Smart Growth and Conservation Groups Applaud Progress with Tysons Corner Plan

Urge Fairfax Board of Supervisors to be Bold to Ensure Realization of Tysons Vision

Planning Commission Passed Draft Plan on 10 to 1 Vote Last Night

Fairfax, VA -- Citing the significance of the redesigning of Tysons Corner for sustainable growth in the region, smart growth, conservation and bicycle advocacy groups applauded progress with the Tysons Corner plan and urged the Fairfax Board of Supervisors to be bold as they finalize the plan over the coming month.

“Tysons Corner done right can serve as the model for future smart growth not only within our region, but also the nation,” stated Roger Diedrich Smart Growth and Transportation Chair for the Sierra Club, Virginia Chapter. “The commitment of the county to the right mix of redevelopment, environmental protection, transportation options and environmentally sustainable practices will earn our support.”

Last night, the Planning Commission approved the draft plan on a 10 to 1 vote.  The phasing portion of the plan incentivizes residential development and development of the four transit stations.  Last night, the Commission made their 20-year phasing limit of 45 million square feet of office development more flexible,  allowing for implementation of transportation demand management measures that would allow additional office development in the first 20 years.

While applauding the Planning Commission and staff for their hard work in moving the plan forward, the conservation, bicycle, and smart growth groups also urged the Board of Supervisors to address some outstanding issues of concern -- details that are critical to the success of Tysons Corner.  The following comments address some of those issues.

”We urge the Board of Supervisors to ensure that the phasing proposal will result in a positive response from the market and the achievement of the full range of community and environmental benefits, including the grid of streets, affordable housing, transit, robust stormwater management, energy efficient buildings and parks,” said Stella Koch of the Audubon Naturalist Society. “Not addressed last night was development in the four non-TOD areas, which the Board must ensure are properly incentivized to achieve the grid of streets and the important community and environmental benefits we need for the outer regions of Tysons as well.”

“The grid of streets is critical to transforming Tysons into a walkable, bikeable community,” said Bruce Wright, chair of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling.  “We are very encouraged that new bicycle infrastructure improvements are included in the latest plan. However, the proposed 8-lane design for Routes 123, Route 7, and International Drive has not changed. This will create huge barriers in the heart of the transit oriented centers and endanger pedestrians and bicyclists. We need bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes for these corridors, and possibly off-peak on-street parking.”

“We have also called for dedicated bus lanes or rail lines on key arterials entering Tysons Corner, including Route 7, Route 123 and Gallows Road.  These should be early priorities given the new regional bus priority corridor program, yet the staff’s project list still fails to include them,” said Diedrich.

“The other critical missing pieces are a defined implementation oversight body and an overarching transportation management plan to which all landowners must commit,” said Stewart Schwartz of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “This is essential to creating a win-win -- well-designed, mixed-use, higher density development, along with successful traffic management.”

The Coalition for Smarter Growth was instrumental in providing professional input throughout the process, joined by Roger Diedrich and other Sierra Club members, while Bruce Wright, Chair of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling and Stella Koch of Audubon Naturalist Society served on the Task Force helping to shape detailed environmental and bicycle/pedestrian standards.

“Tysons Corner will fail economically under current conditions – due to traffic and older parts of Fairfax could face decline -- if we don’t reinvest in and redesign Tysons Corner and Fairfax’s commercial corridors to be mixed-use, transit communities,” said Schwartz.

Phillip Ellis, Sierra Club’s Sustainable Metro DC Coordinator, concluded: “Subject to getting the final details right, we are asking our members to support the Tysons Plan, not just because it is transit-oriented, but because the sustainability of the DC region hinges upon the success of conversion of places like Tysons Corner into mixed-use, walkable centers.  The time to show our support for a sustainable future is now.”

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