For Immediate Release
May 16, 2013
Contact: Stewart Schwartz
202.244.4408 ext. 121
Cell: 703.599.6437
As Metro prepares to open the Silver Line later this year, the Coalition for Smarter Growth found it fitting to honor the work of Halpin, who led the planned transformation of Tysons into a walkable, sustainable urban area. Halpin, one of the original developers of Tysons Corner, not only put the area on the map in the first place, but led WEST*GROUP in completely rethinking the form and design of its holdings in Tysons.
“Without Jerry Halpin’s leadership, the new vision for Tysons might never have been realized. Tysons is the most important redevelopment initiative on the East Coast and Jerry Halpin is the most important private sector figure behind that initiative,” said Coalition for Smarter Growth Executive Director Stewart Schwartz.
“The Tysons plan and the redevelopment proposals that have followed are historic, and will provide critical lessons-learned as more and more suburban communities turn to walkable, transit-oriented development as the best way to address traffic, revitalize aging commercial corridors, and meet market demand in an era of rising fuel costs and changing demographics,” said Schwartz.
The Livable Community Leadership Award is bestowed annually on the Washington area individual or individuals who have made a particularly significant contribution to smart growth in the Washington region.
The Coalition also presented the third annual Sanders-Henn Community Hero Award to the Fairfax County staff, collectively. In keeping with the theme of the evening, the staff was honored for their inclusive and effective work that brought numerous stakeholders together to start the transformation of Tysons from an auto-dependent suburban center into a walkable, transit-oriented urban place.
“The development and implementation of the new plan to transform Tysons would not have been possible without the expertise and hard work of dozens of county staff members in planning, revitalization, transportation, housing, parks and public services,” Schwartz said.
The Sanders-Henn Community Hero Award is named in memory of Harry Sanders and Carl Henn, two of the region’s greatest volunteer smart growth advocates who both passed in 2010.
The reception, held in the beautiful headquarters space donated by National Trust for Historic Preservation, attracted leading conservationists, civic activists, government officials, mixed-use and transit-oriented developers, architects, housing experts, planners and attorneys. Event sponsors ranged from development and architecture firms to leading housing and conservation advocates.
Previous awardees include:
- Evan Goldman (2012), Vice President Development, Federal Realty Investment Trust
- David Bowers (2011), Vice President and Impact Market Leader for Enterprise Community Partners
- Harriet Tregoning (2010), Director of the D.C. Office of Planning
- Congressman Gerry Connolly (2009), former Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
- Bob Peck (2008), former President of the Greater Washington Board of Trade
- Dan Tangherlini (2007), former City Administrator, former Director of DDOT, and Metro General Manager
- James O. Gibson (2006), longtime leader of advocacy for urban communities in the foundation, government and non-profit sectors
- Leslie Steen (2005), non-profit housing developer
- Chris Zimmerman (2004), Arlington County Board Member
About Jerry Halpin
From his service in World War II with the Navy Seabees, to work as a leading developer, to his charitable activities, Jerry Halpin has accomplished more than most people could do in several lifetimes. But it’s his leadership of the WEST*GROUP team in transforming the company’s own vision and development model for Tysons, that the Coalition for Smarter Growth most wants to recognize. Halpin has been synonymous with Tysons since its rise in the early 1960s when WEST*GROUP became the largest single landowner and developer in the nation’s most well-known “Edge City.” But most important for the future of the Washington region, Jerry Halpin and his colleagues were among the first to see the potential and importance for transit investment and smart growth redevelopment for an area becoming overwhelmed by traffic.
Even before the launch of the Tysons Task Force, Halpin had commissioned the internationally renowned architecture firm Skidmore Owings Merrill to boldly rethink Tysons, studying the models of Arlington County, the nation’s great cities, and new urbanism. They created a vision of interconnected streets, restored streams, grand public parks and plazas, and a vibrant mix of uses, capturing it all in detailed illustrations and an astounding Tysons scale model. Jerry and his colleagues played a leading role in winning the support of other Tysons developers for a new vision, in setting a standard of commitment to funding community benefits, and in the development of the new urban plan for Tysons.
The Sanders-Henn Community Hero Award
The Sanders-Henn Community Hero Award honors local residents who demonstrate records of service and dedication to their community and make outstanding contributions to smart growth in the region. This annual award is named in honor of two of the smart growth community’s greatest volunteer advocates, Harry Sanders and Carl Henn, both of whom passed in 2010.
The 2013 recipient of the Sanders-Henn Community Hero Award is the Fairfax County staff, collectively for the inclusive process they planned and executed for Tysons. Planning for the future of our communities and transforming auto-dependent suburban centers into walkable, transit-oriented urban places is at its best when everyone is at the table. Fairfax County ensured that was the case in a multi-year planning process. The development and implementation of the new plan to transform Tysons would not have been possible without the expertise and hard work of dozens of county staff members in planning, revitalization, transportation, housing, parks and public services.
About the Coalition for Smarter Growth
The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington D.C. region dedicated to making the case for smart growth. Our mission is to promote walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities, and the land use and transportation policies needed to make those communities flourish. The Coalition’s website is www.smartergrowth.net.
Photos from the event are available online at http://www.flickr.com/
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