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John was raised in Western Pennsylvania in a small town where the local economy was devastated when the steel mills closed. He knows the hardships families and communities suffer when the local economy is depressed and there are no jobs. Living in Northern Virginia for over 30 years, he has also seen and experienced the many benefits of working and raising a family in a region with a strong and growing economy. However, he knows that as our region grows, we must anticipate and provide adequate infrastructure to address the traffic and other impacts of that growth.
Balanced growth. Growth must be balanced with available roads, schools, transit, parks and other public resources. John works to protect our quality of life by insisting that high density developments are served by adequate infrastructure and that developers pay their fair share of providing the infrastructure to serve the traffic and other demands created by their projects.
Transit oriented development. John believes we should use zoning regulations to encourage growth to occur around rail and other transit stations. By creating walkable communities around transit stations where people can live and work and use public transit for many of their commuting needs, we can reduce our dependence on the automobile for transportation and reduce development pressures on our remaining open spaces.
John was an active participant in revising the Comprehensive Plans for transit oriented development in Tysons Corner and at the Metro station at Route 28 and the CIT property. Even with Metro service and transit oriented development, growth in Tysons will mean more traffic, so John included widening of Route 7 from Tysons to Reston Avenue in the Plan as a priority infrastructure improvement. And because many of his constituents will not be able to walk, bike or bus to the Tysons Corner Metro stations, he also directed county staff to find commuter parking options at the Tysons stations when they open.
Protecting established neighborhoods. Growth in Tysons Corner and along the Dulles Corridor creates traffic and other impacts on established neighborhoods. In addition, the character of existing neighborhoods can be impacted by in-fill development of large homes. John has worked to protect our neighborhoods from over-crowding, cut-through traffic and inadequate zoning enforcement. He has worked hard to ensure that zoning regulations are enforced to protect our neighborhoods from noise, hoarding, property maintenance, lighting, illegal signs, and other Code violations. He has also championed new regulations, like the Tree Conservation Ordinance, the Zoning regulations that eliminated the out-lot loop hole for building setbacks, and new Zoning regulations that limit the height of in-fill development homes. John has also worked to enhance the quality of many established communities by installing stormwater management projects, traffic signage and new street lights and by implementing traffic calming projects, through truck traffic restrictions and parking restrictions in residential neighborhoods.
Workforce housing. Fairfax County needs more affordable housing so our teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public employees and families of moderate income can live in the community where they work and serve. Affordable housing also helps reduce congestion by reducing the length of commutes and making it possible for more of the county workforce to use transit. As Supervisor, John has supported the County’s efforts to preserve and expand affordable housing. And he has worked to make affordable housing an essential part of our efforts to re-plan Tysons Corner and other transit oriented development and revitalization areas of the County.
County Capital Improvement Projects. Since taking office, John has advanced several County capital improvement projects to address the public safety and other needs of existing residents and to anticipate future needs. The new fire station in Great Falls and the renovated and expanded library in Mclean are under construction, a construction contract has been awarded for the Wolf Trap fire station on Route 7 and a design contract has been awarded for the new Herndon fire station. |
