Tysons Corner plan wins approval

A plan for transforming Tysons Corner in northern Virginia into a walkable, mixed-use center won official approval from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in June after seven years of debate, discussion, and design. “It’s going to set a national example,” said Stewart Schwartz of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, which has long been involved in efforts to overhaul and urbanize that traffic-choked suburban “edge city.”

Barbara Byron, director of Fairfax County Revitalization, said four planned Metro rail stops will function as bull’s-eyes for development; the densest uses will be closest to the trains. Roughly 18,000 people currently live in Tysons Corner, and nearly 125,000 work there. If the plan achieves its goals, eventually 100,000 will live in Tysons and employment will grow by 75,000, yet congestion will decrease because vehicle trips will drop by as much as 65 percent, The Connection newspapers reported.