CSG Update*
     July 1, 2005



In this issue:

• Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Proposal Threatens Jobs in Inner Core
• Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve Celebrates Anniversary
• Affordable Housing Study Highlights Gaps in Funding
• Re-Imagining Tysons Corner
• Citizen’s Guide Provides Information on Making Good Development Happen
• Newsletter Subscription Information

Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Proposal Threatens Jobs in
Inner Core

The Department of Defense has put forth recommendations that would shift more than 23,000 military and civilian jobs from transit oriented locations within the urban core to isolated, auto-dependent locations outside the beltway. Particularly affected in our area are Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Northwest Washington.

This BRAC proposal is unique in that it affects a great number of contractors who currently work in leased office space. Previous BRAC initiatives have not dealt with the issue of contractor displacement on this scale. Concerns of a DoD “brain drain” have surfaced as many contractors have made it clear that they do not want to move from the urban core, near Metro.

The Commission is accepting public input and will forward its report to President Bush by September 8, 2005. The only hearings for the Washington area are scheduled for July 7 and July 8. Read more about the impacts of the BRAC proposal and learn how you can take action by visiting our website.

Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve Celebrates Anniversary

As the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve celebrates its 25th anniversary, Celebrate Rural Montgomery officially launched its website, www.ruralmontgomery.org. Featured are a calendar of events, ways to get involved, helpful information about agriculture in the county, and artistic photographs of Montgomery County farmland through the seasons.

Affordable Housing Study Highlights Gaps in Funding

Few of the region’s governments are providing significant and stable local funding for affordable housing, according to a study released by the Washington Regional Network for Livable Communities. The report, “Affordable Housing Isn’t Cheap: The Status of and Need for Dedicated Local Revenue for Affordable Housing Production and Preservation in the Washington, D.C., Region” documents the region's gaps in local funding for affordable housing and makes specific recommendations to address the crisis. Since the release of this report, Fairfax County created its first-ever dedicated revenue fund for preserving affordable housing.

For more information on the study, view WRN's Press Release or the Full Report (PDF).

Re-Imagining Tysons Corner

Residents, civic association members, elected officials, developers, and urban designers came together June 21, 2005 for an open and inclusive forum on re-imagining Tysons Corner. Co-sponsored by the McLean Citizens Association, the Washington Regional Network for Livable Communities, the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the Great Falls Group of the Sierra Club, the Great Falls Citizen Association, and the Audubon Naturalist Society, the event fostered a dialogue on design principles that could enhance redevelopment opportunities in Tysons Corner.

The Coalition for Smarter Growth strongly supports and recommends an integrated design and transportation approach for Tysons Corner. This process should involve all stakeholders, gather and consider all the information available to all parties, use first-rate visualization tools, use form-based design coding, use the best architectural, planning and transportation consultants available, and have the funding needed to do the job right. Design is the key. Getting the micro-details right is essential if rail is to work, if Tysons Corner is to become a real, pedestrian-friendly place, and if traffic is to be manageable. All of us want to ensure that Tysons Corner becomes a real place with the right mix of parks, community services, public gathering places and other amenities.

For more about the forum, read "Citizens Debate Advent of Rail" at TimesCommunity.com.

Citizen’s Guide Provides Information on Making Good Development Happen

"Choosing Your Community's Future," a new citizen's guide published by Smart Growth America, is an easy-to-understand resource for those who are tired of reacting to bad development and want to make good development happen. For more information, visit www.smartgrowthamerica.org.

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