Take Back Providence District

By: superflytnt
Published On: 6/1/2007 11:22:30 PM

The title "Providence District Supervisor" really isn't that exciting, but that's what's up for election during the Virginia primary on June 12th, and what many don't realize is that the functions of this role have some of the greatest impact on the quality of life of the people who live within the boundaries of this district.  In the past ten years we've seen massive growth in Vienna, Virginia from its population to the amount of construction and vehicle count.  Anyone commuting through Tysons Corner knows exactly what I'm speaking of.  It's the Supervisor's job to balance this growth with a standard of living that doesn't negatively affect residents' quality of life.  But as we've seen, through all this growth  and especially in Tysons Corner, services have declined such as water pressure and routine brown-outs, parks are scarce if to be found at all, and roads have remained narrow and grid-locked throughout the county. 
I live in Tysons Corner.  I've been fighting for fair and responsible growth in my district for years, but we've been taken advantage of.  We're smart people, those of us living in Tysons.  We didn't move here because we wanted to live in the country.  We like the urbanization of Providence District.  We love the shopping, access to highways, theater and assorted services and events... but not at the expense of our schools, safety, or quality of life.  Our Supervisor's job is to improve these things, not take them away and leave us worse off.

Case in point:  Linda Smyth says she's pro-environment.  I personally witnessed Smyth in the halls of the Planning Commission building in Fairfax support a developer's rezoning and construction request to raze an entire natural reserve in Tysons Corner, home to several unique animals and assorted wildlife, in order to build a massive condominium high-rise with a hundred neighboring town homes.  Thousands of additional cars will now pour onto and already grid-locked Gallows Road, and no proffers were made to relieve the burden this development would place on the community.  Gallows Road will remain untouched.  Hundreds of new children will flood our elementary and middle schools that already overflow into trailers in school parking lots. 

I've met Charlie Hall.  He's not dissimilar to the rest of us living in Providence District.  It turns out he is one of our neighbors. He has children in our schools and uses the same commuting path as many of us living in Vienna.  Charlie is right when he calls Smyth part of the "political machine."  This is the same machine that blindly approves developments that corrupt our quality of life and doesn't hold anyone accountable.  So let's be clear about one thing - to those of us in Tysons Corner, continued urbanization can be a good thing if our leaders keep a watchful eye on the impact urbanization has to the community.  Otherwise, our livelihoods are stake.  It's time to turn the "machine" back on itself and take control of the process.  We need a new Supervisor.  It's that simple.  It's that important.

Comments



Welcome (Deborah Reyher - 6/3/2007 12:36:31 PM)
Nice to see someone from one of the faster-urbanizing areas seeing the big picture also!  Once the things that make life good are lost to miles of impervious concrete, we can't get them back.  We have to do this right, RIGHT NOW!

It can't wait four more years. 

We need a change NOW!  Vote for Charlie Hall.



You are correct (BettyLou - 6/4/2007 1:21:57 PM)
Providence District is chock full of smart people. All too often, these people are ignored or even worse by our Board of Supervisors, i.e., Linda Smyth.

I have seen Smyth ignore a citizen who is a PhD stream ecologist and told her that it was bad science and wrong for the county to allow a developer to remove protection from a resource protection area (Ches Bay protection) so their preferred development plans could go through.

I have seen Smyth ignore a citizen who is a Professional Engineer and told them a tree save area was a ruse. That there was no way those trees cold be saved given the number of houses the developer wanted. It turns out he was right. The developer destroyed most of those trees with a bulldozer.

I could go on forever. Our bright and talented citizens are ingnored by Smyth when it doesn't suit her or the developers.

It is that important. Take back Providence.