Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Urbanizing the Burbs: Fairfax Circle Plaza

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by

James A. Bacon
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rt50by James A. Bacon

Route 50 through the City of Fairfax is a classic stroad, a street-road hybrid, that originated as a state highway and degenerated into a local access road for commercial development, with the result that it serves neither function — moving cars or providing local access — especially well. In a lengthy stretch around Fairfax Circle, the “highway” is flanked by disconnected, low-density and low-value development such as gas stations, fast food, auto dealerships, shopping centers and the like. It’s typical of the “suburban sprawl” development that has dominated Fairfax City and County, and the rest of Virginia, since World War II.

At long last, the stars are aligned to re-develop much of this corridor as high-value, higher-density, mixed-use property that will fill the city’s coffers with greater tax revenue at little offsetting cost — and create an attractive place where people are more likely want to live and do business.

fairfax_circle_plazaOn Tuesday, City Council approved a plan by Combined Properties build two apartment buildings with 400 units, ground-floor retail, and a 54,000-square-foot grocery store. Structured parking will replace large parking lots. Expanded sidewalks, buffers and a frontage road with parallel parking will create a pedestrian-friendly environment. While the plan has imperfections, the results will be vastly preferable to what’s there now.

Fairfax Circle typifies the re-development that is taking place in “suburban” counties across Virginia and much of the country. As I explained in “The Evolution of the Burbs,” suburban jurisdictions are selectively urbanizing. Low-value commercial property on major thoroughfares like Rt. 50 (Lee Highway) will be re-developed in mixed uses, at higher densities, with more walkable surroundings, often with access to mass transit. (Fairfax Circle is within walking distance of the Vienna Metro.) Yes, growth is occurring in the “suburbs” but it’s looking more like Fairfax Circle and less like the shopping centers and cul-de-sac subdivisions of yore.

Cities and counties can either allow this re-development to occur in a haphazard way, or they can create a planning framework for the pieces to fit together. The City of Fairfax completed but never passed a Fairfax Boulevard Master Plan. As Douglas Stewart writes in Greater Greater Washington:

Many of the project’s shortcomings stem from the fact that Fairfax City still does not have a clear plan for Fairfax Boulevard. An adopted plan that sets forth clear guidelines for street connectivity, green infrastructure, affordable housing and other elements would make the process easier for applicants and more beneficial for the city.

Rules governing street connectivity and storm-water infrastructure are essential to ensure that future projects integrate harmoniously with Fairfax Circle. An affordable housing component is more problematic; it will add costs, creating a higher financial burden for re-development without really addressing the affordability issue. (See Emily Washington’s essay, “How Affordable Housing Policies Backfire.”) Be that as it may, we’ll be seeing a lot more development like this and, for the most part, that’s a good thing.

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22 responses to “Urbanizing the Burbs: Fairfax Circle Plaza”

  1. chris bonney Avatar
    chris bonney

    People who favor small (and cheaper) government should applaud this kind of well-planned development. Because of the density and mixture of uses–different users, different tax rates–developments like this can recover the capital costs of their public infrastructure in about a tenth the time it takes a traditional suburban subdivision to do so.

  2. larryg Avatar
    larryg

    but it still condones the destruction of a state highway.. co-opting it for
    local purposes…

    meanwhile in Charlottesville on another state highway:

    Route 29 plan includes Rio interchange, panel chief recommends selling Bypass right-of-way

    http://www.c-ville.com/route-29-plan-includes-rio-interchange-panel-chief-recommends-selling-bypass-right-of-way/#.U4iyG_nlolI

    and here’s an except from the chamber of commerce –

    ” . The chamber has long opposed grade-separated interchanges along the busy stretch of Route 29 in Albemarle, saying the construction and eventual traffic configurations would hurt businesses. She said an eventual Bypass, however far in the future, would negate the need for interchange upgrades—a statement that drew a sharp response from Shucet.”

    so in my mind – it’s an honest question as to if the state is going to cede roads like this to the locality (like they apparently have in Fairfax) or
    if they are essentially duty-bound to try to re-mediate a state road to provide benefit to Virginia citizens and taxpayers beyond those in Charlottesville.

    NoVa has series transportation issues – of their own making – as they have systematically destroyed the utility and original purpose of US roads like US 50 and US 29 and others then co-opt the interstates in the same way – as a local/regional road – that simply destroys the utility of those roads for anyone on the East Coast trying to get to another place on the East Coast.

    and the irony is – that probably 98% of anything in anyone’s house including those in “smart growth” areas – comes – by truck… on public roads – built explicitly for the purpose of moving goods and people but now said to be local assets for local purposes – and screw those who need to use the roads to get from Point A to Point B – including trucks trying to deliver goods and produce.. food.. and all those things needed also for “smart growth”.

    I call this the POGO LITE effect – we have met the enemy – yes – but we have deluded ourselves into believing that roads are evil and call them “stroads”.

    come on folks.. when you drop by Starbucks to get your Latte – where in the flipping world do you think it came from – locally-grown coffee trees?

    1. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      All the roads in Virginia are state highways. In your revisionist history the state designated some roads to be highways that shouldn’t have any development along those roads. Then, the evil localities in NoVa defied the state by allowing development along these wide spacious highways provided by the beneficent state.

      Let’s get real here.

      The so-called state highways were nothing more than dirt roads when the development started. The state didn’t envision the population growth of NoVa and neither did the localities.

      Here’s a picture of Tysons Corner from 1936 -http://bit.ly/1mRwAiz

      You’re telling me that the planners who looked at that road were supposed to think … we can’t allow development here. One day, 50 years from now, this road (Rt 7) will be at the center of a huge office building complex and will be needed to transport people to the densely populated suburbs in Loudoun County. You would have been laughed out of the room.

      Next myth – VDOT (i.e. the state) didn’t originally build many of the main roads in Fairfax County. Let’s talk about Rt 50. Native Americans created a trail where the existing Rt 50 lies when they tracked migrating game from the Potomac River to the Shenandoah Valley. I wonder if they stupidly allowed wig wams next to the trail? During colonial times the Kings and Queens of England expanded Rt 50 to haul goods between the ports of Alexandria and Georgetown and the Shenandoah Valley. George Washington did the road no favors when he dropped Washington, DC right down on top of Rt 50 (where it is mostly New York Avenue). I guess nobody should have developed anything along New York Avenue because it’s part of a Virginia state highway.

      Rt 50 in Virginia became a privately owned toll road for many years. It wasn’t until 1922 that “the state” took it over. I guess “the state” should have purchased all the land and buildings adjacent to Rt 50 and bulldozed the buildings so that no development would be allowed. Or maybe just ignored the US Constitution and effectively seized private property without compensation by telling those who owned the land adjacent to Rt 50 that they weren’t allowed to do anything with that land.

      Next myth – it’s a NoVa thing. Rt 50 starts in Ocean City, MD and ends in San Francisco. As it traverses southern Ohio it runs through numerous cities, suburbs and towns. Guess what most of the roadscape looks like? You got it – just like the City of Fairfax.

      Next myth – this is somehow unique to NoVa.

      1. James A. Bacon Avatar
        James A. Bacon

        Don, you’d been good for so long — but now you’ve relapsed! You still think I’m picking on Northern Virginia.

        I have consistently said that the degradation of state highways is a statewide phenomenon. U.S. 29 in Charlottesville. Rt. 1. U.S. 460 in Roanoke and Lynchburg. U.S. 250 in Richmond. I could go on and on. There is nothing special about Northern Virginia, other than the scale and speed of the growth. The bastardization of the roads has been the same.

        1. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          Jim, Jim, Jim …

          You speak with authority about the internet of things but can’t distinguish between a reply to a comment and a comment on the main article. My words were in reply to LarryG’s comment, not your article.

          In the furtherance of your technical education – note that what I wrote is indented under LarryG’s comment rather than displayed in-line with other comments. That signifies that it was a response to a comment rather than a comment on the main article.

          I actually thought your article was rather good. Even by NoVa standards Rt 50 is a mess. It’s probably the biggest mess in NoVa after Rt 1. Anything being done to clean it us is a step in the right direction.

          1. James A. Bacon Avatar
            James A. Bacon

            My humble apologies. I was responding like Pavlov’s dog. I just assumed your comments were directed at me. My bad!

      2. larryg Avatar
        larryg

        not all roads are designated as primary roads intended to allow people to travel from Point A to Point B.

        There is no revisionist history and one way you can prove this to yourself is look at the funding streams for Primary vs Secondary.

        I don’t think:

        1. that NoVa localities are evil
        2. that no localities are “evil” for wanting commercial on major roads
        3. that VDOT did not want development along the roads

        there was an intended balance – called “access management” that VDOT was often lax in enforcing in their attempt to be responsive to the localities.

        DJ – you need to look up what Federal Aid Highway means in your quest to understand how dirt got to be asphalt.. Hint. It was not an accident and it was not done by localities.

        Roads were designed to be of 3 classifications. Each had a specific purpose.

        you are correct about the early history – but those roads were not “connected”.

        you could not go from Fairfax to Richmond … or Arlington to Harrisonburg without traveling on a bunch of different roads… that would take you right through the middle of towns.

        here’s what you need to read to help your Knowledge:

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Numbered_Highways

        The loss of utility of these roads has come at great expense – to people trying to get from one place to another – as well as taxpayers who have had to build a ton of “bypasses’ .

        you complain about the gas tax – we spent a ton of it on bypasses to “fix” roads that were taken over for local commercial development.

        look at Charlottesville and tell me how that happened – and what the fix is?

        what was the reason why the interstates limited access to only interchanges?

        look at what we’re doing now to roads like Route 1 and Route 29 in Charlottesville… we are instituting Access Management – to limit curb cuts, require intra-parcel connections, get rid of median crossovers, etc – all in an effort to recover/ maintain some level of transportation utility –

        If that is not done – DJ – how would you get your groceries… – not the ones at your local store – how would your local store get re-supplied if all roads ended up like Route 50?

        what would you do to maintain a way for trucks to resupply you with all the things you need?

        there are three basic kinds of roads:

        Functional System Services Provided
        Arterial Provides the highest level of service at the greatest speed for the longest uninterrupted distance, with some degree of access control.

        Collector Provides a less highly developed level of service at a lower speed for shorter distances by collecting traffic from local roads and connecting them with arterials.

        Local Consists of all roads not defined as arterials or collectors; primarily provides access to land with little or no through movement.

        you need all 3 … types

        when a locality takes over a road for a local purpose – how will they get goods and services provided to that location ?

        1. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          Stick to the topic at hand – Rt 50.

          It was a travel route before European settlers came to the United States. It was developed before VDOT took it over. It is developed in cities, suburbs and towns from coast to coast. Hell, it’s New York Avenue in DC.

          Over-development of roads like Rt 50 is a problem. However, it is a national problem caused by the historic unpredictability of human settlement patterns rather than any negligence in planning.

          Contrast Rt 50 with the Capital Beltway. The Beltway, opened in 1958, has no curb cuts for development or businesses. It has plenty of design flaws but it has not become a stroad. In fact, other than the idiotic HOT lanes, VDOT ought to get a lot of credit for what’s happened with the Beltway in Virginia. Once upon a time the Beltway had four of the 20 worst intersections in America. However, the two that were partially or totally in Virginia have been fixed and are off the list. The two in Maryland have just gotten worse as the incompetent socialist governor of that state seems capable of taxing the residents into submission but incapable of taking any of that money and applying it to the pressing problems confronting The Free State.

          The bigger question is whether we have learned our lesson or not. I say we have not really learned. The poor design of Rt 7 on the Fairfax / Loudoun border creates not only a twice daily traffic jam on Rt 7 but a collateral jam on Rt 193 (Georgetown Pike). You would think the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors would have the minimal wisdom to stop allowing curb cuts on Rt 193. You would think wrong. every time a developer buys a parcel of land abutting Rt 193 there is another curb cut on Rt 193. Meanwhile, the Fairfax County Supervisor responsible for the area where Rt 193 passes – John Foust – want to be elected to Congress!

          Let me get this straight – Foust can’t competently manage a part of a county but he wants us to elect him to be one of the managers of the country? Despite my many misgivings with Barbara “Two Faced” Comstock I just can’t justify sending Foust anywhere but to the unemployment line for former politicians.

          Until we start holding people like Foust accountable for their poor record of development planning we shouldn’t expect anything to change.

          1. larryg Avatar
            larryg

            re: ” Stick to the topic at hand – Rt 50.

            It was a travel route before European settlers came to the United States. It was developed before VDOT took it over. It is developed in cities, suburbs and towns from coast to coast. Hell, it’s New York Avenue in DC.”

            indeed but you’re pretending there was no history after that – with US Aid roads… those roads were chosen from many others.. about 5% in fact, and most towns and cities were upset if their road was not chosen to be funded for improvements and maintenance ….

            “Over-development of roads like Rt 50 is a problem. However, it is a national problem caused by the historic unpredictability of human settlement patterns rather than any negligence in planning.”

            I thought you said stick to US 50. which is it?

            it’s a common problem – yes – but the bigger problem is ignorance of what the word “arterial” means and “local” means – in terms of design standards and funding.

            “Contrast Rt 50 with the Capital Beltway. The Beltway, opened in 1958, has no curb cuts for development or businesses. It has plenty of design flaws but it has not become a stroad.”

            it did not become a “stroad” – on purpose . You may be interested in knowing that Rt 50 was, in it’s time, part of an “interstate” road system – with the game goals at the later modern day Interstates.. which partially cured the “stroad” problem by draconian rules for curb cuts.

            ” In fact, other than the idiotic HOT lanes, VDOT ought to get a lot of credit for what’s happened with the Beltway in Virginia. Once upon a time the Beltway had four of the 20 worst intersections in America. However, the two that were partially or totally in Virginia have been fixed and are off the list. The two in Maryland have just gotten worse as the incompetent socialist governor of that state seems capable of taxing the residents into submission but incapable of taking any of that money and applying it to the pressing problems confronting The Free State.”

            HOT Lanes are going to “fix” the inability of East Coast travelers to get through the DC area just as decades-old toll roads in the North East have – through tolls – managed to keep traffic to that which actually has a real need to be on those roads – and willing to pay .

            “The bigger question is whether we have learned our lesson or not. I say we have not really learned. The poor design of Rt 7 on the Fairfax / Loudoun border creates not only a twice daily traffic jam on Rt 7 but a collateral jam on Rt 193 (Georgetown Pike). You would think the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors would have the minimal wisdom to stop allowing curb cuts on Rt 193. You would think wrong. every time a developer buys a parcel of land abutting Rt 193 there is another curb cut on Rt 193. Meanwhile, the Fairfax County Supervisor responsible for the area where Rt 193 passes – John Foust – want to be elected to Congress!”

            Well… Fairfax does not own and operate the roads – unfortunately – because if they did – they’d own the consequences of their actions – other states and most cities and towns in Va do including Henrico and Arlington.

            VDOT basically, for years, did not enforce access management (which includes curb cuts) on arterial roads.

            Do you know why they are doing it now? Because Federal Highway is no longer going to provide funding for roads that VDOT does not maintain to arterial standards – less curb cuts, no median cross overs, intra-parcel connections.

            “Let me get this straight – Foust can’t competently manage a part of a county but he wants us to elect him to be one of the managers of the country? Despite my many misgivings with Barbara “Two Faced” Comstock I just can’t justify sending Foust anywhere but to the unemployment line for former politicians.”

            as they say – the govt that is closest to the people is the most accountable, right?

            “Until we start holding people like Foust accountable for their poor record of development planning we shouldn’t expect anything to change.”

            The solution to Fairfax is for them to do what Henrico and Arlington – then Fairfax will have no choice but to become more responsible …

          2. larryg Avatar
            larryg

            ” It was a travel route before European settlers came to the United States. It was developed before VDOT took it over. It is developed in cities, suburbs and towns from coast to coast”

            Roads ARE fascinating and in my mind one of the two most important things to a country -the other being public education.

            yes.. there were animal trails and indian trails … that eventually became bigger, wider, wagon trails.

            you can still see the wagon trail ruts in the prairies out west…

            but the thing is – they were not maintained unless someone did it then charged a toll… and even then there were fords and sometimes ferries that also charged tolls… and there were hundreds, thousands of segments..it took weeks, months to transit – and forget about carrying any kind of perishable food… and it did not get much better – even by 1900 – go read the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcontinental_Motor_Convoy.

            The state of the US road system at that point in time was much like many current 3rd world countries..

            what changed was the government decided the free market was not going to produce a true nationwide transport network .. and took on that task.

            This is one of the areas that distinguishes OECD type countries and 3rd world countries. At some point in their history- it was realized that the private sector had a different goal than the goal that was needed by the country.

            roads were not built to make it easier for people to be mobile. They were built like the canals and railroads were built – commerce.

            commerce – determined early on – that standards were needed. canals and locks could not be built for any size boat and rails needed to settle on one or two rail configurations…

            railroads – pretty much built by govt loans and grants – opened up the country. There are hundreds of towns in our country that did not exist until the rail came through and needed a water tower. there are many towns today that are pretty much artifacts now… having been abandoned by the rails and bypassed by the interstates – only alive because people own the land and need their mail and groceries.

            but today – we classify roads – and it’s not just an esoteric exercise in naming them – it has to do with what kind of designs and standard are used and maintained – and how those things are funded.

            FHWA is the son of the Bureau of Roads.. that built the Federal Aid road system (the ones with the “US” signage)… and then built the Interstate Highway System.

            FHWA does not care about local access roads for the most part. there are engineering standards – The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) but FHWA’s main mission is the arterials that connect the country – both the Interstates and the Federal Aid Highways.

            their duty is to protect and preserve the intended purpose and utility of those roads – to not let them be co-opted or degraded if possible. The Federal Aid Highways often ended up degraded anyhow – like US50 and US 29 and even US 1 and that led to much stricter standards for the Interstates – for instance there are NO curb cuts AND interchanges have to follow strict design standards and cannot be closer than one mile apart and even then would require C/D lanes.

            If you left these things to the localities – the ones that DJ insists should enjoy “home rule” – the interstates would have become as seriously degraded as the US signed highway like US 50.

            And that’s no real shocker – because the localities are concerned about what is best for them and not what is best for the greater good – often.

            It’s safe to say that if there were to FHWA and it’s predecessor the Bureau of Roads – our road system – the envy of the world and often copied – would be more 3rd world than what it is now.

            I do not blame Fairfax or Charlottesville or any town/city for co-opting roads if they could but I think it IS important to recognize the facts regarding the intent and purpose of the original US aid roads like US 50 and that if we had left the issue up to each locality – we’d probably never would have seen an interstate highway system ; it took a national approach – a national government approach.. the same national government that many now say is wrong for the Country and that it should instead be small and not dictating to states – standards.. and laws…. regulations.. etc.

            I just point out that one of the most important things to the country – came from national government – and probably never would have come from the states all agreeing to do one standard and a centrally-control function.

  3. larryg Avatar
    larryg

    If you have to have roads to deliver goods and services and provide mobility to people – how do you design and build those roads – so that they cannot be turned into “stroads”?

    if you turn all “stroads” into local venues.. how do you get goods and services to them?

    how do other people travel through them on their way to somewhere else?

    there are 3 basic kinds of roads – classified as to purpose:

    Arterial Provides the highest level of service at the greatest speed for the longest uninterrupted distance, with some degree of access control.

    Collector Provides a less highly developed level of service at a lower speed for shorter distances by collecting traffic from local roads and connecting them with arterials.

    Local Consists of all roads not defined as arterials or collectors; primarily provides access to land with little or no through movement.

    when you convert an arterial to a local road – you have essentially re-defined the purpose of the road. That might be what the localities want but it does come at a cost as to how goods and services are delivered.

    You can turn Rt 50 into a local venue – but then how do the businesses get their deliveries?

    1. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      “You can turn Rt 50 into a local venue – but then how do the businesses get their deliveries?”

      Rt 50 has been a local venue since 1805 when the Town of Providence (now named the City of Fairfax) was founded. By the time VDOT took it over in 1922 it was beyond redemption as an effective arterial. Maybe it could have been managed to be “less bad”. However, I struggle to understand how it could ever have been good.

      There is no economically feasible way to remake Rt 50 into an arterial road. So, it can be a good mixed-use street or a bad mixed-use street.It seems to me that the plan is place is to evolve Rt 50 at Fairfax Circle from a bad mixed-use street into a good mixed-use street.

      1. larryg Avatar
        larryg

        “You can turn Rt 50 into a local venue – but then how do the businesses get their deliveries?”

        Rt 50 has been a local venue since 1805 when the Town of Providence (now named the City of Fairfax) was founded. By the time VDOT took it over in 1922 it was beyond redemption as an effective arterial. Maybe it could have been managed to be “less bad”. However, I struggle to understand how it could ever have been good.”

        if VDOT no longer will maintain Rt 50 to arterial standards and let’s it degrade to local access standards then how will businesses get their “stuff” if the road reverts back to a disconnect “trail” of local enclaves?

        “There is no economically feasible way to remake Rt 50 into an arterial road. So, it can be a good mixed-use street or a bad mixed-use street.It seems to me that the plan is place is to evolve Rt 50 at Fairfax Circle from a bad mixed-use street into a good mixed-use street.”

        Access management can help it continue to function as a minimal arterial and it’s probably up to Fairfax if they want to do that – or just let VDOT walk away from it.

        Rt 50 is not that different from the issues on Rt 29 in Charlottesville – with the proviso that people have other options in Fairfax to go around it while in Charlottesville there is no alternate – but in both cases – they are gravitating towards “stroads” or whatever the smart growth “places” alternative being pursue – but in either case – neither road will any longer function as a viable arterial.

        If you asked 100 people in Fairfax – what is the difference between an arterial or local access road – would they know? would they have a clue?

        and yet these same folks are calling Rt 50 a “stroad” and recommending changes – totally in the absence of knowledge about the purpose of an arterial compared to a local access road.

        this is how you get folks advocating for turning Route 1 into a “local access” road.. no knowledge of what an arterial is or why they are important.

        1. larryg Avatar
          larryg

          re: ” Rt 50 has been a local venue since 1805 when the Town of Providence (now named the City of Fairfax) was founded. By the time VDOT took it over in 1922 it was beyond redemption as an effective arterial.”

          need to read a history of roads. All roads started out like Rt 50. There never was a “grand plan” for an interstate highway system until the era of Dwight Eisenhower – and Eisenhower did not want to raise gas tax on everyone to pay for it but rather toll it for those that did use it.

          but go back to the Lincoln Highway – which was not one road.

          it was a series of roads that were going to be designated as a continuous road and connections were going to be built where needed and design standards for width, surface, signage etc…

          And DJ – this is an example of how “Home Rule” – fails and why you need a higher level governance to develop solutions that benefit all places – the sum of which is more/better than benefiting one place.

          Would you call the interstate highway system – a legacy of Dillon type “thinking”?

          It’s a double whammy.

          Fairfax would not think of doing something that benefited people who needed to get from Fairfax to ..say Ohio or Florida..

          Fairfax would not consider that to be it’s job.

          but the second part is – if someone else did take on that job – would Fairfax protect the part of that multi-state system that was in their control or would they ruin it while expecting the other parts of it to still provide benefit to those who would want to travel to those distant places?

          So how would you do that DJ? How would you build and maintain roads that connected Fairfax to other places and vise-versa?

          and how would you convince Fairfax to not co-opt such roads for local use and in effect, destroying it’s utility for extended travels (which might include moving goods and services beneficial to Fairfax citizens)?

  4. larryg Avatar
    larryg

    Are “stroads” typically what are the modern-day remnants of US signed arterial roads that no longer function as arterial roads?

    I think at least some of these roads – especially with the advent of the interstates – are in the process of being essentially abandoned by VDOT – with respect to their original arterial purpose – as well as the funding to maintain arterial standards.

    In Fact – the FHWA is reviewing classifications of roads and downgrading many current arterials that no longer function as arterials – i.e. have turned into ‘stroads” and it’s not without consequences because funding levels are tied to the classification and purpose of the road. FHWA is primarily concerned with roads whose purpose is the movement of goods and services – not local development – and this is the way it works in 46 other states. There is no Federal funding for “local” roads – it’s the responsibility of the locality.

    but some of these “stroads” are still classified as Arterials and the Feds believe they have been converted to local roads and no longer want to fund them – even in states like Virginia where VDOT maintain all roads.

    In 46 other states, the locality usually has a separate tax for maintaining local roads. In Virginia – localities get some allocated percentage of the state gas tax for local roads – usually called the Secondary Road system which is funded at a lower rate that primary / arterial roads.

    Sometimes I get the impression that most folks, Greater Greater Washington, Smart Growth advocates and even average citizens – do not understand the road classification system – and how it is affected by standards – such as access management – and funding.

    and it’s no secret that VDOT would like to do what 46 other states already do – which is let the localities be responsible for the roads that serve local purposes and needs as all cities and towns and 2 counties already do in Virginia right now.

    and places like Fredericksburg and Arlington Va would like nothing better than “through” traffic to go around – not through the city.

    In fact, the current FHWA review of functional classification of roads may well result in reclassification of some degraded arterials (like US 50) into defacto secondary/local roads, much less state funding for maintaining it and more more local responsibility – for funding but also much greater flexibility in standards which would be much less strict if the road is no longer classified as an arterial.

    I would posit this – we have this big kerfuffle over the number of pages that are in ObamaCare.

    The number of pages of laws and regulations for roads in the US would easily eclipse ObamaCare – and yes public roads are the ultimate in socialist government!

    And if the GOP in Congress prevails – we will see Federal funding for roads cut in half and in turn – a serious shedding of roads the Feds no longer want to pay for – which will include many currently classified arterials that no longer function for that purpose. I’d wager that most US-signed roads in Fairfax (except for Route 1) will, in effect, be turned over to Fairfax to fund and maintain.

  5. TMT Avatar
    TMT

    Transit-oriented transit requires transit. Adding more density without immediate access to transit and TDM requirements with teeth will simply add to traffic. I don’t know about Fairfax City’s TDM program, but the County’s is a joke. Effective TDM requires limits on further development if goals are not met, not the payment of a token sum. For TDM to work, all developers and commercial landowners in an area must own the plan. Once ABC can screw XYZ’s future development if ABC’s TDM targets are missed, both ABC and XYZ will ensure TDM works.

    1. larryg Avatar
      larryg

      Fairfax appears to be irresponsible with regard to understanding the purpose and intent of state-designated arterial roads and local roads for local development.

      And I include the Smart Growth folks in this – who seem to negate the purpose and importance of arterial roads – to supply the goods and services that Smart Growth also relies on.

      It’s as if they believe that all things needed from food to furniture can get there through telepathy or a time machine – rather than coming on “evil” roads.

      Hells Bells – even a bike and your running shoes are not produced locally and have to be brought it.. and no.. don’t fall into that “local” trap where all things needed .. can, in theory, be created – locally and thus no need for trucks bringing it from places afar…

      that’s the obverse side (left side) of the Agenda 21 folks.

      the loony left thinkx all things needed can be produced locally or apparently teleported in… but the good news is that those folks have almost zero impact on Democratic politics these days whereas the Agenda 21 folks – God help us.

      the reality is – electricity, natural gas, water/sewer, groceries, shoes, medicine, etc.. all have to be “imported”… on public infrastructure

      cities that don’t have this infrastructure do exist in the world. They have names like Somalia and Mogadishu.

  6. Darrell Avatar
    Darrell

    I did a road trip down to Lejeune recently. I saw something interesting I hadn’t seen down that way. What was that, you say? Boats for sale. Autos for sale. RVs for sale. House trailers for sale. Houses for sale, Horses and hunting dogs for sale. Junk for sale.

    Mile after mile was an endless line of stuff for sale alongside the road. It’s as if red neck land was throwing in the last towel. You know things are not good when a keep sake party boat or the trusty rusty ‘classic’ 1974 Skyline single wide homestead gets tagged with a home made For Sale sign.

    What does this have to do with this topic? Well if what’s going on down in Tarheel country is also going on over in RoVa, you might want to reconsider blowing a bunch of money building a utopian NoVa. Especially while the state budget is already underwater by a billion and a new Medicaid buffet is on the horizon. You may find yourself being double dipped in a very impolite way when you find a RoVa clan camped out on your front porch.

    1. larryg Avatar
      larryg

      well it has a LOT to do with the topic – because – unfortunately those who have not had luck at finding a job in the private sector – have relied on a “job” in the military – to include getting healthcare for their family – and now that option is up in smoke.

      we “revere” our young who “volunteer” to be “patriotic” but the horrible truth is that sometimes it’s about getting a job.. and the pretty shocking thing in Iraq and Afghanistan is 30 and 40 years-olds with young kids – joining the military to go off to a god-for-saken country to fight, die or get seriously wounded for what?

      Now the wars are “over” and these guys are coming home – and the lucky ones who are not seriously injured – now have to once again face a job market that is less than friendly to those without college and/or without significant non-college skills.

      the military is not your mama and poppa once the war is over they want you out…

  7. larryg Avatar
    larryg

    US Route 50 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_50

    a short reading will likely inform of things most do not know:

    1. coast-to-coast highway – a predecessor of the intestate highway system

    2. still an important road in some places – in fact is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge that DJ uses to get back and forth to his castle in Md.

    3. another irony – it’s tolled.. another slap in the face to DJ…

    4. – such Federally-designated highway as US 50 – are also called Federal Aid highways – because they have design standards for safety and mobility and the Feds pay for those things.

    5. – If a road is removed from a designation as a US highway – the Feds also pull funding from that road and the maintenance and operation falls to the locality or the State.

    6. but just imagine what would have happened if Annapolis and the other localities near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge – did to US 50 with their land-use – what Fairfax did to US 50 with their land-use.

    7. Imagine what would happen if US 50 near Annapolis was “designated” as a “stroad” and changes advocated similar to what has been proposed to fix the “stroad” at Fairfax Circle Plaza.

  8. Darrell Avatar
    Darrell

    The problem is the line of sales started around Elizabeth City and continued down Hy 17 all the way to Lejeune. It wasn’t military selling out, it was the average Tarheel homesteader.

    The question is whether the same thing is happening out in RoVa?

    1. larryg Avatar
      larryg

      what do Tarheel homesteaders normally do for a living in a “good” economy?

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