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Some News on Fairfax Boulevard/Rt. 50:

From the Washington Post:

Re-Imagining Fairfax Boulevard

Pedestrian Features Envisioned for Aging Strip to Keep Its Commercial Pull

By Kim Hart

Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, March 1, 2007; Page VA01

Traffic-laden Fairfax Boulevard, 3 1/2 miles of dated strip malls, motels and car dealerships, would become a walkable business district designed to attract a blend of shops, offices and restaurants, under a plan emerging in Fairfax City.

Officials and a group of business owners are envisioning the transformation of the stretch, which runs through the heart of the city, saying that revamping it is necessary to maintain its commercial appeal.

City planners and developers recently began putting together a master plan for the area around Fairfax Boulevard, which doubles as Route 50 and Lee Highway. The process will heat up this month with community events to get input from residents, property owners and business owners about what the street should look like.

"There has been very little commercial development around the area," said David Hudson, director of community development and planning for the city. Sprucing up Fairfax Boulevard is necessary, he said, "so it is attractive and continues to grow as an economic engine."

The retail occupancy rate along the corridor is about 95 percent, meaning there is little room for new businesses. About 80 percent of the retail space is more than 25 years old, according to the city's planning department.

A number of the buildings along the well-traveled route date to the 1950s, when the area's first shopping centers were built. The stretch became a commercial hub, with a hodgepodge of businesses rising during the following four decades.

But business growth leveled off about 20 years ago. Nestled between residential neighborhoods and a congested highway system, the road became less of a shopping destination and more of a shortcut from one end of the city to the other. Efforts to create a uniform appearance have been thwarted because many of the buildings are spread out and surrounded by parking lots.

Newer business districts have cropped up just outside the Fairfax City limits. Fairfax Corner, Fairlakes and Merrifield Town Center, for example, have attracted tenants that, some local business owners fear, are bypassing Fairfax Boulevard. And businesses outside the city don't contribute to its tax base.

"These new developments all the way around the city are ones that city residents will use -- and we'll certainly be affected by traffic to these developments -- yet the city doesn't get many of the benefits," Hudson said.

The redevelopment effort began in July 2005, when the City Council renamed that portion of Lee Highway Fairfax Boulevard to strengthen the area's identity. The council then chose 18 people -- all owners of businesses along the strip -- to direct a business improvement district, known as the Fairfax Boulevard Partnership, charged with coming up with a master plan for its redevelopment.

The project is an extension of other center-city renovations, including a shift in traffic patterns, designed to make the city more modern and pedestrian-friendly.

To help defray the expenses of the plan, an additional tax has been assessed on all business and landowners within the district, which stretches from Pickett Road, just east of Fairfax Circle, to Kamp Washington just beyond Jermantown Road.

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I guess all that development in Falls Church is paying off:

From the Falls Church News Press:

New Mixed Use Projects Rocket F.C. Commercial Property Values by 13%

Surge May Soften City Manager Budget Prognosis Due Monday

Eyeballs were popping around the Falls Church City Hall last week when officials started looking at City Assessor Mel Peterson

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What a beautiful Saturday! Took some photos of development in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. I've been here 4 years, and the pace of development hasn't slowed a bit. It's remarkable. I hope our freshly elected county government remembers to plant some trees between new projects.

Waterview project in Rosslyn:

ArlingtonMarch2007016.jpg

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Almost next door to the Waterview, foundational construction is beginning on the 27-story Turnberry Tower project:

ArlingtonMarch2007006.jpg

The WRIT property, also in Rosslyn:

ArlingtonMarch2007020.jpg

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Arlington Country Govt. buildings in Courthouse:

ArlingtonMarch2007025.jpg

Density and development in Clarendon:

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Washington and Lee High School is being totally redone; that's the new 5-story main building going up on the other side of the sports field:

ArlingtonMarch2007043.jpg

Ballston density and development:

ArlingtonMarch2007042.jpg

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The Liberty Center II project in Ballston:

ArlingtonMarch2007053.jpg

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Liberty Center will end up looking something like this:

libertycenteroverhead.jpg

Finally, a photo a few years old, but one that really illustrates the Corridor's density:

84377649_ebf534835b_b.jpg

Thank you Jason Hawkes, for taking that one.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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  • 4 weeks later...

^That kinda sucks, i hoped it was maybe a community center or a public building of some kind, but the layout of the way they are landscaping it does suggest a subdivision...

BTW, anyone know whats going on with the new burke library? They built a parking lot and then they just stopped and havent done anything for like 4 months.

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Arlington County Board Approves Key Rosslyn Development

Central Place will be built "green," include public observation deck, public plaza

ARLINGTON, VA -- The Arlington County Board today approved Central Place -- two towers (30 and 31 stories) in the heart of Rosslyn, directly across from the Rosslyn Metro, that are key to the effort to redefine the neighborhood

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I'm confused about the concerns of the FAA. Planes currenlty make their approaches and departures from DCA over the Potomac River. It seems to me that these buildings should not be a problem for the FAA since the planes are far enough away from the proposed towers for safe operations.

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Does anyone even use that airport? :D

I usually go out of my way to use DCA because it is extremely convenient. BWI often has cheaper fares, but that means a trip on the MARC train or a shuttle. I avoid Dulles like the plague simply because it is in the middle of nowhere. A taxi trip to Dulles usually renders any savings on the airline ticket meaningless. DCA has lots of flights to just about any domestic destination. It's also a beautiful airport.

Edited by tombarnes
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^That was an interesting article. But I wonder what gives the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor in particular that certain draw, and not other areas? Does affordability, when compared to some of these other areas (e.g., Georgetown, Capitol Hill, etc.), play a significant role?

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That's really good news that central place got approved, but they still have to clear the FAA, right?

Ive been tracking the progress of National Gateway, and their website is pretty much complete chaos when it comes to renderings and what the actual current designs are...Anyone know which design is the most current?

Heres the website: http://www.nationalgatewayarlington.com/ I really hope the design on the home page is the final one!

Also, a new office building is u/c in shirlington, Randolph Square. I think its ok, i would like something less art-deco-y, but its modern enough for me!

http://www.monumentrealty.com/properties/r...ilding.asp?id=2

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