The Washington Post editorial writers never cease to amaze. There they are, pontificating for one of the most powerful newspapers in the world, and they can do no better than spout vapid rhetoric on two of the most critical issues — transportation and housing — that affect the prosperity of the New Urban Region they live in.
The latest assault on the intelligence of its readers appears in an editorial this morning urging the Loudoun County board of supervisors to turn down a “rezoning request” (actually, a change to the comprehensive plan) that would allow construction of 28,000 more houses in the South Dulles section of the county. The Post cites a “study” (actually a preliminary analysis) by the Virginia Department of Transportation concluding that those 28,000 homes would generate 300,000 vehicle trips per day, creating bumper-to-bumper driving conditions across much of Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William counties.
Overlooked in the Post’s verbal foray across the Potomac is the incidental matter that, according to Washington Council of Governments forecasts, Loudoun County is expected to add 110,000 households by the year 2030. If some of those households don’t wind up in South Dulles, where will they go? The Post doesn’t ask that question, settling for the platitude that “Loudoun’s Board of Supervisors should zone intelligently.” Uh… thanks. That was helpful.
Instead of suggesting principles to guide the board in its zoning decisions, the Post reverts to its default position: Spend more money on roads.
The state needs to get serious about transportation. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) has tried to do just that and has been stymied so far by the Republican General Assembly. The latest study is one more piece of evidence in favor of a special legislative session to cope with the worsening transportation problems in the region and the state.
Ah, yes, it’s the Virginia legislature’s fault! This non-sequitor fails to address the issue of where the growth should occur.
As it so happens, I had the opportunity yesterday to visit fellow blogger/columnist Ed Risse at his home in Warrenton, where we discussed this very issue. He and I sat in his office and pored over detailed maps of the area around Dulles Airport that he had prepared several years ago. As Ed suggested, fundamental issues need to be addressed:
- Loudoun has three concentrations of growth: Leesburg, Ashburn and Sterling, and an emerging cluster in South Riding. Each of these clusters still has significant acreage yet to be developed. If the Rail-to-Dulles Metro extension is ever built, the possibility also exists to build up as well as out, creating even more untapped capacity. The first strategic question that Loudoun needs to ask is this: Should it focus growth in these existing clusters, with the aim of building balanced, sustainable communities? Or should it spread the growth around?
- If the growth doesn’t go in those clusters, where does it go? Does Loudoun want to create a new cluster in “South Dulles”? If not, then where? Under current zoning, the South Dulles area would allow 5,000 houses by right. What would be the traffic impact of 5,000 houses in scattered, disconnected, low-density development? And where in Northern Virginia would the other 23,000 houses go?
I’m agnostic on whether or not South Dulles should be developed in the manner that Greenvest, Toll Brothers and other major developers would like. But I do find that the editorial sallies of the Washington Post — which boil all development issues down to “tax increases for roads= good” and “Virginia legislature=bad” to be numbingly uninformed and unhelpful. When you think about the vast resources the Post has at its disposal, its punditry on issues of local import is disgraceful.
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