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CPA Route 28 Alternative 4 Recommendation

Posted on by Elena Sorokina
CPA-Route-28-Alternative-4-Recommendation-APW-9-5-20Download

September 4, 2020

Board of County Supervisors

Prince William County

1 County Complex Court

Prince William, VA 22192

Dear Supervisors:

We support your August 4, 2020 decision to adopt Alternative 4 on the Route 28 Corridor Study.

A Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA) is now required to revise outdated language, such as that referenced in Table 2 – Thoroughfare Plan Summary in the Transportation Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan (PW-3 Tri-County Parkway/Route 28 Bypass).

The benefits of such a considerable investment in transportation infrastructure should not be limited to efforts moving drive-alone commuters faster to jobs outside the County. In the initiation of the CPA to advance Alternative 4, we encourage you to articulate your goals for concurrently planning for economic development, land use, affordable access to jobs and housing, and cleaner, multimodal transportation improvements.

The CPA should:
1) require assessing how investment in Route 28 mobility can be leveraged to spur economic revitalization; and
2) clarify that the “purpose and need” of Route 28 improvements is to increase local multimodal mobility, create a more walkable and transit-oriented corridor, reduce pollution, and facilitate the creation of local jobs and equitable access to them.   

To more quickly access some funding previously allocated to the Route 28 corridor project by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) [ $89 million, total], we suggest the CPA divide Alternative 4 into two phases.  

  • Phase One – Focus on widening the Route 28 bridge across Bull Run, adding bike/pedestrian and future transit capacity as part of the widening, and smoothing traffic flow north to Compton Road. That capacity expansion should qualify for use of the NVTA funding allocation.
  • Phase Two – Focus more broadly to include consideration of additional vehicle and bus/HOV lanes on existing Route 28 or the Well Street Extended corridor, to stimulate development of a walkable and transit-oriented corridor in the Yorkshire area, and to move more people within and through the corridor.  

Phase Two would be the time frame in which to combine detailed, localized land use planning and placemaking for Yorkshire, together with changes in transportation infrastructure. These functions warrant further analysis.  

The Route 28 Corridor Study prioritized the analysis of Alignment 2B only. Alternative 4 was not given sufficient focus and detail during the two years after completion of the prior Feasibility Study.  

The CPA process should ensure consideration of an approach to “widening” the Route 28 corridor by building new lanes using the Well Street Extended corridor, approximately 400 feet west of existing Route 28, similar to the Mathis Ave alignment in the City of Manassas. 

New capacity in the corridor, paired with the STARS Study recommended improvements on the existing four lanes of Route 28, may adequately reduce traffic congestion as well as enhance economic and community development and retention of existing businesses. There are more beneficial ways to upgrade mobility, besides the approach used to widen Route 1 which required extensive business displacements.

“Mobility” means more than “move cars.” The CPA should require evaluating opportunities for enhanced walkability and bus transit to maximize movement while sustainably reducing congestion and travel times.  

Though Yorkshire today lacks even OmniRide service, transit on Route 28 is not a new idea. Since 2008, the Comprehensive Plan has proposed building light rail from Manassas to Dulles. 

The NVTA TransAction plan approved in 2017 also includes a Route 28 High Capacity Transit project to “Construct High Capacity Transit along Route 28 corridor and implement service between Dulles Town Center and the City of Manassas. Alternative modes for further study include BRT and LRT.” 

Prince William County must continue to plan smarter, to ensure that high-cost transportation upgrades concurrently spur local jobs and create more walkable places with reduced per capita driving.  

We appreciate your thoughtfulness in evaluating the wide range of concerns before rejecting Alignment 2B.  We look forward to the Flat Branch stream valley now becoming a linear park with trails connecting the adjacent neighborhoods, and for Yorkshire planning to demonstrate how transportation improvements can be coordinated with land use, economic development, placemaking, and the creation of affordable housing. 

Revitalizing the Yorkshire area will promote social, cultural, and environmental sustainability and neighborhood economic resiliency, while providing new job opportunities, maintaining the sense of community, and offering affordable housing. This is the direction of smart growth planning needed. 

Placemaking collectively reimagines and revitalizes public spaces in a community. Community participation in developing the Yorkshire revitalization plan is imperative in order to capitalize on the community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, thereby resulting in the creation of a quality public space that contributes to equity, health and well-being. 

Sincerely,

Active Prince William

Coalition for Smarter Growth

Piedmont Environmental Council

Prince William Conservation Alliance

Sierra Club, Virginia Chapter

Southern Environmental Law Center

CSG in the News: Study: It’s past time the D.C. region transform its bus network

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

Study: It’s past time the D.C. region transform its bus network

By Luz Lazo, May 6, 2019 at 6:11 PM, The Washington Post

….A $2.2 million study released Monday lays out more than two dozen recommendations for transforming the Washington region’s bus network into one that is centered around customers’ needs, is financially sustainable and embraces innovation and technology.

The draft recommendations would help reverse ridership declines driven by service that is too slow, complex and unreliable. The study was compiled by the Bus Transformation Project, a group of D.C.-area transit officials, experts and advocates.

….

“We have no choice,” said Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

“We do need to move forward and I think there is a shared commitment” in the region,” Schwartz said. “A route redesign and dedicated lanes and improved customer information can make all the difference in the world.”

View full Washington Post story here.

CSG in the News: DC hopes to increase housing supply 25% by 2030 – WTOP

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

DC hopes to increase housing supply 25% by 2030

By John Domen, May 4, 2019 8:22 am, WTOP

It’s not cheap to live in D.C. Whether you rent or hope to own, finding a place to live has become more expensive over the years because the population growth seen in the city this century has far outpaced the housing that’s available….

One of the approaches the city seems ready to focus on are “accessory dwelling units.”

…“There are large areas of the district that are part of the … zone, so they’re able to add accessory dwelling units to their property,” said Bush. “They both present the opportunity to increase the number of units of housing, and therefore decrease the cost of housing. But they also provide an opportunity to give another source of income to a homeowner that might be feeling the pinches as the cost of living in D.C. rises.”

…“There’s groups like the Coalition for Smarter Growth and others that have started to create some really interesting programs with homeowners and architects etc. to promote this, but I think there’s more we can do to make sure homeowners are taking advantage of this program,” Bush said.

View full story here.

 

Jan. 31, 2019 Homeowner ADU Workshop

Posted on by admin

We had a fabulous turnout of over 100 people at our D.C. ADU Homeowner Workshop on Jan. 31, 2019, at District Architecture Center!

If you are able, please fill out this survey about the workshop so that we can make sure our future events meet your needs; we want to make sure we’re helping you access the correct and necessary resources to build an ADU.

And, if you haven’t already, join the D.C. ADU online forum.

Presentation materials from the workshop are posted in the public folder of the ADU forum, including:

Stories about ADUs in D.C. have recently on UrbanTurf (“Adaptive reuse to granny pod: A look at two ADUs in D.C.”) and Greater Greater Washington (“Accessory apartments make money and increase the housing supply. Here’s how to build one” and “10 things to look for if you’re considering creating an accessory apartment,” both by Ileana Schinder).

Many thanks to our partners United Planning Organization and in the D.C. ADU workgroup, and our generous sponsors—Wall to Wall Construction, BB&T Home Mortgage, and AIA|DC—for their support of our workshop. CSG is a donor-supported organization; if you like our work, please consider making a contribution to us today.

And, once again: Please, take our survey!

Image via buildinganadu.com

Flexible commuter benefits bill reintroduced in DC

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

On February 19, 2019, D.C. Councilmembers Charles Allen and Mary Cheh reintroduced the parking cash-out bill, B23-148. This bill will require employers that subsidize parking for an employee’s commute to offer a transit benefit of equal value, or provide cash. It doesnt impose a cost or a new benefit, it simply lets an employee choose to use an employer-provided commute benefit for something other than driving and parking.

What’s the next step?: voting it out of the Transportation & Environment committee and into the full Council. Councilmembers Todd (Ward 4), and McDuffie (Ward 5) have not yet said if they will support the bill. If you are a business owner or constituent, let your councilmember know you support this sensible bill to let an employee use an employer’s parking benefit for an alternative commute.

Here are the options an employer can provide as an alternative to employees for a parking-only subsidy:

  • transit benefit of equal value to parking subsidy
  • cash of equal value to parking subsidy
  • increased health coverage benefit
  • cease to offer parking subsidies
  • Transportation Demand Management Plan that helps achieve the moveDC plan goal of under 25% commute trips by car or taxi

The bill has one major change: it exempts parking that is owned — rather than leased or paid for — by an employer. While we are disappointed in this exemption, we still believe the bill covering employers that lease or pay for employee commuter parking will have important benefits.  These benefits include: reduced traffic congestion (especially in downtown); increased bus speeds; increased transit, walk, and bike commutes; reduced greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions; and fewer traffic crashes. View the factsheet here, or learn more about the campaign here.

CSG in the news: Amazon’s choice of Crystal City powered by good transit

Posted on by admin

Streetsblog, Nov. 6, 2018:

Alex Baca of the D.C.-based Coalition for Smarter Growth said Amazon’s expansion into the region should result in zoning changes to expand urban housing development. The Washington Post reports the D.C. region has already been falling well-short of its goal to add 267,000 new housing units by 2026 — and Amazon’s 25,000-plus workers will add additional pressure.

About 1,200 units of housing — mostly high-rise — are already in the works for Crystal City, according to the local real estate site DC Urban Turf. But that’s not gonna cut it, said Baca.

Expanding housing options has been political unpopular, but it will be necessary if D.C. wants to keep housing affordable, she told Streetsblog.

“Amazon just exacerbates a lot of things we’ve been pressing on for a long time: Building more housing, especially more affordable housing, and building more bus and trail,” she added.

Read more here.

Continue reading “CSG in the news: Amazon’s choice of Crystal City powered by good transit” →

Support Mallows Bay as the next marine sanctuary

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

At its core, smart growth is making good choices about where and how we grow. As much as that means walkable urban places, it also means preserving natural spaces in and around our bustling region.

Mallows Bay, about 40 miles south of DC on the Potomac River, is home to marine and bird life and nearly 200 historic shipwrecks dating to the Civil War. Now, there’s a chance to designate Mallows Bay as a national marine sanctuary. Weigh in now to support preserving this regional treasure.

Here are 3 easy steps to submitting comments:

  1. Go to this page. You will see this box:

2. Paste in these comments. Remember, editing and making comments your own makes them more impactful!

Model comments:
As a resident of the greater Washington DC region, I’m writing to express my support for designating Mallows Bay as a national marine sanctuary.

In particular, I support NOAA’s preferred alternative Alternative D over Alternative C. Alternative D protects the largest area, offers many more public access points to waters within the sanctuary boundaries, greater ecological variety for educational goals, more opportunities for tourism, and a much richer scientific research palette.

In more detail, Alternative D enhances scientific goals by including a greater range of salinity from mesohaline to truly, year-round, tidal freshwater, a globally uncommon phenomenon that engenders an extremely rich ecology of national significance.

This ecosystem is an educational asset, and its vulnerability to sea-level rise makes it an ideal station for fulfilling the tenet that a National Marine Sanctuary serve as a “sentinel site.”

Alternative D also includes three sub-estuaries, including Mattawoman Creek, a concern of several Maryland Coalition members (the preferred alternative has none). The Nanjemoy sub-estuary provides an ideal forested reference to be compared to the other more developed fresh and brackish sub-estuaries.

Thank you for your consideration,
3. Fill in your name and click continue. Follow the directions on the following page and submit.

Thank you!