The Connection house. swer questions from the community. needed sooner.” “Projects like this are impor- Two different area plans were presented to the By 2025, it is estimated that an additional 200- eston Interfaith opened tant, because even though this community during a November meeting, each with foot right turn bay would be needed to turn from Ra “green and graceful” is one of the wealthiest areas its own recommendations for floor area ratio (FAR) Van Buren Street onto Herndon Parkway. The con- townhouse on Branch in the nation, we don’t have limits for three different zones in the 180-acre study sultants also estimated that there would need to be Avenue in Herndon May 18, enough workforce housing, and area located north of the proposed Herndon-Mon- a two-lane widening on northbound Herndon Park- which will house a family of that’s what this does,” he said. roe station. way near the intersection of Spring Street, and that eight people. Through a part- “That’s the key to bringing new After a Jan. 21 joint meeting between the Herndon a barricade would need to be built on Spring Street nership with various busi- families to this area.” Town Council and Planning Commission, those two to separate traffic turning left onto Herndon Park- nesses, the townhouse was re- options were retired and a new framework plan was way from traffic going straight. stored from its previous dilapi- ECO-FRIENDLY FEATURES put into place. The new plan reduces the study area Kay Robertson, senior project planner with the dated condition with the latest of the house include: flooring, to 110 acres, and breaks it up into five different Town of Herndon, said the town was trying to work in environmentally friendly fea- cabinets and countertops made zones, each with a different target FAR. on some of the Van Buren Street and Herndon Park- tures. from recycled materials, Energy The zone between the Dulles Toll Road and way issues before 2025. “We’ve helped to take a house Star rated roof, windows, heat- Herndon Parkway between Van Buren Street and “The intersection at Van Buren Street and Herndon and turn it into a home,” said ing and cooling system and ap- going just east of Exchange Place has a target FAR of Parkway is overdue for improvements. We have just John Payne, deputy director of pliances, energy efficient light 4.5. The next zone is the area just east of Herndon initiated some design work to put in that right turn the Fairfax County Department fixtures, low flow plumbing fix- Parkway all the way to the toll road, and is suggested lane and we are collecting funding at the state level of Housing and Community tures and zero volatile organic FAR 3. On the north side of Herndon Parkway, there to build up the construction money we need to make Development, one of the groups compound paints are zones targeted at 2.5 FAR and 1.5 FAR, with the that improvement,” she said. that partnered with Reston In- northern area that borders residential property sug- terfaith. MANY WHO STOPPED BY gested for 0.7 FAR as a buffer zone. ELIZABETH GILLERAN, director of community Anne Strange of Graceful the house said they hoped it Pat Voltmer, who lives on Missouri Avenue and development for the Town of Herndon, said they had Spaces, which is an organiza- would serve as an example of whose property backs up to the study area says she also received questions about whether landowners tion dedicated to providing sup- how to make low-cost, environ- believed the plan sacrifices the wants and needs of near the station would be willing to redevelop their port to those who move into mentally friendly housing current residences in the name of attracting new properties. low-income housing, said the around the county. Diane people to Metro. “They have shown an interest in it. What their tim- family will be able to choose O’Grady, chief of staff for Super- “The consultant’s goals come across as wanting to ing is, we don’t know, but they are definitely inter- from the available furnishings, visor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter create an urban metropolis to bring new businesses ested, they have been tracking the plan, they are in- because it is important the place Mill) said they plan to use it as and residents to the area, versus creating accessibil- terested, they’re giving feedback,” she said. become more than a building to an example at an upcoming ity to mass transit for the current town residents,” Geoffrey Morrison-Logan of VHB says the goal is them, it must become a home. sustainability forum. she said. “I would implore that any future designs to decide on the alternate frameworks this summer, “This is a family with six kids Greg White, chief operating would take into consideration the current residents draft them during the fall and possibly adopt the plan living in a three bedroom apart- officer of Reston Interfaith, said and business as well as attracting new residents and by the end of 2011. ment, and when we saw the the house was just one part of businesses, as well as not overshadowing the small- The next meeting, which will be about the eco- look on their faces when they the group’s larger goals. town community atmosphere that already makes the nomics of such development, will take place June saw this place last week, it “This is part of our larger ini- Town of Herndon unique.” 13 at 7 p.m. in the Herndon Town Council Cham- made it all worthwhile,” she tiative to prevent homelessness, bers, located at 765 Lynn Street. Additional meet- said. which means finding affordable THE TOWN also raised the question if it would be ings will be at the same time and place on July 18 Del. Tom Rust (R-86), who housing for people,” he said. necessary to relocate Herndon Parkway further north and August 22. lives nearby, called it “a won- More information about due to an increase in traffic due to Metro develop- More information on public meetings can be found at derful addition to this neighbor- Reston Interfaith can be found ment. Warren Hughes of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, www.herndon-va.gov and copies of plans and presenta- hood” and said he was proud at www.restoninterfaith.org. the consulting firm hired by the town, said they con- tions can be found at www.vhb.com/herndonmetrorail. www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ May 25-31, 2011 ❖ 3 News by Photo Shealah Craighead Dozens of students and faculty of Herndon High School gather at the school’s Senior Courtyard Thursday to pay tribute to /Shealah Craighead Photography Joel Newsom, an English teacher who died Jan. 2. Photos by Alex McVeigh/ The Connection Growing Up Tobacco-Free Patrick Kelly of Herndon, a member of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth’s Y Street volunteer group, pictured with Virginia Secretary of Health and Remembering Human Resources Dr. Bill Hazel at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids’ 15th annual gala held Wednesday, May 18, in the nation’s capital.