Whether you are in support of or against the metro parking in Tysons, the temporary lot being built with non-public funds is looking complete and ready for a Silver Line opening day of July 26th (please?). The parking lot, the former aging headquarters of MITRE which were abandoned years ago, will have 700 temporary parking spaces for commuters. They are temporary because the entire property is ultimately planned for development under the Scotts Run Rezoning. If the lot is popular, there is the ability for Cityline to incorporate a structural garage in the future into their plans.
It’s our opinion however, that despite all the complaints about the lack of parking at Silver Line stations in Tysons, it won’t actually be very highly used, and ultimately be very easy for Cityline to demo and replace with their proposed project. We will certainly see what the usage is starting this month. The good news is, unlike what many were arguing should have been planned, the parking lot was not built using the limited transportation funds available to the county and state. It was built using private funds, avoiding an additional $1 billion price tag had all of the Tysons stations been provided structural parking garages.
In this method, we can see what the actual demand on parking at the stations is, and address it via the free market without any risk of public funds being lost. We’ll keep an eye on the parking and see if all those folks complaining about the lack of parking actually end up using the parking at McLean Station, or were arguing on a hypothetical basis. Either way, expect driving through Tysons to park to add more time to your commute than using the new Circulator buses, as these have independent bus lanes on Route 123 after the beltway.