Creating a Cityscape in Suburbia

Now that the plans to finally build the Metro through Tysons Corner is lurching forward with the momentum of a toddler learning to walk, it seems that the plans to develop Tysons Corner into a model version of the uber-suburban-meets-city region is under way as well. Earlier this week the Tysons Land Use Task Force recommended to the Board of Supervisors of Fairfax County that they take efforts to turn Tysons into a concentrated hub of jobs and shopping from which homes in high rises would dominate the landscape and turn the area from the loggerjam that it is today into a pedestrian friendly mecca for the eco-friendly future that we all want. The trouble is they haven't really spelled out how to go about doing that.

While I applaud the ideas and the efforts that these proposals and studies are putting forward, I still think that the key issue is that the infrastructure isn't currently built to support the existing traffic all that well and the completion of the Metro is still a long way off but plans are going forward at full speed to add more homes and more apartments to the area. That's great but what about those of us living in the area who have been complaining about the infrastructure for years already. At the height of the housing boom a few years back, developers and builders couldn't keep up the construction fast enough to support the demand for houses. Everyone from first time homeowners to retirees seemed to want to buy up property or move into new homes and as the current state of companies such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac tells us, in most cases, people bit off more than they could chew and so now there are tons of homes sitting empty, waiting for the market to stabilize and for people's confidence to return.

For example, there is a complex behind mine that has been under construction for the past year or so. They began work on it right when the market was peaking. At that time they had plans for two high rises and one low rise building. All the units were to be condos and they key selling points were that they were new, located close to businesses in Tysons, it would have a Harris Teeter grocery store (which means those of us in Tysons wouldn't have to go to Vienna or McLean for groceries anymore) and it would be in close proximity to the new Tysons Metro stations. Flash forward a year and one housing market crisis later. While sales are relatively brisk, they aren't what the builders were anticipating and some of the units have already changed from condos to rental apartments due to decreased demand. So now we have and abundance of housing already but no ready stream of buyers. I don't know but I don't want to live in a landscape that resembles the abandoned Manhattan of "I Am Legend" which is what could happen if we continue to see homes built in Tysons and no one to buy them.

What about all the office and retail space being proposed as part of this cityscape. I think it's fine but then again we are at the brink of a regime change in Washington. The past eight years have been good for certain industries such as the Defense industry and defense contractors and government consultants are in abundance in the Tysons area but what happens if the priorities of the next administration doesn't support so many companies? Then again you have tons of real estate but no one to move into it. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae both have massive campuses in the Tysons area and though I'm sure they'll remain in business in some way shape or form, I doubt they'll want to purchase more property or rent more space at this time.

Shopping is something that Tysons has long been known for and I think retail will continue to do well but already we are hearing that sales for this winter's Christmas and New Year's sales will not be as significant as in previous years. Retailers are also feeling the crunch of the faltering economy and they can't pass on savings to customers if they are already in the hole. I don't think shopping will stay away from the area, on the contrary, I think it will help people keep coming to the area though I think people are being a little more spendthrift in the current economy. So then do we need to add more retail space? Do we really need massive art museums and performing arts centers? They add culture and give the impression that the area is refined but is it really what we need at this time? I think we need it eventually but first we need to support the existing infrastructure. We need to support what exists today.

I think it's great that the Metro is finally making inroads into the area. It's been a long time coming and will undoubtedly help ease some of the burden of getting to and from the area into DC and vice versa. People who currently commute will have the option of taking the train into work or out to Dulles (once it finally reaches out that far) but what about the meantime. Do we need more growth or should be focus on the infrastructure? Routes 7 and 123 are jammed from about 2:00 in the afternoon until well after 7:00. The Dulles Toll Road tends to back up almost daily in the evenings to say nothing of Route 66 which is almost always backed up. Most of the non-highway routes around the area are filled with traffic lights and are generally no more than two lanes which back up very quickly. I don't think anyone ever imagined that Tysons would grow as fast as it has but before we see visions of people walking to and fro in a jolly way, we need to see if we can fix things now.