Which school pyramids are considered "desirable" in Fairfax County? (Annandale: 2009, apartments)

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by tankdude

McLean south of 123 does include Falls Church (some say its McLean but with a Falls Church postal code of 22043) and is bordered by Arlington and City of Falls church further south and east of that.

I understand - it's like the neighborhoods in New York that say they are really part of Bronxville but with a Yonkers postal code.

[tankdude]

Originally Posted by JEB77

I understand - it's like the neighborhoods in New York that say they are really part of Bronxville but with a Yonkers postal code.

Whether that area is or is not McLean, that's another discussion.

The point is that you made a blanket statement by saying you wouldn't consider Falls Church in order to maintain the McLean high school feed. So where do you think that part of Falls Church could end up sending their kids, over to Arlington or the City of Falls Church?

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by tankdude

For the most part, you don't want your kids to be walking anywhere, even in the neighborhood, no matter where you are.

Well, that observation probably merits its own thread. One of the prime reasons that families often choose Vienna is the fact that there are traditional suburban neighborhood developments where children can walk places. It may be harder in McLean; I certainly would not want young kids crossing Georgetown Pike or Old Dominion or Chain Bridge Road on foot. But not everyone has quite the bunker mentality you suggest.

Originally Posted by tankdude

McLean is great whether you work in DC, Herndon, Reston, or Tysons. Those in McLean can access a huge network of back roads to get to Tysons. Also, the Dulles Toll Road will take you directly to Dulles, Herndon, and Reston.

In Vienna though, all must cross Leesburg Pike to get to Tysons. The main artery is via Chain Bridge Road. Also, there are many restrictions within the Town of Vienna on whether left turns can be made when returning home, and that includes Electric Ave and Old Courthouse roads.

For those in Vienna, you must navigate Hunter Mill, Beulah, Lawyers, etc. in order to get anywhere near Leesburg Pike or the Toll Road. Try those one lane roads during inclimate weather.

McLean is also better if one needs to cross American Legion over to Maryland.

Perhaps you could do us all a favor and publish this "huge network of back roads" that allow McLean residents (or Falls Church residents whose children are in the McLean HS district) to effortlessly avoid the traffic congestion that characterizes the rest of NoVa.

Tysons is pretty much at the intersection of 123 and Route 7 so, yes, it's hard for Vienna (or McLean) residents to get to Tysons without traveling on at least one of these roads for a portion of the trip. There are ways for Vienna residents to minimize the time spent on these roads as well. I am not sure where you got the idea that Hunter Mill, Beulah or Lawyers Road were "one lane roads" - do you mean one lane in each direction (which would make them "two lane roads")? They are not particularly hard to navigate in inclement weather, as the volume of traffic keeps the roads warm and navigable. Beulah was recently widened - in comparison to, say, Old Dominion, which apparently is kept incredibly narrow in spots to maintain its rustic appearance.

Yes, McLean is better if one wants to get to Maryland via the American Legion bridge. It's a bit like saying Vienna is better if one wants to get to GMU or Fair Oaks. Of course, if Metro access is an issue, there are two stations (Vienna and Dunn Loring) near Vienna, and only one (West Falls Church) near part of McLean.

Originally Posted by tankdude

A 30 home development is pretty huge in NoVA in Vienna or McLean, where land is scarce. You only get those sized developments in Oak Hill or Centreville, or further west in Chantilly and Gainesville when land was plentiful.

Maybe - isn't the Ballantrae Farm development in McLean right near the CIA close to 25-30 houses? The Maymont development in north Vienna near Route 7, if completed, will be close to 60 houses. And, at the end of the day, I'm not sure there's a huge difference in overall aesthetics between, say, Sekas Homes building three 10-house projects fairly close to one another or someone else building a single 30-house development. One remembers seeing the same home models repeatedly. You don't seem to like "infills" too much, so I guess your preference is for new developments of no more than 5-15 houses.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by tankdude

Whether that area is or is not McLean, that's another discussion.

The point is that you made a blanket statement by saying you wouldn't consider Falls Church in order to maintain the McLean high school feed. So where do you think that part of Falls Church could end up sending their kids, over to Arlington or the City of Falls Church?

This sub-thread is turning into a Seinfeld episode, but what the heck.

Just take a look at the current McLean HS boundaries and see how strange they are. If there is a comprehensive redistricting, and one of the issues addressed is overcrowding at Langley, it's possible that some current Langley students could be sent to McLean, and the southern McLean "attendance island" that draws from Timber Lane, as well as the Falls Church neighborhood that includes the "Enclave of McLean," could be sent to Marshall or Falls Church.

I'm neither advocating for nor predicting this result; it likely could only happen if Langley students in the western part of the county north of Route 7 close to Herndon and South Lakes continue to attend Langley, while current Langley students closer to the school are redistricted to McLean. Maybe none of this will ever come to pass but, then again, neither the Madison Island nor Fox Mill families anticipated they'd be redistricted from Madison and Oakton to South Lakes.

And, I'm not suggesting to the other poster at all that he should avoid the "Enclave of McLean" (even if it turns out to be less of an "enclave" of McLean than suggested). It did seem strange to me, though, that you would quickly tell the poster that Marshall would not be one of your school picks, and then proceed to point him to a development in a neighborhood that has some chance of being redistricted to Marshall or Falls Church. There are other areas of McLean that have less chance of ever being redistricted.

[tankdude]

Originally Posted by JEB77

This sub-thread is turning into a Seinfeld episode, but what the heck.

Just take a look at the current McLean HS boundaries and see how strange they are. If there is a comprehensive redistricting, and one of the issues addressed is overcrowding at Langley, it's possible that some current Langley students could be sent to McLean, and the southern McLean "attendance island" that draws from Timber Lane, as well as the Falls Church neighborhood that includes the "Enclave of McLean," could be sent to Marshall or Falls Church.

I'm neither advocating for nor predicting this result; it likely could only happen if Langley students in the western part of the county north of Route 7 close to Herndon and South Lakes continue to attend Langley, while current Langley students closer to the school are redistricted to McLean. Maybe none of this will ever come to pass but, then again, neither the Madison Island nor Fox Mill families anticipated they'd be redistricted from Madison and Oakton to South Lakes.

And, I'm not suggesting to the other poster at all that he should avoid the "Enclave of McLean" (even if it turns out to be less of an "enclave" of McLean than suggested). It did seem strange to me, though, that you would quickly tell the poster that Marshall would not be one of your school picks, and then proceed to point him to a development in a neighborhood that has some chance of being redistricted to Marshall or Falls Church. There are other areas of McLean that have less chance of ever being redistricted.

You're really grabbing at straws now.

I suggested the poster look at a new development that might meet his requirements.

This suggestion was based on current information, especially with regard to the schools. There are no guarantees on anything moving forward.

Throwing out a "maybe there will be a redistricting" from you is like saying maybe you'll win the lottery tomorrow without having bought a lottery ticket. A total waste.

Who knows, maybe TJ will be converted to a neighborhood school fed by Tysons Chase, based on your approach to things.

[tankdude]

Originally Posted by JEB77

Well, that observation probably merits its own thread. One of the prime reasons that families often choose Vienna is the fact that there are traditional suburban neighborhood developments where children can walk places. It may be harder in McLean; I certainly would not want young kids crossing Georgetown Pike or Old Dominion or Chain Bridge Road on foot. But not everyone has quite the bunker mentality you suggest.

It's clear you don't know McLean, because there are plenty of neighborhoods where kids roam freely.

If I were in Vienna, I surely wouldn't want my kids crossing Maple, Nutley, Old Courthouse, or Gallows either.

Originally Posted by JEB77

Perhaps you could do us all a favor and publish this "huge network of back roads" that allow McLean residents (or Falls Church residents whose children are in the McLean HS district) to effortlessly avoid the traffic congestion that characterizes the rest of NoVa.

Why would I give you that benefit. Go visit Google maps and figure it out for yourself. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy the back roads.

Feel free to publish the back roads from Vienna to Tysons though, if you wish, if there are any.

Originally Posted by JEB77

Tysons is pretty much at the intersection of 123 and Route 7 so, yes, it's hard for Vienna (or McLean) residents to get to Tysons without traveling on at least one of these roads for a portion of the trip. There are ways for Vienna residents to minimize the time spent on these roads as well. I am not sure where you got the idea that Hunter Mill, Beulah or Lawyers Road were "one lane roads" - do you mean one lane in each direction (which would make them "two lane roads")? They are not particularly hard to navigate in inclement weather, as the volume of traffic keeps the roads warm and navigable. Beulah was recently widened - in comparison to, say, Old Dominion, which apparently is kept incredibly narrow in spots to maintain its rustic appearance.

I didn't know traffic kept roads warm. I wonder why they bother salting and sanding then. Maybe they don't in Vienna because of this phenomenon there.

Originally Posted by JEB77

Yes, McLean is better if one wants to get to Maryland via the American Legion bridge. It's a bit like saying Vienna is better if one wants to get to GMU or Fair Oaks. Of course, if Metro access is an issue, there are two stations (Vienna and Dunn Loring) near Vienna, and only one (West Falls Church) near part of McLean.

Many people work in Maryland, so that benefit that McLean has is great.

For people in McLean, it's not as bad to get to Fair Oaks or GMU because on I66, they would be going against traffic during AM rush. Not the same for those in Vienna having to hit the beltway going with traffic to cross to Maryland.

McLean is so convenient to the major highways, much moreso than Vienna, as its located inside the beltway that two metro stations aren't needed, but a few more are coming to Tysons. Also, there is bus service that connects Tysons to East Falls Church, with many stops along the way.

Originally Posted by JEB77

Maybe - isn't the Ballantrae Farm development in McLean right near the CIA close to 25-30 houses? The Maymont development in north Vienna near Route 7, if completed, will be close to 60 houses. And, at the end of the day, I'm not sure there's a huge difference in overall aesthetics between, say, Sekas Homes building three 10-house projects fairly close to one another or someone else building a single 30-house development. One remembers seeing the same home models repeatedly. You don't seem to like "infills" too much, so I guess your preference is for new developments of no more than 5-15 houses.

Attempting to compare Ballantrae Farm to Tysons Chase is like comparing a Maserati to a Buick. Ballantrae Farm consists of high end custom homes built in the 80's/90's, not cookie cutter McMansions like Tysons Chase.

[rarebucky]

Ok, thanks for the opinions...I think I'll take a look at these other developments. I don't like the fact that the Francis Young complex is even further out. I work in downtown DC and don't want an hour+ commute, so even Tysons Chase would be pushing it for me.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by tankdude

Attempting to compare Ballantrae Farm to Tysons Chase is like comparing a Maserati to a Buick. Ballantrae Farm consists of high end custom homes built in the 80's/90's, not cookie cutter McMansions like Tysons Chase.

The Tysons Chase developer also built similar, but slightly more expensive, homes in the Grace Manor development in McLean. Several are still for sale. Apparently McMansions become high-end custom homes once they have a McLean-area zip code attached to them.

The rest of your comments are so bizarre and over-the-top that I won't take the bait - I'm happy to let others assess how they reflect on the smug and dismissive mindset of a certain segment of those living in McLean and other "high-end" communities in close proximity. You should head on over to the super-cool kid spa in McLean, get a pedicure, and chill out.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by tankdude

You're really grabbing at straws now.

I suggested the poster look at a new development that might meet his requirements.

This suggestion was based on current information, especially with regard to the schools. There are no guarantees on anything moving forward.

Throwing out a "maybe there will be a redistricting" from you is like saying maybe you'll win the lottery tomorrow without having bought a lottery ticket. A total waste.

Who knows, maybe TJ will be converted to a neighborhood school fed by Tysons Chase, based on your approach to things.

As a practical matter, there are some guarantees moving forward. For example, there is zero chance that anyone in the town of Vienna will be rezoned out of Madison, zero chance that anyone in the Chesterbrook district will be rezoned out of McLean, and zero chance that anyone in the Stenwood district will be rezoned out of Marshall. You really can't say the same about the area you recommended or the various McLean "attendance islands."

If you had paid any attention to the redistricting last year, you would know that there were quite a few homeowners who told the School Board they specifically moved to houses in Madison Island and Fox Mill for the then-assigned schools - Madison and Oakton - and shouldn't be rezoned to South Lakes. The School Board was, shall we say, not moved by those arguments, and the current Board has two more years to run its course.

[tankdude]

Originally Posted by JEB77

The Tysons Chase developer also built similar, but slightly more expensive, homes in the Grace Manor development in McLean. Several are still for sale. Apparently McMansions become high-end custom homes once they have a McLean-area zip code attached to them.

Maybe that's the way you would describe a McMansion. For me, I didn't consider Ballantrae Farms cookie cutter McMansions because none of the homes look alike.

Originally Posted by JEB77

The rest of your comments are so bizarre and over-the-top that I won't take the bait - I'm happy to let others assess how they reflect on the smug and dismissive mindset of a certain segment of those living in McLean and other "high-end" communities in close proximity. You should head on over to the super-cool kid spa in McLean, get a pedicure, and chill out.

Funny, I guess "smug" in your dictionary is defined as someone describing various roads to get around the area, metro/metro bus access, the availability of grocery stores, free playgrounds for kids, etc.

Strange.