As residential use explodes in Tysons, Fairfax County officials are quick to point to a growing amount of affordable housing in the area.
Chris Caperton, the director of the Urban Centers Section, updated the Board of Supervisors today (Oct. 8) on the progress in Tysons in the last year.
One of the biggest takeaways — “Residential is hot in Tysons,” Caperton said.
Currently, Tysons has 53.1 million square feet of development and is projected to reach 56.9 million square feet by 2021 — about 5.5. million square feet under the project in the comprehensive plan.
“We’re sort of catching up to that number,” Caperton said.
Of the 53 million square feet, more than half of it is office space, while about a quarter is residential.
“We do see an increase in residential use,” he said, saying that the jobs to household ratio jumped from 2.5:1 in 2005 to 6.8:1 now. (The comprehensive plan calls for a 4:1 ratio.)
Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth was quick to note that affordable housing units have increased, saying that more than 200 have been recently added to Tysons.
Caperton added 750 affordable housing units have been completed, while 4,220 are expected in the near future. It is unclear if Caperton’s calculations included just approved developments or also unapproved ones as well.
When Tysons Reporter wrote about Affordable and Workforce Dwelling Units (ADUs and WDUs) in May, Tysons had 536 units at the time with an average occupancy rate of 94% and 3,919 were committed by developers.
Residential uses aren’t the only increases in Tysons. Caperton shared that transit options — like an 8% increase of Metro ridership in the Tyson area since April — are flourishing. The Tysons Corner station is now the busiest one for Capital Bikeshare in Fairfax County since May — surpassing the Wiehle-Reston one, Caperton said.
Caperton and several supervisors pointed to growing connectivity in Tysons — from the new Vesper Trail to the Jones Branch Connector — that will hopefully get Tysons to reach the county’s vision as a place to work, live and play.
The McLean Medical Building may soon become the future site of a Sunrise Senior Living Facility.
Sunrise identified a need for more assisted living facilities in McLean — an area known for being disproportionately elderly. This is Sunrise’s second attempt in recent years to bring a senior living facility to McLean.
The site currently at 1515 Chain Bridge Road is home to a medical office building from 1964 with substantial surface parking. (In the spring, a historical link was uncovered tying the building to the doctor behind the first polio vaccine.)
While the McLean Medical Building is not listed on any official historical register, county staff have requested that Sunrise have an architectural historian conduct a study.
The proposed facility would have 140 beds and 40 employees at peak times. Most of the parking would be underground. The proposal would also have a public garden and open space for private use by the residents.
The McLean Citizens Association decided to support Sunrise’s proposed facility in September.
“Rob [Jackson, the chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee,] mentioned that — some time ago — the MCA had opposed a Sunrise Senior Living facility proposed at the intersection of Westmoreland Street and Kirby Road for being incompatible with the neighborhood,” according to the notes for the MCA meeting.
In 2017, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors nixed Sunrise’s plans to open a 90-bed official facility at 1988 Kirby Road, with county officials saying at the time that the proposal would overwhelm the surrounding residential area and worsen traffic, Inside NoVa reported.
The new site seems favorable to county staff.
“The assisted living facility will serve as a transitional use between the residential development in the north and west and the commercial development to the east,” the staff report said.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended approval of the senior living facility at the new spot in September.
A sign at the site indicates that the project goes to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Oct. 15
Image via Fairfax County
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved yesterday (Tuesday) plans to urbanize a Merrifield office park engulfed by I-495, Lee Hwy and Route 50.
The changes to the Merrifield Suburban Center will turn Fairview Park into a mixed-use development with more office space, multi-family homes, a hotel, retail and recreational uses.
Additionally, the changes urge developers to include affordable housing dwelling units or workforce dwelling units, along with senior living and student housing options.
The changes to the plan will also alter an area catty-corner to Fairview Park near the Inova Fairfax Hospital.
Fairview Park currently has offices — including the four-story-tall HIIT Contracting building — by a lake and residential communities. A tributary of Holmes Run runs along the southern edge of the area. Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union and the 2941 restaurant are nearby.
“The justification for the nomination states that the existing single-use office park model that was successful in the 1980s is no longer competitive with mixed-use work environments that provide retail and service amenities, as well as the opportunity to live near work,” according to a staff report.
Elizabeth Baker, a senior land use planner for Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh, previously told the Planning Commission that only three of the eight previously planned office buildings have been built for Fairview Park, which had a 29% office vacancy rate last year.
Baker told the supervisors last night that Fairview Park’s offices were the “gold standard” in the 1980s. While the office park has been well maintained, she said that retaining tenants has been a struggle.
Charlie Hall, a Falls Church resident who chaired the task force that helped to evaluate the proposed changes, told the supervisors that the new vision “closely align with the task force’s recommendations.”
“Every major dispute has been resolved,” Hall said. “This is exactly what [the taskforce] wanted to come out of this.”
Hall urged the board to make an immediate commitment to improving the public sector in the nearby area to keep pace with the increased number of people from the upcoming urbanization, echoing concerns from residents worried about worsening traffic and housing congestion, along with added strain on overcrowded schools.
Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth said that it’s important to make sure that Merrifield — the center of Fairfax County — does not become a “congestion center” that will hurt not only locals, but also people traveling through that area.
The board approved the proposal, along with five follow-on motions from the Planning Commission, which include:
- conducting a multi-modal transportation study
- conducting a study of the connectivity barriers created by I-495
- working with property owners to reduce single-occupancy car trips
- working with Fairfax County Public Schools staff to determine school capacity needs
- developing a funding plan for transportation projects recommended in the Merrifield Suburban Center Comprehensive Plan
“Merrifield has been a success and the idea here was to keep the success going,” Smith said.
Image via Fairfax County, map via Google Maps
The Town of Vienna has now received the funding it needs for a $2 million stream restoration project.
The Board of Supervisors approved giving a little more than $1 million for the project to the town at its meeting yesterday (Tuesday).
“The project will restore approximately 1,900 linear feet of [the] stream on Bear Branch Tributary, providing nutrient reduction and improved water quality in the Accotink Creek watershed,” according to county documents.
Earlier this year, the Town of Vienna received a grant from the Department of Environmental Quality that will cover roughly half of the design and construction costs.
About half of the Bear Branch Tributary, which is apart of the Accotink Creek watershed, is located in the Town of Vienna.
The Accotink Creek Watershed Management Plan rates the Bear Branch Tributary’s condition as “very poor” and calls for a series of restoration projects, starting with retrofitting the stream channel on the upstream side of I-66 at Southside Park.
“The channel is over-widened with moderate to severe erosion along the stream banks,” according to the plan. “Restoration would include reducing the channel dimensions, raising the bed elevation and installing grade controls.”
After work is done on that portion, the plan calls for work on the stream from Hunter Road to Route 50 to stabilize the stormwater outfall structures and regrading eroded stream banks.
“Partnering with the town on this project will save the county the time and administrative costs that would be incurred if the county were to implement the project under its stormwater program,” according to county documents.
Image via Google Maps
(Updated at 2:35 p.m.) Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved today (Tuesday) $4 million to begin implementation of police body worn cameras.
The Fairfax County Police Department is set to receive 1,210 body-worn cameras that would be phased in over three years with a five-year contract for equipment, licensing and storage.
Before the vote, Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity shared concerns about the fiscal impact of the proposal, including that the funding approval is happening outside of the budget cycle, Chairman Sharon Bulova said it’s necessary to have the funding before the budget decisions in May.
The $4.3 million approved by the board today comes from the Reserve for Ad-Hoc Police Practices Review Commission.
“This amount will cover the initial cost of equipment, infrastructure enhancements and will allow for the immediate recruitment and hiring of personnel to ensure a seamless implementation on or about May 1,” according to county documents.
Herrity also said that he has concerns about the funding coming from the reserve — a one-time fund — and that body worn cameras are getting prioritized over increases in police officers’ pay.
“This is going to set our public safety budget back by millions of dollars,” Herrity said, adding that he wants information on extra costs for the Public Defenders’ Office.
In response to Herrity’s concerns that the program is meant to address national issues with police, Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said that the program is not trying to address criticism of police outside of Fairfax County.
“The overwhelming support in the community for doing this is important. We know our community pretty well and we know the respect the community has for the Fairfax County Police Department,” Foust said. “We have the tech to do it, and we should move forward.”
After the vote, Braddock District Supervisor John Cook requested that the county executive work with the Public Defenders’ Office to determine an increase in the office’s budget that the board can consider in May.
Cook said that the body worn cameras will generate “significant legal work needed to review [the footage],” noting that most of the defense attorneys are from the Public Defenders’ Office.
The full implementation of the body worn cameras is expected to take three years. The cameras would come to the McLean District during the second year of the program.
“This is about transparency. This is about the community feeling confident in our police department,” Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay. “We know that they do.”
Image via FCPD
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is set to move forward two projects aiming to make Tysons and Vienna more walkable and bikeable.
At Tuesday’s meeting (Sept. 24), the board is slated to approve an extra $3 million for a project that will add a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over I-495, connecting the east side of Tysons to Tysons One Place.
“The project will provide for the design and construction of a 10-foot shared-use path along Old Meadow Road beginning at the intersection of Route 123 and Provincial Drive, and terminating at Tysons One Place near the intersection with Fashion Boulevard,” according to county documents.
Construction is slated to start on the project in spring 2021 and finish in spring 2022, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
“The project area has a mix of retail, business, and residential communities with no bicycle and pedestrian access across I-495,” the document says.
Previously, the project was fully funded, but changing right-of-way estimates and construction costs increased the costs, according to the county.
The board is also set to authorize the director of the county’s transportation department to work with VDOT on improving bike access to the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro station.
The project includes:
- construction of a new shared-use path along the south side of Virginia Center Blvd
- removing the existing sidewalk on the west side of Sutton Road
- construction of a two-way cycle track and sidewalk along the south side of Country Creek Road
- adding bike wayfinding signage and shared lane markings
The work on the trails is part of the I-66 project, according to county documents.
Map via VDOT
Locals may spot a new sculpture outside Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library in the near future.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is slated to approve a public art donation from Promila and Krishan Chhabra at the meeting next Tuesday (Sept. 25).
The Chhabras want to mount a bronze, life-size sculpture by artist Dennis Smith of a girl reading a book outside the library’s front window.
The piece is meant to help beautify the library, according to county staff.
More from county staff:
After she retired from the Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) system in 2017, Ms. Promila Chhabra and her husband, Krishan, looked for a way to express her gratitude to the county for her fulfilling career as a library aide at the library. The couple became inspired by the idea of donating a monument for installation on the library grounds…
The donors envision mounting the bronze on a 3-foot cinderblock pedestal with brick siding and a polished black stone pedestal top, with a small plaque on one side of the pedestal that states the dedication is made “in honor of Promila Chhabra’s years of service” to the library.
If the county board OKs the donation, the Chhabras would then select the contractor and pay for the construction costs.
Photos via Fairfax County
Fairfax County officials want to take a closer look at the costs linked to adding body worn cameras to the county’s police department.
After studies observing the impact of police officers wearing body cameras while on duty, several members on the Board of Supervisors came out in support of the new proposal. As body worn cameras get closer to receiving the board’s approval, two supervisors want more information to determine the fiscal impact of the project.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity kicked off the discussion of the body worn cameras at the Public Safety Committee meeting Tuesday (Sept. 17) by asking what the fiscal impact would be.
The program would cost about $6.2 million by fiscal year 2022, Deputy County Executive for Public Safety Dave Rohrer told the board.
“That includes the Commonwealth Department of Information Technology, the police officers, the cameras, the storage and equipment,” Rohrer said. “It’s an all-in number.”
Braddock District Supervisor John Cook said that if Board of Supervisors approves the action items on the body worn cameras at the meeting next Tuesday (Sept. 24), he will request a report on how it could affect the budget for the Public Defenders’ Office.
Cook noted that the presentation about the pilot program included information about costs for the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Commuters in Fairfax County may soon see new anti-panhandling signs at major intersections.
At a Fairfax County Public Safety Commission meeting today (Sept. 17), county officials discussed strategies to keep panhandling at bay while still helping community members in need.
Back in July, the board approved a board matter from Supervisors John Cook and Pat Herrity that would prohibit “curb to curb” interaction between drivers and pedestrians, and the board directed county staff to create a proposed ordinance for the board to consider at the meeting today.
The ordinance, though, wasn’t brought up. “I thought we were going to have a draft ordinance today,” Herrity said.
Popular ideas discussed included implementation of informational signs at intersections, conducting surveys among panhandlers to see what resources the county can provide them and the possibility of implementing future ordinances.
Representatives from the County Attorney’s Office and the Public Safety Office presented signage from other jurisdictions that addressed the issue by discouraging passers-by from giving panhandlers money. The signs included a hotline suggesting resources for those in need.
“I think we should go the signage route before we consider an ordinance,” Chairman Sharon Bulova said.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust agreed with Bulova’s statement. “We should try to avoid criminalizing behavior that is not having a serious impact,” he said.
Throughout the discussion, board members echoed concerns surrounding panhandling, saying that people hanging out near intersections are more likely to be hit by cars.
“I don’t care who it is or what they are trying to raise money for… [panhandling] is unsafe and I don’t like it,” Cook, who represents the Braddock District, said.
A few of the board members said they think putting up signs makes more sense than passing ordinances because if drivers stop handing out money, panhandlers won’t be making money anymore and will lose motivation.
“You’ve got to find out how to get these folks into a different environment and how to help them,” Cathy Hudgins, a board member representing Vienna and Reston said, adding that she thought the board is off to a good start toward a solution.
As for where the signs would go, Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth said that the county will need to coordinate with the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Now, the motion to approve the suggestions will be voted on at the Board of Supervisors meeting next Tuesday (Sept. 24).
“Have at it — all of the above,” Smyth said about the anti-panhandling suggestions.
Images via Fairfax County
More bus routes may come to Tysons in the future.
Fairfax County is currently conducting a study on bus rapid transit options along Route 7 in Tysons.
Sean Schweitzer and Nanditha Paradkar from the Fairfax County Department of Transportation gave the Board of Supervisors an update on the proposal at the Transportation Committee meeting today (Tuesday).
FCDOT Director Tom Biesiadny said that this project is a subset of a larger Northern Virginia Transportation Commission’s Envision Route 7 project. Fairfax County took over the part in Tysons because it overlaps with other projects in the area, Biesiadny said.
Schweitzer said that a study about the bus alternatives was initiated last October. Now, FCDOT has the proposed bus system divided into three segments:
- segment 1: Spring Hill Metro station to International Drive
- segment 2: International Drive to I-495
- segment 3: I-495 to I-66
So far, FCDOT is considering several alternatives for each of those segments. Fairfax County has the funding to complete the study, Biesiadny said.
Schweitzer said that the alternatives will be put through simulations this fall before seeking feedback from civic associations.
Image via Fairfax County
