Neighbors press Reston Association over 'rewilded' front yard; board declines to consider covenant appeal

Neighbors on Charlestown Lane told the Reston Association board on July 24 that a single property left to grow as a wildlife meadow is creating safety, health and sight-line problems for the block. At a public-comment period, three neighbors described repeated complaints and urged faster enforcement of association covenants. “For three years we've been trying to work with this and this is the first year she has appealed,” resident Kelly Westenhoff said. Westenhoff described the front-yard meadow as largely milkweed and dogbane and said it “is a vector for rodents, it's a vector for ticks, and it's unsightly.” Residents said repeated enforcement actions have produced only temporary compliance. “She can go out there, cut down the stuff, and then the whole covenants process comes to its halt because she has complied,” Lynn Genrich said, describing a cycle in which the plantings regrow within weeks. Neighbor John Genrich said 10 of 11 houses on his lane comply with association rules; one does not. The board later added the appeal to the executive session agenda. After the executive session, a motion was offered to not consider the Covenants Committee appeal for 2505 Charlestown Lane; the motion was made, seconded and adopted in open session. The board did not provide details of the executive-session discussion in public minutes at the meeting. Why it matters: Neighbors described the matter as recurring and divisive, and they asked the board to direct legal staff to seek faster remedies to avoid repetitive complaint cycles that frustrate neighbors and strain relations. At public comment, speakers expressly supported the environmental concept of native plantings but urged better timing and process so those plantings do not create persistent neighborhood hazards or nuisances. What happened next: After the meeting, the board recorded in open session that it would not consider the specific covenants appeal at this sitting. The transcript does not record a staff plan or timetable for further action on this property; residents asked the board to direct legal staff and the legal committee to seek a faster resolution process.