About two years ago, Delegate Scott Surovell and Senator Toddy Puller had a letter published in the Washington Post that suggested that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors needed to pay more attention and direct more resources to the Richmond Highway corridor. In the letter, they bemoaned the “six trailer parks, two Wal-Marts, four thrift stores, 14 7-Elevens…a pawn shop, check-cashing stores…” Well, you get the idea. Although well-intentioned, the letter did not sit well with our supervisors, Jeff McKay and Gerry Hyland.
Look, we all know that Richmond Highway is not the Champs-Elysees or Main Street USA. We don’t walk up and down the avenue at night with our family, licking ice cream cones and tipping our straw hats to our neighbors. There are no barbershop quartets strolling around signing “Lida Rose.” And, worse, we still have too many auto repair shops, car title loan offices and psychics (although I’m thrilled that mine recently said my hair would soon grow back).
But let’s look at the forest for the trees, or through the trees, or whatever that phrase is. I can remember just 20 years ago, when I was a dashing carefree yuppie living in the fashionable Del Ray section of Alexandria. At that time, my yuppie wife and I would never think about going down Route One unless we got lost. Indeed, that actually happened one night and I remember vividly being welcomed to Fairfax County by several women in twinkly high heels and blue hot pants waving to us. They were standing in front of a hotel with a big neon sign announcing “Weekend Special – 15 Minutes for $15.” Porn shops abounded and you literally took your life in your hands if you stopped for a cup of coffee.
So, let’s keep things in perspective. Since we’ve moved into Mount Vernon we’ve a lot of dramatic changes on Route One. For starters, we now call it “Richmond Highway,” which I guess is some kind of progress. Then there is the Mount Vernon Plaza, where the old Ames Department store and the miniature golf course used to be. Remember how the store on the corner of that shopping center where Chevy’s has been for years used to change every other week? At the Beacon Mall, we’ve now got a number of good restaurants. Costco will be breaking ground, there are new housing complexes sprouting up. We’ve got several new hotels that do not charge by the hour and, although it’s not right on Richmond Highway, there’s a new Wegman’s coming soon that will be accessible when the new Mulligan Road is completed. Meanwhile, there are a number of new sidewalks being constructed, not to mention several intersection improvements.
It’s not perfect and, yes, I get ticked off when I see yet another new laundromat going in and, yes, the traffic is the pits and will probably get worse. But like I said earlier, we don’t live in Ames, Iowa. Heck, we don’t even live in Old Town Alexandria. We live in an urban setting, one that has changed dramatically over the years. And there are more changes coming.
And let’s not forget that whenever we want, we can have a picnic lunch along the beautiful Potomac, our own personal little river right in our backyard.
That ain’t chopped liver.
David Ben
1:15 pm on Tuesday, April 17, 2012
You are not alone, Ron. In fact, SFDC just released the results of a survey that said that, by a 2:1 margin, people think Richmond Highway is getting better. Check out the results: http://0101.nccdn.net/1_5/28b/2a7/0f9/1pg-survey-results.pdf
Ron Fitzsimmons
3:33 pm on Tuesday, April 17, 2012
That's great to know, Ben. Thanks! And let me compliment SFDC on its increased visibility in the last few months!
Jennifer L. Irvin
5:06 pm on Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Curious to know how long the author has been in the area. Because before it got horrible, it really wasn't so bad. It's always been a mix, but "back in the day" we had movie theaters (Roth's Mt. Vernon, the Multi-Plex, Beacon Hill Mall cinema, and even a drive-in!), miniature golf, Shakey's Pizza (where Islas is the last in a chain of "can't keep it leased" restaurants), Mike's Italian (recently reimagined as another quick-loan shop), some great family seafood restaurants, the Dixie Pig (now another corner drugstore monstrosity) and as for turnover Po' Folks was the restaurant on the corner of Hybla Valley for quite a while before everything seemed to go downhill at once. Yes, it's improving over the last 15 years or so... and I'm hopeful SFDC is listening to our pleas to restore more family-oriented shops/restaurants/entertainment. The aforementioned business "back-in-the-day" not only provided good family entertainment, but jobs for lots of my classmates!
Ron Fitzsimmons
2:19 pm on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Jennifer, we moved to MV about 20 years ago and, before that, lived in Del Ray for about 10 years....
John Medina
5:06 pm on Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Ron, while I agree with the point of your article, your memory of Rt 1 twenty years ago is simply incorrect. I've lived in the Rt 1 corridor since 1984 and have NEVER seen the types of blatant hookers or motel signs you described. Have we had issues of this type? Yes, but you do an injustice to the residents of this area by your exaggerated description.
Jody
2:14 pm on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
I agree with you John.
Janet Myhre
8:54 am on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
I have been in the area since 2004...Yes folks just that short time. Richmond Hwy has had tremendous improvements within that time frame, however, I believe the point of Delegate Surovell and Senator Puller's editorial was that there is still an unequity with Fairfax County when it comes to transportation / planning and resources on the eastern cooridor - now known as "Richmond Highway". Have we come a long way - yes - but there is still a long way to go! (Oh! I still want to know how the heck we are gonna get by Costco and Walmart on a Saturday morning... that is gonna be the pits)
Steve Chaconas
8:54 am on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
If you are intent on seeking the services of hookers, you will find them. As for Route 1, I've been here since 1968. The Village Butcher, Mike's, Doran's, Martin's Hardware, and many other businesses served the community. Living in an ivory tower might have blinded you to the diversification of the corridor. Turning your nose up at necessary services like laundromats, check cashers and pawn shops, Wal Mart, etc does not recognize their are others who need these services. Businesses don't force their services upon a community, they provide them.
DAVE
8:54 am on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Ron, in the future can you please stop being satirical?
Ron Fitzsimmons
2:24 pm on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thanks, Dave. I think some folks still dont my sense of humor!
DAVE
2:14 pm on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Steve, might want to join the 21st century. Places like you mention no longer exist for a reason. Sure there are still the Village Hardware's of the community, but these mom & pop shops are few and far between. Are you going to go to six different shops to get what you need or are you going to go to Walmart or Home Depot and get everything you need, probably at a cheaper price? I'd love to be in the 60's again, but unfortunately its 2012 now. Route 1 is, for the most part, a dump with a few diamonds. It's better than what it was 10-15 years ago, but not close to reaching its full potential.
Martin Tillett
5:38 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
The criticisms leveled by Delegate Surovell and Senator Puller were spot on and long overdue. The two Supervisors should be embarrassed about their 'joined at the hip" prevailing circumstance of two magisterial districts divided by this major highway which taken together accounts for the largest concentration of poverty in Fairfax County full of people in need of public transportation options and employment opportunities beyond low end retail outlet options. Mr Chaconas is correct in that the businesses locating here provide services to the people that want them. Economically disadvantaged people require and want cheap, hence you get the kind of businesses that dominate the corridor. Maybe, just maybe the Supervisors started paying attention after members of their own political party fired the broadside.
Yes Ron, things are looking up but much remains to be done. New motels are nice, but many of the old run down motels that rent rooms by the hour remain. Lee District replaced the ones on their side of U.S. 1 but most on the Mount Vernon side remain.
Patricia Hart
5:38 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
Has anyone else noticed that Fairfax Park and Recreation as well Fairfax County Public School Adult and Community Education is heavily focused on other parts of the county. My latest ACE class catalog advertised A World of Learning at Your Doorstep...not if you live at the 22309 zip.
Jody
11:34 am on Friday, April 20, 2012
I like the new landromat in Engleside-- great for washing oversized bedspreads/slipcovers but I hate that Mike's is now a loan place. The main problem w/ Mt. Vernon (in my opinion) is that we've lost our good schools and we have too many immigrants due to our abundance of cheaper older homes/apts. Sorry to be so politically incorrect but why can't we discuss the elephant in the room like adults? The businesses that move here will reflect our population & there's not much that can be done about that.
Ron Fitzsimmons
10:36 am on Friday, April 20, 2012
Patricia: When I worked at Hyland's office, we talked to the county about this issue and were told that a long time ago they did offer classes in this area but not a lot of people showed up. They said that if someone is now interested in a certain subject area and they can guarantee that others will sign up, they'd consider it.
Ron Fitzsimmons
12:21 pm on Friday, April 20, 2012
Jody, I appreciate your thoughts. I assume that a certain number of immigrants is okay with you, since ours is a nation of immigrants in many ways. But you say there are "too many" immigrants that are causing problems. How many immigrants would be okay in your mind?
Jody
2:27 pm on Friday, April 20, 2012
Enough so that I don't feel like I'm living in another country. Enough so that there aren't signs in Spanish in schools and stores. Enough so that neighborhoods don't become majority Hispanic. Enough so we don't have to spend money we don't have to hire ESOL teachers to teach 17 kids at a time and put in more trailers at our schools. And enough so that we don't have gangs and create ghettos.
We can only absorb so many immigrants at a time, this is why we supposedly have immigration policies. Melting into the melting pot is a hard process for both melters and the already melted. We should be able to speak openly about this issue and all other issues affecting our area.
Martin Tillett
2:18 pm on Saturday, April 21, 2012
Chief Powhatan circa 1607 couldn't have said it better. I like the diversity that more recent immigration has brought to the both my neighborhood and the broader community. The majority of the immigrants living in my neighborhood are solid family oriented citizens that are fixing up and remodeling their homes. There is a greater variety of dining out options for ethnic cuisine and the shopping options for international grocery items have expanded tremendously. Bestway and several other supermarkets offer exotic food choices and very competitive prices. I have confidence that in the near future the immigrants will engage in the civic and political life of the area and will create a new dynamic with respect to development priorities, transportation issues and hopefully will be game changers in the status quo decision making processes impacting the district. Who knows, maybe our first immigrant representative to the Board of Supervisors or one of the other governing boards of Fairfax County will come from the Mount Vernon District. Speaking openly as we all can on this issue.
Jody
9:30 am on Sunday, April 22, 2012
We know what happened to Powhatan, guess you will be happy when the same thing happens here. You think our new demographics are great and are even looking forward to Hispanics taking control of the local government as well.
I'm so happy for you and your new dinner choices.
It seems taboo to even mention that our demographics have drastically changed and to talk about what that means for our area. Can we please stop scratching our heads and lamenting Mt. Vernon's lack of upscale businesses and stores and new residential developments as if we can't fathom why on earth this is. Our location is ideal but for some reason we are considered the "armpit" of the county. Let's talk about this, since we're speaking openly.
Martin Tillett
7:52 pm on Sunday, April 22, 2012
Change is inevitable. We exist on a dynamic planet where physical forces exact change over time on both the living and non-living components. The complexity of human evolution and social dynamics is a force for change within the species. Why be afraid of change that is inevitable. Understanding and embracing change makes more sense than reactionary rhetoric. I do not specify Hispanics as taking control as my neighborhood is made up of Middle Eastern, Asian, African American, West African, West Indies, European and Hispanic cultures. The tapestry of culture that now makes up the Mount Vernon District should have a representation in our local government and civic affairs. My paternal ancestors immigrated to North America in the 1600's, my mother arrived in 1948. All sought a better life and more opportunity. I don't think the immigrants of today want anything more than past immigrants.
Mount Vernon demographics are part of the conversation and easy to understand when you consider that Richmond Highway and a few other areas of Fairfax were developed in the middle part of the 20th century and are thus areas with older and more affordable housing options. The glut of older apartments on this corridor and along parts of Route 50 and Route 7 are magnets for people with limited economic resources which is typically immigrants. Affordable leases on Route 1 attract immigrant entrepreneurs. Route 1 was the armpit of Fairfax long before the immigrant expansion of today.
Steve Chaconas
9:30 am on Sunday, April 22, 2012
Grover, you need to read, rather than recite. Those old businesses serveD the community. As the community changes, business not Government or politicians will meet the needs with their products or services.
Jody
11:52 am on Monday, April 23, 2012
Seems you've been drinking the "diversity" Kool-Aid. People from other countries are just as likely to be wonderful people as anybody else. Personally, I wish that people would stay in their own countries and try to fix whatever is wrong with them that makes them want to leave en masse. But that isn't the point. The point, that you agree with, is that we are obviously attracting a large number of immigrants who want to live in our abundant affordable housing. A point you are apparently happy about and I am not. I don't fear change or not "understand" it, I want to control it. I want our governments to try to control change in a way that leaves our schools, neighborhoods, & pocketbooks intact.
You say change is inevitable and should be embraced. You say we were the armpit before the demographic change. Is this change going to help us in our efforts to modernize and improve our area? Or will it make it more difficult and work to keep us from moving into the 21st Century? In the not too distant future, we will have only the very rich along the river and the poor everywhere else. What's good about that(?) and can that be prevented? Aren't government and community leaders supposed to influence the development and future of our area? Some will be passively content but I guess I'm a malcontent. I read recently that a fifth of the native citizens of England want to leave because their country doesn't feel like their country anymore! I know how they feel.
Martin Tillett
10:51 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012
My wife's parents immigrated to the US in 1938. Had they remained in their country to try and fix what was wrong they most likely would have been sent to the gas chambers as many people were.
Revitalization of Richmond Highway is what is needed. Check out this link - http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/revitalization-in-northern-virginia-could-crowd-out-affordable-house-report-says/2011/07/11/gIQAvC1zMI_story.html
The Wilson Blvd area of Arlington was revitalized over two decades ago. Metro was the catalyst. The new transportation network encouraged mixed use development combining residential, retail and office space. Housing in these mixed use developments is economically diversified so that you don't end up with a single economic class dominating. Yes government does play a role in such projects but so does community and citizen involvement. Something similar is possible on Richmond Highway but Fairfax County is too busy revitalizing Tysons Corner an area that is half the age of most Richmond Highway development.
Mr. Fitzsimmons suggested that things along the Richmond Highway corridor are getting better. I agree that there are some superficial improvements but nothing on the scale that will truly revitalize and change the poverty based economy that dominates the highway. If immigrants are engaged in the politics and civic live of the community, they may be the game changers in the status quo county politics that leaves this area pretty much neglected.
DAVE
8:50 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012
Sorry, Chaconas, I forgot about this thread, oh, about 5 days ago. Go ahead and click your heels together pray for those businesses to come back. Not going to happen. For better or worse the Walmarts, Costcos, Home Depots, etc. swallowed them up. Not sure why you are being condescending since we agree that business is what will change the community. Who do you think is going to win out in the long run Lowe's or Village Hardware? I'm betting that Lowe's has just a few more dollars to spend than Village Hardware does. I go to Village Hardware all the time when I need something quick and am willing to pay 10-20% more than Lowe's
Steve Chaconas
9:52 pm on Sunday, April 29, 2012
Grover, not being condescending, just trying to simplify to your level. Businesses are coming back. The MVLCC is growing. As for Village Hardware, choose facts. Checkbook Magazine often rates this local store as one of the best hardware stores in the area. Nearly tripling LOWE's in overall quality advice, promptness of service, and reliability, their prices are very similar and in fact in many cases are lower than the box stores. As for service, no competition! As for community service, no competition. As for being swallowed up, won't happen! Try getting Lowe's to support your community interests. Check the facts first.
Jody
3:50 pm on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Good article. This is what our area needs- redevelopment. We have more low income housing than we can handle. The county shouldn't be rescuing old apartment buildings to keep them from being redeveloped. Do we even know how many immigrants are here illegally? Does anyone care? Maybe only people who have kids in school. Maybe only people who were born an raised here and don't feel at home anymore. Maybe only people who are conservative and don't think such dramatic change in one decade is a good thing. Perhaps the people who are only waiting patiently for better shops and businesses are more content to wait patiently and hope it all works out somehow.