Moving to West Springfield/Burke... (Lorton: health insurance, employment, buying)

[7 VII 7]

I am good where I am. Just wondering what is around me. That is all. Did not want some veteran of Northern VA/Tysons getting all bent out of shape from other people's opinions.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by tysonsengineer

The way to do this is to not allow any club/bars. This can easily be done in the zoning for the property. It assures that good retail comes, instead of run down stuff. Again, no one is saying Clarendon, but some sort of unified vision for these central parts of burke would help bring investment back into the community and keep it from becoming only a residential sprawl land.

Dude. Burke is mostly (all?) built out. Its doesnt have the issues rte 1 does, or even the kinds of underutilized commercial properties found in Annandale. Annandale HAS a unified vision the county planning office put together (including a form based code) and its unlikely to lead to any actual construction till (high frequency) transit comes closer, or the market becomes tighter, or both. Its probably not worth the planning office's time to draw up a unified vision for burke. Though Im sure if someone wants to do it on their own time, there are lots of blogs that would accept it

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

So long as I cannot hear/smell/see it from my house, and it is like Kingstowne where I can still park next to the one store I want (as opposed to Reston where I have to carry packages way far to get back to my car), nope, no objections.

Didnt realize kingstowne had a smell issue. If you live where you say you will you would care less what happens there. A grenade could go off and you wouldnt hear it from as far away as you are.

With these kinds of developments they bring the density required to provide an underground parking garage for grocery stores etc. Reston TC is not what I am talking about. Reston TC is massive, this is simply providing a nice same size as the current property, but providing a couple of 2 story and 3 story retail options. It means less walking if you go vertical not more. More stuff can be provided in the same location.

at BBD Not a unified vision, sorry misnomer, I simply mean something that pulls it outta the 1970s style strip malls and attracts better designed retail options. 500 space surface parking lots that have only 100 spaces used during the evening grocery rush is a waste of land, but the county won't rezone these strip malls.

The market is there. Fairfax Corner is 30 minutes away from most parts of actual burke/springfield. Springfield Mall is extremely far away for most people who live near Lee Chapel or Burke Centre Parkway or Shiflett. A very large residential base lives around Lake Braddock, Pohick Library, etc. These people have two options RVM and the Safeway shopping center with Glory Days. Both of which are dominated by McDonalds and Gas stations. Just saying you can have franchise places, and other options if you add more retail spaces through density, and you can maintain parking by going vertical.

The economics work in this case. If I had the ability to attain a 15-25 million dollar loan and owned the property I would be on this so fast.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

So long as I cannot hear/smell/see it from my house, and it is like Kingstowne where I can still park next to the one store I want (as opposed to Reston where I have to carry packages way far to get back to my car), nope, no objections.

some parts of the kingstowne center you can't park right next too, but IIRC thats the movies and restaurants - all the shops selling 'stuff' are located in the more shopping center style end. And probably at least 95% of the residential units are far outside of hearing/smelling/sight of it. heck, I doubt you could smell the restaurants from the far end of the center, or from across the street.

[jillabean]

Originally Posted by 7 VII 7

I am good where I am. Just wondering what is around me. That is all. Did not want some veteran of Northern VA/Tysons getting all bent out of shape from other people's opinions.

Forums can be interesting that way... the tangents and all.

I really think you would like Mikes (or at least your wife from the sound of it). Like I said, it's a chain (but it's a small local chain). I never get tired of it personally and they often have chef's features.

I forgot about Malek's too. It's mainly a pizza place (and they deliver). But there is a restaurant too. I like it becasue they also have whole wheat pizza.

Someone recently recommend a place called Asian Grill to me. I think it's a little independent place.

You could try El Pasco too (in addition to Austin Grill) for Tex-Mex/Mexican food.

Someone said West Springfield didn't have a mall. Springfield Mall is right there... it's about 10 minutes drive from my house. Of course, it's a near dead mall and they are going to be closing it to redoing it (I think into a town center type thing). I am hoping there end up being more restaurant options there. Oh, and there are two theaters within 20 minutes of West Springfield. The one at Kingstown and the Hoffman in Alexandria. I usually go to Hoffman.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by jillabean

Forums can be interesting that way... the tangents and all.

I really think you would like Mikes (or at least your wife from the sound of it). Like I said, it's a chain (but it's a small local chain). I never get tired of it personally and they often have chef's features.

I forgot about Malek's too. It's mainly a pizza place (and they deliver). But there is a restaurant too. I like it becasue they also have whole wheat pizza.

Someone recently recommend a place called Asian Grill to me. I think it's a little independent place.

You could try El Pasco too (in addition to Austin Grill) for Tex-Mex/Mexican food.

Someone said West Springfield didn't have a mall. Springfield Mall is right there... it's about 10 minutes drive from my house. Of course, it's a near dead mall and they are going to be closing it to redoing it (I think into a town center type thing). I am hoping there end up being more restaurant options there. Oh, and there are two theaters within 20 minutes of West Springfield. The one at Kingstown and the Hoffman in Alexandria. I usually go to Hoffman.

You guys are talking about West Springfield, and I am talking about Burke. Yes if you are near 495 then you can get just about anywhere in 20 minutes including Tysons.

If you live near pohick, lee chapel, where atleast 10k live within 10 minutes there is really no options like what you are speaking of. I'm not attacking it, I'm trying to help it. It doesnt want help evidently though, sooooo I will keep to fixing the issues elsewhere in the county, of which there are far more. Just saying, being a nimby protectionist is not always the solution to keeping your area the way it is right now. Sometimes it can lead to unforeseen negative effects.

[7 VII 7]

yeah, Austin Grill is out of the question. Family ate there and everyone (all 4) got food poisoning. But great information here when it applies to my question

[jillabean]

Originally Posted by tysonsengineer

You guys are talking about West Springfield, and I am talking about Burke. Yes if you are near 495 then you can get just about anywhere in 20 minutes including Tysons.

If you live near pohick, lee chapel, where at least 10k live within 10 minutes there is really no options like what you are speaking of. I'm not attacking it, I'm trying to help it. It doesn't want help evidently though, sooooo I will keep to fixing the issues elsewhere in the county, of which there are far more. Just saying, being a nimby protectionist is not always the solution to keeping your area the way it is right now. Sometimes it can lead to unforeseen negative effects.

You have a point, there is a big difference between West Springfield and Burke (and I am probably on the the very fringe of West Springfield (in light traffic, it takes me 15 minutes to get to work in Old Town Alexandria). It also takes me about 15 minutes to get to the edge of Burke (I sometimes go to the shopping center with the Petsmart).

I am not against town centers. I kind of like them. I think it would be great to turn Springfield Mall into one--it seems to be the perfect location for it. But I like keeping things that I need to be fast and convenient in strip malls (grocery stores, drug stores, Hallmark, office supply stores, etc) mainly because they are faster to get in and out of and usually you have easier access to your car. For town centers I like restaurants, specialty shops/boutiques, Movie theaters, etc.,

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by jillabean

You have a point, there is a big difference between West Springfield and Burke (and I am probably on the the very fringe of West Springfield (in light traffic, it takes me 15 minutes to get to work in Old Town Alexandria). It also takes me about 15 minutes to get to the edge of Burke (I sometimes go to the shopping center with the Petsmart).

I am not against town centers. I kind of like them. I think it would be great to turn Springfield Mall into one--it seems to be the perfect location for it. But I like keeping things that I need to be fast and convenient in strip malls (grocery stores, drug stores, Hallmark, office supply stores, etc) mainly because they are faster to get in and out of and usually you have easier access to your car. For town centers I like restaurants, specialty shops/boutiques, Movie theaters, etc.,

The lifestyle centers people think of like ffx corner and RTC have parking (other than a few on street spots) well away from the shops, like malls. Which is really what they are replacing, not local suburban neighborhood shopping centers so much. Its possible to have a local neighborhood shopping centers thats somewhat more like a town center, by allowing some uses right at the sidewalk (I'm thinking of some infill in Falls Church for example) or putting at least some parking in back of the shops (Shirlington BEFORE it was densified, some of the older shopping centers in north arlington) or just having slightly fewer spots.

That said, I dont know that the retail market in Burke or W Springfield is such that theres really the economics to add more retail square footage in existing centers (which would be the main reason I could see a developer making the change) - but them I am not that familiar with retail econ in general, or those neighborhoods in particular.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by tysonsengineer

You guys are talking about West Springfield, and I am talking about Burke. Yes if you are near 495 then you can get just about anywhere in 20 minutes including Tysons.

If you live near pohick, lee chapel, where atleast 10k live within 10 minutes there is really no options like what you are speaking of. I'm not attacking it, I'm trying to help it. It doesnt want help evidently though, sooooo I will keep to fixing the issues elsewhere in the county, of which there are far more. Just saying, being a nimby protectionist is not always the solution to keeping your area the way it is right now. Sometimes it can lead to unforeseen negative effects.

Pohick regional library to Lorton Town Center, 18 minutes per google. which also says its 17 minutes to kingstowne, and 18 minutes to landmark (where a big lifestyle center will be built, as soon as the financing comes together, I guess). I mean basically its slam in the middle of four lifestyle centers, 3 existing and one planned.

that of course assumes no significant traffic congestion.