Fairfax County: 2011 Year in Review
In the year since our "Future of Fairfax" summit, Fairfax County has accelerated its smart growth initiatives and now views transit and transit-oriented development as the key to a sustainable and competitive economic future. We are seen as key stakeholders and continue to meet on a regular basis with county staff and elected officials about Tysons Corner, Route 1 revitalization, Reston planning, Dulles Rail, and more.
We were the first to call on the state to help fund transportation needs for Tysons Corner, a position since adopted by county officials and business leaders. We are pleased that the county has adopted a strong plan for bicycle/pedestrian access to Metro for Tysons Corner, improved affordable housing standards to better serve lower-income members of the workforce, and implemented a strong standard for stormwater control.
We campaigned for a state commitment of at least $500 million to Dulles Rail Phase 2. The state recently agreed to commit $150 million, but that represents just five percent of Phase 2, leaving northern Virginia taxpayers and toll-payers to pay for almost the entire project. We will continue to fight for the state to provide more funding to this project, which supports the economic engines of the state.
Our Route 1 (Richmond Highway) revitalization and stormwater forum and tour were big successes, attracting strong attendance and energizing both county staff and the local community. We were able to communicate the win-win possibilities of revitalization combined with good stormwater management.
We will soon release an interactive online report on the visionary possibilities for the Route 1 corridor - linking history, nature, community, and economics. We won inclusion of part of the corridor as a target investment area in the region's application for a HUD Sustainable Communities grant. We are also seeing a renewed commitment to transit investments as a result of our two-year campaign for the corridor.
