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Transforming Tysons From An

Auto Oriented Activity Center

Into a Multi-Modal Center

Martha Coello, Fairfax County DOT

Jeffrey Hermann, Fairfax County DOT

Abi Lerner, VDOT

May 19, 2014

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11 miles to

Downtown DC

11 miles to

Dulles Airport

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ns Early Tysons

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Image source: Fairfax County EDA

Tysons Today

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• Metrorail expansion to

Dulles Airport

• Policy of higher density,

mixed use development

in activity centers

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• Tysons is not sustainable

as exists today

• 17,000 residents to

105,000 jobs

• 167,000 parking spaces

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The Vision

A livable urban center with:

– Transit-oriented

development

– A variety of modes for trip

making

– Fewer parking spaces

– Pedestrian and bicycle

friendly streets

– A defined “sense of place”

throughout Tysons

– Residents to Jobs mix of

100,000/200,000

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ns Grid of Streets

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Tysons Corner – Fairfax County

Rosslyn Ballston Corridor –

Arlington County

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ns Grid of Streets

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• CONCEPTUAL

• Classification

• Block Size

• Implementation

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ns Multi-Modal Network

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Proposed Bicycle Network

Cross Sections

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ns Initial Implementation Issues

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Pedestrian Facilities and Walkability

Streetscape

Bike Lanes and Parking

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ns Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and

Transportation Design Standards for Tysons • Set up to implement the design

standards and address permitting

and maintenance issues

• Developed by Fairfax County and

VDOT with input from numerous

stakeholders

• Purpose

– Develop a platform by which the

Tysons Comprehensive Plan

could be implemented

– Facilitate the provision of

transportation facilities that

accommodate low speed

roadways, pedestrian and bicycle

facilities and transit services

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ns Tysons Memorandum of Agreement –

Responsibilities VDOT

• Review and approve plans using

Tysons Standards

• Accept new streets that conform

to VDOT and Tysons Standards

including phased and stubbed

streets

• Issue permits for work to be

performed on the streets

• Maintain existing and future

streets that have been accepted

into the primary and secondary

system

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Fairfax County

• Ensure that the development is in

conformance with the Tysons

Standards

• Ensure that access rights are

provided on any new street

constructed as a phased or

stubbed street to allow for

maintenance and public safety

vehicles to turn around safely

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ns Tysons MOA – Non-Standard Features • The placement of non-standard features

within the ROW are subject to VDOT

review for safety and operational issues

• Such facilities when approved shall be

subject to the following:

– Non-standard feature should be allowed

only through the issuance of a permit by

VDOT

– Permittee may be Fairfax County or

private developer

– VDOT is not obligated to construct,

install, operate, maintain or replace any

such feature

– Features will be operated and

maintained by the holder of the VDOT

permit

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ns Facilities Not Included in the Standards Employed by

VDOT (Non-Standard Features in Attachment A of MOA) 1. Decorative and ornamental lighting features

2. Decorative and ornamental traffic signals

3. Special landscaping materials, planting beds, raised

planters, street trees, root cell structures, tree cages

and other landscaping materials

4. Special and decorative roadway or sidewalk paving

5. Special drainage features, underground storage

and mechanical vault structures, and innovative

drainage features such as rain gardens

(conceptual graphic examples shown in

Attachment B of the MOA)

6. Special signage such as way finding signs

7. Street furniture such as benches, trash receptacles,

kiosks

8. Bus shelters and other transit related facilities

9. Parking meters

10. Decorative, non-standard retaining walls

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ns Memorandum of Agreement on Urban

Standards for Tysons 1. Functional Classification and Right-of-Way Limits

2. Level of Service Standards

3. Design and Operating Speeds

4. Access Management

5. Lane Widths and On-Street Parking

6. Median Islands and Center Turn Lanes

7. Turn Lane Lengths

8. Horizontal Radius

9. Length of Vertical Curve

10. Design and Control Vehicles

11. Driveway Widths

12. Intersection Sight Distance

13. Multi-Modal Design Characteristics

14. Pedestrian Facilities

15. Bicycle Facilities

16. Utility Placement

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ns Level of Service Standards

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(1) The minimum designated standard for NHS designated streets is D, while the standard in the Tysons

Comprehensive Plan is E. The VDOT District Administrator may accept a lower standard for NHS

routes upon review of an Operational Analysis. Where LOS D/E cannot be achieved, mitigation

measures must be considered. A LOS Waiver is required and is administered by the VDOT District

Administrator.

(2) Where LOS E standard cannot be achieved, mitigation measures must be considered. LOS Waiver is

not required.

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ns Level of Service (LOS) Standards

• The vehicular LOS needs to be

balanced with a high LOS for

walkability, cycling and transit

• The LOS needs to be balanced

with economic development

objectives

• To provide the balance, it is

necessary to apply the tiered

approach where the location

does not meet the LOS

standard

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ns LOS Tiered Approach

1. Analyze the location not meeting the LOS standard providing

aggressive TDM or multi-modal mitigation measures

2. Evaluate whether additional grid links can be constructed

3. Consider temporary traffic mitigation measures

4. Determine whether an acceptable balance has been achieved

between vehicular LOS and pedestrian, cycle and transit mobility

5. If acceptable balance has not been achieved, make land use

adjustments

6. If acceptable balance has not been achieved, consider turn lanes

to improve LOS without seriously compromising pedestrian, transit

and bicycle mobility

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ns Design and Operating Speed

• Tysons uses a modified functional classification

• Design speed is primary control for:

– Minimum intersection sight distance

– Minimum sight distances on horizontal and vertical

curves

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ns Access Management • Existing intersections are exempt

• Intersection spacing represents min and max to help

implement the street grid

• It is very important to plan for Access Management early in the

development process

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ns Design and Control Vehicles for

Designing Street Intersections

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• Design Vehicle is one that must be accommodated without

encroachment into the opposing traffic lane

• The Control Vehicle is:

– Infrequent

– Must be accommodated: • By allowing encroachment into opposing lanes or

• Minor encroachment into the streetside area or

• As a last option multiple-point turns of vehicle

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ns Pedestrian Facilities

1. Building zone

2. Sidewalk

3. Landscape amenity

panel

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ns Consolidated Transportation Impact Analysis

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ns CTIA Process

• Stakeholder outreach and participation

• Consensus on grid to be studied

• VISUM

• Tiered approach

– Minimizing ROW needs

– Balancing pedestrians and vehicles

– Focus on intersections with highest delay

• Rounds of mitigation

• Consensus of improvements needed

• Documentation and VDOT review

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ns Use of CTIA

• Baseline for reviewing transportation

improvements and proposed grid of streets

• Set expectations for development community

• Traffic information that can be used to refine

larger infrastructure projects.

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ns Lessons Learned

• MOA and Design Standards has helped the

review and approval process

• CTIA helped development of baseline

• There is always a need to provide additional

clarifications

• Addition of stakeholders complicates the

process but is critical to buy in

• VDOT and Fairfax County don’t always interpret

the standard the same way but coordination

makes it work

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Questions?

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ns Transit Infrastructure Circulator

• The Tysons Circulator

Study identifies the

internal routes to serve

Tysons

• Portions of these routes

will be on exclusive

circulator lanes

• Identification of

circulator stations critical

for coordination with

development

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ns Transit Infrastructure - Metro

• The Metrorail Silver Line

includes four stations in

Tysons

• Some pedestrian and

bike facilities to

enhance connections to

Metro stations may not

be provided until

redevelopment

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ns Tysons Planning Background

• Task Force & Community Workshops (2005-

2008)

• Planning Commission Committee & Staff (2009-

2010)

• Comprehensive Plan, adopted June 22, 2010

• Zoning Ordinance, adopted June 22, 2010

Planned Tysons Corner Urban District (PTC)

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ns Purpose of Re-Planning Tysons

• Link land use planning to investments in

transportation (Metro, circulator, ped and bike

facilities)

• Regional growth management strategy to

concentrate development in activity centers

• Reduce vehicle trips by providing multimodal

options

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ns The Vision for Tysons

• 100,000

Residents/200,000

Jobs

• More housing

• Grid of streets

• Multimodal emphasis

• Reduced parking

supply

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ns Tysons Urban Design

• Street grid and urban block

size (min & max)

• Urban streetscape

• Building heights up to 400

feet near Metro, lower in

surrounding neighborhoods

• Build to Line (maximum

setback rather than min

setback requirement)

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ns Tysons Transportation Infrastructure

• Requirements

• Implementation Issues

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ns Grid of Streets

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ns Grid of Streets

• Functional classification guides the application

of design standards in Tysons

• Provide flexibility in Master Plan to Change the

Grid

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ns Parking

• On-Street parking required

for Avenues, Collectors and

Local Streets

• No minimum off-street

parking for most uses

adjacent to Metro

• Off-street parking maximum

within the Tysons Area

• Make provisions to

accommodate existing

leases at redevelopment

sites

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ns Parking (continued)

• Additional parking on a site

not required with a change

in land use

• Temporary parking facilities

allowed near Metro stations

• Site plan approval for

temporary parking facilities

requires queue analysis for

the gates

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ns Bicycle Facilities • Bullet on bicycle master plan

• Bullet on how to handle short section of bike lanes

• Bullet on using funds to connect facilities not provided by development

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Example Tysons Rezoning Application

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