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As a resident of the Beacon Hill neighborhood, I tend to hear a lot about the redevelopment in this area. Right now the biggest thing going is the options for widening Rt 1 right around Ft Belvoir, which is running into several issues with historical zones and a cemetery. Some options are open for comment now.

As for Metro extension, our current local State Representative is very keen on trying to get a Yellow line extension to Ft Belvoir, which he is often reminding us is larger than the Pentagon in terms of staff. He favors Metro rails in the median of Rt 1, once it comes up from the tunnels at Huntington. It would also improve access to the Fairfax South County Center. Getting a Metro line with named stations would do a lot for the neighborhood identities. Sure, you've got Beacon Mall and whatever they're calling the Penn Daw shops, but mostly people call those the center with the Walmart or the Lowes.

I've also heard some thoughts on a Blue line extension to the West side of Ft Belvoir, which I understood had the advantage of some existing right-of-way that could be used.

Several years back I lived just North of Ft Belvoir and commuted via the REX bus and Metro into DC. About the only thing the REX bus has going for it is that it's limited stop, otherwise it's subject to schedule slippage and bunching that is often the problem with buses. And I never quite figured out why it goes to the North side of Huntington instead of the South, even though it's last stop before the station is Penn Daw.

I'd just like to see some updating to the area. At the moment it is very car-centric (I sometimes bike to Huntington, and it can be nerve-wracking). The Penn Daw area could use a clever solution to the traffic where Kings Hwy and Rt 1 meet, which I have seen some discussion of. Right now it's a jumble, and you can almost see the confusion when a car is not familiar with the intersection and trying to figure out which way to go.

I've done just a bit of looking for some of the history of these neighborhoods, but haven't gotten too far into it. I've been trying to find out how Penn Daw got it's name with no luck thus far. I did meet someone who knew the Quander family, who have a road named after them now. And searching for the street name where I live now seems to turn up the boring story that it was named after the developer that built it.

by Another Josh on Jun 26, 2012 9:24 pm • link • report