The Deleted Scenes - Silver Lining
The other week I did something I’ve been planning to do for half a year—ride the recently opened extension of the D.C. Metro’s Silver Line all the way to its westernmost station. I met a friend—these things are always better with a wingman—and we rode out to Ashburn, in Loudoun County. The Metrorail system, Washington, D.C.’s subway/commuter train system, is concentrated downtown, but today all of its lines terminate, at both ends, in Maryland or Virginia. Originally they terminated in the city itself, or at closer-in suburbs like Silver Spring and Arlington, but extensions over the years have brought final stations as far out as Rockville in Maryland and Reston in Virginia, far outside the Beltway. The Reston station is served by the Silver Line, which opened in 2014 (though much of it shares track with preexisting lines) and was previously the final station. But there was a Silver Line Phase II, which would extend it all the way to Dulles Airport and out into the Loudoun County suburbs/exurbs. This was supposed to happen years ago. Delays upon delays pushed its opening all the way out to late 2022, when the trains finally began to run. I know, roughly, what’s out there, because the Silver Line extension follows Virginia 267, one of the main routes through Loudoun County. But I wanted to celebrate the opening, and see this familiar route out the window of a train. We caught one of the seasonal cherry blossom trains, which was a nice start. The station names, and the scenery, aren’t much, really: Innovation Center, Loudoun Gateway. They bring to mind luxurious but impersonal hotel lobbies. Seeing the massive terminal of Dulles Airport out the railcar window did make me proud to live in Northern Virginia. This should have happened decades ago, really. But better late than never. We rode out to the new terminus, the Ashburn station. Ashburn was a town centuries ago, but its development as an outer D.C. suburb is fairly recent. Unfortunately, the Silver Line does not connect with any real pre-existing development around here. There’s One Loudoun, a mixed-use town center development, and the old town of Leesburg, with its own large suburban penumbra. Both of these sit on Virginia Route 7, which the Silver Line doesn’t follow at all in Loudoun County. (It follows 7 back in Fairfax County before splitting off to track 267.) I was particularly curious what the pedestrian experience was like outside the Ashburn station. Could I say to my wife, “Hey, let’s ride to Ashburn and shop/eat/walk/whatever,” and not need a car or an additional bus trip? Well, not really. There’s a small mixed-use town center development to one side of the station called Loudoun Station, built ahead of the severely delayed rail extension. We were there in the middle of a weekday, which is probably why, but it definitely had that deserted, sort of movie-set feel. There was a playground with a few families hanging out, but there was also a mini amphitheater which was somewhat overgrown. There were also these consumeristic stickers on the ground, playing up the few things there were to do locally. If you keep walking, you’ll quickly reach the end of this development. Beyond it is a shopping center with a Home Depot, and not much of anything else you can or would particularly want to walk to. On the other side of the station is a large residential development still partially under construction, consisting, as far as I could tell, entirely of townhomes. Design-wise, they’re typical, look nice enough, and are new. They’re not cheap—one very large townhome recently sold for over $1 million—but they’re cheaper than pretty much anything in Fairfax County, certainly new construction (I think the more average townhomes go for somewhere around $700,000.) It was disappointing to see these massively overbuilt streets, especially in a development whose chief selling point is proximity to public transit. Here’s the whole surrounding area: I suppose it’s natural that as you leave the urban core, the train acts less like a subway and more like a commuter train. But the suburbs are full of communities that could use rail, and where it might make sense (though perhaps some of them don’t want it). There are some places that scream for more transit, like the aforementioned One Loudoun mixed-use development, or older and more deeply settled parts of eastern Loudoun County around the area known as Dulles. Most of this is along Route 7, which is the older and more settled corridor in general. How much sense does it make to run a very expensive rail system through what is mostly a wilderness of data centers, empty land, and suburban houses? Sure, this will fill in and get built out over time, in tandem with the rail extension. But should it have been encouraged to fill in, when we already have places which can grow and be connected to each other? A 2018 pamphlet for the Loudoun Station development gives this description:
And One Loudoun calls itself “Loudoun County’s Downtown.” From reading this, you wouldn’t know that Leesburg, a pretty decent-sized historic town, even exists. Nor do these newer town centers acknowledge each other. We aren’t really building places like this; we’re making products. Now, I tend to think this sprawl will occur either way, and that it is better, on measure, to give current and future residents transit options than not to. But one person I know in this urbanism/transit/housing arena calls the Silver Line extension “rail sprawl”; of a piece with all the other sprawl, and not really superior to it. I take his point. It also makes me think of Strong Towns’ critique of “transit-oriented development.” Here’s a long excerpt from an article over there on this topic:
That is how we built just about every great place in this country. And it’s almost alien to us today. What do you think? Related Reading: A Little More on Rockville Pike Thank you for reading! Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help support this newsletter. You’ll get a weekly subscribers-only post, plus full access to the archive: over 600 posts and growing. And you’ll help ensure more material like this! You're currently a free subscriber to The Deleted Scenes. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. |
Key phrases
Older messages
New and Old #105
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Friday roundup and commentary
Some Days It Feels Like Every Day
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Thoughts on frustration and convenience (and urbanism)
Road Diary: Culpeper Edition
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Assorted notes from the road
Goody Two Stores
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #106
Long Hall
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #105
You Might Also Like
Starting a fire
Thursday, May 2, 2024
John August reminds you that as a writer it's your job to burn the house down. Splash metaphorical or real gasoline all over the place, strike a match and let it fly. You need to burn down houses.
The Anti-Cutoff Shorts Everyone Will Be Wearing In 30 Days
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Summer is coming.
Charge Big Oil with conspiracy, former tobacco prosecutor says
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Following the release of new internal documents, Sharon Eubanks told the Senate Budget Committee that there is evidence for a DOJ climate case against Big Oil. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Clicking This Fake Chrome Update Could Drain Your Bank Account 🚨
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
When to Use a Credit Repair Service. A new Android-based malware is posing as a Google Chrome update and can steal your bank information and more. Here's what you need to know to avoid it Not
‘Help! Our DEI Trainer Won’t Stop Talking About Kink’
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 ADVICE 'Help! Our DEI
Build Lean Muscle All Over! Find Out How!👀
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Transform your muscles in six weeks Men's Health shop logo Build Lean Muscle All Over! View in Browser Man doing bent over row with dumbbell Build Bigger Muscles in Just Six Weeks! Build Bigger
Bella Hadid's Seashell Bra Is Peak Mermaidcore Vibes For Summer
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Plus, your May horoscope is here, Paris Hilton takes on the troubled teen industry, & more.
Starbucks is extremely late to the boba party
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Restaurant owners share their funding tips
WIN $25,000 for a dream kitchen makeover!
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Kitchen Makeover $25000 Sweepstakes
New from Tim — "Live 10th Anniversary Random Show with Kevin Rose!"
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
The latest from author and investor Tim Ferriss