Arlington Ridge featured in the “Where we live” section in the October 15, 2010 edition of the Washington Post.
What’s New?
PenPlace Site Plan Review Meeting, April 26, 2012
Or, "Build a Community -- Not a Compound"
Wow! More than 125 people came out last Thursday April 26th to the meeting of the PenPlace Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC). In fact the crowd was so large we ran out of copies of the community presentation made by ARCA (the link above is a copy of that presentation). For those who were not there, after hearing from the developer (Vornado) and the County Staff on the plan for secure buildings on the site, ARCA was allowed an almost unprecedented opportunity to make our own presentation expressing the concerns of the neighborhood, concerns that include:
- The traffic and pollution impact of the anticipated 4,500 car trips daily to the site.
- The precedent setting nature of allowing nearly 300' tall buildings in Pentagon City. Far from the very limited areas in Rosslyn and Crystal City where the county has approved such heights in the past.
- The development of a secure office compound encompassing 6 square blocks -- rather than the mixed use residential area required by the Pentagon City PDSP.
- The lack of community amenities on the site, including the 1 acre park and child care facilities planned in the original PDSP.
The next meeting of the SPRC is scheduled for Monday, May 14th although the location is yet to be determined we are told the County is hoping to find a site that can accommodate a large crowd --and we know the size of the crowd last Thursday impressed both staff and planning commissioners alike - so mark you calendar and plan to attend -- ARCA will make sure announcements go out when the location is determined.
In the mean time, please consider contacting the County Board and express your opinions on PenPlace. The County Board can be reached at countyboard@arlingtonva.us, (address your letter to any or all of our Board members: Mary Hynes, Chris Zimmerman, Jay Fisette, Walter Tejada, Libby Garvey). Although the Board vote on PenPlace will not be until the fall, letting them know there is community concern now is our best chance for getting them to modify the proposal in the ways we presented to the SPRC.
If you would like more information on PenPlace, contact MollySwatson@gmail.com
22202 Vehicular Traffic Counts
Arlington County recently provided ARCA with vehicular traffic counts they have collected for the 22202 neighborhood over the past several years. Click here to read more about this issue with some context for that data as well as a discussion of ARCA efforts to improve traffic data.
2002 Arlington County Vehicular Traffic Counts, 2000 - 2011
Police/Crime
Park Enhancement Grants (PEG)
UPDATE: The three proposals included below were presented to the Parks and Recs Commission on Oct 25. We received positive feedback from the briefings so are hoping they will all be implemented. The Commission will submit its final funding recommendations to the County Board in November for approval at the Jan 2012 regular board meeting. Final proposals and briefs can be viewed below:
| Ft. Scott Park | I395-Ridge Road | Prospect Hill Park |
requests safety improvements to Ft. Scott Park to serve as a barrier for cars that breach the Park’s curb such as the incident that resulted in the 2009 death of a neighbor walking on Ft. Scott Dr. The second ARCA proposal is to replace the grass at the I-395/S. Arlington Ridge Rd with low-maintenance liriope - saving ARCA approximately $450 per year in mowing costs and creating a more environmentally friendly and attractive entry to our neighborhood. The PRCA proposal would use the PEG grant to reverse the decline of Prospect Hill Park located at 1025 S. Arlington Ridge Road. The PEG process began with a “letter of intent” that was due June 30 and then the draft applications were submitted August 26. Final applications are due October 14. At its July membership meeting ARCA committed $450 (the equivalent of one-year’s mowing) for the I395/Ridge Road intersection. AHCA endorsed these proposals in a letter to ARCA dated August 24.
New Development Planned for Pentagon City
PenPlace Proposal Moves to Review Process: The development of PenPlace is moving forward without County response to neighborhood concerns. Questions submitted by ARCA on November 1, 2011, on behalf of our membership have not yet been answered -- in spite of repeated reassurances by County staff. Read more in this article.
A PDSP amendment has been submitted for Pentagon City. Vornado is proposing four office buildings (2 DoD, 2 commercial) and a hotel on the tract bounded by Army-Navy Drive on the North, and Eads St. and Fern St. on the east and west respectively. Read the proposal. The southern boundary will become the continuation of 12th St. between Crystal City and Pentagon City, where 12th St. runs up to the Fashion Center. At our November meeting, Natalie Sun from county staff briefed us on the basic proposal framework including density swaps. One item of interest is whether this proposed transfer of density will set any precedent for future Pentagon City development.
Natalie Sun, Arlington Senior Site Planner and Mike Novotny, representative of the developer Vornado, spoke at the November 2010 ARCA meeting. Natalie explained that the county would be using the Long Range Planning Committee (a subgroup of the Planning Commission) to provide the citizen review of the planning document. Over a series of three meetings the group will assess impact of the proposed land use change from hotel/residential to hotel/office as well as the proposed density increase. They will also explore the applicability of TDR to this proposal as well as the impact of the previously unplanned density as well the long range impact of any precedent set by inter-site transfer. Site Plan meetings will follow in the spring with a full Planning Commission and then County board review in fall/winter of 2011.
A number of residents asked questions about TDR, traffic increases, landscaping, office population, need to conference facilities. Others expressed concern about "loss of vision" from the original 1976 concept.
UPDATE PEN PLACE: During its second session on March 29 2011, the purpose of this LRPC process was defined: 1) to evaluate PDSP development currently approved for Parcel 1D in the context of nearby existing and approved development 2) to review previously established planning goals/policies for land use, transportation, and urban design for the parcel and 3) to develop guiding principles for Parcel 1D. The intent is to then use these "updated principles" (and not the original 1979 Master Plan) to assess the Vornado proposal. Our ARCA reps have attended all 4 LRPC sessions held to date and have articulated that ARCA supports the original plan for Pentagon City, which does not allow for any more additional office development. Nevertheless, the goal of the Aug 1st session is to hold a final discussion on comments supplied on the guiding principles by LRPC members including ARCA reps and finalize the resulting guiding principles ("redline version" and "clean version") for the site with the intention of eventually taking them forward to a work session with the County Board for approval.
For additional information you can contact our designated LRPC representative Don Clarke or alternate Nancy Swain.
Neighbors Speak
As we move toward a shorter newsletter, with the goal of getting more folks to interested in reading the website, we are featuring a new section. This will be a place for neighbors to share their thoughts and opinions. In the future, the website may also have a way for people to comment and have a discussion online, thus getting more members involved or at least aware. Our first set of three articles is focused on the Phased Development Site Plan Process with particular emphasis on the newly submitted Pen Place Proposal.Focus on Pen Place — Joan Quinn
Pen Place Proposals flout precedents — Don Clarke
PDSP Archival Info — Special Edition — Dick Herbst
Neighborhood Conservation Plan and ARCA Neighbor Survey
With over 440 respondents, ARCA is continuing to analyze survey data. The process for capturing this data and compiling it into a plan is underway. If you would like to be involved in developing the plan that articulates our neighborhood vision and discusses proposed improvements please send an email to arcaneighbor@gmail.com or check the "NC Plan" interest box when you send in your dues.
For results of our 1997 survey click here.
For the 1997 survey questions, click here.
Read about the Conservation Plan on our ARCA Mini Survey effort on the Current ARCA Projects page.
Crystal City Citizens’ Review Council
(CCCRC home)Update: On Wednesday, October 26, ARCA, AHCA, and Crystal City representatives on the CCCRC met with Arlington County staff to discuss in more detail proposed metrics for monitoring Crystal City re-development. This meeting was a working session on measurements for various aspects of the CC Sector Plan, such as land use, building height, affordable housing, open space, community buildings, energy and environment, and transition edge planning. The County already collects much of the relevant data, but additional measurement criteria were considered. The workgroup meeting for transportation and environment metrics is November 9; the all-member ‘regular’ meeting on November 16 will cover all other proposed metrics.
Pentagon Row Plaza Re-Design AHCA President Mike Dowell arranged an informal meeting to look at Federal Realty’s conceptual plans for a re-design and upgrade of this popular plaza. Mike, Nick Giacobbe, Kathy Landis, and Susan English looked at ideas for the space. The ice rink (open Nov-March) would be lengthened (but not widened), making it about two-thirds of regulation size. Mature trees would be kept; a lawn with curved path would replace current pavement, two 900 sq. ft. freestanding retail spaces would be added at opposite ends, and other features for seating, fountains, and play space would replace existing ones. Outdoor restaurant seating would mostly remain as is in the warmer months. Federal Realty will present the plan for community comments at the monthly AHCA Meeting, November 9, Aurora Hills Community Center. They plan to go to the County Board December 10. If you enjoy and use the plaza, and want to see what’s proposed, November 9 is your opportunity.
Past Activities The Crystal City Citizens’ Review Council (C3RC) is being established by the County Board to ensure citizen involvement in the implementation phase of Crystal City redevelopment. The charge was crafted to focus on monitoring accomplishment of the Sector plan’s Goals and Objectives leaving the door open to modification of the plan details as analysis indicates adjustments are necessary. This nineteen-person council will have seven seats for community representatives: two each from ARCA and AHCA and three from Crystal City. In the coming year, the C3RC will establish benchmarking “measures of progress” for the area that includes Crystal City.
Our C3RC reps and workgroup members have been coordinating with our counterparts in Crystal City to provide input into metrics that will be used to monitor the successful build out of Crystal City (40 year plan). Status of these metrics will be presented directly to the County Board as we move through implementation. It is our goal to support the plan’s overall objectives while preserving the attributes of our wonderful community. Our initial input has been submitted. The verbiage in red font reflects our suggestions for inclusion in the document that the CCCRC leads are drafting for our next meeting in September.
For the lastest from the county on Crystal City: http://arlingtoncitizen.wordpress.com/
Hume School
September 24th Fall Volunteer Day at Hume School Mark your calendars and join us for fall volunteer day at Hume School on Saturday, September 24th, 9 am - 12 noon. We will continue the battle to gain control over invasive plants and weeds at Hume school and the I395 entrance to our neighborhood. We’ll also plant bulbs at the S. 23rd Street/Fort Scott Triangle and tackle some other sites in the neighborhood.
This is a great opportunity to get to know your neighbors while contributing to the beautification of our public spaces. We’ll start at 9 AM with juice and muffins and finish up with hot dogs and soft drinks around noon. Wear comfortable clothing - long pants and shirtsleeves, and knobby soled shoes are encouraged. If you have garden tools and gloves, please bring them - but, if not, we’ll have tools and garden gloves available for you to use.
If you have extra plants in your garden or are dividing your perennials (day lilies, liriope, etc.) and would like to donate them to Hume school, please leave them behind the school on 22 or 23 September We will plant them during volunteer day.
Hope to see you on the 24th!!
Arlington Historical Museum/Hume School: 1805 So. Arlington Ridge Road.
A Safety Reminder
There have been some recent reports by neighbors of suspicious activity including strangers coming to the door. Lieutenant David M. Reiten, Arlington County Police Department Operations Division, Acting 2nd District Commander, reminds us that if we are uncomfortable please call the police non-emergency number 703-558-2222. Post it in a place that is convenient. Remember, if you see a crime in progress call 911, not the non-emergency number. You are also welcome to attend the quarterly police meeting (tentatively scheduled for Oct 27) to hear the latest reports of crime in our area.
New 2nd District Commander
I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself as the new Second District Commander. My name is Captain Andy Penn and I assumed command of the District on Monday, October 11, 2010. I am very excited about this new assignment and looking forward to working with each of you to continue the excellent relationship between the Police Department and the Community that we serve. In addition, the Second District also has a new Sergeant - Charlene Lancaster - as well as a new officer on the team, Dosha Stright. We will be trying to attend as many functions as possible in the near future to introduce ourselves and meet you.Again, I look forward to working with each of you and should you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me:
Captain Andy Penn
Second District Commander Arlington County Police Department
1425 N. Courthouse Road Arlington, Virginia 22201
Office: 703-228-4327 Email: cpenn@arlingtonva.us
Traffic Control and Pedestrian Safety
Ridge and 23rd:
Latest Update: Letter from VA State Delegate Eglin to constituents Subj: Meade St Project.
Signed improvement plans from Arlington County.
In response to the letter sent May 27 expressing concerns about the plan design, ARCA received this response from Christopher Zimmerman, Chairman of the County Board. The summary discussion of the county’s response including any additional information on the implementation plan will be included on the July 21, 2011 Membership Meeting Agenda. Construction of the project is currently scheduled to commence on August 8, 2011.
ARCA convened meetings on May 5 and May 19, 2011 to review the county’s 95% design plan for the intersection of Arlington Ridge Rd, South 23rd St and South Meade St. As a result of the vote taken at the 19 May membership, this letter was sent to Arlington County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman, by ARCA President Chick Walter, requesting that the project be put on hold until issues and questions raised at the meeting can be addressed. Please see the letter for a full discussion.
Previously, at our Sept 16, 2010 meeting, Arlington County staff presented the ″15%″ design (click here for a photo mockup of the proposed intersection) for Arlington Ridge Road and 23rd Street South. Based on our comments the County presented a redesign at a ″walk″ meeting in December and an update in February and another in March. Click here for the March 25, 2011 redesign for this safety enhancement project and here for a description of the changes planned for the intersection.
Note that the elements of the County’s design are articulated in its Master Transportation Plan, in particular (1) the street element (on page 25), (2) the pedestrian element (policy 8 (9) on page 8), and (3) in the County’s Arterial Transportation Management Study - ATM tool box (page 52) and are based on our 2009 request shown next. The goal of the project is to create a safer environment for all users including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and drivers. In 2009, ARCA sent a letter to Mr. Dennis Leach, Director of the Transportation Division of Arlington County’s Department of Environmental Services, requesting the use of an estimated $60,500 of funding set aside to address traffic problems on South Arlington Ridge Road and South 23rd Street. Read Mr. Leach’s response here.
In addition, we are tracking repair of the temporary curbing and replacement bollards for Arlington Ridge Road and S. Lang Street. An update on status for the improvements on 23rd street was received Oct 1.
ARCA supports improvements to Joyce Street in Aurora Highlands in a letter to the Director of the Transportation Division of Arlington County’s Department of Environmental Services. For further information, contact Andrea Walker, ARCA’s Pedestrian Safety and Traffic Control coordinator at tasteless@verizon.net.
Snow Removal
UPDATE: The Arlington County Board Passes Ordinance Relating to the Removal of Snow and Ice From Public Sidewalks. This item was heard by the Board at its June 12 2010 session. A video of that discussion can be seen at the Arlington County website’s video meeting minutes site.
Based on last winter’s snow experience, the County Board tasked Staff to develop a Snow Removal Ordinance applicable to sidewalks and streets abutting your residence. Failure to clear sidewalks to a width of 36 inches within specified timeframes could result in a Civil Fine ticket, and could also cause the County to have the snow removed, then bill you. In addition, if you put snow from your property onto a public street you could be liable for Criminal Penalties applicable to a Class 4 Misdemeanor.
Read ARCA’s opposition to the ordinance in the letter sent to County Chairman Jay Fisette.
See the Arlington Snow & Ice Central page for all the latest on how the snow ordinance affects you as well as updates on any snow conditions.