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2000 SESSION

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006623832
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 472 Offered March 8, 2000 Commending Robert E. Simon. ----------
Patrons-- McClure, Albo, Almand, Amundson, Black, Bolvin, Callahan, Darner, Devolites, Dillard, Katzen, Marshall, May, McQuigg, Moran, Parrish, Plum, Rust, Scott and Van Landingham
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WHEREAS, Robert E. Simon was influenced at a young age by his exposure to New York City’s Central Park, and as a youth of 14 he realized the value of mixing the beauty of the park and open space with residential and commercial development to create a wonderful place to live and work; and

WHEREAS, the concept of mixing man-made and natural environments to form a living environment similar to Central Park led to the conception of building a new town based on a mixed-use design; and

WHEREAS, Robert E. Simon amassed the land to build such a community in the late 1950s on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., when land was available and inexpensive; and

WHEREAS, Robert E. Simon’s first construction project, townhouses around Lake Anne in Reston, were the first townhouses built in Northern Virginia since the 19th century; and

WHEREAS, townhouses have become a major housing option for the residents of Virginia since that time; and

WHEREAS, when Robert E. Simon gave up direct operation of the community of Reston, and several large corporations took over its development and construction, he worked as an activist resident to guide the direction of the development; and

WHEREAS, Reston is constantly cited as the example that modern planners use as a guide for development; and

WHEREAS, Reston, which is nearing build-out after 35 years of development, unlike other communities, can be truly said to be greatly influenced by one person; and

WHEREAS, Robert E. Simon was recently nominated as a Citizen of the Century by a local newspaper in recognition of his accomplishments; now therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly recognize and commend Robert E. Simon for his many contributions to the development of modern land-use design principles and for his beneficial influence on Northern Virginia, Fairfax County, and the Commonwealth.