The first major development project for the newly reimagined Tysons Corner has started to move through the county's approval process even though, after years of planning, the county and the developers are still not sure who is going to pay for the $1.6 billion in road work the area is going to need.
The county planning commission will vote Wednesday on zoning for the development, a 30-year plan with 300-foot-tall buildings, about 2,000 residential units and ground-level retail.
The commission had delayed the vote after its last meeting Sept. 8 to give the county time to consider concerns raised by residents, including the development costs that will be shouldered by the county.
"They should really pay for all of the infrastructure if they want the development, not the taxpayers," said Thomas Cranmer, a Fairfax County resident and candidate for the county's soil and water conservation district board.
Tysons Corner is slated to be a public-private partnership, though how much will be public and private is something the County Board of Supervisors asked the Planning Commission to figure out.
Supervisor Pat Herrity, R-Springfield, said it's a big mistake to approve development before planning transportation.
"That's like what we're getting over in Mark Center. It's kind of putting the cart before the horse," he said. "We solved every social ill in Tysons Corner except for transportation. Really, the lack of a transportation plan is a sin in my book."
But Chairman Sharon Bulova, D-at large, said the developer in the first round of zoning, the Georgelas Group, is exceeding the county's expectations, agreeing to a special tax district for infrastructure and paying for an extension of Greensboro Drive. The Georgelas application is more than ready for the green light, Bulova said, because it was used as an example of how Tysons should develop when the board approved the comprehensive plan.
"I think in this economy if we have someone who wishes to build something in Tysons Corner close to or adjacent to our new rail station, I think it's important that we work in good faith with them," Bulova said. "It will be a great economic development benefit to Fairfax County."
