Vienna Metro town center won't have a town center
by Dan Malouff
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/19182/vienna-metro-town-center-wont-have-a-town-center/

Outside of Tysons Corner, Vienna MetroWest is Fairfax County's greatest experiment yet in transit-oriented development. But now it appears developers have scaled back, and may build car-oriented retail instead.

MetroWest was initially approved in 2006 after years of debate as a dense, walkable town center adjacent to Vienna Metro station. It was Fairfax County's first big smart growth win.

With construction of the residential sections underway, the town center seemed close to finally, finally happening. But now that it's time to actually start leasing spaces, the town center development plan looks a lot different.

Instead of dense, walkable midrises, the are single-story retail buildings surrounded by surface parking lots. Instead of an urban town center, it's a glorified strip mall.

What happened? One can speculate. A recession hit, competing developments at nearby Dunn Loring Metro opened first, and the market changed.

Developers do often build single-story retail as a "temporary" placeholder until they're ready for more intense uses. That was the idea behind the Kentlands town center in Gaithersburg, which is now redeveloping parcel by parcel. But "temporary" in this case can mean 20 years.

For people who bought homes at MetroWest based on the promise of a strong town center nearby, the potential of something better years in the future is little consolation.
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That's a real shame. The housing around there is pretty nice and in line with what it should be. There could be a lot better connectivity from the station to Lee Hwy and this will further hinder that as well.

Merrifield is the better place to go anyways.

This project doesn't exist in a vacuum. Maybe 2 miles away is Dunn Loring-Merrifield, which has the Mosaic District, Halstead Square and a development on top of the Metro parking lot, all of which are mid-rise, mixed-use projects in various stages of completion. That's on top of what's already a pretty busy retail and office corridor with direct access to three major roads (29, 50 and Gallows Road) along with the Beltway and I-66.
If I were an apartment developer, a major retailer, or a company looking for a new headquarters near a Metro station in Fairfax, picking Merrifield would be a no-brainer. Maybe if MetroWest had happened before the recession it would be different, but it's no surprise that they've had to scale back. There may be a lot of demand for walkable urban stuff in the region, but perhaps not enough to justify MetroWest, at least right now.

Until then, they'll hopefully get some nice streetscaping along the street connecting the Metro to the residential areas under construction and have a couple of nice shops and restaurants to walk to. At least it's better than the Kentlands shopping center.

I have no problem with these Town Centers, but how do the developers get away with building such narrow streets (practically alleys) through these very high-density residences when low-density single-family home sub-divisions in the same unincorporated area have much wider streets? (Mosaic District, Fairfax Corner and East Market at Fair Lakes)

Lived here forever Wrote:
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> I have no problem with these Town Centers, but how
> do the developers get away with building such
> narrow streets (practically alleys) through these
> very high-density residences when low-density
> single-family home sub-divisions in the same
> unincorporated area have much wider streets?
> (Mosaic District, Fairfax Corner and East Market
> at Fair Lakes)

More people walkin

The place is very small, even if they wanted to cram in lots of ground floor retail and eating. Like most rural and suburban Metro sites it has severe constraints. Might be better than a single-family dwelling for many. Taste, convenience, and necessity, drives individual location decisions. Not everyone can live in a central business distict or other viable district. But the parking garages along 66 are a shame. What an inviting gesture?

Yet another attempt to "urbanize" the suburbs bits the dust. What a shame.

classic case of FFX Board screwing up.. in an attempt to appease the NIMBYs the board has managed to zone an area that lacks any appeal to retail.

Unfortunately, Pulte and Clarke are busy trying to lure a grocery store as their "anchor" retail tentant. which is not what this area needs.

Pulte and Clarke's idea of Town Center is a grocery store, nail salon, and dry cleaners. I'm sure the county's idea is another bank or pharmacy. If either of them could get their heads of their collective asses they would realize what they need to do is go after more boutique shops and restaurants.

That's what's made RTC and Mosaic a success.

"Yet another attempt to "urbanize" the suburbs bits the dust. What a shame"

Bbbbut we're soooo much smarter than you. See, we have degrees in "urban planning" and "transportation" and use words like "green" and "sustainable" all the time...

and have our heads up our a$$es, but hope you don't notice that part.

Nothing is ever clear cut and no matter what happens in the future it's going to make some people happy and others upset. Way I see it is MetroWest offers one thing well and that it's in "safe" walking distance to a Metro. Asside from being in DC or a more urbanized part, the places near Dunn Loring requires walking down Gallows Road which just doesn't seem super safe.

I do hope that it's more than just a few shops and an anchor grocery store.
Having taken an urban planning class as an elective years ago, I knew it wasn't for me. Compromises everywhere, groups lobbying every possible angle. The sucky thing is something has to be done. More people moving into the DC metro area and something has to change...traffic is already horrible.

RC Wrote:
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> Nothing is ever clear cut and no matter what
> happens in the future it's going to make some
> people happy and others upset. Way I see it is
> MetroWest offers one thing well and that it's in
> "safe" walking distance to a Metro. Asside from
> being in DC or a more urbanized part, the places
> near Dunn Loring requires walking down Gallows
> Road which just doesn't seem super safe.
>
> I do hope that it's more than just a few shops and
> an anchor grocery store.
> Having taken an urban planning class as an
> elective years ago, I knew it wasn't for me.
> Compromises everywhere, groups lobbying every
> possible angle. The sucky thing is something has
> to be done. More people moving into the DC metro
> area and something has to change...traffic is
> already horrible.

It won't be "safe" for long, the criminal element will quickly discover and exploit it after it's opened.

Let me check the care meter:


0..|.........................10


Yep, meter reads "no fuck given."



Want to live near a town center? Buy a place next to an existing one...instead of a carboard condo next to a bucket of promises.

Lesson over.

dlkfvndxlznlf Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Let me check the care meter:
>
>
> 0..|.........................10
>
>
> Yep, meter reads "no fuck given."
>
>
>
> Want to live near a town center? Buy a place next
> to an existing one...instead of a carboard condo
> next to a bucket of promises.
>
> Lesson over.

WORD!

Vienna Metro town center won't have a town center new
Posted by: Sprawl and Crawl ()
Date: June 18, 2013 10:25AM

Conversation: A Key Issue is all the "Retail Space" development is leading to "minimum wage" job creation for young people and the poor and not training and apprenticship for higher paying jobs for science and engineering type biz that will allow people to live in these new townhouses and condos.

Question: Are we voters of Fairfax County creating an unsustainable "Economic Bubble" with construction job focus and not "knowledge economy" job focus ?

REF: Update June 27, 2013: Fate of EXXON Merrifield Campus adjancent to INOVA Fairfax Hospital ?

http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/2/1201488.html

Cafe Twin
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Yea, this kid has to go work at one of those fancy retail stores for minimum wage cause there are no "apprenticesship" jobs that are created so that he can be ready to start his own company or work for a tech firm to create knowledge jobs in future.


Is this what we voters at Fairfax county want, ie, more and more minimum wage job and an economic bubble via all these retail space and condo/townhouses (BLACK Option) that these smart kids and poor people can't afford and be forced to work for minimum wage jobs at stores at "community revitalization" Fairfax Style ?

"Black Option" : More and More Retail Space and Expensive Condo that young people and poor people can't afford at miminum wage jobs that they are forced to accept or face starvation.

"White Option" Smart Growth with Green Space and LIfe Sciece/Engineering Medicine Labs and Preserved Woods, for example, at EXXON Merrifield Campus

You choose, Distinguished Sirs and Madames of Fairfax County !

Black or White ?