Fairfax County Transportation Advisory Commission
Meeting Summary
Date: Regular Meeting – March 6, 2007
TAC Commissioners in Attendance: Chairman George Barker, Vice Chairman Janyce Hedetniemi, Jenifer Joy Madden, Jeff Parnes, Roger Hoskin, Brian Deery and Harry Zimmerman.
Others in Attendance: Fairfax County Staff: Jay Guy, Calvin Lam, Bob Owolabi, Mark Canale and Bruce Taylor
The meeting was called to order by Chairman George Barker at 7:15 pm
Meeting Minutes: Approved minutes from February Regular TAC meeting.
Main Topics Discussed
Board Referrals:
There were no new referrals from the Board of Supervisors.
Main Topics:
Community Parking District Discussion
Staff provided a discussion of how the tax provisions might work under revised policies. In response to TAC questions, staff explained that the actual problem is not wide-spread across the County but that more and more communities are requesting designation as a pre-emptive strategy to protect themselves from future problems.
TAC discussed pros and cons of six proposed policy changes that had previously been identified as possible changes that could be recommend to the Board of Supervisors. Consensus was reached that the current program should be retained.
BRAC Transportation Needs
FCDOT provided a briefing that summarized the BRAC program at Fort Belvoir, Top Priority Transportation Improvements, High Priority Transit Improvements, High Priority Roadway improvements, Traffic Signals, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Transportation Demand Management, and various funding sources that have already been identified. Shortfall for planned or required projects ranges from $400M to $1.4B depending on what estimates and assumptions are being used. County is reviewing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that was released last week with a 60-day comment period. The DEIS identifies significant traffic impacts at multiple locations with a cost estimate of over $400M.
TAC requested FCDOT provide an update on transportation issues at the April 3 meeting. As an additional comment, TAC expressed concerns regarding the current concept for the interchange of 7900, 7100, and Rolling Road especially in view of the planned increase in traffic due to BRAC.
2007 Legislative Update
Staff provided a comparative summary matrix of current budget proposals including the variations in sources and amount of funds for transportation. Staff described the Northern Virginia “localities” collective position on each of the proposed tax provisions. Additional analysis was provided showing the potential financial implications for Northern Virginia under the various proposals. Documentation was provided describing the “principles” or issues that are driving the “localities” position(s) on the provisions of HB3202 as well as the issues identified by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors with the proposed “Devolution Provisions in HB 3202”. Leaders of the Northern Virginia localities are meeting with the Governor March 7th to discuss their concerns and proposed changes to the transportation bill.
Tysons Area Plan Study
TAC members were invited to participate in any of the upcoming meetings and charettes 19-21 March.
Other Business
Three nominations were received for outstanding employer/employee. The nomination committee will finalize its recommendations.
County Takeover of Road Signage - Road signage issue was reported as resolved based on prior agreement with FCDOT on wayfinding around Springfield Mall.
Agenda for Upcoming TAC Meetings (dates to be determined)
BRAC transportation issues; Analysis of differences between current Comprehensive Plan and the 2030 plan; Dulles rail update; Update from Tysons meetings; Transportation Plan Update (If Needed);
Announcements
None
The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 pm.
