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Tag: Tyson’s Partnership

Tysons alliance replaces biz partnership

It’s been a decade since Tysons unofficially dropped “corner” from its name amid plans by Fairfax County to transform the area into an urban live-work-play mecca anchored by four Metro Silver Line stations.

As Tysons marches toward the county’s goal — laid out in its 2010 comprehensive plan — to grow to 100,000 residents and 200,000 workers by 2050, a new nonprofit community improvement district is taking the place of the business-oriented nonprofit booster group that helped spur the region’s earlier growth.

Announced in October, the Tysons Community Alliance has replaced the Tysons Partnership. The shift is part of a yearlong review to develop an organization more reflective of the community and its needs as it grows, says Fairfax County Supervisor Dalia Palchik, whose district includes Tysons. While the partnership’s board structure was largely business-oriented, the alliance’s board includes representation from Fairfax residents, the county and community organizations.

“It’s a forum for collaboration and working together to get to the future,” says Richard Bradley, the alliance’s acting CEO. “I think they’ve recognized that it’s time to bring everybody together.”

According to a 2021 economic report released by the partnership, Tysons’ residential population is about 28,000; a number that grew 39% between 2010 and 2018. Total households are projected to reach 36,000 to 57,000 by 2050.

Another reason for the shift was funding. The partnership was funded by member dues and had a budget of about $500,000, which limited its activities, says the alliance’s board chair, Josh White, who also chaired the partnership’s board. On Oct. 11,
Fairfax supervisors approved an initial $2.5 million budget for the alliance for the remainder of the fiscal year. White anticipates a $4 million budget for the alliance’s first full operating year.

As it gears up, the alliance will hire a permanent CEO to replace Bradley, who served as acting executive director for the partnership, in early 2023. It will also grow to 12 to 14 staffers — the partnership had five full-time staffers pre-pandemic — who will focus on initiatives including transportation, communication and placemaking. Chief among the alliance’s first priorities will be to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for Tysons, White says.

“There’s so many varying interests in Tysons, as there should be, [so] there’s a lot of different stakeholders,” he says. “How can we structure a strategic plan that helps us move forward, helps this organization and Tysons move forward?” 

Tysons Partnership names acting exec. director

Tysons Partnership Inc. has named Richard Bradley, principal at Washington, D.C.-based The Urban Partnership LLC, as the organization’s acting executive director, effective Jan. 1.

Projected to open in 2023 near Tysons Galleria, The Mather will offer two luxury apartment towers with a total of 300 units for senior citizens ages 62 and older. rendering courtesy Mather Life Ways
Projected to open in 2023 near Tysons Galleria, The Mather will offer two luxury apartment towers with a total of 300 units for senior citizens ages 62 and older. rendering courtesy Mather Life Ways

Bradley succeeds Tysons Partnership President and CEO Sol Glasner, who is stepping down Dec. 31. Glasner announced his retirement in August after serving in the position for about four years and serving as the chair of the board from 2012 to 2014, not long after the partnership was founded. A spokesperson for the agency would not provide details about whether the partnership’s board is still conducting a search for a permanent executive director.

“Rich has been working with the partnership as an adviser over the past year as we have continued in our pursuit working with the county to transition the organization,” said Tysons Partnership Board Chair Josh White in a statement. “Rich is a seasoned professional with decades of experience as an advocate and champion for livable urban management districts in this region and throughout the world. He has spearheaded numerous strategic planning efforts and headed up transportation management programs, so really is a perfect fit for the partnership’s current needs.”

The Urban Partnership is a consulting firm offering a range of innovative urban planning, development and management services. Bradley’s partner there is his wife, Ellen McCarthy.

Bradley was founding executive director of the DowntownDC BID (business improvement district), where he worked for 17 years. Started in 1997, the nonprofit provides capital improvements, resources and research to the BID, which encompasses a 138-block area of 520 D.C. properties and is one of the region’s largest such districts.

He has also worked on economic development projects such as the National Landing Business Improvement District, Friendship Heights Business Alliance, Congress Heights and the incoming Silver Spring BID.

Bradley previously served as the head of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit International Downtown Association.

Tysons Partnership also has promoted Drew Sunderland to deputy director, and he will be responsible for daily operations of the partnership. Sunderland has been with the organization since 2014, leading key initiatives in branding, marketing and business development. He also led efforts to develop the partnership’s Tysons Economic Study and Market Report.

The partnership’s mission is to transform Fairfax County’s 4-square-mile Tysons area into an urban, downtown-like walkable destination district by 2050. An economic report released by the partnership earlier this year was optimistic, noting that the housing market is booming there, with forecasted growth. The report noted that Tysons is “well on its way to achieving the 40-year vision of the Comprehensive Plan” that was adopted for the region by Fairfax County government in June 2010.

“The county is working closely with Tysons Partnership to determine best practices and the best approach for a transition,” said Fairfax County Supervisor Dalia Palchik in a statement. “Rich is helping to frame the picture and providing guidance through his connections to the International Downtown Association. Both the county and the partnership benefit from his experience as we work together to define what a future anchor organization for Tysons might look like.”