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I'm surprised there wasn't a thread on this. Or was there?
Now that the Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors approved the large-scale overhaul of Tysons Corner from a car-oriented area into an urban center two weeks ago, how do you feel about it?
Of course it will affect current residents in the Tysons area as low-density housing will eventually be replaced with pricey high-density towers, and the actual alteration of the roads into a grid pattern will cause even more construction delays for the immediate future.
But is it worth it? Would it help mitigate some of the traffic problems around Tysons with a walkable environment supported by the new Metro station? Would it increase real estate values not only within Tysons, but the whole surrounding area? Will the development spread out into the other areas? Would you like that? Why or why not?
With America's changing perception about the suburban lifestyle, I am curious to know how the people in this area feel about this development. Time to change Northern Virginia (again) or keep it the way it is?
Before
After
Last edited by tenken627; 07-14-2010 at 08:39 PM..
Just think less parking lots for cars and more trees and open spaces for people! What will they think of next? A Metro coming to Tysons Corner, you have got to be kidding! I can't wait to visit Tysons Corner again!
It looks nice on paper. If I could wave a magic wand and *shazaam* have it magically appear I'd probably like it. I like the idea of having dense urban environments away from a downtown area. (Although, to be honest, I wouldn't choose to live or work there. But that's just because it's not my cup of tea--I know a lot of people would love to live/work in a place like that.)
But....
Magic wands don't exist. Just my opinion, but I have a feeling this is one of those projects that gets approval but will never actually happen. Some parts of it might get built, but it won't end up looking exactly like the plans. Before this project ever starts new people will come into power, and they'll want to do something else. Somebody has to foot the bill for things like this, and right now I don't see it happening.
millions of Cars do more harm to the earth than high-rise buildings and metro. I say get rid of cars and we all take metro to work. If you go to other countries, you see less traffic and more public transportation.
millions of Cars do more harm to the earth than high-rise buildings and metro. I say get rid of cars and we all take metro to work. If you go to other countries, you see less traffic and more public transportation.
That's a nice ideal, but not realistic. People have all sorts of reasons for needing to take a car to work. Many people do not live walking distance to a metro. Many need a car to pick up children after school. Many have medical conditions that prevent taking public transportation. Or, they never know when they'll need to to work late, when the metro isn't running. And what do you do on the days when metro breaks down and everyone is forced to drive to work?
I'll confess I'm not familiar with this project. Is it true it won't have adequate parking? I'm in favor of dense urban projects, but only if they have plenty of parking (and I mean plenty of parking; if you have to drive around and around searching for a space that's not good for the environment, either).
It looks nice on paper. If I could wave a magic wand and *shazaam* have it magically appear I'd probably like it. I like the idea of having dense urban environments away from a downtown area. (Although, to be honest, I wouldn't choose to live or work there. But that's just because it's not my cup of tea--I know a lot of people would love to live/work in a place like that.)
But....
Magic wands don't exist. Just my opinion, but I have a feeling this is one of those projects that gets approval but will never actually happen. Some parts of it might get built, but it won't end up looking exactly like the plans. Before this project ever starts new people will come into power, and they'll want to do something else. Somebody has to foot the bill for things like this, and right now I don't see it happening.
Although the Tysons redevelopment is more ambitious, I expect that people had similar things to say when redevelopment was planned around the Bethesda metro or along the Orange line in Arlington in places like Ballston. To be sure, however, it's harder to envision Tysons as an attractive urban (or dense suburban) area in the future, since the existing roads are so unfriendly to pedestrians.
By definition, large-scale construction projects take a long time to be realized, and often go through fits and starts. Famous cathedrals also took (and still take) a long time to build, as well as a lot of money. Many of us likely will no longer even live in the area if and when Tysons ever actually starts to look like the design plans. Even so, I wouldn't discount entirely the possibility that a future generation may enjoy a more attractive Tysons.
millions of Cars do more harm to the earth than high-rise buildings and metro. I say get rid of cars and we all take metro to work. If you go to other countries, you see less traffic and more public transportation.
well, if other countries are doing it then it must be what we should be doing!
people will not all take metro to the new tysons. Some will take express busess along the new hot lanes. Some will carpool/van pool on the new hot lanes. Some will bike (as I think some already do) Some who live in Tysons will walk.
And yes many will still drive alone. Hopefully even many of those folks will walk to lunch or local errands within Tysons.
What is the point of adding more parking spaces in Tysons? The local roads there can't handle more vehicles. Last time I worked there (almost 10 years ago), during December, you had to leave work very early or very late, or you got caught in the mall traffic. Which meant anywhere from 20 minutes to an HOUR or more to get from your office onto an expressway. IIUC it has only gotten worse.
Will the new Tysons make Tysons roads uncongested? No. Look at Manhattan, or downtown DC. A smaller percent of folks going by single occupant vehicle will be offset by many more people. BUT it will relieve the rest of the region of development pressures - offices will go into Tysons that would otherwise go to places without metro, walking, etc opportunities.
Yes, it will take time to happen. Even Rosslyn isn't quite finished yet, IIUC. Urban form changes slowly.
Personally, as someone who lives in the nearby surrounding area...I'm honestly not too fond it (converting Tysons into a super-dense urban living space). Nice urban areas certainly have their advantages, but I would imagine that urban environments (even nice ones like Clarendon, Ballston, etc.) are not what many of the families who are living in the more suburban surrounding areas nearby Tysons would see as the ideal "family-friendly" scenario. As a young adult who would hopefully like to have my own loving family one day, I just honestly couldn't picture wanting to raise children in anything else than a nice, family-friendly suburban environment, and may even have to move from the nice suburban place where I am living now, if an urbanized Tysons encroaches too closely to it.
As a young adult who would hopefully like to have my own loving family one day, I just honestly couldn't picture wanting to raise children in anything else than a nice, family-friendly suburban environment, and may even have to move from the nice suburban place where I am living now, if an urbanized Tysons encroaches too closely to it.
I can sympathize with his POV. On the other hand, if you do decide to move to a more suburban area, you'll make a huge profit on the place you have now.
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