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I don't think that Tysons will be too adversely affected when everything is said and done, though I would have preferred the tunnel. Tysons is still evolving, and the addition of rail might make for a welcome change in the area, at least in terms of moving the population in and out of the area. Aesthetically, it may not be the most pleasing, but I agree with Knight2009 that landscaped areas could defnitely soften the look of the train..
Edge cities are not utopian communities, rather they are areas that have higher density in the shadow of a primary city in a metropolitan area. White Plains in New York is an older edge city, for comparison's sake, and it has many, many similarities to Tysons corner with respect to roads, congestion, lights, and mechanisms for alternative means of transit (bike, walk) that are lacking. What it has had for a while is rail, but Tysons, since there are many underdeveloped properties in the path of the Silver Line, can more fully develop with newer buildings and structures that are more easily adapted to a modern community.
Faulting lack of foresight in terms of planning is a bit difficult to do because in the 1960s, nobody envisioned today's Tysons Corner, since the area was sleepy. I don't know that first-hand, as I wasn't even on the panet for many years to come, but long-time residents have told me what the area was like. Patterns, people, and populations change, as do prevailing tastes, real estate prices, and poiticans -- all of which are involved in steering the development of a particular community. Look at the current proposals under review study with respect for the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan, since many of the areas that get the most complaints are under review to enact positive changes for the community going forward, all of which takes time. Since it could not have been forecast, especially lacking mass transit options, the current proposals seek to address the issues for the future.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
The 1956 photo is probably a little later....that Ford pick-up truck on the right is a 1957 model (first year of the Styleside!). While it could have been sold in late '56...it sure is beat up for a new truck!
You should contact the Virginia Room at the Fairfax County Public Library and let them know!
I guess I'm a little bit different than most people, but I like seeing trains and train tracks. When I was a kid I had an HO train set, so this project is bringing out the inner child in me. It's sad to lose some trees, but it looks like they have some landscaping planned for the area that will look nice.
So, as far as how it will affect the look of Tyson's I think it will be
first big issue is that no metro line was built there. In the 1960's when Metro was planned, it was not obvious to anyone how big Tysons would get.
Then there is the question of building tysons itself. No urban street grid. But as long as it was assumed it would remain relatively low density, a mall and mainly low rise office buildings, the suburban layout made sense. Who was building urban grids in the suburbs anywhere in the 1970s, and even 1980s? By the 90s it was kind of late to retrofit without a major effort folks were not ready for.
Planning - how much planning staff did FFX county even have in the 1970s and 1980s?
And if they had proposed limits on Tysons growth, who would have listened? A county wanting more rateables to keep up its top rated school system? Politically wired developers like Til Hazel? Landowners looking to sell to the "highest and best use".
There were mistakes made. Mostly not by the professional planners though.
As for tunnel vs elevated. FTA has a budget fixed by statute for its new starts program. 2 billion more to give tysons a tunnel means 2 billion less for a new start somewhere else in the USA. Which helps the future more?
You can vote to get FTA more $$$. Or you can try to get the Commonwealth and/or FFX cty to put their own $$ into it.
Meanwhile, I am not sure the elevated is that bad. I still don't see the big objection, other than locking in the existing road network.
"As someone who works in a high-rise in Tysons Corner I can safely say it is the most disgusting "edge city" in the United States. The roads meander aimlessly with no rhyme or reason, motorists don't yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, there aren't bike lanes, traffic is horrific, the architecture is hideous, etc"
You do realize that neither the behavior of the motorists, nor the architecture of individual buildings, is controlled by planners, dont you?
"As someone who works in a high-rise in Tysons Corner I can safely say it is the most disgusting "edge city" in the United States. The roads meander aimlessly with no rhyme or reason, motorists don't yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, there aren't bike lanes, traffic is horrific, the architecture is hideous, etc"
You do realize that neither the behavior of the motorists, nor the architecture of individual buildings, is controlled by planners, dont you?
LOL, I was wondering if RR realizes Pittsburgh has plenty of meandering roads, too. Oh wait, I forgot, things are hideous if they're new or they're in Virginia but they automatically become attractive if they're over 100 years old or are in PA.
You know, it's about time we had a photo tour of Tyson's Corner. Maybe I'll go do one today.
LOL, I was wondering if RR realizes Pittsburgh has plenty of meandering roads, too. Oh wait, I forgot, things are hideous if they're new or they're in Virginia but they automatically become attractive if they're over 100 years old or are in PA.
meandering roads are attractive, but generally not functional in high density areas, though they are more necessary practically in very hilly areas like Pittsburgh (see parts of the Bronx NY for an area where a rectilinear urban grid was imposed on hilly terrain with a mixed result) Certainly a rectilinear grid would make sense given Tysons current density, but at the time its streets were laid out that density was not envisioned.
What it has had for a while is rail, but Tysons, since there are many underdeveloped properties in the path of the Silver Line, can more fully develop with newer buildings and structures that are more easily adapted to a modern community.
That raises another potentially-interesting question: I know that along with the Silver Line addition, Tysons has/will be re-zoned to accommodate significantly larger population density.
The question is, how will that affect people in the surrounding communities, who are still more "suburban" in look-and-feel? For example, in some surrounding nearby areas like around Anderson Rd. - Great Falls St. and also Great Falls St. - Haycock Rd. (zipcode 22101 and at least "technically" parts of McLean), people are still actively doing tear-downs of existing older properties and building luxury homes a.k.a. McMansions in their place. But if greater density in Tysons means that developers would prefer to change these kinds of remaining suburban areas into converted high-rises, etc. for example, then why all of the new luxury home construction still going on atm?
Or...do you think the areas cited above may perhaps be only moderately affected, since they are close to, but not a part of, Tysons Corner? It will be interesting to see what happens, when the Silver Line is finally in-place: will all of the people who built luxury homes on the surrounding areas in part of McLean and Falls Church, suddenly sell and move elsewhere due to potential price appreciation? Or will some move and others stay as-is where they are?
Last edited by Phoenix2017; 07-02-2010 at 07:56 AM..
In thost areas of McLean, I think that the current pattern will continue with tear-downs for higher economic use of the land, but with the same type of structure. Proximity to Tysons will be one thing, but the area will have hard lines that will be difficult, if not impossible, to cross. If the county does adapt many of the changes, new zoning districts will be created, and I highly doubt that there would be any provision for such development to be at the expense of surrounding communities.
Unincorporated McLean could potentially be vulnerable to development, but I do not think that people living in the community would want to see it overrun with higher density, and would voice opposition. The borders to the east and south are easier to enforce because Tysons abuts incorporated areas. I also think that the county is going to keep to a hard line to the west as well. The Toll Road makes sense for the north and west cutoff for the rebirth of Tysons Corner, especially since there are a good number of under utilized (density-wise) properties in that zone, from auto dealerships to smaller buildings and smaller strip malls.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
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