Everyone loves an anniversary — and the first one is always special. That’s why the staff and board of the Tysons Community Alliance (TCA) were thrilled to gather with area residents, workers, and other community members on June 12 at the Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center to celebrate our inaugural year of operations. (The TCA’s fiscal year starts on July 1.)

Chairman Jeff McKay speaking at the Tysons Community Alliance Annual Meeting and Open House on Wednesday, June 12th, 2024 in Tysons. (Sarah Heaton / Asico Photo)

Fairfax County Chair Jeff McKay welcomed the event’s attendees. “We can all see the transformation of Tysons,” he said, noting that the future of the area — which he called “the economic center of Fairfax County” — continues to be tied to the four Silver Line Metro stations within Tysons’ boundaries. McKay also emphasized the importance of building new residential buildings of all kinds, including affordable housing and senior-focused residences, to accommodate a growing population. As he wrapped up, McKay praised the TCA for its work: “They are turning Tysons from a place on a map into a true community.”

Drew Sunderland, TCA’s VP of Strategy & Research speaking at the Tysons Community Alliance Annual Meeting and Open House on Wednesday, June 12th, 2024 in Tysons. (Sarah Heaton / Asico Photo)

TCA’s VP of Strategy & Research, Drew Sunderland, introduced one of the TCA’s most exciting efforts to date: the Tysons DataHub, a comprehensive and user-friendly web-based platform that enables area residents, business owners, investors, and developers to explore a wide range of Tysons data points through dynamic metrics, graphs, and interactive visualizations. (Watch for an upcoming blog post about the DataHub, which has just recently gone live.)

TCA CEO Katie Cristol speaking at the Tysons Community Alliance Annual Meeting and Open House on Wednesday, June 12th, 2024 in Tysons. (Sarah Heaton / Asico Photo)

TCA’s CEO, Katie Cristol, wrapped up the presentations by highlighting the organization’s FY24 accomplishments within each of its four work program areas: Communications & Branding, Research & Business Services, Placemaking & Place Management, and Transportation & Mobility. “Above all, this past year has been one of making connections,” she said. Cristol also noted important things that the organization is planning to accomplish in the coming year, including a big “Explore Tysons: Walk, Bike, or Roll” campaign funded by a nearly $100,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. All of the FY24 highlights, as well as goals for FY25, can be found in the TCA’s 2023-2024 Annual Report, which is available to read or download at the TCA website.

Just prior to the public event, the TCA Board convened to:

  • learn about the sound fiscal health of the organization;
  • review accomplishments from the TCA’s work program areas;
  • see and unanimously approve the FY25 budget and work plan;
  • vote on the FY25 slate of board officers; 
  • and member organizations approved the FY25 slate of TCA’s Board of Directors. 

The FY25 board officers were unanimously ratified: Josh White, LCOR, President; David Schneider, Holland & Knight, and Rebecca Moudry, Fairfax County Government, Vice Chairs; Dave Gelfond, TMG (The Meridian Group), Treasurer; and Lisa Samuels, Gates of McLean, Secretary. This will be the second year of directorship for White, Moudry, Gelfond, and Samuels.

The FY25 board of directors, who were up for renewal or appointment, were also unanimously approved: Shweta Adyanthaya, Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs; Andrew Clark, Tysons Chamber of Commerce; Martha Coello, Fairfax County Department of Transportation; Claudia Diamond, Tysons Resident (Hunter Mill District); Kathryn Falk, Cox Communications; Pastor Sandy Kessinger, Tysons Interfaith; Joe Mondoro, Tysons Resident (Providence District); Jim Policaro, Lerner Enterprises; Greg Riegle, McGuire Woods; Jeff Roman, Stream Realty Partners; Brandon Todd, WGL Energy; Lloyd Tucker, Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services; and Terry Williams, PenFed Credit Union. They will serve three-year terms.

As incredible and successful as the past year has been, we know the year to come will be even better. We hope you’ll continue to support and work with us as we all strive to help make Tysons a vibrant, thriving, and connected urban center.


On Monday, June 27th, Tysons Partnership hosted its first in a two-part series, Employer Forum: Talking Transportation. During the virtual forum, employers discussed the current challenges facing the return to public transportation after the COVID-19 pandemic, potential solutions to help entice employees to utilize non-vehicular modes of transit, and what the new Silver Line extension will mean for Tysons.

As companies have implemented a hybrid work model, the way in which people commute to work has changed. Meanwhile, employees see challenges in using public transportation to get to work. The two biggest challenges employers have heard from their staff regarding the return to public transit include Metrorail’s lack of expanded hours and the frequency in which trains run.

“The headways have just eroded overtime, and it is no longer quick and efficient to take Metro. in particular on the Silver Line,” says Hillary Zahm, Vice President of Development for Macerich. Current ridership on Metrorail is at 35 percent of pre-pandemic levels. These numbers are slowly rising and will hopefully increase as Metro recently announced a plan to bring the 7000 series back into service. Even with these challenges, there are some positive signs that people are returning to Metro.

“I’ve noticed an uptick in people at MITRE taking the Metro recently—I just see it in our shuttle
service from the Metro to the campus,” said Chris Boynton, Senior Manager of MITRE’s McLean
Campus. “I’m anxious to start taking the Metro myself when they complete it out to Ashburn.”

Tysons Partnership and its members are dedicated to continually working with Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to help address these challenges. In addition,
many businesses are also offering incentive programs to help entice their employees to use
public transit. Tammy Hoffman, Vice President of Enterprise Services at Fannie Mae, mentioned
that their organization offers a 50 percent match on employees’ public transportation costs up
to the tax limit of $265 per month.

The meeting perfectly coincided with WMATA’s most recent announcement that the
organization had taken over control of the Silver Line extension from Metropolitan Washington
Airports Authority (MWAA).

The Silver Line extension will include 11.4 miles of new track and six new stations, making the
commute to Tysons from the west more accessible. Commuting is top of mind for many
employers, as they look to attract and retain talent. The extension gives employers another
solution to current and prospective employees who are dissatisfied with their current
commute.

“As we all look at retention challenges, hiring challenges, etc, having something else in your
toolkit with commuting being at the top of the list of complaints—they are all important,” says
Hoffman.

Furthermore, with the Silver Line extending all the way to Dulles International Airport, the
number of visitors staying in Tysons is projected to increase bringing an increase in visitors and
tourists which will be great for Tysons businesses and the local economy.
The second part of the Employer Forum: Talking Transportation Series will take place in
September. Stay tuned for more details.


On July 5th, I took a walk on the Pink Route featured in the Get Around Guide, starting at Spring Hill Station. After getting off the metro, I crossed the pedestrian bridge and began the loop along Leesburg Pike. The view of the elevated metro track and watching the trains arrive and depart from the station was quite impressive.

Heading down Ashgrove Lane, I soon found myself in a quiet residential area. Within a few minutes, I entered a serene, shady trail that felt surprisingly secluded for being in Tysons. This path eventually lead me through another neighborhood with well-kept, blooming gardens. When I reached the Vesper Trail, I noticed several side paths branching off into Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley Park. I took a detour onto one of these trails, and it was shady and easy to walk, offering a nice break from the main route.

Despite Google Maps indicating the area was “busier than usual,” the trail was empty. After some exploration, I returned to the main bike path. I crossed a small stream running under a bridge. Back on Leesburg Pike, I passed The PARC, a brightly colored community center, and was back at the metro station in about ten minutes.

The Pink Route is a mostly flat, easy walk with plenty of greenery. With its convenient metro access, it’s a great option for a quick outdoor escape. Grab your sunscreen and water bottle and give it a try!