Northern Virginia has gone downhill in the last 20 years (Arlington: job market, neighborhood)

[normie]

Originally Posted by nannoo

How can people who live in NoVa not have more say in its development? or can they? Are you a part of the smart growth coalition?

I'm not sure if you live in Virginia or not--but if you do, I urge you to attend some of the Loudoun County zoning commission meetings. They're fascinating, and believe me it's the place to meet your neighbors! People in VA really get into politics, especially when it comes to development issues.

Originally Posted by nannoo

Most of us want to be able to walk in neighborhoods and not have to drive everywhere. We hate commuting (that is like the number one thing) so we need more transit options. We can save old houses with the historic trust. We can create walk ways with rails-to-trails. Some counties are putting restrictions on the knock-downs/mcmansion makeovers when they are entirely improper or out of proportion with the neighborhood.

Knock downs and old houses are not really issues here. Most of the development in Loudoun is on former farmland that is either no longer useful (tobacco farms, for example) or old horse fields.


Thank you for mentioning smart growth. NOVA has been building a few smarth growth neighborhoods lately, and so far they seem to be successful. The above photo shows Lansdowne. Notice that townhomes are mixed in with stores. There are plenty of sidewalks, and the single family homes are within walking distance. Play fields and wooded areas are also within walking distance.



Also, thanks for mentioning rails to trails. This is the W&OD bike/walking trail. As you can see by the tire marks, people use it even when it snows. It stretches 45 miles from Purcellville to Mt. Vernon, going through a number of towns along the way. This photo was taken in Leesburg.

What many people from other states do not realize is that although VA has a serious traffic problem, we also have one of the most extensive trail systems in the U.S. Believe it or not, a number of people walk here. All communities built in Loudoun must include sidewalks and/or walking trails. Walking trails run behind homes and are considered safer for small children than sidewalks that run alongisde a busy street.






These are a few random photos I took to give you an idea. The first three shots are Leesburg, the others are Cascades.

Originally Posted by nannoo

In Oregon, there were growth boundaries that allowed urban areas to stay urban and rural areas to stay rural -- and that way it was always just a short drive to the countryside, and if you wanted to develop more you had to figure out to do/re-do with the unused urban areas.

In Loudoun, we have growth limits, too. Basically, smaller lots are allowed in Eastern Loudoun to encourage smarth growth neighborhoods. Leesburg is the dividing point. West of Leesburg, the lots are zoned so they cannot be split into small pieces.

It will be interesting to see how this works out. So far it has not stopped development, it has merely spread the McMansions farther apart. Some large parcels of land have been preserved, but instead of acting as a barrier the developments simply jumped over them and began building in West Virginia. At least we can say that pieces of the countryside are within an easy commute of everyone, but it has not stopped growth. Instead, the parcel of countryside will be more like a large suburban park. Which is not (IMO) a bad thing--just not what was envisioned.

It is not realistic to corral growth in VA unless you want to out restrictions on companies and make it difficult to business to open here. Our challenge is that the population is expanding and job growth is attracting new residents who need a place to live. On top of the expanding population, real estate is being bought up by people from other countries who have always wanted a residence near the nationa's capital and are now taking advantage of the dollar's plunge.

Thank you for your interesting comments. By the way, here are some more photos of Leesburg that I took on the same day:





And here are some more shots of Cascades. I'm not a great photographer, but they will give anyone who wants to move here an idea of what it looks like.

Keogan Homepage

[PAFAMILIY]

HEY EVERYONE...So, based on your info, you think I should consider Howard County MD over Fairfax COunty???

[normie]

Choose the county that lets you move close to your job. As close to your job as possible. You will enjoy life here much more if you have a short commute.

[PAFAMILIY]

If it was about commute, then it would be either Rockvile, MD or Alexandria, VA...BUT, it is about education and AFFORDABLITY. If my husband does not have a bad commute but we just make ends meet...a great commute means nothing...so for us with a family...it is secondary to the others I mentioned

[Fairfax Mom]

How can you say the commute means nothing? A long commute will just make less time for your husband to play with your kids -

When both parents work I see these poor kids getting watched by hired help until 6 PM!! - terrible

[PAFAMILIY]

Oh, don't get me wrong...I feel the same way...I am just saying if commute was 45 minutes as opposed to 20 min and the trade off was more affordable living and therefore less money strain/stress..it would be worth it.

Considering we are in Philly and my husband is in DC m-f and my son never sees dad until the weekend...45 min commute would be a blessing over this 1.5 day visit BS

[normie]

The counties really aren't that different (IMO). I've seen some of your questions, and the issues you care about are more or less the same in both counties. Both counties have affordable areas. So my advice would be to just find a place you can afford that's close to work.

Or, even better, take a few trips down here and pick a place that appeals to you. PA isn't that far, see if you can come down for a few long trips to get a feel for the areas. Or, if you can't get away before the move, get a short term lease at first and get a feel for the DC area while you're staying there.

[PAFAMILIY]

Yeah, Normie..that is what i intend to do...I am coming down this weekend. I intend to drive around this Sunday...any particular route/area you recommend?

[karnovaran]

Originally Posted by normie

Thank you for mentioning smart growth. NOVA has been building a few smarth growth neighborhoods lately, and so far they seem to be successful. The above photo shows Lansdowne. Notice that townhomes are mixed in with stores. There are plenty of sidewalks, and the single family homes are within walking distance.

I live near here. Homes are within walking distance, but the area is hardly walkable, aside from the new townhouses on the same patch of land. There are still wide 4-lane parkways surrounding that "town center", which makes for an undesirable trek across traffic that is not used to pedestrians.

If there were some mid-rise condos on top of those storefronts and some parking garages rather than surface lots, you could make the case for smart growth. But as it is now, this is just a redesigned strip mall with two strips facing each other to give the illusion of an urban setting.

[normie]

Originally Posted by karnovaran

I live near here. Homes are within walking distance, but the area is hardly walkable, aside from the new townhouses on the same patch of land. There are still wide 4-lane parkways surrounding that "town center", which makes for an undesirable trek across traffic that is not used to pedestrians.

Well, I guess different opinions are what make the world go 'round. I live near there, too. I'm a 62-year-old lady who has diabetes and walks with a cane. I just got back from walking over there, so I can give you a fresh perspective. I walked from a single family home somewhat near the hospital to the AAA in the Lansdown Center to get some maps. I took the sidewalk the entire way, and particularly enjoyed the stone bridge that crosses over goose creek.

Maybe to you "walkability" means a pathway along a slow road without traffic that you can lazily jaywalk across whenever you please. If that's the case, you're right, you won't find it here.

FWIW, however, I did not have a hard time negotiating the traffic. I also like having 4-lane roads. IMO they keep traffic moving and are a major factor to a thriving area. They are why I prefer Loudoun to areas like Vienna, where the traffic backs up. But, everyone has different preferences.