Tysons Corner was once described on Gregg Easterbrook’s ESPN blog as “a hellish conjunction of stores, parking lots, sprawl, gridlocked roads, beltway cloverleafs and cars, cars, cars.” Words used to describe Fairfax County’s transcendent vision of Tysons’ post-Dulles Rail transformation included: “vital urban center”; “European-style esplanade”; “quintessential edge city”; “a global model for a green and sustainable urban community.” How ironic, then, that the first major commercial development to open concurrently with Tysons’ four new Metrorail stations includes a Walmart — one of several being planned for the Washington region. The giant discounter, long scorned by New Urbanist progressives, will occupy prime real estate on Leesburg Pike at the site of the existing Moore Cadillac dealership. Chevy Chase developer JBG Cos. announced that construction will begin this summer on the 79,000-square-foot store, which will be smaller and more grocery-focused that Walmart’s typical giant Supercenters. But a Wegman’s it is not. Part of a mixed-use development located just a quarter-mile from the new Tysons West Metro station on Spring Hill Road, the Walmart and a gym will occupy the first two floor of the current dealership’s six-story parking garage, leaving four levels for parking. This is good for business, since most Walmart shoppers will not willingly trudge several blocks to the Metro station so they can then schlep their purchases home on the subway. However, since the store will be conveniently located at the first Tysons traffic light for those driving from the west, the extra cars will only worsen Route 7’s already bad traffic congestion. And because a new road added between Ashgrove Lane and Westwood Center Drive will further encourage people to drive, it’s a stretch to call this transit-oriented development.
Zoning for the 160,000-square foot high-density project, which also includes future offices and residential units, has already been approved by the county, so the Walmart can be built without any further approval by the Fairfax Board of Supervisors or a traffic impact study. In his 2010 annual report to supervisors, Gerald Gordon, head of Fairfax County’s Economic Development Authority, said that the county has about 15 million square feet of vacant office space and “virtually all economic indicators remain below our norms.” Economic reality has replaced the dreams of upscale development county residents were promised. Instead of European-style esplanades, they’re getting a Walmart — and an even bigger traffic mess than before.
