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Fairfax's Tysons Corner Plan Nearly Complete

April 22, 2010
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Members of the Fairfax County Planning Commission are almost done with a major long-term plan to transform Tysons Corner into a transit-oriented city.
David Schultz
Members of the Fairfax County Planning Commission are almost done with a major long-term plan to transform Tysons Corner into a transit-oriented city.

By David Schultz

In a few years, Metro will arrive in Tysons Corner. Homeowners, developers, politicians - everyone agrees: before that happens, Tysons needs to change from a car-clogged suburb, to a Metro-oriented city.

"The question isn't whether we transform Tysons," says Stu Mendelson with the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, "It's how."

Mendelson is concerned that the county's plan will put too many restrictions on developers.

"If the burdens are too great, nothing will happen," he says. "Or we'll just have more of the same, which I don't think any of us want in Tysons."

But Rob Whitfield, a local activist, says the plan needs to ensure the developers share their wealth.

"The questions really is, who pays what and when? That has to be worked out. And it has to be fair to the developers and to the taxpayers," says Whitfield.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to take up a final version of the plan late next month.

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