Fairfax County Nominates Tysons Partnership for Economic Funds

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday (Dec. 1) to nominate the Tysons Partnership to receive $1 million in additional economic opportunity funds. 

The funds will help the nonprofit continue wayfinding, business and event promotion, and other initiatives designed to support the growth of Tysons in accordance with the Tysons Comprehensive Plan.

The $1 million will come from Fairfax County’s Economic Opportunity Reserve fund, which goes to projects that are expected to stimulate economic growth in certain priority areas but don’t fall under the county’s capital improvement program or other standard procurement processes.

The county board nominated the Tysons Partnership for the fund in a joint board matter introduced by Chairman Jeff McKay, Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, and Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust.

“Since its inception, the Tysons Partnership has played a key role in the success that Tysons has seen,” Palchik said in the board matter. “…The projected trajectory for Tysons is robust and we need to do whatever we can to ensure that it is maximized.”

According to the board matter, assessed real estate tax values in Tysons have increased from just over $11 billion to nearly $17 billion in the seven years since Fairfax County established the area as a special tax district on Jan. 1, 2013.

The Board of Supervisors nomination is the first step in a review process that the board and county staff undertake before allocating any Economic Opportunity Reserve funds, according to the board matter.

By approving the board matter, the supervisors also directed county staff to work with the Partnership to develop a plan that explains the nonprofit’s role in the Tysons community and identifies governance rules, metrics for success, and a sustainable funding stream.

Palchik says she anticipates any recommendations that come out of the staff and Partnership group to be implemented in the timeframe of Fairfax County’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget.

“Tysons Partnership sincerely appreciates Fairfax County’s support for Tysons as an economic engine for the County and region,” the Tysons Partnership said in a statement.

The Tysons Partnership’s full statement is below the cut:

Tysons Partnership sincerely appreciates Fairfax County’s support for Tysons as an economic engine for the County and region. The Board of Supervisors vote today to invest additional economic opportunity funds in Tysons enables the Partnership to continue supporting growth in Tysons and delivering value through placemaking, research planning & economic development, transportation & mobility solutions, and place branding.

With the promise of 2021 looming, we look forward to the recovery of our community, continuing to welcome new residents and employers while also welcoming back our many visitors. As the threat to public health hopefully recedes, we’ll see more public events and place activations, the launch of our new city brand, and continued foundational work toward a walkable and mobile urban center. We will also build on our reputation as a thought leader in the urban space, and as a convener and facilitator for coordination and integration between the public and private sectors.

As we look to the start of our second decade since the County’s adoption of the Comprehensive Plan for Tysons, we recognize also the Board of Supervisors’ continued commitment to work with the Partnership toward building a more robust, deeper capacity public-private partnership model. As our community looks to recover from the dramatic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the partnership model will well-position the Tysons Partnership to lead economic recovery efforts and serve as a catalyst for continued implementation of the urban vision expressed in the County’s Comprehensive Plan.

Staff photo by Jay Westcott