Airports: Where the Jobs Are, The Atlantic Cities, December 4, 2012

By Eric Jaffe

 As our Richard Florida pointed out in a series of posts last spring, airports play a "substantial role" in the economic growth of American cities. Their ability to facilitate the movement of goods and people may influence urban development as much as highways, railroads, and seaports did in previous centuries. They may also rival nearby central cities as anchors of employment, according to new research. . .

. . .  Overall employment growth within 2.5 miles of the top 25 airports exceeded the national average from both 1995 to 2002 and 2002 to 2009. That type of growth creates social needs of its own:

"As airports become major employment centres in and of themselves, their employees require a place to live and the full range of urban services, exerting a further influence on urban form." . . .

. . .  the researchers believe that as air travel increases in the coming years — it's "expected to double" in the next three decades — area job growth will do the same. . . .

Given Reston's proximity to Dulles International Airport and the arrival of Metrorail, we need to consider how the growth of the airport may shape commercial and residential growth in Reston's transit station areas.  

Click here to read the rest of this article. 

Rescue Reston Arouses Grassroots Support to Save Green Spaces, November 29, 2012

Kimber Hartke begins the titled post on her blog, "Hartke is On-Line," about the environmental threat posed from re-development of the Reston National Golf Course into high-density housing as follows:

Idyllic Scene on Reston’s Lake Audubon

I live in a magical place. The planned community of Reston was designed nearly 50 years ago, and is a model city. Many have been attracted to live here by the eco-friendly master plan, that preserves green space and provides good habitat for many flora and fauna. Out our back windows, we see many species of birds, great blue heron, green heron, wood ducks, mallards, geese, kingfisher, hawks and eagles, including the rare great bald eagle. Our lakes are home to many species of fish, turtles and snakes.

Hiking paths and bike trails, community docks and boat launch areas enable all Reston residents and their friends to commune with nature in a way that is very health promoting. Being surrounded by natural beauty and abundant wildlife, is as pleasurable, as it is educational.

A grassroots effort is underway to protect our special community from aggressive over-development due to the Metro Rail (the D.C. subway) being built through our neighborhoods. Northwestern Mutual, an investor in one of our two golf courses is looking to sell the golf greens and clubhouse to residential developers. This could mean an additional 1100 homes putting a wrecking ball to the Reston Master Plan. . . .

For the rest of her excellent post, click here.

New calls for Va. to pay $200m more for Dulles Rail, Washington Examiner, December 3, 2012

By Steve Contorno

A Northern Virginia Republican lawmaker joined a group of Democrats lobbying Gov. Bob McDonnell to provide more state funding for a new Metrorail line to Washington Dulles International Airport.

Sen. Dick Black, R-Leesburg, was among the Republican legislators who earlier this year defeated a Democratic proposal to increase state funding for the Silver Line. But he is now asking McDonnell for $200 million to ease pressure on Dulles Toll Road drivers, who are expected to provide most of the $6 billion rail line's funding.

"I'm concerned that the current financing plan will load commuters with such exorbitant tolls that it will force traffic from the Dulles Toll Road, resulting in increased congestion on all surrounding roads," Black wrote to McDonnell. . . .

Click here to read the rest of this article.  

It is extremely important to the future of Dulles tolls that financing of the the Silver Line becomes a bi-partisan issue for the state.  Neither party will win supporters if they fail to help ease the huge increases anticipated in Dulles Toll Road charges.  

Eyes On Virginia For Additional Silver Line Funding, WAMU, December 2, 2012

Martin DiCaro reports:  

When the Virginia state legislature convenes in January, supporters of the Silver Line rail project will be looking to lawmakers in Richmond to help fund the $6 billion endeavor.

The Republican-majority in the House of Delegates and the administration of Gov. Bob McDonnell have been criticized for approving only $150 million for the second phase of the Silver Line's construction.

While the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is cautiously optimistic a federal loan will come through by the end of this year, it may not be enough to significantly reduce projected toll rate increases on the Dulles Toll Road, which are currently set to finance 75 percent of Phase 2's nearly $3 billion cost. So eyes are focusing on Virginia's legislature. . . .

For the rest of this article, click here.  

For Mr. DiCaro's two-minute radio report, click here. 

10 Techniques for Making Cities More Walkable, The Atlantic Cities, December 3, 2012

Kaid Benfield,  director of the Sustainable Communities and Smart Growth program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, co-founder of the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system, and co-founder of Smart Growth America, summarizes the ten ways we can make cities more walkable as detailed in a new book, The Walkable City, by Jeff Speck.

The money quote from the book:

The conventional wisdom used to be that creating a strong economy came first, and that increased population and a higher quality of life would follow. The converse now seems more likely:  creating a higher quality of life is the first step to attracting new residents and jobs.

Here's his list of the key techniques for improving quality of life:

1.  Put cars in their place.
2.  Mix the uses.
3.  Get the parking right.
4.  Let transit work. 
5.  Protect the pedestrian.
6.  Welcome bikes.
7.  Shape the spaces.
8.  Plant trees.
9.  Make friendly and unique [building] faces.
10.  Pick your winners.

For his discussion of these features, read the entire article here.  

Experts Say Small Businesses In Fairfax Will Be Hit Hardest From Sequestration, WMAL,

By Jamie Coughlin

Fairfax County is set to take the hardest hit in the area if the fiscal cliff isn’t averted.  And a large amount of job losses would likely come from small businesses.

The cuts will hit Fairfax County especially hard because businesses there receive the most federal funds. . . .

Read the full article here.

Listen to Jamie Coughlin's broadcast here.  

Letter: What to do About More Reston Traffic Congestion, Reston Connection, November 17, 2012

What to do? Is it possible that Reston will suffer from too much Transit Oriented Development?

The Reston Planning & Zoning Committee recently heard a presentation on proposed redevelopment of the mini-storage facility located in the vicinity of the Wiehle Avenue transit station. This particular site is anticipated to feature a mid-rise apartment building with ground floor retail and underground garage parking for residents. The developer asserts that this proposal is wholly within county guidelines, and is not within the purview of the Reston Association.

Furthermore, developer sponsored traffic studies for this site show little or no impact on traffic congestion.  What a surprise.  Each newly proposed redevelopment site is considered separately, and this one does not include traffic generated by the Wiehle Station development, existing Kaiser Permanente and other existing office space. A number of committee members voiced concern that the two vehicular access points--one to Wiehle Avenue and one to Sunset Hills Road, will be insufficient to handle the traffic generated by the station and proposed residential, office, hotel and other commercial development.

What to do?  We need more participation by our Reston Association and other citizen-oriented groups in concert with our supervisor to educate the developers and county planners to our concerns.

Bob Stein

Reston

Note:  This letter appeared in the Reston Connection.  Mr. Stein is an alternate member of the Reston Planning & Zoning Committee which hear the proposal discussed above at its November 19, 2012, meeting.  For Reston 2020's notes on the meeting, please read this.