Monday: Future of Richmond Highway: Community Meeting

MAP: Embark Richmond Highway is a multi-year effort involving land use, transportation planning, design and construction, which will result in a bus rapid transit system to operate primarily on dedicated lanes along Richmond Highway. The stations will run initially from the Huntington Metrorail Station to Fort Belvoir and will include a possible future extension of the Metrorail Yellow Line to Hybla Valley.

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FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- The county wants to hear your thoughts about the future of Richmond Highway. In addition to the community meeting scheduled for Monday, July 25 at West Potomac High School, an online chat is also scheduled next week.

The Monday meeting is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. at the school, located at 6500 Quander Road. Fairfax County will hold a community meeting on the plans and work currently underway on the Embark Richmond Highway project.

If you can't make it to the meeting at the school, the online chat is set for Thursday, July 28 at 11 a.m. You can submit your questions in advance here.

Embark Richmond Highway is being undertaken to support the county’s long term planning goals of expanding transit service, improving the county’s pedestrian and bicycle systems, and building more dense, mixed-use, transit-oriented developments that attract residents and businesses, create more jobs and increase tax revenue, according to a news release from the county. Embark Richmond Highway also supports the county’s Strategic Economic Success Plan, and the county’s efforts to revitalize the Richmond Highway corridor.

At the community meeting, there will be a presentation on:

• A summary of comments and ideas received at the previous community meeting held on May 9, 2016.
• The guiding principles related to urban design and the creation of a road network.
• The proposed Richmond Highway multi-modal cross-section that accommodates transit, automobiles, bicycles and pedestrians.

The presentation will be followed by a brief question and answer period, and an open house where the public will be able to talk one-on-one with county staff representatives who are leading various aspects of the project.

Embark Richmond Highway resulted from a Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) study on the transportation needs for the Richmond Highway corridor. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors endorsed the study’s recommendations in May 2015, moving the project forward for planning, design and construction, with implementation anticipated to occur after 2020.

Embark Richmond Highway is a multi-year effort involving land use and transportation planning. The effort will include design and construction activities that will result in a bus rapid transit (BRT) system operating primarily on dedicated lanes along Richmond Highway initially from the Huntington Metrorail Station to Fort Belvoir. The updated land use plan will also include the future extension of the Metrorail Yellow Lin3 to Hybla Valley.

In addition, the county will update its land use plan to support the population and job growth associated with the planned transit system along the Richmond Highway corridor. The focus will be primarily on planning for walkable, urban-style mixed use development in the vicinity of the future transit stations, with the goal of creating vibrant, active communities where people can live, work, shop and play—all with easy access to transit.

Transportation and Childcare Assistance Available

• Public transportation to the event location is available through Fairfax Connector Routes 152, 161 & 162. Maps and schedules can be found at www.fairfaxconnector.com.
• There are also many bike connections to the meeting site; check out the Bike Fairfax interactive map for your best connections.
• Transportation assistance to West Potomac High School is also offered, per request, from Sacramento Neighborhood Center, South County Government and Hybla Valley Elementary School.
• On-site childcare is also available, per request, for children over the age of 3.
• Requests for transportation and childcare assistance are accepted through Thursday, July 21, 2016, by calling 703-704-6700, TTY 711, or by email at maria.franco-nativi@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Stay Informed

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 athttp://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/askfairfax/ActiveDiscussion.aspx?roomid=124.

• Listen to a Podcast on Embark Richmond Highway (Audio)
• Visit Embark Richmond Highway web page
• Follow us on Facebook at /fairfaxlanduse and on Twitter with hashtag #EmbarkRH
• Call or email Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning at (703) 324-1380, TTY 711, or DPZ-richmondhighway@fairfaxcounty.gov.