Proponents talk big about the transformation of Tysons into a walkable urbanizing area built around public transportation. But Census data shows that Tysons isn’t quite there yet.
The number of people commuting by public transportation did rise since 2010, from 6 to 11%. Today (pre-pandemic), the proportion of people commuting by public transportation is slightly higher than the county as a whole.
But the far greater number has remained remarkably steady: more than 70% of Tysons residents commute to work in a vehicle alone. Even after the opening of four Metro stations in Tysons, that number has barely budged.
There are still a lot of unknowns that could affect Tysons 2050 goal of more than 113 million square feet of development. Metro’s Tysons Corner station recently dropped the “corner” from its namesake, and transit during the pandemic is still vulnerable to budget and service cuts, even with some COVID-19 relief funds in sight. How this could impact housing and develop
Fairfax County supervisors on Dec. 1 agreed to provide $1 million to help the Tysons Partnership expand its role in transforming Tysons from a largely commercial center to a vibrant, mixed-use community.
âThe projected trajectory for Tysons is robust, and we need to do whatever we can to ensure that it is maximized,â said Supervisor Dalia Palchik (D-Providence).
To move ahead toward the next generation of Tysons, the Tysons Partnership is poised to expand and enhance its role in research, planning, economic development, transportation, mobility, place-making and activation, communication and place-branding, she said.
The organizationâs expanded role, dubbed âTysons 3.0,â has prompted conversations about governance, a sustainable funding stream and metrics to measure progress. Officials may be able to apply to Tysons lessons learned from economic-development models being used in Rosslyn and National Landing.