Printer
TextBRAC Related Transportation and Land Use Issues
I appreciate the need for continued public input for transportation issues in regards to the BRAC decision, which will bring over 21,000 workers to the South County area by 2011. I believe this web page will address the following concerns, which were articulated at recent meetings in the South County/Springfield area regarding BRAC related transportation issues:
September 22, 2008
At the September 22, 2008 Board of Supervisors meeting, Chairman Connolly, Supervisors Hyland (Mount Vernon), Herrity (Springfield)and McKay (Lee) endorsed the full funding of the Parkway, the swapping of phases III and IV, and a comprehensive traffic study of the potential long term uncompleted status of the Parkway on the local road system.
September 22, 2008 Joint Board Matter
This was in response to community input and a request VDOT representative Thomas Fahrney that any proposed changes to the phasing be presented in a formal letter from the Board of Supervisors. Based upon this recent motion of the Board, a letter will be sent to VDOT regarding the county's position on phasing and funding for the state's consideration. We hope VDOT will consider these recommendations in their final approval of phasing and design.
As you know, your state representatives have also strongly endorsed needed changes to the Fairfax County Parkway Plan. Please see the following file for correspondence from Delegate Albo, Delegate Watts and Senator Barker to VDOT and the Commonwealth Transportation Board:
September 16, 2008 Letters from State Representatives
September 8, 2008 Joint Board Matter
Gerry Hyland, along with Chairman Connolly, and Supervisors Herrity and McKay, have requested that all county funds remain in the Parkway project and that additional funding be allocated and expended on the construction of the Boudinot Avenue Ramp. This request will be sent to the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Department of Defense in a letter under the signature of the county. Click the link below to read the Board Matter:
August 26, 2008 Task Force Update
Earlier this year, the Board of Supervisors appointed an 18 member citizen task force to make recommendations on proposed land use changes associated with the BRAC decision. This task force consisted of Fairfax County residents with backgrounds in planning, design and community involvement. Throughout the summer the task force convened eleven public meetings at various South county public facilities to discuss the proposals, receive staff analysis and consider citizen and stakeholder comments. On August 19th the task force made final recommendations to the Planning Commission on 32 of the proposed developments. In the majority of cases, the task force either recommended retention of the current land use plan, adoption of the proposed staff alternative, or conditional endorsement of the applicant's proposal. A few of the proposals were deferred.
The creation and subsequent recommendations of the BRAC Task force were the first steps in the land use development process. Land use cases will be heard by the Planning Commission during winter 2008-2009 and by the Board of Supervisors in spring 2009.
To learn more about the location and details of the proposed projects, please click here: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/apr/brac/brac_apr_map_table_2008.htm
I also encourage you to sign up for the BRAC list serve by contacting bracapr@fairfaxcounty.gov. Joining this list serve enables you to know about public hearings for cases that may impact your community. The active participation of individuals, community/homeowners' associations and other groups is strongly encouraged to ensure land use development in the county is consistent with the vision and goals expressed by residents.
August 8, 2008 Update
Submittal of county comments on the planned Army decision regarding BRAC 133 EA. The Army is considering the re-location of the Washington Headquarter Service to one of three proposed sites: GSA Warehouse in Springfield, Victory Center in Alexandria or Mark Center in Alexandria. This letter provides arguments and analysis supporting the GSA Warehouse site for a number of reasons, including the potential catalytic affect the re-location could have on the redevelopment of central Springfield. Click the link below to read the letter and comments:
BRAC 133 Fairfax County Final Comments
Proposed land use changes triggered by BRAC
Not all land use changes are “by right.” Because of the increased demand for office space and hotel rooms created by BRAC, there are proposals to change current zoning. Most immediately for you, there are proposals for Boston Boulevard and Telegraph Road. Click the following link to learn more about the process, the proposals and how to make your voice heard. This is a chance for citizens to determine future land use in the area which will affect the nature and character of your community for years to come:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/apr/brac/
Throughout the BRAC land use process, the Virginia Department of
Transportation will play a crucial role in analyzing the impact of
proposed development and working with the county and applicant to
mitigate the strain on state maintained infrastructure. It is
anticipated that some of the BRAC APR proposals will require this so
called "Chapter 527 review", which is mandated by the state for
the above mentioned purpose. Click the link below for more
information about the 2006 enabling legislation that Governor Kaine
signed into law.
http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/resources/527release.pdf
Update on June 30, 2008 VDOT Public Hearing
On June 30, 2008 the Board of Supervisors approved the "Proposed Six-Year Virginia Department of Transportation Secondary System Construction Program for Fiscal Years 2009 through 2014", with amendments made by Supervisor Gerry Hyland. These amendments seek to address the concerns expressed by members of the community at public meetings in May 2008 and electronic correspondence from the community to the Board of Supervisors on June 30, 2008.
The amendment motion made by Supervisor Gerry Hyland and approved by the Board of Supervisors states:
“The Board of Supervisors:
- Directs the Fairfax County Department of Transportation to review surrounding BRAC APR nominations for development in the area, if built to the maximum allowable on the Comprehensive Plan, and return to the Board with recommendations on what needs to be improved to ensure an operable level of service in the affected communities,
- Directs the Department of Planning and Zoning and the Department of Public Works to create electronic maps in regards to the current permitted zoning and planned development and,
- Directs the Fairfax County Department of Transportation to evaluate the transportation plans and offers suggestions and amendments that it provide multi-modal transportation in the area.”
If you would like to hear the full public hearing, visit this website, navigate to "June 30, 2008 - Full Session" and click on the fourth bullet, titled “Public Hearings”. To go directly to this public hearing, forward your media player's time counter to 35:30. You can also forward to 4:15:45 to view the public input of Delegate Vivian Watts (39th District), who addressed the Board of Supervisors later in the evening regarding this topic.
Upgrading of existing infrastructure, such as Rolling Road
The expansion of Rolling Road is necessary to ensure we have infrastructure in place for the arrival of the Army's 18,000 personnel by 2011. VDOT has already completed studies and expended over $1.5 million for the essential and long planned proposed four lane expansion of Rolling Road from Old Keene Mill to near the Fairfax County Parkway. It should also be a priority that we allocate funding to begin design studies for Rolling Road down to Fullerton Road. As you have noticed in your daily driving, sections of Rolling Road from Odell Street to Delong Drive have already been upgraded by the state in the past year. Those critically needed improvements should continue and be completed before 2011. There needs to be continued funding to accomplish the comprehensive upgrade of Rolling Road. I recommend you contact your state representatives and urge them to support a transportation bill that will fully fund maintenance, upgrades and expansion of our transportation infrastructure.
At the June 2, 2008 Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisors Herrity, McKay and myself requested staff to find funding for FHWA to include a single ramp to allow access from Fullerton Road to the Parkway and I-95 North. Currently, the ramp is scheduled for phase IV and is unfunded. The delayed and unsure future of this ramp is not acceptable, so we need to find the funds for this ramp as soon as possible.
Click here to read the Board Matter
More detailed, informative maps
At the May 19, 2008 meeting at Saratoga Elementary School, it was clear that adjacent communities desire more information about the logistics of the approved construction of Phase 1 and Phase 2 and improvements to secondary roads. VDOT made a commitment to provide better, more detailed online maps with the proposed design and access. As soon as they are available, I will post them on this web site.
As promised by VDOT at the May 19, 2008 meeting, detailed and specific plans of the proposed Fairfax County Parkway are available for viewing in my office located at 2511 Parkers Lane Alexandria, Virginia. These are not the neighborhood access plans, which are located at the link below, but are engineering site plans.
This VDOT web site contains maps regarding community access for specific neighborhoods around the EPG:
http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/northernvirginia/fairfax_county_parkway_extension.asp
I have also gathered the following links which may be beneficial to you.
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/brac/brac_factsheet.pdf
http://www.vdot.virginia.gov/images/projects/Rt7100RollingFullertApprovedConceptPlan.jpg
http://www.ctb.virginia.gov/resources/cm_8FFCoPkwyMOA12-07.pdf
Additional funding needed for maintenance, expansion and new roads
It is crucial to contact your state officials to encourage them to support transportation funding. Senator Barker remarked that currently the state can not even bear the burden of funding maintenance of existing roadways, let alone needed capacity improvements. You will find how to contact your state delegates below.
http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform
Concerns over Alban Road Development
There was also mention of the United Parcel Service facility on Alban Road at the May 19 meeting. That facility is a by-right development. By-right is defined as… “those uses that are automatically allowed by the zoning code. They are allowed as a matter of right.” Proffers, addressing such concerns as transportation, are not permitted. To my knowledge, the developer is making improvements to the entrances of the facility.
Proposed land use changes triggered by BRAC
Not all land use changes are “by right.” Because of the increased demand for office space and hotel rooms created by BRAC, there are proposals to change current zoning. Most immediately for you, there are proposals for Boston Boulevard and Telegraph Road. Click the following link to learn more about the process, the proposals and how to make your voice heard. This is a chance for citizens to determine future land use in the area which will affect the nature and character of your community for years to come:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/apr/brac/
Cut through traffic in your neighborhood
Increased base and contractor personnel will create more traffic and some if it may utilize neighborhood streets to avoid bottlenecks and clogged arterial roadway. Using your neighborhoods streets for this purpose is not acceptable. The county has a process by which neighborhoods can petition the board to install medians, speed tables, turning restrictions and other traffic calming devices to control speeds. The link below will take you to information on the Residential Traffic Administration Program (R-TAP).
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/rtap.htm
At the June 2, 2008 Board of Supervisors Meeting, I presented a Joint Board Matter with Supervisors Herrity and McKay to ask county staff to look at communities adjacent to the proposed Parkway construction and determine which neighborhood roads might suffer from increased through traffic. The link below will take you to the complete text of that Board Matter.