| Metrorail has transformed large swaths of Arlington, Alexandria and Montgomery County into urban districts more walkable and sophisticated than many a central city downtown. It has revitalized Washington. It is hoped that one day it will turn unsightly Tysons Corner into a place worthy of all its visitors. Now, it would seem, Fairfax County can be added to the list. Trains in Tysons Corner may still be years away, but at the end of the Orange Line in a sliver of county land between the Town of Vienna and City of Fairfax, the Fairlee MetroWest transit-oriented development has finally, decisively, been approved by the Board of Supervisors.
That MetroWest will become a reality is testimony to good leadership on the part of Fairfax County. It would have been easy to buckle under the combined pressure from rabid NIMBYs, sprawl and car interests, hostile town boards, threats from the state senate and, of course, meddling Congressman, but the planners and elected officials of Fairfax County held to their convictions. They know that density does not cause traffic congestion. They know that growth doesn’t disappear if it’s not accommodated. They know what it will take to make a better Washington region, and they are not afraid to make it happen. Good work, Fairfax. |
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March 28th, 2006 | Permalink
Tags: development
