Residents want Seven Corners safer for walking and biking

When residents and business owners were asked at a “visioning exercise” May 21 how they feel about Seven Corners, several common themes emerged: 

More than 100 Seven Corners residents and business owners came to the May 21 session organized by the Fairfax County Office of Community Revitalization (OCR). The “visioning exercise,” which called for participants to meet in small groups to list what they perceive as the area’s strengths and challenges and their vision for the future, is the first step in a county process to develop a framework for guiding redevelopment.

Challenges that need to be addressed:

Just about everybody cited the traffic congestion as a huge challenge. Among the ideas that emerged for addressing it: Improve the synchronization of traffic lights, totally redesign the Route 50/Route 7 intersection, and provide an express bus to D.C.

Other ideas mentioned for improving Seven Corners, some of them long-term:

Binh Nguyen, president of the Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce for the Greater Washington, D.C., area, said many of the Eden Center business owners had been thinking of leaving the area due to the declining economy and civil rights issues—even though some 70,000 people come to that shopping center every weekend.

But the possibility of revitalizing Seven Corners is a hopeful sign. “We want to be a part of this great community,” he says, adding that Vietnamese businesses are interested in contributing to the development of a new community center.

Alejandria Caballero of the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services reported on the concerns of some of the apartment residents: They want more parks, more police patrols to make the streets safer for evening walks, more family-friendly restaurants, and a more accessible health clinic. They said the Willston Multicultural Center needs to be renovated and the pedestrian bridge over Route 50 needs to be cleaned up.

The biggest problem is traffic congestion, said Iqbal Khaiy, who also mentioned the lack of walkability, the overcrowded schools, and the need to create “a sense of place.” She said it’s important to “retain the character and diversity of Seven Corners and give it a facelift.”

Jeff Longo said even though he lives and works in Seven Corners, he can’t walk to work because it’s impossible to cross the street. The benefits of the area include convenience, diversity, variety of restaurants, and proximity to Arlington and D.C., but there is “too much concrete and not enough green,” he says.

Debbie Smith called for “smart development that doesn’t strain natural resources.” And several people mentioned the need to retain the unique character of Seven Corners and not copy Ballston or Tysons Corner.

The OCR will prepare a summary of the comments to share at the next workshop, which will be held June 18, 7 p.m., at the same location, 6245 Leesburg Pike.

Meanwhile, a major clean-up effort to get rid of the litter and illegal signs, is tentatively scheduled for June 23.