Embark is going to transform Richmond Highway. The full scope of the plan's impact on the Mount Vernon area was laid out at a Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, Jan. 25. Embark Richmond Highway is a multi-year effort involving the implementation of bus rapid transit (BRT) along Richmond Highway and related transportation, land use, and design changes from Huntington to Fort Belvoir.
The plan will reshape Mount Vernon, but local citizens spoke up to ensure that the distinct communities that make the area unique aren't wiped away. An update to the Embark Richmond Highway plan called for six community business centers along the corridor near the BRT stops. There was enthusiastic support from the local business community, who said the plans' redevelopment could breathe new life into Mount Vernon's economy.
But among local residents, there were concerns about preserving the accessibility of Mount Vernon, for historic neighborhoods with roots to the area's founding to securing rental affordability to prospective residents.
Mary Paden, representing the South County Task Force for Human Services, said she was generally supportive of the plan but suggested some small modifications may help frame future efforts. Paden asked that the Embark plans put more emphasis on developing housing policies along Richmond Highway.
Paden's concerns were echoed by several other members of the public. Monica Billger pointed to the national equity atlas map from 2015 which showed extensive socioeconomic disparities along Richmond Highway, which showed limited access to healthcare, high rent burdens, and poverty stretched along the route Embark Richmond Highway will follow.
Beyond the immediate threat of gentrification pushing out Mount Vernon's affordable housing, there were concerns that some of the region's oldest communities could be threatened by the new transportation plan.
Ron Chase, representing the Gum Springs Historic Society, said he would have liked to see some recognition of his neighborhood in the historic education accompanying the transportation plans. Gum Springs is the oldest African-American community in Fairfax, existing as a freed enclave even before emancipation.
In addition to housing affordability and history, the last major item of concern for many local residents was a hope for greater protections for Mount Vernon's natural spaces along the redeveloped transit corridor.
The Planning Commission deferred any decisions on Embark Richmond Highway until Feb. 22 to leave the record open for public comment and explore public concerns.