Printer
TextFairfax County Board of Supervisors Creates Tysons Service District
Jan. 8, 2013
News Highlights
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At its Jan. 8 meeting, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved new funding mechanisms to help pay for the more than $3.1 billion in new roads and public transit needed in Tysons.
The board created a service district for Tysons that is expected to generate $253 million—or about 8 percent of the total $3.1 billion needed.
While the tax rate will be set as part of the next county budget, the district covers approximately 6,000 commercial and residential property owners in Tysons. They will pay the rate based on their assessed property values.
Commercial properties make up about 83 percent of the district’s almost $11.5 billion in total assessed value. The properties within the district can be found in these maps (PDF).
The money generated by the district may only be used to make transportation improvements within the service district, and will be used for:
- Planning and constructing infrastructure and transit routes
- Buying rights-of-way to build, improve, and/or operate roads or other transportation infrastructure projects
- Equipping, operating, and maintaining transit services
In a related action, the Board of Supervisors established an advisory board to provide input on the annual tax rate for the new service district.
Fairfax board members also authorized the two new transportation funds for Tysons. Developers will pay into these funds to build a new, local street grid within Tysons, as well as major roads and ramps across the area.
It is estimated that the fund for the grid of streets will generate $304 million over the next 40 years, and the Tysons-Wide fund will collect $253 million during the same period. In total, this amounts to approximately 18 percent of the $3.1 billion identified overall
Developers will contribute to the funds at the following rates:
- $6.44 per square foot of commercial development and $1,000 per residential unit for the Grid of Streets Transportation Fund.
- $5.63 per square foot of commercial development and $1,000 per residential unit for the Tysons-Wide Transportation Fund
Of the $3.1 billion required for road and transit improvements during the next 40 years, county officials say the needs fall into four categories:
- Grid of Streets ($865,000,000): This local street grid will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to get around Tysons more easily, and it will help to move traffic through Tysons. This grid will be paid for entirely by developers. Of the total estimated cost, $304 million will come from the Grid of Streets Transportation Fund and the remainder from in-kind contributions.
- Neighborhood and Access Improvements ($77,000,000): They include sidewalks, trails and bicycle facilities that improve access to the four Metro stations in Tysons, as previously identified by the Tysons Metrorail Station Access Study. Intersection improvements also are needed within Tysons, as well as near Tysons. These improvements will be publicly funded by the county.
- Transit ($953,000,000): This includes expanded local and regional bus routes and a circulator that will move people between Metro stations and beyond walking distance of these stations. These improvements will be publicly funded by the county.
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Tysons-Wide Road Improvements ($1,226,000,000):
These are larger projects, such as new ramps, new roads, and widening
existing roads. Landowners will pay an estimated $506 million
for projects within Tysons. Half this amount will come from the new
service district and the other half from the developers as they pay
into the new Tysons-Wide Transportation Fund.
The county will pay for an estimated $701 million for projects outside Tysons.
The board endorsed this cost-sharing plan for transportation improvements on Oct. 16, 2012.
These improvements are necessary to allow people to get around Tysons on foot, bike, bus, rail and car. Public transit will account for 31 percent of rush hour trips in 2050, according to the county’s plan to transform Tysons.
Under this plan, Tysons Corner will be become a green, walkable urban center. By 2050, it will be home to up to 100,000 residents and 200,000 jobs.
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