Photo by Pedro Vera on Flickr.

Fairfax zoning fight

Some Fairfax residents are organizing to stop a zoning change that would allow more height and density near Metro stations and commercial areas.  Opponents call it “crazy density.” (Post)  

New heights for Reston

Fairfax County gave the green light for a new tallest building in the community, which will be 330 feet tall and 23 stories at the corner of Reston Parkway and Bowman Towne Drive. (WBJ)  

A library or housing?

There’s a proposal to build new housing on the former American Press Institute building in Reston, but some want to designate as a landmark the mid-century Brutalist structure and repurpose it into a new library. (Reston Now)  

Less boring in Loudoun

Non-residential buildings like warehouses and data centers in Loudoun County might have to meet design standards in the future. Proponents say “concrete boxes” already “bring the value of [the] Metro area down.” (WBJ)  

New design, longer walk

More detailed renderings show how the relocated Purple Line will fit in with the Silver Spring Transit Center. But county planners still don’t know how much longer the walk from the Purple Line to Metro will be. (Bethesda Beat)  

More free Metro

DC students will soon be able to ride Metrorail for free. One side effect: Youth will evade fares less often, allowing for better counting of how many people actually ride. (WTOP)  

Welcome to Metro

WMATA’s newest hires include an engineer to oversee all SafeTrack operations plus four people to handle social media.  The agency hopes this will lead to faster response times for maintenance and repair issues. (WTOP)  

Gentrification hits Cleveland

Cleveland saw an influx of younger, wealthier residents like many other US cities.  That means its faces some familiar challenges like retaining middle-class families and accommodating middle-income workers. (WSJ)