Proposed Replacement for Wiehle Park and Ride Convenient to Targetville

With construction work set to begin on the Wiehle Avenue park and ride lot in less than a month, Fairfax County is looking for a place to stick all those Loudoun drivers accommodate commuters as Metro construction continues. One proposal that's now on the books is using a parking lot near the intersection of Sunset Hills Road and Town Center Parkway. If nothing else, it's certainly convenient to Targetville!

Specifically, the Board of Supervisors have filed an "application proffer condition amendment" (whatever that is) to change the current surface lot from a "temporary parking lot" to an "interim commuter lot." We're not quite sure what the difference is, but apparently this requires Planning Commission approval.

When all's said and done, the temporary interim lot will have "approximately 607" parking places and a fancy bus loop/pickup area to disgorge passengers after a soul-crushing day doing whatever it is they do in D.C. That's about 210 spaces shy of what's currently available at the Wiehle Avenue park and ride, but it's definitely better than the alternatives (pretending to have an 8 hour long fixation with craft supplies and park at Plaza America?)

What's interesting is that this parcel of land is pretty much exactly where the fancy "touchdown area" has been proposed to greet riders disembarking at the future Reston Parkway station, as the Reston Town Center extends southwards to meet it. We guess it's possible that the temporary interim lot can be dismantled and a stunning public plaza/subterranean bus/gnome area be built in the time between when the Wiehle station opens and the next phase of Metro rolls out, but... hmmm. Interesting.

A Planning Commission public hearing for the parking lot proposal is scheduled for November 18, which gives everyone involved plenty of time to look up the difference between "interim" and "temporary" in a dictionary. Meanwhile, county officials are also proposing more immediate changes to the Connector bus service to accommodate the construction. Specifically, Routes 595 and 597 would be relocated to the Reston North Park and Ride -- that thin ribbon of parking that runs along Sunset Hills -- and the number of trips on the 585 would be increased to accommodate additional passengers at the Reston South Park and Ride. (Presumably the bus routes would change again if and when what we'll call the Targetville Park and Ride is approved and configured.) A hearing on the Connector changes is slated for 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at the North County Government Center -- which, the press release helpfully points out, is served by RIBS.