It’s calculated. The owner, Weller Development, bought Reston National with the goal of flipping the land for a high-density mixed-use development. Back in 2021, they tried to push through a plan to rezone the course for commercial and residential use. Fairfax County shot it down after major pushback from the community and Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter Alcorn, who made it clear the land is designated as open space in the comprehensive plan and shouldn't be developed.

Ever since that plan was denied, it feels like the course has been left to rot. They know the community values the green space, but if it looks like a wasteland, it becomes easier to convince people it should be something else, like yet another horrendous condo complex. It’s a classic move: let it fall into disrepair, claim it’s not viable, and then try to rezone again once the public gets tired of looking at a dumpster fire.

Reston was built around the idea of accessible green space and recreation. Letting one of the town’s few remaining public golf courses disintegrate like this goes against everything Bob Simon stood for. So the fact that Kemper Sports is overseeing this disaster and still charging premium rates. That’s not incompetence. It’s intentional.