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AN ADVISORY SERVICES PANEL REPORT Baileys Crossroads Virginia Urban Land Institute $

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Page 1: AN ADVISORY SERVICES PANEL REPORT Baileys ...uli.org/wp-content/uploads/ULI-Documents/BaileysXRds-VA...roads is one of the more densely populated parts of the county, with 13.2 persons

A N A D V I S O R Y S E R V I C E S P A N E L R E P O R T

Baileys CrossroadsVirginia

Urban LandInstitute$

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Baileys CrossroadsVirginiaStrategies for Moving From Suburban to Urban

December 3–8, 2006An Advisory Services Panel Report

ULI–the Urban Land Institute1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W.Suite 500 WestWashington, D.C. 20007-5201

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An Advisory Services Panel Report2

The mission of the Urban Land Institute is toprovide leadership in the responsible use ofland and in creating and sustaining thrivingcommunities worldwide. ULI is committed to:

• Bringing together leaders from across the fieldsof real estate and land use policy to exchangebest practices and serve community needs;

• Fostering collaboration within and beyondULI’s membership through mentoring, dia-logue, and problem solving;

• Exploring issues of urbanization, conservation,regeneration, land use, capital formation, andsustainable development;

• Advancing land use policies and design prac-tices that respect the uniqueness of both builtand natural environments;

• Sharing knowledge through education, appliedresearch, publishing, and electronic media; and

• Sustaining a diverse global network of localpractice and advisory efforts that address cur-rent and future challenges.

Established in 1936, the Institute today has morethan 35,000 members from 90 countries, represent-ing the entire spectrum of the land use and develop-ment disciplines. Professionals represented includedevelopers, builders, property owners, investors,architects, public officials, planners, real estatebrokers, appraisers, attorneys, engineers, financiers,academics, students, and librarians. ULI reliesheavily on the experience of its members. It isthrough member involvement and informationresources that ULI has been able to set standardsof excellence in development practice. The Insti-tute has long been recognized as one of the world’smost respected and widely quoted sources of ob-jective information on urban planning, growth,and development.

About ULI–the Urban Land Institute

©2007 by ULI–the Urban Land Institute1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W. Suite 500 WestWashington, D.C. 20007-5201

All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the whole or anypart of the contents without written permission of the copy-right holder is prohibited.

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 3

The goal of ULI’s Advisory Services Programis to bring the finest expertise in the realestate field to bear on complex land use plan-ning and development projects, programs,

and policies. Since 1947, this program has assem-bled well over 400 ULI-member teams to helpsponsors find creative, practical solutions forissues such as downtown redevelopment, landmanagement strategies, evaluation of develop-ment potential, growth management, communityrevitalization, brownfields redevelopment, mili-tary base reuse, provision of low-cost and afford-able housing, and asset management strategies,among other matters. A wide variety of public,private, and nonprofit organizations have con-tracted for ULI’s Advisory Services.

Each panel team is composed of highly qualifiedprofessionals who volunteer their time to ULI.They are chosen for their knowledge of the paneltopic and screened to ensure their objectivity.ULI’s interdisciplinary panel teams provide aholistic look at development problems. A re-spected ULI member who has previous panelexperience chairs each panel.

The agenda for a five-day panel assignment is in-tensive. It includes an in-depth briefing day com-posed of a tour of the site and meetings with spon-sor representatives; a day of hour-long interviewsof typically 50 to 75 key community representa-tives; and two days of formulating recommenda-tions. Many long nights of discussion precede thepanel’s conclusions. On the final day on site, thepanel makes an oral presentation of its findingsand conclusions to the sponsor. A written report isprepared and published.

Because the sponsoring entities are responsiblefor significant preparation before the panel’s visit,including sending extensive briefing materials toeach member and arranging for the panel to meetwith key local community members and stake-holders in the project under consideration, partici-

pants in ULI’s five-day panel assignments areable to make accurate assessments of a sponsor’sissues and to provide recommendations in a com-pressed amount of time.

A major strength of the program is ULI’s uniqueability to draw on the knowledge and expertise ofits members, including land developers and own-ers, public officials, academics, representatives offinancial institutions, and others. In fulfillment ofthe mission of the Urban Land Institute, thisAdvisory Services panel report is intended toprovide objective advice that will promote the re-sponsible use of land to enhance the environment.

ULI Program StaffWilliam P. KistlerExecutive Vice President, Exchange Group

Rachelle L. LevittExecutive Vice President, Information Group

Thomas EitlerDirector, Advisory Services

Nicholas GabelSenior Associate, Advisory Services

Carmen McCormickPanel Coordinator, Advisory Services

Romana KernsAdministrative Assistant

Nancy H. StewartDirector, Book Program

Lise Lingo, Publications Professionals LLCManuscript Editor

Betsy VanBuskirkArt Director

Martha LoomisDesktop Publishing Specialist/Graphics

Kim RuschGraphics

Craig ChapmanDirector, Publishing Operations

About ULI Advisory Services

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An Advisory Services Panel Report4

On behalf of the Urban Land Institute, thepanel would like to thank the sponsors: theFairfax County Board of Supervisors, theOffice of the County Executive, the De-

partment of Planning and Zoning, the Departmentof Housing and Community Development, theDepartment of Transportation, and the EconomicDevelopment Authority.

Special thanks go to Mason District SupervisorPenny Gross and to Department of Housing andCommunity Development personnel includingRobert Fields, director of revitalization projects;Harry Swanson, deputy director; and Bridget Hill,

senior program manager. Thanks also go to Direc-tor Jim Zook and to Sterling Wheeler, chief of pol-icy and plan development, both of the Departmentof Planning and Zoning; and to Kathy Ichter, di-rector of the Department of Transportation.

Interviews conducted with numerous stakeholders,including residents, business owners, and publicofficials, provided valuable information and diverseperspectives, aiding the panel in its analysis, andthe panel thanks all of those who consented tobe interviewed.

Acknowledgments

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 5

ULI Panel and Project Staff 6

Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment 7

Overview and Summary of Recommendations 9

Market Potential 12

Planning and Design 16

Transportation 24

Implementation Strategies 29

Conclusion 31

About the Panel 32

Contents

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An Advisory Services Panel Report6

Panel ChairWayne RatkovichPresidentThe Ratkovich CompanyLos Angeles, California

Panel MembersWalter S. BialasVice PresidentPNC Real Estate FinancePittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sean CulmenProprietor, SolutionsSan Francisco, California

David N. GossConsultantHertford, North Carolina

Robert W. NilssonConsultantStephensville, Maryland

David S. PlummerPresidentDavid Plummer & AssociatesCoral Gables, Florida

Alan PullmanDirector, Studio One ElevenPerkowitz + Ruth Architects Long Beach, California

Bing WangGraduate School of Design, Harvard UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts

ULI Project DirectorAdrienne SchmitzDirector, Residential Community Development

ULI On-Site CoordinatorRomana KernsAdministrative Assistant, Advisory Services

ULI Panel and Project Staff

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 7

In many ways, Baileys Crossroads is a gateway.It is the gateway to Fairfax County fromWashington, D.C., and the inner suburbs to itseast. It is also a gateway to America for immi-

grants from around the world who settle in thisfirst inner-ring suburb of Washington, D.C.

BackgroundBaileys Crossroads is located at the eastern edgeof Fairfax County, Virginia, with Arlington Countyto the east and the city of Alexandria to the south.The study area encompasses approximately 400acres of land surrounding the interchange of Lees-burg Pike (Route 7) and Columbia Pike (Route244). The core of the district includes Skyline Cen-ter, a complex of high-rise residential and officetowers and highway-oriented shopping centersthat serve the local community as well as theregion. Businesses include national chains and a diverse array of locally owned “mom and pop”stores and restaurants. Neighborhoods of low-riseapartments and single-family houses surround thecore and provide homes for the diverse populationof this community.

Baileys Crossroads is one of five Commercial Re-vitalization Districts in Fairfax County. Countyplanners view Baileys Crossroads as four quad-rants surrounding the Leesburg Pike and Colum-bia Pike interchange: North, East, South, and West.Skyline Center makes up a fifth of the area of Bai-leys Crossroads, separate from the quadrants.

Baileys Crossroads is located in one of the mosthistoric parts of the United States. In fact, muchof the land that this community comprises was onceowned by George Washington. The two roads thatform the crossroads, Columbia Pike and LeesburgPike, were built in the early 1800s. The area waslargely farmland until the end of World War II.With demand surging for new housing aroundWashington, D.C., “Houses for Heroes” were builtto accommodate the waves of returning soldiers and

Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment

growing civil servant populations that settled there.Fairfax County’s first shopping center, Culmore,was built at the western edge of Baileys Cross-roads. In the 1970s, Skyline Center, a mix of resi-dential and office towers, became the first high-risecomplex in the county. Today, Baileys Crossroadsis a destination for shopping and dining, with itswide array of ethnic restaurants and retailersserving the local and regional communities.

Baileys Crossroads is home to a diverse popula-tion, both socially and economically, that includeslong-time residents and new immigrants fromaround the world. It includes various types of resi-dential neighborhoods as well as a homeless shel-ter. Almost one-half of the population is foreignborn and nearly one-third speaks a language otherthan English at home. The area’s broad diversityis one of its strengths. It will be an importantchallenge to preserve this character as the com-munity moves forward.

Fairfax County is one of the largest jurisdictionsin the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, with apopulation of more than one million. Baileys Cross-roads is one of the more densely populated partsof the county, with 13.2 persons per acre. Its popu-lation is relatively stable, expected to grow from43,000 in 2000 to about 46,000 by 2010.

Regional map.

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A C C O M A C K

A L B E M A R L E

A L L E G H A N Y

A M E L I A

A M H E R S T

A P P O M A T T O X

A R L I N G T O N

A U G U S T A

B A T H

B E D F O R D

B L A N D

B O T E T O U R T

B R U N S W I C K

B U C H A N A N

B U C K I N G H A M

C A M P B E L L

C A R O L I N E

C A R R O L L

C H A R L E SC I T Y

C H A R L O T T E

C H E S T E R F I E L D

C L A R K E

C R A I G

C U L P E P E R

C U M B E R L A N D

D I C K E N S O ND I N W I D D I E

E S S E X

F A I R F A X

F A U Q U I E R

F L O Y D

F L U V A N N A

F R A N K L I N

F R E D E R I C K

G I L E S

G L O U C E S T E R

G O O C H L A N D

G R A Y S O N

G R E E N E

G R E E N S V I L L E

H A L I F A X

H A N O V E R

H E N R I C O

H E N R Y

H I G H L A N D

I S L E O F

W I G H T

J A M E SC I T Y

K I N G A N DQ U E E N

K I N GG E O R G E

K I N GW I L L I A M

L A N C A S T E R

L E E

L O U D O U N

L O U I S A

L U N E N B U R G

M A D I S O N

M A T H E W S

M E C K L E N B U R G

M I D D L E S E X

M O N T G O M E R Y

S U F F O L K

N E L S O N

N E W K E N T

N O R T H A M P T O N

N O R T H U M B E R L A N D

N O T T O W A Y

O R A N G E

P A G E

P A T R I C K

P I T T S Y L V A N I A

P O W H A T A N

P R I N C EE D W A R D

P R I N C E

G E O R G E

P R I N C EW I L L I A M

P U L A S K I

R A P P A H A N N O C K

R I C H M O N D

R O A N O K E

R O C K B R I D G E

R O C K I N G H A M

R U S S E L L

S C O T T

S H E N A N D O A H

S M Y T H

S O U T H A M P T O N

S P O T S Y L V A N I A

S T A F F O R D

S U R R Y

S U S S E X

T A Z E W E L L

W A R R E N

W A S H I N G T O N

W E S T M O R E L A N D

W I S EW Y T H E

Y O R K

H A M P T O N

N E W P O R T

N E W S

V I R G I N I AB E A C H

C H E S A P E A K E

K E N T

N E WC A S T L E

S U S S E X

C U M B E R L A N D

G L O U C E S T E R

S A L E M

A D A M SB E D F O R D

C H E S T E RL A N C A S T E R

D E L A W A R E

F A Y E T T E

F R A N K L I NF U L T O N

G R E E N ES O M E R S E T

Y O R K

A L L E G A N Y

A N N EA R U N D E L

B A L T I M O R E

C A L V E R T

C A R O L I N E

C A R R O L LC E C I L

C H A R L E S

D O R C H E S T E R

F R E D E R I C K

G A R R E T T

H A R F O R D

H O W A R DK E N T

M O N T G O M E R Y

P R I N C EG E O R G E ' S

Q U E E NA N N E ' S

S T .M A R Y ' S

S O M E R S E T

T A L B O T

W A S H I N G T O N

W I C O M I C O

W O R C E S T E R

B A L T I M O R E

C I T Y

B A R B O U R

B E R K E L E Y

B O O N E

B R A X T O N

C A B E L L

C A L H O U N

C L A Y

D O D D R I D G E

F A Y E T T E

G I L M E R

G R A N T

G R E E N B R I E R

H A M P S H I R E

H A R R I S O N

J E F F E R S O N

L E W I S

L I N C O L N

L O G A N

M C D O W E L L

M A R I O N

M A R S H A L L

M E R C E R

M I N E R A L

M I N G O

M O N O N G A L I A

M O N R O E

M O R G A N

N I C H O L A S

P E N D L E T O N

P L E A S A N T S

P O C A H O N T A S

P R E S T O N

R A L E I G H

R A N D O L P H

R I T C H I E

S U M M E R S

T A Y L O R

T U C K E R

T Y L E R

U P S H U R

W A Y N E

W E B S T E R

W E T Z E L

W Y O M I N G

J A C K S O N

K A N A W H A

M A S O N

P U T N A M

R O A N E

W I R T

W O O D

A D A M S

A T H E N S

B E L M O N T

B R O W N

C L A R K

C L I N T O N

F A I R F I E L D

F R A N K L I N

G A L L I A

G R E E N E

G U E R N S E Y

H I G H L A N D

H O C K I N G

J A C K S O N

L A W R E N C E

L I C K I N G

M A D I S O N

M E I G S

M O N R O E

M O R G A N

M U S K I N G U M

N O B L EP E R R Y

P I C K A W A Y

P I K E

R O S S

S C I O T O

V I N T O N

W A S H I N G T O N

F A Y E T T E

B A T H

B E L L

B O Y D

B R E A T H I T T

C A R T E R

C L A Y

E L L I O T T

E S T I L L

F L E M I N G

F L O Y D

G R E E N U P

H A R L A N

J A C K S O N

J O H N S O N

K N O T T

K N O X

L A W R E N C E

L E E

L E S L I EL E T C H E R

L E W I S

M A G O F F I N

M A R T I N

M A S O N

M E N I F E EM O R G A N

O W S L E Y

P E R R Y

P I K E

P O W E L L

R O W A N

W O L F E

C A R T E R

C L A I B O R N E

G R A I N G E R

G R E E N E

H A M B L E N

H A N C O C K

H A W K I N S

J O H N S O N

K N O X

S U L L I V A N

U N I C O I

U N I O N

W A S H I N G T O N

A L A M A N C E

A L L E G H A N Y

A S H E

A V E R YB E R T I E

C A L D W E L L

C A M D E N

C A S W E L L

C H O W A N

C U R R I T U C K

D U R H A M

E D G E C O M B E

F O R S Y T HF R A N K L I N

G A T E S

G R A N V I L L E

G U I L F O R D

H A L I F A X

H E R T F O R D

M I T C H E L L

N A S H

N O R T H A M P T O N

O R A N G E

P A S Q U O T A N K

P E R Q U I M A N S

P E R S O NR O C K I N G H A MS T O K E S

S U R R Y

V A N C E

W A R R E N

W A T A U G A W I L K E S

Y A D K I N

Richmond

Dover

Annapolis

Charleston

Columbus

Washington

Blacksburg

Charlottesville

Danville

Petersburg

Tuckahoe

Bristol

Chester

Christiansburg

Fredericksburg

Front Royal

Harrisonburg

Highland Springs

Hollins

LakesideLaurel

Martinsville

Pulaski

Radford

Salem

Staunton

Waynesboro

Winchester

Woodbridge

Newark Glassboro

Millville

YorkChambersburg

Hanover

Uniontown

Cumberland

Frederick

Hagerstown

Rockville

Security

Aberdeen

Beltsville

Cambridge

Edgewood

Lexington Park

Salisbury

St. Charles

Morgantown

Parkersburg

Beckley

Bluefield

Clarksburg

FairmontMartinsburg

Moundsville

St. Albans

Lancaster

Portsmouth

Zanesville

Athens

Blacklick Estates

Chillicothe

Circleville

Ironton

MariettaWashingtonWilmington

Xenia

Ashland

Middlesborough

Johnson City

Bloomingdale

Elizabethton

GreenevilleHalls

MorristownBoone

Eden

Elizabeth CityHenderson

Reidsville

Roanoke Rapids

Bailey's Crossroads

DELAWARE

KENTUCKY

MARYLAND

NORTH CAROLINA

OHIO

PENNSYLVANIA

TENNESSEE

WEST VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA

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An Advisory Services Panel Report8

The county is among the highest-income jurisdic-tions of the nation. Unemployment rates are wellbelow national averages, averaging 1.6 percent in2000 and 2.5 percent in 2005. The median house-hold income in Baileys Crossroads was $51,650 in2000, compared with $88,133 for the county as awhole. The census tracts that make up BaileysCrossroads had unemployment rates ranging from1.1 to 5.6 percent in 2000.

The AssignmentFairfax County encourages revitalization of itsolder commercial areas and has designated BaileysCrossroads as one of seven Commercial Revital-ization Districts and Areas. As part of the revital-ization process, the county requested the servicesof ULI’s Advisory Services. The Advisory Servicespanel was challenged to create a strategy to revi-talize Baileys Crossroads as a more urban placethan it currently is, while creating better physicallinks and remaining compatible with neighboringdistricts. More specifically, the panel was asked to address a series of questions:

• Should the four quadrants and Skyline be con-sidered as an integrated whole or as separatedistricts? What form and functions should bepursued within each? How should edges betreated?

• What opportunities can be created for pedes-trian, bicycle, vehicular, and transit connectivity?

• How can current and planned public facilities beintegrated into the revitalization of BaileysCrossroads?

• What public spaces and entertainment, arts,and cultural facilities can be created in BaileysCrossroads?

• What financing tools are available to encour-age investment?

The Panel’s Guiding PrinciplesThe panel began by establishing a set of guidingprinciples that would help clarify the kinds ofchanges that should be made, as well as the urbanqualities that should be maintained.

General Principles• Improve the quality of life at Baileys Cross-

roads for residents, workers, and visitors.

• Through new development and improved tran-sit, build on and enhance the unique characterand identity of Baileys Crossroads.

• Plan changes to minimize impacts on neighbor-hoods outside the Baileys Crossroads commu-nity business center.

• Establish unified policies and practices amongthe county’s agencies.

Land Use and Transportation Policies• Balance future growth and density with im-

proved multimodal transportation.

• Enact land use policies that bring uses closertogether and link land uses with public trans-portation.

• Place a higher priority on the human environ-ment over that of the automobile.

• Create physical beauty at Baileys Crossroads inarchitecture and landscape architecture, in thecreation of open space, and in the creation ofcultural and educational opportunities.

• Create both passive and active parks.

• Create financial tools and strategies that sup-port and stimulate development in areas wheredevelopment is desired.

• Establish links in residential neighborhoods andcommercial districts to a regional transporta-tion network.

• Provide exclusive transit rights-of-way wher-ever feasible and facilitate convenient transit-transfer opportunities.

• Improve pedestrian safety by calming traffic onregional roadways and establishing safe pedes-trian crossings.

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 9

Following an intensive work week of site visits,interviews, and presentations, the panel de-vised a strategy for redeveloping BaileysCrossroads that follows a more urban model.

The panel particularly focused on the proposedColumbia Pike Streetcar project and what it wouldmean for the future of Baileys Crossroads andurban design issues.

Positive Climate for RedevelopmentBaileys Crossroads sits in one of the most accom-plished and recognized counties in the UnitedStates, in terms of economic development, growth,prosperity, and quality of life. Further, local lead-ers have gained the trust and respect of businessleaders and the community.

The panel believes that great development oppor-tunities exist for Baileys Crossroads and that along-term outlook is necessary to revitalize thecommercial areas. Given Baileys Crossroads’ lo-cation, the Rosslyn–Ballston corridor serves as anexcellent example of the scale and timing of de-velopment that could occur. Further, the Rosslyn–Ballston corridor will near buildout in the nextdecade or so, affording Baileys Crossroads the op-portunity to become the next development nodealong the transit corridor.

Baileys Crossroads can become a major new com-mercial center with the potential for another 3.5million square feet of office space, 400,000 squarefeet of urban retail, and 3,000 housing units. It willbe critical that mass transit be provided to BaileysCrossroads. While the first phase is to providethe new light rail, the county can also begin toguide any new development into a more urbanscale and form.

Planning and DesignBaileys Crossroads has an urban location that needsan urban character. Transportation should be an

integral part of the plan, and the focus should beon transit and pedestrian access rather than ve-hicular traffic. The first step is to embrace currentdevelopment opportunities, such as the proposedWeissberg, Camden, and Fairfield projects andthe Goodwin House expansion. They are all ap-propriate to the scale and character of an urbanBaileys Crossroads.

The transportation system should define the com-munity. The panel mapped the proposed streetcarline and delineated the quarter-mile radius (a five-to ten-minute walk) around each of the stops, aroundwhich neighborhoods were defined. From this ex-ercise, distinct neighborhoods started to emergethat function more logically and are of a morehuman and walkable scale than the quadrant divi-sions that exist today. The panel identified fivedistinct neighborhoods:

Skyline. Skyline is an existing development of high-rise residential and office “towers in the park.” Thestreetcar line will include a stop at Skyline, whichshould be integrated into the development withground-level shops and services. Aesthetically,Skyline needs connections at the street level tothe rest of Baileys Crossroads.

Urban Square. Right at the crossroads, this districtoffers the greatest opportunities for urbanizing. Itis the largest district and will be well served bythe Columbia Pike Streetcar project. It should be-come the downtown for Baileys Crossroads, includ-ing neighborhood-serving retail, residential, andoffice facilities, with public parks and community-serving culture and entertainment venues. Devel-opment should generally be ground-floor retailwith upper floors of office and residential space.

Village Center. The Village Center is a smaller dis-trict, south of the Leesburg Pike and ColumbiaPike interchange. Older buildings, such as thosealong Center Lane, should be maintained for his-torical continuity and context, but the area should

Overview and Summary ofRecommendations

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An Advisory Services Panel Report10

It is crucial that Fairfax County commit to fund-ing and implementing its portion of the proposedColumbia Pike Streetcar project. The proposedline begins south of Leesburg Pike in BaileysCrossroads, proceeds north along Jefferson Streetto Columbia Pike, and then turns east to Penta-gon City in Arlington. The panel recommends anumber of modifications to the current proposal,including moving a station and the maintenancefacility, reconfiguring bus routes, and adding com-muter parking.

Over the longer term, the panel believes that thestreetcar line should be extended to the north toone of the Metrorail stations in Falls Church, andto Tysons Corner. To best accommodate the tran-sit extension, it will be necessary to widen thesection of Leesburg Pike west of the BaileysCrossroads interchange from four to six lanes.A southern extension to Alexandria should also be evaluated as a longer-term project.

Community circulator buses should be added tosupplement the regular Metrobus routes. Such aservice would connect to transit and provide ac-cess to local employment sites, the nearby commu-nity college, shopping, and personal services.

A number of roadway improvements are recom-mended. Center Lane should be upgraded and re-named to become part of Seminary Road. The cur-rent interchange of Leesburg Pike and ColumbiaPike would be difficult to improve without caus-ing unintended negative consequences. Therefore,the panel recommends that instead only aestheticupgrades be made, including plantings in the greenspace created by the cloverleaf, installation ofpedestrian walkways, and an architectural treat-ment of the overpass.

Pedestrian safety is a serious problem, and side-walks and better crosswalks are needed through-out the community. Along Leesburg Pike, the panelrecommends slowing traffic speeds and protectingsidewalks by adding landscaped planting strips.Traffic lanes can be narrowed from their currentwidth to improve pedestrian safety without imped-ing traffic. Another option is to add landscapingthat prevents pedestrians from crossing mid-block.

be redeveloped as a pedestrian-oriented block ofshops and restaurants. The Weissberg develop-ment proposal should be encouraged as a start tothe redevelopment.

Community Core. The Community Core is the smallarea to the north and west of the crossroads. Thisdistrict should be maintained as a retail core but re-designed for better aesthetics, access, and connec-tions, for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic.

Neighborhood Boulevard. The fringe areas of BaileysCrossroads along Leesburg Pike are lined withshallow-depth parcels abutting residential neigh-borhoods, and ownership is fragmented. This dis-trict should remain essentially as is, preservingunique, small-scale, locally owned shops, services,and restaurants.

TransportationA comprehensive transportation system is essen-tial to any successful urban community, and en-hancements to the current network are crucial forthe future of Baileys Crossroads. The package forthe community must include the full complementof transportation modes: rail, buses, roadways,and sidewalks. The most important need is to im-prove the transit services that connect the core ofBaileys Crossroads to the Pentagon and to theMetrorail lines.

The panel recommends a denser, more urbancharacter for BaileysCrossroads.

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 11

Implementation The panel strongly recommends the creation of aCommunity Development Authority (CDA) withits own staff. The CDA should take a long-termapproach to the revitalization of Baileys Cross-roads, creating a vision to be implemented overthe next 50 years. Tax increment financing (TIF)funding should be instituted as a way to financemany of the upgrades. Funding could come fromother sources, as well.

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An Advisory Services Panel Report12

First developed as a bedroom community inthe 1940s and 1950s, Baileys Crossroads nowhas a population approaching the urbandensities found in inner Arlington and parts

of Alexandria. More than 36,000 people (13,000households) live within one mile of the intersec-tion of Leesburg Pike and Columbia Pike andalmost 239,000 people (108,000 households) livewithin three miles.

Baileys Crossroads is also a very diverse commu-nity. The panel’s demographic review showed thatall the major ethnic groups are represented, withgreater shares of Hispanic and Asian residentsthan in the overall region. These broad categoriesdo not accurately portray the area’s ethnic variety,arising from the many Central and South Ameri-can and Asian countries represented by those wholive and work in Baileys Crossroads.

Like ethnicity, incomes in Baileys Crossroads arequite diverse. Given the area’s older urban char-acter, it is not surprising that the average house-hold income in the immediate area is notablylower than in the region as a whole. According toISITE, a demographic data provider, the averagehousehold income in Baileys Crossroads in 2006was $67,600, compared with $97,100 for the Wash-ington, D.C., region.

Again, this basic demographic measure does notadequately portray the real mix of householdsthat coexist in the area. As shown in figure 2, theBaileys Crossroads community comprises bothlower-income and more affluent neighborhoodsliving in very close proximity.

Income is only one gauge for assessing local areadynamics. Another, often more useful, tool usedto look at the combination of factors that con-tribute to an area’s identity and outlook is life-style segmentation.

In Baileys Crossroads, the dominant lifestylesthat influence the area include “affluent suburbia,”“upscale America,” “aspiring contemporaries,”“metro fringe,” and “struggling societies”:

• Affluent suburbia: predominantly white, college-educated, high incomes;

• Upscale America: mostly white, college-educatedexecutives and professionals;

• Aspiring contemporaries: age 18–34, ethnicallydiverse, solidly middle class;

• Metro fringe: racially mixed, young singles andcouples, blue-collar; and

• Struggling societies: low-income, uneducated,young, minorities, single parents.

These diverse segments are all well mixed withinthe three-mile ring of Baileys Crossroads. Al-though the higher-income segments of “affluentsuburbia” and “upscale America” are more domi-nant on the perimeter, significant pockets of af-fluence lie within the core area of Baileys Cross-roads. Likewise, even though incomes are lowerthan the regional average in the one-mile ring,a significant concentration of households fallsinto the “aspiring contemporaries” segment. Assuch, even though the incomes are lower thanaverage, they appear to be more upwardly mo-bile. The challenge is the high concentration ofhouseholds that fall into the lower-income seg-ments of “struggling societies” and “metrofringe.” In many ways, although the mixing ofthese diverse households represents a challenge,this variety has given Baileys Crossroads aunique local and regional identity.

It is clear that the area is at a literal crossroads in its evolution. The intensive road network andstrip retail and big-box centers that characterizethe area are a legacy from the 1950s. Today, how-ever, Baileys Crossroads is no longer a distant

Market Potential

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13

bedroom suburb of Washington, D.C. Instead, it isa densely populated close-in first-ring suburb, es-sentially built out in its current form of strip retailand expansive parking lots.

Based on the market review, the panelists believea greater development opportunity for BaileysCrossroads exists. Customarily, the market po-tential analysis conducted by an advisory panelfocuses on identifying and capitalizing on near-to mid-term opportunities. In Baileys Crossroads,however, the panel believes a longer-term out-look is necessary to revitalize the established andsuccessful commercial areas. As such, the bestapproach to assessing the market potential is tolook at analogs of development that have occurredin the region, rather than to quantify recent mar-ket statistics.

Given Baileys Crossroads’ close-in location andexcellent regional road access, we believe that theRosslyn–Ballston corridor is an excellent examplefor the scale and timing of development that couldoccur. From the long-term development history ofthe corridor two lessons can be learned: Rosslyn–Ballston demonstrates the long-term success ofan urban-scale development model, and Metro-rail allowed Arlington County to create definedresidential and commercial development nodesaround the stations. Another lesson is that theRosslyn–Ballston corridor will near buildout inthe next decade or so. The panel’s review of Ar-lington County development data found that al-most 22 million square feet of office space hasbeen developed in the corridor, along with morethan 2.5 million square feet of retail space, 3,400hotel rooms, and 24,000 housing units.

Arlington County Economic Development esti-mates that 8.6 million square feet of office spaceremains to be developed in the Rosslyn–Ballstoncorridor, as well as 900,000 square feet of retailspace, 840 hotel rooms, and 15,500 residentialunits. Although this is a significant quantity ofnew space, as buildout occurs, fewer prime siteswill be available and land prices will likely in-crease. In the panel’s view, this could positionBaileys Crossroads as the next close-in urban em-ployment center—potentially on par with the pre-sent scale of a hybrid of Ballston and Clarendon.

Figure 1Demographic Snapshot

Ethnic Group 1 Mile 3 Miles D.C. Metro

White 52% 60% 60%

African American 12% 214% 26%

Asian 17% 12% 9%

Hispanic 42% 23% 11%

Note: Totals do not add up to 100% due to overlap.Source: ISITE.

Figure 2Household Income Snapshot

Household Income 1 Mile 3 Miles D.C. Metro

Average $67,600 $79,000 $97,100

Under $35,000 30% 23% 21%

Over $100,000 18% 26% 31%

Source: ISITE.

Figure 3Rosslyn–Ballston Corridor Development Summary

Rosslyn–Ballston Existing/Buildout Under Construction To Be Built

Office (Square Feet) 21,822,000 8,553,000

Retail (Square Feet) 2,541,000 898,000

Hotel (Rooms) 3,410 840

Housing (Units) 24,100 15,480

Source: Arlington County Economic Development.

Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006

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An Advisory Services Panel Report14

As can be noted in figure 4, there is great poten-tial for Baileys Crossroads to become a majornew employment center in northern Virginia.In addition to the existing Skyline developmentand the newer retail centers east of the inter-change, the panel envisions the potential to de-velop another 3.5 million square feet of officespace, 400,000 square feet of urban retail, and3,000 housing units.

Critical in achieving this potential is the provisionof mass transit in Baileys Crossroads, in the formof the Columbia Pike Streetcar project. Without a mass transit hub as a catalyst, it will be impos-sible to alter the present land use configurationmarkedly. Once the streetcar project is completed,it may take another 20 years to completely rede-velop Baileys Crossroads. Interestingly, a similar

time frame was required for the redevelopment ofBallston after Metrorail opened a station there.

Now is the time to begin to plan for the revitali-zation of Baileys Crossroads. Although the firststage is to provide the new light-rail access, whichwill take several years, Fairfax County can alsobegin to cultivate the location by guiding newdevelopment into a more urban scale (as in theproposed Fairfield and Weissberg projects). Inaddition, the county can seed the area by selec-tively adding office space for county uses that arepresently required in the area, again choosing toadvance urban-scale density.

Figure 4Detailed Baileys Crossroads Development Plan

Average DevelopmentDevelopment Rooms/ Total Space Annual Absorption Horizon CommentsComponent Dwelling (Square Feet) (Square Feet Per Unit) (Years) on Phasing

Office – 3,500,000 250,000 14.0

Retail – 250,000 150,000 1.7

Hotel 350 350,000 250 1.4

Civic/Institutional – 250,000 125,000 2.0

Residential 3,000 3,000,000 200 15.0

Total – 7,350,000 – –

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 15

Commentson Phasing

To be developed incrementally over time with select single-tenant users and multitenant users. Initial phase likelyoccurs after transit improvements.

Retail to be included in an early urban mixed-use phaseafter transit improvements, to establish a sense of placeand to serve as a catalyst for future phases.

Likely one or two properties. To be phased in in mid- tolater stages of commercial development.

Developed to serve a variety of county functions. Deliv-ered as an initial phase in one or two structures to seedfuture commercial and employment uses.

Rentals and for-sale units delivered in a variety of urbanproduct types. Can be phased with commercial uses dur-ing the development horizon. Can serve as a catalyst inearly stages.

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An Advisory Services Panel Report16

The overarching design goal is to create a moreup-to-date, urban character for Baileys Cross-roads, by increasing density, mixing uses,and improving the transportation network.

Urban DesignBaileys Crossroads is a sprawling, automobile-dominated district of wide arterials and uncon-nected local streets. Pedestrians proceed at theirown peril, with little infrastructure to protect themfrom traffic, let alone to create a pleasant environ-ment for walking and biking. This character mayhave worked when Baileys Crossroads was a moresuburban region far from downtown. But it is notsuitable to the urban condition that is now appro-priate and sought for this close-in community. It isnecessary to tame traffic and encourage pedestrianstreet life. This can be accomplished by increasingdevelopment densities and creating a network ofnarrower streets with shorter blocks, in a moreconnected urban pattern. Better connections be-tween commercial areas and residential neighbor-hoods are also needed. Not only is a connectedstreet grid better for pedestrians, it is also betterfor vehicular traffic, which gains more options,thus reducing pressure on arterials.

The community suffers from an incoherent formand inefficient use of land, characterized by scat-tered buildings surrounded by large expansesof asphalt. There is little sense of place and it is difficult to get from one location to anotherwithout driving, which further exacerbatestraffic problems.

The panel proposes that Baileys Crossroads be-come not just another urban core but a unique onewith a historical sense of place. A primary consid-eration for the urban design component of BaileysCrossroads’ renewal is its urban context. The areahas an urban location; now it needs to become moreurban in character by growing up, not out. Trans-

portation should be an integral part of the planand the focus should be on reducing reliance onpersonal vehicles in favor of transit—both bus andrail—and improved access for pedestrians. Insti-tuting a connected, urban-style street grid shouldbe a primary goal. The plan should also encouragemore urban building forms and uses by rewritinglocal zoning codes.

The panel recommends that the community takeadvantage of development opportunities, includ-ing the proposed Weissberg, Camden, and Fair-field projects, as well as the Goodwin House ex-pansion. These are all good projects, appropriateto the scale and character of an urban BaileysCrossroads. They should be integrated into theplan and encouraged to move forward.

Baileys Crossroads is sorely in need of usableopen space. The panel recommends a plan thatintroduces a series of linked open spaces that in-clude passive and active parks and urban squares.Such open spaces will become gathering placesand will enhance the pedestrian environment,while balancing the increasing density of develop-ment that is recommended and helping to build asense of place.

In sum, Baileys Crossroads could benefit greatlyfrom a design program that emphasizes the fol-lowing features:

• More efficient land use;

• A clear hierarchy of neighborhoods;

• More human- rather than auto-oriented scale;

• Places to stroll;

• Linked open spaces;

• More sustainable and permeable surfaces; and

• Links to transit.

Planning and Design

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 17

Strategic LocationIn terms of urban design, the panel looked at theregional context of Baileys Crossroads and real-ized that it should be developed as an urban nodewithin the county. Fairfax County’s growth shouldbe concentrated in centers, and Baileys Cross-roads is positioned to be one of the centers ofgrowth because of the following characteristics:

• Its close-in location;

• Its history as the first commercial area outsideArlington;

• Its position at the junction of two urban corridors—Leesburg Pike and Columbia Pike; and

• The fact that Metrorail is essentially built out.A lot of new growth will depend on good loca-

tions with access to a secondary transit sys-tem. The proposed Columbia Pike Streetcarproject is a prototype for this kind of systemand development.

The panel’s interactions with community and busi-ness representatives confirm that nearly every-one is in agreement on the need to urbanize BaileysCrossroads, making the fulfillment of that neednot only desirable but essential. Great design isnot an optional luxury. It is important for creatinga sense of place and because there will be no com-munity buy-in without it.

Baileys Crossroads is one of the nodes closest toWashington, D.C., at a crossroads of two urbancorridors. Leesburg Pike and Columbia Pike arethe two transportation arterials that link Baileys

Context diagram.

244

7

N

FAIRFAX COUNTY

ARLINGTON COUNTY

ALEXANDRIA

BaileysCrossroads

SevenCorners

Columbia Pike

Leesburg Pike

POTOMAC R I V ER

Metro Station / Quarter-Mile Radius

Major Commuting Route

Key

Pentagon

NationalAirport

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Crossroads to major regional employment centers.The area lies in a crook between the edges of Ar-lington County and the city of Alexandria, both ofwhich are relatively urban in character.

In many ways, Baileys Crossroads is the next logi-cal node for development. Both Arlington Countyand the city of Alexandria will be essentially builtout within a decade. With the implementation ofthe proposed Columbia Pike Streetcar project, thetransportation facilities will likely be in place toenable movement into and through Baileys Cross-roads, and the district needs to be ready in otherways as well.

Urban Character: the Five CsIn interviews with local stakeholders, the panelobserved that every stakeholder agrees that thefuture for Baileys Crossroads is an urban one. Sothe design team took a step back and asked, “Whatare the qualities that make a place urban ratherthan suburban?” The answer can be summarizedas “the five Cs.” The five Cs are about the overar-ching concepts that make a place urban: cohesion,continuity, connection, coordination, and choices.

Cohesion. Looking at the current buildings inBaileys Crossroads, one can see the area is frag-mented, both horizontally and vertically. The fourquadrants are separated. They are also fragmentedvertically. The panel felt the need to take a system-atic approach to the spatial organization and thefunctional system in the area to create cohesion.

Continuity. Continuity has two connotations, eco-nomic and historical. Economic continuity can beaccomplished by preserving the big-box develop-ments that provide vibrancy and serve as an eco-nomic base for the community. Historic continuityis needed to ensure that Baileys Crossroads be-comes something unique, not just like every othertown center. Shopping centers are a major part ofBaileys Crossroads’ history and thus are an im-portant component in its future.

Connection. Baileys Crossroads is missing con-nections. It has been both physically and visuallydivided by a highway interchange. Creating apedestrian bridge to connect the commercial areaswould help correct that division. A bridge wouldalso serve as a gateway to Baileys Crossroads and

An Advisory Services Panel Report18

a landmark for the community. Visual connectionleads your eye to beautiful things. Again, a sys-tematic approach is needed to make connections.The panel decided to address ways to extend thepavement to the street at major points for pedes-trian flow. The panel proposes a Skyline Bridge togive pedestrians a way to move across LeesburgPike and to provide an iconic landmark identifyingBaileys Crossroads.

Coordination. Coordination is needed to preventcut-through traffic in residential areas and tocreate better access between neighborhoods andcommercial areas. Coordination of vehicular andpedestrian movement is necessary to improvesafety and convenience for both. The need also ex-ists to coordinate the various uses of communityareas: the public and everyday use, the leisureuse, and the ceremonial use.

Choices. The primary difference between subur-ban and urban areas is that urban areas offer morechoices. For Baileys Crossroads that includeschoices to shop at small boutiques as well as big-box stores. It means the choice between experi-encing paved, developed areas and green, openspace. Choices are offered in housing arrange-ments, including whether to live in a high-risecondominium, an apartment over a store, a town-house, or a single-family home on a quiet streetnear a park. Transportation choices include dri-ving, walking, and using public transit.

Transportation Nodes Determine Urban DesignIt is impossible to study urban design withoutlooking at transportation. Creating a functionaltransportation system is a key challenge in mov-ing from suburban to urban development pat-terns. Transit links and new expectations aboutdensity are the only reasonable responses to awide range of issues. Although it will not be easy,the county must begin to give people options forgetting around other than personal vehicles. Bai-leys Crossroads will become a more urban placeby virtue of the proposed streetcar line.

The panel mapped the proposed streetcar line anddelineated the quarter-mile radius around eachstop. Those locations became the focal pointsaround which districts or neighborhoods weredefined. One quarter-mile is typically a five- to

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 19

ten-minute walk for most people. This walkingdistance constitutes a neighborhood. From thisexercise, distinct neighborhood districts started toemerge. These districts are more logical in theway they function and are of a more human andwalkable scale. They will enable the community tofunction better than it does with the quadrant di-visions that resulted from the highway system.

The panel recommends a concept for future devel-opment based on five distinct districts linked byboulevards. The districts, created around street-car stops, will have the following characteristics:

• Quarter-mile radius;

• Unique character; and

• Streets that can be links within districts ratherthan dividers of quadrants.

Concept Plan: Neighborhood DistrictsEach neighborhood district will have its own char-acter and scale. Streets will become connectorslinking districts rather than barriers betweenthem, as is currently the case. The panel’s pro-posal is a suggestion of how Baileys Crossroadscan evolve into an urban place. Ultimately, thecommunity will have to create, review, and refineits own scenario in order to get community buy-inand to ensure long-term success. The panel de-fined the five districts as follows:

Skyline. Skyline is an existing development ofhigh-rise residential and office buildings. Built inthe 1970s, it exemplifies the “tower in the park”planning concept of the era. Today, that type of de-velopment is viewed as isolating and sterile. Thepanel believes that Skyline is essentially built outand will not change in significant ways. However,there are opportunities to improve it in terms ofboth function and aesthetics. The proposed Co-lumbia Pike Streetcar project will include a stopat Skyline, bringing transit to hundreds of riders.The stop should be integrated into the develop-ment with ground-level shops and services for rid-ers, employees, and residents. Aesthetically, it isimportant to connect Skyline at the street level tothe rest of Baileys Crossroads.

Urban Square. Formed by the angle where Lees-burg Pike crosses Columbia Pike, this district of-fers the greatest opportunities for urbanizing overthe mid to long term. At more than 100 acres, it isthe largest district and encompasses the least effi-cient land use in the study area. This district ishome to many old, obsolete buildings, and broadswaths of paved surface parking lots. It also hasthe most consolidated land ownership, meaningthat redevelopment can occur in a more coordi-nated and cooperative way. And it will be wellserved by the Columbia Pike Streetcar project.

Baileys Crossroadstransit diagram.

244

7

N

Leesburg Pike

Proposed Streetcar Stops/Quarter-Mile Radius

Baileys Crossroads Study Area

Key

Baileys Crossroads CBC

Columbia Pike

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An Advisory Services Panel Report20

Plans for this district should aim to create a denseand compact downtown for Baileys Crossroads. Thisdistrict should be developed with neighborhood-serving retail, residential, and office facilities, withpublic parks and community-serving culture andentertainment to enhance and anchor the district.It should generally be characterized by ground-floor retail and services with upper floors of officeand residential space.

Baileys Crossroads needs more usable open spacefor livability and breathing room and a sense ofplace. New parks and other open space will alsomitigate the intensity of proposed development.Both passive and active open space, in the form ofurban-style parks and squares, should be createdin the Urban Square district. Creating and en-hancing urban street life should be a major goal.

Centrally located parking garages should be in-cluded in the plan to reduce the need for so muchsurface parking. Parking structures do not have tobe ugly. They can be “wrapped” with commercialuses to keep the streetscape attractive and func-tional, or they can be designed as attractive build-ings in themselves. Blocks that accommodateparking garages must be larger than those in

other parts of the plan. In terms of zoning, thecounty should encourage new urban developmentby revising zoning to increase allowable floor/arearatios. A floor/area ratio of 2.0 to 3.0 is suggested.

Village Center. The Village Center is a smaller dis-trict located at the southwestern part of BaileysCrossroads, south of the Leesburg Pike-ColumbiaPike interchange. Currently, it contains the mostinteresting buildings, including those along Cen-ter Lane. Those buildings should be maintainedfor historical continuity and context. It may bepossible to retain the buildings but update thepublic space to create a pedestrian-oriented blockof shops and restaurants, with broad, tree-linedsidewalks replacing the current paved areas. Thepanel suggests adding a well-designed transporta-tion center, including a “park and ride” facility inthe Village Center.

This district would be developed at a somewhatlower density than the Urban Square and Com-munity Core districts. New uses should be inte-grated into old, increasing densities and expand-ing economic viability. The Weissberg developmentproposal should be encouraged as a start to theVillage Center’s redevelopment. This project

Concept recommendations.

N

2447

Leesburg Pike

Proposed Streetcar Stops/Quarter-Mile Radius

Neighborhood Boulevard

Community Core

Urban Square

Village Center

Skyline

Key

Columbia Pike

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 21

would add economically diverse housing, countyoffices and public services, and local-serving retail,all of which reflect the vision for this district.

The community should expect incremental changein this district and should pay attention to theimpact of change on adjacent properties, such asCenter Lane. This district will have a unique char-acter because of its interesting existing buildings.

Community Core. The Community Core is thesmall area to the north and west of Baileys Cross-roads, where a commercial center already exists.It is essential to maintain this area as a retail core.Currently, it is mostly occupied by new buildingsthat house very successful businesses that servethe community well. The panel recommends thatthis district be treated as the primary shoppingdistrict for Baileys Crossroads, serving both thecommunity and the larger region, mostly with big-box stores, as it does currently. But it should beredesigned for better access and connections, forboth pedestrians and vehicular traffic.

Aesthetically, this district cries out for landscap-ing and pedestrian links, and a comprehensivedesign plan should be implemented for both. Thepanel considered dismantling the overpass at theinterchange of Leesburg and Columbia pikes andultimately rejected the idea for several reasons,discussed in the Highway, Street, and Block Pat-terns section.

Neighborhood Boulevard. The fringe areas of BaileysCrossroads along Leesburg Pike offer the leastopportunity, and the least necessity, for radicalchange. The street is lined with parcels of shal-low depth abutting residential neighborhoods, andownership is fragmented. But why change toomuch? This district reflects the vibrant, eclecticcommunity that is Baileys Crossroads. It offersa unique shopping draw in a chain-store world.These portions of Leesburg Pike should remainlargely as is, to preserve unique, small-scale, locallyowned shops, services, and restaurants. There-fore, the panel proposes only small, incrementalchanges here.

For this district, the panel recommends minoraesthetic changes, such as façade and landscap-ing improvements. Over time, parking should be

relocated to the rear of stores to improve thestreetscape and create a buffer for the residentialneighborhoods that back up to the stores. Boule-vards can be improved with landscaping and bet-ter alignment of curb cuts.

Highway, Street, and Block PatternsThe most prominent feature of the roadways inthe study area is the two-leaf clover and overpassthat form the interchange of Leesburg Pike andColumbia Pike. The panel considered dismantlingthe interchange but rejected the idea. This inter-change is needed to accommodate traffic. If itwere to be rebuilt, current regulations would re-quire that it occupy an even larger right-of-way,further splitting the community and eroding theamount of developable land. So the panel suggestscreating an iconic design with landmark lightingand pedestrian walkways, reinventing the over-pass as a beautiful bridge that can become a sym-bol for the neighborhood.

The street pattern in Baileys Crossroads currentlycomprises not just large blocks, but megablocks.There is a lack of connectivity, and pedestrian nav-igation is severely limited and dangerous. Pedes-trian accidents—even fatalities—are a seriousproblem. For Baileys Crossroads to operate as a more urban place, it needs both shorter, morepedestrian-scaled blocks and greater connectivity.

A grid street pattern that is properly scaled forurban conditions would facilitate pedestrian move-ment. It would also help disperse traffic more effi-ciently by removing demand from the arterials,especially during peak times. The panel suggestsa network of blocks similar in size and character tothose of Ballston and Clarendon. The block com-parison graphic (page 22) shows the current condi-tions at Baileys Crossroads and the scale thatwould result from inserting streets to form con-nections and reduce block size. The graphic alsoshows the block patterns at Ballston and Claren-don as examples of the network of shorter blocksthat is recommended.

Character of Development and Massingof Buildings Land is used inefficiently in Baileys Crossroads.Other than the high rises at Skyline, buildings are

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An Advisory Services Panel Report22

Clarendon BallstonClarendon Ballston

Existing Street and Block Structure

Comparative block structure.(All diagrams are at the

same scale.)

Clarendon (left) andBallston (right) are goodexamples of pedestrian-

scaled blocks.

Existing block structure inBaileys Crossroads.

Recommended blockstructure in Baileys

Crossroads.

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 23

generally single-story height and surrounded bysignificant swaths of asphalt. There is no coherentform or sense of place. The panel envisions a planthat, through infill and redevelopment, would in-crease density. It would eliminate wasted spacewhile creating usable open space. It would human-ize scale, improve links, and be more sustainableover time. In contrast to the existing form, thisplan would provide urban character and massing.A hierarchy of building height and mass can be es-tablished by using the neighborhood districts. Thepotential massing diagram shows the lowest tohighest building mass, with the lowest in thefringe Neighborhood Boulevard district, stepping

up to the Community Core and Village Center,then up more in the Urban Square, then finally tothe highest building mass in Skyline.

The panel finds that Baileys Crossroads is posi-tioned for change, with its ideal location for cap-turing regional growth and its land that is readyfor redevelopment. The county should embraceopportunities here, including several developmentproposals now on the table. It should establishhigher goals, be bold, and build on the commu-nity’s potential and assets to create a truly great place.

Existing massing diagram(far left).

Potential massingdiagram (left).

244

7

Leesburg Pike

N

Columbia Pike244

7

Leesburg Pike

Columbia Pike

Skyline

Urban Square

Community Core

Village Center

Green Space

Key

N

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An Advisory Services Panel Report24

Acomprehensive, unified transportationsystem is essential for a successful urbancommunity, and enhancements to the cur-rent network are crucial for the future of

Baileys Crossroads. The transportation packagefor the community must include the full comple-ment of transportation modes: rail, buses, road-ways, and sidewalks. The most important of theseneeds is the improvement of the transit servicesthat connect the core of Baileys Crossroads to thePentagon and to the Metrorail lines. Other issuesinclude motor vehicle network improvements,walkability, neighborhood connectivity, pedestriansafety, and community bus services. Many of theareas bordering Baileys Crossroads will benefitfrom such improvements as well.

The findings of the 2005 Focus Group on the revi-talization of Baileys Crossroads established a vari-ety of transportation values that maintain a senseof community and place. The panel agreed withthese values and proposes several other principles:

• Create transportation connectors betweenquadrants or districts.

• Develop a walkable street network withindistricts.

• Improve the safety of pedestrian crossings and transit stations.

• Extend the proposed Columbia Pike Streetcarservices to Metrorail and Tysons Corner.

• Add a community bus service that links nearbyresidents to the proposed transit system andprovides short-distance personal trip service.

• Create landscaped boulevards on Leesburg Pikewithout reducing the motor vehicle capacity ofthat street.

• Ensure adequate parking for business districtsto prevent parking infiltration into neighborhoods.

Streetcar Project InitiativeIn July 2005, the Washington Metro Area TransitAuthority (WMATA) recognized the potential ofthe emerging market for light rail and, in conjunc-tion with Arlington and Fairfax counties, com-pleted the analysis of possible transit capacityincreases along the Columbia Pike corridor be-tween Arlington Cemetery and Baileys Cross-roads. The study recognized the need to facilitatemobility and spur economic development in thecorridor. The report described “the preferred al-ternative for Columbia Pike” as “a small-scaleproject that could be developed through localsponsorship and minimum federal participation.”It further stated, “The Pike Transit Initiativestudy recommends that the Modified StreetcarAlternative be carried forward as the preferredalternative.” Both Arlington and Fairfax countiesapproved the preferred alternative in 2006 but the approvals were without funding.

Because the proposed vision for Baileys Cross-roads will generate new travel demands and be-cause the capacity of the roadway network withinthe area is relatively fixed, it is strategically im-portant that Fairfax County commit to the Colum-bia Pike Streetcar project as soon as the financingpackage is finalized. The proposed developmentvision is predicated on the assumption that a largepercentage of the new traffic demand generated inBaileys Crossroads by future developments willbe captured by the streetcar system.

Since approximately 80 percent of phase I of thestreetcar project will be in Arlington County, thiscomponent of the project should cost FairfaxCounty only approximately 20 percent of the$125 million estimated as the total project cost.This local share could be generated from TIFproceeds from the proposed Baileys CrossroadsCDA (see Implementation section) or applicabledeveloper commitments. It is a relatively smallinvestment, given the projected magnitude of the

Transportation

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 25

estimated public sector tax revenue from the pro-posed redevelopment.

One advantage of the streetcar project is that itwill be the first use of a relatively low-cost transitoperation in the region (buses and light-rail vehi-cles operating in mixed traffic in curb lanes). Hence,the opportunity exists to promote this prototypeproject internationally, which will provide BaileysCrossroads with a progressive image that shouldbe extremely helpful in marketing it to developersand prospective tenants. Also, this investmentwill provide Baileys Crossroads with future trans-portation security if energy-related issues affectthe use of autos for commuting.

Current ProposalThe modified streetcar line would begin south ofLeesburg Pike in Baileys Crossroads, proceednorth along Jefferson Street to Columbia Pike,then turn east to Pentagon City. The system wouldoperate seven days per week in mixed traffic, atstreet level, within the existing rights-of-way.Electrically powered trains, 66 feet long, would beused for most of the day and would be operatedwith headways of six minutes along Columbia Pike.This operation would be supplemented by busesin the peak hours (5:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. and3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.) in order to provide three-minute headways.

The alignment is approximately six miles long,with one mile in Fairfax County and five miles inArlington County. There are 17 possible stationswhich, with the recommendations from this re-port, could increase to 18 or 19.

Panel RecommendationsThe need for the streetcar line does not end withthe termination of the present alignment at Penta-gon City. The panel therefore recommends a num-ber of modifications to the current proposal.

Phase I

• Move the Seminary Road station further west,beyond the Carlin Springs Road intersection,near the former airplane hangar. Establish amultimodal transportation center at thisproposed station. This transportation centershould include a parking garage and an ap-propriately sized bus transfer facility. It is

recommended that as many bus routes serv-ing Baileys Crossroads as feasible be adjustedto serve this Seminary Road station, to facili-tate both bus-to-bus (thus eliminating the un-safe cross-street pedestrian movements) andbus-to-streetcar transfers.

• Minimize the number of bus routes servingthe proposed Jefferson Road station so as notto conflict with proposed Urban Square dis-trict developments.

• If public parking garages are provided withinthe Urban Square district, consider locatingone of these garages near the Jefferson Roadstation to accommodate park-and-ride users.

• The operation of the system in phase I mayrequire trolley vehicle storage at each end ofthe line, so consider using the hangar buildingfor this storage.

• The maintenance facility for Fairfax Countyproposed in the Seminary Road area wouldnot be compatible with the development vi-sion for the Village Center district. Sincemost of the system in phase I will operate inArlington County, the panel recommends thatthe proposed maintenance facility be locatedin Arlington County.

Phase II

• To maximize the use of transit to and fromBaileys Crossroads as redevelopment is im-plemented, Fairfax County should take a lead-ership role in promoting the extension of thestreetcar system west along Leesburg Piketo Seven Corners, one of the Falls ChurchMetrorail stations, and Tysons Corner. Thisextension would have a variety of obvioustransportation benefits, including the captureof multifamily residential trips that alreadyexist in that corridor, the connection of thetwo communities and employment nodes,and an alternate way to access Metrorail.

• To achieve phase II, it will be necessary towiden the section of Leesburg Pike west ofthe Baileys Crossroads interchange from fourto six lanes so the buses and light-rail vehiclescan operate in separate lanes. The design of

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An Advisory Services Panel Report26

this unfunded future improvement should beevaluated to find a way to add exclusive tran-sit lanes while maintaining six lanes of motorvehicle service. An exclusive-lane design willallow users to save time over commuting bypersonal vehicles, thus increasing patronageand service.

• If demand justifies it, consideration shouldbe given during the phase II planning and de-sign process to operating bus rapid transit inexclusive lanes during peak hours along Lees-burg Pike.

Phase III

• As development intensifies within BaileysCrossroads, serious consideration should begiven to extending the system to Alexandriato complete the loop with the existing Metrosystem to the east. An extension to Annan-dale might also be warranted. However, thesetwo extensions would require significant studyto justify undertaking them and making thempart of the transportation element of the com-prehensive plan for the jurisdictions.

The need for and importance of extending thestreetcar line to Metrorail is well documented. Theline was part of the transit network suggested forthis area in WMATA’s 1999 Transit Service Ex-pansion Plan as well as by the Northern Virginia

Transportation Coordinating Council in the newNorthern Virginia 2020 Transportation Plan.

The Baileys Crossroads development plan accom-modates several geometric alternatives for the ex-tension of transit to the west. The most efficientalternative would be to continue the line at thesouth terminal station located east of ColumbiaPike and south of Leesburg Pike. This would allowa continuous alignment rather than the mergingand diverging geometrics required by a west-endextension that began further north.

Community BusesThe streetcar is only one part of a comprehensivetransportation package. Community buses shouldbe added to supplement the regular Metrobusroutes. Routes should circulate within the neigh-borhoods of Baileys Crossroads and some nearbyareas at frequent intervals. The service wouldoffer connection to transit and access to local em-ployment sites, the nearby community college,shopping, and personal services. Such a service isvitally important to elderly and low-income resi-dents, who often depend on transit. Communitybuses would provide these residents with the abil-ity to shop and access medical facilities, churches,and other important elements of daily life.

The community buses would be smaller vehiclesthat can navigate residential streets more easilyand less obtrusively than large city buses. Theyshould seat 20 to 25 passengers. They should beof an attractive design that appeals to the com-munity. The interior should be clean, efficientlydesigned, and convenient to use. Seats might beconfigured along the sides, facing each other, soneighbors can talk. Signage at stops should bewell designed and themed to augment the com-munity’s identity. Service must be reliable, clean,and friendly. The service could be operated as“dial-a-ride” transport during off-peak hours.

Automobiles and PedestriansU.S. Census data from 2000 (see figure 5) showthat 78.5 percent of commuters in Baileys Cross-roads used automobiles, either driving alone (59.0percent) or carpooling (19.5 percent). These per-centages will certainly decline once the proposed

Community buses shouldwind through neighbor-hoods, taking residents toshopping and services.

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 27

streetcar line is in place. Nevertheless, about 60 to 70 percent of commuters will continue to drive.This means that automobiles will continue to dom-inate the transportation network. To maintain anytravel quality of life, improvements in transitmust be made concurrently with improvements inautomobile carrying capacity. The following sub-sections describe initiatives recommended to im-prove the transportation network.

Roadway ImprovementsThe following improvements are recommended toupgrade the roadway network in Baileys Crossroads.

Seminary Road. The current western terminationof Seminary Road needs to be modified to make itmore supportive of the development vision forBaileys Crossroads. The panel recommends up-grading Center Lane and making it the first sec-tion of a new Seminary Road. Upgrades shouldcontinue through the end of Center Lane, pro-ceeding north on Williams Lane, then west (be-hind the proposed Weissberg Project) until a con-nection can be made with Moncure Avenue. Thisnew roadway should all be named Seminary Road.Such an upgrade will directly support the develop-ment vision for the Village Center district. The in-terchange for Seminary Road is substandard, butit works well enough and would be expensive toreplace. A long-range solution would be to put alandmark on the interchange and landscape theareas around the interchange. This would createan identity, letting drivers know that they haveentered Baileys Crossroads.

Leesburg Pike–Columbia Pike Interchange. The in-terchange where Leesburg Pike (Route 7) and Co-lumbia Pike (Route 244) intersect was built manyyears ago and does not meet current interchangestandards. However, during most periods of theday it operates quite well, and there does not ap-pear to be any feasible way to replace this struc-ture without using valuable land for which rede-velopment is envisioned. Therefore, the panelrecommends instead that this structural icon bebeautified to provide a more positive physicalimage for the area. This beautification could in-clude colorful plantings in the four quadrants ofgreen space created by the cloverleaf. Within atleast one quadrant, the plantings could spell out

“Baileys Crossroads.” Colorful banners could beattached to the railings of the interchange to giveit a festive image and identity.

Local Street Grids. Because of the desire to create amore urbanized environment for the area, it is rec-ommended that a new grid street system of short-er, pedestrian-scaled blocks be established withineach district wherever feasible. Examples of therecommended scale are illustrated in the UrbanDesign section of this report. Implementation ofthese street grids will be the primary way of im-proving internal circulation within each district.

Better Aesthetics and Pedestrian SafetyPedestrian safety is a serious problem in BaileysCrossroads. Walking along the streets, crossing atintersections, and accessing transit are all difficultand dangerous for those on foot. Sidewalks areneeded everywhere. One danger is that pedestri-ans cross mid-block. A certain number of peoplewill always cross streets illegally and unsafely, butthis practice can be discouraged through design.For example, landscaping can be used as a “fence”along sidewalks or median strips to prevent cross-ing between intersections.

Pedestrian crossings should be designed to pro-tect people from traffic and to minimize trips andfalls. Curbing that juts out into the crosswalk is ahazard. Uneven surfaces can cause falls. Althoughbrick crosswalks are popular, they are not the bestpaving solution. They can be uneven and difficult

Figure 5Commuter Profile

Transportation Mode Percent

Drove alone 59.0

Car pooled 19.5

Public transportation* 12.7

Walked 4.2

Other 2.7

Worked at home 1.9

* Includes taxicab.Source: 2000 U.S. Census.

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An Advisory Services Panel Report28

for many people to navigate. Also, the bricks fadeinto the background pavement and are not visibleto drivers, especially at night. A better solution iswide, white striping with bright pavement light-ing. There are also electronic safety features. Oneis the newer traffic signal that shows a flashinghand and a countdown of seconds remaining be-fore the light changes. Another good example:

pavement lights that detect an approaching ped-estrian and start flashing to warn drivers of thepedestrian’s presence. This device is used on Co-lumbia Pike and could be used elsewhere.

Leesburg Pike will have to maintain motor vehiclecapacity but must change in character. The panelrecommends slowing traffic speeds and protectingsidewalks by adding landscaped planting strips,with street trees for shade and separation from theroad. Such landscaping will also visually soften theedges, making the roadway more attractive forpedestrians and drivers alike. Further, although itis necessary to keep enough lanes for traffic, thelanes can be narrowed from their current width,minimizing the visual impact of so many roadwaysand making it easier for pedestrians to cross. In-tersection improvements should create a narrowerfeel, slow turns, and eliminate free-flowing move-ment of traffic, thereby improving safety for mo-torists and pedestrians.

Traffic calming and moresidewalks and crosswalkswill create a safer envi-ronment for pedestrians.

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 29

Baileys Crossroads began as a suburban,postwar bedroom community benefitingfrom its proximity to Washington, D.C.,and nearby military and governmental

institutions. Over the years, the area has beensignificantly affected in negative ways by the con-tinued expansion of the Washington, D.C., metro-politan area and its need for ever-increasing roadcapacity and by the development of auto-orientedretail strip centers. Although quality developmentsare scattered throughout the greater region, theolder residential and commercial developments atthe main intersections in Baileys Crossroads seemto have prevented any evolving vision or rejuve-nation of the community.

With its close-in location and the creation of a modi-fied streetcar connection to link Baileys Crossroadsto Arlington, the district is now on the verge of adevelopment renaissance. How this renewal is man-aged not only will affect the immediate future ofBaileys Crossroads itself, but perhaps more impor-tant, will likely make Baileys Crossroads a modelfor renewals. Its management will directly affectthe type and quality of future redevelopments.

Organization and Leadership IssuesThe strong civic leadership of Baileys Crossroadsshould be active and visible, using its influence topersuade both the private and the public sectorsto cooperate in creating and implementing a com-mon plan for the next 50 years of development.The panel strongly recommends the creation of aCDA that will bring focus to the issues and dy-namics discussed here. Such an authority is per-mitted under local and state laws.

There are many stakeholders in the area who willparticipate, along with the CDA, the state, thecounty, and neighboring communities, all of whommust cooperate in a variety of ways to success-fully move forward. One example of where im-

proved cooperation is needed is with the North-ern Virginia Community College branch locatedsouth of Skyline. This facility should be servedby the streetcar, and organizational cooperationwill be the key to the successful undertaking ofthis venture.

The CDA will need its own dedicated staff. Itshould include someone with real estate develop-ment experience and a finance background. Addi-tional staffing needs might be contracted out.

The VisionThe Baileys Crossroads community should notthink in terms of just the next few years. Now isthe time to look ahead to the challenge of creatinga ten-, 20-, and even 50-year vision that encom-passes some of the ideas agreed on by local stake-holders. A long-term vision is critical for achievingthe goals the community sets for itself. It mightbe the vision of creating a “global marketplace” assome residents suggest, or something totally dif-ferent, but a plan is needed that has the input andsupport of the broad community.

Transportation: The StreetcarThe automobile has dictated the growth of FairfaxCounty for many, many years. It would be foolishto think it can be eliminated, so the panel’s strategyis to live with it—but in a way that makes BaileysCrossroads more pedestrian-friendly and less in-timidating to walkers, bikers, and transit users.

The plan for a streetcar line is now in place. Theproposed Columbia Pike Streetcar project isslated to connect Arlington, Baileys Crossroads,and possibly other areas of the county as well. Theplan has wide support; in fact, the panel heard nodissenting voices at all. Now is the time to moveforward, first ensuring that the streetcar plancomplements the vision for Baileys Crossroads.Care should be taken to locate the transit station

Implementation Strategies

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within Baileys Crossroads so that it meets landuse and development goals. Also important is ex-ploring financing options, including governmentsources and private sector funding—an increas-ingly popular way to fund such projects.

This transportation system will take approximatelyten to 20 years to implement fully. It is thereforecrucial that the first steps be taken immediately.The county should lead this effort and put togetherthe required funding. A management entity willalso be required and should be put in place bythe county.

Connectivity Currently, the highway and the overpass splitBaileys Crossroads apart. Pedestrians cannot nav-igate the area, and vehicular travel is somewhatimpeded as well. There is a lack of connection be-tween Baileys Crossroads and both other neigh-borhoods and Metro. The panel explored ways toprovide links: better road and street connections,more effective public transit, including linking theproposed streetcar to Metro, and increased pedes-trian access and safety.

Economic DevelopmentThe county has a vast array of tools for economicdevelopment, from Economic Development Zonesto bonds to TIF. (TIF is not a new tax, but a wayof using existing taxes to fund capital improve-

ments and operations.) Funding for Baileys Cross-roads might come from new sources as well. Offi-cials should explore other strategies and types ofpartnerships that have been used successfully bycommunities in other parts of the country.

For example, the city of Pasadena, California, usedpublicly funded parking structures as the impetusto spur new downtown mixed-use development.Not only did the creation of publicly owned park-ing garages enable successful rehabilitation andredevelopment, but it also fostered pedestrianmovement, giving further vitality to Old Pasadena.Since the garages were built, retail sales in the re-development district have increased dramaticallyand property tax values and other indicators ofeconomic health have outpaced those of both thecity of Pasadena and Los Angeles County.

In addition to the public sector players, BaileysCrossroads has an excellent cast of private devel-opers ready to help explore the opportunities forpublic-private ventures in many shapes and forms.The county should seek out such partnerships.

Housing DevelopmentThe housing issue needs to be addressed continu-ously and many groups in Fairfax County, bothpublic and private, are currently quite engaged indoing this. Creating and maintaining affordablehousing is a never-ending process. Programs needto be measured against other programs aroundthe country as a way to learn about creative newideas that can be brought to the local area. The in-credibly diverse housing market that exists inBaileys Crossroads is an asset that needs to beprotected. The panel believes that affordablehousing is an important part of the mix and thatthere are positive ways to move forward to main-tain such diversity.

An Advisory Services Panel Report30

Housing in Baileys Cross-roads includes a widerange of types. Affordablehousing is an importantpart of the mix.

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 31

The panel was impressed by Baileys Cross-roads’ many assets. It has an excellent loca-tion in terms of opportunities for growthand revitalization. It benefits from excellent

local leadership and a highly successful businesscommunity. And the diversity of cultures repre-sented makes Baileys Crossroads an interestingand truly wonderful place.

The community and its leaders realize that theyneed to move Baileys Crossroads forward to keepit from going backward. Baileys Crossroads mustbecome more urban in character. This meanshigher densities, more mixed-use development,and better transit connectivity. At the same time,issues of housing affordability, small business re-tention, and preservation of community identitymust be priorities.

The Columbia Pike Streetcar will be the first stepin urbanizing Baileys Crossroads. It will enableresidents to connect to regional transit. It willbring shoppers from around the region into Bai-leys Crossroads. And it will help Baileys Cross-roads become a denser, more urban commercialnode. The streetcar stops should be used to defineneighborhoods, with a quarter-mile walking dis-tance used to delineate boundaries.

The panel has suggested five neighborhoods thatmight be created, each with its own character andidentity. Where the existing quadrants divide Bai-leys Crossroads into separate, hard-to-navigate

pieces, the new neighborhoods would be linkedwith transit and safe, convenient pedestrian ways.

Although the current land use plan is character-ized by low-density development surrounded bywide-open paved spaces, much of the open space iswasted. The higher-density plan would call for us-able parks and squares, enhancing aesthetics andlivability.

The panel sees a prosperous future for BaileysCrossroads, a future as an important and clearlyurban center. The panel has made recommenda-tions regarding public transportation. It has sug-gested that Baileys Crossroads be seen as a groupof districts or neighborhoods rather than quad-rants, and it has proposed a plan that takes thearea from its current suburban form to a more in-timate and human-scaled urban center. Somestrategies for implementing these changes havebeen proposed. The panel emphasizes that thetimeline for these proposals stretches well into thefuture—15 to 20 years, or perhaps longer. There islittle doubt that Baileys Crossroads will get big-ger. The challenge is to see that it gets better as itgets bigger.

Conclusion

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An Advisory Services Panel Report32

lenges. ULI recognized his service on behalf ofthe Advisory Services program in 2002 with theRobert O’Donnell Award. Ratkovich is also anemeritus trustee of the National Trust for His-toric Preservation.

Walter S. BialasPittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Bialas joined PNC Bank in 1993 to establish an in-ternal market research group. As vice presidentof the research group, his main role is to providemarket research due diligence in support of thebank’s commercial underwriting process. Bialasprovides custom research to evaluate uniquemarket dynamics, assess location issues, evaluatethe impact of competitive projects, and test thereasonableness of pro forma assumptions. Proj-ects evaluated at PNC Bank range across the en-tire country and cover all property types. His par-ticular analytic strengths include retail andaffordable housing.

Before joining PNC Bank, Bialas spent ten yearswith the national consulting practice of GA Partners-Arthur Andersen in Washington, D.C. While a se-nior manager there, he advised clients on the mar-ket and financial feasibility of proposed projectsacross the United States.

Bialas received his bachelor’s degree in urbanstudies from Albright College and his master’s de-gree in city and regional planning degree fromCatholic University. He is a member of the Inter-national Council of Shopping Centers’ ResearchTask Force.

Sean CulmenSan Francisco, California

Culman is the principal of Solutions, an architec-ture and planning firm specializing in high-perfor-mance green and sustainable design. As an archi-

Wayne RatkovichPanel ChairLos Angeles, California

Ratkovich is the founder and president of TheRatkovich Company, a Los Angeles developmentfirm specializing in urban infill and rehabilitationprojects. The mission statement of his company is“to profitably produce developments that improvethe quality of urban life.” His company’s work hasranged from large-scale urban planning and enti-tlement endeavors to retail, office, entertainment,and mixed-use projects. His company engages inboth new development and the imaginative reuseof existing buildings, including eight historic land-mark buildings.

The company’s work has been awarded on a num-ber of occasions including by the City of Los Ange-les, the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Universityof California Los Angeles, the University of South-ern California, and several civic organizations. Thefirm is the developer of The Alhambra, a 45-acre,1.5 million-square-foot urban community in Alham-bra, California. Its current projects include 800Wilshire, a 230,000-square-foot office building indowntown Los Angeles; The Town Homes at Or-ange Grove Circle, a 14-building, 64-unit apart-ment complex in Pasadena, California; and 5900Wilshire, a 490,000-square-foot, 31-story tower op-posite the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Ratkovich has served as a trustee for the UrbanLand Institute for more than 12 years. He is cur-rently a vice chairman, a member of ULI’s Execu-tive Committee, and a governor of the Urban LandFoundation. He has been a member of 11 ULIcommittees, chairman of the ULI Awards of Ex-cellence jury on three occasions, and chairman ofan Urban Development/Mixed-Use Council. Onbehalf of the ULI Advisory Services program,Ratkovich has chaired seven expert panels formedto tackle many of the country’s most difficult andnow successfully met urban development chal-

About the Panel

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Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, December 3–8, 2006 33

tect and planner, his practice has evolved with hisunderstanding of context. He was initially inspiredby the idea that we shape our spaces and thenthese spaces shape us. His practice progressedfrom a focus on space and expanded to include place.

As a collaborator with prominent leaders insustainable design, he uses an integrative and dy-namic design process to analyze, iterate, synthe-size, and develop appropriate and practical possi-bilities. These charrettes include master plans forresidential development, manufacturing plants,and municipal facilities, as well as designs for resi-dential, community, and commercial buildings.He recently was a facilitator for the Urban LandInstitute at the Central Maryland Reality CheckPlus charrette.

Culman received a master’s degree in architecturefrom the Yale School of Architecture and a bache-lor’s degree from Williams College.

David N. GossHertford, North Carolina

In 2005, Goss retired and moved to North Carolinawhere he is presently a part-time economic devel-opment consultant to Perquimans County. Beforeretiring, Goss was the senior director of transpor-tation and infrastructure for the Greater Cleve-land Partnership. In this capacity he managed aregional development and transportation pro-gram that identified, prioritized, and facilitatedstrategic regional infrastructure investmentsthat supported Northeast Ohio’s physical devel-opment agenda.

Goss has also served as the vice president of eco-nomic development for the Gateway Economic De-velopment Corporation—the not-for-profit entityresponsible for the construction of Jacobs Fieldand the Gund Arena—and the executive directorof CLINITEC, Inc.—a wholly owned, for-profitsubsidiary of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation,where he managed the Cleveland Clinic’s real es-tate interests, identified and pursued new healthcare business opportunities, and provided generalmanagement for the clinic’s for-profit venturesand technology transfer programs.

Goss also has 11 years of management experiencein the public transit industry and was an originalmember of the Transportation Review AdvisoryCouncil of the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Robert W. NilssonStephensville, Maryland

Nilsson is an independent consultant with his ownfirm, Whatsreallyhappening.com. He is currentlyconsulting with Turner Construction, Skanska,Halcrow, and Gensler. Before founding his firm,he held senior management positions with PhillipHolzmann International, Bovis South America,and Turner Steiner International, where heserved as president and chief executive officer.

Nilsson has established joint ventures and part-nerships in South America, Asia, the Middle East,and Europe. These projects have ranged in valuefrom $100 million to $6.5 billion. He also has a broadrange of experience in global project marketing.

Nilsson helped develop an e-commerce tradingcompany called Industry to Industry for the de-velopment, engineering, and construction sector.In this capacity, he advised companies such asSkidmore Owings and Merrill, Consolidated Con-struction Company, and Dick Construction inunderstanding how technology will affect theirbusiness and how they can expand services inthis new sector.

Nilsson received a bachelor of science degree inchemical engineering from Rensselaer PolytechnicUniversity in 1963 and a graduate degree fromDartmouth’s Amos Tuck School Executive Man-agement Program.

David S. PlummerCoral Gables, Florida

Plummer founded David Plummer and Associatesin 1978. The firm provides a wide variety of engi-neering services with emphasis on traffic and road-way design. His engineering career spans morethan 35 years and includes some of the most sig-nificant projects in Florida.

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Plummer’s public engineering experience involveslocal, county, and state jurisdictions where he pio-neered studies of street protection systems to re-duce crime and traffic. He was affiliated with theCriminal Justice Institute in south Florida andpromotes close cooperation between law enforce-ment and traffic engineering.

In 2004, Plummer founded the Transportation Ex-change at Florida Atlantic University, which henow administers. The exchange provides trainingin a variety of transportation subjects for practic-ing engineers and planners.

The programs include transit, traffic operations,and transportation planning. The programs arecreditable toward the continuing educationalrequirements of Florida’s Registered Engineerslicense and the Institute of Transportation Engi-neers’ Professional Traffic Operation EngineersLicense.

Formerly, he was the assistant director of engi-neering at the Traffic Institute at NorthwesternUniversity. While in that position he developedand published materials related to capital im-provements for transit, guidelines for drivewaydesign, intersection capacity analysis, and trafficaccident reconstruction.

Plummer has also worked at the California De-partment of Transportation and the Illinois De-partment of Transportation. He was a graduate ofthe training programs of both public organizations.This training included planning, traffic engineer-ing, design, material testing, and construction.

Plummer was a member of the Coral Gables Plan-ning and Zoning Board, Dade County Impact FeeCommittee, and NW Dade/SW Broward PlanningCommittee. In Florida he has been involved in theFlorida Supreme Court Transportation Training,the Criminal Justice Institute, and committees ofthe Florida Department of Community Affairs.

Alan PullmanLong Beach, California

As the director of Studio One Eleven, Pullmanleads the design team on urban design and mixed-use projects. A native of New York, where he

learned to love cities, he brings with him morethan 16 years of extensive national experience inarchitectural and urban design with a focus onmixed-use projects. Skilled in directing bothurban design and community business revitaliza-tions, his broad experience includes partneringwith urban designers, civic groups, and artistswithin the field.

Pullman has been the recipient of various awards.Recently, he was awarded the Los Angeles Busi-ness Journal’s 2002 Real Estate Award for BestDesign, Architecture for Zelman DevelopmentCompany’s Burbank Empire Center. In 2001, hereceived the award for Professional Achievementin Planning for Gresham Station from the Oregonchapter of the American Planning Association. In1988, he earned the Design Award of Honor fromthe Society of American Registered Architects.

Pullman began his career in 1985 as a project di-rector with Brennan Beer Gorman Architects inNew York. Before joining Perkowitz + Ruth Archi-tects, he was design director at MCG Architecturein Beverly Hills, California. A registered architectand a member of the American Institute of Archi-tects, Pullman is also an active member of theUrban Land Institute and serves as an adviser tothe Long Beach Village Arts District. He receivedhis bachelor of architecture degree from SyracuseUniversity and has participated in continuing edu-cation courses at the Art Students League NY,Art Center Pasadena, and Harvard UniversityGraduate School of Design.

Bing WangCambridge, Massachusetts

Wang teaches design and development courses atthe Graduate School of Design. She also holds athree-year appointment as visiting professor inthe Urban Planning and Property Developmentprogram at the School of the Built Environment,University of Ulster in the United Kingdom.Wang is a design partner of HyperBina, Inc., aBoston-based design/planning firm; and a princi-pal and managing partner of the China Real Es-tate Investment Company in Shanghai.

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Wang received her bachelor’s degree in architec-ture from Tsinghua University and her master’s ofarchitecture in urban design and doctorate of de-sign from Harvard University. Wang’s academicresearch focuses on the interplay between formalrepresentations of a society and its underlyingeconomic driving force and social structure. Herresearch has been published in the Journal ofReal Estate Portfolio Management and UrbanLand Asia and she has written working papersfor the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Her forth-coming book, The Structuring of the ArchitecturalProfession in Modern China, based on her doctoraldissertation, is scheduled to be published in 2007.

Wang worked as an investment consultant forLehman Brothers’ Global Commercial Real Es-tate Group and Principal Transaction Group intheir Tokyo headquarters. Her focus has been onlarge-scale real estate investment projects in Asia.

Wang’s design firm, HyperBina, Inc., has consultedon design and community planning for Boston realestate firms and governmental entities in China.As a professional designer, Wang has been involvedin the design projects of residential complexes inBeijing, a library for Beijing University, an indoorstadium for the Rochester Institute of Technologyin New York, and single-family houses in Weston,Massachusetts. Her firm is currently undertakingurban design and master planning of a 461-acreproject on a series of islands in Dianshan Lakenear Shanghai.

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