The McLean Citizens Association (MCA), in preparation for testimony to the Board of Supervisors on the Tysons Corner plan, has put forth several changes it would like to see.  According to the Vienna Connection, MCA has a number of concerns with the Tysons proposal, "including a lack of planning for parks and athletic fields and who will assume costs for the new infrastructure...Another major concern from the MCA was the proposed financing for the Tysons Corner development, with taxpayers footing 57 percent of the bill and the land developers paying for 43 percent."

As the Commissioner of McLean's youth football program, I too am concerned about the impact that additional residents wi...

Next week, on May 27th, the Fairfax County Planning Commission will conduct its final markup on the proposed Tysons Corner redevelopment plan, a long and tedious process that's included numerous meetings and public hearings.  In its recent meetings, planners grappled with density issues, affordable housing, storm water retention, and other issues.

According to the Great Falls Connection, the group also "reached a tentative conclusion that the grid of streets would, at least initially, have to be planned on a piecemeal basis, as redevelopment proposals came in. Ideally, county staff would work with landowners to come up with an official street grid, district by district, said Planning...

On Tuesday, the Washington Post sponsored a business forum at the Tower Club in Tysons Corner that featured Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, according to the Washington Examiner.  The roundtable looked at the economy in general, President Obama's handling of it, and the impact of the Administration's health care changes.

One of the attendees was Hilton Hotels CEO Christopher Nassetta, who provided an interesting insight as to why the hotel giant decided to move its headquarters from California to Tysons Corner.  According to a bloger who attended the event and wrote about it in his blog, In Tysons Space, when asked why Hilton moved to Tysons Corner, Nassetta cited "4 reasons: 1) cost str...

The expansion plans for Tysons Corner, which include the addition of 4 Metro stops along the future Silver Line, is quite an undertaking.  Roads are critical element in the success or failure of this huge endeavor.  Fairfax County officials have started to examine possible funding mechanisms for road and transit projectts necessary to address the expected growth of Tysons Corner. 

According to the Fairfax Times, the total cost needed for roads and transit is $1.5 billion and will be funded through a variety of public and private sources.  "The initial staff proposal includes a 55 percent public funding share through bonds, taxes and state or federal transportation dollars, and a 45 per...

It seems that more questions than answers were raised at last Wednesday's marathon session regarding the future growth plans for the Tysons Corner area.  The Fairfax Times said that after more than "five years into the redevelopment planning process for Tysons Corner, stakeholders have reached little consensus on how to reach their common goal of a bigger, better community surrounding four planned Metrorail stations." 

According to the Washington Post, nearly all involved at the meeting agreed to the overall concept of turning Tysons Corner into a 24/7 urban area.  But how to get there still remained undecided. One major area concern was "the fate of developers whose property...

As the construction continues to extend the Metro through Tysons Corner, there are additional road changes and detours.  The latest, according to the Washington Post, will impact those who are visiting Tysons Galleria and the Tysons Corner Center.

According to the Post, the "left turn lane from northbound Route 123 to westbound Tysons Boulevard closed Friday.  Drivers will be able to gain access to Tysons Boulevard from southbound Route 123 via a modified right turn lane."  Those coming from the northbound side of Route 123 can gain access via International and Galleria Drive.  The detour is expected to last for 2 months.

All in the name of progress!

On Wednesday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m., the Fairfax County Planning Commission will hold a critical public meeting to discuss future development plans for the Tysons Corner area.  You know you can expect fireworks when the scheduled meeting time runs from 7:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.!

According to the Washington Business Journal, approximately "60 speakers - including local developers, lawyers and nonprofit leaders - are signed up to give one final pitch to planners."  Anyone not able to speak in the allotted meeting time period will be carried over until the April 28th meeting.

The basis for the discussion will be the 40 year draft plan released by the County back in January.  One of the key po...

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) affirmed this week that the price of grown and development is more traffic snarls before the construction projects are completed.  According to D.C.'s local Fox affiliate, while the project of adding High Occupancy toll lanes to the Beltway near Tysons is already causing serious slow downs, "this summer...that project and the plan to extend Metrorail to Dulles airport will go into high gear at the same place: Tysons Corner."

A VDOT official predicted an extra 20 minutes to get through Tysons Corner when this expected slow down is set to take place.  Right now they are predicting the extra slow down to begin in June or July and last for 12 ...

The ongoing discussion over Fairfax County's 40-year proposal for the development of Tysons Corner continues to generate a lot debate, particularly over density concerns. 

According to the McLean Connection, the issue of density dominated the debate at the March 11 public meeting.  "Most Tysons Corner property owners who testified urged the planning commissioners to increase the building density allowed on their sites, in part to make up for the amount of money they were being asked to spend on new public infrastructure."  The plan generally stipulates that the closer to the future Metro stops, the larger and more density-intense the development can be.

In addition to density, hearing...

As the community continues to pore through the Tysons Corner 40 year plan, released in January, another issue has cropped up, affordable housing.  The Washington Post wrote a piece on this a few Sunday's back.  The article outlined the problem that exists now with many of the Tysons Corner workers having to travel from as far away as Fredericksburg and Oxen Hill because they cannot afford to live near their jobs.

Contained within the Tysons plan are guidelines that say "that new developments should set aside 20 percent of units for buyers or renters with household incomes of $51,350 to $123,240, or 50 to 120 percent of Fairfax's median household income of $102,700. In exchange, developer...

On March 2nd the McLean Citizens Association(MCA) held their winter meeting.  The primary agenda item was "a presentation and discussion about the final plan for Tysons Corner that is being considered by the Fairfax County Planning Commission for recommendation to the Board of Supervisors," according to a letter by MCA President Rob Jackson.  The presentors at the meeting were Dranesville Planning Commissioner Jay Donahue and At-Large Planning Commissioner Walter Alcorn.

With its proximity to Tysons Corner, McLean will be impacted by expansion plans, and is already experiencing disruptions and traffic congestion due to the construction underway for the Silver Line.  I can personally atte...

Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA), a senior congressional leader and poweful advocate for transportation issues in Northern Virginia, said that all systems are go for the Silver Line Metro extension through Tysons Corner.  Appearing on WTOP radio, Wolf noted that the project is "now moving ahead at a good pace now" and is set for a 2013 completion.

Wolf also added that he doesn't like the potential high tolls for the High Occupancy Toll lanes.  "I've never been a supporter of the HOT lanes...They're actually talking about people spending $20 to use them."

Wolf's district covers a large Northern Virginia area extending from McLean in the east, Winchester in the west, and Manassas in the sout...

The Washington Post's Dr. G's latest blog has a few road closings and other traffic changes due to the Silver Line Metro project in Tysons Corner.  The first is this Friday starting at 8:00 p.m. and running through Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. when "all northbound lanes of Route 123 near the Dulles Connector Road (Route 267) [will be shut] between McLean and Tysons Corner."  Traffic will be detoured as follows: "Northbound through traffic will be detoured: a right turn on Anderson Road, left on Chain Bridge Road, left on Great Falls Street, then right on northbound Route 123."

The next will occur on Monday, March 8th and will detour traffic for approximately 3 months due to "constructi...

The four storms that hit the Washington, D.C.-area earlier this month certainly wreaked havoc on the area and disrupted nearly everything.  At a recent update meeting on the status of the Tysons Corner Metro Extension project, planners indicated that the heavy snow while disrupting work for a bit won't have any real impact on the budget or timing of the project. 

The meeting was covered by the Vienna Connection, which also provided other update on the project, including the fact that "that roughly 85 percent of the design work for the 23-mile rail and its 11 stations had been completed."  Construction still continues on the various elements of Phase I, which extends the Metro from the Or...