Aurora Highlands Civic Association (AHCA)

Volunteer Meeting for Livability HUG
2021-02-11 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89949734074
The Highlands Urban Garden (HUG) is a temporary demonstration garden inaugurated September 27, 2020, next to the tennis courts in Virginia Highlands Park. It was created by the Open Space Working Group of Livability 22202–the 3 civic associations of 22202 Arlington Ridge, Aurora Highlands, and Crystal City–in partnership with Arlington Friends of Urban Agriculture, which is managing the project and providing design and technical expertise. The HUG is supported by Arlington County’s Department of Parks and Recreation and the National Landing Business Improvement District (BID). The garden is a pilot project which demonstrates how otherwise fallow spaces can be transformed into productive land that builds a vibrant ecosystem. It has the potential to be expanded to other areas of National Landing.
How can you help? Volunteers are needed! The HUG is entering the next phase of planning for spring planting. We are working on the design of the water barrels and signage to explain the project and the plants. We’re also looking for more volunteers who would like to participate in some aspect of the project: planning, planting, communications, budgeting, etc

Pentagon City Study Community Meeting
2021-02-15 18:30 - 19:30
Details to come. Arlington County is leading a community planning process for Pentagon City to reevaluate long-term goals for this area with an emphasis on its transportation network. The Planning Study will be informed by the community’s recent work on livability and include broad participation from residents, businesses, community groups, and stakeholders. Learn more at the study website.
https://projects.arlingtonva.us/plans-studies/pentagon-city-planning-study/

Eco-Shred Event
2021-02-20 11:30 - 13:00 | Melwood, 750 23rd Street South, Arlington, VA, 22202, United States
Sponsored by Geva & Jane Real Estate Group.

Livability Meeting with VDOT on Route 1 Feasibility Study
2021-02-22 19:00 - 21:00
The Livability Working Group on Route 1 provided VDOT with 19 pages of comments and requests for more data on their feasibility study.
Registration required https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkfu2pqjkpH9HkvbA-vYFujoPpljvMMKFm

Livability Open Space Working Group
2021-03-02 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Livability22202
Open Space Working Group
Update on progress and 2021 activities
Tuesday, March 2
7 – 9 pm
** Virtual ** Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86003221590?pwd=[REDACTED]

Open Space: Is it important to you?
COVID has shown us how important it is to have parks, trails, and open spaces. Yet 22202 is very lacking in those amenities. The Livability22202 Open Space Working Group created an Open Space Report in December 2020, but this is no time to rest on our laurels. There is so much more to be done.
Come join us March 2 from 7-9 pm to plan activities for 2021.
As demonstrated by three recent meetings, the Working Group is starting to have an impact. But it’s soooo important to expand membership to ensure participation, not only geographically across 22202 but also demographically, with emphasis on renters and owners in high rise multifamily buildings needing access to open space. And not just during the COVID pandemic, but year round. An Arlington County Civic Federation White paper shows residents in multifamily units have some of the least access to open space in the County.) Not a surprise to us, is it?
This is not a roll up your sleeves and dig the ground working group. We are looking for your ideas and input. See the current status here: https://livability22202.org/open-space/ The meeting will be mostly informational. If afterwards, you’d like to stay engaged, great! But join us March 2 to learn what’s happening and where you could join in, if you’d like to.
The agenda for our March 2 Open Space meeting includes:

Briefings on recent meetings with County staff (DPR, DES, CPHD) and the Parks & Recreation Commission
Presentation of the Civic Federation CivFed White Paper on Equity in Arlington County Open Public Spaces
Concept and definition of open space: What does OpenSpace mean to us?
Future of the HUG and further projects with FOUA, perhaps in Crystal City
Furthering the Integrated Pedestrian Map
Roaches Run Clean Up Days in April
Cherry Blossom Festival activities in 22202
National Landing BID project ideas for open space See you there!

Email Carol Fuller, Livability22202 Coordinator for Open Space, at fullercarols@gmail.com, or Natasha Atkins, the AHCA lead, at natashaatkins1@gmail.com for more information.

Pentagon Row Site Plan Amendment
2021-03-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual – Teams
A virtual public meeting for
Pentagon Row Site Plan Amendment
will be held on March 3 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Planning staff will host a virtual public meeting to provide an overview of a proposed site plan amendment at Pentagon Row, located at 1101 S. Joyce St. After a brief presentation, staff and the applicant will be available to accept questions and comments.
The applicant, Street Retail, Inc, is requesting a site plan amendment to modify existing site plan conditions 52, 53, 56, and 58 to allow greater flexibility in leasing the property.
For more information about the proposed use permit amendment and use permit, view the materials.

How to Participate in the Virtual Meeting

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Note: Federal Realty came to the January AHCA meeting to discuss this. These were the plans provided at the time:

Pentagon Row: No more “full service” grocery store?
Federal Realty, the owner of Pentagon Row, is requesting revisions to several conditions from the original 1998 site plan approval that require certain retail categories and tenant sizes (http://bit.ly/pr-retail-changes). They say “the existing retail conditions create uncertainty around the ability to lease space to tenants and make it difficult to attract new tenants. Specifically regarding the existing grocery store, Federal Realty intends to maintain a grocery store element in the shopping center to serve community needs, but the owner is requesting flexibility in format, size, and location.”

VDOT Route 1 Meeting
2021-03-03 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual – WebEx
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) invites you to join a public information meeting for the Route 1 Multimodal Improvements Study. This virtual meeting will provide an opportunity for the public to:
• Learn about feasibility study updates and progress
• Provide input on proposed design elements along the corridor
• Ask questions and address concerns with the study team
The purpose of this feasibility study is to identify enhanced multimodal connectivity and accommodations along Route 1 (between 12th Street to 23rd Streets South) to meet the changing transportation needs of the Crystal City and Pentagon City communities.
VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact VDOT Civil Rights at 703-259-1775.
Register for the March 3 VDOT meeting here.

Crystal City Bike Plan Review
2021-03-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
As you may know, DES has put forward the draft Crystal City Bike Plan that they were directed by the Board to pursue because of the 1900 Crystal Dr SPRC.

As you may also know, many of us who want to make bicycling safer and more accessible to more people are unhappy with the draft plan, for many reasons. So, Chris Slatt (Chair of Transpo Commission) and I decided to put together our own public(ish) meeting Tues, Mar 9th at 7:30 through Sustainable Mobility for Arlington (SUSMO), to go into more detail, in a way that I hope will:

*Give you a quick intro to the concept of bicycling facilities for all-ages-and-abilities, how that benefits everyone, and how that looks different from what’s on our streets now.
*Show how the County needs to think a little more about its goals, and the scope of the study
*Show some alternate ideas for how some streets could better meet those goals in the short term — without dramatic or disruptive changes — and some ideas for the long term that need to be documented (or they will never happen).

I hope that you will consider joining us for two main reasons:

*Two upcoming SPRCs (Landbay C East and Crystal Plaza 1) will discuss transportation, and — especially Crystal Plaza 1 — County staff is proposing things that limit options for what can even be included in the actual bike plan (which is not scheduled to be presented to the Board for several months).

*We may document our alternate plans and provide them to staff and the Board. If we do that, I may approach you to see if you/your org might lend a statement of support, either on just the goals or perhaps even specific recommendations. Accordingly, I am inviting you to join the conversation on what we are thinking now, so we can refine our recommendations and advocacy approach now.

AHCA March Meeting
2021-03-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
>> Register Now for March AHCA Meeting <<<

Join us Wednesday, 7-9pm for our February meeting.
Current proposed agenda:
Cherry Blossom Festival
Find out what to expect as the Cherry Blossom Festival arrives on March 19th. We’ll also have special guests Luna and Dan Barry, two of the awesome Festival musicians, play their music, and Peijisan Art will talk about the art installations planned for the park.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO JOIN THE ZOOM MEETING. Pre-registration is not required, but if you do, you can easily add it to your calendar and avoid delays joining when the meeting starts.

>> Register Now for March AHCA Meeting <<<

If you have an issue that you feel needs to be raised, please contact an officer or email info@aurorahighlands.org.

BID Community Meeting (tentative)
2021-03-16 18:30 - 20:30
The BID is collaborating with JBGS to host an open community meeting aimed at providing an update as to the outlook for retail. The meeting would touch upon anticipated retail trends in light of COVID as well as on general retail strategies for the area.
Meeting details will be added, or see nationallanding.org

Dominion Substation Expansion Update
2021-03-17 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual – WebEx
AGENDA
• What to expect during construction
• Public art update

AT DOMINION ENERGY, we would like to provide an update to the Crystal Substation Improvement and Expansion Project. On Nov. 14, 2020 we received Arlington County Board approval to construct
the project. We invite you to learn more about the construction process, which is expected to begin in April 2021, at our upcoming virtual community meeting.
Our project team will provide an overview of what to expect throughout the construction process and answer any questions you may have. We will also provide an update to the public art installation and introduce our selected artist. If you missed our Aug. 2020 virtual community meeting, a recording is available on our project website.

See the attached flyer for more details:
Crystal Substation Postcard, Feb 2021_folded_v3
Details for joining the virtual meeting:
https://www.dominionenergy.com/crystal

Crystal City CA Meeting: Project Journey, Arlington Police
2021-03-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
The March Crystal City Civic Association monthly meeting will feature a presentation on Project Journey from 7-8 and an update and question and answer session from Arlington PD from 8-9.
https://www.crystalcitycivic.org/news/march-17-ccca-general-meeting-7-9-pm/

Site Plan: 2000/2001 S Clark
2021-03-18 19:00 - 21:00
2001 S Bell/2001 S Clark Review Coming up March 18! The second of three proposed SPRC meetings for this two-tower residential project will cover project updates, transportation, and PDSP/community benefits. A major part of the transportation discussion will focus on the plans for a new block of Clark-Bell, south of 20th Street, and the first part of an eventual realignment of Clark-Bell. Follow the project at https://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/2001-clark-st/

Cherry Blossom Festival
2021-03-19 - 2021-04-11 | Virginia Highlands Park, 1537 S Joyce St, Arlington, VA, 22202, United States
AHCA as well as Arlington County Parks & Recreation, the National Landing Business Improvement District, and several other local organizations have a wide range of in-person and virtual events planned to celebrate the 2021 National Cherry Blossom Festival.
See https://aurorahighlands.org/cherryblossom for details.

Pink Zumba
2021-03-20 10:30 - 11:00
This will be at the Softball Field (Hearts Park). Come have some fun!

Pentagon City Planning Study, Public Workshop #4
2021-03-22 18:30 - 20:30 | Virtual – Teams
Pentagon City Planning Workshop #4
The County study to reevaluate long-term development goals for the Pentagon City area with an emphasis on its transportation network continues with the fourth open community workshop on March 22. bit.ly/pc-planning-study

Music
2021-03-24 18:00 - 19:30

PenPlace/Amazon HQ2 Community Kick-off
2021-03-25 18:30 - 20:30
PenPlace (Amazon) Site Plan Review: Community Kick Off. The County will soon begin the public review process for the next phase of development at Amazon’s HQ2. Join the first community meeting March 25 to learn more about what the proposed site plan includes, how the review process will work, and when the community can share feedback. Get ready to provide feedback on The Helix and a whole lot more! https://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/pen-place-2021/.

Melwood: Town Hall on Future Plans
2021-03-30 19:00 - 21:00
Melwood would like to engage the neighborhood in a Town Hall or charette about the future of our Arlington Campus and the programming that occurs there.
“As we think about our future, we also see awesome opportunities to be a great neighbor and to support the community goals outlined in 22202 Livability Framework document.
We would like to move forward and hold the first of these Town Halls in late March. (Virtually, of course.) We have engaged Conversketch, a graphic facilitator, to help ensure a dynamic meeting with opportunities to exchange ideas.”
This event will be updated with meeting details when available.

AHCA April Meeting
2021-04-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
>> Register Now for April AHCA Meeting <<<

Agenda:

Commonwealth Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti

Talk and answer questions from the community about the prosecution side of crime, specifically in relation to the apparent rise in more violent assaults, carjackings, and weapons incidents in our area.

PenPlace / HQ2

Preliminary discussion of community thoughts/needs/wants

Progress on community open space at Virginia Highlands Park

How things are going, what’s been working and not.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO JOIN THE ZOOM MEETING. Pre-registration is not required, but if you do, you can easily add it to your calendar and avoid delays joining when the meeting starts.

>> Register Now for April AHCA Meeting <<<

If you have an issue that you feel needs to be raised, please contact an officer or email info@aurorahighlands.org.

Outdoor Zumba
2021-04-17 10:30 - 11:30, 2021-04-19 18:30 - 20:30, 2021-05-03 18:30 - 19:30, 2021-05-10 18:30 - 19:30 | Virginia Highlands Park West-side fields, 1535 S Joyce St, Arlington, VA, 22202, United States
Zumba is a fitness program that combines Latin and international music with dance moves, it incorporates interval training — alternating fast and slow rhythms — to help improve cardiovascular fitness.
No prior experience is required. Join your neighbors to enjoy the fresh air while getting in a great workout. This event is organized and led by a neighborhood volunteer, tips are highly encouraged.
Meet at Virginia Highlands Park Field #3 (“Hearts Field”) at the corner of Joyce & 15th.

PenPlace/HQ2 LRPC #1
2021-04-19 19:00 - 21:00
This is the first of two Long Range Planning Committee meetings for the PenPlace/Amazon HQ2 site.

Community Notes:

If you haven’t already studied the two sets of posted slide decks for tonight’s meeting, please do. And reviewing the slides from the community open house might also be helpful. Both can be found through links from the main project page: https://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/pen-place-2021/
Tthe site design guidelines have been updated; study those as well. They are hiding as a document titled “other….” towards the end of the list on this page: https://archives.arlingtonva.us/publicaccess/permitarlington.aspx?OBKey__789_1=SPLA21-00008 The good news is that all the pages after p. 23 are blank! (appears that they added their edits/updates (in red) to the existing 2014 guidelines – very hard to read.)
Also, the real MMTA and appendix are available through this page: https://archives.arlingtonva.us/publicaccess/permitarlington.aspx?OBKey__789_1=SPLN21-00002

HOW TO VIEW AND PARTICIPATE
This meeting will be held through electronic communication means in compliance with the Code of Virginia and Arlington County’s Continuity of Operations Ordinance. The meeting will be open to virtual attendance by the public and closed to in-person attendance.

Commission members, staff, applicants, and public comments will be hosted by teleconference/ videoconference via Microsoft Teams.
Meeting access information is provided on the LRPC webpage.
Closed captioning is available for this meeting by viewing it through the Microsoft Teams free app.
Audio is available from the dial-in phone option.
A recording of the meeting will be posted to the County website LRPC webpage within two business days after the meeting.
To request translation services or other reasonable accommodations, contact the staff liaison at the number or email listed below.

The LRPC is a committee of the Planning Commission. The public may observe the meetings, but participation in the discussion is limited to members of the Planning Commission unless otherwise recognized by the Committee chair.

For questions about this notice, contact LRPC Staff Liaison: Timothy Murphy tmurphy@arlingtonva.us ; 703-228-0771.

Outdoor Zumba
2021-04-24 10:30 - 11:30, 2021-04-26 18:30 - 19:30, 2021-05-01 10:30 - 23:30

Outdoor Zumba
2021-05-08 10:30 - 11:30 | Virginia Highlands Park, 1537 S Joyce St, Arlington, VA, 22202, United States

AHCA May Meeting
2021-05-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Please join our monthly meeting on May 12th from 7-9pm.

7-8 Dr. Varghese will discuss vaccinations and hold a Q&A
8-8:15 Melwood update
8:15-COB Solicit ideas for June meeting and any motions

Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApceisqDsuGtVLoYW7pckUfO1tN8NHzbWz
