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2018 SESSION

18107973D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 240
Offered March 5, 2018
Commending Embark Richmond Highway.
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Patrons-- Surovell, Barker and Ebbin; Delegates: Krizek, Sickles and Tran
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WHEREAS, in 2014, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation released the Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives Analysis, which recommended bus rapid transit and Metrorail extension in the Route 1 corridor, and Embark Richmond Highway’s purpose is to update the comprehensive plan to prepare for the changes outlined in the analysis; and

WHEREAS, Fairfax County established Embark Richmond Highway in 2015 as an initiative focused on creating a multimodal future in the Route 1 corridor where residents, workers, and visitors can walk, bike, or drive to the places they want to go; and

WHEREAS, Embark Richmond Highway was a collaboration among the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning, Virginia Department of Transportation, federal agencies, and the Embark Richmond Highway Citizen Advisory Group; and

WHEREAS, the 13-member Embark Richmond Highway Citizen Advisory Group met 24 times between 2015 and 2017, and it hosted six community meetings throughout the Route 1 corridor to invite questions and recommendations from community members; and

WHEREAS, the Fairfax County Planning Commission endorsed the recommendations from Embark Richmond Highway on February 22, 2018; and

WHEREAS, Embark Richmond Highway’s recommendations include the following changes to the comprehensive plan: the inclusion of bus rapid transit from Huntington Metro to the Woodbridge Virginia Railway Express Station, primarily in a dedicated lane down the median of Route 1; widening the highway to three lanes in each direction from the I-495 interchange to the Occoquan River; space for bike lanes and continuous sidewalks on both sides of the highway; and extending Metro’s Yellow Line to Beacon Hill and Hybla Valley; and

WHEREAS, Embark Richmond Highway’s plan also calls for six community business centers (CBCs) with high-density, mixed-use development surrounding bus rapid transit stations; these CBCs will feature tall buildings that taper into the surrounding neighborhoods, street grids to provide interparcel access without traveling on Route 1, underground utilities, abundant green spaces, and the means to incorporate 80,000 new residents and hundreds of new businesses to the corridor; and

WHEREAS, Embark Richmond Highway’s plan highlights the region’s historical and ecological legacy; developers will daylight stream valleys to improve the environment and emphasize unique local assets, such as Historic Route 1 and other historic districts; and

WHEREAS, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors endorsed the recommendations of Embark Richmond Highway on March 20, 2018; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning, and the members of the Embark Richmond Highway Citizen Advisory Group on the completion of the Embark Richmond Highway planning process; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Embark Richmond Highway program as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the program’s work to enhance the Richmond Highway corridor.