On behalf of all the members of the GFCA board, we want to kick off this new year with a heartfelt thanks for your continuing membership in GFCA.  We have a stronger voice when we have a large base of local members — currently about 1,000 — and a deep bench of talented volunteers to represent our community with county, state and federal officials. 

As you can see from the following articles, we have a lot of land use, zoning, transportation and environmental issues that we are engaged in that affect the quality of life in this community.  I am particularly proud of Fairfax County’s January 2023 recognition of GFCA’s work to protect trees along Georgetown Pike, a major volunteer team effort that is described below.  That effort, which saved dozens of trees in front of two planned subdivisions, was part of a new GFCA emphasis on protecting Georgetown Pike from rising development pressures and growing traffic.  In 2022, we also took the unprecedented step of challenging in court a county decision to allow much higher density construction on Walker Road.  Furthermore, we continue to press for sensible county and Commonwealth transportation policies that recognize the limits of our many two-lane roads. 

We have no paid staff, so volunteers are central to our ability to represent you on such a broad range of issues.  Please contact me at any time to inquire about ways in which you can help protect this beautiful corner of Fairfax County. 

Bill Canis
president@gfca.org

VDOT's 495 NEXT project will extend the I-495 Express Lanes 2.5 miles from the Dulles Toll Road in Tysons Corner to the American Legion bridge and the George Washington Parkway.  VDOT is undertaking the project under a public-private partnership with Capital Beltway Express (Transurban), the current operator of the 495 Express Lanes.  Construction on the express lanes began in March and is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

Maryland has lagged behind VDOT in beginning work, and Virginia critics of the project have expressed concern that Maryland’s transportation agency might fail to deliver on its portion of the project.  That concern has been substantially heightened because of recent political developments in Maryland.

VDOT and Transurban are also facing criticism over transparency and responsiveness.  Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, one of the few Board of Supervisor members opposed to green-lighting work on 495 NEXT without a strong Maryland commitment, said that while VDOT has been willing to address issues raised by the community in past projects like the Route 7 widening project, that hasn’t been the case with 495 NEXT.  “Unfortunately, on the current I-495 NEXT project, the VDOT team has demonstrated almost no sensitivity to community concerns,” Foust said in a recent interview.  “The lack of good faith effort by VDOT and its partner, Transurban, to address and mitigate impacts of the current project on long established residential neighborhoods, recreational facilities, and parks is unacceptable, surprising and very disappointing. ...They’re just telling the residents what they’re going to do.  Telling me that you’re going to drive a plow through my front yard is not the same thing as talking to me about what the alternatives might be and how we might mitigate that.”