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  Community Clips Smart Growth News for the Washington, DC Region March 16, 2007 In this issue:
From the Executive Director: Leadership for a Sustainable Future Arlington, Fairfax and Montgomery Counties have announced new initiatives to reduce the emissions that contribute to global climate change. In the short term, we can change our light bulbs, buy power from renewable sources, carpool and take other steps. But location efficiency will be the key. Our buildings use over 40% of our energy and transportation over 30%. Living and working in green, energy efficient buildings in walkable, transit-accessible communities will make a significant difference. In a world where most are tired of driving, a sense of community and convenience is attracting more and more people to cities, towns, and transit-friendly communities. We need the leadership of our elected officials, but we also need to take action personally. In this edition of Community Clips I ask you to take action on three key transportation and land use issues: Dulles Rail and the Tysons Tunnel – People overwhelmingly agree that the tunnel is the best way to go to create a walkable urban center and that a competitive bid is the only way to protect taxpayers. But it won’t happen unless we communicate to Governor Kaine and our Congressional delegation (House and Senate). See our press release, "All Agree Tunnel is Best Answer." Tysons Replanning Process – This is a great opportunity to be involved in making Tysons Corner a better place. The right mix of uses and densities must be matched with a better street network, great public spaces and great design. Learn more and view a presentation. Participate in public planning meetings: March 19, 20 and 21. Sign-up by today’s (March 16) deadline. Intercounty Connector – Governor O’Malley has the chance to take a second look at the ICC before committing Maryland to this $3 billion project that doesn’t relieve traffic on I-95, Beltway, I-270 or most local roads. The highway would shred communities, forests and streams while increasing air pollution and global warming emissions. The ICC takes money away from other local road and transit projects including the Purple Line. Write or call Governor O’Malley today, asking him to rethink the ICC. Virginia Transportation Update Legislatures are nicknamed “sausage factories” for the messy process and the product they produce. That brings us to the transportation funding bill and the transportation budget items. For the first time a bill ties land use provisions into a funding bill. Those provisions still need amendment. Transit funding falls far short of what an increasingly urban state requires, while far too much money goes to subsidize public-private transportation projects like the Beltway HOT lanes. The big issue not addressed in the media is where VDOT would spend some of the statewide money. Learn about projects like Route 460, a new highway to be built parallel to one that is today and will be in 2030, free-flowing. Today it carries just 10,000 trips per day. The Beltway carries 200,000 to 300,000. The Coalition and partner groups in Virginia have sent Governor Kaine letters recommending critical amendments and fundamental reevaluation of spending priorities. Montgomery County Ag Reserve Report Released Montgomery County’s Ad Hoc Agricultural Policy Working Group released a final report in mid-February after eight months of discussions between a diverse group of stakeholders. They agreed on a number of critical measures to sustain the long-term viability of the county’s nationally-acclaimed Agricultural Reserve. The Planning Board held and public hearing on February 22 and will discuss the recommendations during a work session before forwarding their comments to the County Council. Read the report. Linking Smart Growth, Urbanism, and Green Building Location, location, location. Green buildings and well-designed new urbanist communities must be in locations that reduce traffic and emissions, and make sense regionally. As a means of integrating the principles of smart growth, urbanism, and green building, the U.S. Green Building Council is working to develop the first national standard for neighborhood design. “The future of green building is to think beyond just buildings, by addressing important issues like density development, community infrastructure, resource availability, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “LEED for Neighborhood Development is an important and exciting step towards transforming the marketplace to create a healthy and sustainable future.” LEED-ND will be testing the standards on nominated pilot projects across the country. Learn more. Big Turnout for Columbia Heights Walking Tour - Part of CSG Series Columbia Heights is a bustling, rapidly changing yet historical neighborhood that offers insights into community planning and the balance between private developers and the public vision. Our February 17 walking tour provided an exciting chance to learn about the path leading to the current development blitz, and to consider examples of good and bad urban design. Architect and urban designer Otto Condon, architect David Levy and Coalition Policy Director Cheryl Cort facilitated a fascinating discussion with 35 hardy smart-growthers who came out on a cold day and crunched through the snow. We learned that the sale of public land could have been more closely tied to the goals of an earlier public design Charrette. We discussed design elements that make for a vibrant streetscape, particularly wide sidewalks and transparency on the first floor of buildings. David Levy told us of the hard-won battle to keep the wide sidewalk in front of the Tivoli Square Giant for pedestrian use rather than for a drive-up car-loading space. We even got a surprise greeting from the Director of a local arts organization, the Dance Institute of Washington at 14th between Newton & Monroe. Learn more about the recent planning history of Columbia Heights on our website. We hope you can join us for a future tour! Upcoming Events
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