Board of Supervisors Approves WMATA Cinder Bed Road Site

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to allow Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to build a bus garage on Cinder Bed Road in Lorton. The vote was 6-3, with Board Chairman Sharon Bulova abstaining.

The decision comes despite who will be most affected by the new garage. The garage, which will house up to 160 buses, is to be located in a site that is already home to a and neighbor to several other industrial operations.

Though the garage will be located in Lee District, the residents who most vocally opposed it are in Mount Vernon District. Mount Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland gave a detailed explanation of his opposition to WMATA’s proposal, saying that it will “negatively affect the quality of life” of people who live there. Hyland also cited the recent history of Lorton, which has often been the county’s landing spot for industrial and waste projects such as this. He deemed the bus garage to be “much too much.”

Sully District Supervisor Michael Frey echoed Hyland’s sentiment. The new garage will replace an existing WMATA garage on Royal Street in Alexandria and Frey felt that it was not Fairfax County’s place to alleviate Alexandria’s land use issues, saying it was time to “defend our neighborhoods.”

Hyland and Frey were joined by Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity in their dissent.

The effort to bring the WMATA garage to Cinder Bed Road was led largely by Jeff McKay, the Lee District Supervisor. McKay agreed that many of the issues involving the proposal were subjective, but ultimately it was in the county and region’s best interest to support it.  Joining him with remarks supporting WMATA were Catherine Hudgins, the Hunter Mill District Supervisor and Penelope Gross of Mason District. Both McKay and Hudgins sit on the WMATA Board of Directors, with Hudgins having recently been named chairman.

The decision left residents near the proposed site upset and one wondered, “Where are (Mckay’s and Hudgins’) allegiances?”

It is expected that homeowner’s groups that will be affected by WMATA’s garage will take legal action.