Are There Lessons from the Tysons Infrastructure Planning Experience that May Apply to Reston??

An article in the September 14 Washington Post has highlighted a major flaw in the approach taken by the Tysons Task Force that is a warning to the Reston Task Force:  Planning for infrastructure development must occur concurrently with development planning or the costs may vastly exceed may anyone's ability or willingness to pay.  The Post article begins:

Major landowners in Tysons Corner remain at odds with community leaders in McLean and Vienna about who should pay for the estimated $1.7 billion in transportation improvements needed in Tysons during the next two decades.

The parties agree on one point: The state is not paying its fair share. . . .

While this blog does not focus on development planning at Tysons Corner, Tysons is experiencing a number problems caused by faulty planning, maybe none more important than the failure to consider the need for infrastructure planning as an integral part of developing the overall Tysons Comprehensive Plan.  In large part, the costs of new transportation (some two billion dollars in the next 20 years--predominantly  bus service ($1.4B) and secondarily a local "grid of streets") were simply added on to a draft plan and the issues of financing those costs was deferred.  The result now is massive finger pointing among the county, developers, and citizens groups, including  the McLean Citizens Association (MCA), as to who should pay the bulk of these costs.

Although it is true that the state has general responsibility for road construction and maintenance, it seems dubious that will occur in this case, especially when the state was not a party to the massive planning and zoning increases proposed in the Tysons effort.  Indeed, the Tysons situation is somewhat analogous to the Dulles Toll Road cost situation:  The party not at the table when the deal was made--Dulles Toll Road users--get stuck with the vast majority of the development tab--75% of the cost of Phase 2 of Dulles rail as it stands now.  Prior to submitting the necessary traffic analysis concerning road construction needs, did anyone in the County or the Task Force consult with Virginia authorities about their potential role, ability, or willingness to take on a major investment in Tysons' road infrastructure?

Of greater concern in Tysons--and soon in Reston--is that the citizens will get stuck (again) with the bulk of the infrastructure costs that predominantly serve the profits of corporations that develop every more dense commercial and residential properties there.  Right now, the County has proposed that the citizenry pay 2/3 of the transportation infrastructure costs at Tysons while MCA is urging the County to follow the Rt. 28 development in which the citizens paid 1/4 of the cost.  The RCA Board of Directors unanimously endorsed MCA's position on financing Tysons' infrastructure.   It is this author's view that those who will profit from an investment should pay the added infrastructure costs for that development. 

Now, the Reston Task Force is proceeding down the same path as the Tysons Task Force, failing to consider implementation planning, financing, and governance as it plans urban density around Reston's Metro stations.  RCA Reston 2020  warned repeatedly of the critical fallacy in this approach beginning with its first paper in January 2010 and most recently in its call for greater residential development in Reston's TOD areas.

For the rest of the WaPo article, click here.