Town center/mixed use plans for the Spring Hill Road metroRail station (Tysons West) replace industrial zoning and current land use according to WaPo:
- 28 Acres @ Spring Hill Road and Leesburg Pike (Rt. 7).
- 5 million square feet.
- 14 buildings including 2 hotels.
- Apartments, offices, ground floor retail.
- 3 Neighborhoods.
- Connect internal streets to form grid.
- Small plazas, courtyards and landscaped pocket parks.
Unlike other Tysons’ developers who have a love/hate relationship with DullesRail, the Spring Hill developers are working to provide an on site exit to the adjacent station.
Georgelas is working with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to build the rail station entrance within the development.
A glass-enclosed bridge would connect the entrance to elevated rail platforms on Leesburg Pike.
WaPo shows a graphic provided by the developer who hints at a 2011 construction start. The station is scheduled to open in 2013.
A water feature fronts the NW corner of Leesburg Pk and Spring Hill Rd.
Overhead, a pedestrian ramp takes Metro riders into the development which will likely take several years to complete.
No metro parking is promised.
Spring Hill station originally was the only Tysons’ station slatted for a MetroRail parking garage and planned at Tyco Rd.
A kiss n ride drop off/pull off is promised on the northside.
Originally planned for the south end of the Spring Hill station, south side land owners are less friendly to the MetroRail vision.
Southside of Leesburg Pike at Westwood Ctr (Sheraton point hotel) and at Spring Hill Rd has the most difficult traffic problems inside Tysons.
Multiple “big box” office buildings are built along a cu-d-sacs which off Route 7.
Northside low rise car dealerships, warehouses and storage units block road connectivity from Spring Hill Rd north to Tyco Rd which acts as a frontage road to the Toll Rd.
The Spring Hill Rd. fire station has difficulties in Tyson’s gridlock traffic getting out of its station.
A new cut through road to Tyco is a long desired right turn for fire trucks which now have to get on and off Leesburg Pk/Rt. 7.
Spring Hill Rd exit from the Dulles access road connects to a much less congested internal Tysons’ street network.
Note to developers/planners: cul-d-sac commercial development is bad, bad, bad.
