Green City-Style Tysons Plan Wins Fairfax's Approval

Supervisor Pat S. Herrity (R-Springfield), for example, worried that the need for new government services, including schools and parks, would increase property taxes across the county.

"I think the vision is a good one, and it is one that I support and have supported," Herrity said. "There are a lot of details -- many, many details -- yet to come, which we need to pay very close attention to. Some of them I'd like to see addressed before we go too far down the road."

Other supervisors hailed the plan for its potential to improve the economy of the county and the region. According to the task force's report, if Tysons is developed as proposed, real estate and sales tax receipts collected there could more than triple, to more than $1 billion under today's tax rates. Planners also expect the number of people who live in Tysons to jump from 17,000 today to as many as 100,000. That, in turn, would support nightlife and round-the-clock activities to further stimulate the economy, they say.

Among the more-detailed recommendations of the report:

· Landowners would be allowed to build structures with as much as six times the area of the parcel size. A building that covers every square inch of a property, for example, could be six stories high; one that covers half the parcel's footprint could be 12 stories. Clark Tyler, the task force chairman, said the proposed density is roughly equivalent to the look of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in Arlington County.

· Each of the eight urban neighborhoods is intended to have a sense of place that is not interrupted by the major highways that go through Tysons. Those closer to the four planned Metro stations will feature higher-density development; those farther away will be served by a free "circulator" bus line.

· The task force has urged strict new rules for storm water runoff and has recommended that all new structures be built to high environmental standards. And by coaxing people from their cars and toward bike lanes, sidewalks and mass transit, they aim to keep level or reduce emissions at Tysons.

· Developers would be required to contribute to the good of the neighborhoods, including the creation of a new street grid, open space, public art and cultural amenities.