A blueprint for the future of Tysons Corner will be complete by the end of 2007, according to a task force drafting the plan.
Tysons Corner — the closest thing to a downtown in Fairfax County — has become one of the most closely watched neighborhoods in the region. The commercial nexus is primed for massive change with rail slated to run through its center and dramatic redevelopment likely to follow.
The coming metamorphosis prompted officials to form the Tysons Land Use Task Force — and sign a $1 million contract with an urban planning firm — to chart out a course for Tysons. About 20 development proposals have been put on hold pending the completion of the task force’s work.
Communities around Tysons Corner are worried that development will bring even more traffic to an area already choked with cars. Task Force Chairman Clark Tyler said the group plans to launch major community outreach efforts next month.
“In certain quarters, the words density and growth send shivers up the spine,” he said. “Especially the communities around Tysons, they’re … saying ‘what kind of development is going to swamp us with more traffic?’ We want to hear what they think and and get some ideas from them.”
The group’s recommendations are slated to be finished in one year, according to a timeline released this week, at which point it will be submitted to the county’s Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.
