Category: Town of Vienna, VA

Merchant’s Tire, 8/17/2018

Merchant’s Tire left the Town of Vienna last month.

And this month — Va Tire and Auto is moving in. My wife just spotted a help wanted sign.

Could I possibly have been more off-base in my prior post about Merchant’s Tire.  No, I don’t think so.  That was about as wrong as wrong gets.  For an economist, that showed a shocking lack of faith in the market.  Mea culpa. Continue reading Merchant’s Tire, 8/17/2018

Planning Commission Meeting 8/8/2018 – Review

The Town of Vienna Planning Commission met 8/8/2018 to discuss, among other things, some potential changes to MAC regulations.  There were perhaps 20 citizens in attendance, and maybe 8 people got up to speak.  My overall take is that MAC zoning will proceed as business-as-usual, with minor changes.

For me, the absolute low point of the evening was when a Commissioner (who shall remain nameless) called out the citizens for spreading false information — and then proceeded to spread false information. Continue reading Planning Commission Meeting 8/8/2018 – Review

Slug line

Thoroughly updated 8/5/2018:  As it turns out, there’s an app for that.  And a modern slug is a well-organized slug.

On this page, I argue that maybe the best commuter use of the Mill Street garage is to make it the base for the first successful I-66 slug line from Vienna.  And that the Town should work to make that happen.   The question I address here is, could that work? Continue reading Slug line

Et tu, Merchant’s? Revised 7/26/2018 to walk back a previous version

As I was walking down Maple yesterday evening (7/24/2018), I did a double-take at the former Merchant’s Tire and Auto building (Maple between Lawyers and Center).  I hadn’t realized they had vacated that.  But the Merchant’s website no longer lists the Vienna location. Continue reading Et tu, Merchant’s? Revised 7/26/2018 to walk back a previous version

Walkability, updated 7/19/2018

Updated 7/24/2018 to add reference to Town of Vienna 2016 Community Survey.

One of the arguments that the Town makes regarding MAC zoning is that it will make Maple Avenue more “walkable”.  I find that puzzling, as I walk on Maple all the time.  On this page, I want to take the “walkability” issue apart and analyze what I think the Town means by that.  My conclusion is that the “walkability” they are aiming for will not reduce car traffic on Maple.

First, 81 percent of Vienna residents are satisfied or very satisfied with the “Safety/ease of walking in Town of Vienna”, according to the Town’s 2016 Community Survey.  That certainly matches my impression:  Once on Maple, there are no barriers to walking anywhere on Maple. Continue reading Walkability, updated 7/19/2018

Traffic noise and air pollution adjacent to Maple Avenue, updated 7/28/2018

Anyone who has walked along Maple during rush hour knows that the traffic generates significant noise.   This page answers the question, just how noisy is it?

This is an important question for two reasons.  First, the only “public open space” that the Town appears to be getting is small paved areas directly adjacent to Maple Avenue, and the MAC zoning rules appear to enforce that.  The Town expects people to enjoy the space directly adjacent to the road.  Second, the Town promotes MAC as a way to make Vienna more “walkable“, by which I think they mean that they expect people living on Maple to walk to destinations on Maple.   For that as well, high noise levels will be a significant disincentive to walk to Maple Avenue destinations. Continue reading Traffic noise and air pollution adjacent to Maple Avenue, updated 7/28/2018