Thursday, March 22, 2018

New Development For Richmond Highway

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved its “Embark Richmond Highway” plan on Tuesday, aimed as a catalyst for new development along a 7.5-mile stretch of Route 1 between Huntington and George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. Enlarge The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved its “Embark Richmond Highway” plan on Tuesday, aimed as a catalyst for new development along a 7.5-mile stretch of Route 1 between Huntington and George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. COURTESY FAIRFAX COUNTY IN THIS ARTICLE Commercial Real Estate Industry Government & Regulations Industry Residential Real Estate Industry By Drew Hansen – Digital Editor, Washington Business Journal Mar 21, 2018, 8:11am EDT Updated a day ago A stretch of Richmond Highway in southern Fairfax County known for shabby motels and other aging commercial development is poised for a major overhaul that could quadruple the area’s population. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved its “Embark Richmond Highway” plan on Tuesday, aimed as a catalyst for new development along a 7.5-mile stretch of Route 1 between Huntington and George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. The plan calls for widening Route 1 for additional lanes and to accommodate bus rapid transit running primarily in the middle of the roadway between the Huntington Metro station and Fort Belvoir. Supervisors approved more residential development within a half-mile of nine new BRT stations. The plan foresees a maximum of 18,000 housing units and 8.5 million square feet of nonresidential development along the corridor, including offices and hotels. The envisioned high-density, mixed-use development would be clustered in six community business centers around the BRT stations, with the areas of North Gateway, Penn Daw, Beacon-Groveton, Hybla Valley-Gum Springs, South County and Woodlawn gaining new street grids and approvals for taller buildings. The plan approved Tuesday also supports extending Metro’s Yellow Line south with new stations in the Beacon-Groveton area and in Hybla Valley. It also calls for new bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides of Route 1. According to The Washington Post, county officials say the plan could potentially increase the area’s population to 40,000 — more than four times what it is today. The plan has an estimated $750 million price tag, plus substantial state and federal funding needed for the transportation improvements, according to the Post. “This is an enormously big financial lift for our community,” said Supervisor Jeff McKay, D-Lee District, according to the report. “I’m not interested in having a plan sit on the shelf and collect dust.”

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