Why downtown Mclean is such a drab?

[Anonymous]

Rich neighborhoods block stuff. My neighbor growing up we were aghast when our one “semi fast food place” Friendly’s was to be bought by Burger King. We got into lawsuit with Burger King and eventually they won but we passed a law it is illegal to serve food on a paper or foam plate, use silver ware or serve food in disposable containers or have plastic forks and knives.

Burger King would have to open with glass plates with silver ware and glass cups. They backed out.

Fast food even trendy fast food brings litter, roaches, rats, noise, parking issues, also shady workers into town. As no one in town would work in that place.

We did not even want supermarkets and banned new ones. We don’t need denser housing or even jobs. Why those rich areas are all white collar or trust fund babies. No one in that town would work those jobs so all it does is bring strangers in.

It is why rich towns ban AIRBnB, my favorite one town in the Hamptons banned Uber and Lyft. They charge a huge taxi permit fee and only their licensed taxi can do pick ups or drop offs. The town pays a bit more taxi service but blocks riff raft.

It is uniform and drab on purpose.

[Anonymous]

It’s a great place to live if you can afford it. Best location, nicest homes, top schools, good amenities.

If we had the best downtown as well, you’d just envy us even more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ultra wealthy don’t really care about the same things you care about.

The ultrawealthy in cosmopolitan cities want amenities. Maybe not in backwoods Virginia.

Bingo. And the more time you spend in VA, the more you realize it's ALL backwoods.

[Anonymous]

I like downtown McLean. It’s convenient and has everything you need. It’s also importantly not over built.

[Anonymous]

I agree the center of McLean is boring for my family. I have 3 young kids. My family lives just south and we are very happy. Nonetheless housing prices are higher the farther north you go. I can easily get to McLean, Falls Church City, Merrifield, the metro, I66. Of course people have their own preferences.

[Anonymous]

Who cares? People don’t choose to live in McLean for its downtown anyways. A few more restaurants would be great if not with the expense of increasing density.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rich neighborhoods block stuff. My neighbor growing up we were aghast when our one “semi fast food place” Friendly’s was to be bought by Burger King. We got into lawsuit with Burger King and eventually they won but we passed a law it is illegal to serve food on a paper or foam plate, use silver ware or serve food in disposable containers or have plastic forks and knives.

Burger King would have to open with glass plates with silver ware and glass cups. They backed out.

Fast food even trendy fast food brings litter, roaches, rats, noise, parking issues, also shady workers into town. As no one in town would work in that place.

We did not even want supermarkets and banned new ones. We don’t need denser housing or even jobs. Why those rich areas are all white collar or trust fund babies. No one in that town would work those jobs so all it does is bring strangers in.

It is why rich towns ban AIRBnB, my favorite one town in the Hamptons banned Uber and Lyft. They charge a huge taxi permit fee and only their licensed taxi can do pick ups or drop offs. The town pays a bit more taxi service but blocks riff raft.

It is uniform and drab on purpose.

Completely irrelevant points. McLean is not incorporated and can’t ban anything. Two developers own Downtown McLean and haven’t wanted to redevelop it, point blank. The County keeps trying to entice them to redevelop with different plans but it’s not working. I don’t think the truly rich in McLean care one way or another what happens to downtown. There is an older retired contingent that is anti-development but they really have no power (and are not the McLean wealthy.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rich neighborhoods block stuff. My neighbor growing up we were aghast when our one “semi fast food place” Friendly’s was to be bought by Burger King. We got into lawsuit with Burger King and eventually they won but we passed a law it is illegal to serve food on a paper or foam plate, use silver ware or serve food in disposable containers or have plastic forks and knives.

Burger King would have to open with glass plates with silver ware and glass cups. They backed out.

Fast food even trendy fast food brings litter, roaches, rats, noise, parking issues, also shady workers into town. As no one in town would work in that place.

We did not even want supermarkets and banned new ones. We don’t need denser housing or even jobs. Why those rich areas are all white collar or trust fund babies. No one in that town would work those jobs so all it does is bring strangers in.

It is why rich towns ban AIRBnB, my favorite one town in the Hamptons banned Uber and Lyft. They charge a huge taxi permit fee and only their licensed taxi can do pick ups or drop offs. The town pays a bit more taxi service but blocks riff raft.

It is uniform and drab on purpose.

Completely irrelevant points. McLean is not incorporated and can’t ban anything. Two developers own Downtown McLean and haven’t wanted to redevelop it, point blank. The County keeps trying to entice them to redevelop with different plans but it’s not working. I don’t think the truly rich in McLean care one way or another what happens to downtown. There is an older retired contingent that is anti-development but they really have no power (and are not the McLean wealthy.)

The big plan amendments were adopted this June. It’s perhaps premature to say they haven’t worked because developers are going to be especially cautious while we’re still dealing with Covid. But they may not work when the current owners can continue to collect rents from existing tenants and there’s so much other development under way in Tysons/McLean.

People should also be careful what they ask for. Some additional restaurants would be great, but there are some really nice local family-owned restaurants in McLean. I could certainly imagine a scenario where there’s redevelopment, rents get jacked up even more, and we lose some of the local restaurants like Kazan and Aracosia to a Potbelly’s and a Cheesecake Factory.

[Anonymous]

Starnut Gourmet has gelato, which they do not make, but it is awesome.

[Anonymous]

BTW, the Ashby in McLean is a rental apartment full of kids. Just watch when the school bus pulls up outside.

[Anonymous]

We have everything we need but it does look very outdated. But lots of the houses are outdated too. Once you drop $1.5+ on a house or business, most of us don’t have a fun budget for cosmetics.

[Anonymous]

Much of the downtown is abandoned, which is so pathetic. But unless and until the landowners decide to build, there's nothing to be done. They hold the cards and they will decide what is a return on their investment, and Fairfax County Planning and Zoning are the only ones with the leverage to accept or reject their plans, at whatever height, at whatever density. I just hope the builders respect the Central Business plan (or should I say aspiration) to a great degree, since it has been in the works for decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Much of the downtown is abandoned, which is so pathetic. But unless and until the landowners decide to build, there's nothing to be done. They hold the cards and they will decide what is a return on their investment, and Fairfax County Planning and Zoning are the only ones with the leverage to accept or reject their plans, at whatever height, at whatever density. I just hope the builders respect the Central Business plan (or should I say aspiration) to a great degree, since it has been in the works for decades.

There's a difference between vacant and abandoned. I think you'd be hard pressed to find any area in downtown McLean that has been abandoned.

There is also new development currently taking place, such as the redevelopment of the old Safeway into the Lidl/Matchbox/Big Buns site, whatever the workers are currently doing at the old Boston Market, and the new apartment building now approved at 6707 Old Dominion.

[Anonymous]

I saw a petrified mouse in the doorway of the old gourmet burger shop while standing in line for the organic butcher. Then there is the old hamburger in the window of the abandoned McDonalds/seasonal plant stand. So much to be proud of in McLean!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I saw a petrified mouse in the doorway of the old gourmet burger shop while standing in line for the organic butcher. Then there is the old hamburger in the window of the abandoned McDonalds/seasonal plant stand. So much to be proud of in McLean!

I hear people stand in line for the organic butcher there.