The Board of Supervisors takes vague commitments & abandons its workforce housing policy in Tysons.

(UPDATE & CORRECTION:  In a comment we've chosen not to publish, Navid Roshan-Afshar, who routinely seems to see himself as the defender of all things Tysons, calls this post "a flat-out lie" in his usual tactless manner.  (Yes, this is not the first time he has made such an assertion--and sometimes he is "flat-out" wrong.)  The post isn't a lie, but it is inaccurate, for which we apologize to our readers.

In fact, the developer has pledged to provide 65% of the workforce housing sometime, somewhere in Tysons--almost certainly not in The Arbor luxury condominium complex--and put some funds aside for the rest to also be built sometime, somewhere in Tysons.  According to Fairfax County:

As with other major, new projects in Tysons, affordable housing will be offered. The developer will pursue providing 20 percent of its total units as affordable. In a unique strategy, they may be offered either in The Arbor or other buildings in Tysons.

As approved, at least 65 percent of the promised units will be provided onsite or offsite. For the remaining 35 percent, the developer may make a cash contribution instead. The money, which ranges from $75,000 to $85,000 per unit, will go to the county’s affordable housing trust fund for Tysons.

We doubt the prospective construction of this workforce units will be anywhere near the Metro stations--or anytime soon.  This amorphous commitment is inconsistent with the County's policy plan for developing workforce housing county-wide which calls for a minimum 12% onsite with extra required to achieve higher overall densities (an additional FAR 0.5) in places like Tysons and Reston's station areas.  And the per unit money falls significantly short of what it will actually cost to build these units.  Moreover, the Board decision gives the appearance of an intent to segregate workforce housing in less desirable locations with less desirable construction--call them "slums."  The deal was opposed by the County's professional staff, but the Board overruled the staff.  

It sets an ugly precedent not only in Tysons, but also for Reston, where providing housing for all walks of life has been a cornerstone planning principle for more than a half century.  We are deeply concerned that this kind of deal making at the cost of workforce housing will undermine the County's workforce housing policy broadly as well as Reston's planning principles.  Why should any other developer now be treated differently?

We thank Navid for pointing this out, but hopefully he can do so in a more civil manner in the future.)

In a decision made Tuesday, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved an application to build a 25-story condominium building at Tysons called "The Arbor" WITHOUT any workforce housing as called for in Tysons plan and County policy planning.  Instead, the Board settled for a contribution of cash to a fund for future workforce housing construction in Tysons.  

Here is how Michael Niebauer of Washington Business Journal reported it:

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved plans for The Arbor, a 140-unit, 25-story condo tower with more than 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail at Arbor Row, Cityline Partners' 2.2 million-square-foot redevelopment of the West Park office park. Developer Renaissance Centro is the contract purchaser of the Arbor Row condo pad. . . .

In approving the project, the board rejected staff's recommendation of denial, which was based on Renaissance Centro's ability to provide affordable workforce dwelling units, or WDUs, on site.

As we wrote on Monday, the developer has proffered to provide up to 20 percent of its units as WDUs, but it has only guaranteed that 65 percent of the so-called "Proffered 20" will be actual units, and none of them necessarily have to be within The Arbor (though they must be somewhere in Tysons). In lieu of the units it does not provide, Renaissance Centro will make a payment to a Tysons affordable housing fund.

Staff did not agree that Renaissance Centro should be awarded bonus density in return for cash. . . .

So it turns out, pretty much as we expected, that the Board of Supervisors cares less about its commitment to workforce housing than it does about its balance sheet.  While the funds the developer contributes are intended to build workforce housing in Tysons, we doubt that they will ever be used in that manner.  At best, they will be diverted to workforce housing in a less desirable place, quite probably remote from Metrorail which makes Tysons such an attractive place for workforce housing.  

As WBJ reported in January (as did we):  "The second option is simply a cash contribution to a new Tysons Affordable Housing Trust Fund, generally equal to 1.5 percent of the sales prices of all units at The Arbor, plus 1 percent of the net base sales price paid in installments. But the Tysons Plan is wary of cash in lieu of affordable housing, noting explicitly it is "not desired.""

In general, housing developers in Metro station areas are expected to devote at least 12 percent of their dwelling units to workforce housing and that percentage can rise to 20 percent if the developer wants extra density--which is definitely the case in Tysons.  Yet, instead of obtaining 12-20% of the net sales price of The Arbor sales toward future workforce housing, the County settled for one-tenth of that sum (1.5%) in cash.  How does the Board presume to provide the number of workforce units required by its own workforce housing policy with so little funding?  Its decision virtually assures that the County will not be able to provide workforce housing at a level that even remotely achieve the goal of the County's much touted effort to create workforce housing.  We have not seen such a cynical forked-tongue decision by the Board of Supervisors in some time, but it continues to surprise--in a bad way--especially now that the Board elections are behind us. 

Restonians and their leaders need to be aware of this sellout by the County Board because it provides a benchmark for future housing development in Reston's station areas.  We must insist that the County live up to at least its established commitment to affordable housing in Reston to preserve Bob Simon's goal of housing for everyone.  

Is Suburbia coming back? Did it ever go away? What does it mean for Reston?

The Atlantic has a major article on the demographic shifts in the nation's urban areas.  It's headline pretty much tells the story:

American Cities Are Booming—For Rich Young College Grads Without Kids

Everybody else is moving to the suburbs.

And the opening to the article amplifies the theme.

Americans aren’t moving back to the cities. Just 20- and 30-somethings.

But actually, not all 20- and 30-somethings are moving back to the cities. Only those with a four-year college degree and incomes in the top 40 percent are.

And not even all 20- and 30-somethings with a four-year college degree and incomes in the top 40 percent are moving back into cities. Mostly the ones without school-age kids are.

And if you thought that was it, it turns out that not all 20- and 30-somethings with a four-year college degree in the top 40 percent of income without school-age children are moving back into cities. It’s mostly just the ones that are white.

Such is the Russian nesting doll of myth-busting from the housing researcher Jed Kolko in a post today on urbanization. There was a period, shortly after the collapse of the housing bubble, when it really did look like the United States might collapse back into dense cities, in a dramatic return to pre-1950s America. Instead, it turns out that America isn’t ready to abandon the suburban project. They just like sun and space too much. In fact, most American cities wouldn’t even be growing today if not for immigration. . . .

And ends:

In the meantime, if you are a 20- or 30-something white college graduate without children earning more than 60 percent of the country, it might seem to you like everybody is moving to the cities. That might be because the only micro-demographic that’s pouring into cities is the one that perfectly describes you.

The demographic group this article does not seem adequately to address are empty-nest seniors who may be looking for smaller residences in an environment with all of life's needs within easy walking distance--and maybe even a chance to take advantage of the excitement of urban living.  

All of that suggests Reston is ideally situated to take advantage of the shifts in living patterns among America's many demographics.  If they can afford it, Reston's evolving Metro station areas offer the urban living experience for childless young adults, without many of the pitfalls of actually living in a city; hence, Restonian refers to it as our "fake downtown gritty urban core."  It offers (and will offer more) high-rise living, rental and condo, in everything from one-room efficiencies to three-bedroom luxury dwelling units.  Metrorail, if it becomes a reliable and safe transit service once again, will offer easy access to jobs in Tysons, WDC, or elsewhere on its many routes.  Certainly the dining is there (and more will come) and more nightlife, cultural, shopping, and other urban amenities are on their way. 

Reston also offers suburban living no matter what your lifestyle choice--single-family, townhouse, apartment, or condo.  This has been available to Restonians since Reston began along with a wide variety of recreational activities and natural spaces to explore and enjoy.  And the "exciting" urban environment is no more than a 10 minute drive away.

And, as the childless twenty-somethings become 30-something families with small children, they can easily shift from a station area condo to a single-family home elsewhere in Reston.  In fact, some of Reston's neighborhoods (including the one this writer lives in) have undergone a generational change in the last decade.  Ten years ago, there were virtually no children living on our block.  Retirees began moving from the neighborhood, often to warmer Southern climes (something Reston can't offer in the wintertime), and a new generation of young families have moved in.  In this writer's neighborhood, there are now well more than a dozen young children living on our street, including at least four were born here. 

And that's the beauty of Bob Simon's vision of Reston:  There is a place to live for everyone, no matter their age or station in life.  It is one of the key features that helps assure Reston's long-term economic success.  And now, Millennials--once the darlings of urbanologists--are becoming our community's and our country's young families seeking a new way of life--in the suburbs.  All here in Reston.

Are Fairfax County and Reston "fraying around the edges" or "elite"?

In an April 2 article, Washington Post reporter Antonio Olivo writes:

For decades, Fairfax County has been a national model for suburban living, a place of good governance and elite schools that educate children from some of the country’s richest neighborhoods.

But Virginia’s largest municipality is fraying around the edges.

A population that is growing older, poorer and more diverse is sharpening the need for basic services in what is still the nation’s second-wealthiest county, even as a sluggish local economy maintains a chokehold on the revenue stream.

Since the 2008 recession, local officials have whittled away at programs to the tune of $300 million. They now say that there is no fat left to trim.

Instead, they are searching for ways to raise taxes, draw new businesses and revitalize worn neighborhoods. Their effort mirrors the struggle of aging suburban communities nationwide, as a turn-of-the century economic boom settles into a sluggish post-recession status quo. . . .

We strongly recommend you read the full article.  

We agree that Fairfax County's economy is sluggish although Reston appears to have slightly higher economic growth than the county as a whole.  We also doubt this situation will change significantly anytime soon and it could last a decade or more, especially if local taxes--inevitably dominated by property taxes--continue to rise.  Fairfax County relies on the federal government for its strength and growth, and there is little sign that there will be growth in either federal government employment or contracting.

The primary reason Reston has grown marginally more than the county has as a whole is based on its location--as in "location, location, location." The arrival of Metrorail, despite its poor operating condition, is a relative strength as is our location near Dulles Airport.  The recent revision of our community plan to encourage huge new growth around Reston's stations offers a solid reason for businesses to locate here--if they have a reason to locate in the Washington area at all. And residents will have a much-expanded option to live in high-rise dwellings if they choose.

That said, new office demand is extremely limited across Northern Virginia with vacancy rate of 18.2% per CBRE data as of yearend-2015 (Reston has a 16.1% office vacancy rate according to the same source), and the recent blooming of near-vacant high-rise residences in the Silver Line station areas and generally stagnant suburban housing market has shown that housing demand is also constrained.  (Zillow reports a 1.2% drop in Fairfax housing prices over the last year as of January 2016.)  In particular, we believe developers in the Silver Line station areas are too taken with their own marketing language about the attractiveness of their Reston and Tysons locations and so they continue to overprice their business and residential opportunities--and their vacancies remain unnecessarily high.  A prime example:  A Reston Town Center spokesperson said, Reston Town Center thinks it is "elite."

For Reston, the last thing we need to be called is "elite."  Bob Simon's vision for Reston was anything but elitist.  It was as egalitarian and diverse--and still economically successful--as any community vision in the country.  And it remains so.  An attempt to make the community--or any significant part of it--into an elitist colony will undermine the community and likely impede its overall growth.  We have a great community founded on great planning principles calling for, among other things, racial diversity, affordability, inclusiveness, and recreational and cultural opportunity.  We shouldn't be imperiling that foundation by trying to become some version of Palo Alto, the snobbiest small city in the US, or even Chicago's Magnificent Mile. 

That is the other side of the growth story:  It seems everyone except the business community has recognized that regional, much less Reston, growth is sluggish.  So while developers go looking for handouts from the County and the County imposes more taxes on homeowners and others, they are acting as if the boom of the last decade is back.  It's not--and it will not be for quite some time even around the Metro stations.  And, at the same time, homeowners are no better off than they are, so shifting the costs of their initiatives (starting with road, school, emergency service, and other public improvements to sustain service levels) to them is both unfair and inequitable.

Reston may not be fraying at the edges, but it needs to focus on its founding vision to continue to be one of the premier planned communities in the world, not some haughty elitist self-delusion.  

Reston doesn't need no stinkin' traffic lights!

Well, we may all need to have self-driving cars.  Anyway, look at this MIT vision of future intersections. 

Maybe RNAG and FCDOT could take a lesson as they work on re-shaping intersections in Reston's urbanizing areas.

Reston’s Coming Urban Area Transportation Network: An Early Look at the Cost of Streets and Transit in and around Reston’s Station Areas

   Reston’s Coming Urban Area Transportation Network: An Early Look at the Cost of Streets and Transit in and...

FCFCA resolution calls for reversing major cuts in Fairfax County Public Library budget.

 

Library Budget Resolution for FY2017

 (Adopted by Board March 17, 2016)

BACKGROUND

The Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations recommends a modest increase to the FY16 Library Advertised Budget to reverse the significant and disproportionate cuts sustained to the library since 2009.   Key priorities include investing in library employees, providing adequate staffing to engage the public and care for the materials collection, and to increase the physical holdings of the library in order to restore Fairfax County Public Library to a world-class facility.

WHEREAS, the federal ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) signed into law December 2015 declares public and school libraries to be essential for public education and worthy of support[1]; and

WHEREAS, the home schooling of children in Fairfax County saves the taxpayers in excess of $31M every year, and those children depend on public libraries to serve as their school libraries, budgeting for their educational library materials must be included in the library budget; and

WHEREAS, the Fairfax County Public Library has had its budget reduced to less than 1% (0.007) of the entire  $3.99B FY2016 County budget; and

WHEREAS, the County’s population and cost of living increases since 2004 necessitates a library budget increase in excess of $10 million to maintain services; and

WHEREAS, the proposed Advertised budget is inadequate to properly service and maintain current collection levels; and

WHEREAS, fourteen FTE (full time equivalent) circulation aide positions with budgeted funds to provide overtime were removed last year; and

WHEREAS, half the library page positions and their associated funding were removed in 2009; and

WHEREAS, library books are being discarded because of lack of adequate staff to shelve them; and

WHEREAS, the print collection has been and continues to be decimated by inappropriate culling with as many discards through the first six months of FY16 as the entire year of FY15 according to library documents provided to the Library Board; and

WHEREAS, the Library Board of Trustees requested an additional $2M to the FY2015 budget to support staff levels and replenish the nonfiction collection diminished by twelve years of excessive culling; and

WHEREAS, the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations included a request for an additional $2M in their library budget resolution for FY2015; and

THEREFORE, BE IT

1.  Resolved, that the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations requests that the Board of Supervisors add $2M to the FY2017 Advertised library budget; and be it further

2.  Resolved, that 14 FTE (full time equivalent) circulation aide positions eliminated in FY2016 and their budgeted funding be restored to avoid cutting library hours; and be it further

3.   Resolved,  that the library page positions eliminated in FY2009 and their budgeted funding be restored; and be it further

4.  Resolved, that appropriate measures to protect and maintain the print collection be enacted by the Board of Supervisors and the Library Board including the elimination of "grubby" lists, elimination of the 24-month low-demand review criteria and replacing it with American Library Association standard 60-month review criteria, allowing volunteers and library staff to mend lightly damaged books, and allowing donated books with less than four copies of each title be added to the library's print collection.

---

[1] http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/advleg/federallegislation/ALA%20-%20ESEA%20Conference%20Overview%20%2811-30-15%29.pdf

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2015/12/significant-victory-for-libraries-as-president-signs-essa-into-law/

John Oliver takes on special tax districts like Reston's Special Tax District #5

"If you think about it, it's a little weird in a country that talks so much about government accountability that a huge amount of our tax dollars go to fund entities that most of us know absolutely nothing about. .  . Think of a special district like a cult.  It can take your money and you may not even be aware that you are in one."

So sit down, relax, and enjoy this 15-minute John Oliver video on special tax districts, but catch his points even if we don't have most of these problems.   

. . . and for those of you who don't know what Special Tax District #5 is, it is the Reston-only tax district that finances the activities of the Reston Community Center.