Posts by Canaan Merchant — Elections Committee
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How big and how fast should Reston grow? Leaders will soon debate this question.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn recently called for an amendment of the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan for Reston. The Comp Plan is a sort of master document for the planning, development, and priorities for the census-designated area. The plan hasn’t been amended in five years. So what do these changes mean for the development of Reston? Keep reading…
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Opponents of a Spring Valley bike lane are singing a familiar, erroneous tune
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a group of residents is opposing plans to add bike lanes because they think it will lead to increased congestion, despite traffic counts that show the road is overbuilt. The latest iteration of this is unfolding in the Spring Valley neighborhood in Northwest DC along Dalecarlia Parkway. Keep reading…
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Reston’s Campus Commons project, next to the Silver Line, moves foward
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors gave the final okay for a project that provoked a new wave of organization against long planned changes in Reston. It is the latest in a rash of approvals for redevelopment of many of Reston’s Office parks close to the Silver Line. Keep reading…
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How can Arlington Boulevard be safer for all road users?
VDOT is thinking about the future of Arlington Boulevard/Route 50 through Falls Church, and it created a survey to understand what the public thinks and wants to be done in the area. Keep reading…
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Arlington might be losing a public observation deck, and it’s not clear why
When Arlington County approved the construction of Central Place a few years ago, it became the tallest building in Arlington, and with it came the promise of a new public space at the top offering fantastic views of the region. Alas, “The View” observation deck in Rosslyn was only around a year before shutting down. What gives? Keep reading…
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Will Reston have communities and parks at its Metro stations, or parking lots?
In Reston, fights over how the area should grow are on to a new round, this time over some parking lots just outside of a Metro station. A development proposed for an area near the Silver Line would include new office space, retail storefronts, and apartments, but one local group is not pleased. Keep reading…
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This map shows a 40s-era plan to make East Capitol an expansive avenue
In the 1940s, there was a proposal to make East Capitol Street into a wide, monumental avenue. This map shows what it would look like, and provides some other glimpses into what DC was like at the time. Keep reading…
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Here’s what you should do if you get into a bicycle crash
If you get into a bike crash, call 911. Try to get a police report, and note details about the officer making the report. Take photos. Also, avoid getting angry as best you can, and don’t downplay the potential severity of your injury. Keep reading…
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More cars on I-95, or something else? Take Virginia’s survey to ID changes.
In the past, the Virginia Department of Transportation has sometimes been a hindrance to safer streets or transit improvements in the region. A focus on moving cars over people has led to projects that emphasized wide roads over alternative solutions, but that may be starting to change with the I-95 project. Keep reading…
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Beach town urbanism: There’s big density in small spaces in Cape May
Last year my family and I decided to visit Cape May, New Jersey for the first time after a lifetime of mostly sticking to beaches closer to DC. We liked it so much we went back again this year. One reason we returned is because the area is laid out a bit differently than most beach towns. Cape May offers a great example of a walkable and historic place. Keep reading…