Breakfast links: A plan to bring the Purple Line online by 2026
Installing a bridge over Colesville Road that will carry the Purple Line, Silver Spring, MD. Image by Adam Fagen licensed under Creative Commons.
A construction timeline for the Purple Line
According to officials building the light rail line, here is what’s in store for construction: utility relocation and installing tracks along the route will begin in Summer 2022; train cars will be delivered to Maryland in Fall 2023; test track will be completed on the eastern end of the line by Summer 2024; system-wide testing will begin in Winter 2025; and service scheduled to begin in Fall 2026. (Steve Bohnel / Bethesda Magazine)
Montgomery County invests $200 million in affordable housing
Recently approved in the county’s budget, officials say this large sum of money is a historic investment. They plan to use most of the funds on preserving older units that are currently affordable, paying for new housing projects, and boosting rental assistance funds for low-income families. (Steve Bohnel / Bethesda Beat)
Alexandria’s plans for West End are two decades old
City officials recommend the 1990s-era plan be updated to include community needs and priorities, new and planned infrastructure, and anticipated future large-scale developments. (Vernon Miles / ALXnow)
A dozen developments slated for Southwest, outside of The Wharf
Some of the projects include an auto repair shop that will be a ten-story-plus-penthouse development, a liquor store that will transform into a 49-unit project, a former 7-Eleven site that will become a mixed-unit development with residences and retail, and a church that will be topped with 99 market-rate condos and 123 senior units. (Urban Turf)
An interactive workshop looks at affordable housing in Tysons
About 100 stakeholders are descending on the Boro Station Conference Center this afternoon for a workshop on solving affordable housing issues in Tysons. Fairfax County’s current comprehensive plan currently calls for 20% of new residential units to be designated as affordable or workforce housing in Tysons. (Angela Woolsey / FFXnow)
Reimagining Lorton
Fairfax County planners and developers are currently reviewing community feedback and creating frameworks for mixed-use developments along Lorton Road between Silverbrook Road and Richmond Highway. Since the prison closed in 2000, Lorton has built new schools and mixed-use development in the area. The county hopes Lorton will be a regional travel and tourist destination. (Fatimah Waseem / FFXnow)
County officials voice concerns about congestion if Commanders come to Woodbridge
Should the football team move forward with the site, state officials and legislators in Prince Williams County say improvements to public transit and transportation systems will have to be made, especially a nearby stretch of I-95 that already sees lots of congestion. (WTOP)
VA legislators postpone vote on bills meant to lure Washington Commanders
Two bills meant to woo The Washington Commanders to Virginia will not get voted on in the state’s General Assembly today (Wednesday). The legislation, which initially garnered bipartisan support, would create a stadium authority to manage the construction and finances for the stadium and would allow the team to collect a portion of tax revenue from the stadium and development. But lawmakers raised a myriad of concerns including how much tax revenue the state would have to give up. (Laura Vozzella / Post. Tip: Chester B.)
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