Realize Rosslyn, the community committee initiative begun two years ago to improve the Rosslyn neighborhood, has had its final draft of plans approved by the Arlington County Board. As of April 12, the board voted 5-0 to adopt what is now known as the Rosslyn Plan Framework, addressing much needed changes and improvements to the Rosslyn area. This is great news for Orange Line Living residents, who have long dealt with less than ideal conditions for urban living in Rosslyn. Now that the plan framework has been adopted, the county will work to develop a detailed Rosslyn Sector Plan Update, which is hoped to be completed by the end of this year. The plan, once completed, will provide guidance for Central Rosslyn and the Rosslyn Coordinated Redevelopment District (RCRD).
There will be areas of focus to change the urban landscape in the neighborhood, making it more “user friendly” for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as visitors to the area using the Metro. Currently, Rosslyn is challenged with many steep hills and highways blocking ease of non-motorized traffic. There are also outdated buildings and over-congested roads. The Rosslyn Plan Framework sets out to change all of this over the next 30 years.
There are some key challenges addressed by the plan. The Potomac River access is limited greatly by steep grades and Highways cutting off pedestrian access. New Bridges will be planned, connecting area paths leading to the river. Rosslyn also lacks a cyclist friendly bike path system. The bike trails will be re-planned to keep them closely connected through a more seamless and safe bike network.
Streets and building edges are not pedestrian or cyclist friendly either. Excess roadway areas will be reclaimed to expand sidewalks, bike facilities and landscaping. The Rosslyn Metro station is reaching its capacity limit to serve the area, adding greater bus congestion to traffic. Alternatives are to be explored, including a second Metro station in the area and changing one way streets to two way traffic improvements.
Rosslyn’s retail, entertainment and parks are lacking in amenities current residents and visitors are looking for. Storefront retail development will become a new focus, as well as improving open urban areas, parks and streets overall. Current office buildings are lacking in both interior and exterior design for urban living. Re-development of these buildings will focus on state-of-the-art spaces for working and living in Rosslyn. The current mix of land use is heavily commercial. More housing in central Rosslyn will help to bring in more residents and spread out the mix use of the area better.
Realize Rosslyn has some great plans to make living in the area better than ever, and Arlington County has embraced the plans. Myself, and the Orange Line Living team, are here to provide you with our unique and specialized services so you can turn your dreams into reality. To learn more about how we can help you, contact us directly at 571-969-7653 or at [email protected].
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