Yesterday afternoon the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the second rezoning for Spring Hill Station, a project which involves 7.2 million square feet of mixed use development near Tyco, Springhill, and Leesburg Pike. The approval of the first rezoning for the project came in September 2011, which included the Final Development plans for Building F1, currently under construction by Greystar behind the Ethan Allen shopping center.
The second rezoning approval also comes with approval of a second building, D2, which includes two round towers atop a five-floor pedestal with mixed use retail. The building pedestal includes significant green roofing and plazas with recreational areas deemed “sky parks”. The building will likely be 27 stories tall with 436 total residential units.
The approved plan also includes conventional recreational spaces, paid for by the developer Georgelas, at Ragland Road park, a region accessible to both Tysons and Vienna residents. The recreational space has the added benefit of providing a green buffer, along with the forest, between Vienna and the new high density development, something which many Vienna residents asked for during the comprehensive plan adoption process.
The Spring Hill project really faces only one more hurdle before its original image is complete. The acquisition and rezoning of the last parcel associated with the area, currently owned by Cherner after a sales dispute with Georgelas last year. While this parcel only constitutes a small portion of the Spring Hill project overall, it is the only lot with direct access via the sky walk to the Spring Hill Metro station. Therefore, without this piece, the property will have an ugly first impression (unless you enjoy car dealership parking lots) to riders and residents getting off of trains into Tysons Corner. It is unclear at this time if Georgelas and Cherner are still in talks over a deal.
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In related approval news, the Board of Supervisors noted with this rezoning that Georgelas has the option to provide a temporary commuter parking lot. “In the near term people will still be driving to Tysons and that is why a commuter parking lot would be beneficial” said Chairman Bulova.
This is a case of Fairfax unraveling the fundamentals of good planning that are meant to promote urbanity in this commercial core. Ok, let’s concede the point that people will continue to drive, something only advanced and subsidized by providing even more parking. That doesn’t mean that anyone in their right mind living in Herndon or Reston will want to drive past Wielhe just to be able to drive down Route 7, one of the most congested corridors in NOVA, into the most congested city in NOVA (Tysons) in order to park and take the train.
That doesn’t pass the logic test.
One could argue that people between Wielhe and Spring Hill Metro station will want to use it. Ok, but first of all, half of that area can more quickly go to Wielhe. I know you have to “back track” but it takes 25 minutes less time to go reverse commute and the train most certainly is faster than the over congested Route 7. The other half could be better served with more money spent on buses and TRAILS! How come no one is talking about using some proffer funds from Georgelas to provide a spur to the W&OD trail to come to Tysons? It isn’t that the garage wouldn’t be used, it is that there are so many other things we should be getting in return from a developer if they are providing concessions.
Providing parking in Tysons will just continue to encourage people to drive into Tysons on Route 7, and force more spending than is necessary to create more short term road capacity on Route 7 earlier than necessary. If you want to provide something that will help people commute faster and smarter, why not replicate the very successful Herndon Monroe parking concept.
Provide parking in the far less expensive areas between the Dulles Toll Road and Route 7 on a three or four acre parcel outside of Tysons. Build it with public funds, first as just a surface parking lot with 400 parking spaces. If it is popular expand it in the future with the funds you collect from parking. Who knows, in the future it might end up being an infill rail station similar to Potomac Yard.
It is very worrisome that one of the focuses the board continues to harp on is this perceived lack of parking in Tysons. This city has nothing but parking right now, and that is one of the reasons why it continues to be the sprawled mess it is. If the County is serious about fixing that they need to come up with better ideas than lets build more parking.