Yahooo! Metrorail Extension is coming!

Finally we have the govt funding to get this project underway! 2 weeks before construction begins in it's full phase. Sorry for all of you commuters that have to go via Tyson's, McLean, etc. First phase includes Tyson's and the extension to Weihle.It will be two years after that when Dulles will be finished (2013)

Great news for a people mover and great news for those of us who will be selling our house near that time!

 

Brassy,
I used to live in PG County, MD when the Green line was opened. Everyone there expected the values of the homes to increase, however they did not go up. Also, the local business owners who were near the station saw the rents increased to the point that most of them left. My two friends whose parents had storefronts both closed because of the rent increase. The locations were desirable, but the store traffic did not increase, it went down! One was a Chinese restaurant and the other was an Optician.

Also, one of the major roads in the area was closed to traffic during construction which increased the bottlenecks getting to the stations. After this construction was completed they decided not to open the road again.

As for the commute, I used to ride the bus from Herndon/Monroe park-n-ride to the Falls Church Metro stop and the service was great. They tried to keep to the exact schedule as much as possible. Sometimes there was a wait for the bus, which in the rain wasn't so pleasant but the people who you meet and talk to made the wait worth it. The cost of the bus, IIRC was about a $1.00 for the trip.

I am glad I no longer have to make this trip , but if I did and I had to make the stops in Tysons, I would rather drive.

Enjoy!

 

Drive the greedway the last 2 days? I am just excited for a new alternative coming.

 

No, I don't drive on the Greenway. I also, don't drive on the toll road much.

Enjoy

 

Very depressing.......

I never expected this.

 

I was some of the stimulus package had been used for doubling / tripling funding for this...

Double the budget, do the work in half the time. Start at both ends and meet in teh middle.

Albeit a simplistic analysis, you get the point.

Increase the funds, hire more unemployed workers, reduce congestion, reduce oil dependency, seems like a win / win.

 

For every desirable action, there is often an opposite undesirable reaction

cf Law of unintended consequences

It is a shame that the landlords used that as an excuse to raise the rents.

 

PG county, hrm , what do you expect? Now Fairfax and Loudoun are much different. We lived in Vienna when that station was being built and it was a great boon to that area...still is for us Outlanders who drive all the way there to take it into DC or wherever else.

 

Well, back then PG County wasn't that bad a place to live. I knew EVERYONE! I went to school with the same kids for K-12, others K-9. The parents knew who the kids were by name and who their parents were.

When the Green line was built everyone was excited as they wouldn't have to drive into DC to pick up the Metro, you didn't have to pay for parking it was a win-win situtation. But, the values of the houses didn't increase like many had hoped.

I went back to the ol' hood a couple of months ago and showed my kids where I went to school, first real job, etc. IT WAS SO DEPRESSING! The houses are now really showing their age, the whole area is now rundown. The area near the Metro is some of the worst. There are only 3 neighbors there now that I know. I would like to think that Reston and Tysons won't let the same thing happen here, but who knows?

Enjoy!

 

Driving past the Home Depot I noticed a sign just to the east that said Metro Station and the road sign is Metro Road for the strip mall they are building there.

Hopefully in this strip mall we will get a much needed dry cleaner, nail place, hair place and pizza place etc.

I commute to DC in my hybrid and if they can unclog around Reston - that will be a huge help and if one of the stations is accessible from the highway and parking is not HUGE I will gladly jump on board.

 

I thought the second phase that will extend to the airport and into Loudoun Country will be completed by 2015, not 2013.

 

Dont forget a Giant food store!

 

Aint there already a Giant by the Home Despot (exit 6) or are you referring to another Home Despot?

 

dissagree, the Vienna stop, as someone mentioned earlier, was a great boost to the local economy in that area.

 

Isn't that Loudoun station? I think the plans are much bigger than a strip mall.

 

It was...i grew up in Vienna about 2 miles from the metro--and my dad said when that opened back in the 80's...it helped their value immensely.

 

I am glad the values went up in Vienna, but it did not happen where I grew up. I hope the values of our houses increase, but I will wait and see if it does.

 

PG County <> LoCo

 

Back in the day PG County Surburban Neighborhood Middle Class - West Hyattsville Opened 1993 - Property values did not increase

Fairfax County Upper Middle Class - Upper Class Surburban Neighborhood Vienna/Dunn Loring Opened 1986 Values increased

Red Line opened 1978 Opened in my area just inside DC (Fort Totten) - Lower Middle/ Middle class Values did not increase to the levels most Homeowners thought, but it did increase

I think timing and location had a lot to do with how the values increased. So who know what this area will be by the time the Metro rolls into town. I just know I won't be banking on a big increase.

Enjoy

 

I think a lot of this will be determined by how the local government handles development around the metro station. This is an opportunity to develop a business base for Loudoun. Not just more pizza shops and grocery stores, but Class-A offices that will bring high-paying jobs to Loudoun County.

I think Loudoun Station is a good start: http://www.loudounstation.com/offices.htm

I think there is another planned development on the opposite side of the Greenway but I can't remember the name of it now.