Fairway to Heaven: Three Cheers for the DRB, and Other Things We Never Thought We'd Say

After what seemed like eons of back-and-forth and potential legal threats, the Reston Design Review Board approved a revised design for Fairway Apartments earlier this week. Gone is the delicious Texas donut design, the townhouses that are part of the 804-unit proposal are slightly shorter and more in tune with nearby clusters, and the famous "mauvescraper on its side" has been converted into three smaller multifamily buildings.

This is a significant win for Reston, since as recently as a month ago, JBG seemed to be digging in its heels and pushing back on making substantive changes. And earlier in the process, there was even talk that if the DRB rejected its proposal, JBG could challenge its right to do so in court.

We know that not everyone's going to be thrilled about this project or its (very real) impact on traffic, but this is an important decision that ensures that the DRB won't be challenged over its right to have the final say on development in Reston -- and it suggests that the board has the cajones to stick to its guns when needed. We'll also give JBG credit for making a good-faith effort to make changes, at the urging of county officials.

"The board should congratulate itself for sticking to its guns and getting to this point," said DRB member Ed Abbott. "And I congratulate JBG for sticking with us."

We couldn't agree more. To quote one of our awesome commenters, Macaroni Grill breadsticks all around.

On to the details of the proposal:

Now, the Texas Donut is gone and townhouses will be 3.5 stories. Parking for the multifamily buildings will be in a podium position that will blend in with the surroundings.

JBG architects also used nearby buildings, such as the Charles Goodman-designed Hickory Cluster, as inspiration for the exteriors of the townhouses, which now have a Cubist look to them.

Here's what they will look like:

Not bad at all, actually -- though when we Googled "cubist buildings," we got something that looked like this:

Perfect. Does it come in Russet Brown?

Having already been railroaded through approved by the Fairfax County Planning Commission, the Fairways proposal now goes before the county Board of Supervisors on March 20. If it is approved, the DRB will get another whack at a more detailed proposal, and will likely fixate on things like the colors of light fixtures and whatnot. At this point, they've earned it.