Second Vice President Grimm called the Dec. 15, 2011, meeting to order at 7:15 p.m.

Council Members:

Al Francese, Little Rocky Run

Lewis Grimm – 2nd Vice President, Franklin Farm Foundation

Priscilla Knight – Secretary, Sully Station II

Bob Lerch, Rocky Run

John E. Moore, Brookfield Civic Association

Jeff Parnes – 1st Vice President, Chantilly Highlands Homes Association

Presenters:

Jaak Pedak, Fairfax County Dept. of Transportation

Guests:

Ginger Beaudoin, Bechtel

Mary Ann Cannon, Rep. Frank Wolf

• Jaak Pedak, senior transportation planner, Transportation Planning Division, FCDOT, presented the Interstate 66 Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared on Nov. 29, 2011. He said the study began in April 2011 and there should be a Record of Decision by December 2012. By December 2011, the study group is at the Agency and Public Meetings stage designated to determine Purpose and Need.
• The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and U. S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) are working on the study. FCDOT is a participating agency.
• Mr. Pedak said the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors asked for a multi-modal study of I-66 from Route 15 in Prince William County to the Capital Beltway, I-495 in Fairfax County. This 25-mile stretch is serving the fastest growing region in Virginia.
• Tier I EIS will focus on broad issues, such as purpose and needs and general locations for proposed improvements.
• Tier 2 analysis will focus on site-specific details, such as impacts, mitigation and costs.
• Decisions that need to be made at the completion of Tier 1 include advanced tolling, such as managing High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes, as well as mass transportation improvements.
• The projects could be public/private partnerships (PPP). VDOT likes the idea of PPP arrangements, especially for rail projects. He said if there is a PPP with hot lanes, there will need to be another lane on I-66. (HOT lanes will allow HOV cars with three passengers in for free. All other drivers of vehicles with less than three occupants will have to pay a toll.)
• The project will continue to analyze the costs/benefits for different proposals, including the impact on surrounding neighborhoods.

• Overview of Corridor Conditions:
  • Steady population growth
  • Employment growth in activity centers
  • mobility demands
• The study projects that the Centreville area will grow from 102,500 in 2011 to 129,000 in 2040. The Gainesville-Haymarket area and the City of Fairfax area are also projected to grow to 129,000 people, with the Manassas area growing from 99,000 in 2011 to 134,000 by 2040. Likewise, employment in these areas will grow rapidly. The Centreville and Tysons Corners areas are projected to be the fastest growing areas for employment.
• Mr. Pekak said this growth means more traffic on I-66. The volume (number of vehicles) is projected to increase along I-66 from Rt. 28 to Rt. 50 from 146,000 to 160,000. From Rt. 50 to Arlington, the increase is projected to go from 176,000 to 185,000. The increased volume will stretch rush hours: 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mr. Pedak said traffic will be similar to Southern California’s.

• Purpose and Need
• The project purpose is to improve multi-modal mobility along the I-66 corridor by providing diverse travel choices for the public in a cost-effective manner and enhancing transportation safety and reliability. Transportation needs include: travel time reliability, consistency and predictability; travel time reductions; and fewer choke points.

• Long-term multi-modal solutions for I-66 include:
  • Heavy rail, including bi-directional, all-day commuter rail (VRE Manassas Line) with an outer terminal at Haymarket
  • Separate directional HOV/bus and HOV/HOT/bus transit facilities with barrier separation from general purpose (GP) lanes
  • Capacity improvements to parallel Route 29 and Route 50.

• Citizen Information Meetings
• Two citizen information meetings will be held from 5-8 p.m. on January 31 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Manassas, and on February 2 at the VDOT Northern Virginia District Office in Fairfax.
• Mr. Grimm suggested looking at what Arlington County is doing to improve transportation. He also noted that the extension of the Dulles Greenway toll road and the Rt. 234 Manassas bypass are not on the presentation maps. Mr. Pedak made note of these omissions.
• Mr. Pedak promised to send Mr. Parnes a link to the VDOT brief he used to make the presentation.

• Kamal Suliman, VDOT-NRO-TE, who was to make a presentation on Automated Traffic Management plans for I-66 could not make the meeting. He provided a copy of the presentation he planned to make, and which will be rescheduled.

1. 8:15
   • Proponent: Frank W. Stearns, Associate, Donohue & Stearns, PLC for the Trustees of the Centreville United Methodist Church (“Owner”) and New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC
   • Action: Special Exception Amendment to allow for the modification of existing Special Exception SE 2009-SU-002 for the construction and operation of a wireless telecommunications facility
   • Location: 6400 Old Centreville Road Centreville, Virginia 20121
     Mr. Frank Stearns, principal, Donohue & Stearns, PLC representing the Trustees of Centreville United Methodist Church and New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC presented a proposal for installing an AT&T cellular tower at the church, which will look like a very tall bell tower. Ginger Beaudoin, representing AT&T, also attended.
     The proposed tower will be 88 feet tall, with 20 X 80-foot base station. An 11-foot, split-face screen wall will surround the station. Cellular providers try to make the towers inconspicuous. Therefore, the tower will have a decorative bell, but no clapper. AT&T will do a balloon test after the holidays.
     Mr. Stearns explained that each cell site needs to have an antenna. Mobile wireless is the most popular phone system today with more wireless devices in the U.S. than people. With this growth in wireless electronics, AT&T needs more towers. Two other carriers (total of three) can use the tower for their cellular attachments.
     Bell towers and steeples do not need a special exception, but communication towers do. Mr. Stearns said AT&T has not yet submitted an application to the county for the tower.

     By CONSENSUS, the SDC did not object to the proposal.

1. Stringfellow Road Widening – On schedule for construction in late 2012
2. Pohanka Stonecroft rezoning and special exception application – the Staff report should be published Jan. 12, 2012. Pohanka has included a 115-foot wind turbine on its application for the Auto Park property.

• The flyover ramp from I-66 East to 1-495 North is now open. Ten new bridges are being built at the I-66 interchange to accommodate the four new HOT lanes on the Beltway to provide a smoother connection between these two major highways.
• Detours at the Fairfax County Parkway/Fair Lakes Parkway intersection are occurring in phases.
• To receive free digital subscriptions to the Connections newspapers, including the CentreView, email: goinggreen@connectionnewspapers.com to subscribe.
• The Fairfax Federation is seeking nominations for the Fairfax County 2011 Citizen of the Year and for merit awards by Jan. 31, 2012. The nomination form is available at www.fairfaxfederation.org. Winners will be honored at the annual banquet on March 25, 2012. For more information, contact Jeff Parnes, Awards Committee chairman, at 703-424-2956.

• The 54th Green Breakfast will occur at Brion’s Grille in Fairfax on Braddock Road on Saturday, Jan. 14, 8:30-10 a.m. The program: “Everything You Wanted to Know About Soil but Were Afraid to Ask.”
• Interstate 66 Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement Citizen Information Meetings:
  • Tuesday, January 31st, 5:00 to 8:00 pm, Four Points by Sheraton, Manassas
  • Thursday, February 2nd, 5:00 to 8:00 pm, VDOT Northern Virginia District Office, Fairfax

The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.

The next meeting of the Sully District Council will be on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, at the Sully District building on Stonecroft Road. The Fairfax County Police and Sheriff departments and the Virginia State Police with make presentations

Respectively submitted by,

Priscilla Knight
Secretary
Sully District Council