No Pushovers at Tysons Hearing

The political fate of this urbanization move will turn in part on the opinions of the numerous neighborhood groups in Fairfax, of which the McLean Citizens Association is one of the oldest and best organized.

Although the fundamental political unit in older cities is the ward or the precinct, in Fairfax County, it is the homeowners association, and there are roughly 2,000 of them.

Several elected leaders, including Connolly, launched their political careers in such associations, and they are often given significant clout in the county's development decisions.

When developers have sought his vote in a zoning case, Connolly has advised them to "show me the witch's broom" -- as the Wizard of Oz required of Dorothy -- meaning the developers must demonstrate that they have addressed neighborhood concerns.

"It's a way of ensuring that developers feel obligated to enter into a dialogue with the community," Connolly said. "We don't do land-use by plebiscite. [But] we try to let people vent. We try to get them engaged."

Anti-development pressure from homeowner groups and other organizations already has made a significant mark on the suburbs: More than half of the land surrounding the nation's capital is now protected from typical suburban housing development, according to The Washington Post's review of land plans in 14 counties in Virginia and Maryland.

Some argue that catering to not-in-my-backyard concerns can lead to decisions that sacrifice the greater good of the region. These neighborhood organizations have run afoul of environmental groups that often support dense developments as an antidote to sprawl.

"It's very frustrating," said Roger Diedrich, chairman of the Sierra Club's Virginia chapter, who lives in Fairfax. "It's natural for people to look at things from close to home. I think we're just looking at things from a broader perspective."

The effects of the Tysons Corner Center plan on traffic dominated Tuesday's discussion, and the crowd, many of whom have at least some familiarity with the intricacies of traffic planning, dived in on both sides.

Boosters of the mall project, which would roughly double the amount of building on the property, argued that it represents a "smart growth" approach that would alleviate the road tie-ups by focusing development around a planned train stop and by building homes and offices in close proximity.

"People act like this plan has no rational basis for it," McLean Citizens Association member Dan Alcorn said. "That's not true."

But others questioned how adding development in Tysons Corner could reduce its traffic troubles.

"Whatever [traffic] you add to a disaster will become an even greater disaster," said retired economist Robin Bates.

Jim Robertson, chairman of the association's planning and zoning committee, sees the civic group as far from omnipotent, though it can often extract concessions from developers. He defended its role.

"They may think we're hard-nosed," he said. "But we're the ones who have to live here and drive around every day."