TYSONS THE AUDACITY OF CHANGE

Assumption #1 – Metro will come Assumption #2 – Significant growth will occur Assumption #3 – Tysons’ transformation – possible/desirable WHY DO I BELIEVE THIS?

THE TYSONS TASK FORCE MISSION POSSIBLE Manage growth – T.O.D. experiences Involve the public and all stakeholders Recognize the constraints Plan for walkability, livability, and likability Guiding principle: do what’s always been done and you get what’s always been gotten

THE COMPETING INTERESTS: Adjoining communities Local businesses Residents State agencies Utilities Emergency services Commuters through Transit operators Pedistrians & Bicyclists Construction requirements Landowners Large employers Employees County agencies Environmental interests Commuters to Developers MWAA Freight carriers Financial interests

THE TASK FORCE: 3 reps of landowners 11 reps of citizens associations 8 residents of ring communities 3 elected officials 12 from involved districts 6-8 MCA members 7 employees 3 Tysons residents 9 reps of businesses 3 ex-off. PC members 5 other county districts 6 reps of special interests (arts, housing, environment, bicyclists, accessibility)

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN DOING FOR THREE YEARS? Consultants Outreach Seminars & focus groups Education Coordination A “preferred alternative”

WHAT HAVE OTHER T.O.D. EXPERIENCES SHOWN? (PART I) Provide mobility choices Increase public safety Increase transit ridership Reduce rates of Vehicle Miles Traveled Increase household’s disposable income

WHAT HAVE OTHER T.O.D. EXPERIENCES SHOWN? (PART II) Reduce air pollution/energy consumption rates Conserve land & open space Play a role in economic development Contribute to more affordable housing Decrease local infrastructure costs

AUTO TRIP REDUCTION FACTORS (PART I) Better balance between housing and jobs Parking management Pedestrian and bicyclist access Circulator system Community shuttles Increased transit usage

AUTO TRIP REDUCTION FACTORS (PART II) Telecommuting Convenience retail Grid of streets Other TDM strategies Price of gas

WHAT EXACTLY IS TYSONS TODAY? (PART I) 46 million sq. ft. of development Additional 30 million sq. ft. by current plan & zoning 40 million sq. ft. of parking! The economic engine – idling? To, thru, and within, congestion

WHAT EXACTLY IS TYSONS TODAY? (PART II) Many, many landowners A piecemeal process 12 “that’s nice” objectives in the 1994 Plan Nearly $300 million/year from 3 tax sources (property, sales and business license)

TYSONS – THE ECONOMIC ENGINE (PART I) Virginia’s largest office market & business center; 15th largest in the U.S. – w/ 28 million sq. ft. of office space The malls of Tysons Corner creates the 2nd or 3rd largest shopping area in the nation. Surrounding communities of McLean, Vienna & Great Falls add another 7 million sq. ft. of office and over 2 million sq. ft. of retail Average home price in the Greater Tysons area is over $600,000 (much higher in McLean and Great Falls)

TYSONS – THE ECONOMIC ENGINE (PART II) 128,000 jobs and nearly 6,000 businesses (only 17,000 residents) Greatest concentration of hotels in the county: 14 (3,880 rooms) The question is: will Tysons continue to get its share of the 2 million residents and 1.6 million jobs projected for the region over the next 25 years?

WHAT DO THEY SAY ABOUT TYSONS? (PART I) “The blob that ate Northern Virginia” “Too balkanized, too big, too spread out, too auto-oriented” “A hodge-podge, placeless pattern of structures and parking… visually incoherent, inimical to pedestrians and horribly congested by traffic stuck on a woefully inadequate road network”

WHAT DO THEY SAY ABOUT TYSONS? (PART II) “Current development = lack of cohesiveness and identity” “Development that forces people to use cars to go short distances” “A walk across Tysons is more dangerous than a walk from the Baghdad airport to the Green Zone”

WHAT IS NEEDED? (PART I) More housing (work force) A grid of streets Circulation system Sidewalks & bike lanes Parks & open spaces Green buildings Urban vs. suburban standards Mixed use – convenience retail

WHAT IS NEEDED? (PART II) Streetscapes Public facilities Civic uses Recreation facilities Phased infrastructure expansion Significant transportation improvements IMPLEMENTATION

HOW DO WE GET ALL OF THIS? Leveraged density Incentives Coalitions of landowners Realistic planning Three decades Political will Creative financing Consensus Intercessory prayer All of the above

SO WHAT’S THE PLAN? Metrorail with 4 Tysons stations 2040 planning horizon Urban standards Key elements added before development Phasing Defined borders Robust implementation

IMPLEMENTATION IS THE KEY! Why? – transition from suburban to urban standards A new authority as a governance framework for the Tysons vision Design review and expedited, consistent processing Power to raise, receive and expend funds for prioritized improvements Create and use improvement districts, tax increment financing, public/private partnerships

Thank You