A wetlands area near the expected Herndon-Monroe Metro station is complicating plans for an urban, walkable community around the transit center.
The Sunrise Valley Wetlands are nestled within a quarter-mile of the planned station, with a pocket of single-family homes — both of which area leaders and residents say should remain.
But those wetlands could diminish visions of high-density development near the station, the blueprint for planned Metro stations on the Metrorail extension to Washington Dulles International Airport.
“I think we’re going to have to get very creative,” said Supervisor Catherine Hudgins, D-Hunter Mill District. “One of the things we talk about all the time is whether we can provide parks near transit areas. We have that here.”
But even Hudgins acknowledged the area is “not well kept,” which has led some to question the importance of preserving what they say is an eyesore.
In building around the wetlands, Hudgins suggested more development on the Herndon side of the station, which the county does not own.
The 15-acre wetlands are protected by federal law, but environmentalists remain suspicious that future development would harm the area and its wildlife.
“Let’s save the Sunrise Valley Wetlands,” wrote Diane Blust, of the Reston Environmental Advisory Committee, drumming up support before a community meeting Saturday.
And Carol Hadlock, a Herndon resident who leads bird-watching tours in the area, is wary of pushes for a more park-friendly atmosphere.
“It’s a wetland, not a park,” she said. “Our concern is planners in the interest of enhancing this area will put in picnic tables and things that aren’t appropriate for wetlands.”
Brian Worthy, a spokesman for the county, said there are no plans for development in the wetlands.
Slated for completion in 2016, the Herndon-Monroe station would be near the intersection of the Dulles Toll Road and Monroe Street. It is part of the second phase of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.
