Category: Virginia

Our condolences to the family of Congressman Gerry Connolly

Photo of Gerry Connolly receiving CSG’s 2009 Livable Communities Award

The Coalition for Smarter Growth is deeply saddened by the passing of Congressman Gerald “Gerry” Connolly, a fighter for his community and our democracy. We extend our sincerest condolences to his wife Cathy and their family.

Congressman Connolly was a champion for transforming Fairfax County and our region with walkable, transit-oriented communities and an advocate for connecting people and communities through transit.

  • Congressmen Connolly spearheaded the replanning of Tysons Corner creating a vision for a walkable, bikeable, vibrant community now emerging around four Silver Line stations.
  • He led the creation of the Dunn-Loring/Merrifield transit-oriented community plan, which led to the successful and vibrant MOSAIC District.
  • The Congressman led the expansion of the local bus network, and was a leader in the push for the Metro Silver Line, which now connects Tysons, Reston, Dulles International Airport, and Loudoun County.
  • He was a strong proponent of affordable housing and a healthy environment, spearheading the 1 penny fund for affordable housing and 1 penny fund for water quality improvements.
  • His vision for the Cross County Trail now provides an active transportation gem connecting through the heart of Fairfax County from Mount Vernon to Great Falls.
  • In Congress, he continued his advocacy for Metro and Metrobus at the Federal level.

CSG proudly supported and campaigned for these initiatives, and in 2009 awarded then Fairfax County Chairman Connolly our Livable Communities Leadership Award. 

Congressman Connolly cared about making the world a better place and he made things happen. We are forever grateful for his leadership of Fairfax County and in Congress, and his unwavering commitment to the environment, transit, affordable housing, and transit-oriented development.

We mourn his passing and extend our deepest condolences.

Stewart Schwartz
Executive Director
Coalition for Smarter Growth

Mayor Letty Hardi’s Remarks from our 2025 Livable Communities Leadership Award Event – May 14, 2025

Livable Communities Leadership Awardee Mayor Letty Hardi

Good evening everyone!

First – thank you to the Coalition for Smarter Growth for this incredible honor. And to our federal workers and contractors – who have been impacted, who are worried, or who keep showing up – we stand with you. You are the quiet engines behind so much
of what keeps our country running. We see you and we appreciate you. Thank you so much to CSG. I am thrilled to be here to share the Little City story – and deeply humbled.

As mayor of Falls Church – aka The Little City, or the Little City with Big Ideas – this award isn’t just mine. It belongs to the entire community of people who show up to meetings in City Hall, who lead walking tours, paint rainbow crosswalks, who inspect new buildings for safety, march in our Memorial Day parade, repair sidewalks, plan Halloween bike parades, or plant trees on Arbor Day together. And some of you all are here tonight. So I want to make sure we recognize everyone.


Some of my City colleagues –
● Vice Mayor Debbie Hiscott Councilmember Justine Underhill
● Former Mayor Dave Tarter
● Former Councilmember and current Planning Commissioner Phil Duncan
● Vice Chair of Planning Commission Tim Stevens
● Former Chair of Planning Commission Rob Puentes
● EDA Chair Ross Litkenhous
● Phenomenal city staff led by long time City Manager Wyatt Shields,
● Akida Rouzi, Zoning Administrator
● Amanda Stout Brain, Public Works Director
● Kerri Oddenino from Planning
And some of my favorite planners and visionaries around, Jim Snyder and Paul Stoddard, who are great examples of how we often import and then export talent around the region.

All of us are here tonight because we passionately share the idea that where we live, how we get around, and who gets to be part of our communities matters. It shapes our health, our economy, our climate, and most importantly, our sense of belonging. And we share a collective responsibility on how we’re going to leave it better for the next generation.

Now, if you’re not familiar with Falls Church – first of all, come visit! We’re known as The Little City because we clock in at just 2.2 square miles. We’re small but mighty. But what we lack in size, we make up for in heart – and ambition. And grocery stores, I might add 🙂 I did the math and I think we might have the highest grocery store per capita around.

And I truly believe that’s why we’re being recognized tonight — the heart and ambition
part (not the grocery stores part!)

In Falls Church, we’ve embraced smart growth – not as a trendy buzzword, but as a
guiding principle.


● We’ve been working to be a 15-minute city – the idea where you really can get your daily needs met within a 15 minute walk, bike, or bus/transit ride – before it was cool – or before we knew it was cool.
● We’ve rezoned to allow more mixed use and housing. Over the next few years, we’re adding 25% more housing supply, doubling our affordable housing stock, and welcoming 20% more population – who will be our new neighbors, friends,
and customers.
● And we’re tackling middle housing pragmatically – 8 years ago we were the first on the east coast to allow for cottage housing. And because we wanted to allow for infill and smaller development and hadn’t built townhomes in the city in over 20 years, we modernized our transition zoning last year and have 2 townhome projects underway now.
● And just last month, we got our ADU ordinance over the finish line – with what Mercatus has told me was the most progressive in the Commonwealth, without the poison pills of parking requirements and owner occupancy.

Can we finally say that housing and density aren’t bad words?

But none of this happened overnight. For 10+ years, we’ve been relentless at getting things done and adding supply – the
idea of abundance is not new to us in Falls Church. I’ve been reflecting a lot on how we got here. This success is made possible by 5 different things:

  1. It’s been years of ambitious plans and progressive direction – thank you Jim,
    Paul, and others for being visionary and reminding us that cities need to evolve,
    parking codes need to be modernized, and we can’t pull up the ladder after the
    last zoning change is done.
  2. Elections have consequences – we clearly know that now. In Falls Church, we’ve
    had consequential voices like Phil Duncan and Ross Litkenhous, urging us to
    add and diversify to our tax base – that we should build our way to excellent
    services and infrastructure vs tax our way there. I’ve been fortunate to serve with
    and learn from them and others.
  3. Persistence and work by professional staff – thank you for the diligent, steady
    leadership starting from the top. Wyatt, especially for your patience with me.
    Especially when I don’t take no for an answer – and you smile and nod and hope I
    don’t ask again 🙂
  4. Public engagement and accessibility – projects are made better when we listen.
    But we also are learning how to go to the people, so we’re not just listening to the
    loudest voices in the room and what it means to give people a voice but not a
    veto.
  5. Thoughtful, fact based decision making. As a data nerd, I make decisions
    anchored in facts and write about it in my blog, hopefully informing a few more
    people each week. But if nothing else, even if you disagree with me, maybe you
    can appreciate that I engaged with you and see how I came to my vote. While
    not every decision can be based on numbers only – it certainly helps that I can
    rely on good fiscal modeling from staff and actual data that combats all the FAQs
    about traffic, stormwater, parking, school capacity. And then we go back,
    measure how we’re doing, and learn from that to move forward.
    Facts and yes voices in the room helps us on the dais take the brave votes.
    And the results show it.
    ● Besides new buildings, restaurants, a growing tax base and population, we’ve
    also managed to build generational investments in new high school, city hall,
    library, sidewalks, parks, trails while lowering the tax rate 14 cents over the past 5
    years (and it will be another penny lower when the next fiscal year starts in 2
    months).
    ● We’re consistently ranked as one of the best places to live, we have a terrific and
    intimate school system, decreasing traffic volumes according to VDOT data –
    because as Rob Puentes reminds us – more people doesn’t always mean more
    cars when you also invest in multimodal transportation.
    ● And we’re ranked by US News and World Report as the healthiest community in
    the US, because I truly believe smart urban planning leads to better physical and
    mental health.
    My favorite gauge of our progress is the “Letty coffeeshop metric” which some of you
    may have heard before.
  6. When I first ran for City Council in 2016, we just opened our first independent coffee
    shop. One of the special things about the Little City is all of our small businesses, with
    coffeeshops among them.

Since 2016, we now have 6 – with 3 more on the way and all of them are packed daily. I share this with you, not because I run on coffee, but because coffeeshops are those third places that create opportunities for social connection. It’s because welcoming more people, giving them an opportunity to live where there are jobs, transportation, and amenities, and building great places – means those people also become the customers to help sustain the small businesses we cherish. This is a virtuous cycle that not only supports business, reduces sprawl, and is more equitable and greener. Growth is not mutually exclusive from being green.

At its core, creating a livable community means creating places where people can thrive and truly, Falls Church is special. We have come a long way, and I try not to take it for granted. Because when I try really hard to listen to who’s not at the table, they remind me – in the nicest possible way – that there’s still work to do. We need to keep leaning into a future that’s inclusive, sustainable, and community focused. I challenge all of us to hold up our progressive values in the mirror and decide if we’re doing enough to take real steps to welcome more neighbors of different incomes and backgrounds. Or are we just resting on our laurels of being affluent, educated, and centrally located? And are we doing enough on climate change – and making our city resilient to this existential issue and doing enough in the region to transition our buildings and transportation modes away from high carbon emissions? And I can’t ignore what’s happening at the federal level. Is our region resilient enough over the next few years? Will we be able to protect the most vulnerable and weather the storm?

In times of uncertainty, I go back to what’s in my sphere of control and that’s at localgovernment. Local government is where we can get things done. And at the end of the day, I believe that most people want to see progress – so I try to be a builder. There is so much good we can do, individually and collectively as a region. We have the opportunity to create believers in democracy again if we focus on delivering results and making government work for people, solving problems that matter vs kicking the can down the road, and reversing the fear of scarcity politics.

The work is incremental and pragmatic – I’ve learned there is no silver bullet, otherwise we would have done it long ago – but the little things do add up. Change doesn’t happen all at once – it happens one policy, one sidewalk, one brave vote at a time.

Let me end with this: if Falls Church can lead on these issues – if our Little City can take bold steps toward big goals – then we all can. We’re proof that political courage and community vision are not measured in square miles. They’re measured in values – and
in action.

Thank you again for this incredible recognition.
Let’s keep going.

Thank you.

– Mayor Letty Hardi 2025 Livable Communities Leadership Awardee

Release: This is smart growth! Creating a vibrant, walkable Oakton, Fairfax VA

Release: This is smart growth! Creating a vibrant, walkable Oakton, Fairfax VA

CSG and allies support transformation of the old AT&T office building and its acres of parking. CSG is joined by the Sierra Club, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling, Fairfax Families for Safe Streets, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Nature Forward, Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance, and YIMBYs of NoVA.

VA Testimony: Support for AT&T Oakton plan amendment by Fairfax Healthy Communities

February 25, 2025 

Fairfax County Planning Commission

12000 Government Center Parkway

Fairfax, VA 22035

RE: Comments in Support of AT&T Oakton plan amendment – PA 2023-00009 (SSPA 2023-II-1F)

Chairman Niedzielski-Eichner and Commissioners,

The above nine organizations, as part of the Fairfax Healthy Communities Network, are

providing the comments below to express our strong support for the redevelopment of the AT&T Oakton site and ask that you vote in favor of Plan Amendment – PA 2023-00009 (SSPA 2023-II-1F).

Our organizations assess proposed development projects in accordance with our shared principles that they provide more homes for a mix of incomes, are accessible to transit with safe walking and biking options, and provide good environmental sustainability and design. 

Providing more housing for a mix of incomes in walkable, high amenity areas near transit and jobs is essential to ensuring an inclusive and economically prosperous Fairfax County where people are able to live near their work, reducing long commutes and our climate impact. 

The proposed redevelopment of the AT&T site is a great opportunity to do just that on 33 acres in the heart of Oakton, transforming acres of underutilized office space and parking lots into an inclusive, vibrant community. It offers new homes, including affordable units, with access to transit, improved bike/ped connections, enhanced stormwater management, parks, and tree preservation.The redevelopment provides the opportunity for much-needed placemaking within Oakton that will enhance residents’ sense of community. 

The proposed plan amendment is the first step in making way for this redevelopment proposal to become a reality. The plan calls for an appropriate increase in intensity and balanced mix of uses, including grocery and retail, that will support a walkable, vibrant community as the core of the Flint Hill Suburban Center. Appropriate transitions to existing neighborhoods support compatibility and integration with the surrounding area. It includes good urban design with a grid of streets, wide walkways, activated street level activity, parks and open spaces.  

Transportation

The AT&T site is in a prime location near transit services, including the Vienna Metro, local bus service, and express buses running in the I-66 High-Occupancy Toll lanes. It is also served by two major regional multi-use trails, the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail and the 66 Parallel Trail. 

While the site benefits from proximity to these sustainable transportation options, the area today is not comfortable or inviting for people trying to get around without driving. The proposed redevelopment is an opportunity to help turn that around, improving safety and accessibility for residents and visitors of the site itself, and catalyzing, through the planned area transportation study, improvements for the surrounding community as well.  

We are grateful the draft language includes the needed transportation improvements that will help improve mobility in the area. The plan calls for optimizing transit and enhancing bus stop amenities, improving pedestrian and bicycle connections, adding safer crossing options, including a traffic signal for families to safely cross to Oakton Elementary School. 

The innovative approach to the Chain Bridge and Jermantown intersection will improve driver travel time and provide better infrastructure and safer crossings for people walking and biking without destructive widening with more lanes.  

Housing

More housing in the county is desperately needed. The shortage of homes and high prices mean more and more people cannot afford to live in Fairfax. The proposal to redevelop the AT&T site will deliver 850 new homes in multi-family buildings and townhomes. It includes 18 percent affordable and workplace units, an increase over the policy recommendation of 8 percent. This supports the county’s housing goal of providing 10,000 units by 2034. 

Environment & Parks

We are grateful the draft plan calls for open space, a well-designed and connected urban park, and the preservation of established trees along the perimeter of the property and new native plantings. This supports the redevelopment proposal that includes the addition of a 2-acre park complementing the existing Borge Street Park, a central green common, and a 1-mile shared use path that provides a linear park around the perimeter of the site. Redevelopment will provide updated and enhanced stormwater management, green infrastructure, and stream protection.  

In Summary

This plan amendment supports redevelopment of the AT&T Oakton site, which will provide much needed housing in a walkable community with access to transit and enhanced environmental design and open space. We ask that you approve the plan amendment.    

Thank you for your consideration of our comments. 

Ting Waymouth

Chesapeake Climate Action Network NoVA

Sonya Breehey

Coalition for Smarter Growth

Joy Faunce

Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling

Chris Topoleski

Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions

Chris French

Fairfax Families for Safe Streets

Renee Grebe

Nature Forward

Jill Norcross & Anika Rahman

Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance

Kevin O’Brien

Washington Area Bicyclist Association

Naveed Easton, Joshua Booth, Mostafa ElNahass & Evan Ramee

YIMBYs of NOVA

Annual Northern Virginia Joint Transportation Meeting (Comments)

Re: NoVA transportation needs to prioritize transit funding and service enhancement, roadway safety, alternatives to road capacity expansion, and climate action 

Chairs and directors of Northern Virginia transportation agencies:

The Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) appreciates your gathering together to hear from the public and stakeholders and share information on current projects and programs. CSG has worked on Northern Virginia transportation and land use for the past 27 years, advocating for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities, as the most sustainable and equitable way for the region to grow and provide opportunities for all. Please accept these written comments on behalf of CSG, as unfortunately we cannot attend in person. 

Right now, Northern Virginia has four main needs in transportation. Residents and workers need you to:

  1. Expand transit, and Increase Metro and local transit funding, both capital and operating. The region and the state’s prosperity depend on officials securing a dedicated funding source for this critical service and infrastructure. Our continued prosperity also depends on funding the necessary improvements that regional leaders are planning, such as the Metrobus visionary network, the DMV Moves action plans that are underway, VRE, and bus priority corridors. 
  2. Prioritize making arterial roads safer for Northern Virginia residents and workers walking, riding bikes and scooters, and accessing transit stops. The region has the funds, it just needs to shift money planned for hundreds of miles of new highway and arterial lanes to instead address safety. A secure transportation network must also fund climate resilience investments to deal with increased flooding, sea level rise, and heat, and to prioritize safer, less polluting modes of travel like transit. 
  3. Ensure that major corridor improvement projects – such as I-495 Southside – have objective studies that fully evaluate alternatives rather than starting with a conclusions-first approach. We should not be making multibillion dollar, 50-year decisions via poorly structured studies. We are disappointed that VDOT has decided – yet again – to only evaluate build alternatives for widening and HOT lanes, and not meaningfully consider a comprehensive transit, travel demand management and land use solution.
  4. Follow through on your climate change commitments. Virginia transportation agencies oversee the largest source of planet-warming pollution in the state, yet residents do not see accountability in plans and policies – and little urgency in agency actions. VDOT’s Carbon Reduction Strategy, for example, sets no targets or performance measures. Statewide funding decisions have used the additional federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law money to worsen the climate change impact of Virginia’s transportation system. 

Recent analysis by the organization Transportation for America shows that Virginia will pollute 1.3 million more tons of carbon dioxide through 2040 as a result of state, local and MPO-level decisions to prioritize even more money for highway expansion. Meanwhile, a number of other states instead used this additional funding to address maintenance backlogs, fund cleaner affordable travel modes, and reduce emissions.

Numerous analyses show that electric vehicles – while essential – will not be enough to slash greenhouse gas pollution to safe levels. Northern Virginia localities and agencies must ensure that communities can meet their daily needs with less driving and more affordable, convenient and sustainable options. If Virginia did this statewide (e.g., a 20% decrease in per capita vehicle miles traveled due to more accessible communities and travel options), it would save households $1,280 per year in transportation costs, avoid 105 crash deaths, save 761 lives due to better health outcomes, reduce load on the electric grid, and slash GHG emissions. 

CSG recently prepared a brief for regional officials of actions that you can take now, which we attach.

With the incoming federal administration, even more responsibility will rest on your shoulders to fund transit, provide safe streets, and reduce climate pollution. We ask you to act quickly on these four priorities.

Thank you,

Bill Pugh, AICP CTP
Senior Policy Fellow

CSG in the News: County board split over possible I-495 toll lanes from Springfield into Maryland

“That the additional capacity of the HOT lanes would generate more traffic trying to travel to and from the lanes via connecting roads like Route 1, Telegraph and Van Dorn wouldn’t be surprising,” Bill Pugh, a senior policy fellow at the organization, said in a statement released by CSG after the committee meeting.

RELEASE: VDOT briefs flawed I-495 Southside Study to Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

“In addition to ignoring induced demand and relying on flawed traffic models, VDOT’s study is compromised at the outset by its ‘conclusions-first’ approach,” said Pugh. “The agency’s stated project purpose is ‘to extend and provide continuity of the Express Lanes system’ and their evaluation criteria reinforce this predetermined conclusion. They have also excluded viable alternatives from study.”

Letter: 495 Southside (Oppose, Regional/Fairfax County)

The Coalition for Smarter Growth respectfully asks Transportation Planning board officials to: 1) Vote to exclude the 495 Southside Project from the Visualize 2050 plan and air quality conformity analysis due to the strong concerns of multiple local jurisdictions that have not been adequately addressed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and 2) Ensure that VDOT fixes its flawed 495 Southside Study to fully evaluate other alternatives, address local jurisdiction concerns, and identify the best long-term solution for the region and communities along 495.