The proposed bus rapid transit route in Fairfax County, VA. (Photo: Fairfax County)
This week, Fairfax County, VA’s Board of Supervisors approved a new land use plan for the Richmond Highway corridor. The corridor will eventually be served by a 7.5-mile bus rapid transit (BRT) route extending south from the Huntington Metro Station in the Washington, DC area. The BRT line will run primarily in the median with high frequencies between nine planned stations.
The new land use plan will support changes along the corridor to enhance active transportation and preserve (or restore) open space. Some buried streams will be “daylighted” and a new system of continuous parks will be “integrated with streets and buildings.” Planners are calling these features “livability and ecological spines.” The new land use plan also sets the stage for two new Metro stations that would extend the yellow line past its current terminus at Huntington, better integrating the BRT route with the existing transit system.
It’s hoped that existing strip and suburban development along the corridor will redevelop into transit-oriented business centers around the BRT stations that better reflect their environment. These centers will be the focal points for 18,000 new housing units and 8.5 million square feet of retail and office space along the corridor.
For more information on the corridor or its planning, this interactive map shows each of the planned station areas and gives details on where the pathways between the business centers will exist.
This corridor plan aimed at active transportation and ecological balance will enhance healthier transportation options in the region. For more information about and examples of healthy corridors, check out the TOD Resource Center for health impact assessments in St. Paul and Houston.
Recent TOD news
Here are a few things that have been happening this week with TOD projects across the country.
- To make room for streetcar, cars should be banned in South Lake Union (The Seattle Times)
- Atlanta BeltLine tax district won’t mandate affordable housing (Reporter Newspapers)
- A bold plan to build more housing in California near transit (The New York Times)
- Harrisburg Pennsylvania’s station redevelopment and master plan (Penn Live)
- BART seeks developers for a new high rise over station (Bisnow)