Feedback is beginning to occur from many sources, including representatives of RCA, RCA's P and Z committee, RA, RA DRB, individual citizens, business reps, etc. Based on the initial feedback, the following comments are offered.

The Need for Reinvestment

Arltec's objective is to maintain and enhance significant present investment. (At one time, the County assessed the value at $24 M. Today, it is assessed at $13M The proposed new development will add $50M - $100M to the tax base).

The investment includes:

The Sheraton Hotel, which must have a more diverse supporting environment to be competitive with other conference/meeting hotels and more hotel rooms to support the present amount of meting space; and, the excess land, now used for parking (more than needed by hotel). This land was purchased from Reston Land for future development.

Protecting the value of the hotel requires a very up-scale environment of mutually suporting uses and activities.

Proposed Uses

The proposed uses are complementary, upscale, and designed to be of benefit to the existing nearby uses and community The specific uses and their relationship include:

Additional hotel room (+/- 150 rooms) - to match the capacity of meeting space in present facility

Residential units (200-250 units) - "Urbane" in design, oriented to empty nesters and young professional who will take advantage of amenity package

Amenity Package - (+/- 30,000 Sq. Ft.) - Restaurants, shops, recreation, business and home office support services

Office (+/- 140,000 Sq. Ft.) - Class AA office building and small professional suites (possibly above shops) to add to market for amenity package and support for the cost of underground parking.

Environmental Considerations

A. Impervious Surfaces

The projected market will expect considerable soft space. This will probably result in less impervious space that the present parking lots. Consideration will given to "water features" that will integrate rain water into the design.

B. Tree Cover

Most of the trees in the parking lot are developer trees. They are 25 + years old and are now beginning to overgrow their planting areas, causing problems with the containing curbs and parking surfaces. The natural areas along Sunrise Valley Drive and the Toll Road will be retained.

The Reston Sheraton's attention to quality landscape design and maintenance has resulted in several awards from the Sheraton franchise, and is well recognized by the Reston community.

Retail Competition with Village Centers

The "retail" component of the proposed project is essential to provide a competitive environment for the hotel and to attract the proposed up-scale residential market.

The retail component is envisioned to include a two quality restaurants and eight to ten shops. The shops may include a florist, bakery, dry cleaners with a tailor, card shop, sociality food shop, etc. - the type of uses that contribute to a quality lifestyle and support high rents/prices. The retail component will also include entertainment related uses such as billiards, bike rental and repair, and virtual golf.

Although the primary market are Gateway users, they will be available to nearby uses.

Even with additional hotel gusts, residents and office workers, the market support for these uses will be slim. However, the value of these supporting retail uses for the hotel and residential market may require the rents and/or operating costs to be subsidized. An effort will be made to interest existing Reston businesses to open "satellite" operations to expand their market.

Finally, the shuttle service will be expanded to offer access to the village centers (in addition to the existing service to the Town Center) and auto service facilities. The proposed renovation of Hunters Woods Canter should make this a primary source for grocery shopping by the Gateway residents.

Traffic

The traffic consultant has determined that the proposed project will not change the current level of service on Sunrise Valley Drive (currently rated as level B/C). The actual projections are being refined to respond to requests by Fairfax County and will be made available by the first week of April.

These computations do not include any traffic reductions based on internal relationships that could exist (live and work at Gateway, work and eat at Gateway, etc.).or benefits from shuttle and improved pedestrian connections. The intermixture of uses will result in a considerable distribution of traffic away from peak hours.

The more critical traffic problems exist at the intersections, which are now level F. Although the reinvestment will add some cars, the impact wont make the present problems at these intersection any more noticeable to the community. The Shuttle and a pedestrian connection from the gateway to Plaza America/W & OD Trail/Town Center will offer alternatives to the traffic bottlenecks.

Residential Uses

The residential target will be young professional and empty nesters. The attraction will be the convince of the location at the geographic center of Reston, the in-place convinces (shops, concierges service, shuttle service), and the golf course/Blue Ridge vistas, and the quality of the development. Residential uses will be buffered from the Toll Road by the hotel and office uses.

Perimeter Appearance

The architectural treatment of the perimeter will include steeped elevations and landscaped terraces, inviting entryways and breezeways, and perimeter landscaping. All service activities will be handled below grade. This will assure attractive views from the Gardy McGrath building, the golf course, and the Dulles Toll Road.

For more information, contact

Barney Barnum
ARLTEC
301 656 1047
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