U r b a n T r e k k e r

MetroWest is Back!

Fairfax Times reports that the MetroWest project, a mixed-use development up by Vienna Metro, that was approved in 2006 - is back on the table. This time there's plus and minus for this project asked by developer, Pulte Homes. Instead of more apartment units, because of market shifts, Pulte wanted to add more offices and drop the number of apartments build. Fairfax County told Pulte: Not so fast. They'll have to redo the transportation study before making the switch.

    

Interactive plan here.

More details about the story here.

--

image: MetroWest

Dulles Metrorail TOD Projects (update)

Real Estate Bisnow Washington reports that Comstock Partners planned to build two TOD projects, Reston Station and Loudoun station, both slated along Dulles metrorail corridor. Comstock plan to build Reston Station on top of the 2,300 parking garage over at Wiehle Ave. stop. They've received the development rights but still have to secure rezoning and get site plan approval sometime in 2011. 

The second project, Loudoun Station is a-50 acre mixed-use project at the Silver line last stop, at route 722, connecting Dulles airport and Loudoun county. This one has been rezoned and approved for 3.5M SF that will have 1,500 apartments, 320,000 SF retails, entertainment, a hotel and offices.

[via Real Estate Bisnow DC]

images: Loudoun Station

Zoning Key to Creating Sustainable Communities

World Changing had this 3-min video, Built to Last, posted on their site. Built to Last is the winner of Congress New Urbanism video contest. Think citizens involvement is very important to zoning. With proper zoning (hmm..) we can have walkable, sustainable communities.

The outstanding 3-minute video asks the question “What’s the greatest threat to our planet?” and shows how reimagining our cities and suburbs to be sustainable and walkable will cut carbon emissions, commutes and calories. "When it comes to saving the planet, what we build is the greatest threat…or the greatest hope," say the filmmakers in Built to Last.

Our communities are not built to last according to this clip, because of urban sprawling, and cul-de-sacs make it worse! And I am so glad that Virginia DOT  finally comes to terms with "banning cul-de-sacs" (though not banned outright, at least discourage the development of new ones). Around my hood alone, there's more than 3 cul-de-sacs - in the tiny hood. Add that to the whole county collection of dead-end. Sheesh...

Businessmen Urge Creation of Special Tax District for Dulles Phase 2

Herndon businessmen catches on Dulles fever. With $77 million stimulus funds coming online for construction of Wiehle Ave. Metro stop project, businessmen representing Herndon don't want to miss out an opportunity for local metro stops. 

Phase 2 will run from Wiehle Avenue to Ashburn in eastern Loudoun County. A construction date has not been set for the extension that will serve Reston Town Center, Herndon, Dulles Airport, Route 606 and Ashburn. [Dulles metrorail]

Last week, Herndon businessmen urge strongly the creation of special tax district as funding mechanism to support local rail stops at Reston Town Center, Herndon-Monroe, and Center for Innovative Technology, via the Observer.

The proposed tax district would be self-imposed on commercial property owners in an area bordering the Dulles Toll Road from Wiehle Avenue, where the first phase of rail to Dulles will end, and the Loudoun County border. In order to enact such a tax district, Fairfax County must approve the district, the Herndon Town Council must approve the district, and 51 percent of all commercial landowners in the district must approve the tax. But in addition to those requirements, Ritchey said, landowners will need to have incentives to redevelop their properties at higher densities if they can be expected to voluntarily tax themselves to fund the rail stations. Ritchey said the first tax district, which was put in place to fund the phase one stations in Tysons Corner and Wiehle Avenue, was simpler because there were fewer landowners in the first district and because much of the land was under-developed. Landowners were eager to fund the rail stations because they knew they would be able to develop their land at a higher value than if there were no rail stations The stakes are high for Herndon. Without the special tax district to help fund the local stops, MWAA (Airport Authority) will rail out to Dulles airport without Reston Town, Herndon-Monroe, and CIT.

Columbia Pike Streetcar and Baileys Crossroads Prelim. Study

Information gathered via Fairfax County Planning and Zoning  department on preliminary concept for Baileys Crossroads redevelopment is linked with the coming of Columbia Pike streetcar project in Arlington. The streetcar terminus at South Jefferson Street in Fairfax county. Essentially this streetcar connects Pentagon (Arlington) and Baileys Crossroads/ Skyline area in Fairfax.

Closer look at the proposed route for Columbia Pike streetcar.

At the end of Arlington route at Columbia Pike, street car continues up almost to the end of South Jefferson Street which is essentially border with Skyline.

This map shows proposed area of redevelopment on Fairfax's side.

Basically, the county agrees with most of the recommendation made by Urban Land Institute plus county's own proposed concentration of highest density within 1/8 mi. of the streetcar stops, pedestrian connection, and exploring various configurations for the streetcar operations facility.

There are 2 final concepts on the table for Baileys redevelopment:

1. Town Center

Proposed planning study includes reconfiguration of land use to include mixed-use (4 to 10 floors), residential and neighborhood retail types, townhomes, small apartments, big box retailers, industrial flex (warehouse?), open space and civic place. It's a more compact density for residential.

For larger view, click here.

2. Transit Oriented Development

A little bit different than above, larger lot set aside for street cars operation (6 acres) with parks vs. open space (above) and lower residential density.

For larger view here.

More details here..

Weekly Real Estate News Roundup

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Home Sales Springing

Spring buying season typically starts in February, and the resulting increase in demand traditionally causes prices to strengthen, and that’s exactly what happened this February as transaction counts increased month-over-month in 22 of the nation’s 25 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) tracked byRadar Logic. Home prices also improved in nine MSAs, compared to just six MSAs in February 2008.

Home price index up 0.7% in Feb.; foreclosures hit 4 states hardest
Prices of single-family homes rose by a seasonally adjusted 0.7% in February from January but were down 6.5% from a year earlier, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) said Wednesday.

Foreclosures' influence on appraisals
Q: I want to get my home appraised but there have been only foreclosures and short sales lately in my neighborhood. I can't see how an appraiser can produce enough "comps" to accurately determine my home's true market value. What are your thoughts?
-- William P.

Existing-home sales fall 3% in March
Sales are down 7.1% in the past year, the National Association of Realtors said in its monthly report. The sales pace in March was the third lowest of this cycle.

Going Green in the Kitchen and Bath by Reusing
Clients are often worried about staying within their budget when creating a customhouse plan that is green, and the kitchen and baths can often be the biggest budget busters.

As More Homes Fall Underwater, Trapped Americans Cannot Migrate
Not that we have a robust job market, but one of the trends for many years has been the ability of Americans to easily move across the country when need be as certain geographies went into state or regional recessions while others held up.

Option ARM Loans Turn into Nightmares
Entrepreneur Michael Bissell worries about losing his business, his house, or both. His 10-year-old Web design firm in Portland, Ore., is struggling as customers fall behind on their bills.

101 Kitchen Design
No matter how cozy your living room or den, the kitchen is usually the heart of a home. Whether you use yours to reenact Iron Chef or simply to zap a TV dinner, you'll find helpful how-tos and insightful predictions in this month's kitchen design primer.

ADDITIONAL NEWS FROM AROUND METRO DC REGION

• Virginia adopts innovative smart street rules [Switchboard]
• Dulles Line Won't Be Finished Until 2016 [Washington Post]
• Fenty announces Smartbike Super-Expansion [WashCycle]
• Capitol Quarter Workforce Lottery: First Settlements [JDLand]
• EPA Towers Face Uncertain Future [SWDC]
• Hybrids pay half to park on Friday [Wash BizJournal]
• The 18th Century Puzzle [Washington Home & Garden]
• How to Deal with Your Empty, Bum-Attracting Neighborhood School [Housing Complex]
• Here Comes the Neighborhood [Herndon Connection]
• Business Community Trumps Localities in Tax Tussle [Sun Gazette]
• County Officials to Revamp Home-Purchase-Assistance Program [Arlington Gazette]

Poisoned Waters: Frontline

Happy Earth Day!

I watched this fascinating documentary on PBS last night.  There's a part in this documentary film that takes us to Arlington and Fairfax counties, where Hedrick Smith, Pulitzer Prize winning journalists interviews smart growth expert, county executive about land-use planning.

The biggest problem in major cities is the storm water runoff, via Frontline.

Smith reveals that some of today's greatest pollution threats stem from urban sprawl and overdevelopment, as new housing and commercial developments send contaminated stormwater into rivers and bays, polluting local drinking-water supplies.

It's a wake up call for everybody. View the full program here. (If you have problem viewing, here is the link to the site.)

NRDC: Smart Growth Fairfax

NRDC has this cool 'Picturing Smart Growth' tool to help you visualize the possibilities, which is virtually unlimited - if there's a will. It has a featured scenarios for a couple different places in the U.S. for example transforming a wasted space to a gathering space in Honolulu. Then there's this Memphis neighborhood that can be transformed into a more pedestrian friendly hood, and more.

So I play around with the tool to see what the possibilities are for our area in Fairfax. Here are clips to help you visualize the possibilities for this specific local area of Fairfax, which currently is a typical strip development.

This is what the existing site looks like: plain strip development with nothing in it.

Visualize the same development with solar roofs.

How about green roofs? Urban infill with new side street and trees. There's more to see here in Fairfax...

Take a look at your own community to see what else can locals do to help create and build sustainable communities here and across the country. Uhm, think the possibilities are endless.

CROSSPOSTED at Talking Green

Outside In Springfield Town Center

aerial view of existing Springfield mall looking east with I-95 in background

The vision is to revitalize Springfield mall to be comparable to Tysons Corner mall. Tysons is the benchmark! Kind of an extreme makeover for the mall. It will be a big transformation for the 80-acre aging mall. The company that owns the mall, Vornado, wanted to create a pedestrian friendly urban place with dog park, playground, fitness trail, courtyards. It will be a mixed-use community with mall, hotel, office, and residential.

Central Park and main entrance

The transformation converts the closed-in mall for outside in design concept. This is how the outside in look concept of the new mall, via Fairfax Times.

Shops will face outward. Large windows will bring more light inside. Meanwhile, outside will be dotted with courtyards and small parks connected by wide walking and biking trails.

Here's what is in store for the new town center:

• Bringing the mall from 1.8 mil SF to a total of 2 mil SF.
• A new 225-room hotel above retail.
• A TOD with 2,200 homes in southeast corner of mall close to Franconia-Springfield metro and VRE station.
• 1.1 mil sf of office space.
• Open green space.
• Wide pedestrian paths and bike lanes.
• Rec facility, i.e. children's play areas, outdoor courts, farmers market, etc.

It's a great concept! Considering what they have now: A sprawling burb with unfriendly intersections. Oh..and cars. A transformation from an unhealthy to healthy living style?

This will be a multi-year, multi-phase project begin in Spring 2009 and expected opening for the mall in 2010. The mall project will be broken down to two phases: * Phase I-for internal mall modifications, * Phase-2 for external construction of shops, offices, residential buildings and traffic improvement. Info on the website pointed to how long redevelopment of commercial and residential will take place - some 10-15 years or maybe longer.

Wouldn't it be nice one day - if and when the construction of HOT lanes completed - you can shuttle back and forth between Springfield and Tysons malls via mass transit.

RENDERINGS

pedestrian plaza

image: outdoor dining

image: movie theater

For more "BEFORE and AFTER" below the fold....

::

Links:

Springfield Mall: A Mega Fixer-Upper [South County Chronicle]

Extreme Makeover [Fairfax Times]

Bypassed for Army jobs, Springfield pins hopes on Mall's renewal [Washington Post]

images: via Springfield Town Center

Baltimore is 'Greener' than Washington DC

Yep, that's right. It's not a typo. What kind of green city is DC? According to 2008 U.S. City Sustainability rankings released by SustainLane, overall Baltimore ranks number 10 (an improvement from ranking 11 from 2006) and Washington DC ranks number 15 (a drop from ranking 12). The most green city in the nation is Portland. It takes Portland's city planners at least 30 years to make the city green. By implementing urban density growth boundary, strict land-use policies, and density.

Why rank green cities, via SustainLane.

The rankings explain how people’s quality of life and city economic and management preparedness are likely to fare in the face of an uncertain future. 

These indicators gauge, for instance, which cities’ public transit, renewable energy, local food, and development approaches are most likely to either limit or intensify the negative economic and environmental impacts of fossil fuel dependence.

Rankings by category in competition with 49 other major cities:

City commuting - #1. Interesting stats: DC has the second-highest use of public transit, walk-to-work and bike-to-work ratings, and carpool.

Green building - #2. Washington DC has 184 registered and 23 certified LEED building as of end of 2007.

Metro street congestion - #45. DC is among the five most 'congested' cities in the U.S. We know that. Just check the news in the morning and afternoon for the intensity of traffic pattern and you'll get the idea. This has something to do with housing affordability (#40). More people lives in the burbs than in the city.

Air quality - #30 (right after Baltimore #29). Do we need more regs on 'air quality?' Since EPA HQ is here. This is pathetic.

Green economy - #20. The grass is greener in Portland - number 1 in ranking - with its highest rate of farmers markets, green buildings, and numerous local green biz.

City innovation - ranking number 12 - along with other cities of Dallas, TX; Tucson, Phoenix, AZ; Denver, CO; and Oakland, CA. Innovation from the perspective of its run on green money, i.e. green purchase, green buildings, residential green incentives, carpooling, and car-sharing whether it's public or private.

Energy and climate change - #23. Based on greenhouse gas emission, renewable energy use, alternative fuel use, and economic competitiveness the cities of Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, and Seattle score the highest points.

Housing affordability - #40. Housing prices over here is far affordable than in the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland - all in California. Plus New York. Altogether.

Metro ridership - #7. New York still holds the lead as the city with the highest percentage of public transit use.

Waste management -#30. Baltimore score much better than DC -ranking #12. For diversion of solid waste, the cities of San Francisco, San Jose, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Fresno - all divert more than 60% of total waste from city landfills through recycling, green waste and composting.

Planning and Land-use - #24. Baltimore again beats DC - ranking #18. They look at data for park percentage per total city land, cities pedestrian and bicycle access and planning, transit oriented development (TOD), and regional planning. In this case, NYC came out strong for number 1.

Tap water quality - #40. Washington DC is on the 'endangered' list of cities with poor tap water quality. Tell me about it. If you live in Kansas City, you get the best water quality - according to Sustain Lane "..it has no recorded pollutants when tested."

Water supply - #21. Apparently, DC has a mixed results. Baltimore (#15) has more fresh, drinkable water supply than us here.

Read the full story here.

CROSSPOSTED at TALKING GREEN