The task force was appointed by Fairfax County Supervisor Robert Dix Jr. (R-Hunter Mill) in an effort to reconcile the developer's plans with the concerns of nearby residents about traffic congestion and other issues.
It was decided, however, that next week's meeting, which will be held at he Sheraton at 6:30 p.m., will start with a tour of the International Center for a bird's eye view of the site, at the request of task force member Tony Hylton.
The tour will begin at 6 p.m. and task force members will be able to look down at the site from an eighth-floor office suite.
Hylton said he thinks it's crucial that a public meeting be held in Reston for Reston residents before the ask force make its final recommendations. "To not go to the public before the task force votes is not proper," he said.
Issues covered at Monday night's meeting centered on the appearance of the proposed mixed-use development and a traffic study of Sunrise Valley Road.
Patrick Kane, retained by developer Arltec Inc. as a consultant to the project, said that too much attention was being focused on the appearance of the proposed project rather than its function. Arltec owns and manages the Sheraton site, which now inlcudes a hotel/conference center.
In the traffic study, John Callow of Callow Associates said an additional turn lane at both east- and west- bound intersections of Sunrise Valley Road and Reston Parkway would go a long way to ease some of the future traffic problems, which have been a major concern for some local residents.
The Sheraton discussion can be accessed on the Internet's World Wide Web.
The Reston Perspective