Tysons Community Alliance | FFXnow

Published April 4, 2024 at 11:00AM

A "mobility maze" has been painted in the parking lot behind The PARC at Tysons for the Tysons Community Alliance's upcoming Placemaking Fest (maze and photo courtesy of Tech Painting Co)

The Tysons Community Alliance (TCA) hopes to put the “play” in “play-cemaking” with a mini festival on Saturday (April 6) that will feature food, art and opinions about what might make the urban center tick.

Hosted by Celebrate Fairfax at The PARC at Tysons (8508 Leesburg Pike) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the TCA Placemaking Fest is envisioned as both an example of how to distinguish Tysons and an occasion for community members to share their thoughts on future activities that could cement that identity.

News

Affordable housing developer jumpstarts initiative to clean up Tysons’ green spaces

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 19, 2024 at 11:00AM

Crews have begun clearing overgrowth and invasive plants from the Route 7 and Route 123 interchange (courtesy SCG Development)

With the help of local developers and property owners, the Tysons Community Alliance is on a mission to beautify the green spaces found where many of the area’s major roads intersect.

The first site targeted is the southwest quadrant of the Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) and Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) interchange, where the Vienna-based company Tyson’s Tree Service began clearing overgrowth, invasive plants and dead trees on Jan. 2.

News

First-ever Tysons strategic plan aims to turn county’s downtown into a destination

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 18, 2023 at 10:15AM

Tysons Community Alliance CEO Katie Cristol announces the Tysons strategic plan's release in 2023 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

When Fairfax County adopted its Tysons Comprehensive Plan in 2010, it wasn’t quite creating a community from scratch. After all, the area had history: first as home of the Manahoac tribe, then as rural farmland and finally, as a suburban crossroads known for malls and offices.

However, transforming car-centric sprawl into a place people not only want to go to, to take a phrase from the Washington Post, but also stay in remains a formidable challenge.

News

Senator makes case for casino in Tysons as part of future entertainment district

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 11, 2023 at 3:30PM

A train pulls into the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

If Fairfax County were to get a casino, state Sen. Dave Marsden would prefer to see it in Tysons, not Reston, as has reportedly been proposed.

The prospect of a casino has drawn strong pushback from both residents and some elected officials, but Marsden argues that the county needs to consider all options to diversify its commercial tax base, as the office market continues to lag in the pandemic’s wake.

News

Tysons is more walkable but less bicycle-friendly than Reston, market study says

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 24, 2023 at 11:30AM | Updated March 20, 2026 at 12:19PM

A walking path from the Greensboro Metro station toward the Tysons Central office building (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Tysons has seen some promising developments in its transportation network in recent years, but many obstacles remain to achieving Fairfax County’s vision of a truly accessible downtown, a market study released earlier this month suggests.

Commissioned by the Tysons Community Alliance, the 2023 Tysons Market Study characterizes the 2,100-acre urban center as “somewhat walkable” — meaning at least some errands can be accomplished on foot — based on its official average Walk Score of 57.

News

Study: Office and retail trends tell different stories about Tysons pandemic recovery

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 15, 2023 at 1:30PM

Shoppers walk around Tysons Corner Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Tysons is increasingly becoming a place where people live, but a recent market study from the Tysons Community Alliance raised some questions about its future as a place where people work.

Released on Aug. 4, the study paints divergent pictures of the two commercial sectors that have defined Tysons since the 1960s — office and retail — as they navigate a post-pandemic world of remote work and online shopping.

News

Katie Cristol draws on Arlington experience as new face of Tysons Community Alliance

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 9, 2023 at 10:15AM

Katie Cristol, formerly the Arlington County Board chair, took over as the Tysons Community Alliance's CEO on July 5, 2023 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Katie Cristol wants to help Tysons become what the community imagines it could be.

Since taking over as the Tysons Community Alliance’s first permanent CEO on July 5, Cristol has been busy overseeing the creation of a Tysons strategic plan to identify priorities and needs for the 2,100-acre area envisioned by Fairfax County as an urban downtown where “people live, work and play.”

News

More housing needed as Tysons population continues to surge, study finds

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 7, 2023 at 11:45AM

The Union Park at McLean condominiums in Tysons East (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Tysons is going to need more housing.

Home to 17,000 people in 2010, the urban center saw its population grow to 29,620 people by 2021, according to a market study released Friday (Aug. 4) by the Tysons Community Alliance. Fairfax County staff reported earlier this year that there are now 30,124 residents.

News

Tysons Community Alliance will seek county funding annually under new agreement

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 13, 2023 at 3:45PM

The water tower in central Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County formalized its partnership with the Tysons Community Alliance earlier this week with a new agreement outlining the community improvement organization’s mission and structure.

Under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (July 11), the TCA will turn to the county as a primary funding source going forward, even though it will operate independently as a nonprofit.

News

Upcoming Tysons strategic plan will pinpoint area’s strengths and areas for improvement

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 23, 2023 at 11:00AM

Development continues at Scotts Run in Tysons East (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

After introducing itself earlier this year with a website update and some cherry blossom-related events, the Tysons Community Alliance is now digging into the area’s strengths, needs and what needs to be done to set it up for future success.

Picking up where the now-defunct Tysons Partnership left off, the nonprofit community improvement organization launched a strategic planning effort for Tysons this week by convening a series of work groups that will focus on different topics, such as residential development, transportation and parks.