'Urban Pioneers' in Tysons Corner
There are four Metro stations planned for Tysons Corner and the county wants to double the development that's already there, says today's Washington Post. But this city-in-the-suburbs already has some happy residents - mostly young professionals and older empty-nesters who don't want the hassle of a suburban home.
In a decade county planners predict 40,000 people will live there, triple today's numbers. And even though most of the development that could really give Tysons a city feel is years away, the place has its appeal. 'Everything revolves around traffic here,' says one resident. But if you're living in it, it's not that bad.'
posted by Anonymous @ 6:47 AM
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5 Comments:
Think of how desirable Tysons Corner would be as a place to live if planners and developers could redevelop the "city center" to include more residential amenities and a pedestrian friendly ambience. OK, OK, Tysons will never become pedestrian "friendly," but it could become less pedestrian hostile.
I've always wondered - what about a monorail? It would take pedestrians from one part to the next - people could take it to lunch, for example. It would serve a dense area and surely pay for itself in the end.
I don't know the monorail, wasn't such a good idea for the Simpsons.
I don't know. Tysons could be pedestrian friendly if it had enough Metro stops to divide it up into walkable pieces.
My only problem with the pedestrian friendly idea is that you have to have a lot of little pieces, and a lot of metro stations. I'm not sure the expense is justified. What were those figures? $157,000 per passenger for Dulles rail and $80,000 per car for ICC?
On the other hand, if 40,000 people actually live there, pedestrian activity may be the only option.
Here is another place we need to do comprehensive before and after studies to find out what really happens and what it really costs.
Some kind of light rail, perhaps, but not necessarily like a monorail, would have been a great idea for Tysons. There could have been one stop on the Toll Road, and light rail could have taken over from there, weaving through the core of the area. Unfortunately, when you leave the studies to WMATA and their allies, you get a recommendation for, surprise, heavy rail skirting the "City." The current plan will not reduce congestion and may increase it. And that's what we get for $2.4 million?
Let's all step back, take a deep breath, and challenge assumptions. It's not too late.
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