$15 billion pricetag to turn Tysons Corner into pedestrian-oriented neighborhood
Published: October 30, 2009
McLEAN — Fairfax County planners estimate it will take $15 billion in transportation improvements to revamp Tysons Corner into a dense, walkable urban hub.
The preliminary estimate was released this week. It includes $2.6 billion that has already been allocated for the first leg of a Metro extension to Dulles International Airport. It also includes $7 billion dollars for roads, bus service and two additional rail lines that would not be spent until after 2030.
The county hopes to remake Tysons Corner into a transit-oriented, second city of the Washington area.
Landowners who stand to profit from dense development are likely to donate much of the land for to create a new street grid. But it’s unclear where the county will get billions of dollars needed over the next 20 years.
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Reader Reactions
Maybe they will have Rest areas or Port-O-Potties that will stay open once they are BUDGETED FOR?
Just a question…
“We prefer to get somewhere without it taking twice as long as it should, “
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lol then you should live near your work and commute by bicycle!
“ I think Tysons Corner should incorporate as its own city since Fairfax County wants it to look like an unincorporated place without any cohesive oversight.“
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That’s an interesting take because there’s been talk about Fairfax County itself incorporating as a city in order to have greater control over roads and development. It would be the 11th largest city in the US.
Chesterfield and Henrico take notice, you could learn something from the Tyson’s example.
Tysons Corner is a disgraceful example of lack of good urban planning. It calls itself an “edge city”, but it is anything but a city. There is no pedestrian orientation; all businesses and offices are fronted by vast parking lots. It is next to impossible to walk across Route 7, and there is little if any regard for aesthetics, with the lack of landscaping in the median of Route 7 and tacky strung-up traffic signals with inadequate street signage. Fairfax County planners should take a lesson from Reston or Arlington if they really want to create a true second city to Washington. There is also a lack of residential units in Tysons Corner, except for the big brown monstrosity up near the toll road. I think Tysons Corner should incorporate as its own city since Fairfax County wants it to look like an unincorporated place without any cohesive oversight.
For that kind of money you should have people movers like Disney has. Smart Growth will not be too smart when these mega deals become terrorist targets or Flu epidemic hot spots. Hopefully the planners will think that through.
Question Govt… when Tysons was built it WAS top-of-the-line urban planning. As in life, thinking changes over time. We didn’t have the envirofreaks controlling government then, and people wanted one-stop shopping. They got it in Tysons.
Now everyone wants to walk or ride a bike everywhere and gasoline and oil are evil, so planners try to adjust. But we are not Europe, nor should we try to be Europe. Many of us don’t prefer to live on top of each other in cramped cities and don’t prefer $7 a gallon gas. We prefer to get somewhere without it taking twice as long as it should, and we prefer to have our own independent piece of land to call our own. Of course, our socialist government in Washington is trying to change all of that, but we’ll get rid of them next year so we’ll stave that off for now.
The lesson taxpayers should learn from this is that prudent urban planning beginning decades ago could have resulted in what Fairfax government now wants to accomplish at significant additional expense to taxpayers. Rather, Fairfax, like most jurisdictions, opted for unbridled growth and sprawl hoping to generate additional tax revenue they can spend foolishly while placating wealthy developers who inevitably finance their campaign.
Let me guess. We’ll continue to run the pothole gauntlet all over Virginia in order for Fairfax to get its ‘dense, walkable urban hub’.
This is easy. Get a handout from Pelosi, Reid and Obama—America’s newest venture capital firm. No interest to pay, and you don’t even have to pay the money back! What a deal!
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