Walter Alcorn is chairman of the Tysons Corner Committee, tasked with transforming the gargantuan office park into a walkable, transit-oriented community. The group is in the final leg of planning, expected to be adopted in May by Fairfax County officials.
You’ve been hashing away at this for nearly two years — was it what you expected?
It’s been different. It’s taken longer than we had all hoped. The complexity of Tysons has driven that to a large extent. It’s about as big and hairy an issue as I could imagine. But I’m confident this summer we’ll have comprehensive language in place.
Is it more difficult to transform an area that is already economically viable?
That has been one of the biggest differences with Tysons. Unlike most redevelopment challenges around the country, Tysons is very successful economically right now, and typically it’s much easier to plan for transformation when that’s not the case. You have to ensure you don’t inadvertently kill the economic activity that is already there.
Is it strange to invest so much time in a project you may not live to see?
[Laughing] I don’t expect to see how Tysons will work out. Personally, I think this is a multigenerational transformation, 40 to 60 years at least.
How hard is it to get residents and developers on the same page?
In the past, we’ve had a pretty large divide between some of the citizens and industry participants. But I think that is narrowing considerably as we’re getting closer to the final stretch. I see more common ground than ever with this process.
What are the remaining hurdles?
Our toughest challenge right now is phasing — particularly planning around transportation infrastructure.
Where will the money come from?
The answer to that is still coming. – Brian Hughes
