Friday, December 29, 2017
Embark Richmond Highway Open House on January 10
FABB encourages cyclists and pedestrians in southern and eastern Fairfax to attend the final community open house on the effort to update the land use plan--including bicycling and pedestrian facilities--for the Embark Richmond Highway project.
The open house will take place on Wednesday, January 10, 2018, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Whitman Middle School, 2500 Parkers Lane, in Alexandria. At the meeting you can learn about the proposed comprehensive plan recommendations from county staff. More important, your questions and input will help the staff finalize recommendations that will prepare the corridor for pedestrian and bicycle enhancements. These recommendations for updating the Comprehensive Plan, in turn, will be given to the Planning Commission.
Mark your calendars now for the final steps in the process. The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the comprehensive plan amendment on January 25, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. The Board of Supervisors will then hold a public hearing on the amendment on March 20, 2018, at 4:00 p.m.
Labels: EMBARK, fairfax county board of supervisors, planning commission, richmond highway
Monday, July 18, 2016
Embark Richmond Highway Community Meeting Set for July 25
FABB members may recall from earlier posts that the Embark Richmond Highway project supports the county’s long term goals of improving the county’s pedestrian and bicycle systems, expanding transit service, and building more dense, mixed-use, transit-oriented developments to attract residents and businesses, create more jobs, and increase tax revenue. Among the presentations to be made at the meeting, there will be a discussion of the proposed Richmond Highway multi-modal cross-section that accommodates transit, automobiles, bicycles and pedestrians. A brief question and answer period will follow the presentations and the public will be able to talk one-on-one with county staff representatives who are leading various aspects of the project.
To make it easier to attend, Fairfax County has posted maps and schedules here for public transportation to the event through Fairfax Connector Routes 152, 161 & 162. Also, on-site childcare is available, on request, for children over the age of 3. Requests for childcare and transportation assistance will be accepted through Thursday, July 21, 2016, by calling 703-704-6700, TTY 711, or by email at maria.franco-nativi@fairfaxcounty.gov.
The Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ), Fairfax County Office of Community Revitalization and Reinvestment (OCR), and Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will be hosting a live online chat on Thursday, July 28, 2016, at 11 a.m., to help answer questions from residents impacted by the Embark Richmond Highway project. Send in your questions today or participate live here.
Labels: EMBARK, multi-modal, richmond highway
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Embark Richmond Highway Community Meeting Set for May 9
Embark Richmond Highway supports Fairfax County’s long term planning goals of expanding transit service, improving the county’s multimodal transportation system for mixed use areas and building more dense, mixed-use, transit-oriented developments that attract more residents and businesses, and create more job and tax revenues.
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| Map courtesy of FCDOT |
A presentation on the project and remarks by Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay and Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck will be followed by an open house in the cafeteria where the public will be able to talk one-on-one with county staff representatives who are leading various aspects of the project.
For more information on the May 9 community meeting, visit the Embark Richmond Highway web page or contact Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning at (703) 324-1380, TTY 711.
Labels: EMBARK, lee district, mt. vernon, richmond highway
Monday, February 22, 2016
Mt. Vernon Residents Hungry for More Bicycle Infrastructure
More than 30 Mt. Vernon area cyclists and other interested citizens turned out for FABB’s February meeting, our first to be held in the Mt. Vernon District. A presentation by Adam Lind, Fairfax County’s Bicycle Program Manager, on the implementation of the county’s Bicycle Master Plan in the district flowed quickly into a valuable discussion on various bicycling related projects and issues that need county government and VDOT attention.
Brett Kenney of Mt. Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck's office spoke to the group about the Supervisor's support for bike lanes and focus on transportation issues. He mentioned that there would be an opportunity for the community to support bike projects on February 27th at the 29th Annual Mt. Vernon town meeting with Supervisor Storck, County Executive Edward Long, and Fairfax Co Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova.
Brett Kenney of Mt. Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck's office spoke to the group about the Supervisor's support for bike lanes and focus on transportation issues. He mentioned that there would be an opportunity for the community to support bike projects on February 27th at the 29th Annual Mt. Vernon town meeting with Supervisor Storck, County Executive Edward Long, and Fairfax Co Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova.
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| Full house at Mt. Vernon FABB meeting. |
FABB looks forward to working with area residents and other interested groups in advocating for a wide range of issues raised during the meeting. Among the largest and highest priority are:
- Huntington Avenue (between Rt. 1 and Telegraph Rd.): Needs new infrastructure, such as a protected bike lane, a road diet, and sidewalks, to provide better bicycling and pedestrian access to the Metro station there.
- Sherwood Hall Lane: Needs improved connections between bike lanes on Sherwood Hall Lane across Ft. Hunt Road and along Morningside Lane to Mt. Vernon Trail along with a pedestrian crossing for a Metro Bus Stop near the intersection at Ft. Hunt/Sherwood Hall Lane/Morningside.
- Mount Vernon Trail: National Park Service, in response to local requests, is considering arranging for snow plowing during the winter.
- Mt. Vernon Highway: Needs numerous improvements, such as marked bicycling crossings and pedestrian crosswalks.
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| Mt. Vernon Trail, photo courtesy of National Park Service. |
FABB intends to continue working with Fairfax County and VDOT on existing plans for the southern part of the county.
- George Washington Parkway: Adam Lind reported that it was possible that a project for improved bicycle/pedestrian crossings of the parkway to the Mt. Vernon Trail scheduled for 2018 might be brought forward a year.
- Potomac Heritage Trail: Trail extension to Route 1 is under way with a planned bridge scheduled to be built over Dogue Creek.
- EMBARK Project (Richmond Highway/Rt. 1): Plans are being developed to include bicycle and pedestrian facilities to complement the planned widening of Rt. 1 to a consistent six lanes, construction of a median Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, and, later, a two-stop underground extension of Metro’s Yellow Line to Beacon Hill and Hybla Valley.
FABB appreciates the participation of all of the attendees, including local representatives of the Mt. Vernon Council of Citizens Associations, Fairfax County Trails and Sidewalks Committee, and the Fairfax County Tree Council. In addition to the projects above, the group raised worthwhile ideas about advocating for the enforcement of parking restrictions in bike lanes, multilingual outreach to area bike commuters, improved traffic light sensors, and making roads and trails safer with additional and well designed tree plantings.
This meeting was part of FABB's effort to better serve and represent cyclists and other supporters throughout the county. During 2016 FABB plans to hold monthly meetings in all of the county’s districts and will be in the Mason District in March. If you would like to assist in setting up the program for the meeting in your district, please contact Steve Ward at srward1057@gmail.com.
This meeting was part of FABB's effort to better serve and represent cyclists and other supporters throughout the county. During 2016 FABB plans to hold monthly meetings in all of the county’s districts and will be in the Mason District in March. If you would like to assist in setting up the program for the meeting in your district, please contact Steve Ward at srward1057@gmail.com.
Labels: EMBARK, FABB, Fairfax County Park Authority, george washington parkway, MORE, mt vernon district, mt vernon trail
