Greenacre Park in midtown Manhattan was opened for the people of New York City by the late Mrs. Jean Mauze, founder of Greenacre Foundation, on October 14, 1971 in the "hope that they will find here some moments of serenity in this busy world." Mrs. Mauze, the former Abby Rockefeller, dedicated the park to her brother, Laurance, and to his longtime associate, the late Allston Boyer, in recognition of their invaluable assistance in its creation.
{from the Greenacre Park brochure}
The conclusion is that, except in unusual circumstances of small block sizes and a short distance from origin to destination, a grid of streets cannot be justified on the basis of traffic flow. The disadvantages of a grid of streets, as compared to a grid of walkways (between buildings), are the greater space between buildings and the greater hazard to the pedestrians. Greater distances between buildings result in less efficient land use and longer walking distancesFor the details of his analysis, read the two-page analysis below.
...The graphs show why traffic has been improving: over the years, the number of offices (in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor) has been decreasing relative to the number of residences so more people are able to live near their work. This improvement was made possible by requiring residential development to occur before or simultaneously with commercial and allowing a larger FAR for residential than for commercial. . . Because for the past 20 years the ratio of the added non-res-to-res has been 0.6, traffic has improved substantially.
All that construction probably won't change how bad the traffic is.The rest of this article is available here.
In this series, Patch looks at the Silver Line, Metro's largest expansion in its 34-year history.
The Dulles Metrorail is expected to remove thousands of cars from Northern Virginia's roads and ease the daily gridlock that has come to characterize the region.
But some question whether traffic will ever improve — even with the addit
ion of the 23-mile Silver Line to the existing 106-mile Washington Metro system.
"There are some parts of the country that would be glad to have traffic, because it indicates someone wants to get somewhere. It's better than depression," said Zachary Schrag, an associate history professor at George Mason University, who specializes in transportation issues. "No jobs, no traffic."
Schrag said other metropolitan regions, like Houston, have simply continued to add lanes to their highways to accommodate more drivers.
"Part of the story here is this political debate about how we want the region to grow," he said.
The bottom line is that it is hard to predict ridership numbers for the new Metro line, Schrag said. But Eileen Curtis, president of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce, said she is confident that the biggest benefit of building the new line will be getting more drivers off the road and onto the Metro. . . .
The cost of not building the Silver Line exceeds the $6.5 billion price tag, economists say.
In this series, Patch looks at the Silver Line, Metro's largest expansion in its 34-year history.
When the Dulles Metrorail is fully up and running — probably sometime in 2016 — it will likely have cost a grand total of about $6.5 billion to build.
And while some may balk at that price tag, several regional experts say this "megaproject" is vital to Northern Virginia's economic vitality.
"Many people likely take the ongoing expansion of Northern Virginia for granted, given how vibrant the region's economy has been over time and is today. It has become an economic juggernaut," said Anirban Basu, the CEO of Sage Policy Group. . . .
Dave Edwards named Reston Citizen of the Year.Click here for the rest of this article.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Dave Edwards moved to Reston in 1967, and immediately set to work making the community a better place. He helped found the Reston Community Association, which is now the Reston Citizens Association, and 43 years later, the organization named him their Reston Citizen of the Year.
"I haven't done anything of great proportion," Edwards said about being named Citizen of the Year. "I'm just plugging along."
COMMUNITY MEMBERS from around Reston would disagree with Edwards' assessment, whether it's the RCA, the Reston Community Center (which he helped plan) or the current group planning for the future of Reston. . . .
The end of the project is in sight, but the day passengers climb aboard isn’t.By Lauren Sausser
In this series, Patch looks at the Silver Line, Metro's largest expansion in its 34-year history.
The first 11.7-mile phase of the new Dulles Metrorail is scheduled for completion in less than three years, but there is no official prediction when the line will actually open for commuters.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority — which is managing the new Silver Line construction — says it cannot estimate an open-for-business date because safety tests will be conducted on the new rail after construction is finished and Metro employees must be trained to operate the new track.
"At this point in time, we haven't worked out the details," said Pat Nowakowski, executive director of the Dulles Metrorail Corridor Project. . . .
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| This single viewgraph captures the prospective levels of peak hour congestion in 2030at all the Dulles Corridor area intersections. The presentation provided more details on Wiehle & Reston Parkway intersections. Click on map for a larger view. |
American Community Survey provides a look at who lives here.
The Reston of 2010 is a little smaller, a little older and a little wealthier than it was in 2000.
For all the details, click here.The US Census Bureau this week released its American Community Survey information. This is not the official 10-year census, but rather a snapshot of individual communities in the period of 2005-2009. . . .
Reston 2020 offers alternative vision for Reston Town Center.
The Reston 2020 committee, part of the Reston Citizens Association, presented an alternate vision for the future of Reston Town Center Dec. 7 at the weekly meeting of the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force. Their vision was meant to be an alternative to the report presented by the Reston Town Center subcommittee Nov. 5.
The Reston Town Center subcommittee placed a priority on expanding the existing urban core to get it closer to the proposed Reston Parkway Metro stop. Reston 2020's report suggested that the subcommittee's report is lacking in several fields.
"The Town Center Subcommittee report recommends excessive development and understates requirements for robust internal infrastructure and key quality of life amenities," the report reads. "[We] need a vision and plan for Reston Town Center that meets three key objectives: meets future economic growth expectations, opportunities and restraints, sustains multi-faceted world class planned community in an urban setting and abides by [transit oriented development] principles and best practices."
THE REPORT recommends a population-driven 20-year plan that balanced the various populations -- residential and workforce -- with Reston's quality of life in an urban setting....
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Pretty gets harder to achieve when one is over 40.
. . . I get it now. I have finally figured out what I have to contribute to the discussion of Reston's zoning, development, cosmic alignment and Feng Shui that seems to take up every other resident's time but my own. I had thought the committees and sub-committees were delving into code, policy, philosophy, and the fundamental concept of property ownership. Imagine my surprise when I learned that it all boiled down to a matter about which I am practically an expert: the care and maintenance of a body over the age of 40.
Reston is 46 years old and her indiscretions of youth are beginning to show themselves. She disdained the American death industry and shunned the notion of putting in a cemetery, a decision she might regret. She caved in to the pressure to have more parking and allowed New Dominion Parkway to leave a scar across her midsection. Like most of us as we age, her proportions grew larger, her façade needed more work to maintain, and her relationships grew more complicated.
It's okay. She just needs advice from her friends. And I am a friendly person. Here is the help she has been waiting to receive. . . .To read Justine's advice, please click here.
A. Smith Bowman's distilling roots date back to the years before Prohibition. In 1927, after the Repeal of Prohibition, Abram Smith Bowman and his sons relocated to Virginia continuing the family tradition with the distillation of bourbon. The original distillery was located on the Bowman family homestead in Fairfax County, Virginia called Sunset Hills Farm.Wikipedia adds the following about the building:
The building in which the distillery originally operated was constructed circa 1892, serving as the town hall for Wiehle, as well as a church. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service in 1999, and has been the subject of several rezoning applications. A proposal to construct condominiums on the site was approved September 24, 2007. An earlier version of the proposal mentioned 8 units as new buildings (on 0.23 acres), in addition to constructing 3 units within the historic structure, while noting that it replaced a planned use of the structure as cultural center (i.e., for the Greater Reston Arts Center).
Sunrise Valley Park Wetlands, Reston, Virginia | Near Future Site of Herndon-Monroe Metro Station
Group urges task force to keep growth, infrastructure in mind.
The Reston Citizen Association's Reston2020 Committee has presented an alternative proposal to the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force, urging the group to look at work and residential occupancy forecasts for Reston that may far exceed forecasts.
Data on the alternative town center proposal show's Reston's population could grow from around 60,000 to as much as 156,000 over the next 20 years.
That's why the alternative plan urges planning around future growth expectations; and improved transportation infrastructure; an additional elementary school; 25 percent open space; and a fine/performing arts center. . . .The rest of this article is here.
At the Oct. 25 MWAA Dulles Toll Road public meeting held in Reston, a "Dulles Corridor Financial Update" was provided including a forecast of "Anticipated Toll Revenue Bond (TRB) Debt Service" as part of the "Dulles Corridor Enterprise Finance Plan." You can see for yourself at www.metwashairports.com/tollroad/1147.htm.
The MWAA finance plan now calls for Dulles Toll Road users to pay $1.1 billion annually by 2058 with more than $700 million annually required for TRB debt service. By contrast, total planned federal capital contribution to Dulles Rail Phase 1 is only $900 million, spread over most of a decade.
The new MWAA estimates represent a near doubling in total finance costs to DTR users. At 2009 public hearings prior to approving DTR toll increases for the years 2010 to 2012, MWAA projected maximum gross toll revenues needed of more than $500 million in the 2040s, up from the $65 million collected in 2009 and the $90 million projected for 2010.
In its August 2009 bond prospectus to investors in DTR revenue bonds, MWAA forecasted that, by 2040, toll road users will be paying $6.25 at the main toll plaza and $3.75 at each ramp. Today, drivers pay $1 at the main plaza and 75 cents at other ramps.
No similar figures and underlying assumptions have yet been provided by MWAA for its latest cost forecasts but it appears that main plaza tolls by the 2040s are projected at more than $10 and ramp tolls at more than $7 (emphasis added). . . .
. . . If government leaders insist on moving forward with the infeasible and uneconomic Phase 2 of Dulles Rail, then as a first step in providing equitable treatment to DTR users, tolls should be installed on the Dulles Access Road adjacent to Dulles Airport -- a $3 one-way toll to start, plus similar parking taxes at Dulles for both passengers and airport employees. Subsequently, these rates should increase at amounts equal to or greater than the tolls to be paid by DTR users -- which are in effect taxes imposed without approval of the Virginia General Assembly. The original purpose of Dulles Rail was to serve Dulles Airport so, if it is to be built, let's encourage greater use of the train to and from the airport by passengers and employees alike.For the rest of Rob's letter click here.
