Bacon's Rebellion

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Good Vibes for Crystal City ReDevelopment

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by

James A. Bacon
in ,

The Crystal City area of Arlington can support significant increases in density, Arlington’s director of economic development has concluded. The employment center, located near the Pentagon, has 20.1 million square feet of leased office and residential space. But, despite the expected loss of 3.2 million square feet resulting from recommendations by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, demand could reach 33.9 million square feet within the next three or four decades, Terry Holzheimer told the Crystal City Task Force Tuesday. (See the coverage in Examiner.com.)

Not only will the demand for office space increase — confirming Ed Risse’s assertion that job creation will remain center-weighted in the Washington New Urban region — but preliminary analysis of traffic flows indicate that there is sufficient transportation capacity to accommodate the growth.

Especially encouraging is Holzheimer’s finding that demand for residential units “is and will remain strong and grow.” Arlington County has done a magnificent job of promoting transportation-efficient growth along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, but the massive Pentagon/Crystal City employment center dwarfs the supply of residential housing available close by. The imbalance of jobs/housing is a major contributor to region-wide traffic congestion because so many employees are forced to live in outlying counties and commute long distances into work.

It appears that Holzheimer acknowledges the critical importance of planning for a much larger residential component in Crystal City than exists now. Let us hope that other county officials do, too. The re-development of Crystal City as a mixed-use community at higher densities could prove extremely positive for Northern Virginia as a whole.

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15 responses to “Good Vibes for Crystal City ReDevelopment”

  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    If this and Tysons Corner go well we are saved if not we are screwed

    NMM

  2. Toomanytaxes Avatar
    Toomanytaxes

    NMM – Crystal City is likely to succeed for at least a couple of important reasons. First and foremost, Arlington officials have a long tradition of listening — at least to some degree — to local residents. Fairfax County officials, on the other hand, regularly dismiss and even insult county residents seeking input into land use decisions. Few, if any, people in Fairfax County trust the BoS on land use issues.

    Second, the general layout of Crystal City is much more receptive to adding density. There is a basic grid pattern to the streets. The area is much more walkable to start than Tysons will ever be. Crystal City is more like Reston Towne Center than it is like Tysons Corner.

    Third, Arlington official are likely to limit high density structures to those locations within real walking distance of the Metro stop. Moreover, Crystal City has underground and above-street walkways, so that people can walk free from the elements. None of that exists at Tysons Corner. Also, there is strong opposition to setting and enforcing any walking distance limits on density at Tysons. Tysons will fail and fail badly, at least, unless we have a totally new Board of Supervisors elected in November.

  3. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    Headline:

    “700 acres of prime Suffolk land may be developed”

    * – mixed uses, retail, commercial and residential

    * – land lies in the path of the future realignment of U.S. 460 and would be the latest growth explosion along the corridor

    http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=125376&ran=85545

    I picked the above primarily because it’s in the current news cycle .. but the point is that while Arlington is doing it’s vision/redevelopment thing – so are dozens/hundreds of other developments that profess to be “smart growth” utilizing mixed-use and compact development BUT obviously intending to use the automobile for mobility as opposed to Arlington’s plans to use transit.

    Acknowledged also – is Fairfax’s “vision” which is not held in high esteem in this blog and perhaps with good reason.

    Even though the example I picked is in the HR/TW region, there have been many projects similiar proposed in the NoVa Region, in Loudoun, Stafford, and even Caroline County with the Haymount Project – each and every one laying claim to utlizing “smart growth” principles but in each case – very different from Arlington’s plans –

    How can this be? How can all of these projects claim to have gotten the “religon” of “smart growth” but are very different in many ways?

    Or.. is there a common thread?

    Greenfield development – that depends of proposed and/or existing exerban transportation corridors for Greenfield development verses the Arlington vision of Redevelopment – and duly noted that Arlington realistically does not have the “greenfield” option .. nor Fairfax for that matter..realistically

    .. but Loudoun, Culpeper, Stafford and many other exurban counties that ring NoVa DO have .. very, very ample Greenfield sites – that are being built and proposed in very significant numbers – even with the current housing downturn.

    so.. for anyone that has managed to plow through my rambling – a question.

    Is what is going on in Arlington – have anything at all to do with the NoVa exurban Greenfield development?

    Is the housing being developed in Arlington … in competition .. with exurban Greenfield development?

    How about the Retail and Commercial office space – developed in those exurban Greenfield developments?

    The claim is that “smart growth” IS, mixed-use that allows folks in such developments to have access to shopping and other services without driving long distances if these same folks are NoVa commuters – aren’t we talking about auto trips that are local trips anyhow and that the lion’s share of ALL trips .. IS the daily commute to NoVa? (or pick any similiar Region).

    So .. is mixed-use compact development done primary as Greenfield development in Exurban areas whose residents are primarily commuters – really “smart growth”?

    From a transportation/mobility perspective with respect to folks who commute from exurban locations to urban regions like NoVa- what are the goals and purposes of “smart growth”?

    Is the building of Greenfield “Smart Growth” Developments – truly “Smart Growth”?

  4. E M Risse Avatar
    E M Risse

    Larry:

    In a word: “NO”

    One of the problems with coming to rational decisions about the evolution of functional human settlement patterns is that every citizen (and every advocate) is free to use words like “smart growth,” “mixed use” to serve their own needs.

    Is the solution limiting the use of words or helping citizens become aware of the characteristics — especially with respect to location, pattern and density — of functional settlement patterns?

    Citizens need to be ready to make at least as intelligent decisons in the market and in the voting booth with respect to settlement patterns as they do with respect to personal health and entertainment.

    As we all know the health and entertainment decisions are not collective roll models but they are light years ahead of decisions on settlement pattern issues.

    EMR

  5. E M Risse Avatar
    E M Risse

    One other thing.

    Terry H. is not a disinterested 3rd party but he is if anything way underestimating the capacity of the Zentrum of Greater South Arlington over the next 30 to 40 years.

    EMR

  6. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    So we agree. “Smart Growth” for NoVa commuters who live in Spotsylvania is not “Smart Growth”.

    correct?

    It’s only “Smart Growth” if the folks who live in Spotsylvania also work in the Spotsylvania Balanced Community Region.

    so .. let’s be clear when we see news articles about the latest/greatest “smart growth” project .. way out in the toolies for NoVa commuters…..

  7. E M Risse Avatar
    E M Risse

    Larry:

    “So we agree. “Smart Growth” for NoVa commuters who live in Spotsylvania is not “Smart Growth”.

    correct?”

    WELL SORT OF AGREE. WHAT IS “NOVA”? (See our column Where is Northern Virginia”
    and the Answerman column in today’s WaPo Metro section.)

    “SPOTSY” AND “NOVA” ARE BOTH PART OF THE WASHINGTON / BALTIMORE NUR.

    “It’s only “Smart Growth” if the folks who live in Spotsylvania also work in the Spotsylvania Balanced Community Region.”

    NO,IN THE GREATER FREDERICKBURG ALPHA (BALANCED) COMMUNITY.

    IT IS A MATTER OF LOCATION, SCALE AND DISTACE FROM THE CENTER OF GRAVITY — JUST LIKE CELESTIAL MECHANICS.

    DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE ZENTRUM OF GREATER FREDERICKSBURG COMMUNITY IS SO FAR FROM THE ZENTRUM OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL SUBREGION AND IS OUTSIDE THE CLEAR EDGE AROUND THE NATIONAL CAPITAL SUBREGION’S CORE, THE SPOTSY BETA VILLAGE MUST HAVE A GREATER LEVEL OF BALANCE OF J / H /S / R / A THAN IT WOULD IF IT WERE LOCATED SAY WHERE ANNANDALE IS LOCATED.

    IT IS ALL A MATTER OF LOCATION, CRITICAL MASS AND BALANCE AT ALL SCALES OF URBAN SETTLEMENT PATTERN COMPONENTS.

    “so .. let’s be clear when we see news articles about the latest/greatest “smart growth” project .. way out in the toolies for NoVa commuters…..”

    WAY OUT IN THE TOOLIES (I THINK YOU MEAN “TULES” AS IN BULRUSHES) IS A LOCATIONAL ISSUE. THOSE WHO SUPPORT REALLY SMART GROWTH (AKA, CHANGE LEADING TO MORE BALANCED SETTLEMENT PATTERNS) COULD SUPPORT A MONOCULTURE OF 250 DWELLINGS OF OVER 55 HOUSING WITHIN GREATER WARRENTON BUT OPPOSE 1200 DWELLINGS IN NEW KENT.

    I hope that helps.

    EMR

  8. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    “If this and Tysons Corner go well we are saved if not we are screwed”

    What do you mean “well” and who is the “we” that will be screwed in what way, exactly?

  9. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    I think TMT has made important distinctions between Tysons and Crytal City. I concur that Crystal city has more going for it in some repects.

    I don’t think walking has anything to do with whether it succeeds or not.

    Here is the anecdote. While working in the Pentagon I worked with a lovely young woman who lived in a condo in the area and walked to Metro, then two stops to the Pentagon. We frequently compared notes on our respective “commute”.

    One dya she came to work, ecstatic. Bubbling over, overjoyed.

    “We got a house!, WE GOT A HOUSE!”

    (OK, it was a townhouse.) But for her it was a step up, and a longer commute. Not long after that, she took a better job, closer to home.

    No doubt she “had” to drive to that job.

    Different strokes.

  10. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    “every citizen (and every advocate) is free to use words like “smart growth,” “mixed use” to serve their own needs.”

    Is this the pot calling the kettle black?

    “other developments that profess to be “smart growth” utilizing mixed-use and compact development BUT obviously intending to use the automobile for mobility as opposed to Arlington’s plans to use transit.

    Well, how “smart” would it be to propose a development based on transit where ther is none and there is like not to be any for a very long time? Why does smart have to be tied to transit?

    Why is development tied to transit always smart, even when the transit doesn’t work, is insufficient, slower, less convenient, more expensive, and more highly dependent on subsidies? Is it that it is smart because it gets to use the excess funds provided by autonomobilists?

  11. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    “IT IS A MATTER OF LOCATION, SCALE AND DISTACE FROM THE CENTER OF GRAVITY — JUST LIKE CELESTIAL MECHANICS.”

    Good analogy. And when the center becomes too dense, it first collapses and then explodes, spewing new nodes in all directions.

    “DUE TO THE FACT THAT… GREATER FREDERICKSBURG …IS SO FAR FROM … THE NATIONAL CAPITAL SUBREGION …., THE SPOTSY … VILLAGE MUST HAVE… GREATER BALANCE….. THAN IT WOULD IF IT WERE LOCATED SAY WHERE ANNANDALE IS LOCATED.”

    Really? Why is that? It’s more OK to be more unbalanced as long as youare closer to the source of congeston and unbalance? It is more OK for Annandale to be screwed up, just because it is closer or more densely populated?

  12. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    “THOSE WHO SUPPORT REALLY SMART GROWTH (AKA, CHANGE LEADING TO MORE BALANCED SETTLEMENT PATTERNS) COULD SUPPORT A MONOCULTURE OF 250 DWELLINGS OF OVER 55 HOUSING WITHIN GREATER WARRENTON BUT OPPOSE 1200 DWELLINGS IN NEW KENT. “

    OK, you lost me on that one.

    I thought you opposed the proposed over 55 dwellings in Warrenton.

    How does someone who supports smart growth support that and oppose 1200 dwellings in New Kent?

  13. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    re: “Smart Growth, Spotsylvania, Great Fredericksburg”.

    Let’s be real.

    If you take away the jobs that exist to meet the needs of NoVa commuter residents of Spotsylvania and “Greater” Fredericksburg – what would you have?

    In other words.. take away the NoVa commuters…. AND then ALSO take away all the teachers, medical people, firefighters, police, etc that are need to serve the needs of those NoVa Commuters and what would you have?

    What you would have is a much, much smaller “Greater” Fredericksburg Area with a very limited economy – very similiar to what the Greater Fredericksburg Area looked like BEFORE I-95 was built in 1963.

    At that time – the total population in the “area” was less than 50K.

    NOW… virtually every new proposed development in the Fredericksburg Area – CLAIMS to be “SMART GROWTH” but almost all of the folks who live in those new houses ARE NoVA Commuters.

    The folks who actually work LOCALLY in Fredericksburg – cannot afford the 300-400K houses that NoVa Commuters buy and that constitute the majority of the new growth.

    This is a serious problem I believe with those that advocate “Smart Growth”, “mixed communities”, etc, et all because the “theory” is that such communities are the “solution” to the auto-dependent lifestyle condundrum.

    It’s bogus in my view.

    You can build a subdivision that is the “greenest” “smart growth” model that you can find but if 85% of it’s residents commute 100 miles a day to NoVa jobs – can the claim really be made that such developments are “smart” and/or beneficial responses to ongoing automobility issues?

  14. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    Right.

    And if you moved 50,000 jobs from inside the beltway to near F’burg, how many commuters would no longer use 95 north from F’burg?

    How many would begin to use 95 from South of F’burg, to avail themselves of even cheaper rents, or more lavish homes??

    What would be the net result on congestion and pollution?

    Even EMR admits that no one knows. That being the case, how can we make rational policy, let alone ethical policy?

  15. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    “…if 85% of it’s residents commute 100 miles a day to NoVa jobs” isn’t that a marketing slam dunk as far as describing what they want? If that was a political poll it would be a landslide politicians would take notice of: a triumph of majoritarian rule.

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