In the future, a share of tax revenue generated by the Tysons Transportation Service District could go to transportation-related projects shepherded by the Tysons Community Alliance (TCA), including ones on private property.
The district’s advisory board voted last Wednesday (April 9) to recommend that $1 million be allocated to the TCA for fiscal year 2026 to support its work to close gaps in the Tysons transportation network, reduce traffic from single-occupant vehicles, and boost public awareness and engagement.
Though the proposal was backed by Fairfax County staff, the vote was preceded by a discussion that one board member described as “contentious,” as some worried about reducing the funding available to address major infrastructure needs, such a potential reconfiguration of the Route 7 and Route 123 interchange.
In a presentation to the advisory board, TCA officials suggested a sidewalk on private property as an example of the kinds of projects that it could implement with the tax district revenue.
The lack of a requirement for the private property owner to contribute to the project costs was a concern for Donald Garrett, a Providence District representative on the board and one of two members to vote against recommending funding for the TCA.
“On behalf of the renters and residential owners, I think it’s more than appropriate that moneyed interests pay for a portion of the substantial personal benefit they will receive from our tax investment,” Garrett told FFXnow.
The other “no” vote was Rotonda Condominium Unit Owners Association President Douglas Doolittle, though Garrett says the board was initially split evenly on the proposition.
Some skeptics were ultimately won over by the short length of this first agreement, which will last just one year, and assurances by the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) staff that the TCA’s use of the funding will be monitored.
According to FCDOT spokesperson Freddy Serrano, the department is looking to establish a contract with the TCA for FY 2026 that will establish “the scope of work” from the alliance, which will then have to request future task orders to fund specific projects.
As a nonprofit governed by a board that includes residents, business owners and developers as well as government officials, the TCA can help facilitate projects that require more involvement from the private sector, like a sidewalk connection or its “Walk, Bike or Roll” campaign that encourages people to get out of their cars and use alternative modes of travel.
“FCDOT is seeking to address potential gaps in the transportation and mobility network that may require more partnership with private owners outside of work in the public right-of-way and encourage enhancements that provide transportation benefits in the nearer term,” Serrano said by email.
The contract’s scope is expected to include “small-scale capital projects, Tysons-specific Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures, and community engagement regarding transportation infrastructure projects, transit services, and public/private initiatives supporting active transportation.”
It remains to be seen whether that scope might include the wayfinding signage recently approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors or an ongoing initiative to improve the landscaping and maintenance of road interchanges in Tysons.
The advisory board’s recommendation that FCDOT move forward with a TCA contract still needs to be approved by the Board of Supervisors as part of the county’s FY 2026 budget, which will be adopted on May 13 after public hearings next Tuesday through Thursday (April 22-24) and a mark-up session on May 6.
The proposed budget, which was presented by County Executive Bryan Hill in February, maintains the same funding for the Tysons Transportation Service District as the current adopted budget based on a flat tax rate of 5 cents per $100 of assessed property value. County staff and the advisory board both recommended keeping that rate.
Established by the Board of Supervisors in 2013 and funded by an extra property tax as well as contributions by developers, the tax district has almost $43.2 million that can be doled out for transportation projects.
According to TCA CEO Katie Cristol, the possibility of using service district funds to support the alliance’s transportation work has been on the table since the organization launched in 2022.
Dedicated to promoting Tysons and implementing Fairfax County’s vision for the area, the TCA requests money from the county’s general fund annually under an agreement approved in 2023. It can also obtain funding through grants, private sponsorships and other revenue options.
When the Board of Supervisors approved the agreement, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn suggested integrating funding for the TCA’s transportation projects with the Tysons service district.
However, Garrett says he had reservations about their compatibility.
“The TCA deserves a stable and transparent funding source,” Garrett said. “I think the Board of Supervisors or Planning Commission should facilitate an honest conversation about whether the tax district ordinance and vision should be updated to reflect changing needs instead of us playing a shell game with ad hoc requests.”
According to the county code, the revenue created by the tax district is intended for “transportation facilities, equipment, and services,” including infrastructure construction and maintenance, transit services operations and public outreach.
While the contract scope remains to be determined, the projects proposed by the TCA “is in keeping with the purpose of the Tysons Transportation Service District,” Serrano said. He also confirmed that the potential contract would allow FCDOT to monitor the TCA’s work.
“Similar to other contracts, the contract with TCA will have milestones and specific deliverables that staff will monitor on a regular basis,” he said.
Cristol says the TCA’s ability to use a variety of revenue sources will ensure any funds from the service district go directly to the transportation projects, rather than to marketing or other ancillary needs.
“We can leverage the dollars that we have from other resources … on communications, on research, on outreach to make sure that that the transportation dollars go further and take advantage of additional investment … without spending the transportation dollars on those related areas,” she said.
When it comes to private contributions, Cristol noted that developers already agree to provide transportation improvements at their sites or money for county projects as proffers during the rezoning process.
The involvement of private property owners in projects supported by the service district will likely be determined on a case-by-case basis.
“I think it’s going to be a lot more specific to what the transportation or placemaking or beautification project on a specific project is to the property owner — what the general interest served is, how expensive the project is, etcetera — rather than being able to a general set of principles or cost agreement that applies across the board,” Cristol said.
