Breakfast links: Tysons fastest growing residential region in Fairfax County
Tysons skyline by BeyondDC licensed under Creative Commons.
Apparently everyone really is moving to Tysons
Tysons is growing significantly faster than Fairfax County or the DC region as a whole, reaching a 19% growth rate between 2018 and 2021, and almost doubling its residential population from 17,000 people in 2010 to more than 30,000 in 2023. The community needs thousands of additional homes - including affordable homes - for all these new people and to reach its goal of 100,000 residents by 2050. (Angela Woolsey / FFXNow)
Hotels will become affordable housing along Baltimore Avenue in College Park
Three hotels along Baltimore Avenue about a mile north of the University of Maryland in College Park have been sold to a developer to transform into at least 300 units of affordable housing. The new owner is relying in part on Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) to make the economics work and notes the demand for affordable housing among employees at the nearby university. (This article may require an email address to access) (Jon Banister / BisNow)
Airline noise complaints are on the rise across the region
After a pandemic-era dip in the number of complaints about airplane noise, complaints about Washington National and Dulles Airport’s noise rose sharply in 2022. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority fielded over 200,000 complaints about aircraft noise last year, mostly about flights at Washington National Airport. Officials believe the increase is related to the number of flights serving the airports and their inability to adjust flight paths in restricted airspace, as well as meteorological conditions and media coverage that bring more attention to the issue. (This article may be behind a paywall) (Lori Aratani / Washington Post)
Office space in Arlington, Alexandria, and parts of Fairfax County is worth a lot less than it used to be
The market for commercial real estate in DC’s Virginia suburbs has softened considerably in the past three years, and vacancies have increased significantly, due to the impact of increased work from home that began during the pandemic. (This article may be behind a paywall. Disclosure: Tracy Hadden Loh is the chair of GGWash’s board of directors). (Teo Armus / Washington Post)
Highway widening project leads (eventually) to reclaiming part of a enslaved community’s story
A highway project in Thurmont in 1979 stumbled upon the remains of dozens of enslaved people who had lived, worked, and died near Catoctin Forge making, among other things, guns for the Revolutionary War. Over 40 years later, new DNA analysis techniques and a commitment to work in partnership with possible descendants have allowed researchers to fill in part of the story of who these people were, where they came from, and how they lived. In addition, they were able to identify approximately 3,000 people who might be direct descendants of one or more of the people buried at Catoctin Forge, many of whom still live in Maryland. (This article is behind a paywall). (Hugo Kugiya / Baltimore Banner)
Residents of some supportive housing units in DC express fear, frustration at inadequate management, support, and oversight
DC’s Permanent Supportive Housing program connects people experiencing homelessness with housing. Tenants note lacking caseworker support and poor oversight from DC agencies, leading some to violence and making buildings unsafe. (Steve Thompson / Post)
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