Tysons Corner will see an estimated 89,000 new jobs and 47,600 new residents by 2050, according to a study from George Mason University that gives clues to how quickly Fairfax County’s “downtown” can be redeveloped.
The population estimates from GMU’s Center for Regional Analysis were commissioned by the Tysons Land Use Task Force to help the group prepare its vision for a new urban Tysons, which will cluster high-density development around four planned Metrorail stations.
Integral to that plan is how large an influx of people will accompany the changes, how rapidly they will come, and how much new infrastructure and services will be needed to accommodate them.
The forecast suggests the expansion will be a decades-long process, dependent on a number of factors including how the county retools its growth policies.
John McClain, the center’s deputy director and one of the report’s authors, said Tysons is “not all the sudden going to be a Rosslyn.”
“It’s not all going to happen overnight,” he said. “It’s going to take a long time.”
The task force is scheduled to come before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Monday to present the culmination of three years of work forging a new blueprint for Tysons.
Its plan will include guiding development into eight distinct neighborhoods, installing a small transit system and urban grid of streets, and allowing the most intense construction close to planned Metrorail stops.
Tysons now has about 105,000 jobs and 17,000 residents.
The task force is looking for ways to change that imbalance. With more permanent residents and transportation options, the group hopes to cut the number of people commuting in and out each day.
Some officials and community activists sees the goal as unrealistic, especially considering the stifling traffic that already bottlenecks Tysons’ major arteries.
“Everybody that works in Tysons is not going to live in Tysons,” said Sully District Supervisor Michael Frey.
“Let’s face it, you’re still going to have a lot of young professionals who want a yard and a suburban school.”
