Tysons Corner’s last green space: Will it be paved to make way for Tysons City? Washington Post, Tom Jackman, State of NOVA Blog, June 4, 2012

In the transformation of Tysons Corner into a city of 100,000, must all green space be eliminated? No, according to Fairfax County’s Comprehensive Plan, which specifically discusses the 20-acre Old Courthouse Spring Branch parkland running behind the car dealerships and Sheraton Hotel on the south side of Route 7.

The Old Courthouse Spring Branch forest provides a buffer for many Vienna residents from the toll road and Route 7. A creek, which emanates from a spring under the Pike 7 Plaza, is shown in blue. The move to turn Tysons Corner into a city could eliminate this forest. (Google Earth)   

“These stream valley parks should not only be protected from development and infrastructure impacts, but be restored and enhanced,” the plan says on page 78. Sounds good. Vienna residents and workers love hiking, jogging, walking dogs and just plain hanging out on its informally maintained paths, and all manner of wildlife can be seen there.

But wait. Then there’s page 49 — a full-color map showing a new, four-lane avenue running right through the heart of Old Courthouse Spring Branch park, also called Tysons Spring or Tysons Forest. And when 300 Vienna residents packed into the Westbriar Elementary School cafeteria Thursday night to hear about this from the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, they also saw a diagram of “Preferred Option 3,” which would run an exit ramp from the Dulles Toll Road directly into the north end of the forest, and the newly created avenue.

To say there was an uproar in that cafeteria would be an understatement. . . .

To read the rest of this excellent report on the Tysons public meeting, click here. 

Although no such grandiose plans are on the table for Reston at this time, Reston citizens need to follow developments in transportation planning to prevent this kind of absurd thinking.   Even the County projects only 20% or less increase in peak period traffic for all of Tysons, yet it is planning to construct three new ramps in addition to the two already there, according to the County 527 traffic impact report to VDOT.  During the peak period, in fact, only an added 870 cars are expected in the PM peak period along the DTR in the Tysons area.  And this does not consider the huge reduction MWAA's traffic forecaster, CDM Smith, is forecasting for the toll road in light needed exorbitant toll increases.

Restonians need to keep an eye on this kind of faulty thinking--and prevent it.