A group that fought unsuccessfully against a massive development at the Vienna Metro station last year is now turning its attention to the Tysons Land Use Task Force. FairGrowth says the county-appointed panel has curtailed public input in favor of handing down “preconceived notions” of development to the community.
The task force was convened in 2005 by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to coordinate how, when and where new development should be allowed in the path of a new Metrorail line through Tysons. Its recommendations will likely play a large part in what Tysons Corner looks like in the coming decades.
FairGrowth alleges that the task force has “increased public skepticism and eroded the confidence of many stakeholders in the process” by providing “limited opportunities for public participation” and offering its own three growth scenarios.
Each of those three would bring clusters of high-density construction to Tysons. Task force members say the proposals areonly a jumping-off point for discussion and not a final product.
“This is repeating a pattern of plans being handed down to the community when there should be … a process that reaches consensus,” said Steve Pastorkovich, who co-founded the group.
Fairgrowth also alleges the task force has failed to live up to the promise of real “transit-oriented development,” a recently adopted county policy that seeks to encourage transit and pull cars off the roads.
Others disagree, pointing to multiple community meetings held by the task force. Clark Tyler, the task force’s chairman, said FairGrowth actually is promoting a “no-growth” plan for Tysons.
“That’s not the point of [transit-oriented development],” he said. “The point is to manage the growth that is going to legitimately occur because Metro is coming.”
FairGrowth also urged the Tysons Land Use Task Force to ensure that development agreements like proffers are enforced, for which it said the county has a “demonstrably poor track record,” and that adequate public facilities be in place prior to new development.
