Want to Make Restonians Angry? Take Away Free Parking In Their Fake Downtown (Updated)

Restonians are mad as hell, and they're not going to take it any more signing an online petition asking the monopoly owner of their fake downtown gritty urban core to not act like... well, the monopoly owner of a fake downtown gritty urban core by charging for parking. Give us some good blockquote, fancy online petition:

Reston Town Center has the ability to be a new up and coming, vibrant community ... but not if they go through with this new money grabbing scheme. This new plan makes Tyson's and the Dulles Toll Road a much more viable alternative for most people who might otherwise stop in the Town Center, killing business and ultimately costing RTC more money than they will make on parking.

According to their new proposed pay parking plan, visitors as well as EMPLOYEES of the Town Center will have to download an app and pay a monthly, hourly, or daily fee just to park in the numerous parking garages to help cut down on "commuter parking abuse" where commuters park in RTC for free and then take a shuttle bus to the nearest metro station.

Tyson's Corner had a similar issue with commuter abuse, and they figured out a way to prevent commuters from free loading on parking without penalizing the visitors and employees.

Does RTC really think part time and full time hourly paid employees have extra cash to pay for parking? The retailers, restaurants, and businesses already pay an exorbitant amount in rent, and it's just not right to expect them to have to pay even more to subsidize their employees' and customers' parking.

Sign this petition to tell the Boston Properties to find a better solution to the commuter parking abuse problem that doesn't penalize the patrons and employees of Reston Town Center.

The threat idea of paid parking at RTC has been kicked around since back in ought-12, which, coincidentally is right around when Boston Properties bought up the last pieces our our ersatz downtown it didn't already own. But as the petition says, it's being messaged described as an attempt to deal with commuters. Give us some good blockquote, BFFs at Reston Now:

RTC spokeswoman Marion Myers says there is already evidence that people are parking at Town Center and taking shuttles to Dulles International Airport or Whiele-Reston East’s Metro station and leaving cars for hours or even overnight.

With a Reston Town Center Metro station coming in 2020, there needs to be a new system in place, she said.

“We are looking for some solutions to protect parking for office [employees] and store customers,” said Myers.

Part of the solution apparently involves charging employees. Fortunately, there's an app for that, and a complex process for people who don't have those fancy, whazzitcalled, smartphones:

“You don’t have to use the app, there will be kiosks where you can pay by cash or credit card,” said Myers. “If you go into the garage and park without registering your license, an orange light will flash overhead and security will be alerted. You’ll have 15 or so minutes to get to the kiosk and register. If you don’t, security will put a warning and info on how the system works on your windshield.”

Can't wait for the warning klaxons to buzz, alerting security to converge on our car as soon as they finish up with other pressing matters.

RTC says that business owners are thrilled with the proposed change. To see just how thrilled, enjoy some more blockquote from our BFFs at Reston Now:

Claude Anderson, corporate operations manager at Clyde’s of Reston, says he is confused and angry at a “total disregard for our guests and our employees through this disguised money grab.”

“With a Reston Town Center [Metro] station not coming until 2020, it seems that they could have thought through a better plan to accomplish their aim of stopping commuter abuse,” said Anderson.

Assuming that's the real motivation.

Paid parking could begin by late summer -- though weekends and holidays would remain free. As of Monday morning, 43 people had signed the online petition. As you might expect, people are delighted:

Work part time. Sometimes I don't make $50.00 in a shift . Just left working in DC because I couldn't afford to work and pay anymore.

Then there's this:

As someone who has been planning to move to Reston for years, I'm rethinking my decision now that I'll be forced to pay for access to the one amenity that comes close to approximating urban living and would otherwise have eased the blow of moving to suburbia. I currently visit RTC while passing through the area to pick up lunch or run a quick shopping errand; those days will stop entirely if the parking policy truly gets implemented.

We'd debate the "approximating urban living" part, but the cash grab itself? Appropriately GRITTY.

Update: We missed the much larger petition on change.org, which now has nearly 2,000 signatures. A choice, if unsubstantiatable, comment:

These fees will generate $250,000 in income PER WEEK for Boston Properties - this has nothing to with commuter parking - this is pure greed

There's also a Facebook group, if you're into such things.