INTERSECT
Newsletter of the Washington Regional Network For Livable
Communities
Volume 6 Number 8
December 2, 2002
Support Intersect, join WRN!
Summary:
* Maryland's 2002 Elections and the Future of Smart
Growth
* Virginia Sales Tax Opponents Offer a "Blueprint
for a Better Region"
* Silver Spring Transit Station Reemerging Into Public
View
* Tax Increment Financing: Is D.C. Getting the Benefits
it Should?
* New River Crossings Will Exacerbate Traffic and Pollution
Problems, Study Finds
* Parking Forum Focuses on Solutions for Community
Goals
* Arlington Nationally Recognized for Success of
Its Metro Stations
* Region Fails to Clean Up Air and Comply with Federal
Laws, Again
* Upcoming Events
* Web page Volunteer Needed
* Support Intersect, Join WRN - Thank You's &
Contribution Form
Maryland's
2002 Elections and the Future of Smart Growth
Opinion by Andrew Fellows, Chesapeake Program Director of Clean Water
Action and WRN Board member
Although Robert Ehrlich's victory in the Governor's race will result
in a change of direction from the executive branch of Maryland government,
the legacy of smart growth is likely here to stay. Funding of transit
alternatives is immediately threatened, however, as tough times and
a campaign of highway promises indicate that the new governor will have
little interest in spending money on the Purple Line or other rail projects.
The good news is that with an inherited budget shortfall and an even
greater deficit looming, it will be difficult for Ehrlich and other
Inter-County Connector highway (ICC) proponents to support spending
on a road project for the state's wealthiest county while the rest of
the state suffers. It's hard to imagine any enthusiasm from Eastern
Shore, Western Maryland, Baltimore area or Prince George's delegations
for shoveling money towards an ICC project which, as Intersect readers
know, would not reduce congestion if built and is destined for years
of litigation.
The same is true of other sprawl projects, such as the Techway, the
Waldorf bypass and other segments of the developer community's Outer
Washington Beltway fantasy. Transit and other sustainable growth proponents
should prepare to oppose any Maryland highway project in the coming
session, and build coalition with proponents of education, water infrastructure
upgrades and repair, community legacy, open space protection, crime
prevention, and other local needs. Coalition-building to oppose wasteful
spending in tight economic times will build trust for alliances to advocate
for transit and smart growth funding that facilitates wise, planned
spending that makes Maryland communities more livable. Revitalizing
existing communities creates economic wealth that funds unmet needs.
That was the philosophy that developed the policy legacy of smart growth,
and national recognition of the benefits of this policy is as accepted
as the scientific consensus on global warming.
Like global warming, or the cancer-causing properties of tobacco, there
is still a vocal minority who deny that a problem exists. A larger group
cannot deny or ignore the connection between global warming, the region's
poor air quality, and transportation and land use choices. It remains
the challenge for sustainable growth proponents to build a critical
mass that shifts spending from wasteful subsidies for sprawl to efficient
spending for our communities. Difficult economic times make the smart
growth choice that much easier to make.
Virginia
Sales Tax Opponents Offer a "Blueprint for a Better Region"
Opinion by Stewart Schwartz, Coalition for Smarter Growth
When voters rejected the sales tax increase in Northern Virginia by
a strong 10-point margin, they voted against the status quo approach
to transportation and development. They opposed subsidizing another
round of sprawl development and they expressed support for smarter growth.
Smart growth includes transit-oriented development at our 114 Metro,
VRE and MARC stations. The next 20 years of office and residential development
could easily fit on 10 acres at each of the Metro stations - land that
is currently underutilized as surface parking at many stations.
This does not necessarily mean that all future development should be
focused in these areas. It illustrates the possibility of doing a much
better job of focusing development near transit than we have been doing.
The District of Columbia seeks a population of 100,000 more residents
within 10 years and has identified room for 35,000 housing units and
more than 50 million square feet of commercial development within a
10-minute walk of transit. Similar opportunities exist at Metro and
VRE stations in Fairfax, Prince William, Prince George's and Montgomery
counties.
Changing comprehensive plans and other policies to adjust the location
of jobs and housing can be done faster, at less cost, and with equal
effectiveness in reducing traffic than building or widening highways.
Prince George's commuters have some of the longest commutes in the region,
mostly along the Beltway.
Encouraging investment at the 13 Metro stations in Prince George's that
have little to no development would increase reverse commutes on now
empty Metro trains and shorten commutes for Prince George's residents,
while reducing traffic on the Beltway.
More investment and jobs in Virginia's Route 1 corridor and at VRE
stations like Woodbridge and Innovation would provide similar benefits.
Providing more affordable housing in the job-rich Dulles and I-270
corridors would help reduce commutes; and all communities, whether near
transit or not, must have the right mix of uses and be designed to encourage
walking, biking and shorter car trips. Montgomery County's Balanced
Land Use study showed these measures reduce vehicle miles traveled and
congestion as well as, or better than, road heavy alternatives.
We must also stop subsidizing waves of sprawl development with another
round of bypass highways. A technical analysis by Environmental Defense
showed that these highways would reduce traffic on the American Legion
bridge by just 2 percent, increase development and traffic in outer
areas and shift population and jobs from core areas.
Further, we must manage the existing system better. This includes faster
incident response with pre-positioned towing services, signal timing
and congestion pricing of some road corridors. Implement state telecommuting
and transit tax credits, hold the line on transit fares, and approve
parking cash-out policies that allow employees to take cash in lieu
of parking to reduce demand on our roadways.
With implementation of smarter growth and demand management we can
then design and fund a transportation system to match. This system should
meet performance goals such as reduction in per capita vehicle miles
traveled and per capita daily vehicle trips, improved air quality, and
increased mode share for transit, pedestrians, bicycles and carpools.
Virginia, Maryland and the region cannot afford to continue a pattern
of sprawl development. We cannot afford the infrastructure costs, the
loss of open space and historic landscapes, the air and water pollution,
and the unequal pattern of economic development. It is time we brought
everyone to the table and got this right.
The "Blueprint for a Better Region" can be viewed at http://www.smartergrowth.net.
Silver
Spring Transit Station Reemerging into Public View
by Dale Tibbitts
Over the past year, Montgomery County and Metro have provided little
opportunity for Silver Spring civic activists of all stripes -- Inner
Purple Line, bicycle, trails, and transit-oriented development supporters
-- to track planning of the ambitious, multifaceted Silver Spring Transit
Center. The status of the region's first state-of-the-art Bike Station
at a Metro station is uncertain.
On Nov. 14, the local volunteer Silver Spring Transportation Management
District Advisory Committee received a briefing from Kassa Seyoum, project
coordinator at the Montgomery County Department of Public Works and
Transportation, about the status of the Silver Spring Transit Center.
Committee members expressed concern that the project has had little
public scrutiny for the last year and that important public components
might be compromised. Seyoum assured the group that all the functions
of the public transit center as previously designed would be retained.
Of particular concern to the Advisory Committee were the Commuter Store,
transit-oriented retail space and the Bike Station. Space had been committed
for the Commuter Store in the previous design, but space for the Bike
Station had not.
Silver Spring is the busiest Metrorail/Metrobus station in Maryland.
Approximately 60,000 commuters pass through the station every day and
that number is expected to rise to nearly 100,000 in the next five years.
The initial plan in 1996 was to just add bus bays to the station, but
residents and local planners believed that the station could be made
into a landmark multi-modal transportation hub by combining Metrobus,
Metrorail, local light rail, urban trails, bicycles, taxis, cars, intercity
buses and pedestrians. With $40 million of public monies allocated and
after substantial public input, the transit center was nearing construction
in 2001.
Metro stopped the project and decided to proceed with a public-private
joint development proposal from developer Foulger-Pratt in June 2001.
The transit center planning has been out of sight while the interested
parties negotiated. Seyoum said that the negotiations are ongoing but
nearing completion. He said that progress has been slow because of all
the parties involved and because of design difficulties.
According to Seyoum, the Foulger-Pratt-led project will consist of
the transit center surrounded by a 200,000 square feet office building
along Colesville Road, a 150-unit residency hotel facing Wayne Avenue,
a 250-unit multi-family building and a 500-space parking garage. He
said that designing the project to accommodate the Inner Purple Line
with new track separation requirements was difficult.
For more on Bike Stations, see: http://www.bikestation.org/index.html
Tax
Increment Financing: Is D.C. Getting the Benefits it Should?
by Meghan Clarke and Cheryl Cort
According to a new study by Good Jobs First, Tax Increment Financing
(TIF) in the District of Columbia is a costly program that has strayed
far from its intended purpose. TIFs are supposed to foster government-sponsored
economic development in depressed neighborhoods and commercial areas
that have trouble attracting private investments. TIF projects also
are expected to generate additional tax revenues. The study, "Economic
Development In Washington, D.C.: High Costs, Unclear Benefits, Missing
Safeguards," analyzes 13 major economic development deals subsidized
by the District of Columbia through TIFs or Revenue Bonds, and points
out that despite very high costs, these deals lack clear public benefits
and fail to employ common taxpayer safeguards to ensure their effectiveness.
Tax Increment Financing works in the following way. A small area is
designated for redevelopment. As a result of that redevelopment, property
values will rise and, therefore, the assessed value and property taxes
will rise. These tax revenues are split into two streams, the first
one, set at the old property value continues to go where it went before,
typically designated to school districts and the city's general fund
for local services. The second revenue stream, stemming from the incremental
increase in property value, is diverted back into the redevelopment
area. In D.C., TIF revenues are typically used to back bonds that are
issued up front to private investors to generate a large sum for investment
in facilities to support redevelopment.
The need for effective location-based revitalization tools is apparent
given that high-poverty areas in D.C. have increased over the past decade,
according to recent findings by D.C. Agenda. However, the Good Jobs
First study points out that Tax Increment Financing, D.C.'s newest and
most expensive economic development program, is not targeted to needy
areas and is not alleviating the area's affordable housing crisis. The
current TIF law only requires developers to build housing as a condition
of their subsidy award when TIF projects are located in the "Downtown
Area" of the District. It does not however, require the construction
of low-income housing. Although housing is included in the two TIF projects
that are located in a Downtown Area - Gallery Place and the Spy Museum
- the rent is at market rate. Three TIFs have been approved to date:
Gallery Place, $75 million; Mandarin Hotel, $46 million; and $6.9 million
for the Spy Museum.
The District is currently considering providing a several million dollar
TIF for a parking garage at the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station to
build a parking garage, half of which would be used for new development
and the other half for 380 replacement parking spaces for Metro commuters.
If a TIF is approved, D.C. taxpayers will subsidize a majority of out-of-state
drivers, but will receive no funds to improve poor pedestrian access
to the station.
"The city needs to be accountable to citizens for these investments
by producing family-wage jobs, job training, and affordable housing,"
said Jocelyn Breeland, co-chair of the Washington Interfaith Network
in D.C. "Programs such as Tax Increment Financing should be used
to revitalize blighted neighborhoods, not just not areas like downtown
that are already booming and where housing costs are sky high."
For more information see: http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/gjfpubs.html
New River Crossings Will Exacerbate
Traffic and Pollution Problems, Study Finds
by Meghan Clarke
A new report, "More Sprawl, More Traffic, No Relief: An Analysis
of Proposed Potomac River Crossings," prepared by Smart Mobility
Inc. and Anita Kramer Associates Inc., indicates that sprawl, traffic
and pollution growth are likely to result from the proposed Potomac
River crossings and expressways connecting Northern Virginia with Montgomery
or Frederick County, Maryland. The Techway and Western Transportation
Corridor (WTC) proposals were shown to significantly increase traffic
and worsen congestion across large parts of Montgomery, Frederick, and
Northern Virginia counties while only reducing traffic on the American
Legion Bridge by less than 2 percent.
The consultants determined the land use and transportation effects
of the two proposed crossing by utilizing sophisticated real estate
market data and a refined version of the latest Council of Governments
regional traffic model. They found that the Techway bridge would provide
no noticeable traffic relief to motorists now stuck in traffic. Traffic
on roads near the new bridges would be significantly higher than it
would be without the bridges. For example, with the Techway, traffic
on Route 7 in Virginia adjacent to a new interchange would almost double
compared to the no-build scenario. Traffic on Maryland Route 28 would
nearly triple compared to the no-build scenario.
A new bridge and associated highways will shift land use and traffic
and spark increased congestion in many parts of the region. The scattered
new development for up to 85,000 new households and 252,000 jobs in
the six counties, spurred by the new bridge and highway comes at the
expense of communities with good transit services and shorter average
trip lengths, increasing the number of vehicle trips and trip lengths,
and exacerbating existing environmental problems, such as air and water
pollution. Construction of these roads would likely shift population
and employment from core areas of D.C., Alexandria and Prince George's
County.
The report was commissioned by Audubon Naturalist Society, Chesapeake
Bay Foundation, Coalition for Smarter Growth, Environmental Defense,
Piedmont Environmental Council and Solutions Not Sprawl. To view the
report, see: http://www.environmentaldefense.org/documents/2383ExecSum.pdf
Parking
Forum Focuses on Solutions for Community Goals
by Cheryl Cort
The key to solving parking problems is making sure the we are managing
parking in line with broader goals, according to Nov. 7 WRN forum speaker
Adam Millard-Ball of Nelson\Nygaard Consulting. Millard-Ball explained
that effective parking management is of vital importance to creating
better communities because parking consumes large amounts of land, and
is expensive - making up a significant proportion of development costs.
A suburban view of parking assumes everyone drives, each use should
have separate parking, parking should be free, and the streetscape is
oriented to the automobile. In an urban context, parking functions very
differently: parking is shared between different uses, parking does
not dominate the streetscape, drivers may have to walk a short distance
to the final destination, and the needs of drivers are balanced with
transit users and pedestrians.
According to Millard-Ball, defining what is a parking problem is essential
to constructing lasting and feasible solutions. Millard-Ball posed questions
about what constitutes the parking "problem:" can't find a
space at all? Can't find a space within 5 minutes, on the same block?
Can't find a space without charges? Parking solutions are different
for different users in different communities. The second major question
in parking is: how much is enough? Millard-Ball explained that there
is no right answer and there is no such thing as a set "demand"
for parking. Demand for parking depends on its price, availability and
other travel choices. Supply is a value judgment based on wider community
goals. He also noted that supply shouldn't be confused with availability.
Plenty of supply might exist, but not be available to a particular user
at a particular time and price.
A set principles for managing parking and a neighborhood parking tool
kit were presented by Millard-Ball. He asked what the goals of parking
are. Are the goals to help manage traffic congestion, transit ridership,
pedestrian friendliness, employee retention, local business development,
housing supply and affordability, social equity, Millard-Ball posed?
He recommended devising strategies aimed at clear community goals. Based
on those goals, different users can be prioritized and alternatives
can be consistently evaluated. For example, investment in more parking
or better transit can be evaluated based on which will best achieve
community goals. With clarified goals, maximum use can be made of existing
resources. Millard-Ball suggested a toolkit consisting of pricing, permits,
transportation demand management, shared parking, car-sharing (like
ZipCar and FlexCar), design solutions to mitigate the impact of parking
and increased supply. For more on of Millard-Ball's work, see: http://www.nelsonnygaard.com/articles/cur_article_parking.htm
WRN wishes to thank FlexCar and ZipCar for co-sponsoring the catering
for the event.
Arlington
Nationally Recognized for Success of Its Metro Stations
On Nov. 17, EPA Administrator Christine Whitman announced the winners
of the National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement at the National
Building Museum. Arlington County won for overall excellence in smart
growth for the success of the Rosslyn-Ballston Metro Corridor. The county
was specifically commended for adopting a land use plan that concentrates
compact, mixed-use development at the stations, while also developing
smaller plans for each station to maintain a distinct sense of community.
The success of the Metro line is well-documented and celebrated by transit
officials around the country: between 1999 and 2002, 2,500 apartments
and condos, 1.5 million square feet of office space, 379,000 square
feet of retail space, and five miles of bike lanes were created. Also,
Metro ridership doubled in the corridor between 1991 and 2002, with
nearly 50 percent of corridor residents using transit to commute. In
her remarks, Whitman mentioned that creating this type of development
at typical suburban densities could consume 14 square miles of open
space compared to the roughly two square mile Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.
Other winners included a mixed-income neighborhood built on a former
mine in Colorado, a transit-oriented development incentive program in
California, and a state of Massachusetts community outreach program
utilizing visualization technologies to better inform citizens about
growth. For more information on the awards and the winners, see: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/awards.htm
Region
Fails to Clean Up Air and Comply with Federal Laws, Again
On Nov. 13, Earthjustice on behalf of the Sierra Club filed suit challenging
the Environmental Protection Agency's continued failure to enforce federal
clean air requirements in metropolitan D.C. The suit seeks to require
EPA to reclassify metropolitan Washington from "serious" to
"severe" for ozone (smog) levels, which would trigger stronger
pollution controls for industries and motor vehicles. The suit also
seeks to compel EPA rejection of the region's inadequate clean air plans,
a move that would require state and local governments to adopt new plans
to meet clean air standards.
This action was followed by the Transportation Planning Board announcement
that the region's transportation plans fall dramatically short of federal
healthy air standards - by 30 percent or 50 tons per day of the pollutant
nitrogen oxide (NOx). Over the last year, the region's governments have
struggled to agree on a strategy to make up for a three-ton NOx shortfall.
"There's no way in the world the region is going to build any
more major road projects in light of these results," said Loudoun
County Supervisor James G. Burton (I-Mercer), a slow-growth proponent.
"You can't solve this problem with the marginal solutions that
have been put on the table for the last three or four years," Burton
told the Washington Post. For additional information see: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61332-2002Nov15.html
Events
Tuesday, Dec. 3, 7pm - 9pm. Maglev and High Speed Rail Forum. What
are the options for high speed ground transportation between Baltimore
and Washington DC? Panelists: Suhair Alkhatib, Project Manager, Maryland
Transit Administration; Donald Rote, Retired Scientist, Argonne National
Laboratory, Chicago; Vukan Vuchic, Professor of Transportation Engineering,
University of Pennsylvania; Sponsored by: American Planning Association,
Maryland Chapter; Citizens Planning and Housing Association; National
Transportation Center, Morgan State University. St. Bartholomew Episcopal
Church, 4711 Edmondson Avenue. For further information contact Brent
Flickinger, (410) 539-1369, x 212, brentf@cphabaltimore.org.
Wednesday, Dec. 4 and Dec. 10. Purple Line "East" Meetings.
WMATA and MTA are hosting these meetings so that residents can have
a chance to provide early input as part of the Purple Line "East"
Project. Dec. 4, 5pm-8pm: Langley Park Community Center, 1500 Merrimac
Drive Langley Park, MD 20783; Dec. 10, 5pm-8pm, MNCPPC Parks & Recreation
Administrative Building, 6600 Kenilworth Avenue, Riverdale, MD 20737.
For additional information: Contact (202) 962-1357, or visit: www.mdpurpleline.com
(currently under construction).
Thursday, Dec. 5, 12pm - 1:30pm. DC's Environmental Agenda with Ellen
Jones, Larry Bohlen, Keith Pritchford, Jim Schulman, Paul Schwartz.
Discussion will focus on future a DC agenda and review of accomplishments.
Friends of the Earth, 1025 Vermont Ave., NW 3rd Floor, McPherson Square
Metro. For more information contact Chris Weiss at (202) 783-7400 x120
or cweiss@foe.org.
Thursday, Dec. 5, 5:30-7:30pm. New National Urban Parks Promotional
Campaign - discussion led by Dick Dadey of City Parks Alliance. Josephine
Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th St, NW. For more information, contact
Steve Coleman, Washington Parks & People, (202) 462-7275, e-mail:
washingtonparks@aol.com, http://www.washingtonparks.net
Dec. 3, 4, and 5. Tri-County Parkway Location Study citizen meetings
to review and discuss several preliminary alternatives which address
the transportation needs to connect the City of Manassas with I-66 and
the Loudoun County Parkway in the Dulles area. The study area extends
from Route 234 (Sudley Road) in Prince William County, north through
Fairfax County to Route 50 (John Mosby Highway) in Loudoun County. Dec.
3 5pm to 8pm-6 p.m. Loudoun County, Arcola Elementary School, 24328
Goshen Road, Arcola; Dec. 4-5pm to 8:00 p.m. -6 p.m. Prince William
County, Stonewall Jackson High School, 8820 Rixlew Lane, Manassas; Dec.
5 5pm to 8pm-6pm, Fairfax County, Westfields High School, 4700 Stonecroft
Road, Chantilly. For more info, see http://virginiadot.org/projects/publicinvolvement.asp
Saturday, Dec. 7, 9am to 2pm. Environment 2003: How Can We Be More
Effective? Members of Virginia's environmental organizations are invited
to a strategy session to plan for 2003 Virginia General Assembly Session.
The Virginia Conservation Network Legislative Workshop will be held
Saturday, December 7 from 9am-2pm at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815
East Grace Street, Richmond, VA. For information or to register contact
Ellen Shepard at (540) 362-3538 or ellenshepard@yahoo.com.
Wednesday, Dec. 11, 9am. "Comprehensive Housing Strategy Bill
of 2002," Hearing, Bill 14-672, before Chairperson Harold Brazil,
D.C. Council Committee on Economic Development, Room 120, 1350 Pennsylvania
Avenue, NW. Call David Goldblatt, (202) 724-8078, to get on the witness
list.
For a copy of the bill, see: http://dccouncil.dc.gov/images/00001/20020510094756.pdf.
Wednesday, Dec. 11, 6:30 to 10pm. Charrette: Shady Grove Sector Plan.
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is holding
a design charrette that will address land use, vacant properties, transportation,
recreation, and streetscape improvements from the Shady Grove Road Corridor.
16641 Crabbs Branch Way. Contact Karen Kumm-Morris for more info (301)
495-4554 or e-mail karen.kumm@mncppc-mc.org.
Friday, Jan. 10, 3:30-5:30pm, 9th Annual James McKay Presentation -
The Bike Station Process - Experiences in Denver, Colorado. Metropolitan
Washington Council of Governments Training Center (Ground Floor), 777
N. Capitol Street, NE. Contact WABA for more info (202) 628-2500 or
e-mail waba@waba.org.
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WRN thanks the following organizational donors and individuals for
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Washington region: The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Tom
Metcalf, Gerald M. Procanick, Cheryl Cort, Bill Janssen, Kevin Mills,
Richard Reis, Harry Sanders, Merrill Boone, Marilyn W. Klein, Don V.
Harris, John and Gail Harmon, Mary Kay Santore, Allen Greenburg and
Zipcar.
._______________________________________________________________________
WRN advocates transportation investments, land use
policies, and community designs that enhance existing communities and the
environment of the National Capital Region.
Comments
and articles welcome.
Washington
Regional Network For Livable Communities
1777
Church Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
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