Local Development

Comments on 'Smart Growth' in Fairfax County, Va.

Washington Post staff writer Alec MacGillis was online Tuesday, March 7, at 2:30 p.m. ET to examine "Smart Growth" in Fairfax County, Va.

Read Sunday's article:

'Smart Growth' Is a Matter Of Opinion in Fairfax County (Post, March 5)

The transcript follows.

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Alec MacGillis: Hello everyone, thanks very much for tuning in. I'm the new growth and development reporter at the Post, based in Fairfax but covering growth issues across the region. I've only been on the beat for two months and so am still getting up to speed on all the different things going on in the area. I'm sure I'll get some interesting new ideas to pursue through your questions. One thing I've already learned: this is a very high-interest subject for our readers!

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Fairfax, Va.: Is anyone developing smaller-scale sustainable housing in Fairfax County? I see nothing but monster mansions and luxury condos going up everywhere I go - it's an obscene waste of resources. The only development of smaller houses I've seen in NoVA is outside Warrenton, and it's for only 55+.

Alec MacGillis: That is a very good point, and one I've been wanting to look into further. As you've probably noticed, even a lot townhouses are getting pretty huge these days. It's hard to know how much of this driven by the consumer, with buyers now expecting more in terms of space and amenities, a desire to which developers are simply responding with the bigger and bigger homes. Or, is there a demand out there for smaller scale, quality housing that is going unmet? One interesting place to watch this play out at Tysons. Ideally, county planners would like to see more accessible housing going in there for rank and file Tysons employees, but so far most of the new housing planned there is very high end. Developers say they have to go high-end in order to make any money, given the high cost of land, but it'll be interesting to see whether they start to builder smaller if they see a real demand for that.

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Fairfax, Va.: I don't understand the Planning Department's requirement that a proposed project be within 1/4 mile of the METRO platform to qualify for higher density zoning. They seem to be fixated on the concept that METRO riders will not walk further to the station, and their negative report on this redevelopment was in a large part based on that premise. I believe that the school system requires students closer than a mile to walk to school.

Alec MacGillis: That is a key question in all the debates over "transit-oriented development." You may have seen a story in the Post Sunday addressing this question, which played a role in the denial of a proposed high density development at Poplar Terrace, a neighborhood in Vienna that's between a quarter and half mile from the Metro as the crow flies. Critics of the plan said many residents wouldn't walk more than a quarter mile to the station. They point to the example of Arlington, which does taper off density past the quarter mile mark. What's interesting to note, though, and what I couldn't fit into the story, was that while Arlington does taper after a quarter mile, it does in some cases still allow quite high density up to a half mile; in some cases, the density allowed at a half mile is higher than what is being proposed at Metro West and Poplar Terrace near Vienna. Research has shown that fewer people walk outside a quarter mile, but I'd be interested to find out more about just how big the drop off is. As you point out, if school kids can do it, might more commuters do it than we expect?

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Ashburn, Va.: Many Fairfax workers live out in Loudoun County, and the roads are becoming more and more congested. I'm worried we'll be approaching gridlock soon. I'm really surprised that Fairfax would not consider land within a ten minute walk to be eligible for transit oriented development. I've supported transit-oriented development around the planned metro stations in Loudoun and consider my home to be walking distance, about 20 minutes away by foot from the phantom last metro stop. Fairfax needs a diversity of housing options to house the workers taking the jobs being created there. Loudoun can't handle it all.

Alec MacGillis: That is a good point, related to my previous post. It raises the argument that others have made in favor of projects like MetroWest near the Vienna Metro -- if projects like that aren't approved, will those homes just go to Loudoun, thus putting as many cars on I-66-inbound? Others doubt that the case, that the people buying homes in Loudoun or Prince William aren't the same ones who might want to live at Metro West.

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Alexandria, Va.: Much has been written about Fairfax County's smart growth initiatives along the I-66 corridor. What about the Huntington Station in South County? This area seems underdeveloped and ideal for a pedestrian-oriented approach. Any info?

Alec MacGillis: Development that is underway now at Huntington would replace a parking lot there now with a combo townhouses, 10-story office building, and 5 other buildings that are mid-rises, with the he height stepping down away from station. All of the development is so far on the Kings Highway side of the station, and so far only the townhouses are up and occupied. So far there is very little retail, however, aside from the shopping center across the street. There is definitely more potential for transit oriented development at the two stations in southern Fairfax, as county officials will tell you.

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Vienna, Va.: It's no secret Fairfax is growing. We have great communities. I think Sunday's article underscored the need, though, for solid, comprehensive planning at the county level. Where should the county be putting new and dense growth? It makes sense to put it around Metro stations, but the county should create an actual plan for high-growth areas. That way, when proposals like the Centex one arise, the county will be able to respond. Just my two cents.

washingtonpost.com: 'Smart Growth' Is a Matter Of Opinion in Fairfax County (Post, March 5)

Alec MacGillis: That is a very good point, and I think was the point that underlay that article you referred to, about the different outcomes on the two properties at the Vienna Metro. Everyone seems to agree that there needs to be a better structure in place to deal with these applications that will continue coming in for high density projects in relative proximity to Metro. Just how close is close? How much retail and commercial should be included in the projects to give the residents there uses within walking distance, so they don't have to drive to the grocery store? How should the different aspects be phased in a new project? Developers and residents alike seem to be hungering for some clear principles along these lines.

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Vienna, Va.: So Fairfax wants to make Tysons into a more traditional downtown? How about focusing growth THERE. Yesterday I read that developers now want to get rid of what makes Annandale unique (although when I was younger it wasn't Koreatown, but more a place where you went for cheap gas and guns) and turn it into every other "Town Center" type development, with offices and the same national retail chains, that are springing up all over the county in Merrifield, Lorton, Reston, and Fairfax ten times over. Springfield, Chantilly, and Ft. Belvoir are the next big things with all the defense workers and contractors who are going to be moved because of BRAC. Let's not forget Bailey's Crossroads and Seven Corners which need to be yuppified and cleaned up a bit. Meanwhile we need to create a new town of Vienna between the Town of Vienna and the City of Fairfax in the median of I-66, where the residents never have to get to know the area around them because they will take the Metro into D.C. for everything. Reston and Herndon will keep growing like mad, regardless of Metro because they are near the airport. Oh, and lets not forget all the other 100 jurisdictions in the Washington area which will presumably grow too. I have a lot of faith in Fairfax County, but after all that, do you really think there are going to be THAT many business and people to make Tysons Corner into a real downtown? If they don't start focusing development there instead of all over the place, I don't see it happening.

Alec MacGillis: You're right that Tysons is the elephant in the room in a lot of these discussions. It is from many perspectives an obvious place to focus growth, given the arrival of Metro there, the availability of land there, the (albeit overburdened) road infrastructure, the proximity of thousands of jobs, the malls...My sense is that the county definitely gets this, and is working to come up with a new plan for Tysons future to accomplish this. But there are many barriers, not least of which is getting the major landowners there to share the vision. Some of the big landowners there would prefer to keep doing commercial office development, and are less keen about expanding residential there.

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Fairfax, Va.: I made the earlier comment about the 1/4 mile radius. I live in the area, and many people on the other side of Blake Lane, considerably further than the Poplar Terrace location walk to metro, and cut through the undeveloped Blake Lane Park.

Alec MacGillis: That's very interesting. As I mentioned in the article Sunday, there are signs in Poplar Terrace prohibiting commuters from parking there during the day, which certainly suggests that at least some people are willing to walk that far.

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washingtonpost.com: 'Smart Growth' Is a Matter Of Opinion in Fairfax County (Post, March 5)

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Washington, D.C.: Can growth ever be "smart" if the plan is to continue growing forever? However smart we think we are, the reality is that smart growth simply displaces the growth elsewhere, and that elsewhere is close enough to have major negative impacts on the place that is "smartly growing".

Alec MacGillis: Very true. What I'm hearing from some residents is that the the local governments maybe need to think more about ways to ameliorate the effects of the 'smart growth' on the residents in the surrounding areas -- to acknowledge that while high density smart growth may be a good thing overall, it can have a negative effect on those immediately surrounding, and that maybe more can be done from a public investment standpoint to make those people in the surrounding rings feel better about what's happening, beyond just requiring proffers from developers that only provide so much. I hope to look into that issue more.

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Burke, Va.: I've lived in this area on and off for 30 years. Your article is an accurate reflection on our "leaders" complete dissociation from reality. People around here whine and moan about traffic, traffic, traffic, but when the County is presented with viable solutions to addressing the problem our NIMBY, ME, ME, ME attitude prevails. We then go back to whining. This County is going to choke on itself and it doesn't care. Are we ever going to find leaders with enough vision to see what 2020 or 2030 will look like in Fairfax without clear vision NOW?

Alec MacGillis: That's a very tough question, which I've heard from others as well. What some of the public officials would tell you, I imagine, is that while they know one level what needs to be done in terms of changing the growth patterns, their constituencies aren't always there with them, and that going as far as the planning ideals might call for would in same cases simply not fly with voters. It may sort of a chicken and egg thing--leadership is needed in some cases but in a representative system, leadership also takes its cues from voters. Very tough question.

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Vienna, Va.: How much growth are CURRENT residents in this neighborhood expected to endure?

My husband and I live in a townhome just across 66, behind Oakton High School. We intentionally looked for, and purchased, in this neighborhood for its residential quality and nearness to Metro. We purchased in 1992. Since that time, we have had to endure within a one-mile radius, the building of five townhome complexes, an apartment complex, and two residential single-family complexes adding over 1,000+ units since our purchase. Now we are seeing the building of "McMansions", sometimes 2-3 on previously R-1 lots. We are also boxed in by the ever-increasing traffic of students commuting from areas as far as Franklin Farm to get to Oakton High School.

To erase the single-family home, large-lot neighborhood proposed for "MetroWest" and use the excuse of "Smart Growth" is absurd since previous development has made our neighborhood a traffic nightmare every weekday morning and evening as it is. The streets in our neighborhood have been repeated sites of congestion and accidents, obviously illustrating the point that this area was constructed and meant to be residential, not high-density urban. Metro cannot build enough parking as commuters already come from western Fairfax, Loudoun, and Faquier Counties.

Our quality of life is already lower with the impact of the past 10 years of development. We invested in this neighborhood and specifically avoided areas like Rosslyn and Ballston for these reasons. I ask again - HOW MUCH ARE CURRENT HOMEOWNERS SUPPOSED TO ENDURE?

T. Lopez

Alec MacGillis: Believe me, I've heard similar concerns from a lot of homeowners in that area. The fact is, most homeowners like you were simply not expecting this type of density when they moved to that part of the county. There is a desire on the part of some officials and planners to pursue an Arlington-type model, but there is simply a different atmosphere and expectation in a place like Fairfax versus an inner suburb like Arlington. This is the question of the hour in Fairfax, and I'll be writing much more about it.

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Arlington, Va.: The problem with townhouses these days, is that they are not in a town, not that they are too big. A diversity of housing types is desirable, but the larger problem is that there is no planning that leads to complete, functional neighborhoods. That is, ones that have all the elements that actual, real towns have - places to live, work, shop, worship, play etc. all within a walkable area.

Alec MacGillis: Excellent point. Back when I first covered growth issues in Howard County, Maryland, it took me a few a little while to figure out what all this 'townhouse' talk referred to -- that it mean attached homes in places that were very far from towns, in many cases. I hope to explore what has become of the suburban townhome in a future story.

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Falls Church, Va.: Do you know the status of the proposed the Merrifield Town Center near Dunn Loring Metro? Is Fairfax County going ahead with it as part of its Smart Growth plan?

Alec MacGillis: My understanding is that that project is proceeding on schedule. A rezoning for the center has been filed and a public hearing set for the summer. The project is mixed-use and is being done by Clark, with a few partners including National Amusements theatre co. which owns the land-the existing theater will be completely rebuilt, with new residential and retail added into the mix.

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Vienna, Va.: Hi Alec!

I really enjoyed your article, and I plan on discussing your analysis with our county supervisor, Ms. Hudgins, at an upcoming budget meeting.

Have you heard any feedback from the supervisors that you noted in the article? I am curious because it seems so foolish to dismiss the Poplar development, particularly in light of Metro West.

Instead of another opportunity for singles and families to live near a metro for under $750K, now there will be $1.1M-$2.5M McMansions. Great. Way to go, Fairfax County!

washingtonpost.com: 'Smart Growth' Is a Matter Of Opinion in Fairfax County (Post, March 5)

Alec MacGillis: Thanks for the note. I haven't had a chance to speak with the supervisors yet, but I know that what they would probably tell you is that there simply wasn't the public support for Poplar Terrace. MetroWest was fairly unpopular as it was, and Poplar Terrace was even more given that it was further from the station and that there was a concern about whether there'd be enough infrastructure for it, following on MetroWest. The fact was, a task force appointed by Sup. Smyth voted resoundingly against the Poplar Terrace proposal. It's true she didn't appear to find some middle ground with the developer, but one could argue she was simply honoring the public will and the process that's laid out for these kind of applications. A lot of this boils down to the question of political will, which I hope to pursue more in the future.

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Manssas, Va.: What does it matter if there is a market for small scale housing if folks keep buying it? If there is any collective interest in smaller housing it's not being driven from the actual consumers but from folks who feel pushed out by someone with deeper pockets.

Government is not, and should not be made to dictate how the land is to be used(maybe in China). If you don't like it how your community is changing there are options (move). Just because you bought you house 10 years ago when it was a quaint little street doesn't mean you have the right to impose your version of community on others. If McManion is not what you like look elsewhere, problem is in fact what most folks want. (or is wouldn't be happening)

Alec MacGillis: That's a good point, and one I've heard from some developers. But I've also heard from some developers that government regulations are in some cases keeping them from building some of the smaller, more accessible housing --it's become difficult, for instance, to get garden apartments approved these days under existing zoning rules in many places. There may be a demand for them, but rules may be keeping that demand from being met.

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Orange line, Va.: The vacant condos on the Vienna metro north side just barely sold out in the last year, taking years to sell out. The new 'retirement condos' on the metro south side have been on the market forever and aren't selling. Now this 'smart growth' plan comes along and the demand still isn't there. Clearly tax revenue is the county's only desire in promoting this 'smart growth' project regardless of the other smokescreen arguments they try to use.

Alec MacGillis: That's interesting -- I'll have to look into that. I wonder how much of that's a price issue, the cooling of the condo market, versus a basic demand for housing in that location. It will definitely be interesting to see how the cooling of the market affects all these issues -- we hear so much about the need for more housing in the area, yet there's also talk about a developing surfeit in some parts of the market. How do these two factors balance out? We'll see.

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Burke, Va.: Why do the Vienna folks think that their lives will change that much if these projects go forward with high density? The Wilson Blvd corridor is vibrant and full of life because the new wave of residents brought with them an appetite for life. The best part is you can leave the car behind and walk. Don't be scared, Vienna!!

Alec MacGillis: This is one of the big questions out there. It is very true that Wilson Blvd has less traffic than areas further out, and that traffic density hasn't increased with population increases in Arlington, due in great part to the Metro stations there -- I live near there, so I'm well aware of that. Proponents of transit-oriented development in Fairfax often point to that -- the fact that Lee Highway, for instance, gets much more clogged once you hit Fairfax. Others would argue though that you'll never have that positive, traffic-reducing effect in Fairfax because the Metro stations are so much further apart, that the potential effects of Metro and Metro development are much more diffuse. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

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Re: Orange Line: The reason those condos haven't sold is because they cost too much to be considered affordable housing.

Alec MacGillis: Interesting. Well, we'll have to see whether the market works its magic over time and whether developments like those around Metro actually become more affordable and start to meet some of the workforce housing needs in the area.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Are you and the "walk that far" poster saying that anyone who lives in a little house within walking distance of Metro and already walks to Metro should have to sell to a developer so their home can be demolished and a high-rise put on the spot? Add the other "light" rail plans afoot, and the wrecking contractors will have a bonanza!

Alec MacGillis: Good point. It's true that plenty of the single family homeowners near Metro don't want to bought out, no matter how much money is being offered. There are several folks in Poplar Terrace at Vienna who didn't want any part of the assemblage there. Plenty of their neighbors seem to have decided, though, that it's time for them to move on, if the price is right. Some planners would argue that the most stable neighborhoods near Metro don't have to worry about being forced out simply because most people in those neighborhoods won't want to leave.

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Housing Choice: With almost all of the housing provided by the private market serving the high end (large, expensive condos), wouldn't transit stations in Fairfax be the ideal location for the county to provide incentives for developers to build more modest housing? Is the County doing anything to make this happen?

Alec MacGillis: That's a good point, and one I hope to look into further -- just what governments are doing and can do more of to encourage accessible housing. (Believe me, I have a bit of a personal bias here, as a renter who can't come close to affording most of anything in the area for my family these days. Not that I'm letting that color the reporting, of course.) Fairfax officials do seem to be thinking hard about this, though there's been relatively little as far as incentives go so far. Until now, developers of highrise housing have even been exempt from the requirement to set aside some 'affordable' units in their projects. At the condos going in at Tysons II, the developer recently told the county he'd be building much larger, higher end units than originally planned, and there was nothing the county could really do to stop him.

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Arlington, Va.: "Retirement Condos" not selling when located right next to a metro station? Doesn't this appear to be phenomenally poor planning? Let's put condos for those who are less likely to need to commute into the district right next to a key metro stop. Brilliant. I'd bet that if they weren't marketed as retirement condos, they'd sell out in a week.

Alec MacGillis: Interesting point, which others have also made about such 'age restricted' housing. The fact is, though, that such housing is more palatable to surrounding residents because the older folks bring fewer schoolchildren and are expected to take fewer car trips on local roads. But are they taking full advantage of the transit? Good question.

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Friendship Heights: With 20,000 riders a day passing thru some of the end of the line stations like Vienna and Shady Grove and most of them driving to the stations why doesn't Metro make a concerted effort to provide day to day retail so those riders can keep their driving to a minimum once they leave the station and just go straight home?

I am thinking dry cleaners, video rental store, drugstore, grocery store, daycare maybe post office.

Shouldn't transit oriented development think in broader terms about taking pressure off suburban roadways?

Alec MacGillis: Excellent point. There is a need for such retail opportunities and that's why the developers of new housing near transit have been encouraged to include retail in their projects. There is a concern about some area residents though that the retail will be built at the tail end of the projects, too late to make a real difference.

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Annandale, Va.: There are more and more condos being put on the market and the supply of single professionals is not endless. Could it be possible that there is simply less and less demand for condos. P.S. Why would a single person want to live out in Vienna instead of Arlington.

Alec MacGillis: That is another good question lurking in the whole debate about the further reaches of the Metro system, including Tysons. Just how many younger folks actually want to live that far out? That may be a reason why some of the landowners at Tysons are wary of building too much housing there.

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Mason Neck, Va.: Has the County adjusted its development plans now that Fort Belvoir will be expanding its military services? Is the County planning to release any thoughts on how to expand commuter options in South County to provide access to Belvoir from surrounding areas?

Are there any plans for more robust housing development in Mason Neck or the old prison property?

Alec MacGillis: The county is definitely wracking its brain to figure out how to deal with the influx of people coming into south county with BRAC, and expansions of Metro and bus lines is a big part of that. One big challenge, though, is figuring out where people are coming from -- people are coming from a widely dispersed area and it'll be hard to pick up a lot of them with transit. As for housing in that area, there does seem to be a lot of activity, which is something I hope to look at in the near future.

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Alexandria, Va.: RE Silver Spring

Yeah but then these "small home near metro" people forfeit their right to gripe about traffic. It's the whole greater good for the greatest number.

The region is in major flux with old time residents strenuously resisting the late 90s boom. That I think is driving the majority of the problems.

Alec MacGillis: You've hit the nail on the head. A lot of people simply didn't plan on any of this density when they moved where they did in Fairfax or other mid range suburbs. On the one hand, you can argue that their homes aren't the most efficient use of space now; on the other, it is their homes, so one can't just cast them out on the basis of pure planning theory, as Fairfax Chairman Gerry Connolly hinted at in the story Sunday. It's a tough situation.

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Fairfax, Va.: Excellent article. I agree that the county should be more flexible. But I don't hear enough about making the area more pedestrian and biker friendly. There will be more bikers with more people living close. I live about 6 miles from the Vienna Station and often ride my bike. There's not enough bike racks and they are in need of repair. When the whether gets nicer, there's bikes are stacked all over the place.

Alec MacGillis: Kudos for you for managing the trip. Based on what I've seen driving around the area, it takes courage to be biking these roads. But you and another poster make a good point, that one is much more likely to get people out of their cars on the way to Metro if the trip's made as pleasant as possible. A nice half mile walk is as doable as a more unpleasant quarter mile one.

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Washington, D.C.: Why would a single person want to live out in Vienna instead of Arlington? Because they work there. Fairfax is going to have to increase its density sooner or later because the county decided, some decades ago, to turn itself into a jobs center. You're a city or a suburb. Can't have it both ways.

Alec MacGillis: Exactly. That's the hope for housing at Tysons, that certain types of people will live where they work, and walk to the office. But there still seems to be some doubt that enough people will actually want to do that -- i.e., like in a condo built on top of the hall or up against Route 7, versus living closer in to the city or the more urban suburbs.

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Arlington, Va.: Some of this discussion has been about walking to the metro so I thought I'd chime in with my situation. I live in Arlington on Lee HWY, 0.6 miles from Clarendon Metro and 0.8 miles from Courthouse. Between the bus that runs down Lee Hwy to go to Rosslyn and the two metros I end up driving only on the weekends. A mile or less is a reasonable walk to a metro station and if the appropriate bus systems are in place then that gives people another option to getting to the metro.

Alec MacGillis: Howdy, neighbor. I'm in the exact same spot and enjoy the 10 minute walk to Clarendon, even though it's uphill. The question is, though, just how many people feel similarly inclined. I really need to look into more of the research on this to see just how many people are willing to walk past the quarter mile rule that is so often invoked.

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Annandale, Va.: What are your thoughts on TNDs such as Kentlands in Gaithersburg? Are there more of these types of neighborhoods popping up, and is there a demand for them? It seems that prices in Kentlands are a bit pricier than other communities in Gaithersburg, but I don't see that many other TNDs in the area. Thanks!

Alec MacGillis: I've been curious about this as well, just how successful that model is now seen to be. We all saw with Clarksburg, which was somewhat along the same lines, though obviously not entirely so. What you're seeing a lot of is the 'town center' model of having old-timely retail in the center of the development, but actually extending the pure traditionalism to the design of the housing in the development seems less common. I'll look into this more.

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Falls Church, Va.: I live in Fairfax County near Lake Barcroft and over the last week have seen a lot of red signs on local yards saying "No Density! No Cut Through!" Do you know if these signs concern any planned project or are they just expressions of general distaste with development/redevelopment going on?

Alec MacGillis: I'm not aware of anything underway there, but will look into it. Thanks for the heads up.

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Washington, D.C.: The other elephant in the room is that housing prices, even where growth is dense around metro stations (in fact sometimes especially so), are making it impossible to live anywhere near where you work. There needs to be help for those of us stuck in the middle who make too much for help and not enough to actually afford anything. And, for the person who questioned why people wouldn't walk more than 1/4 mile to the metro, have you tried walking 1/4 of a mile in DC summer heat in business clothing? If you don't have a place to shower at work, you are going to be gross.

Alec MacGillis: You're right, this is emerging as one of the two big issues as far as the side effects to the region's boom goes -- the other being traffic, of course. There are several different ideas out there for how to tackle it, and I hope to look into which approach makes most sense. Some people refer to it as a 'workforce' housing issue, though often that's taken to mean just teachers, police officers, etc. -- it seems like it's an even broader population of employees that's having a tough time, stretching up toward salary ranges one would hardly think of as needing 'affordable housing' help in other circumstances.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Transit-oriented development requires, well, transit. The Orange Line is already near or at capacity during rush hour, and it does not appear Metro has the funds to meet the needs that exist already. How does Fairfax intend to deal with thousands of new residents who can't fir on the trains?

Alec MacGillis: I've had several questions along these lines, and it's a real problem, obviously. Transit oriented development can't be done without stronger, more reliable funding for Metro, and we've seen the trouble that's been having in Richmond. One thing to note, though, is that the new Tysons line will be a separate line, though it'll follow the Orange Line track into the city. So that new ridership won't be added onto the Orange line.

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Springfield, Va.: What have you heard of the new "Midtown Springfield" development. I hear it is going to be like Reston Towne Center. Why isn't the County telling people about this? What are they hiding?

Alec MacGillis: There hasn't been a lot of publicity yet about that project yet but my sense is that the county hasn't been hiding it, because they seem to be quite proud of it and it seems to have been fairly well received by folks in the area there. It'll be a big mixed use project replacing several motels, fast food restaurants, older retail etc. I hope to write about the project sometime in the near future.

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McLean, Va.: Is there any sort of NoVA regional smart growth organization? It seems silly to be looking at smart growth only as a county problem when much of it encompasses 5+ counties.

Alec MacGillis: Very good point. A big problem in the region is the disjointedness of the government efforts to deal with these efforts. There is a body called the Washington Council of Governments that seeks to bring officials together and address some of this stuff, but there's only so much it can do to encourage big picture approaches.

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Gum Springs, Va.: Hi, I am a young professional living just off the Rte 1 corridor near the Fairfax Co. South Government Center. There are a lot of homes being built near me along Rte 1, but at the same time I am seeing little to no improvement in the condition of roads and pedestrian accommodations in the area. Generally the shoulders of the roads have broken glass that has sat for at least a week, and the curbs are degrading and sometimes nonexistent. Furthermore, I can't count the number of times I have been surprised and frustrated by pedestrians in the road at night, until I realize that they have no choice but to be there -- there often is no passable sidewalk or crosswalk in Rte 1. When I look at this situation in contrast to development elsewhere in Fairfax County, it seems that we have been left behind. What are the plans for accommodating increasing traffic and pedestrians in an aesthetically pleasing manner along this corridor from Hybla Valley to Fort Belvoir?

thank you.

Alec MacGillis: Route 1 in SE Fairfax is definitely an area in great flux --there's a lot of high-end housing going in down there now but it's been said there there doesn't seem to a lot of planning in how growth is happening there, so far.

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Arlington, Va., orange line: You are way wrong on this quote:

"One thing to note, though, is that the new Tysons line will be a separate line, though it'll follow the Orange Line track into the city. So that new ridership won't be added onto the Orange line."

But there's only one tunnel to DC, and that's already shared with the blue line.

Start digging....

Alec MacGillis: Good point, my bad. The new line will follow the Orange in VA and then follow the Blue into the city, and the tunnel will be shared. I just wanted to clarify that people won't be getting off the new Tysons line to transfer to the Orange in Falls Church, that the line will continue into the city as its own line.

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Arlington, Va.: I am a young professional who rents instead of owning because housing prices are too high, mostly due to a paucity of housing in an area with an exploding population. I really resent when people who live in the (not too distant) suburbs complain about how new construction disturbs their bucolic way of life, when their objections to development only serve to keep housing prices artificially high. Why was it okay for their house to be built 10 years ago, but not okay for my (future) house to be built today?

Alec MacGillis: Very touchy question there that gets to the heart of a lot of these debates. This is the battle that's going on and it's going to continue into the future, moving steadily outward.

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Woodstock, Va.: This is a little out of your area but I was wondering if you plan any articles about the rapid development occurring in the Shenandoah Valley. We face unique challenges (most people rely on wells and septics). We could benefit from what NoVa has experienced.

Alec MacGillis: We definitely plan to look at what's going on with development much further out, since it's driven by what's going on closer in. Prince William officials estimate that two-thirds of the cars clogging the I-66/29 interchange are coming from beyond Prince William, from Culpeper, etc.

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Fairfax, Va.: Re poster who thinks it's dumb to put retirement housing near Metro. I expect that when I get older and my vision is worse, I may not feel good about driving a lot, especially at night or in bad weather, and easily accessible public transportation will become MUCH more important to me than it is now. Think it through, please, before writing it off!!!

Alec MacGillis: That's certainly true--there are plenty in that age range who will make great use of the Metro. I guess the question is, though, why that opportunity should be reserved only for them.

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Chantilly, Va.: The premise of "smart growth" for Fairfax County is seriously flawed when observing the reality on the ground today. Smart growth implies advance planning prior to development and County officials have largely missed the boat over the years (schools surrounded by trailers and road jammed and overused, etc.). Fixing a lack of planning for roads and schools and other infrastructure problems is the immediate and very costly problem facing us. Continued unfettered development with no planning will only further aggravate the problem.

Alec MacGillis: That's a very good point, and one I'll end on for today. The fact is that a lot of the problems that Fairfax and other suburbs are struggling with today extend back to much earlier decisions -- in the case of Fairfax, those would include the decisions to run the Metro along I-66 and what one might describe as a lack of clear forethought at Tysons. So everyone's living with those decisions now and trying to make the best of things but there's only so much that can be done in some cases. This is what I'll be trying to tackle in future stories. Thanks a lot for tuning in and for the great questions and comments, which have given me much more to work with.

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Alec MacGillis: I should have mentioned: my email is macgillisa@washpost.com and my office number is 703-383-5108. I'm sorry not to have gotten to all the great questions, but feel free to contact me in the future with any other thoughts or leads.

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