Fairfax County Could Sell Air Rights to Fight Tolls, Reston Patch, March 25, 2013

With tolls projected to increase, officials are looking into air rights sales.

• By William Callahan

Fairfax County is exploring how selling air rights could help reduce tolls on the Dulles Toll Road that are expected to shoot up with Phase II Silver Line construction.

Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) asked staff last week to look into the cost of a study determining how much money the county could charge developers for the right to build over the Toll Road and new Silver Line Metro stations. . . .

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RCA has taken the position in responding to the draft areawide Comprehensive Plan language presented to the Reston Task Force by County Staff last month that "The County must aggressively pursue air rights over the Dulles Corridor for TOD development and the grid of streets to work effectively."

The County staff's response: "The subject of pursuing air rights is very complex.  If the opportunity to develp the air rights over the Toll Road comes to fruition, updates to the Comprehensive Plan will be needed."

Talk about a "That's not my job" response!

Air rights are vital for both a complete grid of streets to support transit-oriented development in the station areas and to help ease the burden of tolls on Restonians and the thousands of others who use the toll road.